TNF and ulcerative colitis: It has been shown that electrical stimulation of the ST36 acupoint significantly reduces both the serum and tissue levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in rats with ulcerative colitis [5], chronic inflammation induced by Freund's complete adjuvant [6], experimental arthritis [7,8], inflammation induced by carrageenan injection [9] and other conditions.