Effects of manual acupuncture combined with donepezil in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Benign regulation of short-chain fatty acids: the underlying mechanism of the beneficial effects of manual acupuncture on cognitive ability and the intestinal mucosal barrier in APP/PS1 mice

Background

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is closely related to the occurrence and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The destruction of the intestinal mucosal barrier caused by a decrease in short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) plays a key role in gut microbiota dysbiosis-induced neuroinflammation in AD. Our previous research confirmed for the first time that manual acupuncture (MA) can benignly modulate gut microbiota dysbiosis, alleviating the destruction of the intestinal mucosal barrier. However, the regulatory effect of MA on SCFAs remains elusive, and the underlying mechanism by which MA improves intestinal mucosal barrier function requires elucidation.

Methods

In the APP/PS1 manual acupuncture (Am) group, MA was applied at Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), and Zusanli (ST36). Probiotics were delivered to the APP/PS1 probiotic (Ap) group. Alterations in spatial learning and memory, intestinal barrier function, SCFAs in feces and serum, the expression of FFAR3 and NF-κB, and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated in each group.

Results

Compared with those in the C57BL/6 control (Cc) group, cognitive ability was significantly decreased, SCFAs and FFAR3 expression were obviously decreased, intestinal barrier integrity was drastically impaired, and the expression of NF-κB and the levels of intestinal IL-1β and TNF-α were increased in the APP/PS1 control (Ac) group. These changes were reversed by MA and probiotics.

Conclusion

MA can significantly reduce intestinal inflammation and alleviate destruction of the intestinal mucosal barrier in APP/PS1 mice. SCFAs/FFAR3/NF-κB may be important targets through which MA benignly regulates intestinal mucosal barrier function.

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by meta-analysis, in order to provide evidence-based evidence for the application of acupuncture therapy in the clinical process of AD.

Methods

From the establishment of the database to December 31, 2022, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Network (CNKI), VIP database, WanFang Database, Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library Database were systematically searched. To collect published randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTS) of acupuncture in the treatment of cognitive impairment in AD. The subjects in the intervention group were given acupuncture alone or combined with other treatments the same as the control group; the control group received conventional Western medicine treatment. The main outcome indicators of the study were cognitive function assessment of subjects, including: Simple Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE), Assessment of daily Living Ability Scale (ADL), Alzheimer's Disease Cognitive Function Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), TCM syndrome score (SDSD), Montreal Cognitive Test (MoCA), Secondary outcome indicators were the occurrence of adverse reactions. Literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation of the included literature were performed independently by two researchers, according to bias risk assessment tools recommended in the Cochrane manual. Data were analyzed by RevMan5.3 software. Dichotomous variables were represented by risk ratio (OR) and 95% CI, and continuity variables were represented by mean difference (MD) and 95% CI. For heterogeneity analysis, when P > 0.1 and I 2 ≤ 50%, fixed effect model was applied. When P ≤ 0.1 and I 2 > 50%, the random effects model is applied.

Results

A total of 1,172 eligible subjects were included in 18 RCTS, including 595 in the intervention group and 577 in the control group. The results of meta-analysis are as follows: acupuncture intervention group improved MMSE [MD = 1.67, 95% CI (0.94, 2.41), P < 0.00001], ADL [MD = -1.18, 95% CI (-3.09, 0.72), P = 0.22], ADAS-Cog [MD = 3.31, 95% CI (5.84, 0.78), P = 0.01], SDSD [MD = 2.40, 95% CI (3.53, 1.26), P < 0.0001], MoCA [MD = 4.80, 95% CI (3.74, 5.86), P = 0.04] were better than the control group. No serious adverse reactions related to acupuncture were observed in the intervention group, and the incidence and severity of adverse reactions were lower than those in the control group, with statistical significance [OR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.04, 0.67), P = 0.01].

Conclusion

Existing data show that acupuncture therapy has certain advantages in improving cognitive dysfunction and improving self-care ability of patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, due to the small number of RCTS and cases evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture, and the possibility of measurement bias and selectivity bias in included studies, it is still unable to conduct high-intensity demonstration on its effectiveness. Further large-scale, high-quality randomized, double-blind controlled trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy.

Systematic Review Registration

https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2021-12-0125/, identifier: INPLASY2021120125.

