Although global brain science research has progressed rapidly in recent decades, several fundamental questions in neuroscience remain unresolved. In particular, the physical mechanism underlying neural signal transmission remains controversial, and the carriers responsible for neural information storage and retrieval have not yet been fully clarified. These unresolved issues motivate us to re-examine the processes of neural information generation, transmission, integration, storage, and retrieval from multiple perspectives. A key observation is that neural electromagnetic activities are closely associated with time. Their duration, temporal structure, and dynamic evolution play crucial roles in neural information processing. In this work, we analyze neural electromagnetic activities from the perspective of temporal scales (referred to here as the “time course”). By reviewing and integrating findings from previous studies, we examine the characteristic time requirements and dynamic features of neural processes occurring at different stages of information processing. These stages include neural signal generation, signal transmission along axons, synaptic integration, synaptic plasticity, and memory formation and retrieval. Based on this temporal analysis, we outline a framework describing neural electromagnetic activities across a wide range of time scales, spanning from microseconds to minutes, hours, or even longer periods associated with long-term memory, which suggests that neural information processing involves multiple physical processes operating at different time levels. Rapid electromagnetic events may occur on microsecond scales, whereas electrophysiological phenomena such as action potentials typically last on the order of milliseconds. Longer time scales are associated with synaptic plasticity and memory-related processes. From this perspective, we propose that the physical carrier of neural information may be transient electromagnetic pulses with durations on the microsecond scale. In this framework, action potentials can be interpreted as the macroscopic electrophysiological manifestation of underlying electromagnetic processes triggered by ionic currents across neuronal membranes. Rather than being the fundamental neural signal itself, the action potential may represent a measurable membrane-level response associated with the successful activation of these electromagnetic events. Moreover, we discuss a possible mechanism for long-term memory storage. Considering the apparent temporal contradiction between the millisecond-scale excitation of neurons and the long-term persistence of memories, we believe that long-term memory information may be stored within neural network topologies formed by electrical synapse coupling. Such structures, referred to as electrically coupled memory networks (ECMNs), may enable neurons within the same network to respond rapidly and synchronously to stimuli, thereby facilitating efficient memory retrieval. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of considering the temporal organization of neural electromagnetic activities when interpreting neural signaling mechanisms. It may provide new insights into the physical nature of neural information carriers and the mechanisms of memory storage and retrieval. Furthermore, highlighting the potential role of electromagnetic interactions in neural activity may contribute to the development of new theoretical frameworks and experimental approaches in neuroscience. Such perspectives may also offer valuable references for future research on neural coding, brain function mechanisms, and neuromodulation technologies.

AIM To explore the differential metabolites of different aged Citrus reticulate'Chachi'and their processed cakes.METHODS Non-targeted metabolomics technology of GC-TOF-MS was used to analyze the chemical constituents.The data was processed by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis,and the differential metabolites were identified.RESULTS A total of 74 differential metabolites were identified,including 16 glycosides,14 organic acids and their derivatives,11 amino acids and their derivatives,and 4 flavonoids.Comparative analysis revealed 40 and 30 differential metabolites between fresh C.reticulate'℃hachi'and 3-year or 5-year aged samples,respectively.Furthermore,27 and 34 differential metabolites were identified between the 3-year or 5-year aged samples and their corresponding processed cakes,respectively.Differential metabolites among fresh,aged C.reticulate'Chachi',and processed cakes were predominantly enriched in 6 metabolic pathways,including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.Specifically,differential metabolites between 3-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were significantly enriched in 4 pathways,such as ABC transporters.Differential metabolites between 5-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were mainly enriched in 5 pathways,including carbon metabolism.CONCLUSION Non-targeted metabolomics technology can elucidate the chemical compositional differences among fresh/aged and processed cakes of C.reticulate'Chachi',laying a foundation for the research into C.reticulate'Chachi'aging processing techniques and the development of processed products.

