Association between organophosphorus insecticides exposure and osteoarthritis in patients with arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Organic phosphorus insecticides (OPPs) are a class of environmental pollutants widely used worldwide with potential human health risks. We aimed to assess the association between exposure to OPPs and osteoarthritis (OA) particularly in participants with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). METHODS: Participants' information was obtained from data in the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES). Weighted logistic regression models were utilized to detect associations between OPPs metabolites and OA. Restricted cubic spline plots (RCS) were drawn to visualize the dose-response relationship between each metabolite and OA prevalence. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel-machine regression (BKMR), were applied to investigate the joint effect of mixtures of OPPs on OA. RESULTS: A total of 6871 samples were included in our study, no significant associations between OPPs exposure and OA incidence were found in whole population. However, in a subset of 475 individuals with ASCVD, significant associations between DMP (odds ratio [OR] as a continuous variable = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07,1.28), DEP ((odds ratio [OR] of the highest tertile compared to the lowest = 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21,4.86), and OA were observed. DMP and DEP showed an increasing dose-response relationship to the prevalence of OA, while DMTP, DETP, DMDTP and DEDTP showed a nonlinear relationship. Multi-contamination modeling revealed a 1.34-fold (95% confidence intervals:0.80, 2.26) higher prevalence of OA in participants with high co-exposure to OPPs compared to those with low co-exposure, with a preponderant weighting (0.87) for the dimethyl dialkyl phosphate metabolites (DMAPs). The BKMR also showed that co-exposure of mixed OPPs was associated with an increased prevalence of OA, with DMP showing a significant dose-response relationship. CONCLUSION: High levels of urine dialkyl phosphate metabolites (DAP) of multiple OPPs are associated with an increased prevalence of OA in patients with ASCVD, suggesting the need to prevent exposure to OPPs in ASCVD patients to avoid triggering OA and further avoid the occurrence of cardiovascular events caused by OA.

Exploring the Targets and Molecular Mechanisms of Thalidomide in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, nonspecific, inflammatory disease of the intestine with an unknown cause. Thalidomide (THA) has been shown to be an effective drug for the treatment of UC. However, the molecular targets and mechanism of action of THA for the treatment of UC are not yet clear. OBJECTIVES: Combining network pharmacology with in vitro experiments, this study aimed to investigate the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of THA for the treatment of UC. METHODS: Firstly, relevant targets of THA against UC were obtained from public databases. Then, the top 10 hub targets and key molecular mechanisms of THA for UC were screened based on the network pharmacology approach and bioinformatics method. Finally, an in vitro cellular inflammation model was constructed using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced intestinal epithelial cells (NCM460) to validate the top 10 hub targets and key signaling pathways. RESULTS: A total of 121 relevant targets of THA against UC were obtained, of which the top 10 hub targets were SRC, LCK, MAPK1, HSP90AA1, EGFR, HRAS, JAK2, RAC1, STAT1, and MAP2K1. The PI3K-Akt pathway was significantly associated with THA treatment of UC. In vitro experiments revealed that THA treatment reversed the expression of HSP90AA1, EGFR, STAT1, and JAK2 differential genes. THA was able to up- regulate the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factor IL-10 and decrease the mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α. Furthermore, THA also exerted anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. CONCLUSION: THA may play a therapeutic role in UC by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt pathway. HSP90AA1, EGFR, STAT1, and JAK2 may be the most relevant potential therapeutic targets for THA in the treatment of UC.

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation Is Effective for the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Study.

