Preventive electroacupuncture reduces cognitive deficits in a rat model of D-galactose-induced aging

Acupuncture can reduce cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease.However,whether electroacupuncture can prevent or alleviate the cognitive deficits in animal models of aging remains poorly understood.Studies have shown that disordered epigenetic modifications play a critical role in age-related cognitive decline.Therefore,we hypothesized that preventive electroacupuncture might improve cognitive functions during aging by regulating epigenetic modifications.A rat model of aging was produced by intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg D-galactose for 8 weeks.Baihui and Shenshu acupoints were stimulated by electroacupuncture for 8 weeks from the first day of D-galactose administration.Preventive electroacupuncture alleviated memory impairment,decreased tau hyperphosphorylation,and reduced glycogen synthase kinase-3βprotein and mRNA expression levels in the brainstem dorsal raphe nucleus,where intracellular neurofibrillary tangle lesions first occur.In addition,the DNA methylation level in the promoter region of the glycogen synthase kinase-3βgene was increased.The effects of preventive electroacupuncture were stronger than those of preventive acupuncture.Intraperitoneal injection of 0.4 mg/kg 5-aza-2ʹ-deoxycytidine,an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase that blocks epigenetic modifications,antagonized the effects of preventive electroacupuncture.Our results suggest that preventive electroacupuncture treatment alleviates cognitive impairment in aging rats probably by affecting the epigenetic modification of the glycogen synthase kinase-3βgene in the dorsal raphe nucleus.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine,China(approval No.HUCMS201712001)on November 28,2017.

艾灸“肾俞”早期干预去卵巢合D-半乳糖注射AD样大鼠效应中的特异性

Objective:To observe the effect of the early intervention with moxibustion at "Shènshū(肾俞BL23)" on learning and memory of Alzheimer’s disease(AD) rats modeled by ovariectomy and D-Galactose(D-Gal)injection and the effect on Ca2+/CaMKII/CREB signaling pathway so as to provide the evidence for the acupoint selection in the early intervention with acupuncture and moxibustion for AD.Methods:Sixty female SD rats at the age of 3 months were selected and randomly divided into a normal group,a sham-operation group,a model group,a "BL23" group,a "Wèishū"(胃俞BL21) group,and a non-acupoint group,10 rats in each group.Except in the normal group and the sham-operation group,bilateral ovaries were removed in the other 4 groups.3 days after the operation,D-Gal was injected intraperitoneally at a dose of 150 mg/kg/d for 90 days to establish AD rat model.In the sham-operation group,only the peripheral fat of ovarian was removed and 0.9% normal saline was injected intraperitoneally of the same dose for 90 days.In the "BL23" group,the "BL21" group and the non-acupoints group,since the 2 nd day after ovariectomy,moxibustion was applied at 9:00 a.m.every day in the rats.The rats were fixed on a fixed table,the mild moxibustion with self-prepared moxa stick was applied to bilateral "BL23""BL21" and the non-acupoint of each rat,the ignited end of moxa stick was 2 cm to 3 cm far from skin surface.The infrared thermometer was adopted to measure the temperature of the epidermis of each acupoint from time to time so as to maintain the local temperature to be(41 ± 0.5)℃.Mild moxibustion lasted for 10 min each time,consecutively for 5 days a week and at an interval of 2 days.The total consecutive intervention duration was 12 weeks.In the normal group and the shamoperation group,no moxibustion intervention was performed,but the rats were restricted in a same way during the experiment.At the end of modeling and intervention,water maze test was adopted to detect the learning and memory abilities of rats in each group.The western blotting was used to detect the expressions of p-CREB,p-CaMKII,CaMKII and CREB in hippocampus of rats in each group.Results:(1)Navigation test:since Day 72,compared with the sham-operation group,the escape latencies in all of the consecutive 5 days were longer in the model group(all P <0.05).Since Day 73,compared with the normal group,the escape latency in all of the consecutive 4 days was shorter in the "BL23"group(all P <0.05).(2) Times across platform:compared with the normal group,the number of times consecutively crossing the platform was lower in the model group(P <0.05).After moxibustion,compared with the model group,the number of times across platform was higher in the "BL23"group,indicating a statistical significance(P <0.05).(3)Moving track of water maze spatial probe:the "tendency"strategy was displayed in the normal group and the sham operation group.The "marginal" strategy,which is commonly seen in the AD rats,was displayed in the model group.The "random" strategy was displayed in the "BL23" group.The "marginal" strategy was presented in the "BL21" group and the non-acupoint group.(4) Expressions of hippocampal P-CAMKII,CAMKII,CREB and P-CREB in the rats:compared with the normal group,the phosphorylation degrees of CAMKII and CREB were significantly reduced(both P<0.05) in the model group.In 12 weeks of moxibustion,compared with the model group,the levels of P-CAMKII and P-CREB were increased in the "BL23" group and the "BL21" group(all P <0.05) and the levels in the "BL23" group were higher than that of the "BL21" group and the non-acupoint group(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Moxibustion at "BL23" achieves a better effect in improving the learning and memory of AD rats modeled by ovariectomy and D-Gal injection as compared with moxibustion at "BL21" and the non-acupoint.The effect mechanism is potentially related to the effective activation of Ca2+/CaMKII/CREB signaling pathway.

