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According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, channels and collaterals within the body provide pathways through which qi and blood travel, and each channel or collateral is linked with a specific organ. The Yinlingquan (spleen 9, SP9) and Ququan (liver 8, LR8) acupoints represent the sea points of the spleen and liver meridians, respectively, from which qi and blood flow into their specific visceral organs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in blood flow/perfusion in the liver and spleen resulting from the application of 2 Hz electro-acupuncture (EA) to the Yinlingquan (SP9) or Ququan (LR8) acupoints. A total of 18 Spragrue-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups of six rats each as follows: sham group receiving sham EA; Yinlingquan (SP9) group receiving 2 Hz EA, applied at bilateral Yinlingquan (SP9) acupoints; and Ququan (LR8) groups receiving 2 Hz EA, applied at bilateral Ququan (LR8) acupoints. The mean blood flow/perfusion of the spleen and liver was recorded using a laser Doppler blood flow monitor prior to EA (representing the baseline), during EA, and post-EA. Each measurement period lasted ten minutes. Nitric oxide levels were also measured from the right femoral arterial blood, following the conclusion of each series of blood flow/perfusion recordings. The results indicate that the sham EA did not increase the mean blood flow/perfusion in the liver or spleen; 2 Hz EA at bilateral Yinlingquan (SP9) acupoints increased the mean blood flow/perfusion in the spleen, but not in the liver. In contrast, 2 Hz EA at bilateral Ququan (LR8) acupoints increased the mean blood flow/perfusion in the liver, but not in the spleen. Nitric oxide levels showed no significant difference between any of the groups at any stage of the measurements. According to the results, we conclude that EA at the Yinlingquan (SP9) and Ququan (LR8) acupoints can increase the blood flow in the spleen and liver, respectively.

A 2.5-year-old intact female hamster (Phodopus campbelli) was referred to the VMTH of NCHU on May 7th, 2013 for a swelling of left abdomen and significant decrease in appetite. Physical examination revealed the enlarged abdomen slightly affected the patient's mobility. A firm mass was palpated in the left abdominal cavity. Tentative diagnosis was an abdominal mass. An exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy was performed together with the removal of a mass of 1 × 1 × 0.8 cm in size and 3.6 g in weight. Grossly, the mass was well capsulated and covered by a sac which filled with blood-like discharge. Histologically, diagnoses were made according to the results of hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and vimentin immunohistochemistry stained sections. Based on the histological characteristics, the final diagnosis was a splenic fibrosarcoma in a Campbell's hamster. The patient is fully recovered after surgery but the hamster died of natural causes four months later.

A 11-year-old female Koala showed anorexia, lethargy and weakness. Hematology, blood chemistry and urinalysis were non-specific. Computed tomography (CT) revealed ascites and masses within the abdomen, and the volumes of some masses increased 20% during a 10-week period. At necropsy, there was 115 mL of clear ascites, and visceral lesions were located mainly in the spleen and liver. The spleen was diffusely enlarged by infiltrative white firm neoplastic tissue with irregularly protuberant nodules, of 0.2 to 5 cm, that had totally effaced the parenchyma. The liver contained multiple random scattered softer nodules, of 0.2 to 2.0 cm, some of which were protruding. One nodule of < 1 cm was noted on the mesentery. Histologically, the neoplasm was composed of a low cellularity of elongated fusiform cells distributed amongst an abundant collagenous matrix. Tumor cells were stained positive intracytoplasmically for vimentin and negative for α-smooth muscle actin. This fibrosarcoma (FS) likely originated from the spleen, with secondary metastasis to the liver, from which via transcoelomic implantation spread to the diaphragm and mesentery. This is considered a rare report of primary splenic FS in a captive koala.