INTRODUCTION: Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) can be used to modulate gastrointestinal motility, inflammation, and nociception. However, it remains unclear whether VNS is effective in adult patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). We investigated the effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) in patients with FD. METHODS: Consecutive patients with FD meeting Rome IV criteria with modified FD Symptom Diary score ≥10 were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to 10-Hz taVNS (V10 group), 25-Hz taVNS (V25 group), or sham group, with 30 minutes of treatment twice a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the response rate at week 4, defined as the proportion of patients whose modified FD Symptom Diary score was reduced ≥5 when compared with the baseline. Secondary outcomes included adequate relief rate and adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 300 patients were randomized to V10 (n = 101), V25 (n = 99), and sham groups (n = 100). After 4 weeks of treatment, V10 and V25 groups had a higher response rate (81.2% vs 75.9% vs 47%, both P < 0.001) and adequate relief rate (85.1% vs 80.8% vs 67%, both P < 0.05) compared with the sham group. There was no significant difference between V10 and V25 in response rate and adequate relief rate (both P > 0.05). The efficacy of taVNS (both 10 and 25 Hz) lasted at week 8 and week 12 during follow-up period. Adverse events were all mild and comparable among the 3 groups (1%-3%). DISCUSSION: Our study firstly showed that 4-week taVNS (both 10 and 25 Hz) was effective and safe for the treatment of adult FD ( clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT04668534).

Rapid screening of electrochemically active bacteria based on a biocathode-functional bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence platform.

A functional bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence (BPE-ECL) platform based on biocathode reducing oxygen was constructed for detecting electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) in this paper. Firstly, thiolated trimethylated chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (TMC-SH) layer was assembled on the gold-plated cathode of BPE. TMC-SH contains quaternary ammonium salt branch chain, which can inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the surface or in the surrounding environment while absorbing bacteria. Then, the peristaltic pump was used to flow all of the samples through the cathode, and the EAB was electrostatically adsorbed on the electrode surface. Finally, applying a constant potential to the BPE, bacteria can catalyze electrochemical reduction of O2, and decrease the overpotential of O2 reduction at the cathode, which in turn generates an ECL reporting intensity change at the anode. In this way, live and dead bacteria can be distinguished, and the influence of complex food substrates on detection can be greatly reduced.

Double bipolar electrode electrochemiluminescence color switch for food-borne pathogens detection.

Color-switch electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing platform based on a dual-bipolar electrode (D-BPE) is reported in this work. The D-BPE was composed of a cathode filled with buffer and two anodes filled with [Ru(bpy)3]2+-TPrA and luminol-H2O2 solutions, respectively. Both anodes were modified with capture DNA and served as ECL reporting platforms. After introducing ferrocene-labeled aptamer (Fc-aptamer) on both anodes, the ECL emission signal of the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ was difficult to be observed (anode 1), while luminol emitted a strong and visible ECL signal (anode 2). Ferrocene (Fc) did not only prevent the oxidation of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ due to its lower oxidation potential, its oxidation product Fc+ also quenched the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ ECL through efficient energy transfer. For luminol, Fc+ catalyzes the accelerated formation of the excited-state of the luminol anion radical, which leads to the enhancement of the luminol ECL. In the presence of food-borne pathogens, the aptamer was assembled with them, leading to the leaving of Fc from the surface of the D-BPE anodes. The ECL intensity of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ was enlarged, meanwhile, the blue emission signal of luminol became weakened. By self-calibrating the ratio of the two signals, 1-106 CFU mL-1 food-borne pathogenic bacteria can be sensitively detected with a detection limit of 1 CFU mL-1. Ingeniously, the color-switch biosensor can be used to detect S. aureus, E. coli and S. typhimurium by assembling the corresponding aptamers onto the D-BPE anodes.

Disrupted resting-state functional connectivity of the thalamus in patients with coronary heart disease.

Background: Although homeostasis of the cardiovascular system is regulated by the cerebral cortex via the autonomic nervous system, the role of abnormal brain functional connectivity (FC) networks in patients with cardiac dysfunction remains unclear. Here, we report thalamus-based FC alterations and their relationship with clinical characteristics in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to acquire imaging data in twenty-six patients with CHD alongside sixteen healthy controls (HCs). Next, we performed a thalamus-based FC analysis to profile abnormal FC patterns in the whole brain. Subsequently, the mean time series of the brain regions that survived in the FC analysis were used to determine correlations with clinical parameters in patients with CHD. Results: We found no statistically significant differences in demographic and clinical data between patients with CHD and HCs. Patients with CHD showed decreased FC patterns between bilateral thalami and left hemisphere, encompassing supplementary motor area, superior frontal gyrus, superior parietal gyrus, inferior parietal gyrus, middle cingulate cortex, lingual gyrus and calcarine sulcus. Conclusions: These findings not only have implications in clarifying the relationship between cerebral functional imbalance and cardiovascular system, but also provide valuable insights to guide future evaluation and management of cardiac autonomic regulation via the brain-heart axis.

Biocathodes reducing oxygen in BPE-ECL system for rapid screening of E. coli O157:H7.

After discovery of electron transfer from bacteria, most bacteria known to be electrochemically active are utilized as a self-regenerable catalyst at the anode of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, the reverse phenomenon, cathodic catalysts is not so widely researched. This present study demonstrated that E. coli O157:H7 was electrochemically active, and it was able to catalyze oxygen reduction at the cathode of bipolar electrode (BPE). Applying a constant potential to the BPE, E. coli O157:H7 can catalyze electrochemical reduction of O2, decrease the overpotential of O2 reduction at the cathode, which in turn generates an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reporting intensity change at the anode. Significantly, a majority of food matrix does not exhibit catalytic activity for electrochemical reduction of O2. Meanwhile, due to the physically separation of two poles of closed BPE, complex food matrix at the cathode does not interfere with the ECL reaction at the anode. Therefore, the effect of food matrix is negligible when measuring E. coli O157:H7 levels in food. A low detection limit of 10 CFU mL-1 E. coli O157:H7 could be identified within 1 h. Thus, biocathodes reducing oxygen in BPE-ECL system has shown excellent characteristics in the field of rapid detection of electroactive bacteria in food.

Effect of urban form on PM2.5 concentrations in urban agglomerations of China: Insights from different urbanization levels and seasons.

Planned urban form has become an important strategy to improve air quality in urban agglomerations (UAs), especially pollution due to PM2.5, but the influencing mechanisms are not yet clear. This study explores the relationship between four metrics of urban form (size, fragmentation, shape, and dispersion) as determined by analysis of remotely sensed images at 30-m resolution and PM2.5 concentrations in 19 Chinese UAs. The influence of level of urban development and season is examined. Five control variables, including population density, temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) are selected for use in multiple linear regression models. Size, fragmentation, and shape of urban form, but not dispersion, were found to have significant effects on PM2.5 concentrations of different urbanization-level UAs. Urban size and fragmentation have stronger impacts on PM2.5 concentrations in UAs with lower urbanization levels while urban shape has a greater impact in higher-level UAs. In terms of seasonal variation in all UAs, urban form is more pronouncedly associated with PM2.5 concentrations during spring and autumn than summer and winter. Urban size and fragmentation are positively associated with PM2.5 concentrations whereas urban shape and dispersion are on the contrary. The relationships between urban form and PM2.5 uncovered here underscore the importance of urban planning as a tool to minimize PM2.5 pollution. Specifically, local government should encourage polycentric urban form with lower fragmentation in urban agglomerations. UAs with lower urbanization levels should control the disordered expansion of construction land and higher-level UAs should promote the mix of green land and construction land. Moreover, measures to control air pollution from anthropogenic activities in spring, autumn and winter are likely to be more effective in decreasing PM2.5 concentrations in UAs.

Research progress of stroma-targeted therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Desmoplastic stroma of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma plays an important role in tumor progression and treatment resistance. Stroma-targeted therapies are therefore promising for clinical application and extensive related researches are undergoing. In this article, recent advances in stromal targeting strategies were reviewed from three perspectives: cancer-associated fibroblasts, extracellular matrix and angiogenesis, and an outlook for the future of this strategy was also provided.

Analysis of global cancer incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019 / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To analyze the global incidence and mortality of cancer from 1990 to 2019.Methods:The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD2019) database was utilized to analyze the global incidence and mortality of cancer, the order of incidence and mortality of cancer, the incidence and mortality of different age groups, and the trend of incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019. Standardized incidence and mortality rates were derived by utilizing the world standard population age structure.Results:In 1990, global cancer cases numbered 10.295 9 million with an incidence rate of 192.45/100 000, leading to 5.732 6 million deaths and a mortality rate of 107.16/100 000. While in 2019, global cancer cases escalated to 23.568 5 million with an incidence rate of 304.60/100 000, resulting in 10.022 8 million deaths and a mortality rate of 129.54/100 000, all higher than those in 1990. In 2019, lung cancer showed the highest incidence rate of both sexes combined in the world (29.21/100 000), followed by colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and gastric cancer. The incidence of lung cancer was highest among males (39.24/100 000), while the incidence of breast cancer was highest among females (51.27/100 000). Lung cancer also had the highest mortality rate worldwide in both sexes combined (26.40/100 000), followed by colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. Lung cancer had the highest mortality among males (35.72/100 000), while breast cancer had the highest mortality among females (17.85/100 000). In 2019, the global cancer incidence rate showed an upward trend with age. The incidence rate was low before the age of 25, and increased rapidly after the age of 25. The incidence rates of both sexes combined, males and females all reached the peak in the age group of over 85 years old, which were 3 084.18/100 000, 4 434.81/100 000 and 2 353.07/100 000 respectively; The incidence rate of females in the age group of 20-50 years old was higher than that of males, but the incidence rate of males in the age group of over 55 years old was higher than that of females. Compared with 1990, the incidence rates of both sexes combined in the age group of over 20, of males over 55 years old, as well as of females over 15 years old, were all higher than those in 2019. In 2019, the global tumor mortality rate showed an upward trend with age. The mortality rate was relatively low before the age of 35, and increased rapidly after the age of 35. The mortality rates for both sexes combined, as well as for males and females, reached the peak in the age group of over 85 years old, which were 1 787.84/100 000, 2 509.87/100 000, and 1 369.99/100 000 respectively; The mortality rate of females in the age group of 20-40 years old was higher than that of males, and the mortality rate of males in the age group of over 45 years old was higher than that of females; For the age of 0-80 years old, the mortality rates for both sexes combined, males, and females were lower in 2019 than 1990, but higher in the age of 85 years old and above. The global standardized incidence rate of cancer showed an overall upward trend, with an average annual increase of 0.30% from 1990 to 2019. The global standardized mortality rate of cancer showed an overall downward trend, with an average annual decrease of 0.60% from 1990 to 2019.Conclusion:From 1990 to 2019, the global standardized incidence rate of cancers shows an overall upward trend, while the global standardized mortality rate of cancers has an overall downward trend, and the global incidence and mortality rate of cancers increases with age. The global burden of cancer disease is still heavy. Lung cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence and mortality rate in the world. The highest incidence rate is lung cancer among males, and breast cancer among females. Different countries or regions need to take corresponding cancer prevention and treatment strategies according to their actual conditions.

Nanoparticles (NPs)-mediated lncBCMA silencing to promote eEF1A1 ubiquitination and suppress breast cancer growth and metastasis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in cancer metastasis. Exploring metastasis-associated lncRNAs and developing effective strategy for targeted regulation of lncRNA function in vivo are of utmost importance for the treatment of metastatic cancer, which however remains a big challenge. Herein, we identified a new functional lncRNA (denoted lncBCMA), which could stabilize the expression of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A1 (eEF1A1) via antagonizing its ubiquitination to promote triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) growth and metastasis. Based on this regulatory mechanism, an endosomal pH-responsive nanoparticle (NP) platform was engineered for systemic lncBCMA siRNA (siBCMA) delivery. This NPs-mediated siBCMA delivery could effectively silence lncBCMA expression and promote eEF1A1 ubiquitination, thereby leading to a significant inhibition of TNBC tumor growth and metastasis. These findings show that lncBCMA could be used as a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of TNBC patients and NPs-mediated lncBCMA silencing could be an effective strategy for metastatic TNBC treatment.

