Short-term clinical efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in treating young patients with lumbar disc herniation.

Background: In the last decades, full-endoscopic techniques to treat lumbar disc herniation (LDH) have gained popularity in clinical practice. However, few studies have described the safety and efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) in treating younger patients with LDH. This study aims to evaluate the preliminary surgical outcome and complication of PTED in treating younger patients with LDH.

[Amplitude Changes of Low Frequency Fluctuation in Brain Spontaneous Nervous Activities Induced by Needling at Hand Taiyin Lung Channel].

Objective: To observe amplitude changes of low frequency fluctuation in brain spontaneous nervous activities induced by needling at Hand Taiyin Lung Channel, and to preliminarily explore the possible brain function network of Hand Taiyin Lung Channel.

Methods: By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 16 healthy volunteers underwent resting-state scanning (R1) and scanning with retained acupuncture at Hand Taiyin Lung Channel (acupuncture, AP). Data of fMRI collected were statistically calculated using amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF).

[Effect of acupuncture at pericardium points of amplitude of low frequency fluctuations of healthy people in resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging].

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture at the whole points of Hand Jueyin pericardium meridian on the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of healthy people in resting state (R1) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods: Totally 16 healthy subjects received structure scan of T1 and T2. Then two fMRI scans were conducted for each participant.

Capturing amplitude changes of low-frequency fluctuations in functional magnetic resonance imaging signal: a pilot acupuncture study on NeiGuan (PC6).

Objectives: This study aims to examine amplitude changes of low-frequency oscillations (fALFF) in the blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal associated with acupuncture on NeiGuan (PC6).

Experimental Design: Ten (10) healthy adults participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (i.e.

PDE-based spatial smoothing: a practical demonstration of impacts on MRI brain extraction, tissue segmentation and registration.

Spatial smoothing is typically used to denoise magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Gaussian smoothing kernels, associated with heat equations or isotropic diffusion (ISD), are widely adopted for this purpose because of their easy implementation and efficient computation, but despite these advantages, Gaussian smoothing kernels blur the edges, curvature and texture of images. To overcome these issues, researchers have proposed anisotropic diffusion (ASD) and non-local means [i.

[Angiogenesis of brain after ischemia/reperfusion injury of brain in aged rats and changes in expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor and transformation growth factor-β1].

Objective: To elucidate the mechanism of angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in the aged rats by observing the changes in expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transformation growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1).

Methods: Young Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were classified into groups by random digits table, and aged SD rats were stratified by different body weight. Rats were randomly divided into groups of sham operation, ischemia (I) 3 hours, I/R 1, 3, 6, 12 days, with 6 rats in each group.

[Investigation on the changes of dependent signal on the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations at blood oxygen level in brain after acupuncture Neiguan (PC 6)].

Objective: To investigate the relationship of the acupoint and its functional location in the brain.

Methods: Ten healthy participants were examined with the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fM-RI). The scanning includes the resting state 1 (R 1), acupuncture stimulating (AP) Neiguan (PC 6) and the resting state 2 (R 2).

[Clinical observation on acupoint sticking therapy for treatment of chronic pain of cervical intervertebral disc].

Objective: To probe into an effective therapy for chronic pain of cervical intervertebral disc.

Methods: Sixty-six cases of chronic pain of cervical intervertebral disc were randomly divided into an acupoint sticking group and an acu puncture group, 33 cases in each group. The acupoint sticking group was treated with acupoint sticking therapy, and the acupuncture group with acupuncture.

[Correlation analysis on changes between cognitive ability and brain fMRI after acupoint thread embedding in Alzheimer's disease patients].

Objective: To explore the mechanism of acupoint thread embedding (ATE) in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) by means of brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods: Twenty-six patients with mild to moderate AD were assigned to the tested group and the control group in pairing, 13 in each group. ATE was performed in patients of the tested group at Shenmen (HT7), Fenglong (ST40), Taixi (KI3) and Zusanli (ST36) acupoints, once every month for 6 times in total; but for patients of the control group only sham operation was done at the same acupoints.

