| Objective:By observing whether Bianjing Cijing acupuncture combined with Huayu Tongluo moxibustion and routine acupuncture can reduce the level of serum inflammatory factors,improve intelligent cognitive scores,living ability and nerve function of patients with vascular dementia,to verify the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for treating VD,and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion for treating VD by reducing the level of Interleukin-1β(IL)and IL-6 and inhibiting inflammatory response.Method:From the outpatient clinics and wards of the Department of Encephalopathy and Department of Massage in Anhui Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,patients who met the inclusion criteria for VD were assembled.They were then divided into two separate groups at random.Patients in the acupuncture and moxibustion group were given Bianjing Cijing acupuncture combined with Huayu Tongluo moxibustion and routine acupuncture(once every other day,4 weeks as a course of treatment,6 courses of treatment in total),and patients in the western medicine group were given Donepezil dispersible tablets(5mg once a day at bedtime.This can be increased to 10 mg once a day for 4 weeks for a total of 6 courses of treatment after 4 weeks of clinical evaluation).Patients in both groups received basic symptomatic treatment.The Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)scores,the Activities of Daily Living(ADL)scores,the Neural Function Defect Scale(NFDS)scores,and the levels of serum IL-1β and IL-6 were assessed before,at 3 months and at 6 months.The patients in the two groups were analyzed to compare the intra-group and inter-group data and the efficacy of the two interventions.Result:(1)A total of 24 patients were included,12 in the acupuncture and moxibustion group and 12 in the western medicine group.There wasn’t any statistically noteworthy distinction among the two groups in terms of general information such as gender,age,duration of illness and education years before treatment(P>0.05).(2)There wasn’t any statistically noteworthy distinction among the two groups when comparing various scales and the levels of serum IL-1β and IL-6 before treatment(P>0.05).(3)When compared to the pre-treatment information,the MMSE and ADL scale scores in both groups rose after 3 and 6 months of therapy,while the NFDS scale scores fell(P<0.05).(4)The scores on the MMSE and ADL scales improved more noticeably while the scores on the NFDS scale fell more noticeably in the acupuncture and moxibustion group in comparison with the Western medicine group after 3 and 6 months of therapy,respectively.Comparison of the two groups’ performance on the MMSE and ADL: the acupuncture and moxibustion group had a higher overall effective rate and better clinical efficacy than the Western medicine group(p<0.05).(5)Compared with the pre-treatment period,the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 decreased in both groups after 3 and 6 months of treatment;compared with the Western medicine group,the decrease in serum IL-1β and IL-6 levels was more significant in the acupuncture and moxibustion group after 3 and 6 months of treatment(P <0.05).Conclusion:(1)The cognitive ability,daily living ability,and neurological function of VD patients were advanced by both the acupuncture and moxibustion and the western medicine improved,but the acupuncture and moxibustion group was more successful.(2)The levels of IL-1 and IL-6 in VD patients could be lowered by both the acupuncture and moxibustion group and the western treatment group,but the acupuncture group was more significant than the western medicine group.(3)The therapeutic mechanism of Bianjing Cijing acupuncture and Huayu Tongluo moxibustion in VD patients may be related to the reduction of inflammatory factors and suppression of inflammatory response,which opens up new ideas for the clinical treatment of VD. |
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