The role of the paraspinal muscles in the development of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on surface electromyography and radiographic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with idiopathic scoliosis commonly present with an imbalance of the paraspinal muscles. However, it is unclear whether this muscle imbalance is an underlying cause or a result of idiopathic scoliosis. This study aimed to investigate the role of paraspinal muscles in the development of idiopathic scoliosis based on surface electromyography (sEMG) and radiographic analyses. METHODS: This was a single-center prospective study of 27 patients with single-curve idiopathic scoliosis. Posteroanterior whole-spine radiographs and sEMG activity of the erector spinae muscles were obtained for all patients in the habitual standing position (HSP), relaxed prone position (RPP), and prone extension position (PEP). The Cobb angle, symmetrical index (SI) of the sEMG activity (convex/concave), and correlation between the two factors were analyzed. RESULTS: In the total cohort, the mean Cobb angle in the HSP was significantly greater than the mean Cobb angle in the RPP (RPP-Cobb) (p < 0.001), whereas the mean Cobb angle in the PEP (PEP-Cobb) did not differ from the RPP-Cobb. Thirteen patients had a PEP-Cobb that was significantly smaller than their RPP-Cobb (p = 0.007), while 14 patients had a PEP-Cobb that was significantly larger than their RPP-Cobb (p < 0.001). In the total cohort and two subgroups, the SI of sEMG activity at the apex vertebra (AVSI) in the PEP was significantly greater than 1, revealing significant asymmetry, and was also significantly larger than the AVSI in the RPP. In the RPP, the AVSI was close to 1 in the total cohort and two subgroups, revealing no significant asymmetry. CONCLUSION: The coronal Cobb angle and the SI of paraspinal muscle activity in AIS patients vary with posture changes. Asymmetrical sEMG activity of the paraspinal muscles may be not an inherent feature of AIS patients, but is evident in the challenging tasks. The potential significance of asymmetric paraspinal muscle activity need to be explored in further research.

A Real-Time Gait Phase Detection Method Based on BiLSTM-Attention Model.

Real-time gait phase detection is essential to achieve accurate and stable walking assistance in intelligent rehabilitation training for patients with motor disorders. This study proposed an efficient real-time detection method to detect three gait phases (loading response, stance, and swing) based on a bidirectional long short-term memory network with an attention layer (BiLSTM-Attention). We validated our method on a public dataset where eight healthy subjects' data during treadmill walking were employed. A single inertial measurement unit (IMU) was attached to the shank to measure the sagittal plane acceleration of the lower leg and the angular velocity around the central lateral axis. These data were transposed and segmented into data sequences based on labels using a sliding window method. The data from 8 participants were divided into the training, validation, and test sets (5:1:2). Results showed the average recognition accuracy of the proposed model on new subjects was 97.40% with an average time delay of 15.7±10.1ms, showing the method's potential to be applied for practice use.

Explosive Characteristics and Kinetic Mechanism of Methane-Air Mixtures under High-Temperature Conditions.

In the gas extraction and utilization process of coal mines, gas (mainly containing methane) explosion accidents happen occasionally under high-temperature conditions, causing serious casualties and economic losses. To reveal the mechanism and risk evolution of methane explosion under high-temperature conditions and control such accidents, the explosive characteristics of methane at 25∼200 °C were experimentally investigated by establishing a test platform for gas explosion under high-temperature conditions. In the experiments, three conditions were considered: the concentration near the upper explosion limit (CNUEL) (15.47 vol %), stoichiometric concentration (SC), and concentration near the lower explosion limit (4.68 vol %). Furthermore, the explosion pressure of methane-air mixtures and sensitivity characteristics of key free radicals at different high temperatures were determined based on the GRI-Mech 3.0 reaction mechanism of methane and using software CHEMKIN-PRO. The results show that at SC, P max decreases, while (DP/DT)max remains unchanged as the temperature increases, indicating a gradual decrease in the explosion risk. Near the explosion limits, P max and (DP/DT)max both grow as an exponential function, which implies that the explosion risk gradually increases. The temperature rise exerts a greater effect in improving the risk of explosion overpressure of methane at CNUEL (15.47 vol %), and compared with P max, the temperature rise has a greater improvement effect on (DP/DT)max. In the early stage of consuming methane, methane at SC mainly has two chemical reaction paths: CH4 → CH3 → CH3O → CH2O → HCO → CO and CH4 → CH3 → HCO → CO. The former and the latter to some extent separately promote and inhibit the explosive reactions. As the temperature increases, the proportion of methane consumed by the former reduces, while that by the latter slightly increases. The temperature rise inhibits the increase in the explosion risk of methane at SC, which is consistent with the experimental results.

