Using Herbal-Cake-Separated Moxibustion for the Treatment of Rats with Chronic Renal Failure.

In the process of moxibustion in clinical practice, subjects need to be in a stable mood and comfortable posture to avoid problems such as moxa ash falling, scalding skin, and poor curative effect. Such problems also exist in the rat moxibustion experiment. To simulate clinical practice, it is necessary to introduce an experimental instrument in animal experiments, that is, a moxibustion device with fixed rats and moxibustion treatment synchronization, which can make experimental rats receive moxibustion treatment quietly and comfortably under non-anesthesia.

[Design of moxibustion device for experimental rabbits].

An experimental device is designed to solve the problem of fixing rabbits and providing moxibustion treatment at the same time. The device includes a rabbit fixing box and a moxibustion shelf. The rabbit fixing box and the moxibustion shelf are detachable, and could be used for moxibustion at the chest-back and abdomen of rabbits.

Acupuncture attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis via the TGF‑β/Smad pathway.

Acupuncture is one of the most useful tools in complimentary medicine, and has demonstrated potential value for treating chronic renal failure (CRF). However, the underlying mechanisms for its therapeutic effect remain unknown. In the present study, the effects of acupuncture on renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) were explored in a rabbit model of CRF.