In recent years, the ongoing development of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has demonstrated significant potential in the treatment and rehabilitation of various brain diseases. In particular, the combined application of TES and TMS has shown considerable clinical value due to their potential synergistic effects. This paper first systematically reviews the mechanisms underlying TES and TMS, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. Subsequently, the potential mechanisms of transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation are explored, with a particular focus on three combined stimulation protocols: Repetitive TMS (rTMS) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), rTMS with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta burst TMS (TBS) with tACS, as well as their clinical applications in brain diseases. Finally, the paper analyzes the key challenges in transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation research and outlines its future development directions. The aim of this paper is to provide a reference for the optimization and application of transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation schemes in the treatment and rehabilitation of brain diseases.
Humans ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/methods* ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods* ; Brain Diseases/therapy*

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are characterized by extensive pathological involvement and high prevalence and cause a significant disease burden. Long-term drug administration often causes by adverse effects with poor therapeutic efficacy. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), as a specialized therapeutic modality, delivers acoustic energy at a low intensity in a pulsed wave mode, thus ensuring stable energy transmission to the target tissues while minimizing thermal effects. This non-invasive approach has demonstrated significant potential for MSD treatment by delivering effective physical stimulations. Extensive animal and clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of LIPUS for accelerating the healing process of fresh fractures and nonunions, promoting soft tissue regeneration and suppressing inflammatory responses. Emerging evidence suggests promising applications of LIPUS in skeletal muscle injury treatment and promoting tissue regeneration and repair. This review outlines the recent advancements and mechanistic studies of LIPUS for treatment of common MSDs including fractures, nonunions, muscle injuries, and osteoarthritis, addressing also the technical parameters of commercially available LIPUS devices, current therapeutic approaches, the existing challenges, and future research directions.
Humans ; Ultrasonic Therapy/methods* ; Musculoskeletal Diseases/therapy* ; Ultrasonic Waves ; Osteoarthritis/therapy* ; Muscle, Skeletal/injuries*

A brain-computer interface (BCI) based on motor imagery (MI) provides additional control pathways by decoding the intentions of the brain. MI ability has great intra-individual variability, and the majority of MI-BCI systems are unable to adapt to this variability, leading to poor training effects. Therefore, prediction of MI ability is needed. In this study, we propose an MI ability predictor based on multi-frequency EEG features. To validate the performance of the predictor, a video-guided paradigm and a traditional MI paradigm are designed, and the predictor is applied to both paradigms. The results demonstrate that all subjects achieved > 85% prediction precision in both applications, with a maximum of 96%. This study indicates that the predictor can accurately predict the individuals' MI ability in different states, provide the scientific basis for personalized training, and enhance the effect of MI-BCI training.
Humans ; Imagination/physiology* ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Brain-Computer Interfaces ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Brain/physiology* ; Movement/physiology* ; Motor Activity/physiology* ; Psychomotor Performance/physiology*

Objective:To study the infection and epidemiological characteristics of soil borne nematode disease in Sihong County, Suqian City, and to provide scientific basis for further development of prevention and control measures.Methods:In 2022, according to geographic location, Sihong County was divided into east and west areas. Jieji Town, Shiji Township, and Linhuai Town were selected from the east area, and Tianganghu Township, Meihua Town from the west area. One administrative village was selected as a survey point in each township. Using cluster sampling method, 450 permanent residents aged 3 years old and older in the village were selected as the respondents for questionnaire survey and fecal sample collection. The infection status of hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and pinworms in fecal samples were examined, transparent tape anal swab method for detecting pinworm eggs in children, and influencing factors were analyzed.Results:A total of 2 264 survey subjects were included, 18 cases of soil borne nematodes were detected as positive, with an overall positive rate of 0.80%. Among them, 15 cases were positive for hookworms, 1 case was positive for whipworms, and 2 cases were positive for pinworms, with detection rates of 0.66%, 0.04%, and 0.09%, respectively. No ascaris lumbricoides were detected. Transparent tape anal swab method was used to examine 142 children, and the positivity rate of 1.41% (2/142). By township, the detection rate of soil borne nematodes was the highest in Jieji Town, at 2.41% (11/457); the others were Meihua Town, Tianganghu Township, Shiji Township, and Linhuai Town, with detection rates of 0.89% (4/451),0.66% (3/454), 0 (0/451) and 0 (0/451), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between different townships (χ 2 = 19.21, P < 0.001). Among the 18 positive cases of soil borne nematode, 7 were males and 11 were females, with detection rates of 0.66% (7/1 063) and 0.92% (11/1 201), respectively, the difference was not statistically significant (χ 2 = 0.47, P = 0.491). The age distribution showed the highest detection rate in the 40 - < 60 age group, at 1.42% (9/634), with statistically significant differences between different age groups (χ 2 = 6.41, P = 0.033). The occupational distribution showed the highest detection rate in farmers, at 1.46% (9/617), with statistically significant differences between different professions (χ 2 = 8.00, P = 0.034). The differences in total soil borne nematode and hookworm detection rates were statistically significant among different methods of treating human and animal feces (χ 2 = 11.01, 9.02, P = 0.003, 0.011). Conclusions:The main species of soil borne nematode infections in Sihong County, Suqian City are hookworms, with fewer infections of whipworms and pinworms, and no roundworm infections observed. There are regional differences in detection rate. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen health education for key populations, enhance health knowledge publicity, and effectively intervene to change unhealthy production and lifestyle, further reducing the infection of soil borne nematodes in Suqian City.

