Influences of electro-acupuncture at related Jing-well Points in rats with vascular dementia

OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of electro-acupuncture(EA) at related Jing-well Points(HT 9,PC 9,KI 1 and LU 11) in rats with vascular dementia(VD) and discuss the relative mechanism.METHODS:A randomized controlled animal experiment was designed.A total of 104 rats were involved in the present study and divided randomly into 4 groups:sham-operation group,model group,Jing-well Points group,and medication group.The VD model was established according to the modified 4-vessel occlusion(4-VO) method.VD rats in the Jing-well Points group were treated by EA at the related Jing-well Points(HT 9,PC 9,KI 1 and LU 11) while those in the medication group were treated with nimotop.The step-down avoidance test was performed before and after treatment in all rats.Latency and error frequency indexed memory function were recorded.Nitric oxide(NO) levels and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity in both cerebral tissue and serum were detected after the treatment course.RESULTS:A total of 42 rats were included in the final analysis.Compared with the model group,the latency in the Jing-well Points group was significantly prolonged(P<0.01) and the error frequency was significantly decreased(P<0.05) after therapy;the decrease in NO levels in both brain tissue and serum was significant(P<0.05 and P<0.01,respectively);and the increase in SOD activity was also significant(P<0.01).There was no significant difference in latency,error frequency,NO levels and SOD activity between the Jing-well Points group and medication group.CONCLUSION:EA at related Jing-well Points can remarkably improve memory impairment in VD rats.Moreover,decreasing the overproduction of NO and strengthening the ability of eliminating free radicals may provide therapeutic potential for the treatment of VD.

Synthesis,Crystal Structural and Electrical Conductivity Properties of Fe-Doped Zinc Oxide Powders at High Temperatures

The synthesis,crystal structure and electrical conductivity properties of Fe-doped ZnO powders（in the range of 0.25-15 mol%） were reported in this paper.I-phase samples,which were indexed as single phase with a hexagonal（wurtzite） structure in the Fe-doped ZnO binary system,were determined by X-ray diffraction（XRD）.The solubility limit of Fe in the ZnO lattice is 3 mol% at 950℃.The above mixed phase was observed.And the impurity phase was determined as the cubic-ZnFe 2 O 4 phase when compared with standard XRD data using the PDF program.This study focused on single I-phase ZnO samples which were synthesized at 950℃ because the limit of the solubility range is the widest at this temperature.The lattice parameters a and c of the I-phase decreased with Fe-doping concentration.The morphology of the I-phase samples was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope.The grain size of the I-phase samples increased with heat treatment and doping concentration.The electrical conductivity of the pure ZnO and single I-phase samples was investigated using the four-probe dc method at 100-950℃ in air atmosphere.The electrical conductivity values of pure ZnO,0.25 and 3 mol% Fe-doped ZnO samples at 100℃ were 2×10-6,1.7×10-3 and 6.3×10-4 S.cm-1,and at 950℃ they were 3.4,8.5 and 4 S.cm-1,respectively.