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To determine if the effect of manipulative acupuncture monitored by laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) can improve facial blood perfusion in patients with severe Bell’s palsy. This randomized, single-blind, controlled trial included 120 newly diagnosed patients (within 14 days) with severe Bell’s palsy (House–Brackmann grading system (HBGS) ≥ grade IV). The patients were randomized (1 : 1) to receive either acupoints acupuncture combined with manipulations of twirling, lifting, and thrusting treatments (manipulative acupuncture) or acupoints acupuncture therapy alone (simple acupuncture). These treatments consisted of a total of 24 sessions, three times per week, and each treatment lasted for 30 min. Following 8 weeks of treatment and 6 months after the initial onset of facial palsy, facial nerve functioning was scored (HBGS) and clinical efficacy was measured. The patients’ facial blood perfusion significantly improved following manipulative acupuncture assisted by LSCI compared with that at baseline ( P < 0.01 ). At the conclusion of the 8-week treatment, both groups showed improvement; however, the recovery rate was significantly different (manipulative acupuncture 53.3% vs. simple acupuncture 33.9%, P < 0.05 ). Follow-up analysis at 6 months after the onset of facial palsy revealed a significantly higher recovery rate (91.7% vs. 78.0%; P < 0.05 ). In addition, the number of treatments in the observation group was less than that in the simple acupuncture therapy group ( P < 0.05 ). Compared with simple acupuncture therapy, manipulative acupuncture therapy led to a more significant recovery rate in the treatment of severe Bell’s palsy and required a shorter course of treatment. This trial was registered with ChiCTR1800019463.

To observe effect of acupuncture for acute facial paralysis patients with ocular skin blood perfusion, and to explore the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture in treating acute facial paralysis. Thirty patients with acute facial paralysis were enrolled and acupunctured in facial points and bilateral Hegu (LI 14), and the PeriCam laser speckle flow video monitoring system was used not only for recording ocular skin blood perfusion condition in both normal and affected sides before acupuncture, at 15 min after acupuncture and after removing needles immediately, but also for calculating reduction ratio of ocular skin average perfusion in the affected side face compared with the healthy side. Compared with the healthy side of face, the ocular skin blood perfusion of the affected side after acupuncture was significantly different from that before intervention. The blood perfusion levels after 15-minute acupuncture and at the time of remaining needles were significantly different from the basic line (all P

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at the Conception Vessel on proliferation and differentiation of the nerve stem cells in the inferior zone of the lateral ventricle in cerebral ischemia rats.MethodsThe model rats were prepared by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 2 hours and then by reperfusion. They were randomly divided into two groups: a control group and an EA group. Changes in differentiation and proliferation of the nerve stem cells were observed 7, 14 and 28 days after successful modeling.ResultsAs compared with the 7-day control group (C-7d group), there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the numbers of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (Brdu) positive cells, Brdu/GFAP, Brdu/Nestin and Brdu/Nse double-labeled cells in the inferior zone of the lateral ventricle in the EA group 7 days after modeling. However, in the 14-day EA group (R-14d group) and the 28-day EA group (R-28d group), the numbers of Brdu positive cells and Brdu/GFAP, Brdu/Nestin, Brdu/Nse double-labeled cells significantly increased as compared respectively with the 14-day control (C-14d group) and the 28-day control (C-28d) group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).ConclusionsEA at the Conception Vessel promotes differentiation and proliferation of the nerve stem cells in the inferior zone of the lateral ventricle in the cerebral ischemia rats, and may stimulate differentiation of the proliferous nerve stem cells towards the astrocytes.