ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.

This study aims to investigate the potential effect of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix on hypercholesterolemia in mice that was induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet and explore its possible mechanism from bile acid reabsorption. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into the following groups: control, model, low-and high-dose(4 and 8 g·kg~(-1), respectively) fresh Rehmanniae Radix, and positive drug(simvastatin, 0.05 g·kg~(-1)). Other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 6 consecutive weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. From the 6th week, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs daily via gavage for additional 6 weeks, while continuing to be fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-c), and total bile acid(TBA), as well as liver TC and TG levels and fecal TBA level, were determined by commercial assay kits. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Three livers samples were randomly selected from each of the control, model, and high-dose fresh Rehmanniae Radix groups for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were mined and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to predict the key pathways and target genes of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and cholesterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver as well as farnesoid X receptor(FXR), apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter(ASBT), and ileum bile acid-binding protein(I-BABP) in the ileum. The results showed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly lowered the levels of TC and TG in the serum and liver, as well as the level of LDL-c in the serum. Conversely, it elevated the level of HDL-c in the serum and TBA in feces. No significant difference was observed in the level of TBA in the serum among groups. HE staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the water extract reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver. Further mechanism studies revealed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly down-regulated the protein levels of FXR and bile acid reabsorption-related proteins ASBT and I-BABP. Additionally, it enhanced CYP7A1 and CYP27A1, the key enzymes involved in bile acid synthesis. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix may exert an anti-hypercholesterolemic effect by regulating FXR/ASBT/I-BABP signaling, inhibiting bile acid reabsorption, and increasing bile acid excretion, thus facilitating the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.
Animals ; Male ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Hypercholesterolemia/genetics* ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Humans ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Plant Extracts

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the chain mediating role of family care and emotional management in the relationship between social support and anxiety among rural primary school students. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among students in grades 4 to 6 from four counties in Hunan Province. Data were collected using the Social Support Rating Scale, Family Care Index Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder -7. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of anxiety symptoms. Mediation analysis was conducted to assess the chain mediating effects of family care and emotional management between social support and anxiety. RESULTS: A total of 4 141 questionnaires were distributed, with 3 874 valid responses (effective response rate: 93.55%). The prevalence rate of anxiety symptoms among these students was 9.32% (95%CI: 8.40%-10.23%). Significant differences were observed in the prevalence rates of anxiety symptoms among groups with different levels of social support, family functioning, and emotional management ability (P<0.05). The total indirect effect of social support on anxiety symptoms via family care and emotional management was significant (β=-0.137, 95%CI: -0.167 to -0.109), and the direct effect of social support on anxiety symptoms remained significant (P<0.05). Family care and emotional management served as significant chain mediators in the relationship between social support and anxiety symptoms (β=-0.025,95%CI:-0.032 to -0.018), accounting for 14.5% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS Social support can directly affect anxiety symptoms among rural primary school students and can also indirectly influence anxiety symptoms through the chain mediating effects of family care and emotional management. These findings provide scientific evidence for the prevention of anxiety in primary school students from multiple perspectives.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Social Support ; Anxiety/etiology* ; Child ; Students/psychology* ; Emotions ; Logistic Models

