isolation-pericytes-from-mouse-cortical-tissue-using-facs-for-single

Isolation of Pericytes from Mouse Cortical Tissue Using FACS for Single-cell Sequencing

Pericytes, as a core component of the neurovascular unit, play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier and regulating ...

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

This paper summarized the Chinese literatures in the previous 5 years about the pre-clinical animal researches on the application of electro-acupuncture (EA) treatment for depression, searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The efficiency of EA treatment for depression and the mechanism of it were discussed, to shed light on new ideas and new fronts for the further research on depression in clinical or pre-clinical fields.

Progress of animal research on electro-acupuncture treatment for depression(△).

To explore new noninvasive treatment options for depression, this study investigated the effects of electric acupuncture (EA) for depression rat models. Depression in rats was induced by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) combined with isolation for 21 days. Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into three groups: control, model, and EA groups. Rats were treated by EA once daily for 21 days. The results showed that body weight and sucrose consumption were significantly increased in EA group than in the model group. The crossing numbers and rearing numbers in the open field test significantly decreased in the model group but not in the EA group. And EA treatments upregulated levels of hippocampus galanin (Gal) in UCMS rats back to relative normal levels. The present study suggested that EA had antidepressant effects on UCMS model rats. The potential antidepressant effect may be related to upregulating Gal expression in hippocampus. 

Alteration of behavioral changes and hippocampus galanin expression in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression rats and effect of electroacupuncture treatment.

 A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that cerebrovascular function abnormality plays a key role in occurrence and worsening of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a sensitive marker to early perfusion deficiencies in AD. As one of the most important therapies in complementary and alternative medicine, manual acupuncture (MA) has been used in the treatment of AD. However, the moderating effect of MA on CBF remains largely unknown.  To investigate the effect of MA on the behavior and CBF of SAMP8 mice.  SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into the AD, MA, and medicine (M) groups, with SAMR1 mice used as the normal control (N) group. Mice in the M group were treated with donepezil hydrochloride at 0.65 μg/g. In the MA group, MA was applied at Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) for 20 min. The above treatments were administered once a day for 15 consecutive days. The Morris water maze and arterial spin labeling MRI were used to assess spatial learning and memory in behavior and CBF respectively.  Compared with the AD group, both MA and donepezil significantly decreased the escape latency ( < 0.01), while also elevating platform crossover number and the percentage of time and swimming distance in the platform quadrant ( < 0.01 or  < 0.05). The remarkable improvement in escape latency in the MA group appeared earlier than the M group, and no significant statistical significance was observed between the N and MA group with the exception of days 5 and 10. The CBF in the prefrontal lobe and hippocampus in the MA group was substantially higher than in the AD group ( < 0.05) with the exception of the right prefrontal lobe, with similar effects of donepezil.  Manual acupuncture can effectively improve the spatial learning, relearning and memory abilities of SAMP8 mice. The increase in CBF in the prefrontal lobe and hippocampus could be an important mechanism for the beneficial cognitive effects of MA in AD.

Manual Acupuncture Regulates Behavior and Cerebral Blood Flow in the SAMP8 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Increased amyloid- (A) plaque deposition is thought to be the main cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). -Site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the key protein involved in A peptide generation. Excessive expression of BACE1 might cause overproduction of neurotoxins in the central nervous system. Previous studies indicated that BACE1 initially cleaves the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and may subsequently interfere with physiological functions of proteins such as PKA, which is recognized to be closely associated with long-term potentiation (LTP) level and can effectively ameliorate cognitive impairments. Therefore, revealing the underlying mechanism of BACE1 in the pathogenesis of AD might have a significant impact on the future development of therapeutic agents targeting dementia. This study examined the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation on BACE1, APP, and p-PKA protein levels in hippocampal tissue samples. Memory and learning abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze test after EA intervention. Immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and western blot were employed to assess the distribution patterns and expression levels of BACE1, APP, and p-PKA, respectively. The results showed the downregulation of BACE1 and APP and the activation of PKA by EA. In summary, EA treatment might reduce BACE1 deposition in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and regulate PKA and its associated substrates, such as LTP to change memory and learning abilities.

