Beta-endorphin in serum and seminal plasma in infertile men

Aim： To access beta-endorphin levels in serum as well as seminal plasma in different infertile male groups. Methods： Beta-endorphin was estimated in the serum and seminal plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） method in 80 infertile men equally divided into four groups： non-obstructive azoospermia （NOA）, obstructive azoospermia （OA）, congenital bilateral absent vas deferens （CBVAD） and asthenozoospermia. The results were compared to those of 20 normozoospermic proven fertile men. Results： There was a decrease in the mean levels of betaendorphin in the seminal plasma of all successive infertile groups （mean ± SD： NOA 51.30 ± 27.37, OA 51.88 ± 9.47, CBAVD 20.36 ± 13.39, asthenozoospermia 49.26 ± 12.49 pg/mL, respectively） compared to the normozoospermic fertile control （87.23 ± 29.55 pg/mL）. This relation was not present in mean serum level of beta-endorphin between four infertile groups （51.09 ± 14.71, 49.76 ± 12.4, 33.96 ± 7.2, 69.1 ± 16.57 pg/mL, respectively） and the fertile control group （49.26 ± 31.32 pg/mL）. The CBVAD group showed the lowest seminal plasma mean level of beta-endorphin. Testicular contribution of seminal beta-endorphin was estimated to be approximately 40%. Seminal beta-endorphin showed significant correlation with the sperm concentration （r = 0.699, P = 0.0188） and nonsignificant correlation with its serum level （r = 0.375, P = 0.185） or with the sperm motility percentage （r = 0.470, P = 0.899）. Conclusion： The estimation of beta-endorphin alone is not conclusive to evaluate male reproduction as there are many other opiates acting at the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis.

Effect of naloxone on level of plasma beta-endorphin in neonates with severe asphyxia

β-endorphin is the most actively endogenous substance of cerebral endorphin. When combined with opiate receptor specially, it manifests a strong morphine-like activity and can decrease sensitivity of central nervous system to carbon dioxide so as to inhibit breath. OBJECTIVE： To observe the changes of content of plasma β-endorphin in neonates with severe asphyxia after naloxone treatment in a large dosage. DESIGN： Randomized controlled observation. SETTINGS： Department of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Shajing People＇s Hospital; Center of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Zhujiang Hospital. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 97 neonates with severe asphyxia including 57 boys and 40 girls were selected from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Shajing People＇s Hospital from January 2004 to November 2005. Their gestational age was （38±3） weeks, body mass was （3.2±1.7） kg, and hospitalization duration was （2.8±2.3） hours. All neonates met the diagnostic criteria of with severe asphyxia and all their parents provided the confirmed consent. METHODS： All neonates were treated with inspired oxygen, sedation, stopping terror, decreasing cranial pressure, maintaining a well blood perfusion and normal level of blood glucose （about 5.0 retool/L）. After hospitalization, 0.1 mg/（kg·d） naloxone hydrochloride （Beijing Sihuan Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.; certification： HI0900021; bullet preparation; 0.4 mg/ampoule） was intravenously dribbled into neonates for 4 - 6 hours, 14 days in total. 2 mL blood was collected from radial artery in neonates at the beginning of hospitalization and at 3 days after naloxone treatment, put in aprotinin-pre-cool tube, mixed evenly, and centrifuged at hypothermia. Plasma was maintained in refrigerator at - 70 ℃. The kit was provided by Neurobiology Department of Shanghai Second Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. Concentration of plasma β-endorphin was measured by using radio-immunity assay.All data were expressed as Mean ± SD and results were compared with paired t test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE： Concentration of plasma β-endorphin. RESULTS： All 97 neonates were involved in the final analysis. Concentration of plasma β-endorphin in neonates with severe asphyxia was lower after treatment as compared with that before treatment, and there was significant difference （t = 10.31, P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： Naloxone can decrease level of plasma β-endorphin in neonates with severe asphyxia.