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL). METHODS: The clinical data of 17 patients with PPL admitted to Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2013 to June 2023 were collected, and their clinical characteristics and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed and summarized. RESULTS: The median age of the 17 patients was 56 (29-73) years old. There were 8 males and 9 females. According to Ann Arbor staging system, there were 9 patients with stage I-II and 8 patients with stage III-IV. There were 14 patients with IPI score of 0-2 and 3 patients with IPI score of 3-4. All 17 patients had symptoms at the initial diagnosis, most of the first symptoms were cough, and 6 patients had B symptoms.Among the 17 patients, there were 8 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 5 cases of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, 1 case of gray zone lymphoma (GZL), and 3 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). 15 patients received chemotherapy, of which 3 cases received autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(ASCT) and 3 cases received radiotherapy; 2 patients did not receive treatment. The median number of chemotherapy courses was 6(2-8). The short-term efficacy was evaluated, 12 patients achieved complete remission (CR) and 3 patients achieved partial remission (PR). The age, pathological subtype, sex, Ann Arbor stage, β₂-microglobulin(β₂-MG) level, lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) level were not correlated with CR rate (P >0.05), while IPI score was correlated with recent CR rate (P < 0.05 ). The median follow-up time was 31(2-102) months. One of the 12 CR patients died of COVID-19, and the rest survived. Among the 3 patients who did not reach CR, 1 died after disease progression, while the other 2 survived. One of the 2 untreated patients died one year after diagnosis. Both the median progression-free survival (PFS) time and overall survival (OS) time of the 17 patients were both 31 (2-102) months. CONCLUSION The incidence of PPL is low, and the disease has no specific clinical manifestations, which is easily missed and misdiagnosed. The pathological subtypes are mainly MALT lymphoma and DLBCL, and the treatment is mainly combined chemotherapy. The IPI score is related to the treatment efficacy.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Staging ; Lymphoma/therapy* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of achyranthes bidentata (AB) on sperm quality in mice with spermatogenic disorder through the glycolytic metabolic pathway and its action mechanism. METHODS: We equally randomized 40 Kunming mice into a normal control, a model control, a low-dose AB (3.5 g/kg) and a high-dose AB group (7.0 g/kg), and established the model of spermatogenic disorder in the latter three groups of mice by intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin (30 mg/kg). Two days after modeling, we collected the testis and kidney tissues and blood samples from the mice for observation of the pathological changes in the testis tissue by HE staining, detection of perm motility with the sperm quality analyzer, examination of the apoptosis of testis cells by flow cytometry, measurement of the levels of testosterone (T), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the serum and testis tissue by ELISA, and determination of expressions of the key enzymes of glycolysis hexokinase Ⅱ (HK2), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), platelet phosphofructokinase (PFKP), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and the meiosis proteins REC8 and SCP3 by Western blot, and the mRNA expressions of glycolytic phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) by fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR). RESULTS: Compared with the model controls, the mice in the AB groups showed significant increases in the testis coefficient, kidney index, sperm concentration, sperm motility, spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, spermatids, sperm count and the serum T level (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but dramatic decreases in the apoptosis of testis cells and percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm (P<0.01). Achyranthes bidentata also significantly elevated the levels of SOD and CAT, and down-regulated the mRNA expressions of MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and up-regulated the protein expressions of HK2, PKM2, PFKP, LDHA, REC8 and SCP3, and expressions of the glycolysis key genes Pfk1 and Pgk1 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION Achyranthes bidentata ameliorates doxorubicin-induced spermatogenic disorder in mice by regulating the glycolytic pathway and reducing oxidative stress and the expressions of inflammatory factors.
Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Doxorubicin/toxicity* ; Spermatogenesis/drug effects* ; Random Allocation ; Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Disease Models, Animal ; Achyranthes/chemistry* ; Spermatozoa/pathology* ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Primary Cell Culture ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Sperm Motility/drug effects* ; Testis/pathology* ; Infertility, Male/prevention & control* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Animals, Outbred Strains

Objective To study the association of hypercoagulability with urinary protein and renal pathological damage in children with immunoglobulin A vasculitis with nephritis(IgAVN).Methods Based on the results of coagulation function,349 children with IgAVN were divided into a hypercoagulability group consisting of 52 children and a non-hypercoagulability group consisting of 297 children.Urinary protein and renal pathological features were compared between the two groups,and the factors influencing the formation of hypercoagulability in children with IgAVN were analyzed.Results Compared with the non-hypercoagulability group,the hypercoagulability group had significantly higher levels of urinary erythrocyte count,24-hour urinary protein,urinary protein/creatinine,urinary immunoglobulin G/creatinine,and urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase(P<0.05).The hypercoagulability group also had a significantly higher proportion of children with a renal pathological grade of Ⅲ-Ⅳ,diffuse mesangial proliferation,capillary endothelial cell proliferation,or>25％ crescent formation(P<0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that capillary endothelial cell proliferation and glomerular crescent formation>25％ were associated with the formation of hypercoagulability in children with IgAVN(P<0.05).Conclusions The renal injury in IgAVN children with hypercoagulability is more severe,with greater than 25％ crescent formation and increased proliferation of glomerular endothelial cells being important contributing factors that exacerbate the hypercoagulable state in IgAVN.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):164-168]

