ObjectiveAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitive behaviors. Previous studies have indicated that individuals with ASD exhibit early and lifelong attention deficits, which are closely related to the core symptoms of ASD. Basic visual attention processes may provide a critical foundation for their social communication and interaction abilities. Therefore, this study explores the behavior of children with ASD in capturing attention to changes in topological properties. MethodsOur study recruited twenty-seven ASD children diagnosed by professional clinicians according to DSM-5 and twenty-eight typically developing (TD) age-matched controls. In an attention capture task, we recorded the saccadic behaviors of children with ASD and TD in response to topological change (TC) and non-topological change (nTC) stimuli. Saccadic reaction time (SRT), visual search time (VS), and first fixation dwell time (FFDT) were used as indicators of attentional bias. Pearson correlation tests between the clinical assessment scales and attentional bias were conducted. ResultsThis study found that TD children had significantly faster SRT (P<0.05) and VS (P<0.05) for the TC stimuli compared to the nTC stimuli, while the children with ASD did not exhibit significant differences in either measure (P>0.05). Additionally, ASD children demonstrated significantly less attention towards the TC targets (measured by FFDT), in comparison to TD children (P<0.05). Furthermore, ASD children exhibited a significant negative linear correlation between their attentional bias (measured by VS) and their scores on the compulsive subscale (P<0.05). ConclusionThe results suggest that children with ASD have difficulty shifting their attention to objects with topological changes during change detection. This atypical attention may affect the child’s cognitive and behavioral development, thereby impacting their social communication and interaction. In sum, our findings indicate that difficulties in attentional capture by TC may be a key feature of ASD.

Objective: o analyze the epidemic characteristics of five sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including syphilis, gonorrhea, condyloma acuminatum, genital herpes and genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province from 2019 to 2023, so as to provide the reference for the prevention and control strategies of STDs. Methods: Data of the onset time and diagnostic types of STDs cases in Yangzhou City from 2019 to 2023 were collected from the Infectious Disease Surveillance System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The temporal, regional and population characteristics of five types of STDs was analyzed using the descriptive epidemiological method. Results: A total of 10 895 cases of STDs were reported in Yangzhou City from 2019 to 2023, with an average annual reported incidence rate of 47.83/105. The average annual reported incidence rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, condyloma acuminatum, genital herpes and genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections were 41.11/105, 2.83/105, 2.59/105, 0.43/105 and 0.85/105, respectively. The reported incidence rate of STDs showed a decreasing trend from 2019 to 2023 (P<0.05), with an average annual growth rate of -3.44%. The reported incidence rates of syphilis and gonorrhea showed a decreasing trend (both P<0.05), with average annual growth rates of -4.26% and -6.47%, respectively. The reported incidence rate of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection showed an increasing trend (P<0.05), with an average annual growth rate of 22.32%. Baoying County, Guangling District and Hanjiang District had the top three reported incidence rates of STDs, at 56.61/105, 55.61/105 and 46.50/105, respectively. The average annual reported incidence rate of STDs among males was higher than that among females (53.19/105 vs. 42.54/105, P<0.05). The STD cases were primarily people aged 50 years and above, with 6 641 cases accounting for 60.95%. The occupations of STD cases were mainly farmers, housekeepers and unemployed, with 4 670 and 3 273 cases accounting for 42.86% and 30.04%, respectively. Conclusions The overall reported incidence of STDs in Yangzhou City from 2019 to 2023 showed a downward trend, while the reported incidence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection showed an upward trend. The individuals aged 50 years and above, farmers, housekeepers and the unemployed were identified as high-risk groups for STDs.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a non-invasive, high temporal-resolution technique for monitoring brain activity. However, affected by the volume conduction effect, EEG has a low spatial resolution and is difficult to locate brain neuronal activity precisely. The surface Laplacian (SL) technique obtains the Laplacian EEG (LEEG) by estimating the second-order spatial derivative of the scalp potential. LEEG can reflect the radial current activity under the scalp, with positive values indicating current flow from the brain to the scalp (“source”) and negative values indicating current flow from the scalp to the brain (“sink”). It attenuates signals from volume conduction, effectively improving the spatial resolution of EEG, and is expected to contribute to breakthroughs in neural engineering. This paper provides a systematic overview of the principles and development of SL technology. Currently, there are two implementation paths for SL technology: current source density algorithms (CSD) and concentric ring electrodes (CRE). CSD performs the Laplace transform of the EEG signals acquired by conventional disc electrodes to indirectly estimate the LEEG. It can be mainly classified into local methods, global methods, and realistic Laplacian methods. The global method is the most commonly used approach in CSD, which can achieve more accurate estimation compared with the local method, and it does not require additional imaging equipment compared with the realistic Laplacian method. CRE employs new concentric ring electrodes instead of the traditional disc electrodes, and measures the LEEG directly by differential acquisition of the multi-ring signals. Depending on the structure, it can be divided into bipolar CRE, quasi-bipolar CRE, tripolar CRE, and multi-pole CRE. The tripolar CRE is widely used due to its optimal detection performance. While ensuring the quality of signal acquisition, the complexity of its preamplifier is relatively acceptable. Here, this paper introduces the study of the SL technique in resting rhythms, visual-related potentials, movement-related potentials, and sensorimotor rhythms. These studies demonstrate that SL technology can improve signal quality and enhance signal characteristics, confirming its potential applications in neuroscientific research, disease diagnosis, visual pathway detection, and brain-computer interfaces. CSD is frequently utilized in applications such as neuroscientific research and disease detection, where high-precision estimation of LEEG is required. And CRE tends to be used in brain-computer interfaces, that have stringent requirements for real-time data processing. Finally, this paper summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of SL technology and envisages its future development. SL technology boasts advantages such as reference independence, high spatial resolution, high temporal resolution, enhanced source connectivity analysis, and noise suppression. However, it also has shortcomings that can be further improved. Theoretically, simulation experiments should be conducted to investigate the theoretical characteristics of SL technology. For CSD methods, the algorithm needs to be optimized to improve the precision of LEEG estimation, reduce dependence on the number of channels, and decrease computational complexity and time consumption. For CRE methods, the electrodes need to be designed with appropriate structures and sizes, and the low-noise, high common-mode rejection ratio preamplifier should be developed. We hope that this paper can promote the in-depth research and wide application of SL technology.

