Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of amyloid β peptides (Aβ) and impaired glucose metabolism in the brain. Osteocalcin (OCN), an osteoblast-derived protein, has been shown to modulate brain functions but whether it has any effect on AD is undetermined. In this study, daily intraperitoneal injection of OCN for 4 weeks ameliorated the anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive dysfunctions in the APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice model, as shown in the increased entries into the central area in open field test, the increased time and entries into open arms in elevated plus maze test, the increased time spent in the light chamber in light-dark transition test, as well as the reduced escape latency and the increased preference for target quadrant in Morris water maze test. Aβ burden in the hippocampus and cortex of AD mice was ameliorated by OCN. Besides, OCN improved the neural network function of the brain, mainly in the enhanced power of high gamma band in the medial prefrontal cortex of AD mice. The proliferation of astrocytes in the hippocampus in AD mice was also inhibited by OCN as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Furthermore, OCN enhanced glycolysis in astrocytes and microglia, as evidenced by elevated glucose consumption, lactate production, and increased extracellular acidification rate. Such an effect was abolished when the receptor of OCN – Gpr158 was knockdown in astrocytes. Our study revealed OCN as a novel therapeutic factor for AD potentially through reducing Aβ burden and upregulation of glycolysis in neuroglia.

Acupuncture manipulations are clinically important to traditional Chinese medicine, yet the biological mechanisms have not been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate continuous stimulation-induced gene expression changes at stimulated and non-stimulated adjacent acupoints in the same meridian. Catgut embedding into acupoint (CEP) was conducted at acupoint Yanglingquan (gall bladder meridian of foot-shaoyang 34, GB34) of Sprague Dawley rats once or continuously for eight weeks, and gene expression changes at GB34 were assessed by gene chip array analysis 72 h after the last CEP treatment. A total of 688 genes exhibited opposite changes in expression between the two treatments, and 1,336 genes were regulated only by the eight-week CEP treatment. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that among these differentially regulated genes by one-time and eight-week CEP treatment, insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway and integrin-linked kinase pathway, and Wnt/~ catenin signaling pathway match the observed gene changes to predicted up/down regulation patterns. Upstream analysis further predicted six molecules, namely, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1~, interleukin la, kallikrein-related peptidase 5, protein kinase Ca, and catenin ~1. On the other hand, continuous eight-week CEP stimulation at acupoint Xuanzhong (GB39) caused similar changes in the expression of 32 genes at acupoints GB34 and Fengshi (GB31) on the same meridian. Taken together, our results provide the first molecular evidence for the local acupoints' mechanisms for acupoint sensitization theory, and implicate the existence of signaling pathways, either direct or indirect, between acupoints within the meridian GB.

Importance: Social isolation during outbreaks of epidemics always challenge psychological resilience profoundly. However, it still remains unclear how students’ mental health would be affected by strict on-campus quarantine, which means students stayed at dormitories or on-campus for quarantine. We analyzed the data from one of the earliest universities releasing strict on-campus quarantine to prevent the Omicron spread-out in Shanghai, to evaluate the time course of the psychological resilience in the influence of an unexpected change in the living space in university students.Objectives：The campus was locked down on 9th March. From 9th to 23rd, all students on campus were asked to stay in their dormitries, and teachers sent food supplies three times a day. From 24th March to early April, students were gradually allowed to enter the campus for necessary activities. We quantify dynamic changes in depression severity during the campus locked down.Method: All participants were undergraduate or graduate students. The survey was released on 5th, April. All survey was dropped a public link on www.wjx.cn and administered from April 5th to 7th, 2022. Following the schedule of quarantine area, we assessed depressive symptoms in SJTU students from Period 1 (two weeks before 9th, March), Period 2 (9th to 23rd, March), and Period 3 (24th March to 5th April). 274 students completed the online survey, and two incomplete data were excluded for further analysis. All these participants aged range from 18 to 25 years old and were quarantined in dormitories since 9th March 2022.Findings:A remarkable increase in depression was observed in university students after stringent quarantine. The portion of students with depression started at 9.1% before quarantine and rapidly increased to 36.1% right after quarantine. No more increase in depressive symptoms was observed with time though quarantine was ongoing, which can be predicted by the food supplement satisfaction and the duration of physical fitness per day. Interestingly, the impact of a sudden change in living space on the psychological resilence was more evident in students who have a romatic relationship than singles.

ObjectivesAmong the various impacts of disasters in terms of emotions, quarantine has been proven to result in significant increases in mental health problems. Studies of psychological resilience during outbreaks of epidemics tend to focus on long-term social quarantine. In contrast, insufficient studies have been conducted examining how rapidly negative mental health outcomes occur and how these outcomes change over time. We evaluated the time course of psychological resilience (over three different phases of quarantine) among students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to investigate the influence of unexpected changes on college students.MethodsAn online survey was conducted from 5 to 7 April 2022. A structured online questionnaire was administered using a retrospective cohort trial design. Before 9 March (Period 1), individuals engaged in their usual activities without restrictions. From 9 to 23 March (Period 2), the majority of students were asked to remain in their dormitories on campus. From 24 March to early April (Period 3), restrictions were relaxed, and students were gradually allowed to participate in essential activities on campus. We quantified dynamic changes in the severity of students’ depressive symptoms over the course of these three periods. The survey consisted of five sets of self-reported questions: demographic information, lifestyle/activity restrictions, a brief mental health history, COVID-19-related background, and the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition.ResultsA total of 274 college students aged 18–42 years (mean = 22.34; SE = 0.24) participated in the study (58.39% undergraduate students, 41.61% graduate students; 40.51% male, 59.49% female). The proportion of students with depressive symptoms was 9.1% in Period 1, 36.1% in Period 2, and 34.67% in Period 3. Depressive symptoms increased notably with the introduction of the quarantine in Periods 2 and 3. Lower satisfaction with the food supplied and a longer duration of physical exercise per day were found to be positively associated with changes in depression severity in Periods 2 and 3. Quarantine-related psychological distress was more evident in students who were in a romantic relationship than in students who were single.ConclusionDepressive symptoms in university students rapidly increased after 2 weeks of quarantine and no perceptible reversal was observed over time. Concerning students in a relationship, ways to take physical exercise and to relax should be provided and the food supplied should be improved when young people are quarantined.