Effects of low- and high-frequency electroacupuncture on protein expression and distribution of TRPV1 and P2X3 in rats with peripheral nerve injury.

BACKGROUND: Whether electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation at different frequencies has a similar effect on spared nerve injury (SNI) as other neuropathic pain models, and how EA at different frequencies causes distinct analgesic effects on neuropathic pain is still not clear. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham SNI, SNI, 2 Hz, 100 Hz and sham EA groups. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were measured. EA was performed once a day on days 1 to 14 after SNI. The expressions of transient receptor potential cation subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) and peripheral purinergic P2X receptor 3 (P2X3) were determined by western blotting and immunofluorescence. TRPV1 siRNA and P2X3 siRNA were administered by intrathecal injection. TRPV1 or P2X3 agonists were combined with EA. RESULTS: There were significant decreases in PWT, but no changes in PWL in the 14 days after SNI. EA using 2- or 100-Hz stimulation similarly increased PWT at every time point. The cytosol protein expression of P2X3 in the L4-L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) increased, but the expression of TRPV1 decreased in the SNI model. Both these effects were ameliorated by EA, with 2-Hz stimulation having a stronger effect than 100-Hz stimulation. Blocking either TRPV1 or P2X3 specific siRNAs attenuated the decreased PWT induced by SNI. Administration of either a TRPV1 or P2X3 agonist inhibited EA analgesia. CONCLUSION: 2- and 100-Hz EA similarly induced analgesic effects in SNI. This effect was related to up-regulation and down-regulation, respectively, of cytosol protein expression of P2X3 and TRPV1 in L4-L6 DRG, with 2 Hz having a better effect than 100 Hz.

Impact of Electroacupuncture Stimulation on Postoperative Constipation for Patients Undergoing Brain Tumor Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Constipation is frequently encountered in patients undergoing brain tumor resection. Constipation has negative effects on daily living, well-being, and individuals' quality of life. We examined the impact of acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation on postoperative constipation for patients undergoing brain tumor resection. METHODS: Patients undergoing brain tumor resection (n = 150) were randomly divided into a nontreatment group, an acupuncture group, and an EA group. Rome III Diagnostic Criteria, Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score, symptom assessment, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and a Self-Rating Depression Scale were collected. RESULTS: Acupuncture and EA were effective in relieving postoperative constipation. Electroacupuncture decreased constipation and improved quality of life scores. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and EA are novel adjuvant therapies to treat constipation.

Effect and Safety of CX-DZ-II Intelligent Electroacupuncture Therapeutic Instrument for Neck Pain Caused by Cervical Spondylos: Study Protocol for A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis (CS) is a chronic pain condition, with an increasingly high incidence in the general population. Electroacupuncture is a common analgesic modality that has been widely applied in neck pain treatment. However, current electroacupuncture instruments used in the clinic have low intelligence levels and obscure parameter standards. We here designed this study for assessing the effect and safety of a new, intelligent electroacupuncture instrument, the CX-DZ-II, in treating neck pain. METHODS: The present study is a prospective, two-center, randomized, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial for CX-DZ-II on treating neck pain caused by CS. Totally 160 eligible patients will be included in this trial and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio. A semi-standard acupoint selection strategy will be employed. In the experimental group, selected acupoints will be stimulated by CX-DZ-II. Electroacupuncture treatment will be accomplished by a pre-existing electroacupuncture instrument in the control group. The duration of treatment will be 2 weeks. The primary outcome is the change of Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score after one course of treatment. The secondary outcomes include the VAS scores after each treatment, the responder rate, drug-usage rate of non-steroidal antipyretic analgesics, the rate of adverse events occurrence, and the performance of instrument. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the effect and safety of the CX-DZ-II intelligent electroacupuncture therapeutic instrument in comparison with a pre-existing non-intelligent instrument in the treatment of neck pain caused by CS. The results will hopefully demonstrate a more optimal electroacupuncture instrument for the treatment of neck pain. (Trial registration No. gov NCT03005301).

