OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Buyang huanwu decoction （BYHWD） and its active fractions in ameliorating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS BYHWD and its effective fractions obtained through ethanol precipitation， as well as 30% ethanol， 50% ethanol， and 75% ethanol fractions （namely， the CC effective fraction， 30YC effective fraction， 50YC effective fraction， and 75YC effective fraction）， were prepared. These preparations were administered to rats via intragastric administration to prepare corresponding drug-containing serum （blank serum and simvastatin-containing serum were prepared using the same protocol）. Human L02 hepatocytes were divided into control group， model group， simvastatin-containing serum group， BYHWD-containing serum group， CC-containing serum group， 30YC-containing serum group， 50YC-containing serum group， and 75YC-containing serum group. Except for the control group， other groups were given 0.2 mol/L oleic acid for 24 h to induce a lipid accumulation model， and then intervened with 20% drug-containing serum/blank serum for 24 h. The lipid deposition in cells was observed， and the proportion of lipid droplet area was calculated； the levels of triglycerides （TG） and indicators of oxidative stress [malondialdehyde （MDA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）] as well as liver function [alanine amino- transferase （ALT）， aspartate amino-transferase （AST）] in cells were detected； protein and mRNA expressions of AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 （SREBP-1）/glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase （GPAT） signaling pathway were also measured. RESULTS Compared with the control group， cells in the model group exhibited severe cellular steatosis， with a significantly increased proportion of lipid droplet area， as well as the elevated levels of TG， ALT， AST， and MDA in cells， along with significantly up-regulated mRNA and protein expression levels of SREBP-1 and GPAT （P＜0.05）. The level of SOD， mRNA expression of AMPK， as well as the protein phosphorylation level of AMPK were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， cellular steatosis was alleviated in all drug-containing serum groups， and the levels of most of the aforementioned quantitative indicators were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS BYHWD and its active fractions can exert a therapeutic effect on improving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating the AMPK/SREBP-1/GPAT signaling pathway， inhibiting oxidative stress responses， and reducing lipid deposition.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of cartilage acidic protein-1(CRTAC-1)and proteasome 26S non-ATPase subunit-14(PSMD-14)in lesion tissues and recurrence after laparoscopic radical gastrectomy(LRG)for gastric cancer.Methods A total of 126 gastric cancer patients who underwent LRG at the hospital between January 2019 and December 2021 were enrolled.Recurrence rates were tracked during a 3-year postoperative follow-up,and patients were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14 protein expression in gastric cancer lesion and adjacent tissues.Kaplan-Meier method was constructed to evaluate disease-free sur-vival after LRG for patients with positive or negative expression of CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14.Receiver operat-ing characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to calculate the area under the curve(AUC)to assess the predic-tive value of CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14 protein expression for recurrence after LRG.Results Compared to adja-cent tissues,the positive expression rates of CRT AC-1 and PSMD-14 in gastric cancer lesion tissues were sig-nificantly higher(52.38％vs.11.11％,57.14％vs.16.67％,P＜0.05).The 3-year recurrence rate after LRG in 126 patients was 34.13％(43/126).The recurrence group had higher positive expression rates of CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14(86.05％vs.34.94％,93.02％vs.38.55％,P＜0.05).The 3-year recurrence-free survival rate was 65.87％(83/126).Disease-free survival rates after LRG were lower in patients with positive expression of CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14(50.00％,51.39％)than those in patients with negative expression(83.33％,85.19％,P＜0.05).Independent risk factors for recurrence after LRG included TNM stage Ⅲ A(HR=4.400,95％CI:2.073-9.339),lymph node metastasis(HR=2.751,95％CI:1.412-5.361),positive CRTAC-1 expression(HR=3.521,95％CI:1.967-6.239),and positive PSMD-14 expression(HR=4.241,95％CI:2.347-7.134,P＜0.05).The AUC for combined CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14 protein expression to pre-dict recurrence after LRG was 0.869(95％CI:0.798-0.923),which was higher than that of CRTAC-1 or PSMD-14 alone(0.756,95％CI:0.671-0.828;0.772,95％CI:0.689-0.842,P＜0.05).Conclusion Elevat-ed expression of CRTAC-1 and PSMD-14 in gastric cancer lesion tissues is closely associated with recurrence after LRG and may serve as auxiliary predictive biomarkers for postoperative recurrence in gastric cancer pa-tients.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a common complication of stroke, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Therefore, early and accurate prediction of PSCI is crucial for implementing targeted intervention measures. