Neurological disorders such as post-stroke hemiplegia, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson disease represent a major global health burden. Brain-computer interface (BCI), which creates direct communication pathways between the nervous system and external devices, offers a promising strategy for functional restoration. The long-term efficacy of such BCI fundamentally depends on the performance of biomaterials at the neural interface. Ideal materials must concurrently satisfy biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, enduring chemical stability, and mechanical compatibility with brain tissue. This review systematically outlines the application of conductive polymers, inorganic nanomaterials, natural biomaterials, and composites in BCI, with a focus on how advanced designs, such as bionic and encapsulated electrodes, improve signal fidelity and surgical feasibility through structural innovation. It further summarizes key material-modification techniques and analyzes the complex foreign-body response orchestrated by microglia, astrocytes, and peripheral immune cells. Finally, it provides insights into future research directions and clinical translation of BCI-based neurorehabilitation, while highlighting critical challenges including long-term biosafety and the establishment of standardized evaluation frameworks, aiming to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and effective clinical deployment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of Shuganning injection in the treatment of liver injury by observing the clinical outcome of patients with liver injury after treatment with Shuganning injection and comparing it with reduced glutathione （GSH）. MethodsThis study was conducted among 175 patients with liver injury who attended 6 hospitals in China （Beijing YouAn Hospital， Capital Medical University； Nanyang First People’s Hospital； The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University； The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital； The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University； The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University） from April 25， 2019 to February 28， 2022. The patients were divided into experimental group （89 patients treated with Shuganning injection） and control group （86 patients treated with GSH）， and the course of treatment was 4 weeks for both groups. Related indicators were recorded before treatment， after treatment， and after drug withdrawal for 8 weeks， including liver function parameters， blood biochemical parameters， blood lipids， coagulation profiles， liver fibrosis markers， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， and ultrasound findings， as well as adverse events during treatment. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparison of observation indicators before treatment， at week 4 of treatment， and after drug withdrawal for 8 weeks. When the efficacy evaluation of TCM syndromes was used as the outcome， a pooled analysis was performed for the effective cases and the markedly effective cases， and a Logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio （OR） and its 95%CI. ResultsAfter 4 weeks of treatment with Shuganning injection， the patients showed significant reductions in TCM syndrome score （P<0.001） and the levels of aspartate aminotransferase， alanine aminotransferase， total bilirubin， and direct bilirubin （all P<0.001） and a significant increase in the level of albumin （P=0.002）， and these significant improvements persisted after drug withdrawal for 8 weeks. Furthermore， compared with the control group， the experimental group had a significantly higher proportion of patients assessed as effective or markedly effective cases （48.31% vs 32.56%， P=0.033）. Compared with the control group， the experimental group had a significantly greater change in TCM syndrome score at weeks 1-4 of treatment and after drug withdrawal for 8 weeks （P<0.05）. At week 4 of treatment， the experimental group had a significantly greater reduction in alanine aminotransferase than the control group （P<0.05）， and at week 8 after drug withdrawal， the experimental group had a significantly greater reduction in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase than the control group （all P<0.05）. One patient in the experimental group （1.12%） experienced an adverse event， which was determined to be associated with the progression of viral hepatitis. ConclusionShuganning injection can effectively improve liver injury， with good long-term efficacy and a low incidence rate of adverse reactions.

