The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a pivotal role in orchestrating higher-order emotional and cognitive processes, a function that depends on the precise modulation of synaptic activity. Although pharmacological studies have demonstrated that dopamine signaling through dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) in the PFC is essential for these functions, the cell-type-specific and molecular mechanisms underlying the neuromodulatory effects remain elusive. Using cell-type-specific knockout mice and patch-clamp recordings, we investigated the regulatory role of DRD1 on neurons and astrocytes in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Furthermore, we explored the mechanisms by which DRD1 on astrocytes regulate synaptic transmission and plasticity at the cellular level, as well as emotional and cognitive functions at the behavioral level, through two-photon imaging, microdialysis, high-performance liquid chromatography, transcriptome sequencing, and behavioral testing. We found that conditional knockout of the Drd1 in astrocytes (CKO^AST) increased glutamatergic synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), whereas Drd1 deletion in pyramidal neurons did not affect synaptic transmission. The elevated level of d-serine in the mPFC of CKO^AST mice increased glutamatergic transmission and LTP through NMDA receptors. In addition, CKO^AST mice exhibited abnormal emotional and cognitive function. Notably, these behavioral changes in CKO^AST mice could be reversed through the administration of d-serine degrease to the mPFC. These results highlight the critical role of the astrocytic DRD1 in modulating mPFC synaptic transmission and plasticity, as well as higher brain functions through d-serine, and may shed light on the treatment of mental disorders.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the association between temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and insomnia using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. METHODS: Bidirectional MR analyses of two samples, TMD (n=377 277) and insomnia (n=375 359), were performed using genome-wide association study statistics published in the FinnGen database. Instrumental variables were first screened, and then inverse variance weighting (IVW) and MR-Egger were used as the main-effect assessment methods. Weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode served as supplementary methods. We used IVW and MR-Egger to test for heterogeneity, as well as MR-Egger intercepts to assess the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) potential level of multiplicity effects. Sensitivity analyses were conducted based on leave-one-out to identify potentially influential SNPs. All analyses were conducted by using the two-sample MR R package and were considered statistically significant when P<0.05. RESULTS: MR analysis showed the presence of TMD on insomnia (OR=1.089, 95%CI: 1.017-1.166, P=0.014). Meanwhile, no effect of insomnia on TMD (OR=0.996, 95%CI: 0.964-1.029, P=0.816) was found. The sensitivity-analysis showed that no heterogeneity existed (P>0.05), and the presence of horizontal pleiotropy was not detected (P>0.05). Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed no single SNP, which may affect the causal relation. All findings indicated that the causal relationship between TMD and insomnia was not significantly affected by any individual SNP and that IV did not bias the results. CONCLUSIONS Results of MR analyses showed that TMD is a risk factor for insomnia, whereas insomnia is not a risk factor for TMD.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/genetics* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/complications* ; Genome-Wide Association Study

Objective:To conduct a comparative analysis of the oxygen depletion and oxygen effect of FLASH irradiation and conventional irradiation by direct measurement of oxygen content.Methods:The oxygen content in different tissues and organs of mice was measured using a phosphorescent probe. A subcutaneous xenograft tumor model in mice was established, to receive electron-beam irradiation at different doses and dose rates. The oxygen depletion of tumor and normal tissue was analyzed, and tumor control was evaluated. The oxygen depletion of conventional irradiation and FLASH irradiation was further analyzed using an in vitro model. The survival fraction (SF) of normal cells after conventional irradiation and FLASH irradiation was calculated using colony formation assay under different partial pressures of oxygen, and the data were fitted to the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) curve. Results:The mean oxygen content of subcutaneous xenograft tumor in mice was 1.28%, suggesting hypoxia. The mean oxygen content of normal tissue ranged from 3.51% to 6.53%, suggesting physioxia. In animal experiments, oxygen depletion was not observed during conventional irradiation. High-dose-rate (20 Gy/s) and ultra-high-dose-rate (FLASH, 40 Gy/s) irradiation produced oxygen depletion. During FLASH irradiation, with the increase of oxygen content, the oxygen depletion was 0.1-0.2 mm Hg/Gy for tumor tissue and 0.19-0.21 mm Hg/Gy for skin tissue, which tended to stabilize. FLASH irradiation maintained equivalent tumor control compared to conventional irradiation. The tumoricidal effect was significantly enhanced with the increase of oxygen content in the tissue ( t=3.46, P<0.01). In in vitro experiments, the mean oxygen depletion rate was about 0.16 mm Hg/Gy for conventional irradiation and 0.16-0.18 mm Hg/Gy for FLASH irradiation, which did not change significantly with the increase of oxygen content. FLASH irradiation was associated with an oxygen effect. When the partial pressure of oxygen decreased from physioxia to hypoxia, the OER value significantly reduced. Conclusions:Normal tissues and organs are in physioxia, which exhibits a lower oxygen content than that in the air. FLASH irradiation can consume a proportion of oxygen, producing an oxygen effect. When oxygen content decreases, the oxygen depletion rate slows down after FLASH irradiation.