Surface electromyography study on asymmetry in paravertebral muscle degeneration in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis.

The asymmetry of paravertebral muscle (PVM) degeneration in degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) patients has been extensively studied by imaging and histological examination and has not yet been verified by surface electromyography (sEMG) techniques. To study the relationship between the surface electromyography (sEMG) and degenerative characteristics of paravertebral muscles (PVMs) in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS). In twenty DLS patients and fifteen healthy subjects, sEMG activity of the PVMs at the level of the upper end vertebra (UEV), apical vertebra (AV) and lower end vertebra (LEV) was measured during static standing and dynamic standing forward flexion and backward extension tasks. Action segmentation was achieved according to inertial measurement unit (IMU) data. The sEMG characteristics of the PVMs on the convex and concave sides were compared, and the relationship of these data with the Cobb angle and lumbar lordotic angle (LL) was analyzed. In the DLS group, there was no difference in sEMG activity between the convex and concave sides at the UEV or AV level, but in the motion and return phases of the standing forward flexion task (P = 0.000, P = 0.015) and the maintenance and return phases of the standing backward extension task (P = 0.001, P = 0.01), there was a significant difference in sEMG activity between the convex and concave sides at the LEV level. Asymmetrical sEMG activity at the LEV level was negatively correlated with the Cobb angle (F = 93.791, P < 0.001) and LL angle (F = 65.564, P < 0.001). In the DLS group, asymmetrical sEMG activity of the PVMs appeared at the LEV level, with the concave side being more active than the convex side. This sEMG characteristics were consistent with their imaging and histological degenerative features and correlated with bone structural parameters.

An adaptive reflexive control strategy for walking assistance system based on functional electrical stimulation.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) neuroprostheses have been regarded as an effective approach for gait rehabilitation and assisting patients with stroke or spinal cord injuries. A multiple-channel FES system was developed to improve the assistance and restoration of lower limbs. However, most neuroprostheses need to be manually adjusted and cannot adapt to individual needs. This study aimed to integrate the purely reflexive FES controller with an iterative learning algorithm while a multiple-channel FES walking assistance system based on an adaptive reflexive control strategy has been established. A real-time gait phase detection system was developed for accurate gait phase detection and stimulation feedback. The reflexive controller generated stimulation sequences induced by the gait events. These stimulation sequences were updated for the next gait cycle through the difference between the current and previous five gait cycles. Ten healthy young adults were enrolled to validate the multiple-channel FES system by comparing participants' gait performance to those with no FES controller and purely reflexive controller. The results showed that the proposed adaptive FES controller enabled the adaption to generate fitted stimulation sequences for each participant during various treadmill walking speeds. The maximum, minimum, and range of motion (ROM) of the hip, knee, and ankle joints were furtherly improved for most participants, especially for the hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion compared with the purely reflexive FES control strategy. The presented system has the potential to enhance motor relearning and promote neural plasticity.

Exosomal miR-4488 and miR-1273g-5p inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of transforming growth factor ß2-mediated retinal pigment epithelial cells by targeting ATP-binding cassette A4.

Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in the regulation of many disease progression, including proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). However, the roles of exosomal miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p in PVR progression have not been demonstrated. Transforming growth factor ß2 (TGF-ß2)-induced ARPE-19 cells were used to stimulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cells. Exosomes derived from TGF-ß2-induced ARPE-19 cells were identified by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. The expression levels of miR-4488, miR-1273 g-5p and ATP-binding cassette A4 (ABCA4) were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The promotion levels of exosomes markers, EMT markers, apoptosis markers and ABCA4 were determined by western blot analysis. The migration, invasion and apoptosis of cells were determined by transwell assay, wound healing assay and flow cytometry. Our data showed that miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p were lowly expressed in TGF-ß2-induced ARPE-19 cells. Overexpressed exosomal miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p could inhibit the EMT, migration, invasion, and promote apoptosis in TGF-ß2-induced ARPE-19 cells. In addition, ABCA4 was a target of miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p. Overexpressed ABCA4 also could reverse the negatively regulation of exosomal miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p on the EMT, migration, and invasion of TGF-ß2-induced ARPE-19 cells. In conclusion, our data showed that exosomal miR-4488 and miR-1273 g-5p could inhibit TGF-ß2-stimulated EMT in ARPE-19 cells through targeting ABCA4.

The role of the inflammasomes in the pathogenesis of uveitis.