Biological safety of Electroacupuncture with STS316 needles.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) is often used in clinical settings due to its analgesic effect, but its safety has not been verified due to the lack of clear criteria. This study examined the critical range of the corrosion of stainless steel types STS304 and STS316, which have been used clinically, and the relationship between needle corrosion and cell necrosis. METHOD: The critical point of corrosion for STS304 and STS316 was identified by varying the time, frequency, and stimulation intensity. In a tissue necrosis experiment, EA stimulation was applied to rats using STS316 needles with different thicknesses at maximum intensity for 60 min, and the presence of corrosion and tissue necrosis was determined. A cytotoxicity experiment was also conducted and assessed the needles and tissue necrosis. RESULTS: The results showed that STS316 was more stable than STS304 and that only coated needles corroded. Furthermore, tissue necrosis was observed regardless of corrosion, and slight cell necrosis was associated with needles with corrosion. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that non-coated STS316 was the most stable for EA stimulation and that corrosion byproducts and cell necrosis were not directly related.

Electroacupuncture via chronically implanted electrodes improves gastrointestinal motility by balancing sympathovagal activities in a rat model of constipation.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported for treating constipation in clinical studies. However, little is known of the possible mechanisms involved in the prokinetic effect of EA. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and underlying autonomic mechanisms of EA via chronically implanted electrodes for constipation in rat induced by Loperamide (Lop). Lop was given to regular rats to induce constipation. EA was performed via a pair of electrodes chronically implanted at bilateral acupoint ST-36. Feces characteristics, gastric emptying, small intestinal transit, distal colon transit time (dCTT), and whole gut transit time (WGTT) were measured in various sessions with EA or sham EA in rats with constipation induced by Lop. Heart rate variability (HRV) derived from the electrocardiogram was analyzed to evaluate autonomic functions. The number of fecal pellets was reduced by 27% with Lop (P < 0.01) and normalized by 7-day EA. Similar results were also observed in pellet weight. In normal rats compared with sham EA, EA shortened dCTT by 74% (P < 0.05 vs. sham EA), increased small intestinal transit by 28% (P < 0.01) and gastric emptying by 27% (P < 0.05), and accelerated whole gut transit by 14% (P < 0.05). In Lop-treated rats, the dCTT and WGTT were prolonged by Lop and normalized by EA. Lop significantly decreased vagal activity and increased sympathetic nerve activity; however, EA reversed these effects. EA at ST-36 via chronically implanted electrodes improves Lop-induced constipation by enhancing GI motility via the autonomic mechanisms. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The findings of the present study suggest that the proposed electroacupuncture (EA) may have great therapeutic potential for treating patients with opioid-induced constipation. It was demonstrated that EA at ST-36 improved transit of every organ along the gut mediated via the autonomic mechanisms in normal rats and rats with Lop-induced constipation. It is advised to administrate EA daily instead of two or three times weekly as reported in most of the clinical studies.

Electroacupuncture treatments for gut motility disorders.

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are common and there are patients who are refractory to medical therapies as not all treatments work in all patients. Consequently, a large number of patients with functional GI diseases use complementary and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture or electroacupuncture (EA). In this issue, Zheng et al. reported interesting results of a multi-center placebo-controlled clinical study on the use of EA for treating refractory functional dyspepsia; another study reported a multi-center clinical trial on EA for chronic functional constipation; Liang et al. studied mechanisms of EA involving enteric nervous system and neurotransmitters in treating constipation in rats. While controversial reports are available in the literature, EA with appropriate methodologies as shown in these recent studies is believed to be effective in treating certain functional GI diseases. In this mini-review, a number of clinical studies, including those included in this issue on the use of EA for treating gastro-esophageal reflux, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation are reviewed. Some critically important issues, such as the choice of stimulation parameters for EA, the administration frequency of the therapy, and the appropriate choice of placebo for clinical research are also discussed. Mechanisms of action involved in the therapeutic effects of EA for gut dysmotility and future research directions are also presented.

Examination of needle surface corrosion in electroacupuncture.