Correlating plasma endothelin-1 and beta-endorphin levels to nine risk factors of acute cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND： Several studies have confirmed that endothelin and endorphin are involved in the occurrence of cerebral vasospasm. However, the correlation of these factors to acute cerebral infarction-related risk factors needs to be confirmed. OBJECTIVE： To detect endothelin-1 （ET-1） and beta-endorphin （β -EP） levels in plasma of patients with acute cerebral infarction, and to analyze the correlations of these factors to smoking, alcohol abuse, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, diseased region, diseased degree, gender, and other factors related to acute cerebral infarction. DESIGN： A case-control observation. SETTING： First Department of Neurology, Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. PARTICIPANTS： Sixty-nine inpatients with acute cerebral infarction were admitted to the Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University （March 2003-January 2004） and First Department of Neurology, Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine （March July 2004） and recruited for this study. All 69 inpatients corresponded to the diagnosis criteria of acute cerebral infarction, formulated in the National Working Conference of Cerebrovascular Disease in 1998, and were confirmed as acute cerebral infarction by CT/MRI. The patient group consisted of 35 males [（644- 12） years old] and 34 females[ （674- 13 ） years old]. Among them, 9 patients were smokers, 7 were alcohol users, 48 had a history of hypertension, and 16 had a history of diabetes mellitus. CT/MRI examinations revealed that 35 patients presented with left focus sites, 11 with right ones and 23 with bilateral ones. Following attack, 24 patients had Barthel Index Scale grading 〈 40 points, 21 patients 40-50 points, and 24 patients 〉 60 points. An additional 59 healthy individuals, who received health examinations simultaneously, were included as controls. Among the control subjects, there were 37 males [（62±10） years old] and 22 females [（65±11） years old]. Among them, 7 patients were smokers, and 6 were alcohol users. All controls had no history of stroke, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus. Informed consents of laboratory measurements were obtained from all subjects, and this study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. METHODS： ① Following admission, all subjects were scored by Barthel Index Scale （BIS） and Hamilton Depression Scale. Meanwhile, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, gender, smoking, drinking, and other conditions were recorded. CT/MRI examination was conducted to identify the focus site.②On the 2^nd day after admission, ET-1 and β -EP plasma levels were measured with an automatic ET-1 and β -EP analysis kit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ET-1 and β -EP plasma levels and their correlation to acute cerebral infarction-related factors. RESULTS： Sixty-nine patients with acute cerebral infarction, and an additional 59 healthy individuals participated in the final analysis. β ET-1 [（63.80±27.65） ng/L vs. （46.50±9.36） ng/L, P 〈 0.05] and β - EP [（94.18±33.94） mg/L vs. （51.87±23.43） mg/L, P 〈 0.05] levels of the patient group were obviously higher than respective values of the control group. ② The ET-1 and β -EP levels of patients with cerebral infarction did not correlate to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, BIS, depression, cerebral infarct focus, disease course, gender, smoking or drinking （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The ET-I and β-EP levels of patients with acute cerebral infarction increased, but they were not obviously associated with disease course, blood pressure, blood glucose, BIS, or other common cerebral infarction-related factors.

Research review Neuropeptides and traumatic brain injury

It has been proved that endogenous opioids play an important pathophysiological role inthe lesions secondary to central nervous system trauma.Opiate antagonists and opioid antisera havebeen found to improve the outcome of experimental brain injury,Thyrotropin-releasing hormone(TRH),which appears to act in part as a functional antagonist of opioid system,has also beenproved to be effective in the treatment of experimental brain injury.The developments of these as-pects in our laboratory are reviewed.

新型γ-氨基丁酸受体-GABAc受体得到确认

新型γ－氨基丁酸受体－ＧＡＢＡｃ受体得到确认γ－氨基丁酸（ＧＡＢＡ）是中枢神经系统主要的抑制性神经递质。以前，ＧＡＢＡ受体按药理学特性分为ＧＡＢＡａ和ＧＡＢＡｂ两类。Ｄｏｗｌｉｎｇ实验室则选用白鲈的视杆双极细胞（Ｈ４），Ｂｏｒｍａｎ实验室则选用大鼠的...

Thyrotropin－releasing hormone antagonizes the inhibitory effects of beta－endorphin on cardiovascular system

Ｔｈｙｒｏｔｒｏｐｉｎ－ｒｅｌｅａｓｉｎｇｈｏｒｍｏｎｅａｎｔａｇｏｎｉｚｅｓｔｈｅｉｎｈｉｂｉｔｏｒｙｅｆｆｅｃｔｓｏｆｂｅｔａ－ｅｎｄｏｒｐｈｉｎ ｏｎｃａｒｄｉｏｖａｓｃｕｌａｒｓｙｓｔｅｍＬｉｕＬｉａｎｇｍｉｎ（刘良明）；ＣｈｅｎＨｕｉｓｕｎ...

EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE ON IMMUNE RESPONSE RELATED TO OPIOID-LIKE PEPTIDES

Experimental research has recently shown that acupuncture induces the formation of opioid-like peptides (OLPs) in animals. In order to provide further evidence, we tested the beta-endorphin levels and other parameters (VIP, lymphocyte subsets, NK cells and monocyte phagocytosis) in a group of 90 patients suffering from various painful disorders treated with acupuncture. Zusanli (St 36) and Hegu (LI 4) acupoints were selected. A homogeneous group of 30 subjects was used as control. Evaluation of the above parameters was made with 3 series of blood tests before treatment, 30 minutes and 24 hours after acupuncture treatment. In the acupuncture group, the following results were achieved: 1) A considerable increase in beta-endorphin levels remained high even 24 hours after acupuncture treatment. In addition, we demonstrated an inverted correlation between beta-endorphins and VIP; 2) 30 minutes after acupuncture session, 80% of the treated patients showed a significant increase of CD3 and CD4 values and an increase of CD8 24 hours after stimulation; 3) Monocyte phagocytosis was increased in 45% of the treated subjects 30 minutes from starting treatment, and in 100% of them after 24 hours. The percentage of NK cells was also increased in 40% of cases after 30 minutes, and in 50% after 24 hours. However, in the control group, no such significant changes in immune parameters were found.

ENDOMETRIOSIS TREATED BY THE METHOD OF RESOLVING BLOOD STASIS TO ELIMINATE OBSTRUCTION IN THE LOWER-JIAO

48 cases of endometriosis were treated with the Neiyi (ectopic endometrium) No. 2 Pills [symbol: see text] 2 [symbol: see text]) composed of fresh Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei), Biejia (Carapax Trionycis) and Taoren Shuang (powdered Semen Persicae). After 3 months of treatment, high effective rates were obtained in menorrhalgia, dyspareunia, proctalgia, hysteromyoma, ovary cyst, and tubercles in the pelvic cavity, with a pregnant rate of as high as 26.7% in sterility. Meanwhile, the levels of plasma PGF2 alpha and PGE2 markedly dropped, while that of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, beta-EP, and HYP significantly elevated.

Effect of acupotomy on nitric oxide synthase and beta-endorphin in third lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome model rats

OBJECTIVE： To explore the long-term effects and pain relief mechanism of acupotomy by observing changes in nitric oxide synthase （NOS） and beta-en- dorphin （~3-EP） in the hypothalamus, spinal cord, and peripheral blood of rats with third lumbar ver- tebrae （L3） transverse process syndrome. METHODS： Twenty-eight SD rats were randomly as- signed to normal, model, electroacupuncture （EA）, and acupotomy group. The last three groups were put through an operation to emulate L3 transverse process syndrome. Fourteen days after the simulation operation, EA and acupotomy treatments were applied to the respective groups. Fifty-six days afterthe simulation operation, biochemistry tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure NOS and 13-EP in the hypothalamus, spinal cord, and peripheral blood. RESULTS： Rats with the simulation operation showed significantly higher levels of NOS and II3-EP in the hypothalamus, spinal cord, and peripheral blood than those in the normal group. The EA and acupotomy groups had significantly lower levels of NOS and β-EP than those in the model group. There was no statistical difference between the EA and acupotomy groups. CONCLUSION： EA and acupotomy treatments significantly lowered NOS and β-EP levels in the hypothalamus, spinal cord, and peripheral blood and alleviated L3 transverse process syndrome.

Effect of Qilongtoutong granule on calcitonin gene-related peptide,beta-endorphin, serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenalin in migraine model rats and mice

