Direct electrical stimulation of the human cortex can produce subjective visual sensations, yet these sensations are unstable. The underlying mechanisms may stem from differences in electrophysiological activity within the distributed network outside the stimulated site. To address this problem, we recruited 69 patients who experienced visual sensations during invasive electrical stimulation while intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) data were recorded. We found significantly flattened power spectral slopes in distributed regions involving different brain networks and decreased integrated information during elicited visual sensations compared with the non-sensation condition. Further analysis based on minimum information partitions revealed that the reconfigured network interactions primarily involved the inferior frontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and temporoparietal junction. The flattened power spectral slope in the inferior frontal gyrus was also correlated with integrated information. Taken together, this study indicates that the altered electrophysiological signatures provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying subjective visual sensations.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Visual Perception/physiology* ; Electric Stimulation ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Electrocorticography ; Electroencephalography ; Brain Mapping

Objective To analyze the caregiver presence needs and their influencing factors among hospitalized elderly non-surgical patients and provide a basis for formulating relevant policies.Methods A descriptive qualitative study method was adopted.Through purposive sampling,semi-structured interviews were conducted on elderly non-surgical patients and their families and medical staff in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September to October 2023.MAXQDA 2020 and the 7-step phenomenological analysis method of Colaizzi were used to classify and code the interview contents and identify themes.Results The categories of caregiver presence needs of elderly non-surgical patients included basic living assistance needs,disease monitoring needs,psychological support needs,as well as the needs for family members to provide economic support and participate in treatment decision-making.The influencing factors included advanced age,frailty,the lack of self-care ability in patients with comorbidities,the susceptibility of patients to sudden situations during the disease exacerbation period,the increased risk of unexpected events in patients with psychological distress,and patients' concerns about social support and medical decision-making.Conclusion The caregiver presence needs of elderly non-surgical patients during hospitalization are high and influenced by multiple factors.
Humans ; Caregivers/psychology* ; Aged ; Hospitalization ; Social Support ; Male ; Qualitative Research ; Female

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅱ(ArgⅡ)in kidney tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN)and its significance in the development of DN.Methods A total of 10 male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the model group,with 5 rats in each group.An rat model of DN was developed by feeding with high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intra-peritoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin(45 mg/kg),and they were sacrificed after 11 weeks of continued feeding.The body weight,and biochemical indexes of blood and urine of rats were determined.The right kidney was weighed and histopathological examination was performed.The pathological changes of kidney tissues and protein expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+were observed,and the immunofluores-cence double staining was used to observe the distribution and expression of ArgⅡand a marker of renal macrophage activation CD68+;the protein expression of ArgⅡ,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in kidney tissues was determined by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the ratio of kidney weight to body weight,24-hour urine volume,24-hour urine protein,fasting blood glucose,urea nitrogen and insulin level in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).The renal histopathology showed that the mesangial cells of the renal glomerular were necrotic with vascular dilatation,and the renal tubular epithelial cells were steatosis and congestion.Compared with the control group,the protein expression of ArgⅡ,CD68+,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney tissues of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence double staining demonstrated the co-expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+in renal tissue,and the fluorescence intensities of both ArgⅡ and CD68+in the model group were significantly stronger than those in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion The expression of ArgⅡ is increased in DN,which may be participated in the occurrence of inflammatory lesions in DN.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic effect of Bupiqiangli compound on experimental myasthenia gravis with sub-clinical hypothyroidism in rats and the influence of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid-thymus(HPTT)axis.Methods:SPF Lewis rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Bupiqiangli compound low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups.Model rats were immunized with AchR-α subunit 97-116 peptide sequence to construct an experimental myasthenia gravis model,and then methimazole was used to prepare an experimental myasthenia gravis with subclinical hypothyroidism model.Bupiqiangli compound low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose groups were given 4.57 g/kg,7.12 g/kg and 9.49 g/kg of Bupiqiangli compound by gavage,nor-mal group and model group were given an equal volume of normal saline by gavage,once a day,for 4 weeks.After the last gavage,Lennon scores of rats in each group were recorded;HE staining was used to detect pathological changes of thymus and thyroid;ELISA was used to detect expression levels of acetylcholine receptor antibody(AchRab),thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),thyrotropin releasing hormone(TRH),free thyroxine(FT4)and thyroxine(T4)in serum;mRNA level of TRH in hypothalamus and TSH in pituitary tissue were detected by qPCR;Western blot detected changes of protein expressions of Cleaved Caspase3,Bcl2 associated X protein(Bax)and B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl2)in thymus.Results:Compared with normal group,model group showed obvious symp-toms of muscle weakness,Lennon score increased significantly(P<0.05),obvious pathological changes in thymus and thyroid tissues,while no significant changes in expressions of FT4 and T4 in serum(P>0.05),expressions of AchRab,TSH and TRH in serum were significantly increased(P<0.05),expressions of TRH in hypothalamus and TSH in pituitary were significantly increased(P<0.05),protein expressions of Cleaved Caspase3 and Bax in thymus were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while expression of Bcl2 protein in thymus increased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with model group,myasthenia symptoms of compound high-dose group were im-proved,Lennon score was significantly decreased(P<0.05),pathological changes of thymus and thyroid tissues were improved,ex-pressions of FT4 and T4 in serum had no significant changes(P>0.05),expressions of AchRab,TSH and TRH in serum were signifi-cantly decreased(P<0.05),expressions of TRH in hypothalamus and TSH in pituitary were significantly decreased(P<0.05),expres-sions of Cleaved Caspase3 and Bax in thymus were significantly increased(P<0.05),while expression of Bcl2 in thymus was signifi-cantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Bupiqiang compound can improve clinical symptoms of experimental myasthenia gravis with subclinical hypothyroidism in rats,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of HPTT axis.