Due to patient compliance and convenience, oral medication is likely the most common and acceptable method of drug administration. However, traditional dosage forms such as tablets or capsules may lead to low drug bioavailability and poor therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, with advancements in material science and micro/nano manufacturing technology, various carriers have been developed to enhance drug absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. In this context, we initially discuss the key biological factors that hinder drug transport and absorption (including anatomical, physical, and biological factors). Building on this foundation, recent progress in both conventional and innovative oral drug delivery routes aimed at improving drug bioavailability and targeting is reviewed. Finally, we explore future prospects for oral drug delivery systems as well as potential challenges in clinical translation.

BackgroundStudents in secondary vocational health school are at the age of puberty and prone to depressive symptoms. Peer victimization and social media addiction are found to be crucial in influencing the development of depression， and positive mental health has been proven to alleviate depressive symptoms， whereas there remains a striking lack of research on the mediating role of positive mental health and social media addiction in the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among secondary vocational health school students. ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms and investigate the mediating role of positive mental health and social media addiction， so as to provide references for the prevention of depression among secondary vocational health school students. MethodsFrom October to December 2020， a cluster sampling framework was utilized to recruit 7 307 students from a secondary vocational health school in Luzhou City， Sichuan Province. Assessments were performed using Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale （MPVS）， Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale （WEMWBS）， Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale （BSMAS） and Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale-9 item （PHQ-9）. Spearman correlation analysis was calculated to determine correlations between scores of scales， Process 4.0 was employed to test the mediation effect， and the bias-corrected Bootstrap procedure was used to test the significance of the mediation effect. ResultsA total of 7 044 （96.40%） valid questionnaires were collected. And 4 391（62.34%）students were found to have depressive symptoms. Correlation analysis revealed that PHQ-9 score was positively correlated with BSMAS score and MPVS score （r=0.404， 0.506， P<0.01）. WEMWBS score was negatively correlated with PHQ-9 score， BSMAS score and MPVS score （r=-0.587， -0.259， -0.358， P<0.01）. BSMAS score was positively correlated with MPVS score （r=0.328， P<0.01）. Positive mental health played a mediating role in the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms， with an indirect effect value of 0.130 （95% CI： 0.119~0.141）， accounting for 30.81% of the total effect. Social media addiction also mediated the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms， with an indirect effect value of 0.052 （95% CI： 0.045~0.059）， accounting for 12.34% of the total effect. Positive mental health and social media addiction exhibited a chained mediation effect on the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms， with an indirect effect value of 0.012 （95% CI： 0.010~0.014） and accounting for 2.84% of the total effect. ConclusionPeer victimization can affect the presence of depressive symptoms among secondary vocational health school students both directly and indirectly through either separate or chained mediation of positive mental health and social media addiction.

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor that has a high tendency to metastasis to the bone, leading to cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). Ghrelin can not only stimulate appetite and regulate energy balance, but also alleviate CIBP by inducing NPY expression. Octanoic acid (OA), a type of medium chain fatty acids, provides an energy substrate and promotes acylation of ghrelin. However, it remains to be elucidated whether an OA-rich diet can alleviate CIBP by activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Methods: First, thirty-six Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham, CIBP, CIBP + OA (20), CIBP + OA (40), CIBP + OA (60) and CIBP + OA (80) groups to investigate the effects of diets with different ratios of OA on CIBP and the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Next, a ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) inhibitor was exogenously administered to investigate whether an OA-rich diet alleviated CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Results: An OA-rich diet significantly alleviated nociceptive behaviors and increased the levels of acyl-ghrelin and NPY in a dose-dependent manner in cancer-bearing rats. With the exogenous administration of the GOAT inhibitor, the beneficial effects of an OA-rich diet on the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway and its pain-relieving effects were attenuated. Conclusions An OA-rich diet could alleviate CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acylghrelin/NPY pathway.