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), as a non-invasive and objective neurophysiological technique, can provide objective basis for early prediction and targeted intervention of PSCI during the critical period of 72 hours to 1 month after stroke onset. This article reviews the current application status of qEEG in predicting PSCI, aiming to provide theoretical basis for early identification of patients with high-risk PSCI.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy and safety profile of a novel cuboid orientation-guided frontal horn ventriculostomy technique in patients with large hemispheric infarction (LHI).Methods:It was conducted a retrospective cohort study of 48 consecutive LHI patients who underwent the innovative ventriculostomy procedure between time period. Primary outcomes included procedural accuracy (success rates, catheter positioning) and safety indicators (complication rates).Results:All the punctured ventricles were small or of normal size. The success rate of puncture was 100%, the success rate of one-time puncture was 87% (42/48), and the average number of puncture was 1.13 times per case. The ratio of well-positioned tube heads was 87.5% (42/48). The actual angle of the inward deviation of the puncture ranged from -2o to 5o, with an average of 0o±0.3o. The depth of puncture was 7.0-8.0 cm ( 7.3±0.3) cm. The incidence of bleeding around the puncture path was 1.3% (2/48 ) and no massive bleeding occurred. At the 6-month follow-up, one case (2.94%) among the 34 survivors had epilepsy.Conclusions:The cuboid orientation-guided frontal horn ventriculostomy technique demonstrates exceptional procedural accuracy and an excellent safety profile in LHI patients, with high first-pass success rates (87.5%) and minimal complications (4.2% minor hemorrhage). These findings support its clinical adoption for this patient population.

Objective To investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor 2(TLR2)and Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)in children with recurrent respiratory tract infection(RRTI)and its relationship with T helper cell 1(Th1)/T helper cell 2(Th2)immune response.Methods A total of 65 children diagnosed with RRTI who admitted to the hospital from December 2020 to December 2022 were enrolled in the study as the RRTI group,and 45 healthy children who underwent physical examination in the hospital during the same period were enrolled as the control group.The relative expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA in PBMCs were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR).The expres-sion rates of TLR2 and TLR4 protein in PBMCs were detected by flow cytometry.The levels of Th1 cytokine interferon-γ(IFN-γ),Th2 cytokine interleukin-4(IL-4)and their ratio(IFN-γ/IL-4)in plasma were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the corre-lation between TLR2,TLR4 protein expression rates and plasma IFN-γ,IL-4 levels.Results The RRTI group had significantly higher plasma level of Th2 cytokine IL-4 than the control group,significantly lower plasma level of Th1 cytokine IFN-y than the control group,and significantly lower ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 than the con-trol group,the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).The relative expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression rates in PBMC of children in the RRTI group were higher than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the protein expression rates of TLR2 and TLR4 in PBMC of children with RRTI were both nega-tively correlated with both plasma IFN-γ levels and IFN-γ/IL-4(P＜0.05)and positively correlated with plasma IL-4 levels(P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in PBMC and plasma Th1/Th2 cytokines in children with RRTI may be involved in the occurrence and development of the disease.Ex-cessive activation of TLR2 and TLR4 may weaken Th1 function and enhance Th2 function.

Objective:To investigate the alteration of glymphatic system based on diffusion tensor image-analysis along the perivascular space(DTI-ALPS)in bipolar disorder Ⅰ(BD-Ⅰ).Methods:A total of 44 BD-Ⅰ patients(BD-Ⅰ group) admitted to the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2012 to December 2017 were selected.In addition, totally 30 healthy controls (HC group) were recruited. The diffusion tensor image data were analyzed retrospectively, and along the perivascular space (ALPS) index was calculated. Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17), Young mania rating scale (YMRS) and global assessment function (GAF) were used to evaluate the severity of anxiety, depression, mania and social function respectively. SPSS 25.0 software was used for t-test, Z-test and chi-square test, and the differences in clinical data and DTI-ALPS index between the two groups were compared. The partial correlation test was used to analyze the correlations between DTI-ALPS index and the clinical indicators such as HAMA, HAMD-17, YMRS and GAF. Results:The DTI-ALPS indexes in left(1.69±0.17), right(1.44±0.15) and bilateral cerebral hemispheres(1.56±0.15) of BD-Ⅰ group were lower than those in HC group ((1.71±0.15), (1.46±0.13) and (1.58±0.12)), but the differences were not statistically significant ( t=-0.441, -0.545, -0.556, all P>0.05). After controlling for gender, age, years of education and course of disease, there were significant negative correlations between bilateral average DTI-ALPS index and somatic anxiety ( r=-0.334, P=0.038), as well as between right DTI-ALPS index and somatic anxiety( r=-0.349, P=0.030) in BD-Ⅰ group. Conclusion:The dysfunction of cerebral glymphatic system is not obvious in BD-Ⅰ patients, but their anxiety may be related to dysfunction cerebral glymphatic system.