Gold microneedling radio-frequency treatment for depression scar of facial acne: a meta-analysis / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gold micrhenedle radiofrequency and other photoelectric methods in the treatment of facial acne depression scar by using a meta-analysis.Methods:From January 2015 to August 2022, gold microneedles and radio frequence for treatment of facial acne depression scar of randomized controlled trial were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP, China Biomedical Literature Service System, PubMed database, Cochrane Library and Embase database, including 12 papers. There were 6 Chinese and 6 English literatures, with a sample size of 612 cases.Results:Gold microneedling radio-frequency showed better efficacy in the treatment of facial acne depression scar ( P<0.05). After subgroup analysis, the effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group after 4 treatments, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Clinical acne scarring assessment scale, pain score and recovery time had statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Gold microneedling radiofrequency alone or in collaboration with other photoelectricity in the treatment of acne depression scar has short rest period, slight pain, and obvious improvement of scar effect. However, the improvement effect on icicle depression scar is limited.

Efficacy of different frequency of intense pulsed light in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of frequency of intense pulsed light(IPL)in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction.METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 108 patients(216 eyes)with meibomian gland dysfunction admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were included. They were divided into two groups, with 54 cases(108 eyes)IPL group(energy density 13.0J/cm2, pulse width 6ms, delay time 50ms), and 54 cases(108 eyes)in advanced optimal pulsed technology(AOPT)group(energy density 10.0-16.0J/cm2, pulse width 7-4-4 ms in unequal-division mode). The clinical effects of the two groups were observed and compared, including ocular surface symptoms, corneal fluorescein staining score(FL), tear film lipid layer thickness(LLT), ocular surface disease index(OSDI)score, mean non-invasive tear film break-up time(NIBUTav)and first non-invasive tear film break-up time(NIBUTf), tear meniscus height, score of meibomian gland secretion and its secretion traits, and the incidence of adverse effects was also calculated.RESULTS: The effective rate of the AOPT group(106 eyes, 98.1%)was higher than that of the IPL group(90 eyes, 83.3%, P&#x003C;0.05), as well as OSDI score, FL score, score of meibomian gland secretion and its secretion traits, LLT NIBUTav, NIBUTf and tear meniscus height(all P&#x003C;0.001). However, the incidence of adverse effects of the AOPT group(18 eyes, 16.7%)was higher than that of the IPL group(4 eyes, 3.7%; P&#x003C;0.05).CONCLUSION: With significant improvement in the ocular surface symptoms and function, AOPT has a better therapeutic effect on the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction, but it has more adverse reactions. Therefore, optimal treatment plan should be fully selected in combination with the actual clinical situation.

Advances in clinical diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced liver injury in children / 中华肝脏病杂志

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the most common adverse drug reactions that may seriously threaten the health of children and is receiving increasing clinical attention day by day. There is still no independent diagnosis and treatment guideline for DILI in children, but its clinical features are not completely similar to those in adults. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment progress in order to provide a reference for the management of DILI in children.

Comparison of three different measurement methods to determine resting energy expenditure in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To compare the differences to determine resting energy expenditure (REE) measured with indirect calorimetry and REE predicted by formula method and body composition analyzer in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis, so as to provide theoretical guidance for the implementation of precision nutrition intervention. Methods: Patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis who were admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2020 to December 2020 were collected. REE was determined by the body composition analyzer and the H-B formula method. Results: were analyzed and compared to REE measured by the metabolic cart. Results A total of 57 cases with liver cirrhosis were included in this study. Among them, 42 were male, aged (47.93 ± 8.62) years, and 15 were female aged (57.20 ± 11.34) years. REE measured value in males was (1 808.14 ± 201.47) kcal/d, compared with the results calculated by the H-B formula method and the measured result of body composition, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). REE measured value in females was (1 496.60 ± 131.28) kcal/d, compared with the results calculated by the H-B formula method and the measured result of body composition, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.016 and 0.004, respectively). REE measured with the metabolic cart had correlation with age and area of visceral fat in men (P = 0.021) and women (P = 0.037). Conclusion: Metabolic cart use will be more accurate to obtain resting energy expenditure in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Body composition analyzer and formula method may underestimate REE predictions. Simultaneously, it is suggested that the effect of age on REE in H-B formula should be fully considered for male patients, while the area of visceral fat may have a certain impact on the interpretation of REE in female patients.

