The invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) is a method that involves implanting microelectrodes into brain tissue to collect neural electrical signals. The signals obtained through this method are often of high precision and relatively stable. However, the chronic fibrotic reaction resulting from long-term implantation can significantly impair the quality of the collected brain electrical signals. Therefore, ensuring the long-term stability of signal acquisition is a major challenge in the development of invasive BCI. This paper systematically reviews the formation mechanisms of fibrosis at the electrode interface, elaborating on the progression from acute inflammatory responses to the development of chronic glial scars and the formation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). It introduces the roles, advantages, and disadvantages of three anti-fibrosis strategies: material and surface optimization, drug and biological factor intervention, and integration of immune regulation and tissue engineering. This paper also evaluates their practical effects and limitations in animal and human clinical applications. Finally, it highlights the importance of establishment of standardized follow-up recording mechanisms in ensuring the long-term reliability and stability of invasive BCIs, providing references and insights for future in-depth interface optimization and clinical translation.

Dry eye disease is a chronic ocular surface disorder of multifactorial origin, characterized by a loss of tear film homeostasis and associated with a range of ocular discomfort symptoms. Growing evidence underscores a significant bidirectional relationship between dry eye and depression: individuals with dry eye disease exhibit a higher prevalence of depressive disorders, and conversely, those diagnosed with depression demonstrate an increased susceptibility to developing dry eye. This interplay is mediated through several pathophysiological pathways, such as chronic inflammation, cerebral functional alterations, gut microbiome dysregulation, and sleep disturbances, which may collectively sustain a vicious cycle. The use of antidepressant therapy introduces further complexity, exerting heterogeneous effects on dry eye—some agents may offer symptomatic relief, whereas others can aggravate ocular surface impairment. The mechanisms responsible for these differential outcomes remain incompletely elucidated and merit further investigation. This review systematically consolidates epidemiological data on the dry eye-depression link, examines potential shared pathological mechanisms, and evaluates current therapeutic options. We propose an integrated management approach that combines conventional dry eye treatments, such as traditional Chinese medicine, electroacupuncture, physical activity and antidepressants—a multimodal strategy that may yield synergistic benefits in alleviating both ocular and affective symptoms, thereby improving overall quality of life. Moving forward, research should focus on deciphering the underlying mechanistic pathways and facilitating the translation of these insights into clinical practice to inform targeted, combined treatment regimens for patients with dry eye and depression.

Objective To investigate the effect of berberine and its mechanism in delaying silica-induced lung injury via network pharmacology and molecular docking, followed by verification with animal experiments. Methods i) Targets of berberine and silicosis were obtained from multiple databases, and the common targets were identified. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed on the common targets via the DAVID database. Molecular docking was conducted using AutoDock software for validation. ii) Specific pathogen-free Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, with six rats in each group. Rats in the model group, pirfenidone group, and low- and high-dose berberine groups received a single non-exposure intratracheal instillation of 1.00 mL silica suspension at a mass concentration of 100 g/L, whereas rats in the control group received an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Rats in the pirfenidone group were administered with pirfenidone solution at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight, and rats in the low- and high-dose berberine groups were administered with berberine solutions at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The remaining two groups received equal volumes of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. All treatments were administered by gavage once daily for 28 consecutive days from 24 hours after silica exposure. After intervention, rats in each group were sacrificed. Histopathological changes in lung tissues were observed, and the lung organ coefficient was detected. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected by colorimetry. Serum inflammatory cytokine were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of fibrosis markers in lung tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The protein expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) in lung tissues was determined by Western blot. Results i) Network pharmacology analysis identified 46 potential targets. The core targets included AKT1, tumor protein p53, caspase-3, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and albumin. GO enrichment analysis revealed that the targets related to the anti-fibrotic effect of berberine against silicosis were mainly enriched in biological processes including signal transduction, negative regulation of apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, and response to reactive oxygen species. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that berberine exerted anti-silicosis effects through multiple signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/AKT pathway, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 pathway, and advanced glycation end product (AGE)-receptor for AGE pathway. ii) Histopathological examination revealed that rats in the model group presented typical pulmonary fibrotic lesions. Pathological lung injury of rats was alleviated in all three intervention groups (pirfenidone group, low- and high-dose berberine group) compared with the model group. The improvement in the high-dose berberine group was superior to that in the low-dose berberine group and was comparable with that in the pirfenidone group. rats in the model group showed increased lung organ coefficient, serum MDA, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (all P<0.05), as well as increased expression of typeⅠcollagen (COLⅠ), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and PI3K, and p-AKT/AKT ratio in lung tissues (all P<0.05) when compared with the control group. The above indicators were lower in rats in both the low- and high-dose berberine groups than those in the model group (all P<0.05). Serum MDA, IL-1β, and TNF-α, as well as relative expression of COLⅠ and α-SMA in lung tissues, were lower in the high-dose berberine group than in the low-dose berberine group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Berberine may alleviate pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in rats through regulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby delaying the progression of silicosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of operation mode,thickness,and number of implanted electrode leads on tricuspid regurgitation.Methods This was a single-center retrospective study.Patients who received their first cardiac implantable electronic device at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2019 to January 2024 and were followed up within(10±4)months were continuously enrolled.General clinical data,preoperative and outpatient follow-up echocardiography,and other indicators were collected.According to the different operation modes,patients were divided into delivery sheath group,support wire group,and delivery sheath combined support wire group.Under the premise of only one electrode wire crossing the tricuspid valve,according to the different thicknesses of the electrode wire,they were divided into 3830 69 group(4.1 F),5076 58/Solia S60 group(7 F),and 6935M-65cm defibrillator group(9 F).The number of electrode wires was divided into 3830 69 subgroup and 6935M-65cm defibrillator subgroup under the premise of balanced operation mode and electrode material.The changes in tricuspid valve regurgitation were compared in each group.Results A total of 219 patients,aged(65.92±12.04)years,were enrolled.There was no difference in tricuspid valve regurgitation in the 6935M-65cm defibrillator subgroup before implantation(all P＞0.05).In the 3830 69 subgroup,there was a higher proportion of severe regurgitation in the two-electrode group before implantation(P=0.013).In comparison with the change in tricuspid valve regurgitation before electrode wire implantation and during follow-up,the regurgitation of the tricuspid valve in the 6935M-65cm defibrillator subgroup with≥2 electrodes was unexpectedly improved compared to that in the group with one electrode,and the regurgitation of the valve in the group with one electrode was more severe than that in the group with ≥ 2 electrodes implantation(P=0.019).Conclusions The operation mode and thickness of the implanted electrode lead did not cause significant differences in tricuspid valve regurgitation.Single implantation of a 6935M-65cm defibrillator electrode will lead to increased tricuspid regurgitation,and the effect brought by combination with physiological pacing will offset the adverse effects of electrode leads on the valve,providing directional evidence for future implantation strategy selection.

AIM:To investigate the efficacy and safety of checkpoint inhibitor lenvatinib combined with Tirelizumab in the treatment of advanced he-patocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS:A retro-spective analysis was performed on 52 patients with advanced HCC treated with Renvatinib,tirelli-zumab or their combination from January 2021 to December 2022 in Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University,with disease progression,death and intolerance as endpoints.Efficacy was as-sessed according to RECIST 1.1 criteria and follow-up was conducted up to June 2023.The main end-points of the study were objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),progression-free survival,PFS)and security.RESULTS:The combina-tion therapy significantly improved ORR and mPFS in patients compared with tirelizumab or lenvatinib monotherapy.Compared with single tirellizumab or lenvastinib,there was no significant difference in the adverse reactions associated with the combina-tion treatment,suggesting that the combination of the two was generally well tolerated and the side effects are controllable.CONCLUSION:Lonvastinib combined with tirelizumab is more effective in the treatment of HCC,can significantly prolong PFS,and is generally well tolerated,which may be a po-tential treatment for advanced HCC.