Uveitis is a diverse group of sight-threatening intraocular inflammatory diseases usually causing eye redness, pain, blurred vision, and sometimes blindness. Although the exact pathogenesis of uveitis is not yet clear, accumulating evidences have shown that an imbalanced regulation of immune responses caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. As critical regulators of inflammation, inflammasomes have been assumed to play a role in the pathogenesis of uveitis. Recent studies have reported the association between a number of genetic variants in inflammasome related genes (such as NLRP3, NLRP1, NLRC4 and AIM2) with increased risk to uveitis. Mounting evidence have shown an aberrant activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in both uveitis patients and murine models of uveitis. Some studies explored the intervention of uveitis via modulating inflammasome activity in the eye. This review aims at summarizing the main findings of these studies, proposing the possible mechanism whereby inflammasomes affect the susceptibility to develop uveitis, and giving a perspective for future studies, which may further improve our understanding about the role of inflammasomes and related cytokines in the pathogenesis of uveitis, and may hopefully lead to new therapeutics by targeting inflammasomes.

Proteomic evidence that ABCA4 is vital for traumatic proliferative vitreoretinopathy formation and development.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the leading cause of retinal detachment failure. The mechanism of PVR development is complex and still not completely elucidated. There are no proven methods for early prevention or clinical treatment. Retinal proteins are abnormally expressed during the entire PVR disease process. Due to the limitations of research methods and techniques, we do not fully understand the retinal protein changes in PVR. This proteomics study systemically analyzed and identified differential protein expression between retinas of PVR and non-PVR (normal) eyes. Retinal samples were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) coupled with mass spectrometry. Raw data were processed and analyzed by Maxquant software and then searched against the human UniProKB (201510) protein database. Differentially expressed proteins were selected and further validated in a human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line. The effects of dysregulated proteins on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration were studied. Systemic proteomics analysis identified several PVR-enriched proteins. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation to find abnormal pathways involved in PVR. Retinal-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA4) expression was one of the most increased proteins in PVR tissue. ABCA4 knockdown significantly reduced proliferation and affected the cell cycle in the human RPE cell line. ABCA4 knockdown also induced apoptosis and inhibited retinal cell migration. In conclusion, systemic proteomics analysis identified differentially expressed proteins in traumatic PVR, with ABCA4 being highly expressed. Disruption of ABCA4 expression induced apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation and migration in a human RPE cell line.

miR­34a regulates the chemosensitivity of retinoblastoma cells via modulation of MAGE­A/p53 signaling.

The present study aimed to explore the combined role of microRNA (miR)-34a, melanoma antigen-A (MAGE­A) and p53 in altering the chemosensitivity of retinoblastoma (RB) cells. Human RB and adjacent tumor tissues, as well as human RB cell lines (HXO­Rb44, SO­Rb50, Y79 and WERI­Rb-1) were used. In addition, four chemotherapeutic drugs, including carboplatin, etoposide, Adriamycin and vincristine, were used to treat the cell lines, in order to evaluate the sensitivity of RB cells. Furthermore, miR­34a expression was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting was implemented to quantify expression levels of MAGE­A and p53. A luciferase reporter gene assay was used to validate the targeted association between miR­34a and MAGE­A. The results indicated that SO­Rb50 cells exhibited the highest resistance to carboplatin, Adriamycin and vincristine (P<0.05), whereas HXO­Rb44 cells revealed the highest inhibition rate in response to etoposide (P<0.05) out of the four cell lines. Furthermore, reduced miR­34a expression and increased MAGE­A expression significantly elevated the survival rate and viability of SO­Rb50 cells following drug treatment (all P<0.05). miR­34a was also demonstrated to directly target MAGE­A, thereby significantly promoting the viability of RB cells and depressing apoptosis (P<0.05). p53, which was subjected to modulation by miR­34a and MAGE­A, also significantly reduced the proliferation rate of RB cells (P<0.05). In conclusion, the miR­34a/MAGE­A/p53 axis may be conducive to enhancing the efficacies of chemotherapeutic treatments for RB.

LncRNA HOTAIR/miR-613/c-met axis modulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition of retinoblastoma cells.

