Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), represents the most common autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia worldwide. Despite its progressive and debilitating nature, disease-modifying therapies remain elusive. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive intervention; however, its clinical application has been hindered by inconsistent protocols and a lack of mechanistic understanding. A recent landmark study published in Brain Stimulation by Chen et al. addressed these challenges by combining a high-dose intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocol with concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). This commentary provides an in-depth analysis of their findings, highlighting the restoration of cerebello-cortical inhibition (CBI) as a key therapeutic mechanism. Furthermore, we discuss the broader implications of this work, proposing that future translational research should integrate accelerated iTBS (aiTBS) paradigms, cortical response measurements (CRM), and individualized neuro-navigation to establish a new era of precision neuromodulation for ataxia.

Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), represents the most common autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia worldwide. Despite its progressive and debilitating nature, disease-modifying therapies remain elusive. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive intervention; however, its clinical application has been hindered by inconsistent protocols and a lack of mechanistic understanding. A recent landmark study published in Brain Stimulation by Chen et al. addressed these challenges by combining a high-dose intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) protocol with concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). This commentary provides an in-depth analysis of their findings, highlighting the restoration of cerebello-cortical inhibition (CBI) as a key therapeutic mechanism. Furthermore, we discuss the broader implications of this work, proposing that future translational research should integrate accelerated iTBS (aiTBS) paradigms, cortical response measurements (CRM), and individualized neuro-navigation to establish a new era of precision neuromodulation for ataxia.

ObjectiveMigraine is a leading neurological disorder and the fourth most common cause of years lived with disability worldwide, affecting nearly 116 million individuals. Although pharmacological treatments are available, their efficacy is often limited by side effects and variable response rates. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) offers a safe, non-invasive alternative for migraine management. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms, particularly how rTMS modulates local cortical excitability and distributed pain-related circuits, remain poorly understood. Elucidating these mechanisms is essential for optimizing treatment protocols and improving clinical outcomes. MethodsThis study employed concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) to investigate neuroplastic and neurocircuitry mechanisms of DLPFC-rTMS in migraine. Study 1 compared 30 migraineurs and 28 healthy controls to identify abnormalities in TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) and significant current density (SCD) within sensory-discriminative regions including the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and posterior insula (pINS), cognitive-affective regions including the anterior insula (aINS) and midcingulate cortex (MCC), and a descending modulatory region, the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Study 2 used a single-blind, crossover, sham-controlled design in 34 healthy participants. Each participant received both active (10 Hz, 80% RMT, 1 500 pulses) and sham DLPFC-rTMS in counterbalanced order. TMS-EEG and cold pain tolerance were assessed before and after each session. ResultsIn Study 1, migraineurs showed a significantly less negative N120 amplitude compared to healthy controls (P=0.027, Cohen’s d=0.60), indicating local intracortical disinhibition. No group differences were observed for N40, P60, or P180 components. At the source level, migraineurs exhibited significantly higher SCD in the S1, pINS, aINS, and MCC (allQ<0.05), but not in the ventroposterior thalamus (vpTHAL), mediodorsal thalamus (mdTHAL), or PAG. In Study 2, active rTMS significantly reduced SCD from pre- to post-stimulation in the S1, aINS, and MCC (all Q<0.05). Sham stimulation also reduced SCD in the S1 (Q<0.05) but not in the aINS or MCC. Although no significant group-level analgesic effect was observed between active and sham conditions (P=0.107), correlation analyses revealed that greater SCD reductions in the S1 and MCC were significantly associated with higher post-rTMS pain tolerance (R=-0.487 and -0.495, both Q<0.01) and larger improvements in pain tolerance(R=-0.487 and -0.451, both Q<0.05). No such correlations were found following sham stimulation, suggesting that the behavioural relevance of neural changes is specific to active rTMS. ConclusionThis study provides novel evidence that migraineurs exhibit both local neuroplastic abnormalities (reduced N120 amplitude) and hyperactivity in key pain-processing regions (S1, pINS, aINS, MCC). A single session of DLPFC-rTMS reduced hyperactivity in the aINS, MCC, and S1. Notably, greater reductions in the S1 and MCC were associated with improved pain tolerance. These findings identify distinct cortical circuitries, particularly within the cognitive-affective pain network, that may serve as potential biomarkers for optimizing rTMS treatment in migraine and other chronic pain conditions. Future studies should validate these results in patient populations experiencing spontaneous migraine attacks and explore multi-session or accelerated rTMS protocols.