Owing to its inherent advantages—such as being non-destructive, rapid, highly molecule-specific, and minimally interfered with by moisture—Raman spectroscopy has been widely adopted in the fields of skin barrier function assessment, monitoring the transdermal penetration of active cosmetic ingredients, and the identification and quality control of cosmetic products. Despite these strengths, the practical application of this technique faces a significant bottleneck: the strong fluorescence background generated by endogenous skin components and exogenous cosmetic additives. Endogenous skin substances, such as structural proteins (e.g., collagen and elastin), metabolic coenzymes (e.g., nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and pigments (e.g., melanin), together with exogenous cosmetic constituents like organic colorants, chemical sunscreens, and fragrances, often possess strong absorption and emission characteristics. When excited by lasers, these components produce a fluorescence background that can be 10⁶ to 10⁸ times stronger than the Raman scattering signals, effectively masking the inherently weak vibrational fingerprint information. In recent years, driven by the rapid development of optoelectronic hardware and artificial intelligence algorithms, fluorescence suppression strategies have evolved from isolated, single-method approaches into comprehensive, multi-level synergistic systems. These systems are categorized into three distinct tiers: sample preparation, signal acquisition, and data processing. At the sample preparation level, techniques such as photobleaching and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are employed to eliminate or bypass the generation of fluorescence at the source. At the signal acquisition level, instrumental improvements—including the use of long-wavelength near-infrared excitation (typically 785 nm or 1 064 nm), confocal spatial filtering, and shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS)— are utilized to physically isolate Raman signals from the fluorescence background. Furthermore, at the data processing level, numerical baseline correction methods such as polynomial fitting, penalized least squares (e.g., airPLS, arPLS), wavelet transform, and derivative algorithms are increasingly integrated into the analytical pipeline to extract Raman spectral features from mixed signals without increasing hardware costs or acquisition time. This review provides a systematic categorization and critical evaluation of these fluorescence suppression methods, detailing their underlying principles, technical advantages, and inherent limitations in diverse experimental setups. By focusing on critical application scenarios—including skin barrier assessment, percutaneous absorption monitoring, the routine quality control of cosmetics, and the emerging field of portable on-site detection—this paper explores the current state of technique selection and optimization. Finally, the article discusses future development trends, emphasizing the necessity of constructing adaptive, tiered suppression strategies, developing intelligent and automated data processing algorithms, and promoting the integration of portable, multi-modal diagnostic devices. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive technical reference to facilitate the transition of Raman spectroscopy from a specialized laboratory tool into a routine, robust analytical platform for advancements in skin science and cosmetic research.

Objective The aim of the study is to analyze the incidence patterns and epidemiological characteristics of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in the Minhang and Jinshan districts of Shanghai, and provide evidence-based information for optimizing prevention and control measures. Methods We collected information from epidemic reports and epidemiological investigation forms for cases of parasitic and vector-borne diseases from 2005 to 2024 in Shanghai's Minhang and Jinshan districts. Descriptive epidemiological method were adopted to conduct a comparative analysis of incidence trends, epidemic characteristics, and infection sources. Results A total of 229 cases in 7 categories were reported between 2005 and 2024, with an average annual incidence rate of 0.36/100 000. The average annual incidence rate in Minhang District was significantly higher than that in Jinshan District. The most prevalent diseases were malaria and dengue fever, followed by Japanese encephalitis. Monthly case reports were available, predominantly from June to October, with a peak in July-August. A statistically significant difference was observed between the two districts in case distribution during June-October (P＜0.001), whereas no significant difference was found for July-August (P=0.331). The majority of cases were young men (111/229,48.47%), aged 20-39 years. Migrant workers/farmers constituted the largest occupational group (55/229, 24.02%). Registered residents of other provinces and cities (147/229,64.19%), and the main source of infection was overseas importation (112/229,48.91%). There were no statistically significant differences in gender and household-registration composition between the two districts (P＞0.05). Significant differences existed in age, occupation, and source of infection (P＜0.05). The imported diseases were malaria and dengue fever, with Africa and Southeast Asia being the primary source locations. Malaria was the predominant disease imported from other provinces and cities, with cases having been imported from abroad since 2012. Local infections were mainly Japanese encephalitis, followed by malaria (with the last local case reported in 2010). Cases between 2005 and 2009 were predominantly imported from other provinces and cities. The proportion of cases imported from abroad increased sharply after 2010, particularly in Minhang District. Local infections sometimes arise in Jinshan District, with Japanese encephalitis serving as the primary type. Conclusions Incidence rates of parasitic and vector-borne diseases in Minhang and Jinshan districts have generally remained low. To further reduce this disease burden, it will be necessary to strengthen joint measures for prevention and control, eliminate the environmental risk factors of vector organisms, enhance monitoring and precise control of the environment and inbound personnel to prevent the occurrence and transmission of parasitic and vector-borne diseases.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.