Background:Rhei Radix et Rhizoma has been traditionally used as a potent laxative for centuries due to its remarkable efficacy.Raw pieces of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma(RP)are known for their strong laxative effects,often accompanied by side effects,while steamed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma pieces(SP)possess a milder laxative effect and are widely used clinically.However,there is a lack of comprehensive evidence examining the mechanisms underlying SP's effectiveness,particularly from a bioavailability perspective.Objective:This study aimed to investigate the impact of the steaming process on the in vivo disposition of RP and SP through pharmacokinetics,tissue distribution,and excretion assays.Methods:An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of prototype anthraquinones and their glucuronide metabolites.Pharmacokinetic,tissue distribution,and excre-tion assays were conducted in constipation rats following oral administration of RP and SP.Blood,tissue,urine,and fecal samples were collected and analyzed to compare the absorption,distribution,metabolism,and excretion profiles of anthraquinones,high-lighting differences in bioavailability and safety between RP and SP.Results:Compared with the RP group,the SP group showed significantly reduced area under the plasma concentration-time curve,mean residence time,and half-life time values for rhein-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside,rhein,emodin,aloe-emodin,and their glucuronide metabolites.The clearance values were significantly increased in the SP group.These results demonstrate that SP led to lower exposure levels and higher elimination rates of these components compared with RP.Additionally,these compo-nents were primarily distributed in the large intestine,where they exerted their laxative effects.Glucuronide metabolites were mainly excreted through urination,while prototype components were excreted in both urine and feces.Notably,the cumulative excretion of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and their glucuronide metabolites was significantly higher in both urine and feces after SP administra-tion,indicating that SP enhances the excretion of these components compared with RP.Conclusion:The findings suggest that SP reduced anthraquinone exposure levels while enhancing their excretion,demonstrating that the steaming process significantly promotes the elimination of key components.This study provides a comprehensive analysis of how steaming alters the in vivo disposition of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,offering a scientific basis for the improved safety and clinical use of SP.These insights not only clarify the mechanistic differences between RP and SP but also contribute to a broader understanding of processing-induced modifications in Chinese medicines.This research paves the way for optimizing Chinese medicine processing techniques to enhance the safety and efficacy of herbal therapies.

AIM To investigate the improvement effect of Qinhuo Formula on obese mice induced by high-fat diet.METHODS Obese mice model was induced by feeding with high-fat diet.The mice successfully established were randomly divided into model group,orlistat group(15.6 mg/kg)and low and high dose groups of Qinhuo Formula(13.5 and 22.5 g/kg),and normal mice were taken as control group,with 10 mice in each group,and the drugs were continuously intervened for 8 weeks.After the drug administration,the body weight,abdominal circumference,fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance were measured,and area under the curve(AUC)of oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT),Lee's index and fat index were calculated.The serum levels of TC,TG,LDL-C and HDL-C were detected by blood biochemical analyzer.Serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1 β and IL-6 were detected by ELISA.HE staining was used to observe the white fat of epididymis and the pathological changes of liver tissue.RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB in liver tissue.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the body weight,abdominal circumference and Lee's index of mice in each dose group of Qinhuo Formula decreased(P＜0.01);OGTT-AUC decreased(P＜0.01);visceral fat index decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);the levels of serum TG,TC,IL-6 and IL-1 β decreased(P＜0.01);the diameter of epididymal adipocytes decreased,arranged tightly and regularly,the lipid droplet cavities in liver tissue decreased,and the morphology of hepatocytes recovered;the mRNA and protein expressions of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION Qinhuo Formula can effectively improve glucose-lipid metabolism and reduce inflammation in obese mice,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

The continuous accumulation of plastic waste such as polyethylene in the environment has caused serious environmental pollution issues.Considering the high similarity in the molecular structure of petroleum and polyolefin,it is feasible to apply rare earth-zeolite catalysts in polyolefin plastic upcycling,which is commonly used in fluid catalytic cracking(FCC)in the field of petroleum refining.In this study,Ce-modified HY(Ce-HY)zeolites were synthesized and characterized by a series of analytical methods,such as high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM),Fourier infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),etc.When introducing 5% Ce species into HY zeolites,the 5Ce-HY showed excellent catalytic performance in the catalytic cracking of low-density polyethylene(LDPE),which achieved 98.4% LDPE conversion with 91.5% selectivity of gaseous alkanes at 300℃,and 75.4% of them were isoparaffins.In addition,the effect of the location of rare earth species in Y zeolites on the catalytic performance was explored by fine X-ray diffraction(XRD)in the range of 11°-13°and in situ-Raman analyses.The Ce species located in the supercage of Y zeolites were more important,which enhanced the adsorption capacity and accessibility of substrate molecules,thus facilitating the entire catalytic cracking process.This method could be used to detect the location of rare earth elements in Y zeolites to understand the mechanism of rare earth catalysis.

The faithful segregation of genetic material to daughter cells is a fundamental biological process and a prerequisite for autonomous construction of robustly self-replicating artificial cells.Artificial cells are mimic cell structures with part or whole functions of normal cells.The complexity of eukaryotic chromosome segregation machinery has limited its applications in the field of synthetic biology.In contrast,the plasmid segregation machineries employed by prokaryotes are relatively simple and can provide valuable approaches for the bottom-up construction of complex artificial cells.This review aimed to comprehensively analyze the origin species and working mechanism of three bacterial plasmid segregation systems,namely ParABS,ParMRC,and TubZRC systems.The current researches on plasmid segregation both in bacterial and artificial cellular systems were summarized,and the future directions of this field were also proposed.

