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BACKGROUND: The authors found a striking similarity between the qi and blood theory and nerve repair of spinal cord injury in terms of improving blood-oxygen microenvironment in tissues. The hypothesis is that electroacupuncture can improve the blood-oxygen microenvironment of the spinal cord and promote nerve regeneration by regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1 a and vascular endothelial growth factor signal transduction. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture intervention on the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1a and vascular endothelial growth factor in injured segments of spinal cord injury rats. METHODS: Totally 120 Sprague-Dawley female rats were enrolled to make spinal cord injury models by clamping the spinal cord (20 seconds) using a microvascular clamp. Rat models were then randomly divided into three groups: Ashi point group, Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming group and blank control group, 40 rats in each group. Electroacupuncture at two Aishi points or at both sides of Futu and Zusanli points was started on the 3rd day after modeling. Each rat was scored on the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks after intervention. Injured spinal cord specimens ware then taken and observed histomorphologically. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1a and vascular endothelial growth factor protein and mRNA expressions were detected using immunohistochemistry staining, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot assay. The study protocol was approved by the Animal Ethic Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine in China (approval No. 201712001). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The lower limb function score, hypoxia-inducible factor-1a and vascular endothelial growth factor gene and protein expression in the two electroacupuncture intervention groups were significantly higher than those of the blank control group. The number of neurons in Ashi point and Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming groups was significantly higher than that of the blank control group with the lapse of intervention time. Electroacupuncture intervention can effectively improve the lower limb function score of spinal cord injury rats, increase the number of neurons, and up-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1a and vascular endothelial growth factor, thus effectively promoting the neurological recovery of the spinal cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the difference of clinical effects of acupoints selected based on meridian differen-tiation and conventional method for cervical spondylosis radiculopathy(CSR) treated with acupuncture and moxibustion., Methods: Sixty patients with CSR were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,30 cases in each one. Ashi points of the injured meridians in the neck,namely six- he points,were selected in the observation group,matched with luo -connecting points of the injured meridians on the same side and the interiorly-exteriorly correlated meridians on the opposite side. Conventional acupuncture was used on Fengchi(GB 20),Jiaji(EX-B 2) of the neck,Tianzhu(BL 10),Jianjing(GB 21),Houxi(SI 3),Hegu(LI 4) and Waiguan(TE 5) on the affected side in the control group. Treatment was given once every other day,three times a week and total 12 times in the two groups. Twenty subscales for CSR and visual analogue scale(VAS) were observed before and after treatment,and total effects were evaluated after treatment., Results: The effective rate of the observation group was 93.3%(28/30),which was better than 66.7%(20/30) of the control group( P <0.05). The scores of 20 subscales and VAS after treatment were all improved compared with those before treatment in the two groups(all P <0.01),with more apparent change in the observation group(both P <0.05)., Conclusions: The effect of acupuncture and moxibustion based on meridian differentiation is obvious,and superior to that of conventional acupoints selection.