Objective:To explore the effect of functional electrical stimulation on cognition and on the expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synaptophysin (SYN) and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) using a rat model of vascular dementia.Methods:Ninety pathogen-free male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a placebo stimulation group and an electrical stimulation group. Both the placebo and electrical stimulation groups underwent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery to establish a model of vascular dementia. In the sham operation group the arteries were exposed without occlusion. Each group was then sub-divided into 3, 7 and 14 days subgroups with 10 rats in each subgroup. Beginning seven days after the surgery, the rats in the electrical stimulation group were given 30-minutes of stimulation every day while those in the sham operation group and the placebo stimulation group were given false electrical stimulation. After 3, 7 or 14 days the rats′ cognitive functioning was quantified using the Morris water maze test. The rats were then sacrificed and the expression of BDNF mRNA was measured using in situ hybridization. MAP2 and SYN levels were quantified immunohistochemically.Results:After 14 days the average latency in the placebo stimulation group was significantly longer than in the other groups. On the sixth day the average time in the target zone among the placebo stimulation group was significantly shorter than the other two groups′ averages. After only 3 days of simulation, the average expression of BDNF mRNA in the CA1 area of the hippocampus was significantly lower in the placebo stimulation group than among the others. After 7 days of stimulation the placebo group′s average was significantly lower than that of the sham operation group. The average expression of MAP2 had decreased significantly in the placebo stimulation group compared with the other two groups after 7 and 14 days of simulation. After 7 days the average expression of SYN in the placebo stimulation group was significantly lower than in the sham operation group, and after 14 days it was significantly lower than in the other two groups.Conclusions:Functional electrical stimulation may improve learning and memory in rats modelling vascular dementia through increasing BDNF, SYN and MAP2 expression levels.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy differences of stereotactic electroencephalogram (SEEG) electrode implantation in medically-refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with different neuroimaging manifestations before surgery.Methods:A total of 59 patients with medically-refractory TLE who accepted SEEG electrode implantation in Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Provincial Hospital) from January 2018 to December 2021 were enrolled. These were divided into groups according to neuroimaging manifestations before surgery, including MRI-positive group and MRI-negative group, PET-positive group and PET-negative group, or PET&MRI concordant group (concordant group) and PET&MRI discordant group (discordant group). Modified Engel classification was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of these patients at 12-month follow-up after surgery, and efficacy differences among different patient groups were compared.Results:Significant differences were noted in distributions of modified Engel classification between the MRI positive and negative groups, as well as the concordant and discordant groups at 12-month follow-up after surgery ( P<0.05); patients in the MRI positive group had better outcomes than those in the MRI negative group (mean rank judgment: 27.00 and 34.08), while patients in concordant group had better outcomes than those in discordant group (mean rank judgment: 23.32 and 31.19). Significant differences were noted in distributions of modified Engel classification at 12-month follow-up after surgery between different signal abnormal regions in the MRI positive group ( P<0.05); patients with hippocampal sclerosis or amygdala abnormalities had better outcomes than those with simultaneous abnormalities in the temporal lobe internal and external regions (mean rank judgment: 14.50 and 16.50). Conclusion:When the preoperative MRI of patients with medically-refractory TLE is negative, especially when results of structural imaging and functional imaging are inconsistent, SEEG electrode implantation and path planning as well as later surgical plan should be considered more carefully.

Based on the theory of qi， blood and fluids， and taking into account of the pathogenesis evolution process from constraint to phlegm， stasis and then mass in pulmonary nodules， an attempt has been made to construct a three-dimensional differentiation system for pulmonary nodules from the dimensions of time and space. The temporal progression of the early， middle， and late stages of pulmonary nodules reflects the pathological changes from constraint to phlegm and then stasis in the metabolism disorders of qi， blood and fluid. The spatial structures such as size， density， and morphology of pulmonary nodules reflect the pathological states of the duration， severity， and primary and secondary conditions of qi， blood and fluid metabolism disorders. Based on the temporal progression， the therapeutic principles have been proposed， which are dispelling pathogenic factors and promoting the use of beneficial factors to interrupt the growth momentum in the early stage， removing turbidity and dispersing phlegm to reduce the degree of nodules in the middle stage， and dispersing nodulation and eliminating abnormalities in the late stage. Based on the spatial structures， the suggested therapeutic methods are using wind herbs， employing multiple approaches to treat phlegm， and promoting blood circulation to resolve stasis， so as to provide theoretical reference for the systematic diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules in traditional Chinese medicine.