OBJECTIVE:It has been confirmed that neuromodulation technology can improve the clinical symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease,and there are differences in the efficacy of different neuromodulation stimulation methods.Herein,a network meta-analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of different neuromodulation stimulation modalities in improving non-motor symptoms such as sleep disorders and depression and anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease,thereby exploring the optimal neuromodulation stimulation regimen.METHODS:The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,WanFang Database,VIP Database,CNKI Database,Web of Science,PubMed,The Cochrane Library,and EMbase databases were searched for randomized controlled trials on neuromodulation techniques to improve sleep disorders,depression and anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease.The control group was treated with conventional treatments(drugs,conventional rehabilitation therapy,etc.)or sham stimulation,and the experimental group was supplemented with neuromodulation technology on the basis of the control group.The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale and the deviation risk assessment tool recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration.RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0 were used for network meta-analysis of the four outcomes(sleep disorders,anxiety symptoms,depressive symptoms,and quality of life).RESULTS:(1)Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials involving six neuromodulation stimulation modalities were included.These modalities were transcranial direct current stimulation,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation,low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation,deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus,multi-target deep brain stimulation.(2)The results of network meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional treatment,transcranial direct current stimulation[standardized mean difference(SMD)=-2.57,95％confidence interval(CI)=-4.52 to-0.63,P＜0.05)had the best effect in improving sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease.In terms of improving depressive symptoms,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus(SMD=-1.00,95％CI=-1.87 to-0.14,P＜0.05)had the best effect,followed by low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.91,95％CI=-1.60 to-0.23,P＜0.05),deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus(SMD=-0.82,95％CI=-1.56 to-0.08,P＜0.05),and high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.75,95％CI=-0.97 to-0.53,P＜0.05).In terms of improving anxiety symptoms,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.86,95％CI=-1.54 to-0.18,P＜0.05)had the best effect.In terms of improving the quality of life,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus(SMD=-0.79,95％CI=-1.55 to-0.04,P＜0.05)had the best efficacy,followed by high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.63,95％CI=-0.90 to-0.36,P＜0.05)and transcranial direct current stimulation(SMD=-0.50,95％CI=-0.80 to-0.19,P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Neuromodulation technology has significant efficacy in improving non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease.Transcranial direct current stimulation has the best efficacy in improving sleep disorders,deep electrical stimulation of the medial cerebral part of the globus pallidus has the best efficacy in improving depressive symptoms,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has the best efficacy in improving anxiety symptoms,and deep electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus has the best efficacy in improving quality of life.

OBJECTIVE:It has been confirmed that neuromodulation technology can improve the clinical symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease,and there are differences in the efficacy of different neuromodulation stimulation methods.Herein,a network meta-analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of different neuromodulation stimulation modalities in improving non-motor symptoms such as sleep disorders and depression and anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease,thereby exploring the optimal neuromodulation stimulation regimen.METHODS:The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,WanFang Database,VIP Database,CNKI Database,Web of Science,PubMed,The Cochrane Library,and EMbase databases were searched for randomized controlled trials on neuromodulation techniques to improve sleep disorders,depression and anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease.The control group was treated with conventional treatments(drugs,conventional rehabilitation therapy,etc.)or sham stimulation,and the experimental group was supplemented with neuromodulation technology on the basis of the control group.The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale and the deviation risk assessment tool recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration.RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0 were used for network meta-analysis of the four outcomes(sleep disorders,anxiety symptoms,depressive symptoms,and quality of life).RESULTS:(1)Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials involving six neuromodulation stimulation modalities were included.These modalities were transcranial direct current stimulation,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation,low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation,deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus,multi-target deep brain stimulation.(2)The results of network meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional treatment,transcranial direct current stimulation[standardized mean difference(SMD)=-2.57,95％confidence interval(CI)=-4.52 to-0.63,P＜0.05)had the best effect in improving sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease.In terms of improving depressive symptoms,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus(SMD=-1.00,95％CI=-1.87 to-0.14,P＜0.05)had the best effect,followed by low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.91,95％CI=-1.60 to-0.23,P＜0.05),deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus(SMD=-0.82,95％CI=-1.56 to-0.08,P＜0.05),and high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.75,95％CI=-0.97 to-0.53,P＜0.05).In terms of improving anxiety symptoms,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.86,95％CI=-1.54 to-0.18,P＜0.05)had the best effect.In terms of improving the quality of life,deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus(SMD=-0.79,95％CI=-1.55 to-0.04,P＜0.05)had the best efficacy,followed by high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(SMD=-0.63,95％CI=-0.90 to-0.36,P＜0.05)and transcranial direct current stimulation(SMD=-0.50,95％CI=-0.80 to-0.19,P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Neuromodulation technology has significant efficacy in improving non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease.Transcranial direct current stimulation has the best efficacy in improving sleep disorders,deep electrical stimulation of the medial cerebral part of the globus pallidus has the best efficacy in improving depressive symptoms,high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has the best efficacy in improving anxiety symptoms,and deep electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus has the best efficacy in improving quality of life.

