The effects of stimulation at acupoint ST36 points against hemorrhagic shock in dogs.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of electroacupuncturing (EA) zusanli points on levels of basic hemodynamics, lactate, and cytokines in dogs with hemorrhagic shock. Thirty healthy dogs were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham hemorrhagic shocked group, hemorrhagic shocked group, EA group, nonacupuncturing group, and EA after vagotomy group. Zusanli points were electroacupunctured with constant voltage (10-15 V, 30 Hz) for 30 minutes immediately after the shock models were established. Before the stimulation, a blood pressure transducer was implanted into the right femoral artery for continuous recording of mean arterial pressure (MAP), and a 5F Swan-Ganz pediatric catheter was implanted into the pulmonary artery. The levels of serum tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in the femoral artery were detected at 0, 120, and 180 minutes after hemorrhage. The levels of serum lactate in the femoral artery were detected before hemorrhage (-45 minutes), at 0 minute, and at 180 minutes. In the hemorrhagic shocked group, the levels of MAP, cardiac output, cardiac index, central venous pressure, and pulmonary arterial wedge pressure decreased significantly; at the same time, the levels of serum TNF-α and serum lactate increased significantly. There were no differences between these groups and the hemorrhagic group, but they were different from the sham hemorrhagic shocked group. In the EA group, the levels of MAP, cardiac output, cardiac index, central venous pressure, and pulmonary arterial wedge pressure gradually increased, but the content of serum TNF-α and lactate obviously decreased. The results suggested that EA zusanli points produce a protective effect on hemorrhagic shock in dogs.

Conjugate of bovine hemoglobin and human serum albumin as a candidate for blood substitute: characteristics and effects on rats.

Conjugate of bovine hemoglobin (bHb) and human serum albumin (HSA) was prepared. The product was simply composed of 89.7% one-to-one Hb-HSA conjugate, 6.0% oligomer of Hb and HSA, 3.5% unconjugated HSA and 0.8% unconjugated Hb, with an average molecular weight of 157 kD. The physicochemical characteristics were determined. Effects of single replacement on blood pressure and long-term survival of rats with 30% and 60% acute blood loss were studied, in comparison with Ringer-lactate solution, stroma-free hemoglobin (SFHb), 5% HSA in Ringer-lactate, whole blood and no resuscitation fluid. Results showed that Hb-HSA conjugate maintained the mean arterial pressure of rats to initial level with no pressor effect. Long-term effects of the replacement fluids on 30% bleeding rats showed that, for the group infused with Hb-HSA conjugate, histology of five major organs, heart, kidney, liver, spleen and lung, were essentially normal, similar to that of whole blood, while obviously renal side-effects appeared in other groups. The efficacy of the conjugate was further demonstrated by the resuscitation of lethal hemorrhagic shock rats (60% acute blood loss) with 100% survival rate (followed for 14 days), the same result as whole blood. The Hb-HSA conjugate can thus be another candidate for blood substitute in emergency.