Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture at different points on auditory brainstem response (ABR) in a rat model of sodium salicylate-induced tinnitus.Method Forty-one male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to saline control (saline), sodium salicylate model (SA), electroacupuncture at Tinggong+ Yifeng (EA), electroacupuncture at Waiguan+ Zhongzhu (AA) and electroacupuncture at Zusanli+ Sanyinjiao (LA) groups. The saline group consisted of five rats and each of the other groups, nine rats. The model was made by intraperitoneal injection of sodium salicylate 275 mg/kg. The saline control group was injected with a corresponding volume of saline. Various acupoint electroacupuncture groups were given electroacupuncture at bilateral Tinggong+ Yifeng, Waiguan+ Zhongzhu and Zusanli+ Sanyinjiao, respectively, at 30 min after model making. Electroacupuncture lasted 30 min. The ABRs were recorded before model making and once every one hour for five consecutive hours after model making. The stimulus sounds were short clicks and tone bursts of frequencies of 4, 8, 16 and 32 kHz. The ABR threshold was used as an assessment index.Results Under the condition of clicks, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, EA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05), at two to five hours after model making between the EA or AA group and the SA group (P<0.05) and at one hour after model making between the LA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the conditions of 4, 8 and 16 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, EA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 32 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 4 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two to five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05) and at four to five hours after model making between the AA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the condition of 8 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two to five hours after model making between the EA or AA group and the SA group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 16 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two, four and five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the condition of 32 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at both periauricular and forelimb points can improve the ABR threshold in sodium salicylate-treated rats. The effect of electroacupuncture at periauricular points is superior to that at forelimb points.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with bacterial meningitis (BM) and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of BM.Methods:The clinical data of BM children hospitalized in Women and Children′s Medical Center Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University from December 2019 to March 2022 were collected and retrospectively analyzed in this case series study.Cytokines in CSF of these children were detected at least twice during the treatment. t test, Mann-Whitney test or analysis of variance were carried out for statistical analysis. Results:There were 40 patients included in this study.The age of onset was 2(1, 8) months, ranging from 2 days to 8 years, and the length of time from onset to hospitalization was (15±17) days, ranging from 1 day to 69 days.The main symptoms at the onset were fever (40 cases, 100%), poor mental state (16 cases, 35.0%), convulsion (9 cases, 22.5%), and vomiting (9 cases, 22.5%).According to pathogens, the patients were divided into the Streptococcus agalactia group (GBS group, 9 cases), Streptococcus pneumoniae group (SP group, 9 cases), other bacteria group (9 cases), and unknown bacteria group (13 cases).The levels of cytokines in the CSF of BM children were increased, along with significantly elevated levels of IL-6 and IL-8 within 1 st week of BM, followed by the peak at 2 nd-3 rd weeks, and then levels of IL-6 and IL-8 presented an overall decreasing trend with the progression of BM.The level of IL-6 in CSF of 10 cases significantly decreased in the 4 th week of BM [within 2 weeks: 773.5(164.1, 1 781.2) ng/L vs. 4 th week: 10.8(2.2, 21.1) ng/L, P=0.005].Such statistical differences didn′t occur to the level of IL-8 [within 2 weeks 182.9(33.6, 657.7) ng/L vs. 4 th week: 92.9(22.6, 226.6) ng/L, P=0.303].After effective antibiotic therapy, 6 patients had elevated white blood cell count in CSF during the 4 th-20 th weeks, with or without repeating intermittent fever.Among them, 4 cases of GBS and 1 case of SP were negative for pathogens in CSF during the retest after treatment, and the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 [(149.1-4 218.6) ng/L and (124.2-1 890.3) ng/L, respectively] in CSF were elevated.Low-dose glucocorticoid was administered for anti-inflammatory treatment, with additional gamma globulin for 1 case and Ibuprofen instead for 1 case.Subsequently, the fever completely subsided.The white blood cell count in CSF decreased significantly ( P=0.024). Conclusions:The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in CSF increase significantly in the acute phase of BM and generally decrease with the progression of BM.If they are still significantly elevated in the later course of BM, it should be noted that an intracranial hyperinflammatory response may occur, especially when the pathogenic bacteria are GBS or SP.