To summarise the clinical experience of Professor TONG Xiaolin in treating prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity using the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity. It is believed that prediabetes belongs to the category of "spleen-heat syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine， and its core pathogenesis is center fullness with internal heat， while obesity is the initiating factor for exacerbating center fullness and internal heat， therefore， it is of great significance to reduce the risk of diabetes by interrupting the transformation between overweight， obesity and glucose metabolism abnormality. It is proposed that the main pathogenesis of prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity is qi depression and turbidity obstruction in middle jiao， with qi depression as the root and turbidity obstruction as the cause， forming a treatment idea with the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity as the core. In clinic， Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Decoction （大黄黄连泻心汤） is used as the basic prescription， with a primary focus on directing the turbid downward， supplemented by regulating qi， which embodies the concept of "promoting movement through descent， then figuring out the root of spleen-heat syndrome. Furthermore， the treatment is flexibly modified based on the patient's deficiency-excess syndrome to ensure individualized therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and variants of KIF4A gene associated with X-linked intellectual disability type 100 (XLID100) in a child by whole-exome sequencing (WES). METHODS: A child presented at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University in September 2023 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was retrospectively analyzed. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the child and his family members for WES analysis. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. Pathogenicity of the candidate variant was rated based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The variant was also searched in dbSNP, OMIM, HGMD, ClinVar and gnomAD databases. Amino acid sequences of the KIF4A protein across various species were retrieved from the Ensembl Genome Browser Database and analyzed using Clustal Omega software. Relevant literature on KIF4A gene mutations associated with XLID100 was reviewed. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No. 202402022-1). RESULTS: The child, a 3-year-6-month-old male, had manifested intellectual impairment, language delay, autism, and choroid cyst revealed by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. No facial dysmorphism, tooth anomaly, gross motor development delay or regression, and history of seizure and febrile convulsion was noted. WES revealed that he has harbored a c.3385delinsTATC (p.Thr1129delinsTyrPro) variant of the KIF4A gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed that his mother and sister have harbored the same variant, whilst his father was of the wild type. Both of his parents had a normal phenotype. The variant was classified as of uncertain significance based on the guidelines from the ACMG. It was not recorded by the dbSNP, OMIM, HGMD, ClinVar and the gnomAD database. Conservative analysis suggested that the variant site, which normally encodes a cysteine, is highly conserved among various species. A review of the literature had retrieved 6 relevant articles documenting a total of 27 cases of KIF4A gene mutations, with only one case from China. CONCLUSION The c.3385delinsTATC (p.Thr1129delinsTyrPro) variant of the KIF4A gene probably underlay the XLID100 in this child. Above finding has provided a reference for the clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling and enriched the mutation spectrum of the KIF4A gene.
Humans ; Kinesins/genetics* ; Male ; Child, Preschool ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Mutation ; Exome Sequencing ; X-Linked Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Phenotype

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a major global health challenge, often foreshadowing poor patient outcomes. The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) serves as a pivotal biomarker, demonstrating a strong correlation with adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study sought to examine the correlation between CAR and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CKD stages 3-5. METHODS: This study utilized data of CKD patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010, with follow-up to December 31, 2019. The optimal CAR cutoff value was identified utilizing the method of maximally selected rank statistics. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model, restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, and subgroup analysis were employed to assess the association between CAR and mortality among CKD patients. RESULTS: During a median (with interquartile range) follow-up period of 115 (112,117) months among 2,841 CKD individuals, 1,893 deaths were observed, including 692 deaths due to CVD events. Based on the RCS analysis, a non-linear correlation was observed between CAR and mortality. Using 0.3 as the optimal CAR cutoff value, the cohort was divided into high and low groups. In the fully adjusted model, CKD patients with high CAR values exhibited an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-1.83, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.02, P = 0.014). Compared to the population aged >65 years (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99-1.76, P = 0.064), the risk of cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in those aged ≤65 years (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.18-4.09, P = 0.014) with elevated CAR levels. CONCLUSIONS A notable correlation exists between the elevation of CAR and increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, suggesting its potential as an independent indicator for evaluating the prognosis of patients with CKD stages 3-5.
Humans ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; Aged ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Adult ; United States/epidemiology* ; Serum Albumin/analysis*