A review on traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture intervention for Alzheimer's disease based on the neuroinflammatory

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive development. It is clinically characterized by cognitive impairment, memory impairment and behavioral change. Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and are commonly used in clinical treatment of AD. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD, which combined with existing clinical and preclinical evidence, based on a comprehensive review of neuroinflammation, and discusses the efficacy and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD. Resveratrol, curcumin, kaempferol and other Chinese herbal medicine components can significantly inhibit the neuroinflammation of AD in vivo and in vitro, and are candidates for the treatment of AD. Acupuncture can alleviate the memory and cognitive impairment of AD by improving neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, nerve cell apoptosis and reducing the production and aggregation of amyloid β protein (Aβ) in the brain. It has the characteristics of early, safe, effective and benign bidirectional adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for improving the clinical strategies of TCM for the treatment of AD.

Acupuncture as a Complementary Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease

 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a significant global medical concern due to the aging population. AD is featured by gradual cognitive impairment, impacting daily functioning and causing behavioral and personality changes, causing disruptive psychiatric symptoms. While pharmacological interventions are the primary clinical approach, their efficacy is variable and limited. Acupuncture, with its distinctive theoretical framework and treatment approach, has garnered attention as a non-pharmacological intervention for AD through extensive preclinical and clinical research. Neurobiological investigations into the machinery of acupuncture in AD have provided compelling evidence of its therapeutic efficacy and unique advantages. This review commences with an in-depth exploration of acupuncture's clinical applications, emphasizing its various parameters and its potential combination with first-line drugs and other therapies in the context of AD. Subsequently, we delve into the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture in AD. Finally, we summarize these aspects, highlight current study limitations, and offer recommendations for future research. Taken together, in a rapidly aging society, both clinical application and mechanistic exploration of acupuncture in AD treatment have gained momentum. This trajectory suggests that acupuncture will continue to make significant strides in AD therapeutics as research progresses.

Pentoxifylline as Add-On Treatment to Donepezil in Copper Sulphate-Induced Alzheimer's Disease-Like Neurodegeneration in Rats

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by behavioral, cognitive, and progressive memory impairments. Extensive neuronal loss, extracellular accumulation of insoluble senile amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are the major pathological features. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of donepezil (DON) and pentoxifylline (PTX) in combination to combat the neurodegenerative disorders (experimental AD) induced by CuSO4 intake in experimental rats. Thirty adult male Wistar rats (140-160 g) were used in this study. AD was first induced in rats by CuSO4 supplement to drinking water (10 mg/L) for 14 weeks. The AD group received no further treatment. Oral treatment with DON (10 mg/kg/day), PTX (100 mg/kg/day), or DON + PTX for the other three groups was started from the 10th week of CuSO4 intake for 4 weeks. Cortex markers like acetylcholine (ACh), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and hippocampus markers like β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), phosphorylated Tau (p-tau), Clusterin (CLU), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), caspase-9 (CAS-9), Bax, and Bcl-2 were measured. The histopathology studies were done by using hematoxylin and eosin and Congo red stains as well as immunohistochemistry for neurofilament. CuSO4 induced adverse histological and biochemical changes. The histological injury in the hippocampus was inhibited following the administration of the DON and PTX. The brain tissue levels of AChE, MDA, BACE1, p-tau, CLU, CAS-9, Bax, and TNF-α were significantly increased, while brain tissue levels of ACh, TAC, and Bcl-2 were significantly decreased in CuSO4-treated rats as compared with the untreated control group. The effects induced by either DON or PTX on most studied parameters were comparable. Combined treatment of DON and PTX induced remarkable results compared with their individual use. However, more clinical and preclinical studies are still required to further confirm and prove the long-term efficacy of such combination.