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) is a modern form of acupuncture therapy where stainless steel acupuncture needles are used as percutaneous electrodes to apply electrical stimulation. The concern about electrolytic corrosion of needles during EA has not been conclusively addressed. AIM: To examine whether corrosion of stainless steel acupuncture needles occurs after EA to establish the safety profile of this therapy. METHODS: The study comprised four EA sessions on healthy participants mimicking a common clinical practice, with needle surface examinations conducted immediately after each session. Used acupuncture needles that did not undergo electrical stimulation and unused needles taken from the original package were also examined as control comparisons. Two commonly used types of single-use, silicone-coated, stainless steel needles were selected for the experiment. The ES-160 digital acupunctoscope (a charge-balanced electric stimulator) was used to deliver electrical stimulation, and an oscilloscope was used to record the waveforms and electric currents. All needles were sterilised before examination by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), where images of needle tips and shafts were taken for further analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 32 needles were examined under the SEM. As the main findings, the SEM images showed the surface finish, burr attachments and surface characteristics of needle samples. No evidence of electrolytic corrosion was detected on any needle that underwent electrical stimulation for 30 min delivered by a charge-balanced acupunctoscope in healthy participants. The choice of a charge-balanced acupunctoscope is recommended to avoid any potential corrosion of needles in EA clinical practice.

Autonomic Responses to Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Needle Electrolysis: Effect of Needle Puncture or Electrical Current?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish if the changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity (analyzed through heart-rate variability [HRV]) during ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) is due to the effect of needle puncture only or of the PNE technique per se where the puncture and galvanic current are combined. METHODS: This was an experimental, case-control study that took place at the University of Seville. Subjects were 36 male footballers who were randomly allocated to three groups: a control group (CG; 12 players), for whom HRV was recorded for 10 min, both at rest and during an exhaustive US examination of the patellar tendon and adjacent structures; a first experimental group (PNE group; 12 players), for whom HRV was recorded for 10 min, both at rest and during application of US-guided PNE in the patellar tendon; and a second experimental group (needle group; 12 players), for whom HRV was recorded for 10 min, both at rest and during application of US-guided PNE without electrical current in the patellar tendon. The outcome measures were the diameters of the Poincaré plot (SD1, SD2), stress score, and sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio. RESULTS: There were no differences between groups in any baseline measurements, nor were there any significant differences between CG measurements (baseline vs. intervention). The PNE group exhibited statistically significant increases in SD1 (p = 0.01) and SD2 (p = 0.004) and statistically significant decreases in SS and S/PS ratio (p = 0.03), indicating increased parasympathetic and decreased sympathetic activity, respectively. The needle group exhibited statistically significant increases in SD2 (p = 0.02) and statistically significant decreases in SS (p = 0.02), indicating decreased sympathetic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The application of the US-guided PNE technique caused a measurable increase in parasympathetic activity (detected by HRV), which was due to the combination of needle puncture and electric current.

Auricular vagal nerve stimulation in peripheral arterial disease patients.

BACKGROUND: Auricular nerve stimulation has been proven effective in different diseases. We investigated if a conservative therapeutic alternative for claudication in peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) via electroacupuncture of the outer ear can be established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective, double-blinded trial an ear acupuncture using an electroacupuncture device was carried out in 40 PAD patients in Fontaine stage IIb. Twenty patients were randomized to the verum group using a fully functional electroacupuncture device, the other 20 patients received a sham device (control group). Per patient, eight cycles (1 cycle = 1 week) of electroacupuncture were performed. The primary endpoint was defined as a significantly more frequent doubling of the absolute walking distance after eight cycles in the verum group compared to controls in a standardized treadmill testing. Secondary endpoints were a significant improvement of the total score of the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) as well as improvements in health related quality of life using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The initial walking distance significantly increased in both groups (verum group [means]: 182 [95 % CI 128-236] meters to 345 [95 % CI 227-463] meters [+ 90 %], p < 0.01; control group [means]: 159 [95 % CI 109-210] meters to 268 [95 % CI 182-366] meters [+ 69 %], p = 0.01). Twelve patients (60 %) in the verum group and five patients (25 %) in controls reached the primary endpoint of doubling walking distance (p = 0.05). The total score of WIQ significantly improved in the verum group (+ 22 %, p = 0.01) but not in controls (+ 8 %, p = 0.56). SF-36 showed significantly improvements in six out of eight categories in the verum group and only in one of eight in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture of the outer ear seems to be an easy-to-use therapeutic option in an age of increasingly invasive and mechanically complex treatments for PAD patients.

Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation at different frequencies in a rat model of neuropathic pain.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture and related techniques are used worldwide to alleviate pain; however, their mechanisms of action are still not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation (TEAS) at different frequencies in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain in rats. METHODS: CCI was induced by ligating the common sciatic nerve, which produced neuropathic pain. 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats with CCI were randomly divided into three groups (n=6 each) that remained untreated (CCI group) or received TEAS at high frequency (CCI+TEAS-H group) or TEAS at low frequency (CCI+TEAS-L group). Rats in the CCI+TEAS-H group received high frequency stimulation (6-9 mA, 100 Hz) at GB34/GV26/ST36; those in the CCI+TEAS-L group received low frequency stimulation (6-9 mA, 2 Hz) at the same points. Rats in the control group had the same electrodes applied but received no stimulation. All three groups were subjected to behavioural studies after treatment. Expression of µ opioid receptors (MORs) in the L3-L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was determined by immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting after treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the untreated CCI group, both mechanical allodynia and thermal hypergesia were significantly attenuated, and MOR expression in the DRG was significantly increased by low frequency TEAS treatment at GB34/GV26/ST36 (p<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between the CCI and CCI+TEAS-H groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of low frequency TEAS significantly mitigated neuropathic pain in this rat model, and its analgesic effect is likely mediated by upregulation of MOR expression in the DRG.

Intraoperative Low-frequency Electroacupuncture under General Anesthesia Improves Postoperative Recovery in a Randomized Trial.

Neuronal stimulation improves physiological responses to infection and trauma, but the clinical potential of this strategy is unknown. We hypothesized that transdermal neural stimulation through low-frequency electroacupuncture might control the immune responses to surgical trauma and expedite the postoperative recovery. However, the efficiency of electroacupuncture is questioned due to the placebo effect. Here, electroacupuncture was performed on anesthetized patients to avoid any placebo. This is a prospective double-blinded pilot trial to determine whether intraoperative electroacupuncture on anesthetized patients improves postoperative recovery. Patients with electroacupuncture required 60% less postoperative analgesic, even they had pain scores similar to those in the control patients. Electroacupuncture prevented postoperative hyperglycemia and attenuated serum adrenocorticotropic hormone in the older and heavier group of patients. From an immunological perspective, electroacupuncture did not affect the protective immune responses to surgical trauma, including the induction of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10. The most significant immunological effect of electroacupuncture was enhancing transforming growth factor-ß1 production during surgery in the older and lighter group of patients. These results suggest that intraoperative electroacupuncture on anesthetized patients can reduce postoperative use of analgesics and improve immune and stress responses to surgery.

100-Hz Electroacupuncture but not 2-Hz Electroacupuncture is Preemptive Against Postincision Pain in Rats.

Preemptive analgesia involves introducing an analgesic before noxious stimulation. Electroacupuncture (EA) activates descending mechanisms that modulate nociceptive inputs into the spinal dorsal horn. This study evaluated whether preoperative EA is more effective than postoperative EA in reducing incision pain in rats. The nociceptive threshold to mechanical stimulation was utilized to examine the effects of an intraperitoneal injection of saline (0.1 mL/kg) or naloxone (1 mg/kg) on antinociception induced by a 20-minute period of 2-Hz or 100-Hz EA applied to the Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints before surgical incision, or 10 minutes after or 100 minutes after surgical incision of the hind paw. The extent of mechanical hyperalgesia after the incision was significantly attenuated by the application of 100-Hz EA preoperatively, but not by its application at 10 minutes or 100 minutes postoperatively. By contrast, 2-Hz EA was effective against postoperative hyperalgesia when applied 10 minutes or 100 minutes after surgery but not when it was applied preoperatively. Only the effect of 2-Hz EA applied 10 minutes after surgery was sensitive to naloxone. The present study showed for the first time that 100-Hz EA, but not 2-Hz EA, exerts a nonopioidergic preemptive effect against postincision pain in rats.