BACKGROUND:Exercise as a form of active rehabilitation can improve the dysfunction caused by peripheral nerve injury,and different exercise modalities target different lesion sites and recovery mechanisms. OBJECTIVE:To comprehensively analyze the application and mechanisms of different exercise modalities in functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury. METHODS:A computerized search was conducted in PubMed and CNKI databases for relevant literature published before January 2024.The search terms used were"peripheral nerve injury,spinal cord,exercise,cerebral cortex,muscle atrophy,mirror therapy,blood flow restriction training"in both English and Chinese.Finally,77 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Peripheral nerve injury can cause systemic pathological changes such as skeletal muscle atrophy,corresponding spinal cord segmental lesions,and sensorimotor cortex remodeling.Aerobic exercise can improve dysfunction by enhancing the immune response,promoting glial cell polarization,and promoting the release of nerve growth factor.Blood flow restriction exercise can regulate the secretion of muscle growth factor,promote muscle growth and enhance muscle strength.Mirror movement has a good effect in activating the cerebral cortex and reducing cortical remodeling.Different exercise modalities have potential benefits in functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury;however,there are still some problems and challenges,such as the choice of exercise modalities,the control of exercise intensity and frequency,and the detailed analysis of mechanisms.

ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed， including CK （no application of microbial fertilizer）， T1 （Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer）， T2 （Bacillus subtilis fertilizer）， T3 （Trichoderma viride fertilizer）， T4 （compound microbial fertilizer）， T5 （C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer）， and T6 （Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer）. The physiological indicators， yield， and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties， enzyme activities， and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content （SPC） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）. Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline （Pro）， soluble solids content （SSC）， SPC， catalase （CAT）， and peroxidase （POD） and a decrease in malondialdehyde （MDA） in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1， T2， T3， T4， and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile， T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity （EC）， soil organic matter （SOM）， and alkaline nitrogen （AN） in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus （AP）， and T3， T4， T5， and T6 increased the available potassium （AK） in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease， sucrase， and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil， other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level， the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria， Acidobacteriota， and Bacteroideta， and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota， Mortierellomycota， and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level， unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae， Sphingomonas， and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera， while unidentified， unclassified Fungi， and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH， EC， AK， AN， AP， and soil organic matter （SOM） in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC， AK， and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary， applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients， growth， development， yield， and quality of C. pilosula， and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.

Objective:To develop a deep learning-based automated analysis system for precise segmentation of the optic cup and disc in fundus images and automatic measurement of the vertical cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) for early risk assessment and screening of chronic glaucoma.Methods:The proposed automated system comprised three modules: a dual coding-attention U-net (DCoAtUNet) segmentation network for optic cup and disc segmentation, a conditional random field (CRF) post-processing module, and a CDR measurement and glaucoma screening module based on the segmentation results.The system was designed to enhance boundary detection accuracy and measurement stability and its performance was evaluated on the publicly available Drishti-GS dataset.The dataset was divided into a training set and a test set in a 1∶1 ratio.Dice coefficient and intersection over union (IoU) were used to quantify segmentation accuracy and regional consistency, while accaracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were employed to assess glaucoma screening performance.Results:The DCoAtUNet combined with CRF post-processing achieved Dice coefficients of 0.976 0 for the optic disc and 0.908 1 for the optic cup, with corresponding IoU values of 0.953 4 and 0.837 9, demonstrating high segmentation precision and stability in boundary identification and region overlap.In glaucoma screening, the system achieved an accuracy of 0.843 1, precision of 0.840 9, recall of 0.973 7, and F1-score of 0.902 4, indicating good diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy.Conclusions:By integrating high-precision segmentation and automated measurement strategies, the DCoAtUNet+ CRF model significantly improves the accuracy and stability of CDR evaluation.It effectively assists in identifying high-risk individuals during early glaucoma screening and shows strong potential for clinical application in computer-aided diagnosis workflows.

Objective:To investigate the effects of a visual feedback electromyography-driven exoskeleton on patients with hand injuries and to compare its efficacy with conventional rehabilitation treatment.Method:Patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly divided into two groups,with 15 patients in the experimental group and 15 in the control group.The control group underwent a 4-week con-ventional rehabilitation program,which included occupational therapy,muscle strength training,and range of motion exercises.The experimental group received the same conventional rehabilitation alongside training with the visual feedback electro-myography-driven exoskeleton.All participants were evaluated for grip strength,pinch strength,Purdue Pegboard results,and DASH questionnaire scores before and after treatment.Statistical analyses were performed to compare intra-group and inter-group differences.Result:After 4 weeks of rehabilitation,both groups showed significant differences in grip strength,pinch strength,Purdue Pegboard scores,and DASH questionnaire scores compared to baseline(P＜0.05).Between-group comparisons showed no significant difference in the post-treatment grip weight ratio(P＞0.05),while all other indicators demonstrated significant differences(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Following 4 weeks of rehabilitation,both groups showed improvements in muscle strength,hand dex-terity,and activities of daily living in the upper limbs.However,the functional level of patients in the experimen-tal group was superior to that of the control group,indicating that task-oriented rehabilitation using a visual feed-back electromyography-driven exoskeleton significantly promotes functional recovery in patients with hand trauma.