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Objective: To compare the clinical effect of electroacupuncture at Siguan points and flunarizine hydrochloride capsule on migraine of liver yang hyperactivity., Methods: A total of 110 patients with migraine of liver yang hyperactivity were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture group (55 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a western medication group (55 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was applied at Siguan points (Hegu [LI 4] and Taichong [LR 3]), with disperse-dense wave of 2 Hz/100 Hz in frequency and current intensity of 0.1-1 mA, 30 min each time, once a day, 5 times per week for 4 weeks. Flunarizine hydrochloride capsule was given orally in the western medication group, 10 mg a day for 4 weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score and the migraine attack days were observed before and after treatment, during follow-up of 1, 3 and 6 months, and the migraine symptom score was observed before and after treatment in the two groups., Results: After treatment, during follow-up of 1, 3 and 6 months, the VAS scores and the migraine attack days in the two groups were decreased compared with before treatment ( Ｐ <0.05), and above indexes in the electroacupuncture group were lower than the western medication group ( Ｐ <0.05). After treatment, the migraine symptom scores in the two groups were decreased ( Ｐ <0.05), the change in the electroacupuncture group was greater than the western medication group ( Ｐ <0.05)., Conclusion: Electroacupuncture at Siguan points could effectively reduce headache intensity and migraine attack days, relieve migraine symptoms in patients with migraine of liver yang hyperactivity, and the efficacy is superior to oral flunarizine hydrochloride capsules.

Objective: To optimize the evaluation level of active motor threshold and the functional domain of upper limbs of stroke-specific quality of life (SS-QOL) scale with Rasch analysis., Methods: Sixty patients with acute ischemic stroke that were in accord with research criterid were randomly divided into a test group (30 cases) and a control group (30 cases). Acupuncture treatment and routine western medicine were applied on the test group, and single treatment of routine western medicine was applied on the control group. Selected acupoints were MS 5, Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), etc. Active motor threshold and the functional domain of upper limbs of SS-QOL were self-tested by patients after one treating course. The characteristics of the above mentioned items were tested with Rasch model., Results: The statistical result on fitness of active motor threshold and the functional domain of upper limbs of SS-QOL showed that every reference of samples and items wosin accord with the Rasch model and has well inner reliability and validity. The Infit and Outfit MnSq values of active motor threshold and the functional domain of upper limbs of SS-QOL are basically between 0.5 and 1.5., Conclusion: The application of Rasch analysis on the assessment of patient reported outcome (PRO) has optimized the PRO scale (the activity and upper limb function domain of SS-QOL scale) and enhanced evaluation level of active motor threshold and the functional domain of upper limbs of SS-QOL scale.

Background: Stroke is responsible for increasingly high rates of mortality and disability worldwide. Approximately two million people suffer from stroke for the first time in China each year. The high incidence (50%) of post-stroke disability brings a heavy burden to patients and their caregivers. Acupuncture has been widely used in the communities for post-stroke rehabilitation in China. The objective of this trial is to apply our acupuncture research achievement to treatment and evaluation of post-stroke hemiplegic patients in community., Methods and Design: A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial will be performed in Longhua Hospital and a number of community health service centers in Shanghai. A total of 124 patients (estimated sample size) with post-stroke hemiplegia will be randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a control group. The patients undergoing randomization should be stratified according to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at baseline. Within the acupuncture group, different acupuncture protocols are administered to patients with flaccid paralysis or spastic paralysis based on the Ashworth Scale. Patients in the acupuncture group will also be treated with comprehensive rehabilitation therapy. The control group will be treated with comprehensive rehabilitation therapy only. The primary outcome measures are the Simplified Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale, the Modified Barthel Index, and the Burden of Stroke Scale. Secondary outcome measures are the modified Rankin Scale, the modified Ashworth Scale and the Stroke Scale of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Outcome measures will be performed after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. The patients will be followed up after 6 months., Discussion: The results of this study are expected to demonstrate that our standardized acupuncture protocol for treating and evaluating post-stroke hemiplegic patients will improve motor function and lessen the burden of post-stroke patients within the communities. This will provide the evidence to support successful translation of acupuncture therapy for post-stroke hemiplegic patients in community hospital use., Trial Registration: This trial was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration number ChiCTR-TRC-11001347.

Many clinical studies showed that the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in stroke have been dynamically changing since the onset of the disease. The changing of TCM syndromes can be attributed to multiple correlative factors such as age, sex, area distribution, underlying diseases, and constitutional factor. Data-driven methods involving multivariate statistical methods and descriptive approach have been used to analyze the regularity of dynamically changed TCM syndromes of stroke. However, expressing non-linear relationship between symptom or correlative factors and syndrome patterns by data-driven models is challenging. Model-driven methods involving artificial neural networks and Bayesian networks are new methods for studying the changes in TCM syndromes in patients with stroke. In this review, the authors summarized the studies of dynamically changed patterns of stroke syndromes based on data-driven methods and some clinical trials on TCM syndromes based on model-driven methods. Further studies are needed to improve the understanding of the dynamically changing regularity of TCM syndromes for stroke by using model-driven methods so as to develop appropriate and timely TCM treatments.

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion of "Dazhui" (GV 14) on the proliferation levels of the splenetic CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) of H22 tumor-bearing mice in vitro., Methods: Forty eight Balb/c mice were randomized into control, model, moxibustion and EA groups, with 12 cases in each. H22 tumor-bearing model was set up by hypodermic injection of H22 tumor cells (0.2 ml, 1 x 10(7) cells/ml). EA (2 Hz, 2 mA) was applied to "Dazhui" (GV 14) and left "Huantiao" (GB 30) for 20 min, and moxibustion was applied to "Dazhui" (GV 14) 2 moxa-cones every time. The treatment was given from the 2nd day on after innoculation of tumor cells, once every other day, 6 times altogether. After the treatment, the mice were killed by peeling off the eyeball and blood samples were collected to be separated into serum. Then, Tregs of the spleen tissues of Balb/c mice in different groups were isolated by using megnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) system to be cultured independently, and co-cultured with EA-treated serum and moxibustion-treated serum separately in culture fluid for 96 h, added with 3H-tritiate thymidine (TdR) in the culture-fluid 12 h before the end of culture, followed by collecting the cells and detecting their proliferation levels (count per minute, cpm) by using a lipid scintillation device., Results: The proliferation level of Tregs in model group was elevated significantly compared to normal control group (P < 0.05), while in comparison with model group, those of Tregs of EA and moxibustion groups decreased considerably (P < 0.01). After separate application of the diluted acupuncture-treated serum and moxibustion-treated serum at 1 : 1 and 1 : 8 (not 1 : 16 and 1 : 32) to the cultured Tregs, their proliferation levels (cpm) in EA and moxibustion groups were obviously upregulated in comparison to those of normal control group (P < 0.05), and the cpm in EA group was significantly higher than that in model group (P < 0.05), suggesting a different action mechanism between acupuncture-moxibustion treatment and serum stimulation., Conclusion: EA of "Dazhui" (GV 14) and "Huantiao" (GB 30) and moxibustion of "Dazhui" (GV 14) can effectively downregulate the proliferation level of the cultured splenetic Tregs of the tumor bearing mice. EA-treated serum and moxibustion-treated serum diluted at 1 : 1 and 1 : 8 can evidently upregulate the proliferation level of Tregs in vitro.