IL22 and psoriasis: We also detected the expression levels of the above cytokines in serum samples and found that only IL-23p40 was decreased in the fire needling group, while IL-22 was decreased in the acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and fire needling groups; these results also supported our original hypothesis, which stated that acupuncture improved imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions through reducing inflammatory responses.