Objective:To investigate the effects of melatonin(MT)on spinal cord ischemia reperfusion injury(SCIRI)and its possible mechanisms in rats.Methods:Forty-two 6-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were selected for the study and randomly divided into three groups:① Sham group(Sham group,n=14);② model group(model/SCIRI group,n=14);and ③ treatment group(MT group,n=14).Neurological function analysis was used to assess the motor conditions of rats in each group.Nissl staining and hematoxylin eosin(HE)staining were used to observe the number and morphology of neurons in each group,and TUNEL staining was used to evaluate the occurrence of apoptosis of neurons in each group.The expression levels of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3(NLRP3),apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC),gasdermin D(GSDMD),the N-terminal fragment of gasdermin D(GSDMD-N),and cysteine proteinase 1(caspase-1)were evaluated using immunofluorescence,immunohistochemistry staining,and Western blot analysis.Results:Compared with the sham operation group,the neurological function score of the model group was significantly decreased,while the neurological function score of the treatment group was higher than that of the model group(P＜0.05).The model group had fewer Nissl corpuscles compared with that in the sham operation group and abnormal neuronal morphology(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the treatment group had a rise in the number of Nissl corpuscles and restored neuronal morphology(P＜0.05).Compared with the Sham group,the number of apoptotic neurons increased in the model group,and the protein expression levels of NLRP3,ASC,GSDMD,and caspase-1 increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,The number of apoptotic neurons and the protein expressions of NLRP3,ASC,GSDMD and caspase-1 in the treatment group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusions:MT may alleviate spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting pyroptosis in neurons.

support the diagnosis.The treatment of PHCC is mainly based on surgery.Due to the characteristics of intact capsule,surgical resection is relatively easy and the cure rate is higher than that of ordinary hepatocellular carcinoma,and the postoperative survival rate is relatively ideal.For unresectable PHCC,palliative treatment based on transcatheter arterial chemoembolization can be used.This article reviews the progress on diagnosis and treatment of PHCC in order to provide reference for clinical practice.

Objective To explore the effect and predictive value of ultrasound-guided needling assisted motor evoked potentials(MEP)and electromyography(EMG)monitoring on neurological recovery in spinal surgery.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 80 patients who underwent spinal surgery at Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to December 2024.A total of 41 patients in the observation group received ultrasound-guided needling assisted MEP and EMG monitoring,and 39 patients in the control group received conventional method for MEP and EMG monitoring.The operative time,intraoperative blood loss,and the proportions of intraoperative MEP and EMG warnings were compared between the two groups,and the sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative MEP monitoring were compared between the two groups.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to analyze the efficiency of MEP warning in predicting the dysfunction of postoperative spinal cord.Results There were no significant differences in the operative time,intraoperative blood loss,or the proportions of intraoperative MEP and EMG warnings(P>0.05).The sensitivity,specificity and AUC of intraoperative MEP monitoring in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,and AUC of postoperative MEP warning in predicting the dysfunction of spinal cord in the observation group were higher than those in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound-guided needling assisted MEP and EMG monitoring can effectively enhance the intraoperative neural monitoring accuracy,and postoperative MEP warning demonstrates superior predictive value for postoperative neurological dysfunction.