Electroacupuncture Mitigates Hippocampal Cognitive Impairments by Reducing BACE1 Deposition and Activating PKA in APP/PS1 Double Transgenic Mice.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has become popular for its adjustable strength and frequency and easy quantification in the clinic and has demonstrated therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanism remains unknown. Abnormally activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) has been closely related to the pathological process of AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of EA on cognitive impairment and the role of the JNK signaling pathway in AD model amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1 (PS1) mice. The memory and learning ability of each group was assessed using the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry and Western blot were performed to measure the expression of APP, JNK, phosphorylated (P-)JNK, mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MKK4), MKK7, c-Jun and caspase-3 in hippocampal tissue samples in APP/PS1 mice after EA intervention. Obvious cognitive deficits were observed in the AD model APP/PS1 mice in the MWM test and were associated with JNK signaling pathway activation and APP upregulation. Four weeks of EA significantly ameliorated the cognitive impairments and inhibited JNK signaling pathway activation and APP upregulation. Taken together, the findings demonstrated that EA can reverse cognitive deficits and substantially lower the burden of APP in AD model APP/PS1 mice, at least partially through inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway and regulating apoptosis signals. Therefore, EA may offer an effective alternative therapeutic approach for AD.

Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting the JNK Signaling Pathway in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, yet there is no effective treatment. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a complementary alternative medicine approach. In clinical and animal studies, EA promotes cognition in AD and vascular dementia. It has been previously reported that cognitive decline in AD might be closely related to reduced glucose intake in the brain. It is worth mentioning that the regions of glucose hypometabolism are usually found to be associated with neuroinflammation.

Electroacupuncture Enhances Cognition by Promoting Brain Glucose Metabolism and Inhibiting Inflammation in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Pilot Study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is mainly manifested as a continuous and progressive decline in cognitive ability. Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are pathological hallmarks of AD and due to accumulated phosphorylated Tau. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), as a major Tau kinase and a downstream target of the serine protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, can regulate Tau phosphorylation in AD. Importantly, the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway is involved in glucose metabolism, and abnormal glucose metabolism is found in the AD brain. Numerous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA), which is thought to be a potential complementary therapeutic approach for AD, can protect cognitive ability to a certain extent.

Electroacupuncture Protects Cognition by Regulating Tau Phosphorylation and Glucose Metabolism via the AKT/GSK3β Signaling Pathway in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice.

At present, acupuncture and moxibustion widely spread around the world, and its development is closely rela-ted to multidisciplinary integration. Interdisciplinary approaches are of great concern to the innovation and promotion of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy. Acupuncture and moxibustion, combined with optics, electrics, magnetics, infrared ray, microwave and other technologies, create the advanced and practical instrument for diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion and have made important contribution to clinical and teaching work. In the paper, focusing on the unique advantages of the science of acupuncture and moxibustion, the application of interdisciplinary approaches was explored to the promotion of acupuncture-moxibustion technology in its innovation and development, while the existing problems and countermeasures are further considered in the translational process of acupuncture-moxibustion technology to clinical application.

[Translational research of the advancement of multidisciplinary intersection in acupuncture-moxibustion technology innovation].

With Alzheimer's disease (AD) becoming a worldwide problem, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially acupuncture, stands out as a complementary therapy because of its feature-"treatment based on syndrome differentiation". This systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) confirms the complement effect of acupuncture and explores the best combination of therapy for AD based on the total effect and activity of daily living scale (ADL). We searched relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that applied acupuncture for treating AD. 58 studies with 4334 patients were included in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The results showed that for the total effect, the order of probability for the effect: acupuncture + western medicine > acupuncture + herbal medicine > acupuncture > acupuncture + western medicine + herbal medicine. For the ADL score, the order of probability for the effect: acupuncture + western medicine > acupuncture > acupuncture + western medicine + herbal medicine > acupuncture + herbal medicine. The combination of acupuncture and medicine has a better clinical effect than acupuncture only in a way. Acupuncture + western medicine has an obvious and exact improvement in the curative effect from both total effect and ADL score, but further higher quality studies, which can detail the classification of these interventions, are still needed to verify it.

