EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION ON ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE AORTO-ARTERITIS IN THE RABBIT

Objective: To study mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of multiple aorto arteritis. Methods: A total of 100 rabbits were randomly divided into control, model, acupuncture , Western medicine and Chinese medicine groups, with 20 cases being in each group. Aorto arteritis model was produced by intramuscular injection of human’s arteritis tissue homogenate + died bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) near the femoral artery and posterior tibial artery and the auricular root. Acupoint Renying (ST 9), Jiquan (HT 1), Fengchi (GB 20), Taiyuan (LU 9), Pishu (BL 20) and Shenshu (BL 23) were punctured and stimulated by twirling, lifting and thrusting the needles with hand repeatedly for 1-3 min. Animals of Western medicine group were treated by intramuscular injection of dibazol, and those of Chinese medicine group treated with intramuscular injection of compound red sage root injection (5 mL). Plasma WBC, neutrophilic granulocyte and lymphocyte counts, serum IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE contents, serum C 3 and C 4 were detected. Results: After acupuncture treatment, both plasma WBC and lymphocyte counts increased significantly in comparison with model group (P<0.01), while neutrophilic granulocyte count lowered strikingly (P<0.01). While in Western medicine and Chinese drug groups, neutrophilic granulocyte counts were apparently lower than that of model group, while lymphocyte counts of these medication groups were higher than that of model group, WBC count of Chinese drug group was markedly higher than that of model group (P<0.05). Determination of the immunoglobulin displayed that IgG, IgA and IgM contents of acupuncture group were significantly higher than that of model group (P<0.01), while those of the two medication groups were higher or remarkably higher (IgG) than that of model group. Serum C 3 and C 4 contents of acupuncture group, two medication groups were all significantly higher than those of model group (P<0.05-0.01). Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment induced improvement of hematology, serum immunoglobulin and serum complement contents may contribute to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in relieving aorto arteritis.

Aortodigestive Fistula: A Rare Cause of Digestive Bleeding

Backgound: Aorto-digestive fistulas remain a fatal disease entity often occurring after vascular surgeries. Eso-gastro-duodenal endoscopy is essential to explore the upper digestive bleeding. The negativity of morphological examinations should not exclude the diagnosis. Diagnosis has benefited in recent years from developments in cross-sectional imaging: computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The severity of bleeding is linked to the vital consequences (mortality close to 50% up to 100% in the absence of treatment), functional (30% amputation), and to the underlying infection itself correlated with the attack of the stent and the anastomosis. Patients: We report three cases of aorto-digestive fistulas treated at The University Hospital Hassan II to show the challenging diagnosis and therapeutic of such rare causes of upper digestive bleeding. Results: three patients were admitted to the emergency endoscopy unit for upper digestive bleeding, 2 of them had a medical history of Behcet Disease and two had past aortic aneurism surgery. The couple’s upper endoscopy and CT scan angiography made the diagnosis. Unfortunately, 2 patients died from fatal bleeding. Conclusion: Aortodigestive fistula is an extremely serious complication of aortic aneurisms and a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. This diagnosis should be considered in any patient presenting with digestive bleeding with vascular disease or previous history of vascular stent.

EFFECT OF ACU-MOXIBUSTION ON BLOOD RHEOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH AORTO-ARTERITIS

In the present paper, the authors compared the therapeutic effects of acu moxibustion and medication in the treatment of 80 cases of aorto arteritis and observed their effects on blood rheology of the limbs. Results showed that in acu moxibustion group (n=40) and medication group (n=40), the cure rates were 15% and 0, the markedly effective rates 62.5% and 12.5%, and the total effective rates 95% and 75% respectively. The therapeutic effect of acu moxibustion group was significantly superior to that of medication group (P<0.01). Following acu moxibustion treatment, the blood pressure and blood flow velocity of the brachial artery, the amplitude of the air volume wave of the wrist and the amplitude of the digital volume pulse wave increased remarkably compared with pre treatment (P<0.01), and after treatment with medication, only the blood velocity of brachial artery increased evidently in comparison with pre treatment (P<0.05). Comparison between two groups showed that values of the 4 indexes of acu moxibustion group were all significantly higher than those of medication group (P<0.01), displaying that the therapeutic effect of acu moxibustion is superior to that of medication. It provides experimental evidence for clinical effective treatment of aorto arteritis (branchiocephalic artery type) with acupuncture and moxibustion.