Hong-Hui Su1, Hou-Song Cui2, Hui-Ling Su3. 1. Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of North China Petroleum Administration Bureau, Cangzhou 062552, Hebei Province, China. 2. Department of Internal Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Gucheng County Hospital, Hengshui 253800, Hebei Province. cutesusuzyy@126.com. 3. Department of Oncology, General Hospital of North China Petroleum Administration Bureau, Cangzhou 062552, Hebei Province.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS:Patients with hepatic encephalopathy were randomly divided into acupuncturegroup (n=38) and western medicine group (n=36). Patients in the western medicine group were treated by intravenous injection of aspartate ornithine and branched chain amino acids, and those in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints on the basis of the western medicine. All the patients were treated for 1 week. The liver function and blood ammonia were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The changes of plasma β-endorphin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Following the treatment, of the 36 and 38 hepatic encep-halopathy patients in the western medicine and acupuncture groups, 12 and 18 experienced a marked improvement in their symptoms, 13 and 16 were effective, and 11 and 4 invalid, with the effective rates being 69.4% and 89.5%, respectively. Compared with pre-treatment, the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and plasma β-endo-rphin and blood ammonia were significantly lower in both western medicine and acupuncture groups(P<0.01), and the therapeutic effects of the acupuncture group were obviously superior to those of the western medicine group in the above mentioned indexes (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints combined with western medicine can enhance the curative effect of hepatic encephalopathy, improve patients' liver function and decrease the levels of plasma ammonia and β-endorphin.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS:Patients with hepatic encephalopathy were randomly divided into acupuncture group (n=38) and western medicine group (n=36). Patients in the western medicine group were treated by intravenous injection of aspartate ornithine and branched chain amino acids, and those in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints on the basis of the western medicine. All the patients were treated for 1 week. The liver function and blood ammonia were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The changes of plasma β-endorphin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Following the treatment, of the 36 and 38 hepatic encep-halopathypatients in the western medicine and acupuncture groups, 12 and 18 experienced a marked improvement in their symptoms, 13 and 16 were effective, and 11 and 4 invalid, with the effective rates being 69.4% and 89.5%, respectively. Compared with pre-treatment, the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and plasma β-endo-rphin and blood ammonia were significantly lower in both western medicine and acupuncture groups(P<0.01), and the therapeutic effects of the acupuncture group were obviously superior to those of the western medicine group in the above mentioned indexes (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of acupuncture at thirteen evil acupoints combined with western medicine can enhance the curative effect of hepatic encephalopathy, improve patients' liver function and decrease the levels of plasma ammonia and β-endorphin.