Biomechanical characteristics of retinaculum in the treatment of femoral neck fractures / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the biomechanical characteristics of retinaculum in the treatment of femoral neck fractures.@*METHODS@#The CT data of a 75-year-old female volunteer was processed by software to construct an intact femur model and femoral neck fracture model fixed with three cannulated screws, which were divided into models with retinaculum or not. The Von-Mises stress distribution and displacement were compared to analyze the stability differences between the different models to study the mechanical characteristics of the retinaculum in the treatment of femoral neck fractures.@*RESULTS@#In the intact femur, the most obvious displacement appeared in the weight-bearing area of the femoral head, with retinaculum 0.381 37 mm, and without retinaculum 0.381 68 mm. The most concentrated part of the Von-Mises stress distribution was located in the medial and inferior part of the femoral neck, with retinaculum 11.80 MPa, without retinaculum 11.91 MPa. In the femoral neck fracture fixed with three cannulated screws model, the most obvious position of displacement also appeared in the weight-bearing area of the femoral head, with retinaculum 0.457 27 mm, without retinaculum 0.458 63 mm. The most concentrated part of the Von-Mises located at the medical and inferior part of the femoral neck, with retinaculum 59.22 MPa, without retinaculum 59.14 MPa. For the cannulated screws, the Von-Mises force peaks all appeared in the posterior and superior screw, with retinaculum 107.48 MPa, without retinaculum 110.84 MPa. Among the three screws, the Von-Mises stress of the anterior-superior screw was the smallest, which was 67.88 MPa vs 68.76 MPa in the retinaculum and non-retinaculum groups, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The complete retinaculum has little effect on the stability of intact femur and femoral neck fractures with anatomical reduction after internal fixation, and cannot effectively improve the stability of the fracture end after the fracture.

Surgical treatment for ipsilateral femoral neck and shaft fracture / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To retrospectively analyze efficacy of single structure internal fixation and double structure internal fixation in the treatment of ipsilateral femoral shaft and neck fracture, and analyze their indications.@*METHODS@#From June 2015 to December 2020, 21 patients with ipsilateral femoral shaft and femoral neck fracture were treated, including 14 males and 7 females, aged 23 to 69 years old with an average of(38.1±12.9) years old. According to different femoral shaft fracture sites, some patients were fixed with cephalomedullary implant for both femoral neck and the femoral shaft(single structure, InterTan or PFNA Ⅱ), some patients were fixed with cannulated screws for the femoral neck and a retrograde locking nail for the femoral shaft (dual structure), and postoperative function and complications were recorded during follow-up. In 10 cases of single-structure fixation, the femoral necks were all basicervical fractures, and the femoral shaft fractures were located in the proximal isthmus;11 cases were double-structure fixation, 9 cases in 11 were basal type of femoral neck, 2 cases in 11 were neck type, and the femoral shaft fractures were located in the isthmus and the distal isthmus.@*RESULTS@#All patients were followed up for 12 to 27 months. No femoral head necrosis, deformity, delay or nonunion occurred in the patients with single-structure fixation, and no delayed union or nonunion occurred in femoral shaft fractures;At the final follow-up, Harris score of patients with single-structure fixation was 91.8±4.1, with 8 cases were excellent and 2 cases were good. The fractures of patients with dual-structure fixation achieved good union without femoral head necrosis, except 1 case of femoral shaft fracture had delayed union;At the final follow-up, Harris score of patients with dual-structure fixation was 92.4±5.9, 7 cases were excellent, 3 cases were good, and 1 case was fair.@*CONCLUSION@#Good reduction and fixation is the key to the treatment of such fractures. Both the single-structure fixation and the dual-structure fixation are good methods, and it should be selected according to the locations of femoral shaft and femoral neck fractures. Single-structure fixation is a good choice for femoral shaft fractures located at the proximal isthmus and basal femoral neck fractures. For isthmus and distal femoral shaft fractures combined with ipsilateral femoral neck fractures, dual-structure fixation is recommended.

Dynamic networks of P300-related process.

