ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

Multiple sclerosis(MS)is a chronic central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease caused by autoim-mune diseases.Intermittent fasting(IF)is a dietary pattern with periodic energy limitation.Studies have shown that IF can delay the occurrence and development of MS and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis(EAE).Its mechanism of action includes repairing nerve damage,promoting myelin regeneration,regulating gut microbiota,and reversing immune inflammation.The use of IF can re-duce the severity,recurrence time,and lesion size of MS patients clinically,which brings new ideas for the treatment and prevention of MS.This article provides a review of the effects and mechanisms of IF in treating MS,with the aim of gaining new insights into the treatment of MS and providing reference for the application of IF in the treatment of MS patients.

Objective:To understand the coverage and information consistency rate of National Immunization Program (NIP) vaccines among children born during 2020-2021 in Zhejiang Province, Chongqing City, and Shanxi Province (3 provinces) of China .Methods:A simple random sampling method was used to randomly select 3 counties (districts) from each of the 3 provinces, 5 townships from each county (district), and 5 villages from each township. Vaccination information for seven NIP vaccines was collected for children born between 2020 and 2021 in each village. The vaccination coverage, timely coverage, and consistency rates between the survey data and the Immunization Planning Information System data were analyzed.Results:A total of 1 117 children were investigated. The vaccination coverage for each dose of NIP vaccine ranged from 99.10% to 100.00%, with those in Zhejiang Province, Chongqing City, and Shanxi Province ranging from 99.19% to 100.00%, 98.92% to 100.00%, and 99.20% to 100.00%, respectively. The timely coverage of each dose of NIP vaccine ranged from 89.79% to 99.82%, with those in Zhejiang Province, Chongqing City, and Shanxi Province ranging from 94.09% to 99.73%, 89.52% to 99.73%, and 78.55% to 100.00%, respectively. The consistency rate of information on each dose of NIP vaccine ranged from 94.36% to 99.91%, with those in Zhejiang Province, Chongqing City, and Shanxi Province ranging from 97.85% to 99.73%, 98.92% to 100.00%, and 86.06% to 100.00%, respectively.Conclusions:Coverage of NIP vaccines was generally high among children born during 2020-2021 in the 3 provinces of China, but there were regional differences in the timely coverage of some vaccine doses and the vaccination information consistency rate. It is necessary to strengthen the timely vaccination of children's vaccine booster doses and optimize the management of vaccination services.

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

Objective:This study aims to investigate the spillover effects of the Diagnosis-Related Groups payment reform on medical expenditures.Methods:Based on the medical record data of inpatients in a tertiary Grade A hospital in Wuhan,Hubei Province,the Difference-in-Differences method was applied to estimate the impact of the DRG reform on medical expenditures for non-local patients.Results:After the implementation of DRG payment,the total medical expenses(β=-0.13),out-of-pocket expenses(β=-0.22),drug expenses(β=-0.25),consumable expenses(β=-0.26)decreased significantly.Meanwhile,the reduction ranges of the level and proportion of out-of-pocket expenses for non-local inpatients were significantly larger than those for local inpatients.However,the reduction range of the proportion of drug expenses for non-local inpatients was significantly smaller than that for local inpatients.The gaps between the two groups in terms of the level of out-of-pocket expenses and the proportion of drug expenses gradually narrowed.Conclusion:The DRG payment reform has produced a significant spillover effect,leading to a decrease in the medical expense level and an improvement in the expense structure for non-local inpatients.However,the medical expenses of non-local inpatients remain relatively high.It is suggested to accelerate the inclusion of non-local inpatients in disease-specific payment management and strengthen the coordination between the hospital's internal operation management and the reform of medical insurance payment methods.