OBJECTIVE： To study the effect of Qilongtoutong granule （QLTT） on plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP）, beta-endorphin （I[3-EP）, 5-HT, dopa- mine （DA）, noradrenalin （NE）, and blood viscosity in migraine model rats and mice. METHODS： Both the acute blood stasis model group and nitroglycerin-induced migraine model group included 60 Sprague-Dawley rats. The reser- pine-reduced model group had 60 Kunming mice. Rats from each test were grouped into normal con- trol group, model group, Zhengtian pill （ZTP） group, and high, moderate, or low-dose QLTT groups. In the acute blood stasis model test, after gavage for 7 days, rats were given 0.8 mL/kg adren- aline hydrochloride subcutaneously twice, and kept in ice water for 5 min. After fasting for 12 h, rats were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for detection of blood viscosity. In the nitro- glycerin-induced migraine group, after gavage for 7 days, rats were intraperitoneally injected nitro- glycerin （10 mg/kg）, and 4 h later, blood samples were collected from postcava for measuring the plasma CGRP and 13-EP levels. In the reserpine-re- duced model test, except the normal control group, mice were administered reserpine （0.25 mg/ kg, i.h.） for 9 days. Mice received intragastric admin- istration from the third day to the ninth day. One hour after the last gavage, blood and brain tissue samples were obtained. Then, blood clotting time and the contents of neurotransmitters were deter- mined. RESULTS： QLTT- （3.6, 1.8, and 0.9 g/kg） and ZTP-treated rats had lower blood viscosity than that in model rats under different shear rates （P〈 0.01）. QLTT- （3.6, 1.8 g/kg） and ZTP-treated rats had significantly lower plasma CGRP levels and higher plasma 13-EP levels than those in model rats （P〈 0.01）. QLTT treatment at dose of 0.9 g/kg had lower plasma CGRP levels as well （P〈0.05）. QLTT- （5.2, 2.6 g/kg） and ZTP-treated mice had longer blood clotting time than that in model mice （P〈0.01）. QLTT- （2.6 g/kg） and ZTP-treated mice had higher plasma serotonin （5-HT） levels than those in model mice （P〈0.05）. CONCLUSION： QLTT-treated animals had lower plasma CGRP level, higher plasma 13-EP, 5-HT, high- er brain tissue 5-HT, NE, DA levels, and lower blood viscosity than those in the migraine model animals.

CHANGES OF PLASMA BETA-ENDORPHIN LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER PERCUTANEOUS TRANSVENOUS MITRAL COMMISSUROTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH MITRAL STENOSIS

To clarify the contribution of left atrial pressure to the secretion of beta-endorphin, we have investigated the relation between plasma beta endorphin levels and hemodynamic changes in 35 patients with mitral stenosis undergoing percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC). Before PTMC, plasma beta-endorphin levels obtained from the antecubital vein (28.91 ± 5.59 pg / ml) and from the femoral vein (28.20 ± 5.44 pg / ml) in the patients with mitral stenosis were significantly higher than those obtained from the antecubital vein in the healthy volunteers (22.59 ± 3.86 pg / ml, n = 34, P< 0.001 for each). The levels of beta-endorphin in the femoral vein correlated well with the mean left atrial pressure (r=0.777, P< 0.001) and the mean right atrial pressure (r = 0.450, P<0.01) before the procedure. The antecubital venous levels of beta-endorphin in patients in New York Heart Association functional Classess Ⅱ (26.45 ± 5.39 pg / ml, n = 20) and Ⅲ (32.20 ± 4.02 pg / ml, n = 15) were significantly higher than those in control subjects (P< 0.005 and P< 0.001, respectively). The differences between Classes Ⅱ and Ⅲ were significant (P < 0.001). The plasma levels of beta-endorphin in the patients complicated with atrial fibrillation were also significantly higher than those in patients with normal sinus rhythm (33.31 ± 3.22 pg / ml, n= 13 vs 26.32± 5.07 pg / ml, n = 22, P< 0.001). In ten to fifteen minutes after commissurotomy, plasma levels of beta-endorphin in the femoral vein significantly increased from 28.20 ± 5.44 to 33.14 ± 5.72 pg / ml (P< 0.001). In seventy-two hours after the procedure, plasma beta-endorphin levels in the antecubital vein fell to 24.37 ± 2.59 pg / ml (P< 0.001 vs before PTMC and P<0.05 vs control subjects). Plasma beta-endorphin levels in the patients with atrial fibrillation (26.62 ± 2.36 pg / ml, P< 0.001 vs before PTMC and P< 0.002 vs control subjects) were still higher (P< 0.001) than those in patients with normal shins rhythm (23.05 ± 1.65 pg / ml, P< 0.001 vs before PTMC and P>50 vs control subjects. There was a significant correlation between the levels of beta-endorphin in the antecubital vein and heart rate (r = 0.502, P< 0.001), mean transmitral pressure gradient (r = 0.543, P< 0.001) or mitral valve area (r = -0.710, P< 0.001) before and 72 hours after the procedure.

