[Effect of "Xiusanzhen" on hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic receptor activity in Alzheimer disease rats].

Objective: To explore the effect of "Xiusanzhen" [electroacupuncture (EA) of bilateral "Yingxiang" (LI 20) and "Yintang" (EX-HN 3)] on activities of hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) and the involved neural path in Alzheimer Disease(AD)rats.

Methods: Forty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, olfactory nerve severing (ONS)-EA of "Xiusanzhen" (ONS-EA) and EA of "Xiusanzhen" (EA) groups. AD model was established by intra-hippocampal injection (AP: 3.

[Effect of "Xiusanzhen"on expression of hippocampal Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in Alzheimer disease rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Xiusanzhen" [3 acupoints, i.e., bilateral "Yingxiang" (LI 20) and "Yintang" (EX-HN 3)] on expression of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2, an antiapoptosis protein) and Bax (a protein for promoting apoptosis) in the hippocampus in Alzheimer disease (AD) rats, so as to explore its clinical mechanisms underlying relieving AD.

[Effect of "Xiusanzhen" on learning-memory ability and hippocampal somatostatin and arginine vesopressin contents in vascular dementia rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Xiusanzhen" [bilateral "Yingxiang" (LI 20) + "Yintang" (GV 29)] on learning-memory ability and hippocampal somatostatin (SS) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) contents in vascular dementia (VD) rats.

Methods: Forty SD rats were randomly divided into control, VD model, VD plus olfactory bulb lesion (OBL, destroyed by electro-coagulation) and EA groups, with 10 cases in each. VD model was established by 4-vessel occlusion.

[Effect of "Xiusanzhen" on learning-memory ability and hippocampal ChAT and AChE activity in Alzheimer disease rats].

Objective: To explore the effect of "Xiusanzhen" [bilateral "Yingxiang" (LI 20) + "Yintang" (EX-HN 3)] on learning-memory ability and choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) activity of hippocampus tissue in Alzheimer Disease (AD) rats.

Methods: A total of 40 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, AD model, AD + olfactory-bulb lesion (OBL, induced by electrocoagulation method) + EA and "Xiusanzhen" (AD + EA) groups. AD model was established by 4-vessel occlusion.

[Clinical investigation on electroacupuncture treatment of vascular dementia with "Xiusanzhen"].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of vascular dementia (VD) so as to explore an effective therapy for it.

Methods: Sixty cases of VD were randomly divided into acupuncture group and medication (Duxil, 40 mg/time, 2 times/d for 10 weeks) group, with 30 cases in each group. "Xiusanzhen" means that two acupuncture needles were penetrated subcutaneously from bilateral Yingxiang (LI 20) to Shangyingxiang (EX-HN 8) respectively, and the 3rd needle was penetrated from the midpoint between two Yangbai (GB 14) through Yintang (EX-HN 3) to the nasal root, followed by applying EA stimulation to the acupoints.

Application of in-gel protease assay in a biological sample: characterization and identification of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) in secreted proteins from a prostate cancer cell line PC-3.

A considerable problem in proteomics is to separate and identify functional proteins that participate in specific biological processes. To expedite the analysis of active proteases, we have developed a substrate-specific, sensitive in-gel trypsin activity assay after two-dimensional (2-D) separation in a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel [22]. Using this method, we detected and characterized Arg-specific protease activity in the secreted protein sample of a prostate cancer cell line, PC-3, in 1-D and 2-D gels.