In recent years, the recurrence rate of stroke has gradually increased, and recurrent stroke is usually more disabling and lethal than first-ever stroke. More than half of stroke patients in China have sleep disorders, which may increase the risk of stroke recurrence and death, but are often overlooked in reality. This article mainly discusses the relationship between stroke-related sleep disorders, stroke recurrence, and mortality risk, possible mechanisms, treatment methods, and therapeutic effects.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a clinical syndrome characterized by cognitive impairment and even dementia that occurs within 3-6 months after the onset of stroke. The gut microbiota and its metabolites have been confirmed to be associated with PSCI. This article reviews associations of gut microbiota and its metabolites with PSCI, providing new ideas for early intervention and treatment of PSCI.

Objective:To explore the effect and safety of stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue for the patients≥61 years with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMI).Methods:A total of 102 MMI patients aged≥61 years were enrolled retrospectively. All patients were subject to conservative medical treatment alone or in addition to stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue 24-72 hours after symptom onset. Perioperative outcomes and 6-month follow-up outcomes were observed and evaluated.Results:Baseline data characteristics were well balanced between the conservative treat group and aspiration group, except for the prevalence of hypertension. The incidence of early cerebral herniation (9.1% vs. 48.3%, χ2=17.843, P<0.001) and death (13.6% vs. 60.3%, χ2=22.707, P<0.001)in the aspiration group was significantly lower than that in the conservative group, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage ( P=0.726) and intracranial infection ( P=0.186) between the groups. At 6-month follow-up, compared with the conservative treatment group, the aspiration group had a higher proportion of favorable outcome (mRS 0-3) (38.6% vs. 3.4%, χ2 =20.438, P<0.001) and survival without severe disability (mRS 0-4) (68.2% vs. 22.4%, χ2=21.492, P<0.001). Comparison of clinical characteristics of favorable outcome (mRS 0-3) group and unfavorable (mRS 4-6) group showed that the proportion of patients treated with aspiration was significantly higher than that treated with medical therapy alone (89.5% vs. 10.5%, P<0.001). Multivariate logisitic regression used to adjust the confound factors such as atrial fibrillation, diabetes and smoking, the GCS and the NIHSS score of 24 hours after onset, etc, revealed that the treatment with aspiration was an independent association factor for the ratio of 6-month favorable outcome for the elderly patients with MMI ( OR=126.704, 95% CI: 7.236-2218.610, P<0.001). Conclusions:The stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue are effective and safe for the elderly patients with MMI.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between paroxysmal slow-wave events (PSWEs) and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and CSVD-related cognitive impairment.Methods:Patients with CSVD visited Weihai Municipal Hospital from March 2021 to April 2022 were included, and sex- and age-matched healthy controls were recruited for cross-sectional analysis. The patients with CSVD were further divided into cognitive impairment group and non-cognitive impairment group. The self-developed Python script was used to detect the PSWE parameters in electroencephalogram records. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were used to evaluate cognitive function. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether PWSE parameters were the independent related factors of CSVD and CSVD-related cognitive impairment. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between the PSWE parameters and overall cognitive function (MoCA total score) in patients with CSVD. Results:A total of 76 patients with CSVD (including 41 patients with cognitive impairment and 35 patients without cognitive impairment) and 45 healthy controls were included. Compared with the healthy control group, PWSEs in the F3 (left frontal area) and O1 (left occipital area) regions of the CSVD group occurred more frequently and lasted longer (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the frequency (odds ratio [ OR] 1.080, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.023-1.140; P=0.005) and duration ( OR 1.006, 95% CI 1.001-1.011; P=0.023) of PWSEs in the left frontal area, as well as the frequency ( OR 1.052, 95% CI 1.010-1.095; P=0.014) and duration ( OR 1.003, 95% CI 1.000-1.006; P=0.028) of PWSEs in the left occipital region were the independent related factors for CSVD. The frequency ( OR 1.106, 95% CI 1.033-1.183; P=0.004) and duration ( OR1.010, 95% CI 1.003-1.017; P=0.004) of PWSEs in the left frontal area were the independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with CSVD. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the frequency ( β= –0.242, P=0.045) and duration ( β= –0.235, P=0.046) of PWSEs in the left frontal region were negatively correlated with the overall cognitive function score in patients with CSVD. Conclusions:The frequency and duration of PSWEs in some brain regions of patients with CSVD increase, and there is an independent correlation between PSWEs and cognitive impairment, suggesting that the damage of blood-brain barrier may participate in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in patients with CSVD.