Vitamin D alleviates cognitive dysfunction and brain damage induced by copper sulfate intake in experimental rats: focus on its combination with donepezil

This study aimed to demonstrate the potential benefits of donepezil (DPZ) and vitamin D (Vit D) in combination to counteract the neurodegenerative disorders induced by CuSO4 intake in experimental rats. Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer-like) was induced in twenty-four male Wistar albino rats by CuSO4 supplement to drinking water (10 mg/L) for 14 weeks. AD rats were divided into four groups: untreated AD group (Cu-AD) and three treated AD groups; orally treated for 4 weeks with either DPZ (10 mg/kg/day), Vit D (500 IU/kg/day), or DPZ + Vit D starting from the 10th week of CuSO4 intake. Another six rats were used as normal control (NC) group. The hippocampal tissue content of β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), phosphorylated Tau (p-tau), clusterin (CLU), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), caspase-9 (CAS-9), Bax, and Bcl-2 and the cortical content of acetylcholine (Ach), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. Cognitive function tests (Y-maze) and histopathology studies (hematoxylin and eosin and Congo red stains) and immunohistochemistry for neurofilament. Vit D supplementation alleviated CuSO4-induced memory deficits including significant reduction hippocampal BACE1, p-tau, CLU, CAS-9, Bax, and TNF-α and cortical AChE and MDA. Vit D remarkably increased cortical Ach, TAC, and hippocampal Bcl-2. It also improved neurobehavioral and histological abnormalities. The effects attained by Vit D treatment were better than those attained by DPZ. Furthermore, Vit D boosted the therapeutic potential of DPZ in almost all AD associated behavioral and pathological changes. Vit D is suggested as a potential therapy to retard neurodegeneration.

The role of tonifying kidney decoction and acupuncture in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: A network meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

As one of the chronic neurological degenerative diseases with the highest incidence of amnesia and dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) carried out the clinical treatment based on the 2 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of Chinese herbal compound and acupuncture (AP). With the vigorous development of TCM, doctors are facing the problem of choosing TCM or western medicine in clinical work. Hence there is an urge to make pairwise comparisons among these interventions to provide evidence for clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

The used efficacy of the 2 TCM methods and combined with donepeziline were compared to compile the best treatment through network meta-analysis.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with AD were included in the randomized clinical trial, who were treated with tonifying kidney decoction (TKD) or AP combined with donepezil hydrochloride (DH) as an intervention measure, while the control group was treated with DH. The total effective rate was the primary outcome, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score and activities of daily living (ADCS-ADL) scores were the secondary indicators.

RESULTS

Eventually 30 studies reporting 2236 patients underwent TKD or AP combined with DH were enrolled. In terms of total efficiency, compared with TKD and DH, TKD + DH was significantly preferable. In addition, TKD were classified into 2 categories, namely tonifying kidney with reducing phlegm formulas (TKRP) and tonifying kidney with filling lean marrow (TKFLM). Regarding to MMSE score of TKD, of the 3 interventions, only TKRP + DH (standard mean difference [SMD] = 4.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86-8.82) and TKFLM + DH (SMD = 3.93, 95% CI: 1.06-6.80) had significant efficacy over TKFLM (SMD = 4.25, 95%CI: -2.58 to 11.08). Although no difference between TKRP and other groups, its effectiveness was higher than TKFLM + DH and TKFLM (surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) = 61.5%). For the ADL score, compared with TKFLM + DH and DH, TKRP + DH had more effective (SUCRA = 70.2%). Regarding to the total effective rates, AP + DH was more statistically better than AP, and AP was statistically better than DH.

CONCLUSION

TKD or AP in combination with DH are significantly superior in treating AD.

Bibliometric review of 1992–2022 publications on acupuncture for cognitive impairment

Objective

To explore the development context, research hotspots, and frontiers of acupuncture therapy for cognitive impairment (CI) from 1992 to 2022 by visualization analysis.

Methods

Articles about acupuncture therapy for cognitive impairment were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) until 1 March 2022. Basic information was collected by Excel 2007, and VOSviewer 1.6.17 was used to analyze the co-occurrence of countries, institutes, and authors. Co-citation maps of authors and references were analyzed by CiteSpace V.5.8.R3. In addition, CiteSpace was used to analyze keyword clusters and forecast research frontiers.

Results

A total of 279 articles were retrieved, including articles from 19 countries, 334 research institutes, and 101 academic journals. The most published country and institutes were the People's Republic of China (217) and the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (40). Ronald C Petersen owned the highest co-citations (56). Keywords and co-cited references cluster showed the main research directions in this area, including “ischemic stroke,” “cerebral ischemia/reperfusion,” “mild cognitive impairment,” “Alzheimer's disease,” “vascular dementia,” “vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia,” “multi-infarct dementia,” “synaptic injury,” “functional MRI,” “glucose metabolism,” “NMDA,” “nuclear factor-kappa b pathway,” “neurotrophic factor,” “matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2),” “tumor necrosis factor-alpha,” “Bax,” “Caspase-3,” and “Noxa”. Trending keywords may indicate frontier topics, such as “randomized controlled trial,” “rat model,” and “meta-analysis.”