[Effect of Huaisanzhen on central analgesic transmitters in the rat of the nerve root pain caused by protrusion of lumbar intervertebra disc].

Objective: To search the mechanism of Huaisanzhen in treating the nerve root pain caused by protrusion of lumbar intervertebra disc.

Methods: Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a sham operation control group, a model control group, an aspirin-DL-lysine control group, a routine body acupuncture group, and a Huaisanzhen treatment group. The aspirin-DL-lysine control group, the routine body acupuncture group and the Huaisanzhen treatment group were treated by aspirin-DL-lysine through intramuscular injection, routine acupuncture and Huaisanzhen therapy, respectively.

[Clinical observation on catgut implantation at acupoint for treatment of Alzheimer's disease].

Objective: To observe clinical therapeutic effect of catgut implantation at acupoint on Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Twenty-six cases with mild-moderate AD were divided into an acupoint catgut implantation group and a control group by sample-paired method. The acupoint catgut implantation group were treated with cat-gut implantation at Shenmen (HT 7), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40) and Taixi (KI 3), and the control group with the same manipulation at the same acupoints with no catgut implanted, once each month, for 6 months.

[Clinical observation on ankle-three-needle for treatment of nerve root pain of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc].

Objective: To observe the analgesic effect of ankle-three-needle on nerve root pain of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

Methods: Three hundred and eighty cases were randomly divided into an ankle-three-needle group, a routine acupuncture group and a medication group. The ankle-three-needle group were treated with ankle-three-needle therapy, i.

[Neuro-protective effect of Naomaitong to inflammatory cascade response after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion in aged rats].

Objective: To study the protective effect of Naomaitong on inflammatory cascade response after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion in aged rats.

Method: We duplicated focal cerebral ischemia model with MCAO, with ischemia 3 h and I/R 1, 3, 6, 12 d points. The effect of Naomaitong on the nervous dysfunction score, the water content of cerebral constitution and the expression of TNF-alpha, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and its mRNA were observed, and the group with nimodipine was as control.

[Effects of Naomaitong Recipe on expressions of nuclear factor-kappaB and nitric-oxide synthases in brain tissue after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion in aged rats].

Objective: To study the effects of Naomaitong Recipe, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, on the expressions of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and nitric-oxide synthases (NOSs) in brain tissue after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion in aged rats and the dosage-effect relationship.

Methods: We adopted the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in aged rats as the focal cerebral ischemia model, with 3-hour ischemia and 12-day reperfusion, and observed the changes of the nerve dysfunction score, the water content of cerebral constitution and the expressions of NF-kappaB, heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) and NOSs in cerebral cortex.

Results: The nerve dysfunction score, the water content of cerebral constitution, the expressions of NF-kappaB, HSP70, neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS), endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) in the untreated group were higher than those of the sham-operated group.

[Changes in inflammatory cascade response and its implication during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in aged rats].

Objective: To investigate the changes in expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha), vascular cellular adhesive molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1) and its mRNA expression, and the pathogenetic mechanism of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) in elderly.

Methods: Thirty six male young SD rats (5-6 months old) and 36 male aged SD rats (20-21 months old) were randomly divided into young sham operated group, young model group, aged sham operated group and aged model group, respectively. The two model groups were randomly divided into ischemia 3 hours (I 3 h), I/R 1, 3, 6, 12 days groups.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with sacral injection on prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc].

Objective: To search for an effective method for treatment of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

Methods: Ninety-four cases were randomly divided into a treatment group of 48 cases and a control group of 46 cases. The treatment group were treated by acupuncture and moxibustion combined with sacral injection and the control group with simple sacral injection.

[Clinical study on analgesic effect of Huaisanzhen on the nerve root pain due to prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc].

Objective: To search for an effective therapy for the nerve root pain caused by prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

Methods: One hundred and ninety-two cases were randomly divided into a Huaisanzhen group of 96 cases, a drug control group of 48 cases and an acupuncture control group of 48 cases. The Huaisanzhen group were treated by Huaisanzhen therapy, the drug control group by intramuscular injection of aspirin-DL-lysine and the acupuncture control group by routine acupuncture.