Acupuncture May Be a Potential Complementary Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Mechanical neck pain (MNP) is defined as pain in the area of the neck and/or neck-shoulder provoked by body mechanics and which adversely affects physical, psychological and social function. The treatments for MNP are limited. Previous studies and clinical experience have indicated that myofascial acupuncture might be a better treatment option for MNP, but the efficacy is controversial. Therefore, our aim is to compare the efficacy of myofascial acupuncture and routine acupuncture for MNP.

Myofascial acupuncture versus routine acupuncture for mechanical neck pain: a protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Considering the emerging educational paradigm, there is a pressing need for reform in acupuncture education.

The Challenges and Solutions of Acupuncture Education in the Context of New Medicine: A Case Study of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Book covers typically contain a wealth of information. With the annual increase in the number of books published, deep learning has been utilised to achieve automatic identification and classification of book covers. This approach overcomes the inefficiency of traditional manual classification operations and enhances the management efficiency of modern book retrieval systems. In the realm of computer vision, the YOLO algorithm has garnered significant attention owing to its excellent performance across various visual tasks. Therefore, this study introduces the CPPDE-YOLO model, a novel dual-convolution adaptive focus neural network that integrates the PConv and PWConv operators, alongside dynamic sampling technology and efficient multi-scale attention. By incorporating specific enhancement features, the original YOLOv8 framework has been optimised to yield superior performance in book cover classification. The aim of this model is to significantly enhance the accuracy of image classification by refining the algorithm. For effective book cover classification, it is imperative to consider complex global feature information to capture intricate features while managing computational costs. To address this, we propose a hybrid model that integrates parallel convolution and point-by-point convolution within the backbone network, integrating it into the DualConv framework to capture complex feature information. Moreover, we integrate the efficient multi-scale attention mechanism into each cross stage partial network fusion residual block in the head section to focus on learning key features for more precise classification. The dynamic sampling method is employed instead of the traditional UPsample method to overcome its inherent limitations. Finally, experimental results on real datasets validate the performance enhancement of our proposed CPPDE-YOLO network structure compared to the original YOLOv8 classification structure, achieving Top_1 Accuracy and Top_5 Accuracy improvement of 1.1% and 1.0%, respectively. This underscores the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm in enhancing book genre classification.

Article	Year
Progress of animal research on electro-acupuncture treatment for depression(△). Chinese medical sciences journal = Chung-kuo i hsueh k'o hsueh tsa chih\| PubMed ID: 24698678	2014
Alteration of behavioral changes and hippocampus galanin expression in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression rats and effect of electroacupuncture treatment. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM\| PubMed ID: 25530777	2014
Manual Acupuncture Regulates Behavior and Cerebral Blood Flow in the SAMP8 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Frontiers in neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 30766475	2019
Electroacupuncture Mitigates Hippocampal Cognitive Impairments by Reducing BACE1 Deposition and Activating PKA in APP/PS1 Double Transgenic Mice. Neural plasticity\| PubMed ID: 31223308	2019
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting the JNK Signaling Pathway in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Frontiers in aging neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 32116652	2020
Electroacupuncture Enhances Cognition by Promoting Brain Glucose Metabolism and Inhibiting Inflammation in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD\| PubMed ID: 32741819	2020
Electroacupuncture Protects Cognition by Regulating Tau Phosphorylation and Glucose Metabolism via the AKT/GSK3β Signaling Pathway in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice. Frontiers in neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 33328854	2020
[Translational research of the advancement of multidisciplinary intersection in acupuncture-moxibustion technology innovation]. Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research\| PubMed ID: 34190459	2021
Acupuncture May Be a Potential Complementary Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM\| PubMed ID: 36467555	2022
Myofascial acupuncture versus routine acupuncture for mechanical neck pain: a protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ open\| PubMed ID: 37652590	2023
The Challenges and Solutions of Acupuncture Education in the Context of New Medicine: A Case Study of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Medical acupuncture\| PubMed ID: 40151441	2025
Novel dual convolution adaptive focus neural network for book genre classification. PloS one\| PubMed ID: 41202081	2025

Anping Xu

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