BACKGROUND:Transcranial magneto-acoustical electrical stimulation(TMAES)is a non-invasive,high-precision neurofocused stimulation method based on magneto-acoustic coupling electrical effect,which can regulate the rhythmic oscillation of nerve activity,thereby affecting the brain's movement,cognition and other functions. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of TMAES on beta oscillations in the neural circuits of healthy rats and Parkinson's rats. METHODS:(1)Animal experiments:Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups(n=6 per group).The rats in the normal control group received no intervention,while those in the normal stimulation group received TMAES(the average spatial peak pulse intensity:13.33 W/cm2,fundamental frequency:0.4 MHz,the number of fundamental wave cycles:1000,and pulse frequency:200 Hz).The model control group and model stimulation group were established by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine.After successful modeling,the rats in the model control group received sham TMAES stimulation in the prefrontal cortex,and those in the model stimulation group received TMAES in the prefrontal cortex,and the duration of stimulation was 2.0 minutes per day.After an interval of 8-10 minutes,the local field potential signals of rats were collected during the execution of T-maze test and the correct rate of behavior was recorded at the same time to compare and analyze the time-frequency distribution of local field potential signals and behavioral differences among the groups.The stimulation experiment and T-maze test were stopped when the correct rate of rats was higher than 80%for 3 consecutive days.(2)Modeling and simulation experiments:The cortical-basal ganglion circuit model under TMAES was established,and the ultrasonic emission period(5,10,20 ms),ultrasonic emission duty cycle(30%,50%,90%)and induced current density(20,50,100 μA/cm2)were changed respectively to compare the power spectral density values of beta oscillations in healthy rats and Parkinson's rats under different stimulation parameters. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Animal experiments:The spatial learning ability of the rats in the normal control group was stronger than that of the model control group(P＜0.001),the spatial learning ability of the rats in the normal stimulation group was stronger than that of the normal control group(P＜0.05),and the spatial learning ability of the rats in the model stimulation group was stronger than that of the model control group(P＜0.01).The distribution of beta oscillation energy in the normal control group was more concentrated,and the beta oscillation signal energy was reduced in the normal stimulation group compared with the normal control group.The beta oscillation energy was widely distributed and the energy value was significantly higher in the model control group and the model stimulation group than the normal control and normal stimulation groups.Moreover,the beta oscillation signal energy in the model stimulation group was significantly lower than that in the model control group.(2)Modeling and simulation experiments:the peak power spectral density of the beta band of healthy rats without stimulation(30 dB)was significantly lower than that of Parkinson's rats(55 dB).The power spectral density value generally decreased after stimulation.The peak power spectral density in the beta band was positively correlated with the ultrasonic emission period and negatively correlated with the induced current density.In addition,the peak power spectral density value was the lowest when the duty cycle of ultrasonic emission was 50%.These findings indicate that TMAES suppresses beta oscillations in healthy and Parkinson's disease rats,thereby improving motor function and decision-making cognitive function in rats.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of early thyroid function changes on the efficacy of patients with Graves′ disease (GD) after 131I therapy. Methods:Data of patients with GD (59 males, 214 females; age (37.4±11.4) years) who underwent single therapy of 131I in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from November 2017 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Symptoms, signs and laboratory tests (serum free triiodothyronine (FT 3) and serum free thyroxine (FT 4)) of patients were observed to assess the efficacy of 131I treatment. Efficacy was divided into complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), non-remission (NR) or relapse. The changes of thyroid function (ΔFT 3=FT 3 before treatment-FT 3 after treatment)/FT 3 before treatment×100%; ΔFT 4=FT 4 before treatment-FT 4 after treatment)/FT 4 before treatment×100%) 1 month after 131I therapy in each efficacy group and differences among them were compared by using independent-sample t test, χ2 test, one-way analysis of variance and the least significant difference t test. ROC curves were drawn to analyze the predictive values of early thyroid function changes on the efficacy of 131I treatment for GD. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the influencing factors for the efficacy of 131I therapy. Results:CR rate and total effective rate of 273 GD patients after single therapy of 131I were 67.03%(183/273) and 92.67%(253/273), respectively. After 1 month, CR rate of euthyroidism group ( n=95) was significantly higher than that of hyperthyroidism group ( n=178; 81.05%(77/95) vs 59.55%(106/178); χ2=4.60, P=0.032). ΔFT 3 and ΔFT 4 at the first month were statistically significant and decreased sequentially in the CR group ( n=183), PR group ( n=70), NR or relapse groups ( n=20; F values: 15.40, 12.54, both P<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that patients with ΔFT 3≥73.64% and (or) ΔFT 4≥59.03% had a higher probability of achieving CR, with sensitivities of 84.3% and 86.7%, and specificities of 62.6% and 62.6%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that 24 h radioactive iodine uptake (odds ratio ( OR)=1.095, 95% CI: 1.031-1.139), dose of 131I given per gram of thyroid tissue ( OR=1.562, 95% CI: 1.321-1.694), ΔFT 3 ( OR=1.354, 95% CI: 1.295-1.482), ΔFT 4 ( OR=1.498, 95% CI: 1.384-1.608) were factors affecting the outcome of patients with GD treated with 131I treatment (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Effects of 131I treatment can be predicted based on the change of the thyroid function at the first month after 131I treatment in patients with GD.

