Introduction: The second most prevalent cause of dementia is vascular dementia (VaD). Furthermore, acupuncture is a relatively safe and effective traditional therapy for individuals with VaD. We performed a network meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness and safety of various acupuncture therapies for VaD based on existing research.Methods: We searched six electronic databases to screen for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different acupuncture treatments in VaD patients. The Cochrne tool (Review Manager 5.3) was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included RCTs. Based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework, we assessed the confidence in the evidence using the Confidence In the results from Network Meta-Analysis approach. We used the frequency approach to perform the network meta-analysis. Data were analyzed using R 4.1.1.Results: In total, we included 46 eligible studies. The results of the network analysis showed that the combined interventions of moxibustion (MB) with body acupuncture (BA) (MB + BA) and electroacupuncture (EA) with scalp acupuncture (SA) with BA (EA + SA + BA) were more effective in improving cognitive functions and activities of daily living compared with SA or BA alone. However, in the subgroup analysis, EA + SA + BA showed better efficacy in short- and mid-term acupuncture compared with other acupuncture therapies.Conclusion: Combined acupuncture therapy may be a safe and effective intervention for individuals with VaD, and MB + BA and EA + SA + BA appear to be the most effective interventions. However, because the analysis of this study was based on low-to-moderate evidence, there remains no strong supporting evidence. Thus, high-quality, large-scale, and long-term studies should be conducted in the future to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in VaD.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022354573.

Purpose: Clinical trials have illustrated that Shenmayizhi decoction (SMYZ) could improve the cognitive functions in patients with dementia. However, the mechanism needs to be explored. Methods: Fifty adult male rats (Wistar strain) were divided into five groups equally and randomly, including control, model, and SMYZ of low dose, medium dose and high dose. Rats in each group received a daily gavage of respective treatment. Rats in control and model group were administrated by the same volume of distilled water. Memory impairment was induced by intraperitoneal administration of scopolamine (0.7 mg/kg) for 5 continuous days. Four weeks later, Morris water maze (MWM) was performed to evaluate the spatial memory in all rats. Then, rats were sacrificed and the hippocampus was removed for further tests. Furthermore, Western blot analysis was employed to assess the levels of acetylcholine M1 receptor (M1), acetylcholine M2 receptor (M2), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT). AChE and ChAT activities were determined. Results: The SMYZ decoction significantly improved behavioral performance of rats in high dose. The SMYZ decoction in three doses exhibited anti-acetylcholinesterase activity. In addition, a high dose of SMYZ promoted ChAT activity. Moreover, a high dose of SMYZ increased the level of ChAT and declined the level of AChE assessed by Western blotting. Besides, an increased level of M1 receptor was found after treatment. Conclusion: Shenmayizhi decoction could mitigate scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits through the preventative effect on cholinergic system dysfunction.

Fucoidan from brown seaweed shows lipid-lowering, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, endothelial-protective and prebiotic activities. These effects address key atherosclerosis mechanisms, making it a promising therapeutic candidate.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is one common type of dementia. Numerous studies have suggested a correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and inflammation. The inflammasome is the core of the inflammatory response and plays an important role in the inflammatory response. Currently, ample evidence has shown that inflammasomes are closely related to the occurrence and development of Alzheimer’s disease.Objective: To explore the evolution and development trends of inflammasomes in Alzheimer’s disease using bibliometric and knowledge mapping analysis. By identifying research hotspots and emerging topics, we aim to provide new insights and directions for researchers in this field.Methods: All data related to inflammasomes in Alzheimer’s disease from 2000 to 2024 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), and annual publications, national publication trends, and proportion charts were analyzed and plotted using GraphPad price v8.0.2. Additionally, CiteSpace (6.2.4R (64-bit) Advanced Edition), and VOSviewer (version 1.6.18) were used to analyze and visualize these data.Results: A total of 1,128 publications related to the inflammasome in Alzheimer’s disease were recorded in the WoSCC, comprising 738 articles and 390 reviews. The literature was mainly from 68 countries/regions and 1,545 institutions, particularly China (n = 464) and the USA (n = 266). Despite China’s leading in publication quantity, the United States holds a prominent position in the field due to the higher quality of its scholarly articles. The institution that contributes the most publications is the Helmholtz Association. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES was a prolific contributor, and Nature was the most frequently cited journal. Keyword analysis showed that nlrp3 inflammasome, neuroinflammation, microglia activation, and amyloid-beta were the most common terms, reflecting the main research interests in currently published papers in this field. Research in this field primarily focuses on the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is closely associated with pathological products like Aβ and tau proteins. It can induce pyroptosis and accelerate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.Conclusion: The NLRP3 inflammasome is critical in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. However, the peak of related literature was in 2023, suggesting a potential decline in this research hotspot. There is an urgent need to explore new pathogenic mechanisms for AD. Clearly, this is an important direction that requires deep thinking and breakthroughs.