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor that has a high tendency to metastasis to the bone, leading to cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). Ghrelin can not only stimulate appetite and regulate energy balance, but also alleviate CIBP by inducing NPY expression. Octanoic acid (OA), a type of medium chain fatty acids, provides an energy substrate and promotes acylation of ghrelin. However, it remains to be elucidated whether an OA-rich diet can alleviate CIBP by activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Methods: First, thirty-six Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham, CIBP, CIBP + OA (20), CIBP + OA (40), CIBP + OA (60) and CIBP + OA (80) groups to investigate the effects of diets with different ratios of OA on CIBP and the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Next, a ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) inhibitor was exogenously administered to investigate whether an OA-rich diet alleviated CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Results: An OA-rich diet significantly alleviated nociceptive behaviors and increased the levels of acyl-ghrelin and NPY in a dose-dependent manner in cancer-bearing rats. With the exogenous administration of the GOAT inhibitor, the beneficial effects of an OA-rich diet on the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway and its pain-relieving effects were attenuated. Conclusions An OA-rich diet could alleviate CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acylghrelin/NPY pathway.

Compounds isolated from Epimedium include the total flavonoids of Epimedium , icariin, and its metabolites (icaritin, icariside I, and icariside II), which have similar molecular structures. Modern pharmacological research and clinical practice have proved that Epimedium and its active components have a wide range of pharmacological effects, especially in improving sexual function, hormone regulation, anti-osteoporosis, immune function regulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor activity. To date, we still need a comprehensive source of knowledge about the pharmacological effects of Epimedium and its bioactive compounds on the male reproductive system. However, their actions in other tissues have been reviewed in recent years. This review critically focuses on the Epimedium , its bioactive compounds, and the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that modulate vital pathways associated with the male reproductive system. Such intrinsic knowledge will significantly further studies on the Epimedium and its bioactive compounds that protect the male reproductive system and provide some guidances for clinical treatment of related male reproductive disorders.
Male ; Epimedium/chemistry* ; Humans ; Genitalia, Male/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/therapeutic use* ; Animals

A previous study showed that the length of the foreskin plays a role in the risk of sexually transmitted infections and chronic prostatitis, which can lead to poor quality of sexual life. Here, the association between foreskin length and sexual dysfunction was evaluated. A total of 5700 participants were recruited from the andrology clinic at The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, China). Clinical characteristics, including foreskin length, were collected, and sexual function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) questionnaires. Men with sexual dysfunction were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men without sexual dysfunction. Among the 2721 erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and 1064 premature ejaculation (PE) patients, 301 (11.1%) ED patients and 135 (12.7%) PE patients had redundant foreskin, respectively. Men in the PE group were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men in the non-PE group ( P = 0.004). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the presence of redundant foreskin was associated with increased odds of moderate/severe ED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.31, adjusted P = 0.04), moderate PE (aOR = 1.38, adjusted P = 0.02), and probable PE (aOR = 1.37, adjusted P = 0.03) after adjusting for confounding variables. Our study revealed a positive correlation between the presence of redundant foreskin and the risk of sexual dysfunction, especially in PE patients. Assessment of the length of the foreskin during routine clinical diagnosis may provide information for patients with sexual dysfunction.
Humans ; Male ; Foreskin ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Premature Ejaculation/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mediating role of sleep duration in the relationship between depression symptoms and myopia among middle school students. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional research conducted using a stratified cluster random sampling method. A total of 1 728 middle school students were selected from two junior high schools and two senior high schools in certain urban areas and farms of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Questionnaire surveys and vision tests were conducted among the students. Spearman analysis was used to analyze the correlation between depression symptoms, sleep duration, and myopia. The Bootstrap method was employed to investigate the mediating effect of sleep duration between depression symptoms and myopia. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia in the overall population was 74.02% (1 279/1 728), with an average sleep duration of (7.6±1.0) hours. The rate of insufficient sleep was 83.62% (1 445/1 728), and the proportion of students exhibiting depression symptoms was 25.29% (437/1 728). Correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between visual acuity in both eyes and sleep duration with depressive emotions as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (with correlation coefficients of -0.064, -0.084, and -0.199 respectively; P<0.01), as well as with somatic symptoms and activities (with correlation coefficients of -0.104, -0.124, and -0.233 respectively; P<0.01) and interpersonal relationships (with correlation coefficients of -0.052, -0.059, and -0.071 respectively; P<0.05). The correlation coefficients for left and right eye visual acuity and sleep duration were 0.206 and 0.211 respectively (P<0.001). Sleep duration exhibited a mediating effect between depression symptoms and myopia (indirect effect=0.056, 95%CI: 0.029-0.088), with the mediating effect value for females (indirect effect=0.066, 95%CI: 0.024-0.119) being higher than that for males (indirect effect=0.042, 95%CI: 0.011-0.081). CONCLUSIONS Sleep duration serves as a partial mediator between depression symptoms and myopia in middle school students.
Humans ; Myopia/etiology* ; Male ; Female ; Depression/physiopathology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sleep ; Adolescent ; Students ; Child ; Time Factors ; Sleep Duration