Comparison of Electroacupuncture and Body Acupuncture on Gastrocnemius Muscle Tone in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Single Blinded, Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Objective:To compare the immediate effects of electroacupuncture(EA)and body acupuncture(BA)on gastrocnemius muscle tone in children with spastic cerebral palsy(CP).Methods:Children with spastic CP,age from 24 to 60 months,who all received rehabilitation treatment in the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics,the First Hospital of Jilin University from April 2016 to May 2017 were enrolled in this trial and assigned to EA group and BA group through a random number table.Both EA and BA therapies were performed on acupoints of Zusanli(ST 36),Shangjuxu(ST 37),Sanyinjiao(SP 6),and Xuanzhong(GB 39)for 30 min once.The root mean square(RMS),integrated electromyogram(iEMG)of the gastrocnemius of surface electromyography(sEMG),and Modified Tardieu Scale(MTS)of the two groups were evaluated before and after treatment.All adverse events were accurately recorded.Results:Thirty-six children with spastic CP completed the study(18 cases and 32 legs in the EA group;18 cases and 31 legs in the BA group).There was no significant difference in RMS,iEMG and MTS between the two groups before treatment(P>0.05).After treatment,compared with before treatment,RMS and iEMG significantly reduced and MTS(R2–R1)significantly increased in both EA and BA groups(P<0.05),and EA was more effective than BA in RMS and MTS(P<0.05).However,the iEMG between the two groups were not statistically significant after treatment(P>0.05).There was no serious adverse event during this clinical trial.Conclusion:Both EA and BA could significantly relieve the gastrocnemius muscle tone in spastic CP,and EA was more effective than BA.

Change in the Muscle Tension of the Shoulder Girdle Muscles in Patients with Spinal Pain, Using the Tone Control® Technique

The aim of the study was to verify the efficacy of the Tone-Control method in inducing a reduction in the tension of the muscles of the shoulder girdle,and therefore a normalisation of posture in the segment.The authors analysed the change in posture,which was related to the muscle tension of the pectoralis major muscle and the trapezius muscle,resulting from the administration of a programme of encoded exercises known as the Tone Control method.The study was conducted on 70 patients with postural back pain,aged between 25 and 81 years and with a mean age of 61.9 years,11 male patients and 59 female patients,who attended group rehabilitation for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 sessions.Acute phase patients,patients on anti-inflammatory pharmacological treatment and patients with hernias or bulging causing thecal sac impingement were excluded from the study.Measurements were taken of the angles of the joints in the scapulohumeral segment during the first and last sessions.The NRS(numeric rating scale)pain scale was administered at the start and end of the cycle of sessions.Conclusions:Patients in the study group experienced improvements in the angle measurements that were proportionally greater than those of the control group,together with a considerable reduction in perceived pain,with an overall improvement in posture and shoulder girdle function.

Reduction of epinephrine in the lumbar spinal cord following repetitive blast-induced traumatic brain injury in rats

Traumatic brain inju ry-induced unfavorable outcomes in human patients have independently been associated with dysregulated levels of monoamines,especially epinephrine,although few preclinical studies have examined the epinephrine level in the central nervous system after traumatic brain injury.Epinephrine has been shown to regulate the activities of spinal motoneurons as well as increase the heart rate,blood pressure,and blood flow to the hindlimb muscles.Therefore,the purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of repeated blast-induced traumatic brain injury on the epinephrine levels in seve ral function-s pecific central nervous system regions in rats.Following three repeated blast injuries at 3-day intervals,the hippocampus,motor cortex,locus coeruleus,vestibular nuclei,and lumbar spinal cord were harvested at post-injury day eight and processed for epinephrine assays using a high-sensitive electrochemical detector cou pled with high-performance liquid chromatography.Our results showed that the epinephrine levels were significantly decreased in the lumbar spinal cord tissues of blast-induced traumatic brain injury animals compared to the levels detected in age-and sex-matched sham controls.In other function-specific central nervous system regions,although the epinephrine levels were slightly altered following blast-induced tra u matic brain injury,they were not statistically significant.These results suggest that blast injury-induced significant downregulation of epinephrine in the lumbar spinal cord could negatively impact the motor and cardiovascular function.This is the first repo rt to show altered epinephrine levels in the spinal cord following repetitive mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury.