Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) belongs to the receptor family which is coupled with G-protein. The N-terminus of PAR-2 is cleaved by some proteases to generate a new N-terminus. The new N-terminus can interact with and activate the receptor itself. The update research reported that PAR-2 could be expressed on some cancers as well as tumor cell lines. There are some relationships between the PAR-2 expression and the behaviors of tumor cell, such as proliferation, angiogenesis, migration and invasion.

Chemical warfare agents and chemical terrorism agents have been identified as one of the major threats to human survival and national security currently. The key to dealing with these threats is the effective medical countermeasures of which specific antidotes take center stage. In the past decade,real or potential chemical threats which has sparked regional conflicts,terrorist activities or chemical accidents intentionally or unintentionally have increased the investment in antidotes research and development worldwide. Here,we introduced the research status on medical countermeasures against chemical threat by giving an overview of the United States ″Countermeasures Against Chemi?cal Threats(CounterACT)Program″,and then the recent research progress in antidotes against nerve agents,sulfur mustard and cyanide toxicities were reviewed.

Vesicular glutamate transporters(VGLUTs)package specifically glutamate into synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic terminal for subsequent release into the synaptic cleft.VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 together label all glutamatergic neurons,are highly specific markers of glutamatergic neurons and their axon terminals.VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 are respectively the neurochemical marker of cortico-cortical projection and thalamo-cortical projection.VGLUT3 is also expressed in cholinergic interneurons,serotoninergic neurons,subsets of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex.The disfunction of VGLUTs can lead to the abnormal excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate,resulting in many nervous system disease.In order to give a clue for prevention and therapy of these diseases,this paper reviews the disfunction of VGLUTs effects on Alzheimer's disease(AD),Parkinson's disease(PD),schizophrenia,depressive disorder,epilepsy and deafness.

Alzheimer′s disease(AD)is one of the neurodegenerative diseases.Now it seriously threatens the life of the elderly.The pathogenesis of AD is not clear,thus there is no cure for this disease.The current treatment can′t reverse the pathological change of the disease or prevent the development of the disease,and the symptoms of the AD patients can only be partly improved.In recent years,the application of RNAi technology to the inhibition of the expression of the AD-related genes provides a new method for the treatment of AD.This article mainly introduces the application of the RNAi technology to AD.

Aim To disclose the molecular mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang decoction(LW)enhances the cognitive function of central nervous system, the effects of Liuwei Dihuang decoction on the differential expression genes in the hippocampus of senescence-accelerated mouse was studied. Methods There were 8 gene expression patterns, such as SAMP8 and SAMR1, SAMP8 as negative control and SAMR1 as positive control, huperzine A-treated SAMP8 and SAMP8 as negative control, LW-treated SAMP8 and SAMP8 as negative control, were compared and assessed by use of the differential expression cDNA microarray of the hippocampus of SAMP8 and SAMR1. The response genes of LW were compared. Results LW had significant modulating effects on some of the gene expressions. Expressions of genes, such as DUSP12, NSF, STUB1, CaMKⅡ?, AMFR, UQCRFS1 and other 11 novel genes without any functional clues changed significantly. These genes involved in the protein-tyrosine phosphatase family, the AAA(ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities)gene family, the serine/threonine protein kinases family, ubiquitin ligase, mitochondrial function and so on. Conclusions These results suggested LW effects on the cognitive impairments might be multi-mechanism and these genes might be the potential gene targets for LW effects on the impairments.

D-amino acids were believed to have no function in higher organisms several years ago. Recently, D-serine was proved to be synthesized by astrocytes in vivo and be released to work as an effective coagonist at the “glycine-binding” site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in central nervous system. In this paper, the synthesis, metabolism and function of D-serine were reviewed briefly.

Luteinizing hormone(LH)is a gonadotropin of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis(HPG),secreted by the anteri?or pituitary. The secretion of LH is directly controlled by the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone(GnRH),acts at the ovaries and testes to stimulate the production of gonadal hormones. Aging leads to increases in LH,and higher serum levels of LH has been ob?served in Alzheimer′s disease(AD)patients when compared to age-matched controls. Evidences from basic research and epidemiologi?cal investigation support the critical role of elevated LH in pathogenic process of AD and deteriorating cognitive decline. Here we sum?marize the recent discoveries containing human AD epidemiological evidence for LH,cognitive impairments resulting from LH activi?ty,LH in AD pathology and LH receptor signaling mechanisms.

Alzheimer′s disease(AD)is a degenerative metabolic disease,whose exact pathological mechanism still remains unknown. Currently,studies have found that patients in AD accompany with insulin signaling pathway impairment and cerebral glu?cose metabolism dysfunction. As insulin signaling pathway and cerebral glucose metabolism homeostasis play a key role in AD ,some researches consider AD as“typeⅢdiabetes”. This review aims to discuss the alteration of cerebral insulin signaling pathway and glu?cose metabolism in AD,as well as their relationship with AD. We will also elaborate the advance in anti-AD drugs based on cerebral insulin signaling pathway.

Objective:To research the effect of Liuwei Dihuang decoction and its decomposed recipes on gene expression related to thymocyte differentiation in normal mice and SAMP8.Methods:The expression of Notch1,Presenilin1,Presenilin2,HES1 mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR assay.Results:After oral administation of Liuwei Dihuang decoction(5,10,20 g/kg),the expressions of Presenilin2 and HES1 gene in thymocytes of normal mice were increased.After oral administation of Liuwei Dihuang decoction(10 g/kg)and SB,SX,the expressions of Presenilin2 and HES1 in thymocytes of normal mice were decreased.Conclusion:It is suggested that Liuwei Dihuang Decoction can increase the Notch signal intensity in the normal mice thymocytes and decrease that in SAMP8,which is immuno-senescenced mice.

As an important neurotransmitter, adenosine displays its functions by acting on the adenosine receptors. Recent studies have shown that the distribution, expression and balance among subtypes of adenosine receptors are closely related with cognitive activities, and changes of adenosine receptors play key roles in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. It has been pointed out that prolonged activation of adenosine receptors by high level adenosine may lead to the disturbance of balance among adenosine receptor subtypes. This imbalance mainly performed as increased expression of A2a receptor and decreased expression of A1 receptor, and enhancement of the excitatory signals mediated by A2a receptor and weakened inhibitory signals mediated by A1 receptor. Changes of these two subtypes of adenosine receptors may lead to a lot of disorders of neurological activities which developed into dysfunction of cognition to the end. These findings imply that the potential of maintaining the balance among adenosine receptors on the treatment of AD would facilitate both the revealing of the mechanism and the cure of AD.