Effect of Dihuang Drink combined with acupuncture on cognitive function,cerebral hemodynamics and oxidative stress of patients with cerebral infarction during convalescence
Objective To explore the effects of Dihuang Drink combined with acupuncture on cognitive dysfunction,hemodynamics,oxidative stress and serum matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9),tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1)after cerebral infarction(CI).Methods Totally 128 CI patients admitted to our hospital from May 2021 to May 2022 were enrolled.They were randomly assigned into a control group(n=61,routine Western medicine[RWM]+acupuncture)and a treatment group(n=67,RWM+acupuncture+Dihuang Drink),After 3-month treatment,The curative effect was evaluated,the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE)scores,Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)scores,hemodynamics(mean blood flow velocity[Vm],systolic blood flow velocity[Vs]and pulsatility index[PI]of intracranial artery),serological indicators(superoxide dismutase[SOD],glutathione peroxidase[GSH-Px],malondialdehyde[MDA],MMP-9,TIMP-1)were included as comparisons.The curative effect was assessed.Results The overall effective rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group(95.52%[64/67]vs80.33%[49/61],P<0.05).After treatment,MMSE and MoCA scores in both groups were significantly increased(P<0.05),which increased notably in the treatment group compared with the control group(P<0.05).Significantly increased Vm and Vs,and significantly decreased PI were found in both groups than those before treatment(P<0.05),and the different was significant between groups for the above indexes(P<0.05).Significantly increased SOD and GSH-Px levels,and significantly decreased MDA levels were detected in both groups after treatment(all P<0.05),which were significantly pronounced in treatment group(all P<0.05).MMP-9 levels in both groups were significantly decreased(P<0.05),the decrease in the treatment group was more prevalent compared with the control group(P<0.05).TIMP-1 levels in both groups were significantly increased(P<0.05),the increase in the treatment group was more common than the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Dihuang Drink combined with acupuncture can effectively improve cognitive dysfunction and cerebral hemodynamics,reduce oxidative stress response,and enhance clinical efficacy for CI patients.