Accurate prediction of drug responses in cancer cell lines (CCLs) and transferable prediction of clinical drug responses using CCLs are two major tasks in personalized medicine. Despite the rapid advancements in existing computational methods for preclinical and clinical cancer drug response (CDR) prediction, challenges remain regarding the generalization of new drugs that are unseen in the training set. Herein, we propose a multimodal fusion deep learning (DL) model called drug-target and single-cell language based CDR (DTLCDR) to predict preclinical and clinical CDRs. The model integrates chemical descriptors, molecular graph representations, predicted protein target profiles of drugs, and cell line expression profiles with general knowledge from single cells. Among these features, a well-trained drug-target interaction (DTI) prediction model is used to generate target profiles of drugs, and a pretrained single-cell language model is integrated to provide general genomic knowledge. Comparison experiments on the cell line drug sensitivity dataset demonstrated that DTLCDR exhibited improved generalizability and robustness in predicting unseen drugs compared with previous state-of-the-art baseline methods. Further ablation studies verified the effectiveness of each component of our model, highlighting the significant contribution of target information to generalizability. Subsequently, the ability of DTLCDR to predict novel molecules was validated through in vitro cell experiments, demonstrating its potential for real-world applications. Moreover, DTLCDR was transferred to the clinical datasets, demonstrating satisfactory performance in the clinical data, regardless of whether the drugs were included in the cell line dataset. Overall, our results suggest that the DTLCDR is a promising tool for personalized drug discovery.

OBJECTIVE: The concept of constitution in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in both the prevention and treatment of insomnia. However, rigorous statistical evidence on the correlation between TCM constitutions-particularly mixed constitutions-and insomnia disorder remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between specific TCM constitutions and insomnia disorder. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Preventive Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, from November 2022 to December 2023. TCM constitutions were assessed using the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire. Insomnia disorder was diagnosed by experienced internal medicine physicians according to the criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition. A total of 1065 eligible participants (242 with insomnia disorder and 823 controls) were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Among the participants, 862 (80.94%) exhibited biased constitutions, with 75.30% of these having mixed constitutions. Logistic regression analysis revealed a negative association between the gentleness constitution and insomnia disorder, whereas qi-deficiency, yang-deficiency, phlegm-dampness and qi-depression constitutions were positively associated with insomnia disorder. These associations remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders and were further validated through sensitivity analysis using propensity score matching. CONCLUSION Significant associations between TCM constitutions and insomnia disorder were demonstrated. Future research should further investigate these relationships and explore the underlying mechanisms through rigorous longitudinal and interventional studies to improve understanding and clinical applications. Please cite this article as: Han Y, Wang Y, Shi MY, Liu Y, Cheng XD, Zhou Y. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine constitutions into insomnia management: Findings from a cross-sectional study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 382-389.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/therapy* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between eight serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and regional fat depots, we analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018 cycles. METHODS: Multiple linear regression models were developed to explore the associations between serum PFAS concentrations and six fat compositions along with a fat distribution score created by summing the concentrations of the six fat compositions. The associations between structurally grouped PFASs and fat distribution were assessed, and a prediction model was developed to estimate the ability of PFAS exposure to predict obesity risk. RESULTS: Among females aged 39-59 years, trunk fat mass was positively associated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Higher concentrations of PFOS, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorodecanoate (PFDeA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and n-perfluorooctanoate (n-PFOA) were linked to greater visceral adipose tissue in this group. In men, exposure to total perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) and long-chain PFSAs was associated with reductions in abdominal fat, while higher abdominal fat in women aged 39-59 years was associated with short-chain PFSAs. The prediction model demonstrated high accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9925 for predicting obesity risk. CONCLUSION PFAS exposure is associated with regional fat distribution, with varying effects based on age, sex, and PFAS structure. The findings highlight the potential role of PFAS exposure in influencing fat depots and obesity risk, with significant implications for public health. The prediction model provides a highly accurate tool for assessing obesity risk related to PFAS exposure.