Conclusion

This research provides valuable information for the study of acupuncture. Diseases focus on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). Tauopathies with hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein as the main lesions also need to be paid attention to. The development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will better explain the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment. The effect of acupuncture on a single point is more convincing, and acupuncture on Baihui (GV20) may be needed in the future. Finally, the implementation of high-quality multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) requires increased collaboration among experts from multiple fields and countries.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on the Correlation between Serum and Central Immunity in AD Model Animals

Objective

The goal was to investigate the connection between neuroinflammation in the brain and serum inflammatory markers as Alzheimer's disease progressed. We also sought to determine whether electroacupuncture had an effect on inflammatory markers found in blood and other brain regions.

Methods

As an animal model for AD, we used senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. To examine the effects and probable mechanism of electroacupuncture, we used HE staining, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Electroacupuncture therapy protected neurons, significantly downregulated the Iba-1 level in the hippocampus (p value was 0.003), frontal lobe cortex (p value was 0.042), and temporal lobe cortex (p value was 0.013) of the AD animal model, all of which had significantly lower levels of IL-6 (p value was 0.001), IL-1β (p value was 0.001), and TNF-α (p value was 0.001) in their serum.

Conclusion

The amounts of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α detected in the serum were strongly linked to the levels discovered in the hippocampus and the frontal lobes of the brain, respectively. A better understanding of the electroacupuncture process as well as the course of Alzheimer's disease and the therapeutic benefits of electroacupuncture may be gained by using biomarkers such as serum inflammatory marker biomarkers.

Benign regulation of the gut microbiota: The possible mechanism through which the beneficial effects of manual acupuncture on cognitive ability and intestinal mucosal barrier function occur in APP/PS1 mice

Background

Gut microbiota dysbiosis and intestinal barrier injury play vital roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) onset and development. Our previous studies have demonstrated that manual acupuncture (MA) could improve the cognitive abilities of APP/PS1 mice. However, the effect of MA on the intestinal mucosal barrier and the gut microbiota mechanism through which this effect occurs remain to be clarified.

Methods

In the APP/PS1 manual acupuncture (Am) group, MA was applied in Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), and Zusanli (ST36). Mice in the APP/PS1 antibiotic + manual acupuncture (Aa) group were treated with an antibiotic mixture and MA at the same time. Probiotics were delivered to the APP/PS1 probiotics (Ap) group. Alterations in spatial learning and memory, the gut microbiota, the intestinal barrier function, and the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and TNF-α were evaluated in each group.

Results

Compared with the C57BL/6 control (Cc) group, cognitive ability was significantly decreased, the gut microbiota structure was obviously disrupted, intestinal barrier integrity was drastically impaired, and the intestinal inflammatory response was enhanced in the APP/PS1 control (Ac) group (P < 0.01). These changes were reversed by MA and probiotics (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), whereas antibiotics inhibited the benign regulation by MA (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Manual acupuncture can benignly modulate gut microbiota dysbiosis, significantly reduce intestinal inflammation, and effectively alleviate the destruction of the intestinal mucosal barrier in APP/PS1 mice, and the effects are comparable to those of probiotics. The gut microbiota may play an important role in the improvement of the cognitive function and intestinal barrier function by MA.

Electroacupuncture could balance the gut microbiota and improve the learning and memory abilities of Alzheimer's disease animal model

Alzheimer's disease (AD), as one of most common dementia, mainly affects older people from the worldwide. In this study, we intended to explore the possible mechanism of improving cognitive function and protecting the neuron effect by electroacupuncture.

METHOD

We applied senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice as AD animal model, used Morris water maze, HE staining, 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing of gut microbiota and ELISA to demonstrate our hypothesis.

