Background: and Purpose Essential tremor with a midline distribution (Mid-ET) may represent a distinct subtype of essential tremor (ET) that primarily affects midline structures, often indicating advanced disease stage and increased severity. Recent studies have highlighted the complexity of Mid-ET, but research on neurological soft signs (NSS) in Mid-ET remains insufficient. Methods: The patients with ET included in this cross-sectional study were divided into two subgroups based on whether or not the ET had a midline distribution: Mid-ET and No-MidET. Comparative analyses were performed to assess clinical features and NSS prevalence in these subgroups. Results: Among 1,160 patients, 567 (48.9%) were Mid-ET and 593 (51.1%) were No-Mid-ET.The prevalence rates of head, face (including the jaw), and voice tremors were 31.9%, 23.0%, and 25.8%, respectively. In Mid-ET, tremor often affects multiple midline structures simultaneously. In the entire cohort, 24.7%, 16.6%, and 7.6% of patients exhibited tremors in one, two, and three midline structures, respectively. The prevalence of common NSS, including mild cognitive impairment, impaired tandem gait, and questionable dystonic posturing, was significantly higher in the Mid-ET than the No-Mid-ET subgroup (all p<0.001). Furthermore, we found that female sex (p<0.001), olfactory dysfunction (p=0.003), and questionable dystonic posturing (p=0.004) were associated with Mid-ET. Conclusions Mid-ET and No-Mid-ET presented significant clinical differences. The presence of questionable dystonic posturing may contribute to the distinct characteristics of Mid-ET, suggesting the presence of pathophysiological differences between the subgroups. Further investigations are warranted to determine the potential pathophysiological link between NSS and Mid-ET.

Background: and Purpose Essential tremor with a midline distribution (Mid-ET) may represent a distinct subtype of essential tremor (ET) that primarily affects midline structures, often indicating advanced disease stage and increased severity. Recent studies have highlighted the complexity of Mid-ET, but research on neurological soft signs (NSS) in Mid-ET remains insufficient. Methods: The patients with ET included in this cross-sectional study were divided into two subgroups based on whether or not the ET had a midline distribution: Mid-ET and No-MidET. Comparative analyses were performed to assess clinical features and NSS prevalence in these subgroups. Results: Among 1,160 patients, 567 (48.9%) were Mid-ET and 593 (51.1%) were No-Mid-ET.The prevalence rates of head, face (including the jaw), and voice tremors were 31.9%, 23.0%, and 25.8%, respectively. In Mid-ET, tremor often affects multiple midline structures simultaneously. In the entire cohort, 24.7%, 16.6%, and 7.6% of patients exhibited tremors in one, two, and three midline structures, respectively. The prevalence of common NSS, including mild cognitive impairment, impaired tandem gait, and questionable dystonic posturing, was significantly higher in the Mid-ET than the No-Mid-ET subgroup (all p<0.001). Furthermore, we found that female sex (p<0.001), olfactory dysfunction (p=0.003), and questionable dystonic posturing (p=0.004) were associated with Mid-ET. Conclusions Mid-ET and No-Mid-ET presented significant clinical differences. The presence of questionable dystonic posturing may contribute to the distinct characteristics of Mid-ET, suggesting the presence of pathophysiological differences between the subgroups. Further investigations are warranted to determine the potential pathophysiological link between NSS and Mid-ET.