Humans ; Fluorocarbons/blood* ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Environmental Pollutants/blood* ; Abdominal Fat ; Nutrition Surveys ; Alkanesulfonic Acids/blood* ; Obesity ; Environmental Exposure

OBJECTIVE: The role of cold spells of different intensities in the economic burden of death is crucial for health adaptation to climate change, especially in a multi-site setting. The objective of the study was to explore the economic burden of mortality attributable to cold spells. METHODS: We performed a two-stage time-series analysis using the Value of Statistical Life (VSL) approach to evaluate the economic impact of mortality related to cold spells of varying lengths and intensities. This analysis employed a case-crossover design, with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) used for analysis. Analysis was stratified according to age, sex, and region of origin. The results of the assessment show that cold spells have an enormous impact on the economic losses of mortality due to climate change and aging. RESULTS: Totally, 8.3% (95% CI: 0.0%, 16.0%) to 13.8% (95% CI: 1.0%, 24.8%) of VSL were ascribed to cold spells, accounting for economic losses of 4.71 (95% CI: 0.34, 8.47) to 11.45 (95% CI: 0.00, 21.00) billion CNY, in the cold season. The population aged over 65 y and females are particularly vulnerable. Economic impacts in warmer regions, such as the southern and subtropical zones, are more extensive than those in the northern and temperate zones. CONCLUSION Customizing cold spell prevention measures for vulnerable populations or regions is vital to alleviating the socioeconomic burden.
China/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Cold Temperature/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Mortality ; Infant ; Child ; Adolescent ; Child, Preschool ; Young Adult ; Climate Change ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cost of Illness ; Infant, Newborn

AIM To investigate the improvement effects of Poria cocos polysaccharides(PCPs)on mouse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).METHODS Forty-eight C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the blank group,the model group,the simvastatin group(4 mg/kg)and the high,medium and low dose PCPs groups(200,100 and 50 mg/kg),with 8 mice in each group.The NAFLD model was reproduced by 16 weeks feeding of high-fat and high-cholesterol diet,followed by 8 weeks administration of corresponding drug by gavage.The mice had their body mass and liver coefficient assessed;their levels of hepatic free fatty acid(FFA),and serum total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GT)and malondialdehyde(MDA)detected;their hepatic pathological changes and lipid deposition observed using HE staining,NAFLD activity score(NAS)and oil red O staining;and their hepatic protein expressions of Akt,mTOR,p-Akt,p-mTOR and SREBP-1c detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the model group demonstrated all increased body weight,liver coefficient,hepatic FFA level,and serum TC,TG,LDL-C,AST,ALT,γ-GT,MDA,IL-1β and TNF-α.levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased HDL-C level and activities of SOD and GSH-Px(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);more obvious hepatic pathological damage as revealed by increased NAS score(P＜0.01)and increased lipid deposition area(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with high or medium dose PCPs,or simvastatin displayed decreased body weight,liver coefficient,hepatic FFA level,and serum TC,TG,LDL-C,AST,ALT,γ-GT,MDA,IL-1β and TNF-α levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased HDL-C level and SOD,GSH-Px activities(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased hepatic pathological damage as revealed by the decreased NAS score and lipid deposition area(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and decreased hepatic protein expressions of p-Akt,p-mTOR and SREBP-1c protein(P＜0.05)as well.CONCLUSION PCPs can improve mouse NAFLD,and its mechanism may lie in their function in reversing abnormal lipid metabolism via Akt/mTOR/SREBP-1c signaling pathway.