[Effect of staged acupuncture on serum irisin level and neurological rehabilitation in patients with ischemic stroke].

Objective: To observe the effect of staged acupuncture on serum irisin level, neurological deficit, balance ability and spasticity in patients with ischemic stroke.

Methods: Sixty patients with ischemic stroke were randomly divided into a staged acupuncture group and a routine acupuncture group, 30 cases in each group; another 30 healthy subjects were selected as a normal group. The patients with ischemic stroke were treated with aspirin (100 mg each time, once a day, changing to 50 mg for prophylactic dose after 4 weeks).

The Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Postoperative Catheter-Related Bladder Discomfort in Patients Undergoing Transurethral Resection of the Prostate.

Background: Catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD), an extremely distressing complication secondary to an indwelling urinary catheterization, is frequently reported in patients with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), postoperatively. A prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study was designed to assess the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) as a treatment for CRBD in patients undergoing TURP.

Methods: Seventy benign prostatic hyperplasia male patients undergoing TURP under general anesthesia requiring intraoperative urinary catheterization were enrolled for the trial.

Adenosine A2A Receptor Mediates Inhibition of Synovitis and Osteoclastogenesis after Electroacupuncture in Rats with Collagen-Induced Arthritis.

Background: This study was to investigate the role of adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) in inhibiting the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on osteoclastogenesis in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Methods: Wistar rats were divided into four groups: sham-control group, CIA-control group, CIA-EA group, and CIA-EA-SCH58261 (A2AR antagonist) group. We detected tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), nuclear transcription factor-B (NF-B), receptor activator of NF-B ligand (RANKL), protein kinase A (PKA), and extracellular regulatory protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in peripheral blood by ELISA.

Repeated Electroacupuncture Persistently Elevates Adenosine and Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of repeated electroacupuncture (EA) over 21 days on the adenosine concentration in peripheral blood of rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Wistar rats were divided into three groups of 6 animals each: sham-control, CIA-control, and CIA-EA. We determined the adenosine concentration in peripheral blood and assessed pathological changes of ankle joints.

Adenosine A2A Receptors Mediate Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Electroacupuncture on Synovitis in Mice with Collagen-Induced Arthritis.

To study the role of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) in mediating the anti-inflammatory effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on synovitis in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), C57BL/6 mice were divided into five treatment groups: Sham-control, CIA-control, CIA-EA, CIA-SCH58261 (A2AR antagonist), and CIA-EA-SCH58261. All mice except those in the Sham-control group were immunized with collagen II for arthritis induction. EA treatment was administered using the stomach 36 and spleen 6 points, and stimulated with a continuous rectangular wave for 30 min daily.