RESULTS

electroacupuncture improved the learning and memory abilities in SAMP8 mice (P<0.05) and could protect the frontal lobe cortex and hippocampus of SAMP8 mice; electroacupuncture significantly decreased the expression of IL-1β (P<0.01), IL-6 (P<0.01) and TNF-α (P<0.01 in hippocampus, P<0.05 in serum) in serum and hippocampus; electroacupuncture balanced the quantity and composition of gut microbiome, especially of the relative abundance in Delta-proteobacteria (P<0.05) and Epsilon-proteobacteria (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

electroacupuncture treatment could inhibit the peripheral and central nerve system inflammatory response by balancing the gut microbiota.

The Role of Acupuncture Improving Cognitive Deficits due to Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular Diseases through Regulating Neuroplasticity

Dementia affects millions of elderly worldwide causing remarkable costs to society, but effective treatment is still lacking. Acupuncture is one of the complementary therapies that has been applied to cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), while the underlying mechanisms of its therapeutic efficiency remain elusive. Neuroplasticity is defined as the ability of the nervous system to adapt to internal and external environmental changes, which may support some data to clarify mechanisms how acupuncture improves cognitive impairments. This review summarizes the up-to-date and comprehensive information on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on neurogenesis and gliogenesis, synaptic plasticity, related regulatory factors, and signaling pathways, as well as brain network connectivity, to lay ground for fully elucidating the potential mechanism of acupuncture on the regulation of neuroplasticity and promoting its clinical application as a complementary therapy for AD and VCI.

Experimental Evidence of the Benefits of Acupuncture for Alzheimer's Disease: An Updated Review

As the global population ages, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is also increasing. At present, there are no widely recognized drugs able to ameliorate the cognitive dysfunction caused by AD. The failure of several promising clinical trials in recent years has highlighted the urgent need for novel strategies to both prevent and treat AD. Notably, a growing body of literature supports the efficacy of acupuncture for AD. In this review, we summarize the previously reported mechanisms of acupuncture's beneficial effects in AD, including the ability of acupuncture to modulate Aβ metabolism, tau phosphorylation, neurotransmitters, neurogenesis, synapse and neuron function, autophagy, neuronal apoptosis, neuroinflammation, cerebral glucose metabolism, and brain responses. Taken together, these findings suggest that acupuncture provides therapeutic effects for AD.

Effect of Combined Electroacupuncture and Selegiline Treatment in Alzheimer's Disease: An Animal Model

The complexity of pathological mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses significant challenges to the development of corresponding drugs. Symptom-specific pharmacological interventions and alternative treatments provide promising treatment possibilities. Therefore, we considered a combination of selegiline (SEL) and electroacupuncture (EA). We used an animal model with AD to investigate the effect of a combination of these treatments on cognitive function. 5XFAD mice received a week of SEL treatment and 2 weeks of EA. Novel object recognition and Y-maze tests were subsequently performed to assess their cognitive functions. To determine the molecular action of the combination treatment, Western blots, Aβ_1-42 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and micro-positron-emission tomography were also performed to assess pathological markers and processes. The results were assessed based on the difference between untreated transgenic, SEL-treated, and SEL- and EA-treated groups of mice. Mice in the combined treatment group demonstrated significantly better cognitive functions, and lesser neuroinflammation than the comparative groups. In addition, mice treated with a combination of SEL and EA did not demonstrate a direct modulation of insoluble Aβ but demonstrated greater glucose metabolism. Our findings demonstrated that SEL combined with EA treatment was associated with better cognitive functioning due to inhibition of neuroinflammation and increased glucose metabolism relative to the comparative groups in a mouse model with AD.

Aging-Related Phenotypic Conversion of Medullary Microglia Enhances Intraoral Incisional Pain Sensitivity

Activated microglia involved in the development of orofacial pain hypersensitivity have two major polarization states. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of the aging-related phenotypic conversion of medullary microglia in the enhancement of intraoral pain sensitivity using senescence-accelerated mice (SAM)-prone/8 (SAMP8) and SAM-resistant/1 (SAMR1) mice. Mechanical head-withdrawal threshold (MHWT) was measured for 21 days post palatal mucosal incision. The number of CD11c-immunoreactive (IR) cells [affective microglia (M1)] and CD163-IR cells [protective microglia (M2)], and tumor-necrosis-factor-α (TNF-α)-IR M1 and interleukin (IL)-10-IR M2 were analyzed via immunohistochemistry on days 3 and 11 following incision. The decrease in MHWT observed following incision was enhanced in SAMP8 mice. M1 levels and the number of TNF-α-IR M1 were increased on day 3 in SAMP8 mice compared with those in SAMR1 mice. On day 11, M1 and M2 activation was observed in both groups, whereas IL-10-IR M2 levels were attenuated in SAMP8 mice, and the number of TNF-α-IR M1 cells increased, compared to those in SAMR1 mice. These results suggest that the mechanical allodynia observed following intraoral injury is potentiated and sustained in SAMP8 mice due to enhancement of TNF-α signaling, M1 activation, and an attenuation of M2 activation accompanying IL-10 release.