Since lncRNAs could modulate neoplastic development by modulating downstream miRNAs and genes, this study was carried out to figure out the synthetic contribution of HOTAIR, miR-613 and c-met to viability, apoptosis and proliferation of retinoblastoma cells. Totally 276 retinoblastoma tissues and tumour-adjacent tissues were collected, and human retinoblastoma cell lines (ie, Y79, HXO-Rb44, SO-Rb50 and WERI-RB1) were also gathered. Moreover, transfections of pcDNA3.1-HOTAIR, si-HOTAIR, miR-613 mimic, miR-613 inhibitor, pcDNA3.1/c-met were performed to evaluate the influence of HOTAIR, miR-613 and c-met on viability, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinoblastoma cells. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was also arranged to confirm the targeted relationship between HOTAIR and miR-613, as well as between miR-613 and c-met. Consequently, up-regulated HOTAIR and down-regulated miR-613 expressions displayed associations with poor survival status of retinoblastoma patients (P < 0.05). Besides, inhibited HOTAIR and promoted miR-613 elevated E-cadherin expression, yet decreased Snail and Vimentin expressions (P < 0.05). Simultaneously, cell proliferation and cell viability were also less-motivated (P < 0.05). Nonetheless, c-met prohibited the functioning of miR-613, resulting in promoted cell proliferation and viability, along with inhibited cell apoptosis (P < 0.05). Finally, HOTAIR was verified to directly target miR-613, and c-met was the direct target gene of miR-613 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the role of lncRNA HOTAIR/miR-613/c-met signalling axis in modulating retinoblastoma cells' viability, apoptosis and expressions of EMT-specific proteins might provide evidences for developing appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies for retinoblastoma.

The interactive effects of genetic polymorphisms within LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß pathway and environmental hazards on the development of Graves' opthalmopathy.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the combined effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß pathway and environmental hazards on susceptibility to Graves' opthalmopathy (GO) among a Chinese Han population. Altogether 305 GO patients and 283 Graves' disease (GD) subjects were recruited. Information relevant to the participants' age, gender, body mass index (BMI), regular physical activity, smoking history, alcohol intake, stressful work environment, stress at work, family history of thyroid disease and 131I treatment were summarized, and the participants' related SNPs of LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß were also detected. Then the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions were evaluated by logistic regression model and multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) modeling. The results exhibited that age, BMI, smoking history, stressful work, stress at home, family history of thyroid disease and 131I treatment appeared as potential indicators regulating GO risk, when either univariate or multivariate regression analysis was performed (all P < 0.05). Moreover, rs12716977 (T > C) and rs2230433 (G > C) of LFA-1, rs1799969 (G > A) and rs5498 (A > G) of ICAM-1, as well as rs6438552 (T > C) and rs334558 (T > C) of GSK-3ß were significantly associated with altered susceptibility to GO under the allelic models (all P < 0.05). Also haplotype TGAATC acted as a protective factor against GO risk (P < 0.05), whereas haplotype CGAACC largely elevated risk of GO (P < 0.05). Besides, logistic regression analysis demonstrated that rs12716927, rs5498 and rs6438552 all would affect the influences exerted by age, BMI, smoking history, stressful work, stress at home, family history of thyroid disease or 131I treatment on GO susceptibility (all P < 0.05). MDR modeling implied that the combined model of rs12716977, rs2230433 and rs1799969 was the supreme interactive model when BMI was co-assessed, and the interactive model of rs12716977, rs334558 and rs5491 was the most desirable among the smoking population. In conclusion, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions served as a crucial manner in affecting susceptibility to GO, providing solid evidences for screening effective GO-susceptible biomarkers and exploring potential GO treatment strategies.

Ahmed Valves vs Trabeculectomy Combined with Pans Plana Vitrectomy for Neovascular Glaucoma with Vitreous Hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Vitreous hemorrhage is common in advanced neovascular glaucoma (NVG), which has poor visual prognosis. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of 23-G pars planar vitrectomy (PPV) combined with either Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation or trabeculectomy after intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) treatment for NVG with vitreous hemorrhage. METHODS: This retrospective, nonrandomized study included 33 eyes of 33 patients with NVG with vitreous hemorrhage. After IVR treatment for 3-7 days, 18 eyes underwent PPV + AGV (AGV group) and 15 underwent PPV + trabeculectomy (trabeculectomy group). The success criterion was a postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) of 6-21 mm Hg, with or without antiglaucoma medication. RESULTS: Postoperative IOP decreased significantly in both groups, but the mean IOP after 12 months was significantly lower in the AGV group (16.92 ± 2.75 mm Hg) than the trabeculectomy group (21.50 ± 5.79 mm Hg; p = 0.018). The AGV group required fewer glaucoma medications than the trabeculectomy group. The cumulative probabilities of surgical success rates for the AGV and trabeculectomy groups at 12 months were 71.3% and 46.7%, respectively. No significant differences in postoperative complications were observed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: For NVG with vitreous hemorrhage, PPV with AGV implantation may reduce IOP more effectively than PPV with trabeculectomy.