Background: and Purpose Essential tremor with a midline distribution (Mid-ET) may represent a distinct subtype of essential tremor (ET) that primarily affects midline structures, often indicating advanced disease stage and increased severity. Recent studies have highlighted the complexity of Mid-ET, but research on neurological soft signs (NSS) in Mid-ET remains insufficient. Methods: The patients with ET included in this cross-sectional study were divided into two subgroups based on whether or not the ET had a midline distribution: Mid-ET and No-MidET. Comparative analyses were performed to assess clinical features and NSS prevalence in these subgroups. Results: Among 1,160 patients, 567 (48.9%) were Mid-ET and 593 (51.1%) were No-Mid-ET.The prevalence rates of head, face (including the jaw), and voice tremors were 31.9%, 23.0%, and 25.8%, respectively. In Mid-ET, tremor often affects multiple midline structures simultaneously. In the entire cohort, 24.7%, 16.6%, and 7.6% of patients exhibited tremors in one, two, and three midline structures, respectively. The prevalence of common NSS, including mild cognitive impairment, impaired tandem gait, and questionable dystonic posturing, was significantly higher in the Mid-ET than the No-Mid-ET subgroup (all p<0.001). Furthermore, we found that female sex (p<0.001), olfactory dysfunction (p=0.003), and questionable dystonic posturing (p=0.004) were associated with Mid-ET. Conclusions Mid-ET and No-Mid-ET presented significant clinical differences. The presence of questionable dystonic posturing may contribute to the distinct characteristics of Mid-ET, suggesting the presence of pathophysiological differences between the subgroups. Further investigations are warranted to determine the potential pathophysiological link between NSS and Mid-ET.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to observe the effects of initial periodontal therapy on the level of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with severe periodontitis and to analyze the factors related to the formation of NETs. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ periodontitis were recruited. Clinical periodontal parameters, including plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and clinical atta-chment loss (CAL), were recorded before and 6-8 weeks after initial periodontal therapy. Levels of NETs in GCF were detected by immunofluorescence staining. Quantities of total bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actionomycetemcomitans) and Prevotella intermedia (P. intermedia)in unattached subgingival plaque were determined by real-time quantitative PCR, and levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in GCF were explored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the correlations between the level of NETs and the above indicators were analyzed. RESULTS: After initial periodontal therapy, the level of NETs in GCF, PLI, GI, PD, and CAL; quantities of total bacteria, P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. itermedia; and levels of IL-8 and TNF-α significantly decreased (P<0.05). We observed strong positive correlations between the level of NETs and PLI, GI, PD, CAL, the amount of total bacteria, P. gingivalis, TNF-α, and IL-8 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Initial periodontal therapy might decrease the level of NETs in GCF from patients with severe periodontitis, which might be positively correlated with the quantities of P. gingivalis andthe levels of TNF-α and IL-8 in GCF.
Humans ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; Extracellular Traps/metabolism* ; Porphyromonas gingivalis/isolation & purification* ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/isolation & purification* ; Periodontitis/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/analysis* ; Prevotella intermedia/isolation & purification* ; Interleukin-8/analysis* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Periodontal Index ; Adult

Refractory angina is characterized by recurrent and persistent angina with a duration of not less than three months， which is related to reversible ischemia and hypoxia caused by coronary stenosis and obstruction. It mainly involves obstructive coronary artery disease and non-obstructive coronary artery disease with coronary artery spasm and coronary microvascular dysfunction. “Stasis and toxin” play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The pathogenesis of stasis and toxin is stubborn filthy turbidity featured by slow accumulation and sudden onset，and rapid changes，which coincides with the characteristics of refractory angina which is complex and changeable，prolonged and difficult to cure. The pathogenesis of refractory angina involves a combination of underlying deficiency and excessive manifestation， with "stasis and toxin" playing a crucial role as an important pathological factor in the whole process of refractory angina. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） employs a holistic approach known as "activating blood circulation and removing toxins"， which is supplemented by various methods to tonify Qi and warm Yang， nourish the kidneys and invigorate the spleen， clear heat and transform phlegm. This approach applies anti-inflammatory measures， regulates lipid metabolism， inhibits oxidative stress and thrombus formation， protects endothelial function in blood vessels， as well as establishes collateral circulation for the prevention and treatment of refractory angina. Therefore，based on the theory of "stasis and toxin"，combined with TCM theory and modern medical research，this paper discusses the pathogenesis of refractory angina and the prevention and treatment strategy of TCM，and elucidates the reasons for the difficulty in curing refractory angina and the relationship between refractory angina and common angina pectoris，coronary microvascular dysfunction，coronary artery spasm and obstructive coronary artery disease，hoping to provide certain theoretical basis and clinical ideas for the prevention and treatment of refractory angina with TCM.