Objective To develop a risk assessment scale for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis based on multidisciplinary collaboration, and to evaluate its diagnostic performance. Methods Based on multidisciplinary cooperation, integrating clinical experience from oncology and cardiology, literature data, and patient conditions, a risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was developed. A total of 101 patients with malignancies who received immunotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from October 2020 to October 2024 were included as the validation cohort. Patients were stratified into low-risk (0-1 point), medium-risk (2-4 points), and high-risk (≥5 points) groups based on their scale scores. The association between pretictive risk stratifications and actual assessment results was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The predictive value of the scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Agreement between the scale scores and actual assessment results was assessed using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. Results Based on the scale pretictive results, 28(27.7%), 8(7.9%), 65(64.4%) patients were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk for ICI-related myocarditis, respectively; however, 46(45.5%), 8(7.9%), 47(46.5%) were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk actually. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of ICI-related myocarditis in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that in the medium- and low-risk groups (P＜0.05). In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, the ICI-related myocarditis risk in high-risk group was about 4 times that in the low-risk group. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the average area under the curve (AUC) for predicting ICI-related myocarditis was 0.81, with an accuracy of 0.74. The Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was 0.55, indicating moderate agreement. In the actual high-risk group, no patient was predicted to be at low risk; in the actual low-risk group, 16 patients were predicted to be at high risk. Conclusions This risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis shows high predictive performance. It provides oncologists with a simple yet effective multidisciplinary diagnostic reference tool, potentially enhancing early identification of ICI-associated myocarditis.

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compound prescriptions serve as crucial practical embodiments of TCM theoretical frameworks， characterized by their complex multi-component composition and multi-target interactions. The research on the material basis of their pharmacological effects has gradually become the key to promoting the modernization of TCM. In recent years， new ideas and theories regarding the research on pharmacodynamic substance basis of TCM compound prescriptions have been continuously proposed. This review systematically summarizes and reviews analytical techniques such as targeted fishing technology， spectrum-effect relationship analysis， serum pharmacochemistry， network pharmacology， high-throughput screening， and cell membrane chromatography. It is found that these techniques exhibit unique advantages in areas including target-specific analysis， component-pharmacological effect correlation analysis， identification of the material basis in vitro and in vivo， prediction of multi-target mechanisms， efficient screening of active ingredients， and analysis of interactions between cell membrane receptors. These techniques compensate for the shortcomings of traditional research methods， enhance the systematicness and precision of research on pharmacodynamic substance based TCM compound prescriptions， and can provide theoretical support for the promotion and clinical application of TCM compound prescriptions.

BACKGROUND: Severe stroke has high rates of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the clinical course, causes of worsening, and outcomes of severe ischemic stroke. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled adult patients admitted ≤30 days after ischemic stroke from nine hospitals in China between September 2017 and December 2019. Severe stroke was defined as a score of ≥15 on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Clinical worsening was defined as an increase of 4 in the NIHSS score from baseline. Unfavorable functional outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale score ≥3 at 3 months and 1 year after stroke onset, respectively. We performed Logistic regression to explore baseline features and reperfusion therapies associated with clinical worsening and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Among 4201 patients enrolled, 854 patients (20.33%) had severe stroke on admission. Of 3347 patients without severe stroke on admission, 142 (4.24%) patients developed severe stroke in hospital. Of 854 patients with severe stroke on admission, 33.95% (290/854) experienced clinical worsening (median time from stroke onset: 43 h, Q1-Q3: 20-88 h), with brain edema (54.83% [159/290]) as the leading cause; 24.59% (210/854) of these patients died by 30 days, and 81.47% (677/831) and 78.44% (633/807) had unfavorable functional outcomes at 3 months and 1 year respectively. Reperfusion reduced the risk of worsening (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-0.49, P  <0.01), 30-day death (adjusted OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.11-0.41, P  <0.01), and unfavorable functional outcomes at 3 months (adjusted OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.68, P <0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06-0.50, P  <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-fifth of patients with ischemic stroke had severe neurological deficits on admission. Clinical worsening mainly occurred in the first 3 to 4 days after stroke onset, with brain edema as the leading cause of worsening. Reperfusion reduced the risk of clinical worsening and improved functional outcomes. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03222024.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Ischemic Stroke/mortality* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Stroke ; Brain Ischemia