Objective To compare the role and importance of fibular fixation in tibiofibular fractures by Meta-analysis.Methods The literature related to the comparison of the efficacy of fixation of the fibula with or without fixation on the treatment of tibiofibular fractures was searched through the databases of China Knowledge Network,Wipu,Wanfang,The Cochrane Li-brary,Web of science and Pubmed,and statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.The rates of malrotation,rotational deformity,internal/external deformity,anterior/posterior deformity,non-union,infection,secondary surgery and op-erative time were compared between the fibula fixation and non-fixation groups.Results A total of 11 publications were includ-ed,six randomised controlled trials and five case-control trials,eight of which were of high quality.A total of 813 cases were in-cluded,of which 383 were treated with fibula fixation and 430 with unfixed fibulae.Meta-analysis results showed that fixation of the fibulae in the treatment of tibiofibular fractures reduced the rates of postoperative rotational deformity[RR=0.22,95％CI(0.10,0.45),P＜0.000 1]and internal/external deformity[RR=0.34,95％CI(0.14,0.84),P=0.02]and promoted fracture heal-ing[RR=0.76,95％CI(0.58,0.99),P=0.04].In contrast,the rates of poor reduction[RR=0.48,95％CI(0.10,2.33),P=0.36],anterior/posterior deformity[RR=1.50,95％CI(0.76,2.96),P=0.24],infection[RR=1.43,95％CI(0.76,2.72),P=0.27],sec-ondary surgery[RR=1.32,95％CI(0.82,2.11),P=0.25],and operative time[MD=10.21,95％CI(-17.79,38.21),P=0.47]were not statistically significant(P＞0.05)for comparison.Conclusion Simultaneous fixation of the tibia and fibula is clinically more effective in the treatment of tibiofibular fractures.

Objective:To study the diagnostic value of artificial intelligence B-ultrasound image computer-aided diagnosis system (hereinafter referred to as intelligent ultrasound system) in adult goiter.Methods:In June 2022 and March 2023, two phases of thyroid disease survey were carried out in 4 cities in Anhui Province. One village was selected in each city, and 250 adults were selected as survey subjects in each village. Adult bilateral thyroid area was scanned by both intelligent ultrasound system and conventional ultrasound scanning equipment, and the effectiveness of intelligent ultrasound system in the diagnosis of goiter was analyzed based on the results of conventional ultrasound examination. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and Kappa test was used to analyze the consistency between intelligent ultrasound system and conventional ultrasound examination in the diagnosis of goiter. At the same time, Spearman correlation analysis and Bland-Altman method were used to evaluate the consistency of the two methods in measuring thyroid volume.Results:After screening and removing outliers and missing values, a total of 910 adults were included, including 253 males (27.80%) and 657 females (72.20%). The age was (45.92 ± 10.20) years old, ranging from 18 to 60 years old. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the intelligent ultrasound system for diagnosing adult goiter were 80.00%, 99.67%, and 99.56%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.996, which was consistent with the results of conventional ultrasound examination for diagnosing goiter ( κ = 0.67, P < 0.001). After controlling for variables such as gender, thyroid function, and thyroid nodules, the intelligent ultrasound system showed good consistency with conventional ultrasound examination in the diagnosis of goiter in females, adults with thyroid dysfunction, and adults without thyroid nodules ( κ = 0.66, 0.80, 0.80, P < 0.001). The consistency in the diagnosis of goiter in adults with thyroid nodules was moderate ( κ = 0.56, P < 0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed a highly positive correlation between the measurement results of adult thyroid volume by intelligent ultrasound system and conventional ultrasound examination ( r = 0.88, P < 0.001). The Bland-Altman method results showed that only 4.62% (42/910) of points in adults were outside the 95% consistency limit, indicating good consistency between intelligent ultrasound system and conventional ultrasound examination in measuring thyroid volume (< 5%). The proportion of points outside the 95% consistency limit in males, adults with thyroid dysfunction, and adults with thyroid nodules was 6.72% (17/253), 5.83% (12/206), and 6.45% (12/186), respectively. Conclusions:The intelligent ultrasound system has certain diagnostic value for adult goiter and has good consistency with conventional ultrasound examination for thyroid volume measurement. However, the accuracy of diagnosis for males and adults with thyroid nodules still needs to be improved.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and trend of tobacco and e-cigarettes uses and identify the influencing factors for smoking behavior in junior middle school students in Shanghai, and provide data support and scientific basis for the development of tobacco control intervention strategy in adolescents. Methods: Multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to select junior middle school students in 8 districts and 10 districts in Shanghai in 2013 and in 2019 respectively. Information about tobacco and e-cigarettes uses in the students were collected by using self-administrated questionnaire. The prevalence of tobacco and e-cigarettes uses were calculated, the difference between two years was compared with χ² test. The influencing factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: In 2019, the current smoking rate was 0.6% in junior middle school students in Shanghai, and the smoking attempt rate was 2.9%, both were lower than the levels in 2013 (0.7% and 6.9%). The current use rate of e-cigarettes was 0.6% in 2019,with no significant change compared with 2013 (0.6%). The proportion of the students who had heard of e-cigarettes in 2019 (78.4%) was higher than that in 2013 (47.2%). In 2019, the second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure rate at home, in both indoor and outdoor public places and on public transportations was 72.5%, which was slightly lower than the level in 2013 (73.0%), the differences were all significant (P<0.05). In 2019, the students seeing close friend smoking (OR=27.381, 95%CI: 12.037-62.287), seeing someone smoking in school (OR=2.477, 95%CI: 1.155-5.312), believing that SHS may not be harmful (OR=8.471, 95%CI: 1.464-49.005) had higher possibility of smoking. Being aged ≥15 years (compared with being aged ≤12 years, OR=8.688, 95%CI: 1.922-39.266), exposure to SHS in outdoor public place (OR=8.608, 95%CI: 1.048-70.692), close friend smoking (OR=8.115, 95%CI: 1.754-37.545) were positively associated with e-cigarettes use, and believing that smoking results in uncomfortable social contact [compared with believing that smoking results in comfortable social contact (OR=0.105,95%CI: 0.018-0.615)] were negatively associated with e-cigarettes use, the difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of tobacco and e-cigarette uses in junior middle school students in Shanghai remained at a low level in recent years. The SHS exposure rate in junior middle school students is high. Smoking behavior of junior middle school students is closely related to personal attitude and awareness of tobacco, exposure to SHS, peer smoking and the situation of tobacco control in schools. Prevention and intervention should be carried out from multi-dimensions to effectively protect teenagers from tobacco hazards.
Adolescent ; China/epidemiology* ; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Students ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution

With the deepening of research, proteomics has developed into a science covering the study of all the structural and functional characteristics of proteins and the dynamic change rules. The essence of various biological activities is revealed from the perspectives of the biological structure, functional activity and corresponding regulatory mechanism of proteins by proteomics. Among them, phospholipid-binding protein is one of the hotspots of proteomics, especially annexin A1, which is widely present in various tissues and cells of the body. It has the capability of binding to phospholipid membranes reversibly in a calcium ion dependent manner. In order to provide possible research ideas for researchers, who are interested in this protein, the biological effects of annexin A1, such as inflammatory regulation, cell signal transduction, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis are described in this paper.

OBJECTIVE:To study the current status of cesarean section rate(CSR)and cesarean section(CS)indications in Shanghai,and to provide basic evidence for reducing the rate of CS.METHODS:Six general and maternal and child hospi⁃tals(MCH)in Shanghai were selected,and all data of childbirth of these hospitals in 2016 were collected.The total CSR was calculated for all hospitals and the Chi-square tests were used to compare the CSR among different hospitals.The constitution of CS indications were reported by using the data collected from two out of the six hospitals.RESULTS:The to⁃tal CSR of all hospitals in this study was 47.88%(95% CI 47.30%-48.46%).The CSR in suburb an hospitals was signifi⁃cantly higher than that in outer suburbs and city center(51.72% vs. 50.54% vs. 43.24%,P<0.01),The CSR in secondary hospitals was significantly higher than that in tertiary hospitals(49.73% vs. 46.36%,P<0.01).The CSR in general hospi⁃tals was higher than that in MCH(54.54% vs. 43.81%,P<0.01).The CS without medical indications or for social reasons accounted for 25.15% of all CS,while the scar uterus(36.31%),maternal pregnancy-related complications(13.17%)and abnormal fetal head position(6.33%)were the three leading medical indications of CS.CONCLUSION:The CSR in Shang⁃hai is at a high level.There are significant differences in CSR among different hospitals.The scar uterine and social rea⁃sons are the leading causes of CS in Shanghai.

A new triterpenoid and 18 analogues were isolated from the water extract of Ganoderma lucidum by column chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, and HPLC. The new compound was elucidated as 2β-acetoxy-3β,25-dihydroxy-7,11,15-trioxo-lanost-8-en-26-oic acid on the basis of analyses of extensive spectroscopic data and its physicochemical properties. Comparison of NMR data with those reported in literature, the known analogues were determined as ganoderic acid H (2), 12β-acetoxy-3β,7β-dihydroxy-11,15,23-trioxo-lanost-8,16-dien-26-oic acid (3), ganoderenic acid D (4),ganoderic acid C1 (5),ganoderic acid G (6),3β,7β-dihydroxy-11,15,23-trioxo-lanost-8,16-dien-26-oic acid (7),ganoderic acid B (8),ganoderic acid C6 (9),3β,15α-dihydroxy-7,11,23-trioxo-lanost-8,16-dien-26-oic acid (10),ganoderic acid A (11),ganolucidic acid A (12),lucidenic acid E2 (13),lucidenic acid N (14),lucidenic acid P (15), lucidenic acid B (16),lucidenic acid A (17),lucidenic acid C (18),and lucidenic acid L (19), respectively. Compound 1 is new compound and compounds 2-19 have been reported from G. lucidum. The present study enriches the knowledge of the chemical constituent of G. lucidum and completes chemical investigation of water decoction that is traditional use of G. lucidum.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) T-SPOT.TB test for the diagnosis of TB meningitis (TBM). A retrospective analysis of 96 patients with manifested meningitis was conducted; T-SPOT.TB test was performed for diagnosing TBM to determine the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also drawn to assess the diagnostic accuracy. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CSF T-SPOT.TB test were 97.8%, 78.0%, 80.3%, and 97.5%, respectively, for 52 patients (54.2%) of the 96 enrolled patients. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.910, and the sensitivities of CSF T-SPOT.TB for patients with stages I, II, and III of TBM were 96.7%, 97.2%, and 98.9%, respectively. CSF T-SPOT.TB test is a rapid and accurate diagnostic method with higher sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing TBM.
China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; epidemiology