Objective To investigate the current situation of competency and professional activities of pediatric rehabilitation thera-pists in Jiangsu,Shanghai and Zhejiang. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted on 168 pediatric rehabilitation therapists in Jiangsu,Shanghai and Zheji-ang,from December,2022 to February,2023,and the general information and the competency were obtained.A total of 35 pediatric rehabilitation therapists were interviewed one-on-one,from October,2022 to January,2023,using thematic framework. Results A total of 162 effective questionnaires were collected.The level of competency of pediatric rehabilitation thera-pists was(3.44±0.87);and it was higher in professional literacy(3.90±0.77)and practice(3.83±0.77),and lower in management and leadership(2.92±1.44),and research(2.14±1.64).Latent class analysis showed that the thera-pists could be divided into four categories,of which the"medium competency"accounted for the most proportion(34.57%),and"low learning and research"was the least(8.64%).The interviews identified problems of compe-tency such as maintaining communication with children's families and managing self-professional development. Conclusion Self-reported rehabilitation competency levels of pediatric rehabilitation therapists in three provinces and cit-ies are above three points in all four dimensions,except for the management and leadership dimension,where the score is below three points.

Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease characterized by arterial occlusion formed by the pathological accumulation of pathological vascular cells and apoptotic cell debris. Atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque is an important pathological basis for inducing severe thrombotic cardiovascular events， and the study of its etiology and pathogenesis has always been a hot issue in the field of cardiovascular research. Efferocytosis is a new type of programmed death cell removal， which refers to the process of macrophages phagocytosing and degrading apoptotic cells to prevent secondary necrosis. It is a key homeostatic mechanism in the body's physiological process. In the pathological state， the dysfunction of efferocytosis causes the pathological accumulation of apoptotic cells and necrotic debris， leading to the occurrence of secondary cell necrosis and the continuous release of intracellular toxic content and inducing inflammatory regression disorders and cholesterol metabolism disorders， which are closely related to the occurrence and development of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. The theory of ''blood stasis and toxin'' is an important theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） to explain the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis starts from the pathological state of blood stagnation. Prolonged blood stagnation leads to blood stasis and toxic substances. Blood stasis and toxic pathogens interact with each other in blood vessels and eventually form plaques in blood vessels. The theory of ''blood stasis and toxin causing a catastrophe'' is an important understanding of the occurrence and development of acute cardiovascular events. From the perspective of TCM theory， the pathophysiological mechanism of efferocytosis is similar to the etiology and pathogenesis of the ''blood stasis and toxin'' in TCM. Therefore， this paper took the theory of ''blood stasis and toxin'' as the breakthrough point to explore the mechanism of efferocytosis in atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques， and proposed a detoxification and blood circulation method to regulate cell burial to prevent and treat atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. The research strategy aims to provide new ideas and theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis by detoxification and blood circulation.

Reynoutria japonica Houtt., belonging to Polygoneae of Polygonaceae, is a Chinese medicinal herb with the functions of draining dampness and relieving jaundice, clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, and relieving cough and resolving phlegm. In this study, we carried out high-throughput sequencing for the chloroplast genome sequences of five cultivars of R. japonica and analyzed the genome structure and variations. The chloroplast genomes of the five R. japonica cultivars had two sizes (163 376 bp and 163 371 bp) and a typical circular tetrad structure composed of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85 784 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18 616 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (IRa/IRb) which are spaced apart. A total of 161 genes were obtained by annotation, which consisted of 106 protein-coding genes, 10 rRNA-coding genes, and 45 tRNA-coding genes. The total GC content was 36.7%. Specifically, the GC content in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 34.8%, 30.7%, and 42.7%, respectively. Comparison of the whole chloroplast genome among the five cultivars showed that trnk-UUU, rpoC1, petD, rpl16, ndhA, and rpl12 in coding regions had sequence variations. In the phylogenetic tree constructed for the 11 samples of Polygoneae, the five cultivars of R. japonica clustered into one clade near the root and was a sister group of Fallopia multiflora (Thunb.).
Base Composition ; Genome, Chloroplast/genetics* ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; Reynoutria

The acupuncture direction is closely related with the efficacy of acupuncture analgesia. In this article, the relationship between efficacy of acupuncture analgesia and factors, such as whether the needle towards disease location, whether the needle towards meridian direction, whether the needle following spinal cord direction and whether the needle following muscle direction, were analyzed. The previous clinical and literature research indicated that the needle towards disease location was superior to reverse direction, however, the efficacy of analgesia between needle following and reversing meridian, needle towards and at disease location, needles following and reversing spinal cord direction, needles following and reversing muscle direction was controversial. Therefore, the solutions to these problems will benefit the optimized acupuncture treatment plan for pain disorders.