Objective To explore the effect of exercise-induced fatigue on intra-and interhemispher-ic functional connectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.Meth-ods Twenty-four healthy adult males(age:21.6±2.2 years;all right-side dominant)were selected as participants for the study.They ran on a treadmill at an individualized constant speed until fatigue.Fatigue was determined when all the following criteria were met:(1)participants failing to maintain the individualized constant speed despite the strong verbal encouragement from the experimenters;(2)reaching a rating of perceived exertion(RPE)score of at least 19;and(3)their heart rate reaching 90%of their age-predicted maximal heart rate(220-age).Moreover,EEG signals from four channels(C1,C2,C3,and C4)of the primary motor cortex were collected during unilateral ankle dorsi-plan-tarflexion movements before and after fatigue,followed by EEG coherence analyses on the collected da-ta.Results Compared to the pre-fatigue state,the coherence values of the intra-hemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pairs C1-C3 and C2-C4 during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion decreased significantly in the alpha and gamma bands after fatigue(both P<0.05).Conversely,the value of the interhemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pair C1-C2 increased significantly in the beta band(P<0.05).Conclusion Exercise-induced fatigue significantly weakens the intra-hemispheric functional con-nectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.However,it may en-hance the interhemispheric functional connectivity and potentially collaborate to strengthen the regula-tion of fatigued muscles.

Objective To explore the effect of exercise-induced fatigue on intra-and interhemispher-ic functional connectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.Meth-ods Twenty-four healthy adult males(age:21.6±2.2 years;all right-side dominant)were selected as participants for the study.They ran on a treadmill at an individualized constant speed until fatigue.Fatigue was determined when all the following criteria were met:(1)participants failing to maintain the individualized constant speed despite the strong verbal encouragement from the experimenters;(2)reaching a rating of perceived exertion(RPE)score of at least 19;and(3)their heart rate reaching 90%of their age-predicted maximal heart rate(220-age).Moreover,EEG signals from four channels(C1,C2,C3,and C4)of the primary motor cortex were collected during unilateral ankle dorsi-plan-tarflexion movements before and after fatigue,followed by EEG coherence analyses on the collected da-ta.Results Compared to the pre-fatigue state,the coherence values of the intra-hemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pairs C1-C3 and C2-C4 during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion decreased significantly in the alpha and gamma bands after fatigue(both P<0.05).Conversely,the value of the interhemispheric primary motor cortex electrode pair C1-C2 increased significantly in the beta band(P<0.05).Conclusion Exercise-induced fatigue significantly weakens the intra-hemispheric functional con-nectivity of the primary motor cortex during unilateral ankle plantar-dorsiflexion.However,it may en-hance the interhemispheric functional connectivity and potentially collaborate to strengthen the regula-tion of fatigued muscles.

Objective To investigate the effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation(HD-tDCS)on the modulation of the H-reflex and M-wave during ankle dorsiflexion-plantar flexion fatigue tasks to provide direction for the application of HD-tDCS in mitigating neuromuscular fatigue.Methods Twenty healthy young male participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the real stimulation or sham stimulation group,with 10 participants in each group.The intervention consisted of a 5-day single-blind HD-tDCS application(duration:20 min;intensity:2 mA;target:Cz).Baseline measurements of the H-reflex and M-wave under resting conditions,M-wave during maximal voluntary isometric contraction(MVIC)of the dorsiflexor muscle,and MVIC torque of the dorsiflexor and plantar flexor muscles were obtained.An ankle dorsiflexion fatigue task was performed to determine the time to achieve fatigue for the task.The same fatigue task was repeated and evaluated one day after the intervention.A repeated-measures two-factor(stimulation condition x pre/post fatigue)analysis of variance(ANOVA)was used to analyze the effects of independent variables on the mechanical properties of the muscles and α-motoneuron conduction characteristics.Results After fatigue,voluntary activation(VA),maximal H-reflex(Hmax),maximal M-wave(Mmax),and dorsiflexor and plantar flexor MVIC torques in both groups were significantly reduced compared with pre-fatigue levels(P＜0.05).However,compared to the real stimulation group,the sham stimulation group showed a more significant decline in VA and plantar flexor MVIC torque(P＜0.05).Conclusions A continuous 5-day HD-tDCS intervention can effectively increase α-motoneuron activity at the spinal segment.It can also exert an inhibitory effect on reducing information transmission capacity at the peripheral neuromuscular junction under the ankle dorsi-plantarflexion fatigue task.