Association Between IL-10 Gene Polymorphism and Diabetic Retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Genetic and environmental factors both play important roles in the occurrence and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). IL-10 592 gene polymorphism is associated with diabetes pathogenesis. This study analyzed the relationship between IL-10 gene promoter-592 loci polymorphism (SNP) in a diabetic model rats with DR. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Streptozotocin (STZ) was injected through the tail vein to establish a diabetic rat model. The rats were randomly divided into 2 groups for 3 months' feeding, including 100 rats in the diabetes-positive control group and 100 rats only injected with citric acid buffer as the blank control group. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) was used to observe retinal vascular changes. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment polymorphisms assay (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect IL-10 gene promoter-592 loci polymorphism in DNA samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to test serum IL-10 concentration. RESULTS: Serum IL-10 level in DR rats was 33.18±5.0 pg/mL and in the control rats it was 53.33±4.16 pg/mL in (P<0.01). Diabetes susceptibility with IL-10-592 genotype frequency and gene frequency analysis showed that IL-10-592 genotype frequency and allele frequency were significantly different in the DR group compared with the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IL-10 592 polymorphism was associated with DR susceptibility, suggesting that the gene polymorphism might be a risk factor for DR.

IL23R gene confers susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis concomitant with uveitis in a Han Chinese population.

PURPOSE: The interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) has been shown to be associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in many different populations. This study examined whether IL-23R polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility to this disease in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), rs7517847, rs11209032, and rs17375018, were genotyped in 291 AS patients and 312 age-, sex-, and ethnically matched healthy controls using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequencies of rs17375018, rs7517847, and rs11209032 were not different between the patients with AS and the healthy controls. On the one hand, stratification analysis indicated that the rs17375018 GG genotype and the G allele were increased in AS patients who were HLA-B27 positive (corrected p = 0.024, odds ratio [OR] 2.35, 95% CI 1.30-4.24; p c = 0.006, OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.28-3.07, respectively). On the other hand, the analysis according to clinical characteristics showed a significantly increased prevalence of the homozygous rs17375018 GG genotype and the G allele in patients with AS and uveitis compared with the controls (p c = 0.024 and p c = 0.024, respectively). In addition, haplotype analysis performed with the SHEsis platform revealed no significant difference concerning the haplotypes between AS patients and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the results suggested that the rs17375018 of IL23R was positively associated with HLA-B27-positive AS and that the rs17375018 GG of IL-23R was associated with AS concomitant with uveitis. We found no evidence for an association between the other two SNPs of IL-23R and AS.

MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS reveals elevated serum haptoglobin and amyloid A in Behcet's disease.

Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic autoimmune disease with unclear etiology and pathogenesis. To screen aberrant serum proteins in BD, serum samples were obtained from eight male BD patients with active uveitis and eight male healthy volunteers with informed consent. The serum samples from active BD patients and normal controls were pooled. Highly abundant serum proteins (albumin and IgG) were depleted from these two samples using an affinity capture based kit. The obtained samples were subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Protein spots were visualized with the "blue silver" staining. Differently expressed proteins were subsequently identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption /ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS). Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed using the serum samples from 18 patients with active BD, 6 patients with inactive BD, 22 patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome, and 20 healthy volunteers to validate the results of 2-DE and MS. Proteomic profiles of the pooled samples were compared, and approximately 800 protein spots were observed in each of the gels. Expression levels of four of the protein spots in active BD were significantly higher than those in the normal controls. Mass spectrometric protein identification revealed that the four protein spots corresponded to two proteins: haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA). Western blot and ELISA showed that Hp was only overexpressed in active BD but not in inactive BD, VKH syndrome, or healthy controls. An obvious band of SAA was detected in 72.2% of the serum samples from BD patients, whereas a vague band of this protein was found in 10.0% of the tested normal samples and 9.1% of VKH samples. Our results revealed a significantly increased expression of Hp and SAA in serum of active BD patients. These two proteins may be involved in the development of BD.

[Clinical research of the influence of cognizing potential on AD patients by electroacupuncture treatment].

AIM: To explore the relationship between acupuncture therapeutic method and the cognizing potential P300 of AD patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We introduced P300 into the studying area for AD, and found the N2, P3 latent period evidently prolonged and amplitude reduced significantly in AD patients compared with the control group. The research affirmed that acupuncture could excite the cognizing potential P300 for AD patients. CONCLUSION: P300 could be an effective measure for the diagnosis and evaluation of AD treatment. Acupuncture could affect the cognizing potential P300.