Objective To observe the association between afterschool physical exercise and sleep quality among preschool children,and to explore the proper afterschool physical exercise model for better sleep quality.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted.From Apr to Jun 2024,a total of 1 430 children from three public kindergartens in Minhang district were enrolled to participate in the survey.Parents were invited to complete the basic sociodemographic information,afterschool physical exercise information and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire.One-way ANOVA and linear mixed effects models were used to explore the relationship between afterschool exercise and sleep quality.Results A total of 1 430 questionnaires were sent out and 1 384 were recovered with a recovery rate of 96.78%.Among them 1 366 were valid,with an effective rate of 95.52%.The average age of the children was(5.19±0.87)years old with gender ration of 1.07∶1(male:female).The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 80.60%(regarding a CSHQ total score>41 as cutoff).A one-way ANOVA indicated that time on afterschool physical exercise was significantly associated with sleep duration,Night waking,and sleep onset delay(P<0.05).After adjusting for age,gender,the only child or not,main caregiver,and parental education and occupation,linear mixed effects models showed that engaging in afterschool physical activity for at least 180 mins per week has a statistically significant predictive effect on sleep duration scores(β=-0.50,z=-4.52,95%CI:-0.72,-0.28,P<0.001),night waking scores(β=-0.16,z=-2.34,95%CI:-0.29,-0.02,P=0.020),and sleep onset delay scores(β=-0.14,z=-2.35,95%CI:-0.26,-0.02,P=0.019).Conclusion Afterschool exercise was significantly associated with sleep quality among preschool children in Minhang district of Shanghai.The time≥180 min on afterschool exercise per week in preschool children was significantly positively associated with maintaining sleep duration,reducing night wakings and shortening the latency to fall asleep.The habit of afterschool exercise and the time on afterschool exercise should be emphasized by parents and the society to improve sleep quality among preschool children.

AIM:To observe the changes of atrial fibrillation susceptibility,and the remodeling of atrial myo-cyte action potential,ultrarapid activation delayed rectifier potassium current(IKur)and transient outward potassium cur-rent(Ito)in elderly mice,and to explore the mechanism of atrial fibrillation from the single cell electrophysiological level.METHODS:The C57BL/6J mice were divided into old group(20 months old)and young group(4 months old).Atrial fi-brillation was induced by esophageal atrial pacing.The atrial myocytes were isolated,and action potential and ion currents were recorded with patch-clamp technique.The associated proteins were detected by Western blot technique.RE-SULTS:(1)Compared with young mice,the total incidence of atrial fibrillation was significantly increased in old mice(20.0%at 4 months old vs 60.0%at 20 months old,P<0.01).(2)The action potential duration of atrial myocytes in aged mice was shortened,and more significantly after stimulation.(3)The density of Ito and IKur in atrial myocytes of aged mice increased significantly,from(12.6±1.4)pA/pF to(21.7±1.1)pA/pF,and from(7.5±1.5)pA/pF to(13.3±2.1)pA/pF,respectively(P<0.01).After stimulation,the current increased more significantly,especially in older atrial cells.Compared with the young mice,the steady-state activation curve of Ito in the atrial myocytes of the aged mice shifted towards the depolarization,suggesting that activation of Ito channels in the aged mice increased at the same voltage stimula-tion.(4)Compared with young group,the expression of KV4.2(generating Ito)and KV1.5(generating IKur)proteins in the atrial tissue of the mice in old group was significantly increased,and the expression of caveolin-3 and end-binding protein 1(EB1)was up-regulated,suggesting that the increases in KV4.2 and KV1.5 total channel proteins and effective proteins in the cell membrane might contribute to the increase in the remodeling of potassium currents in the elderly atrial myo-cytes.CONCLUSION:The incidence of atrial fibrillation in elderly mice is significantly augmented,which may be related to the increases in Ito and IKur in atrial myocytes.The remodeling of potassium currents in elderly atrial myocytes is one of the electrophysiological bases leading to the shortening of action potential duration and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation.