[Discussion on the industry standard: electroacupuncture therapy device].

Studying the industry standard of electroacupuncture therapy device (YY 0780-2010), collaborating with the clinical practice of acupuncture and moxibustion, in view of academy and safety, the comments and suggestions are proposed on the content of the standard. The standard describes manipulation norms, terms and definitions, dianjizhen and the output energy of single pulse, etc. It is expected that these comments and suggestions can be taken in consideration in the revision of industry standard or the development of national standard so as to improve the scientific level and feasibility of the technique standard of electroacupuncture therapy device.

[Anti-inflammatory and analgesia effects of electroacupuncture device of point injection on rats of inflammatory pain].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the anti-inflammatory and analgesia mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) device of point injection (PI) on rats of inflammatory pain. METHODS: 48 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into a control group, a model group, an EA+PI group, an EA device of PI (EAPI) group, an EA group and a PI group, eight rats in each one. The rats in the control group were subcutaneously injected with 50 µL of liquid paraffin oil solvent into the dorsum of left hindpaw, while rats in the remaining groups were treated with 50 µL of complete freund's adjuvant (CFA) at identical location to induce the model of inflammatory pain. After model establishment, the rats in the EA+PI group, EAPI group, EA group and PI group were treated with EA+PI,EA device of PI, EA and PI, respectively, once every other day (the 2nd day, 4th day and 6th day). Each treatment was given for 30 min. The mechanical withdrawal threshold, thermal withdrawal threshold and foot swelling before and 1 d to 6 d after model establishment were observed; the western blotting method was applied to measure IL-1ß expression in inflammatory tissue of skin. RESULTS: After model establishment, compared with the control group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal threshold were reduced (all P<0.05) and the foot swelling was increased in the rest groups (all P<0.05). After treatment, the mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal threshold in the EAPI group were significantly increased compared with those in the EA+PI group, EA group and PI group (all P<0.05), but the foot swelling was reduced (all P<0.05). The IL-1ß expression in the model group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); after treatment, the IL-1ß expression in the EAPI group was lower than that in the model group, EA group and PI group (all P<0.05), but no significantly different from that in the EA+PI group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of EA device of PI on inflammatory pain is superior to EA combined with PI, EA alone and PI alone, which is suitable for further popularization and application.

CT evaluation of acupuncture needles inserted into sacral foramina.

OBJECTIVE: To use CT scanning to evaluate the precision with which acupuncture needles can be inserted into sacral foramina to establish sacral nerve modulation by electroacupuncture. METHODS: The subjects were five adult women (mean age 71.6 years). These five cases were divided into two groups. In the first three subjects (group A) the intention was to insert acupuncture needles in the S3 and S4 foramina; in the remaining two subjects (group B) the intention was to insert acupuncture needles in the S2 and S3 foramina. RESULTS: CT scanning showed that in subject 1 of group A, the acupuncture needle intended for insertion in S3 was actually in the S4 foramen, and the acupuncture needle intended for insertion in S4 was actually distal to the sacral body. In subjects 2 and 3, the acupuncture needles were inserted accurately in the S3 and S4 foramina. In the three subjects who had acupuncture needles inserted in the S4 foramen, the tip of the acupuncture needle was an average distance of 6.0 mm from the rectum. The acupuncture needles inserted in subjects 4 and 5 of group B were inserted accurately into the S2 and S3 foramina. CONCLUSIONS: Inserting acupuncture needles into the sacral foramina of S2 and S3 at an angle of about 60° has the potential to be used for sacral nerve modulation by repeated electroacupuncture stimulation. Needling may be less accurate in subjects with higher body mass index. Because of the potential risk of perforating the rectum with the needle, this technique must be used by specialists only. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2013-026.

A novel wireless health monitor by using a wearable rubber glove with three-dimensional scanning elastic electrodes to measure acupuncture bio-potentials and impedances of a whole palm.