Objective:To investigate the association of lipid accumulation product(LAP),triglyceride glucose index(TyG)with the risk of coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods:A total of 433 patients admitted to Department of Cardiology,Cangzhou People's Hospital for chest pain between February 2021 and December 2021 were included and divided into case group(n=236)and control group(n=197)according to the results of coronary angiography.Gen-eral data,LAP,TyG and other biochemical indexes were compared between two groups.The subjects were grouped according to LAP and TyG quartiles(L1,L2,L3,L4;T1,T2,T3,T4),and different Logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the association of different LAP,TyG levels with the risk of CHD using the L1 group and the T1 group as references,respectively,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of LAP and TyG predicting risk of CHD were drawn.Results:Compared with participants in control group,those in case group had significant higher proportions of smoking(27.60％ vs.19.80％),diabetes(21.61％ vs.14.21％),hypertension(38.14％ vs.28.43％),dyslipidemia(36.86％ vs.24.87％)and body mass index(BMI)[(25.97±3.90)kg/m2 vs.(25.11±3.56)kg/m2],waist circumference[(85.44±5.39)cm vs.(83.59±5.39)cm],uric acid[325.50(270.25,378.25)μmol/L vs.300.00(245.00,365.00)μmol/L],homocysteine[13.34(10.90,16.46)μmol/L vs.12.27(10.26,15.00)μmol/L],leucocytes[(6.07±1.52)× 109/Lvs.(5.75±1.43)×109/L],LAP[39.84(30.06,59.02)vs.30.06(21.85,44.78)],and TyG[(8.86±0.57)vs.(8.56±0.60)](P＜0.05 or＜0.01).Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for each risk factor,risk of CHD in L3 and L4 groups were significantly higher than that of L1 group,and risk of CHD in T3 and T4 groups were significantly higher than that of T1 group(P＜0.05 or＜0.01).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under curve(AUC)of LAP and TyG predicting the risk of CHD was 0.656(95％CI 0.609～0.701),0.665(95％CI 0.618～0.709)re-spectively,and the critical value was 30.21 and 8.73 respectively.Conclusion:LAP and TyG are risk factors for CHD,and with the elevation of their levels,the risk of CHD gradually increases.

China has become the country with the highest global burden of heart failure(HF).Despite the widespread use of prognostic-improving medications today,the mortality rate of HF remains high,reaching 13.7％at one year-particularly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF).HF interventional device therapy(structural intervention)targets the structural factors underlying HF,including atrial pressure,ventricular remodeling,and valvular intervention.It leverages the heart's intrinsic physiological properties and pathological progression mechanisms to deliver treatments through interventions without external active forces,achieving anatomical or functional repair.This field has emerged as a rapidly growing area and plays an increasingly critical role in HF management.This article provides a comprehensive review and summary of the latest advancements in HF and cardiomyopathy interventional therapy over the past year.It covers various novel technologies and products currently in the research phase,aiming to provide an in-depth analysis of the current status and future directions of HF interventional therapy,and further advance the development of this discipline.

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to investigate the effects of exposure to multiple environmental organic pollutants on cardiopulmonary health with a focus on the potential mediating role of oxidative stress. METHODS: A repeated-measures randomized crossover study involving healthy college students in Beijing was conducted. Biological samples, including morning urine and venous blood, were collected to measure concentrations of 29 typical organic pollutants, including hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), bisphenol A and its substitutes, phthalates and their metabolites, parabens, and five biomarkers of oxidative stress. Health assessments included blood pressure measurements and lung function indicators. RESULTS: Urinary concentrations of 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OH-PHE) ( β = 4.35% [95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.85%, 7.97%]), 3-hydroxyphenanthrene ( β = 3.44% [95% CI: 0.19%, 6.79%]), and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (4-OH-PHE) ( β = 5.78% [95% CI: 1.27%, 10.5%]) were significantly and positively associated with systolic blood pressure. Exposures to 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-PYR) ( β = 3.05% [95% CI: -4.66%, -1.41%]), 2-OH-PHE ( β = 2.68% [95% CI: -4%, -1.34%]), and 4-OH-PHE ( β = 3% [95% CI: -4.68%, -1.29%]) were negatively associated with the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second to forced vital capacity. These findings highlight the adverse effects of exposure to multiple pollutants on cardiopulmonary health. Biomarkers of oxidative stress, including 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and extracellular superoxide dismutase, mediated the effects of multiple OH-PAHs on blood pressure and lung function. CONCLUSION Exposure to multiple organic pollutants can adversely affect cardiopulmonary health. Oxidative stress is a key mediator of the effects of OH-PAHs on blood pressure and lung function.
Humans ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Cross-Over Studies ; Female ; Young Adult ; Environmental Pollutants/toxicity* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/urine* ; Beijing