Objective To investigate the relationships of the expression of microRNA-487a-3p (miR-487a-3p) and A kinase-interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) mRNA in the endometrial cancer (EC) tissue with the patient survival within 5 years after surgery. Methods The EC tissue and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected from 130 EC patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Shijiazhuang from September 2016 to April 2019.qRT-PCR was employed to determine the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA.The patients were followed up for 5 years after surgery to record the survival status.After removal of the patients who missed follow-up,78 surviving patients were recorded as the EC survival group,and 34 deceased patients were recorded as the EC death group.The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the targeting relationship between miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA.Comparison was conducted for the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA between adjacent normal tissue and EC tissue,the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA in the EC tissue among patients with different clinical pathological parameters,and the clinical pathological parameters and the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA in the EC tissue between the EC survival group and the EC death group.The correlations of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA levels in the EC tissue with the degree of tumor differentiation,International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion were analyzed.The relationships of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA with patient prognosis and the risk factors affecting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery were analyzed to evaluate the value of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA levels in predicting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after survival. Results The EC tissue showed lower miR-487a-3p level (0.41±0.08 vs. 1.00±0.05;t=71.306,P<0.001) and higher AKIP1 mRNA level (2.35±0.37 vs. 1.00±0.03;t=41.465,P<0.001) than the adjacent normal tissue.The miR-487a-3p low expression group and AKIP1 mRNA high expression group had higher proportions of patients with low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,and deep invasion of muscle layer than the miR-487a-3p high expression group and AKIP1 mRNA low expression group,respectively (all P<0.05).The results of dual luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the relative activity of luciferase in the miR-487a-3p small interfering RNA (siRNA)+AKIP1 mRNA-wild type (WT) group was higher than that in the miR-487a-3p empty vector+AKIP1 mRNA-WT group (2.85±0.19 vs. 1.00±0.04;t=23.339,P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the relative activity of luciferase between the miR-487a-3p empty vector+AKIP1 mRNA-mutant type (MUT) group and the miR-487a-3p siRNA+AKIP1 mRNA-MUT group (1.04±0.05 vs. 1.05±0.03;t=0.420,P=0.683).MiR-487a-3p in the EC tissue had negative correlations with AKIP1 mRNA,FIGO stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion and a positive correlation with the degree of tumor differentiation (all P<0.001).AKIP1 mRNA had positive correlations with FIGO stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion and a negative correlation with the degree of tumor differentiation (all P<0.001).The 5-year overall survival rates in the miR-487a-3p high expression group and AKIP1 mRNA low expression group (89.47% and 84.91%) were higher than those in the miR-487a-3p low expression group and AKIP1 mRNA high expression group (49.09% and 55.93%),respectively (both P<0.05).The EC death group had higher proportions of patients with low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,and deep invasion of muscle layer,higher AKIP1 mRNA level in the EC tissue,and lower miR-487a-3p level than the EC survival group (all P<0.05).Low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,deep invasion of muscle layer,low miR-487a-3p level,and high AKIP1 mRNA level were independent risk factors for the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery (all P<0.05).The area under curve (AUC) values of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA alone (0.785 and 0.789,respectively) were lower than that of their combination (0.908) in predicting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery (both P<0.05). Conclusion The EC tissue has a low miR-487a-3p level and a high AKIP1 mRNA level,both of which are correlated with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis and can be used to predict the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery.
Humans ; Female ; Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; RNA, Messenger/genetics* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Survival Rate ; Nuclear Proteins

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the causal association between circulating levels of zinc, magnesium, and other minerals and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed using summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies of European populations, including 18 382 ASD cases and 27 969 controls. Genetic data for iron, calcium, and magnesium were obtained from the UK Biobank, and data for zinc and selenium were sourced from an Australian-British cohort. A total of 351 genetic instrumental variables were selected. Causal inference was performed using inverse-variance weighting as the primary analysis method. Sensitivity analyses were performed by Cochran's Q test and MR-PRESSO global test to assess the robustness of the findings. RESULTS: No statistically significant causal effect was observed for circulating zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, or iron levels on ASD risk (all P>0.05). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from the inverse-variance weighting analysis were 0.934 (0.869-1.003) for zinc, 1.315 (0.971-1.850) for magnesium, 1.055 (0.960-1.159) for calcium, 1.015 (0.953-1.080) for selenium, and 0.946 (0.687-1.303) for iron. Sensitivity analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in the causal association between circulating calcium and ASD (P=0.006), while the effect estimate remained stable after MR-PRESSO correction (P=0.487). The causal effect estimates for the remaining minerals demonstrated good robustness. CONCLUSIONS This study did not find significant evidence supporting a causal association between circulating zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, or iron levels and ASD risk, providing important clues for the etiology of ASD and precision nutritional interventions.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/genetics* ; Magnesium/blood* ; Zinc/blood* ; Minerals/blood* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Selenium/blood*

BACKGROUND: The association of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) with prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients has never been investigated in a large sample with long-term follow-up. This study aimed to explore the association of SIRI with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a nationally representative sample of CAD patients from United States. METHODS: A total of 3386 participants with CAD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018 were included in this study. Cox proportional hazards model, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were performed to investigate the association of SIRI with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Piece-wise linear regression and sensitivity analyses were also performed. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.7 years, 1454 all-cause mortality occurred. After adjusting for confounding factors, higher lnSIRI was significantly associated with higher risk of all-cause (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23) and CVD mortality (HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.05-1.30) but not cancer mortality (HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.99-1.38). The associations of SIRI with all-cause and CVD mortality were detected as J-shaped with threshold values of 1.05935 and 1.122946 for SIRI, respectively. ROC curves showed that lnSIRI had robust predictive effect both in short and long terms. CONCLUSIONS SIRI was independently associated with all-cause and CVD mortality, and the dose-response relationship was J-shaped. SIRI might serve as a valid predictor for all-cause and CVD mortality both in the short and long terms.