BACKGROUND: The effect of the interval between previous Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and rescue treatment on therapeutic outcomes remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between eradication rates and treatment interval durations in H. pylori infections. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2023 at six tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China. We recruited patients who were positive for H. pylori infection and required rescue treatment. Demographic information, previous times of eradication therapy, last eradication therapy date, and history of antibiotic use data were collected. The patients were divided into four groups based on the rescue treatment interval length: Group A, ≥4 weeks and ≤3 months; Group B, >3 and ≤6 months; Group C, >6 and ≤12 months; and Group D, >12 months. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori . Drug compliance and adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare eradication rates between groups. RESULTS: A total of 670 patients were enrolled in this study. The intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 88.3% (158/179) in Group A, 89.6% (120/134) in Group B, 89.1% (123/138) in Group C, and 87.7% (192/219) in Group D. The per-protocol (PP) eradication rates were 92.9% (156/168) in Group A, 94.5% (120/127) in Group B, 94.5% (121/128) in Group C, and 93.6% (190/203) in Group D. There was no statistically significant difference in the eradication rates between groups in either the ITT ( P = 0.949) or PP analysis ( P = 0.921). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of AEs ( P = 0.934) or drug compliance ( P = 0.849) between groups. CONCLUSION: The interval duration of rescue treatment had no significant effect on H. pylori eradication rates or the incidence of AEs. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05173493.
Humans ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Helicobacter pylori/pathogenicity* ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective:To develop evaluation indicators for care ability of caregivers in home-based palliative care based on the Farran caregiver skills model.Methods:Based on the Farran caregiver skills model, a preliminary evaluation index system was constructed through theoretical analysis, literature review, and semi-structured interviews. From July to October 2024, experts in the field were selected to conduct expert consultations, revise and improve the index system, and determine the weight of the indicators through the analytic hierarchy process.Results:A total of two rounds of expert consultations were conducted. The effective response rates for the first and second rounds of expert consultation questionnaires were 90.00% (18/20) and 100.00% (18/18), respectively. In the two rounds of expert consultations, 15 experts (83.33%) and 3 experts (16.67%) respectively proposed revision suggestions. In the two rounds of consultation, the expert authority coefficients were 0.931 and 0.936, respectively, and the Kendall coefficient of concordance were 0.152~0.283、0.183~0.269 ( P<0.05). The final evaluation indicators for care ability of caregivers in home-based palliative care included four first-level indicators, 12 second-level indicators, and 45 third-level indicators. Conclusions:The evaluation indicators for care ability of caregivers in home-based palliative care developed are highly scientific and reliable, and can provide a reference for the evaluation of family caregiver care ability and the formulation of training programs.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the transitional care experience of family caregivers in palliative care from hospital to home.Methods:A computer-based search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang Data for qualitative studies on the transitional care experience of family caregivers in palliative care, from database inception to November 25, 2024. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research (2016 edition). Data were synthesized and integrated using meta-aggregation.Results:A total of 10 studies were included, from which 33 primary findings were extracted. These findings were classified into nine new categories and further synthesized into four overarching themes: development and exacerbation of physical and psychological distress during the transition, multiple challenges and dilemmas during the transition, multidimensional support needs during the transition, and positive coping and personal growth.Conclusions:Family caregivers in palliative care experience complex physical and psychological changes, multiple challenges, and diverse care needs during the hospital-to-home transition. Healthcare professionals should pay close attention to the lived experiences and actual needs of family caregivers during this period, so as to facilitate a successful transition from hospital to home.