This paper proposes a novel wearable wireless-sensing technology on a glove to measure the bio-potentials and impedances of acupunctures on a whole palm in a non-invasive manner. Moreover, the device can transmit the information to a remote cloud server to learn at normal condition, and take measurement later for health condition analysis and monitoring. An example is given how to measure the acupuncture impedances and bio-potentials on a palm. One can see if certain acupuncture's impedance or bio-potential is not follow the Ohm's law or voltage divider rule along a meridian, then the health condition of the corresponding organ maybe with some problem. This discovery is not found in the previous literatures.

[Effect of Acupuncture plus Different Frequency Shock-wave Interventions on Pain Reactions and Motor Function in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture plus shock-wave (SW) intervention for osteoarthritis (WA), so as to explore its practicability in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 120 cases of knee OA patients were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely acupuncture (acupunct) + LFSW, acupunct + MFSW, acupunct + HFSW and routine acupunct groups, with 30 cases in each group. Xuehai (SP 10) , Liangqiu (ST 34), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Xiyan (ST 35) and Ashi-point were punctured with filiform needles which were manipulated with uniform reinforcing-reducing techniques for 15-20 min, once every other day for 7 times. In addition, these acupoints were also respectively stimulated with shock waves(10 Hz, 14 Hz and 18 Hz, pressure: 1-4 bar) delivered from a DolorClastEMS therapeutic apparatus for 600 times in 3 acupunct+ SW groups. The patients' pain response changes of the knee-joint were assessed by using visual analog scale (VAS) and the motility was evaluated by using a 0-3 grade scale. RESULTS After 7 times of treatment, the patients' VAS scores and motility scores were significantly decreased in the acupunct+ LFSW, acupunct+ MFSW, acupunct+ HFSW and routine acupunct groups compared with their own basic values before treatment (P < 0.01), and the therapeutic effect of the acupunct+ MFSW group was significantly superior to those of the other 3 groups in reducing both VAS and motility scores (P < 0.05). Correspondingly, the Deqi sensation score of the acupunct+ MFSW group was markedly higher than those of the other 3 groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Shock wave acu-puncture treatment is effective in relieving OA patients' knee-joint pain and functional activity, and the therapeutic effect of acu- punct + 14 Hz-SW is better, which is closely with Deqi-sensation.

[Research progress on quantification of electroacupuncture parameters].

By reviewing literature, summarization and generalization are respectively pertormed according to different electroacupunture (EA) parameters. Based on the understanding of clinical and experimental usage of EA parameters, effects of different parameters are summarized, and a preliminary evaluation is done to point out the advantages and disadvantages. It is found out that different EA parameters would produce different effects on the body, and researches are more in the field of experimental area and less in the clinical area. What's more, the majority of scholars focuses their attention on single-factor study, leading to fewer researches on the effects of parameters combination.

[Effects of different-frequency-electroacupuncture and moxibustion stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) on arrhythmia in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of different-frequency-electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion stimulation on rabbits' arrhythmias. METHODS: Newzealand rabbits were randomly divided into arrhythmia model (n = 18), EA-3 Hz (n = 19), EA-20 Hz (n = 19), EA-100 Hz (n = 18) and moxibustion (n = 18) groups. The arrhythmia model was induced by intravenous injection of 25 µg/kg aconitine. EA (3 Hz, 20 Hz or 100 Hz, 3.5-4 V) or moxibustion was applied to bilateral "Neiguan" (PC 6) for 20 min and electrocardiogram (ECG) of the standard limb lead II was recorded by using a Biosignal Processing Instrument. The concentration of serum hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) content was detected by using ELISA method. RESULTS: Following EA intervention, the duration of aconitine-induced arrhythmia was significantly shorter in both EA-20 Hz and EA-100 Hz groups than in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the serum hs-CRP level in the EA-20 Hz group was significantly lower than that of the model group ( P < 0.05). No significant changes were found in the duration of arrhythmia in both EA-3 Hz and moxibustion groups, and in the serum hs-CRP level in the EA-3 Hz, EA-100.Hz and the moxibustion groups (P > 0. 05). CONCLUSION: EA stimulation of PC 6 at 20 Hz and 100 Hz has an anti-arrhythmic effect in aconitine-induced arrhythmia rabbits.