Hemostatic mechanism of Jianpi Yiqi Shexue decoction(健脾益气摄血方) in treatment of immune thrombocytopenia

OBJECTIVE: To explore the early hemostatic mechanism of Jianpi Yiqi Shexue decoction(健脾益气摄血方, JYSD) in treating immune thrombocytopathy(ITP), based on the functional homeostasis of brain-intestine axis and blood neurotransmitter METHODS: Non-drug treatment cases: Healthy volunteers were selected as normal control group and compared with patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding, gastrointestinal tumors with bleeding and ITP, to detect the changes of blood 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), β-endorphin(β-EP), vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) and compare the changes of blood neurotransmitters in patients with different disease symptoms. Drug treatment cases: According to the randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial, 272 ITP patients were randomly divided into three groups: treatment group(JYSD) combined group(JYSD + Prednisone) control group(Prednisone). The changes of blood neurotransmitter(5-HT, β-EP, VIP) before and after treatment were detected on the basis of peripheral blood platelet(PLT) and grade score. RESULTS: Non-drug treatment cases: compared with the normal control group, the 5-HT level was higher, and the VIP and β-EP levels were both lower in the ITP group(P < 0.001), and the 5-HT, VIP and β-EP levels in the Gastrointestinal tumors with bleeding group were also lower compared with the normal control group(P < 0.05, 0.001). Drug treatment cases: The PLT grading scores of the combination group and the control group after treatment were lower than that before treatment(P < 0.05, 0.001). The PLT grading score of the 3 groups were compared in pairs after treatment: the combination group was the lowest among the 3 groups, which was better than the treatment group, but no better than the control group(vs the treatment group, P = 0.005, vs the control group, P = 0.709). The statistical results of full analysis set(FAS) and per protocol set(PPS) were consistent. The bleeding symptom scores of the treatment and combination groups began to drop 7 d after treatment, and kept dropping 14 d after treatment until the end of the study(P < 0.05). On the other hand, the control group started to show favorable results 14 d after treatment(P < 0.05). The FAS and PPS analysis results were consistent. In the control group, the 5-HT level was higher and VIP level was lower after treatment, compared with those before treatment(P < 0.05, 0.001). The β-EP levels were both increased in the treatment and combination group after treatment, compared with those before treatment(P < 0.05). After treatment, the β-EP levels in the treatment and control groups were significantly lower compared with the combination groups(P < 0.05). After treatment, compared with the control group, the VIP levels in the treatment and combination groups were upregulated, and the differences were statistically significant by rank sum test(P < 0.01), and by t-test(P = 0.0002, 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The prednisone tablet is better than the JYSD in increasing the level of PLT, while prednisone tablet combined with JYSD has more advantages in improving patients' peripheral blood PLT levels. However, in improving the bleeding time of ITP patients, the combination of the two drugs was significantly delayed compared with the single usage, showing the characteristics and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine. JYSD can regulate the neurotransmitter level of ITP patients through the function of the brain-gut axis, mobilize 5-HT in the blood of ITP patients to promote the contraction of blood vessels and smooth muscles, and activate the coagulation mechanism are the early hemostatic mechanisms of JYSD. Up-regulate the levels of β-EP and balancing VIP levels may be an important part of the immune mechanism of JYSD for regulating ITP patients.

Observation on acupuncture at Nèimádin (内麻点 Extra) for abdominal postoperative analgesia

Objective To observe the analgesia effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture at Neimadian （内麻点 Extra） after abdominal surgery. Methods One hundred and twenty patients with routine abdominal surgery were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 60 cases in each group. The acupuncture group was treated with electroacupuncture at Neimadian （内麻点 Extra）, which was located on the medial side of lower leg, 7 cun above the medial malleolus and about 0.5 cun from post edge of tibia. The medication group was treated with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia （PCIA） with Sufentanil. After the treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale （VAS）, the security, the analgesic effect and plasma β-endorphin content in the two groups were compared.Results The postoperative VAS scores at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 h in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the medication group （all P〈0.05）. The analgesic effects at 2, 4, 16 and 24 h after surgery in the acupuncture group were superior to those in the medication group （P〈0.05, P〈0.01）. The plasma β-endorphin contents at 0, 8, 16 and 48 h after surgery in both groups were increased, and the acupuncture group was superior to the medication group （all P〈0.05）. The security class after surgery in the acupuncture group was higher than that in the medication group （P〈0.05）. Two cases in acupuncture group stopped treatment due to overstress and fear of needling, 24 cases in medication group presented adverse reactions, among them, 3 cases stopped the treatment due to nausea, vomiting. Conclusion The analgesic effect and safety of electroacupuncture at Neimadian （内麻点 Extra） after abdominal surgery are superior to those of the PCIA with Sufentanil.