P300 as an effective biomarker to index attention and memory has been widely used for brain-computer interface, cognitive evaluation, and clinical diagnosis. To evoke clear P300, an oddball paradigm consisting of two types of stimuli, i.e., infrequent target stimuli and frequent standard stimuli, is usually used. However, to simply and quickly explore the P300-related process, previous studies predominately focused on the target condition but ignored the fusion of target and standard conditions, as well as the difference of brain networks between them. Therefore, in this study, we used the hidden Markov model to investigate the fused multi-conditional electroencephalogram dataset of P300, aiming to effectively identify the underlying brain networks and explore the difference between conditions. Specifically, the inferred networks, including their transition sequences and spatial distributions, were scrutinized first. Then, we found that the difference between target and standard conditions was mainly concentrated in two phases. One was the stimulation phase that mainly related to the cortical activities of the postcentral gyrus and superior parietal lobule, and the other corresponded to the response phase that involved the activities of superior and medial frontal gyri. This might be attributed to distinct cognitive functions, as the stimulation phase is associated with visual information integration whereas the response phase involves stimulus discrimination and behavior control. Taken together, the current work explored dynamic networks underlying the P300-related process and provided a complementary understanding of distinct P300 conditions, which may contribute to the design of P300-related brain-machine systems.

Functional dyspepsia symptom diary is correlated with other questionnaires and associated with severity in patients with functional dyspepsia: a multicenter, prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Functional dyspepsia symptom diary (FDSD) is a newly designed questionnaire of functional dyspepsia (FD). The relationships between FDSD and other FD-related questionnaires and patient-reported severity remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the correlations between FDSD and other questionnaires and to determine the relationships between FDSD and FD severity. METHODS: Consecutive outpatients with FD were prospectively enrolled in four tertiary hospitals. All patients were evaluated by six FD-related questionnaires, including FDSD, Dyspepsia Symptom Severity Index (DSSI), Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Short-Form Nepean Dyspepsia Index, and Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scale (HAMD and HAMA). The severity of FD was also graded as mild, moderate, and severe by patients themselves. Correlations between different scores were assessed by Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ), and risk factors for patient-reported severity were identified. RESULTS: For 512 enrolled FD patients, the overall median FDSD score was 19 (2-42). FDSD was well correlated with DSSI (ρ = 0.64) and fairly correlated with the other four scores (ρ = 0.32-0.55) (all P < 0.001). Mild, moderate, and severe FD were reported by 18.5%, 55.9%, and 25.6% of patients, respectively. There were seven factors associated with the severe FD, including education level, duration, and subtypes of FD, prior treatment, FDSD, HAMD, and HAMA scores (all P < 0.10). FDSD ≥ 20 (odds ratio [OR] 3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0-5.2, P < 0.001) and HAMD ≥ 13 (OR 2.9, 95% CI: 1.8-4.6, P < 0.001) were independently associated with patient-reported severe FD. CONCLUSIONS: This study firstly revealed that the newly developed FDSD correlated with other FD-related questionnaires. FDSD ≥ 20 and HAMD ≥ 13 were independently associated with severe FD reported by patients (clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT04953975).

A survey of brain network analysis by electroencephalographic signals.

Brain network analysis is one efficient tool in exploring human brain diseases and can differentiate the alterations from comparative networks. The alterations account for time, mental states, tasks, individuals, and so forth. Furthermore, the changes determine the segregation and integration of functional networks that lead to network reorganization (or reconfiguration) to extend the neuroplasticity of the brain. Exploring related brain networks should be of interest that may provide roadmaps for brain research and clinical diagnosis. Recent electroencephalogram (EEG) studies have revealed the secrets of the brain networks and diseases (or disorders) within and between subjects and have provided instructive and promising suggestions and methods. This review summarized the corresponding algorithms that had been used to construct functional or effective networks on the scalp and cerebral cortex. We reviewed EEG network analysis that unveils more cognitive functions and neural disorders of the human and then explored the relationship between brain science and artificial intelligence which may fuel each other to accelerate their advances, and also discussed some innovations and future challenges in the end.