【Objective】 To explore the effectiveness of an image recognition system based on artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing benign and malignant endometrial cell clumps. 【Methods】 We selected endometrial cytological specimens from The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University and Xi’an Daxing Hospital from August 2021 to February 2023; histopathology was used as the gold standard. We compared and analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and diagnostic time of AI image recognition system (AI diagnosis) and professional pathologists’ manual diagnosis (manual diagnosis) of benign and malignant endometrial cell clumps. 【Results】 Among the 126 patients included in the analysis, the overall coincidence rate of AI diagnosis and histological diagnosis was 92.1% (116/126), which was highly consistent with histopathological results (Kappa=0.841). The overall coincidence rate of manual diagnosis and histological diagnosis was 94.4% (119/126), which was highly consistent with histopathological results (Kappa=0.889). There was no statistically significant difference between AI diagnosis and manual diagnosis methods (χ²=0.568, P=0.451). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of AI diagnosis were 91.8%, 92.3%, 91.8%, and 92.3%, respectively. There were 126 cytology sections, each of which required 6.67 minutes for manual diagnosis and 5.00 minutes for AI diagnosis. 【Conclusion】 The AI image recognition system has high diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, which is equivalent to the manual diagnosis level of professional pathologists. Therefore, this system has application value in the diagnosis of benign and malignant endometrial cell clumps.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is characterized by high temporal resolution, and various EEG analysis methods have developed rapidly in recent years. The EEG microstate analysis method can be used to study the changes of the brain in the millisecond scale, and can also present the distribution of EEG signals in the topological level, thus reflecting the discontinuous and nonlinear characteristics of the whole brain. After more than 30 years of enrichment and improvement, EEG microstate analysis has penetrated into many research fields related to brain science. In this paper, the basic principles of EEG microstate analysis methods are summarized, and the changes of characteristic parameters of microstates, the relationship between microstates and brain functional networks as well as the main advances in the application of microstate feature extraction and classification in brain diseases and brain cognition are systematically described, hoping to provide some references for researchers in this field.
Electroencephalography ; Brain ; Cognition

With the widespread use of electrical equipment, cognitive functions such as working memory (WM) could be severely affected when people are exposed to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMF) for long term. However, the effects of EMF exposure on WM and its neural mechanism remain unclear. In the present paper, 15 rats were randomly assigned to three groups, and exposed to an EMF environment at 50 Hz and 2 mT for a different duration: 0 days (control group), 24 days (experimental group I), and 48 days (experimental group II). Then, their WM function was assessed by the T-maze task. Besides, their local field potential (LFP) in the media prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was recorded by the in vivo multichannel electrophysiological recording system to study the power spectral density (PSD) of θ and γ oscillations and the phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) intensity of θ-γ oscillations during the T-maze task. The results showed that the PSD of θ and γ oscillations decreased in experimental groups I and II, and the PAC intensity between θ and high-frequency γ (hγ) decreased significantly compared to the control group. The number of days needed to meet the task criterion was more in experimental groups I and II than that of control group. The results indicate that long-term exposure to EMF could impair WM function. The possible reason may be the impaired communication between different rhythmic oscillations caused by a decrease in θ-hγ PAC intensity. This paper demonstrates the negative effects of EMF on WM and reveals the potential neural mechanisms from the changes of PAC intensity, which provides important support for further investigation of the biological effects of EMF and its mechanisms.
Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Memory, Short-Term/physiology* ; Electromagnetic Fields/adverse effects* ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Cognition