Objective:To investigate the activation level of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) in the bile of patients with choledocholithiasis and its clinical significance.Methods:From May 2021 to October 2022, 130 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) at the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled. The patients were divided into choledocholithiasis group (90 cases) and non-choledocholithiasis group (40 cases), and the choledocholithiasis group was further divided into large stone group (maximum diameter >1 cm, 36 cases) and small stone group (maximum diameter≤1 cm, 54 cases). The bile samples were collected from 130 patients during operation and 16 choledocholithiasis patients with nasobiliary drainage at 24 h after operation.The levels of myeloperoxidase(MPO), neutrophilelastase(NE), and citrullinated histone H3(CitH3) in bile were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The levels of MPO, NE, and CitH3 were compared between choledocholithiasis group and non-choledocholithiasis group, between large stone group and small stone group, as well as between choledocholithiasis patients before ERCP and after ERCP. Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 in the bile of choledocholithiasis group were 32.6 U/L(28.5 U/L), 30.6 ng/L(35.2 ng/L) and 0.37 μg/L(0.73 μg/L), respectively, which were all higher than those of non-choledocholithiasis group (19.9 U/L(36.4 U/L), 18.2 ng/L(27.4 ng/L), and 0.10 μg/L(0.25 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=2.91, 3.20 and 3.34; P=0.004, 0.001 and 0.001). The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 of large stone group were 47.0 U/L(49.4 U/L), 48.4 ng/L(39.5 ng/L) and 0.83 μg/L(1.08 μg/L), respectively, which were all higher than those of small stone group (29.3 U/L(17.5 U/L), 24.0 ng/L(25.8 ng/L), and 0.27 μg/L(0.45 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=2.01, 3.58 and 3.63; P=0.044, <0.001 and <0.001). The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 in the bile of choledocholithiasis patients after ERCP significantly decreased compare with those before ERCP (19.4 U/L(19.8 U/L) vs. 33.6 U/L(36.7 U/L), 12.7 ng/L(15.1 ng/L) vs. 22.7 ng/L(25.9 ng/L), 0.05 μg/L(0.12 μg/L) vs. 0.14 μg/L(0.27 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=3.52, 3.30 and 3.18; all P<0.001). Conclusion:The activation level of NET in the bile of patients with choledocholithiasis increase, while the activation level of NET decrease after ERCP, which indicate that NET may be involved in the formation of choledocholithiasis.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world today. Atherosclerosis （AS） is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by thickening or functional degeneration of the arterial wall， and in the later stage of the disease， plaque ruptures to induce thrombosis， which in turn causes ischemia in tissues or organs. It is therefore the pathological basis for all types of cardiovascular diseases. Nuclear transcription factor kappa B （NF-κB）， an important nuclear transcription factor in the inflammatory response， is activated to mediate the transcription of inflammatory factors that can trigger or exacerbate the development of AS. Vascular endothelial cells are activated by inflammatory factors. NF-κB mediates related regulatory genes in endothelial cells to secrete adhesion molecules， chemokines， and coagulation factors， promotes selective aggregation of monocytes， up-regulates the expression of adhesion molecules to make adhesion molecules stick to the endothelium and move toward the intima， promotes the degradation of the extracellular matrix， and forms unstable plaques. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has achieved certain results in the prevention and treatment of AS， and many Chinese medicines have been proved to be effective in resisting AS and can act on multiple targets in the human body， affecting the occurrence and development of AS in different links. This paper mainly introduced the NF-κB pathway and its relationship with AS， reviewed research progress on 75 components of different types in Chinese medicine monomers such as flavonoids， terpenoids， and alkaloids in AS resistance based on the NF-κB pathway， and found that Chinese medicine monomers mainly regulate cholesterol balance， inhibit the inflammatory response， reduce cell proliferation， inhibit intercellular adhesion， and suppress foam cell formation by regulating the NF-κB pathway to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of AS.

Radiation pneumonitis is a common complication in the radiotherapy for thoracic malignant tumors. And the resulting respiratory failure is one of the most serious side effects. The occurrence and severity of radiation pneumonitis depend on many factors such as age, performance status scores, smoking status, lung condition, tumor sizes, tumor location, chemoradiotherapy related factors, inflammatory factors and single-nucleotide polymorphism, et al. Some imaging examinations, for example single-photon emission computed tomography and PET-CT, have been used to predict radiation pneumonitis, while its usefulness remains to be strengthened. Further researches are still needed to find the gold standard in the prediction of radiation pneumonitis.