Objective To develop a novel protective ventilator circuit component and to verify its performance by water seal and anti-splash experiments.Methods A novel protective ventilator circuit component had a design scheme with the multifunctional joint,and consisted of a tee connection tube,an isolation sleeve and a stop sleeve,of which,the tee connection tube was made of polyethylene polymer material and the others were made of silicone material.The tee connection tube had a T-shaped structure with two standard connection ports,which was composed of an adapter,a sealing cap,a plug and a sealing ring;the isolation sleeve was in the shape of a cylinder with a raised bottom,which was inserted into the adapter;the stop sleeve was located in the isolation sleeve,with an inverted frustum of a cone at the bottom and a rounded hole in the middle of the inverted frustum.An open ventilator circuit tube was involved in the performance verification of the circuit component developed.In the water seal experiment,sputum aspiration was simulated and the heights of the liquid level drop in the L-shaped tubes were compared after sputum aspiration.In the anti-splash experiment,the infection rates on the surfaces of the sterile hole towels and gloves were calculated.Results Water seal experiment showed after sputum aspiration the open ventilator circuit tube had the liquid level at the L-shaped tube higher significantly than that of the circuit component;the anti-splash experiment indicated sputum aspiration resulted in the occurance of the splashing out of the secretion and 77.5%infection rate by the open ventilator circuit tube,while no splashing out and 0%infection rate by the circuit component developed.Conclusion The novel protective ventilator circuit component behaves well in sealing and anti-splashing,and thus is worthy of clinical application for sputum aspiration.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):113-117]

The working principle of Bausch&Lomb BL11110 phacoemulsification system was described.Three cases of typical faults of the phacoemulsification system were introduced,and the causes were analyzed,then the maintenance measures were given accordingly.References were provided for diagnosing and eliminating the faults of the phacoemulsification system.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):118-120]

Objective:To establish a method for the determination of 2-amino-5-chloro-N, 3-dimethylbenzamide in blood by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) .Methods:In October 2022, 200 μl of blood samples were taken and 800 μl of acetonitrile was added. The samples were centrifuged at 3500 r/min (with a centrifugation radius of 6.6 cm) for 15 minutes. The supernatant was detected in the positive ion target tandem mass spectrometry (Target MS 2) mode and quantified by the external standard method. Methodological validation was also carried out for the established method. Results:The working curve of 2-amino-5-chloro-N, 3-dimethylbenzamide showed good linearity in the concentration range of 2.07-165.44 μg/L, with a correlation coefficient ( r) of 0.9994. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations ( RSD) for the detection of 2-amino-5-chloro-N, 3-dimethylbenzamide were 2.6%-3.0% and 3.1%-3.5%, respectively. Analytical accuracy of 2-amino-5-chloro-N, 3-dimethylbenzamide quantification ranged from 101.0 % to 108.4 %, and the limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.11 μg/L and 0.36 μg/L, respectively. The blood samples were able to be stored at -20 ℃ for at least 7 days. Conclusion:The UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS determination method is sensitive, efficient and accurate, and can be used for the determination of 2-amino-5-chloro-N, 3-dimethylbenzamide in blood.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of serum galectin-9 (Gal-9) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) or clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) .Methods:This cross-sectional study included 105 newly diagnosed patients with DM or CADM who were admitted to the Department of Dermatology in Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from January 2015 to October 2024, among whom 53 had cancer-associated DM/CADM (CRDM). Additionally, an age-matched control group was included, consisting of 30 newly diagnosed cancer patients without autoimmune diseases, 27 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and 31 healthy controls. Serum levels of Gal-9 and transcriptional intermediary factor 1-gamma (TIF1-γ) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationship between Gal-9 levels and laboratory indicators of DM disease activity was analyzed. Comparisons between different groups were performed using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the association between Gal-9 levels and laboratory indicators. The diagnostic efficacy of Gal-9 and TIF1-γ for CRDM was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results:Among the 105 DM/CADM patients, 35 were male (33.3%) and 70 were female (66.7%), with a mean age of 53.2 ± 15.1 years. In the 53 CRDM patients, the incidence rates of V-neck sign, dyschromia, and dysphagia were higher than those in non-CRDM patients (all P > 0.05). Serum Gal-9 levels in DM/CADM patients (21.2 [12.2, 32.3] ng/ml) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (6.8 [5.4, 7.9] ng/ml, P < 0.001), SLE patients (12.3 [8.1, 15.5] ng/ml, P = 0.011), and cancer patients without autoimmune diseases (7.5 [4.9, 8.5] ng/ml, P < 0.001). Gal-9 levels were positively correlated with serum TIF1-γ antibody levels ( rs = 0.21, P = 0.029), serum ferritin ( rs = 0.29, P = 0.003), lactate dehydrogenase ( rs = 0.44, P < 0.001), creatine kinase ( rs = 0.28, P = 0.004), aspartate aminotransferase ( rs = 0.42, P < 0.001), C-reactive protein ( rs = 0.34, P < 0.001), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( rs = 0.46, P < 0.001). Among CRDM patients, those who had not received cancer treatment had higher Gal-9 levels (30.1 [23.3, 38.3] ng/ml) than those in stable condition after cancer treatment (13.5 [10.5, 27.9] ng/ml, P = 0.007). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for serum TIF1-γ in diagnosing CRDM was 0.718, with an optimal cutoff value of 23.02 U/ml. The AUC for serum Gal-9 was 0.719, with an optimal cutoff value of 55.02 ng/ml. When combining both markers, the AUC increased to 0.783, with a sensitivity of 0.85 and specificity of 0.74. Conclusions:Gal-9 was highly expressed in serum of DM/CADM patients, particularly in CRDM patients. Dynamic monitoring of Gal-9 in CRDM patients may be helpful to monitor the therapeutic effect of malignancies.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy technique (RVIAT) versus traditional median sternotomy (MS) for ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair in infants weighing ≤5 kg.The study further investigates the safety and feasibility of these two surgical approaches.Methods:Retrospective case-series study.Three hundred and fourteen children weighing no more than 5 kg who received VSD repair in Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from January 2020 to June 2024 were analysized.Of these children, 252 cases who underwent RVIAT were included in the RVIAT group, and 62 cases who received traditional MS were classified as the MS group.Clinical data such as day age, body mass, the VSD type and diameter were compared between the 2 groups.The operation time, extracorporeal circulation time, block and postoperative mechanical ventilation time, intensive care unit (ICU) treatment time, 24-hour postoperative chest drainage volume and intraoperative bleeding, postoperative secondary intubation, and cardiac arrhythmia of the 2 groups of patients were recorded.Children with unstable blood pressure and active bleeding after taking vasoactive and hemostatic drugs underwent a secondary surgery.The peak airway pressure, oxygenation index, and lung dynamic compliance of the 2 groups of children were recorded before chest opening, immediately after surgery, and 24 hours after surgery. t test, χ2 test and rank sum test were used to compare the clinical data, perioperative results, complications and lung function data of the two groups. Results:(1) No significant differences were observed between the two groups in gender, age, body mass, VSD type and diameter, preoperative pneumonia, and mechanical ventilation rate (all P>0.05).(2) One-stage VSD repair was successfully completed in all cases.In the MS group, 1 infant required a secondary surgery for pericardial tamponade due to excessive bleeding.In the RVIAT group, 1 case necessitated a secondary surgery for third-degree atrioventricular block.Two cases in the MS group and 3 cases in the RVIAT group suffered postoperative arrhythmia, all of who supplemented electrolytes, received a secondary surgery to remove patches and adjust suture positions, and took antiarrhythmic drugs to restore sinus rhythm.(3) The operation time [(137.4±9.1) minutes], hospital stay [(8.2±2.1) days], postoperative mechanical ventilation time [8.0 (6.0, 13.0) hours], postoperative ICU stay [2.9 (2.0, 3.6) days], 24-hour postoperative chest drainage volume [(11.3±1.2) mL], intraoperative bleeding [(11.6±1.2) mL], and hospital costs [(70±7) thousand yuan], the postoperative incidence of incision infection [0.4%(1/252)] and the postoperative incidence of sternal malformation (0) in the RVIAT group were significantly lower than those in the MS group [(151.9±20.2) minutes, (13.1±1.7) days, 12.0 (9.0, 15.0) hours, 2.9 (2.5, 3.7) days, (14.3±1.6) mL, (15.8±2.0) mL, (78±4) thousand yuan, 4.8%(3/62), and 4.8%(3/62), respectively] (all P<0.05).There was no significant difference in extracorporeal circulation time, aortic occlusion time, postoperative arrhythmia rate, residual shunt, and atelectasis between the two groups (all P>0.05).(4) The peak airway pressure, oxygenation index and lung dynamic compliance before chest opening, immediately after surgery, and 24 hours after surgery did not differ significantly between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:In infants with low body mass (≤5 kg), RVIAT for VSD repair offers good exposure through a small incision, capable of reducing operation time, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative hospital stay, and hospital costs, and facilitating faster recovery.With high safety and effects, RVIAT can be considered as a viable alternative to MS.