Objective:To analyze the prognostic nutritional index(PNI),controlling nutritional status(CONUT)and fibrinogen/albumin ratio(FAR)levels in elderly patients with multiple myeloma(MM)and their prognostic impact.Methods:The clinical data of 74 elderly MM patients diagnosed in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The optimal cut-off values for PNI,CONUT score and FAR were obtained by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,which were used for grouping patients.The correlation of above three indexes with clinical parameters such as sex,serum calcium(Ca),β2-microglobulin(β2-MG),serum creatinine(Cr)in elderly MM patients were analyzed.The survival rates of patients with different levels of each index were compared.Univariate and multivariate analysis of the impact of clinical indicators on the prognosis of patients were performed.Results:The optimal cut-off values for PNI,CONUT score and FAR were 39.775,3.5 and 0.175,respectively,according to which the patients were divided into high and low group.Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in albumin level among different groups(all P＜0.05).In addition,there was a significant difference in hemoglobin between high-PNI group and low-PNI group(P＜0.05),while in sex distribution between high-FAR and low-FAR group(P＜0.05).The survival rate of elderly MM patients with increased PNI,decreased CONUT score and FAR was higher(all P＜0.05).Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that β2-MG,Cr,PNI,CONUT score and FAR were independent prognostic factors for elderly MM patients.Conclusion:PNI,CONUT score and FAR are related to some clinical indicators of elderly MM patients,and have an impact on the prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and occurrence of thrombotic/bleeding events of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm(MPN),and explore the main influencing factors,and create a risk prediction.Methods:The clinical data of 126 MPN patients with BCR-ABL fusion gene negative in the Department of Hematology of Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2016 to September 2021 were collected,and their clinical characteristics,occurrence of thrombotic/bleeding events and main influencing factors were analyzed and summarized retrospectively.Then,a risk prediction model for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients was constructed.Results:Among 126 MPN patients,50 patients(39.7％)had experienced thrombotic/bleeding events,including 44 patients(34.9％)with thrombotic events and 6 patients(4.8％)with bleeding events.Among thrombotic diseases,cerebral thrombosis was the most common(23/44,52.3％),followed by 9 cases of limb artery thrombosis mainly characterized by finger and toe tip artery ischemia,occlusion and gangrene(9/44,20.5％).Bleeding events included intracerebral hemorrhage and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Univariate analysis showed that hypertension,hyperhomocysteinemia,white blood cell(WBC)≥10 × 109/L,hematocrit(HCT)≥49％,platelet(PLT)≥600 × 109/L and JAK2V617F gene mutation were risk factors for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients,while CALR gene mutation was a protective factor.Multivariate analysis showed that hypertension and PLT ≥ 600 × 109/L were independent risk factors for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients.The goodness of fit of the constructed risk prediction model was 0.872,and the area under the ROC curve was 0.838.The model was validated with clinical data,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy was 78.85％,87.83％and 84.13％,respectively.Conclusion:The risk of thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients with high WBC count,hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia is higher.Controlling hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia and reducing WBC and PLT counts are helpful to prevent thrombotic/bleeding events and improve the life quality of patients.

Objective:To explore and analyze the incidence rate,influencing factors and impact on prognosis of pulmonary hypertension(PH)in patients with Philadelphia chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms(Ph-MPNs).Methods:The clinical data of 271 patients with Ph-MPNs were retrospectively analyzed,and different disease subtypes were classified.Patients with different disease types were further divided into PH+and PH-groups according to whether HP occurred.Statistical methods were used to analyze the incidence rate,risk factors,and impact on prognosis of PH in Ph-MPNs patients.Results:The overall incidence rate of PH among 271 patients was 26.9％,and according to the classification of disease subtypes,it was found that the incidence rate of PH in patients with primary myelofibrosis(PMF)was significantly higher than those of patients with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia(both P＜0.05).Multivariate regression analysis showed that advanced age,long disease course,JAK2 positive and increased hematocrit,lactate dehydrogenase,monocyte count,and uric acid level were independent risk factors for PH in Ph-MPNs patients(OR＞1,P＜0.05),and there were some differences in the independent risk factors between different disease subtypes.Survival analysis results showed that the overall survival(OS)rate of PH+patients was significantly lower than that of PH-patients in other types except for PMF(all P＜0.05).Conclusion:The incidence rate of PH in Ph-MPNs patients is high,and its risk factors are diverse.The OS rate of Ph-MPNs patients with PH is low.Therefore,we should be highly alert to the occurrence of PH in Ph-MPNs patients clinically.