Clinical Study on Anti-aging Action of Herbal Cake-partition Moxibustion

Objective： To investigate the clinical efficacy and immunological mechanism of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion for aging process. Method： The herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion was adopted for 223 cases to observe the aging scores before and after the treatment. Apart from that, the T-lymphocyte subsets and changes of IL-2 and β-EP were also detected. Results： After treatment, the aging scores of 223 cases were all substantially reduced, along with an improvement of clinical symptoms, a strengthened cellular immune function, and an increase of total T-lymphocyte count. In addition, the CD4＋/CD8＋ ratio was restored normal, the synthesis or secretion of IL-2 was increased and the β-EP （as the neurotransmitter to modulate immune function） was substantially improved. Conclusion： The aging process is closely associated with the immune function. Moxibustion can modulate abnormal immune function and stabilize homeostasis and thus delay the aging process.

Effect of Preoperative Acupuncture on Peri-operative Pain in Patients Following a Thoracotomy

Objective： To observe the effect of preoperative effect on peri-operative pain in patients following a thoracotomy. Methods： 120 cases following lung-cancer thoracotomy were randomly allocated into four groups, 30 in each group. Cases in group A and B were treated with acupuncture analgesia 3 d before operation; cases in group A and C were treated with acupuncture analgesia after operation; and cases in group D were treated with general anesthesia. The pain management indexes in four groups were all controlled below 3. After that, analgesia-related β-endorphin and stress-related cortisol were observed before and after operation. In addition, the specific doses of postoperative analgesic-Fentanyl in four groups were compared. Results： The comparison of β-endorphin between group A, C and D showed P〈0.05 one day before operation, so did group B, C and D 1 day before operation. The intra-group comparison of cortisol between the day of admission and 1 day after extubation and between 1 day before operation and one day after extubation in group A, B and D showed P〈0.05, so did group C between the day of admission and 1 day after extubation. In addition, the contents of Fentanyl in postoperative analgesic pump in four groups showed P〈0.05 through one-factor analysis of variance, showing a significant difference. Conclusion： Preemptive analgesia could increase the β-endorphin in patients following a thoracotomy and showed remarkable advantage when compared with the conventional postoperative analgesia. It did not cause significant difference regarding stress index cortisol. Acupuncture has no remarkable advantage when compared with operation and extubation for the major immediate stress. Additionally, postoperative acupuncture could be a substitute for the dose of pain killers and the match can be reduced by 20%.

Effect of Acupuncture on Immunomodulation in Patients with Malignant Tumors

In order to investigate the role of acupuncture in the regulation of cellular immune function,the changes of T Iymphocytes subsets (CD3+ , CD4+ , CD8+ ) . soluble interleukin-2 receptor (SIL-2R ) and beta-efidorphine (-EP) in the peripheral blood of patients with malignant tumors before and after acupuncturewere observed with the double blind method. Forty patients were divided randomly into two groups, 20 foreach. One group was treated with acupuncture and the other one used for control. Results showed thatacupuncture has the effect of enhancing the cellular immunity of patients with malignant tumors. Acupuncturetreatment could increase the percentage of T lymphocyte subsets CD3+ , CD4+ and the ratio CD4+ /CD8+ ( P < 0 .ol ) , increase the level of -EP, as well as decrease the level ot SIL-2R ( P< 0 . 01 ) . The correlation analysisof three criteria showed there was a positive correlation between -EP and T lymphocyte subsets and a nega-tive correlation between PEP and SIL-2R ; there was also a negative correlation between T lymphocyte sub-sets and SIL-2R. Based on these results, a discussion on the acupuncture immunomodulation network wascondected in this article in order to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture on immunomodulation.