Microglia TREM2: A Potential Role in the Mechanism of Action of Electroacupuncture in an Alzheimer's Disease Animal Model

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most serious public health concerns facing the world. Its characteristic feature is neuroinflammation due to microglial activation. Electroacupuncture is one of the therapies employed to improve the condition of patients with AD, although its mechanism of action is still to be determined. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a microglia-specific receptor that is involved in regulating neuroinflammation in AD. In this study, we applied senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 mice as the AD animal model, used the Morris water maze, and applied hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunofluorescence double staining, and Western blotting, to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of action of electroacupuncture. In summary, this study suggested that electroacupuncture treatment could improve the learning and memory abilities (p < 0.05) and protect neurons. These effects result from acupuncture could upregulate TREM2 expression in the hippocampus (p < 0.01), which was essential for the anti-inflammatory effects in the AD animal model. However, further studies are needed to conclusively demonstrate the mechanism of action of electroacupuncture in AD.

Alzheimer's Disease, and Breast and Prostate Cancer Research: Translational Failures and the Importance to Monitor Outputs and Impact of Funded Research

Dementia and cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries. In the last two decades, research focused on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer, in particular, breast cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (PC), has been substantially funded both in Europe and worldwide. While scientific research outcomes have contributed to increase our understanding of the disease etiopathology, still the prevalence of these chronic degenerative conditions remains very high across the globe. By definition, no model is perfect. In particular, animal models of AD, BC, and PC have been and still are traditionally used in basic/fundamental, translational, and preclinical research to study human disease mechanisms, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop new drugs. However, animals do not adequately model some essential features of human disease; therefore, they are often unable to pave the way to the development of drugs effective in human patients. The rise of new technological tools and models in life science, and the increasing need for multidisciplinary approaches have encouraged many interdisciplinary research initiatives. With considerable funds being invested in biomedical research, it is becoming pivotal to define and apply indicators to monitor the contribution to innovation and impact of funded research. Here, we discuss some of the issues underlying translational failure in AD, BC, and PC research, and describe how indicators could be applied to retrospectively measure outputs and impact of funded biomedical research.

Acupuncture therapy for Alzheimer's disease: A protocol for an overview of systematic reviews

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the fifth-leading cause of death in people more than 65 years old. Acupuncture therapy has been traditionally used to treat various kinds of health problems including AD. This protocol aims to summarize the available evidence from current systematic reviews (SRs) for the efficacy of acupuncture therapy for AD.

METHODS

Seven databases will be searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP (CQVIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). SRs/meta-analyses (MAs) of acupuncture therapy for AD which were reported in Chinese or English will be included. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of the study quality will be performed independently by 2 or more reviewers. And the methodological quality, report quality and evidence quality will be evaluated by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) tool, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses Statement (PRISMA) checklist and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system, respectively.

RESULTS

The article in this overview will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

CONCLUSION

We expect to compile evidence from multiple systematic reviews of acupuncture therapy in AD patients in an accessible and useful document.Registration number: INPLASY202040035.

Effects of Acupuncture on Neurological Disease in Clinical- and Animal-Based Research

Neurological disease, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), which were caused by abnormalities in the nervous system involves the accumulation of false proteins, neurotransmitter abnormalities, neuronal apoptosis, etc. As an alternative supplementary medicine (ASM), acupuncture plays an important role in the treatment of neurological diseases. In this review article, we summarized the current evidence for the treatment efficacy of acupuncture in AD and PD from the perspective of clinical trials and animal model. Acupuncture can inhibit the accumulation of toxic proteins in neurological diseases, modulate energy supply based on glucose metabolism, depress neuronal apoptosis, etc., and exert a wide range of neuroprotective effects.