STAT3 and hereditary elliptocytosis: In this study, after 3 weeks of acupuncture treatment, the mRNA and protein expressions of p38MAPK, p-p38MAPK, STAT3, and p-STAT3 in brain tissues of rats in the CCl4 group were significantly increased compared with those in the normal control group (P < 0.001), indicating that MAPK and STAT3 signaling pathways could have simultaneously been activated under the inflammatory response in HE.