Objective:To investigate the bone marrow and peripheral blood cytological characteristics and prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia(AML)with FLT3-ITD mutation.Methods:A total of 106 newly diagnosed AML patients who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an JiaoTong University from January 2021 to December 2023 were collected,and divided into mutation group and non-mutation group according to the results of high-throughput sequencing of bone marrow specimens.The cytological characteristics of bone marrow smears and peripheral blood smears of patients in the two groups were analyzed at the time of initial diagnosis.The differences in the degree of hyperplasia,the proportion of leukemic cells,and the erythroblasts and megakaryocytes were compared between the two groups.What's more,the relationship between FLT3-ITD mutation status and characteristics of bone marrow and peripheral blood cells was analyzed.Results:AML patients with FLT3-ITD mutation accounted for 24.53％of the hospitalized AML patients during the same period.Patients with peripheral blood leukocyte counts＞30 × 109/L accounted for 53％,and＞100 × 109/L accounted for 15％in FLT3-ITD mutation group.Compared with non-mutation group,the peripheral blood leukocyte count was significantly higher in the mutation group(P＜0.001),and the degree of hemoglobin decline was milder(P＜0.05).The level of platelet was not significantly different between the two groups(P＞0.05).The highest proportion of FAB subtypes were M2a and M5a in mutation group,which accounted for 38％and 27％,respectively.The proportion of extreme hyperplasia of bone marrow in the mutation group was 38.46％,which was higher than 23.75％in the non-mutation group.The proportion of peripheral blood and bone marrow leukemic cells in patients with high-frequency mutation were significantly higher than those in patients with low-frequency mutation(both P＜0.01).The complete remission(CR)rate after the first induction chemotherapy was 38.46％and 65.00％in the mutation group and non-mutation group,respectively,and the CR rate after 2 courses of induction chemotherapy was 50.00％and 73.75％,respectively.Conclusion:The FLT3-ITD mutation results in high proliferation and rapid progression of the bone marrow feature in AML patients,with less suppression of normal erythropoiesis.Increased mutation frequency is accompanied by increased leukemic tumor burden in the bone marrow and circulation,and patients with FLT3-ITD mutation have a low response rate to early induction therapy.

Objective:To investigate diagnostic value of serum heart type fatty acid-binding protein(H-FABP),cardiac troponin Ⅰ(cTnⅠ)and electrocardiogram(ECG)for acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods:A total of 120 patients with chest pain suspected of AMI admitted in Hefei Eighth People's Hospital between March 2018 and March 2020 were enrolled.All patients received ECG and coronary angiography(CAG)examination.According to diagnostic criteria,they were divided into AMI group(n=75)and non-AMI group(n=45);according to Gensini score,AMI patients were divided into mild group(n=34),medium-severe group(n=41);another 120 healthy subjects undergoing physical examination simultaneously were treated as control group.Serum H-FABP and cTnⅠlevels were measured in all groups.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to assess diagnostic value of H-FABP,cTnⅠ and ECG and their combination for AMI.Results:With CAG as the gold standard,ECG examination showed that 62 cases were finally diagnosed among the 120 patients with chest pain suspected of AMI,the accuracy,sensitivity and specificity was 69.2％,82.7％,46.7％respectively.Compared with participants in control group,those in non-AMI group and AMI group had significant higher serum H-FABP and cTnⅠ levels,and those of AMI group were significantly higher than those of non-AMI group(P＜0.001 all).Serum levels of in medium-severe group H-FABP[(9.15±1.39)μg/L vs.(7.63±1.25)μg/L]and cTnⅠ[(0.72±0.13)ng/ml vs.(0.41±0.08)ng/ml]were significantly higher than those of mild group(P＜0.001 all).ROC curve analysis indicated that cut-off point of H-FABP and cTnⅠ diagnosing AMI was 7.850μg/L,0.35ng/ml respectively,com-bined detection of ECG(AUC=0.680,95％CI 0.589～0.762),H-FABP(AUC=0.781,95％CI 0.696～0.851)and cTnⅠ(AUC=0.912,95％CI 0.847～0.956)had significant higher diagnostic value(AUC=0.966,95％CI 0.916～0.991)than single diagnosis(Z=6.783,4.499,2.954,P＜0.01 all).Conclusion:Serum H-FABP and cTnⅠ were associated with the degree of coronary lesions in AMI patients,and the combination of serum H-FABP,cTnⅠ and ECG had good diagnostic value for AMI.

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅱ(ArgⅡ)in kidney tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN)and its significance in the development of DN.Methods A total of 10 male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the model group,with 5 rats in each group.An rat model of DN was developed by feeding with high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intra-peritoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin(45 mg/kg),and they were sacrificed after 11 weeks of continued feeding.The body weight,and biochemical indexes of blood and urine of rats were determined.The right kidney was weighed and histopathological examination was performed.The pathological changes of kidney tissues and protein expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+were observed,and the immunofluores-cence double staining was used to observe the distribution and expression of ArgⅡand a marker of renal macrophage activation CD68+;the protein expression of ArgⅡ,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in kidney tissues was determined by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the ratio of kidney weight to body weight,24-hour urine volume,24-hour urine protein,fasting blood glucose,urea nitrogen and insulin level in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).The renal histopathology showed that the mesangial cells of the renal glomerular were necrotic with vascular dilatation,and the renal tubular epithelial cells were steatosis and congestion.Compared with the control group,the protein expression of ArgⅡ,CD68+,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney tissues of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence double staining demonstrated the co-expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+in renal tissue,and the fluorescence intensities of both ArgⅡ and CD68+in the model group were significantly stronger than those in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion The expression of ArgⅡ is increased in DN,which may be participated in the occurrence of inflammatory lesions in DN.