Impact of high-frequency rTMS combined with pharmacotherapy on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in treating major depressive disorder: A real-world study.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with pharmacotherapy is a promising treatment method for depression. However, its treatment mechanism needs further research. METHODS: This study recruited 38 healthy individuals (HC) and 52 patients with severe depression (MDD) and divided patients into two treatment groups: the rTMS combined antidepressant (rTMS+ADP) group and the single antidepressant (ADP) group. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to calculate the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to investigate the functional change after treatment. RESULT: The fALFF in the left DLPFC was significantly lower in the MDD group than that in the HC group (p < 0.05). In addition, fALFF values of the left DLPFC negatively correlated with HAMD-24 scores (r = -0.294, p = 0.005). After treatment, both MDD groups showed a significant decrease in HAMD-24 scores, with a response rate of 88.89 % and a remission rate of 62.96 % in the rTMS+ADP group, compared to 64 % response and 56 % remission rates in the ADP group. The fALFF values in patients' left DLPFC significantly reduced in the rTMS+ADP group (p < 0.05), but not in the ADP group. LIMITATIONS: Our study only focused on the treatment effect in the left DLPFC, without exploring the other brain regions or networks. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the significance of the left DLPFC in MDD treatment. However, combined left DLPFC rTMS with ADP causes deviation from the normal resting brain function of the left DLPFC, indicating that future research should explore targeted treatment methods to normalize the left DLPFC.

Distribution Pattern and Influencing Factors of Heavy Metal Resistance Genes in the Yellow River Sediments of Henan Section.

The transformation of heavy metal resistance genes (MRGs) in the environment has attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, few studies have reported the MRG content in the Yellow River, one of the main irrigation water sources in the North China Plain. In this study, we quantified MRG abundance by a metagenomic approach, and assessed the influence on MRGs of both bioavailable and total heavy metal (HM) content. The results indicate that Cu-resistant genes are the most common genes, and the prevalence of arsM needs more attention. Comamonadaceae is the dominant family in the Yellow River, and the presence of organic pollutants may contribute to the prevalence of Vicinamibacteraceae, Nocardioidaceae, and Flavobacteriacea. The results of the Mantel test and Spearman analysis indicate that both the bioavailable fractions and total content of HMs could have little influence on MRGs. Network analysis results indicate that some dominant bacteria could be the potential hosts of some prevalent MRGs, which may exert an adverse impact on human health.

The Sources and Potential Hosts Identification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Yellow River, Revealed by Metagenomic Analysis.

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been revealed in various environmental media in recent years. Namely, the emergence of genes that resist colistin and carbapenems has attracted wide attention. However, the pollution condition of ARGs and sources in the Yellow River is still little understood, despite the river being the second longest in China. The present study determined the levels of ARG pollution in the Henan section of the Yellow River and evaluated the role of the aquaculture industry in the spread of ARGs. As revealed by the results, a total of 9 types of ARGs were detected in the sediments of the Yellow River, and the total ARG content in the Yellow River ranges from 7.27 to 245.45 RPKM. Sul1 and sul2 are the dominant ARGs, and the huge usage of sulfonamides, horizontal gene transfer, and wide bacteria host contribute to the prevalence of these two genes. The results of Spearman correlation analysis indicate that the breeding industry has little influence on ARGs in the Yellow River. Network analysis reveals that the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas is the potential host of sul1, tetG, and ANT(3'')-IIa, which can pose a risk to human health.

The Importance of the Deep Deltoid Ligament Repair in Treating Supination-External Rotation Stage IV Ankle Fracture: A Comparative Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The necessity of the deep deltoid ligament repair in the treatment of supination-external rotation (SER) ankle stage IV fracture with deltoid ligament rupture is highly debated. We conducted this retrospective research aimed at exploring the curative effect of the deep deltoid ligament repair in treating SER fracture. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with closed SER stage IV fractures received open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), using either deep deltoid ligament repair (the DDLR group, 31 patients) or nondeep deltoid ligament repair (the NDDLR group, 32 patients). The radiographic parameters examined include the talocrural angle (TA), fibular length (FL), tibiomedial malleolar angle (TMMA), medial clear space (MCS), and tibiofibular clear space (TFCS). The functional performance parameters examined in the study were visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scales, and range of motion of bilateral ankles (RMBA). Complications, including bone nonunion, infection, and fragment displacement, were also recorded and compared. RESULTS: Similar basic characteristics were found in both cohorts. All patients completed follow-up ranging from 12 to 22 months (mean time: 12.41 ± 4.21 months). The DDLR group had significantly reduced VAS score (p < 0.05), with markedly increased RMBA (p < 0.05) compared to the NDDLR group. The two cohorts showed similar follow-up performance at 3 months (p > 0.05), 6 months (p > 0.05), and 12 months (p > 0.05), in terms of parameters including TA, FL, TMMA, MCS, TCS, and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scales. CONCLUSION: Although similar radiographic performances were achieved in both cohorts, the DDLR group displayed enhanced functional outcome postsurgery, indicating that DDLR may be a better potential for the treatment of SER stage IV fracture with deltoid ligament rupture.

Plasma-induced defect engineering: Boosted the reverse water gas shift reaction performance with electron trap.

The reverse water gas shift reaction is a promising approach to solve the problem of excessive CO2 emission and energy shortage. However, insufficient charge separation efficiency of numerous semiconductor photocatalysts hamper their CO2 photoreduction performance. Defect engineering is considered as a desired method to tackle that shortcoming by the boosting the electron capture process. Herein, the sulfur vacancies-rich CdIn2S4 (VS-CdIn2S4) was synthesized by an efficient low-temperature plasma-enhanced technology. The outstanding VS-CdIn2S4 shows a more excellent CO formation rate of 103.6 µmol g-1 h-1 comparing that of traditional CdIn2S4 (31.36 µmol g-1 h-1). The density function theory (DFT) calculation reveals the sulfur vacancy is the center of electron capture. Moreover, the formed defect level after introduce of surface vacancy effectively optimizes the light absorption propertie of the prepared material. Thus, the enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance can be attributed to the double improvement of light absorption and carrier separation. This work provides a novel and facile strategy to mediate carriers' movement behavior via defect engineering for high-efficient CO2 photoreduction.