干湿循环作用下氧化镁激发矿渣-膨润土竖向隔离墙耐久特性研究（英文）

目的:1.研究干湿循环作用下氧化镁激发矿渣-膨润土(MSB)竖向隔离墙的耐久特性。2.探讨干湿循环过程中循环级数对隔离墙的质量变化、干密度、p H值、无侧限抗压强度、孔隙结构和微观产物等的影响,并探究MSB的服役性能。创新点:1.通过干湿循环作用,揭示新型MSB隔离墙与传统水泥基(OPC)隔离墙的耐久性差异;2.通过微观分析,成功测定新型MSB隔离墙干湿循环后形成的水化产物。方法:1.通过宏观实验分析,在干湿循环作用下比较MSB隔离墙和OPC隔离墙的质量、干密度、p H值和无侧限抗压强度等参数的变化情况(图2和4~6);2.通过微观分析,研究MSB隔离墙中氧化镁激发高炉矿渣(GGBS-MgO)和膨润土的掺量对空隙结构的影响(图8),并探讨干湿循环作用如何影响碳酸钙和碳酸镁等水化产物的形成(图9)。结论:1.MSB隔离墙的质量损失比OPC隔离墙高1.1%~2.1%;2.MSB和OPC隔离墙的干密度和p H值均随干湿循环级数的增长而减小;3.MSB和OPC隔离墙的无侧限抗压强度随干湿循环级数的增长而降低;4.增加GGBS-Mg O的掺量可减少2%~12%的累计进汞量,而增加膨润土的掺量会增加4.6%~7.9%的进汞量;5.干湿循环可加速碳酸钙和碳酸镁等水化产物的形成。

水-土特征曲线的不确定性对估算非饱和土抗剪强度的影响

目的:系统讨论引起水-土特征曲线不确定性的各种可能因素,深入探讨水-土特征曲线的不确定性对非饱和土体抗剪强度的影响,并总结采用水-土特征曲线估算非饱和土体抗剪强度所需要考虑的关键因素。创新点:在采用水-土特征曲线计算非饱和土抗剪强度时,综合考虑水-土特征曲线的不确定性。方法:1.查阅文献,对比试验数据,总结造成水-土特征曲线不确定性的主要因素;2.依据现有估算公式,采用不同水-土特征曲线估算非饱和土抗剪强度;3.对比估算结果和试验测量值,讨论估算过程需要注意的关键事项。结论:1.同一土样在不同测试方法、不同试验环境及不同初始空隙比的情况下,所获得的水-土特征曲线可能表现各异;2.在估算非饱和土抗剪强度时,必须考虑土体的应力状态(或者空隙比),并对现有水-土特征曲线做必要修正,以保证在估算过程中所采用的水-土特征曲线能够真实地反映剪切土样的孔径分布。

低温而不是光周期调控中国亚热带裸子植物的出芽物候

被子植物春季物候的调控机制已经得到了广泛的研究。然而,裸子植物和被子植物在3亿年前就产生分化,裸子植物与被子植物的物候可能是受不同的因素所调控。亚热带植物物候的调节机制在很大程度上尚不明确,亚热带裸子植物物候是否由冷激需求和光照调控仍未得到验证。本研究在人工气候箱中设置了3个冷激处理和3.个光周期处理,并对切枝的出芽期进行了为期8周的研究。实验中我们测试了8种裸子植物:柳杉(Cryptomeria japonica)、杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)、柏树(Cupressus funebris)、银杏(Ginkgo biloba)、水杉(Metasequoia glyptostroboides)、马尾松(Pinus massoniana)、金钱松(Pseudolarix amabilis)和罗汉松(Podocarpus macrophyllus),检验其出芽物候是否对光周期敏感或者是否具有较强的冷激需求,以及这两种因素哪个对促进出芽更为重要。研究结果表明,对于裸子植物,冷激促进了出芽并提高了出芽率,而且裸子植物需要适度的低温天数来实现出芽。有趣的是,在同一森林中裸子植物比被子植物对积温的需求更高。与德国温带裸子植物(194-600 d·℃)相比,亚热带裸子植物(814-1150 d·℃)对积温的需求更高。光周期对裸子植物出芽的影响较小,说明冷激对裸子植物出芽的促进作用大于光周期。这些结果表明,随着全球气候持续变暖,冬季气温的升高不仅会影响亚热带被子植物也会影响裸子植物的物候,从而可能导致春季出芽期的延迟。