Neurological disorders such as post-stroke hemiplegia, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson disease represent a major global health burden. Brain-computer interface (BCI), which creates direct communication pathways between the nervous system and external devices, offers a promising strategy for functional restoration. The long-term efficacy of such BCI fundamentally depends on the performance of biomaterials at the neural interface. Ideal materials must concurrently satisfy biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, enduring chemical stability, and mechanical compatibility with brain tissue. This review systematically outlines the application of conductive polymers, inorganic nanomaterials, natural biomaterials, and composites in BCI, with a focus on how advanced designs, such as bionic and encapsulated electrodes, improve signal fidelity and surgical feasibility through structural innovation. It further summarizes key material-modification techniques and analyzes the complex foreign-body response orchestrated by microglia, astrocytes, and peripheral immune cells. Finally, it provides insights into future research directions and clinical translation of BCI-based neurorehabilitation, while highlighting critical challenges including long-term biosafety and the establishment of standardized evaluation frameworks, aiming to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and effective clinical deployment.

Both cathartic colon （CC） and cathartic-dependent constipation （CDC） are caused by the abuse of stimulant laxatives， while their concepts are not completely the same.Starting from the disease name of CC， this article traced the origin and evolution of the concept of CC， summarizes and compared the similarities and differences between CC， CDC， and slow transit constipation （STC）， and called for strict differentiation among the three.Furthermore， this article explored the specific contents of Western medicine clinical subtypes and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation of CDC and delved into the TCM pathogenesis of CDC according to both literature and clinical practice.The relationship between clinical subtypes and TCM syndromes was established， and the syndrome characteristics of CDC of different clinical subtypes and TCM syndromes were summarized.The recommended prescriptions for corresponding syndromes were listed.A systematic CDC diagnosis and treatment approach of "clinical subtypes-syndrome differentiation-syndrome characteristics-recommended prescriptions" was thus formed.Additionally， the paper provides an overview of current research on CDC in both Western medicine and TCM contexts， identifies future research directions， and suggests research pathways for refining and advancing CDC studies.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of the Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue prescription （YYHP） in the treatment of cathartic colon （CC） and its effects on fecal short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）， and to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， 98 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of both traditional Chinese and Western medicine for CC with the syndrome of Qi-Yin deficiency complicated by blood stasis were randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group. The observation group received YYHP granules， while the control group received lactulose. Both medications were administered twice daily， one sachet each time， half an hour after breakfast and dinner， with a treatment course of 8 weeks. The primary constipation symptom score， Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life （PAC-QOL） score， and TCM syndrome score were assessed before and after treatment and at the 8^th week after the end of treatment. The overall clinical effective rate， as well as the efficacy attenuation index and degree， were evaluated. Fecal SCFA levels were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. ResultsThe overall clinical effective rate in the observation group （95.83%） was higher than that in the control group （78.72%） （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total scores for primary constipation symptoms， PAC-QOL， and TCM syndromes decreased in both groups （P<0.05）， with more significant reductions in the observation group （P<0.05）. The severity of all primary constipation symptoms was alleviated in both groups （P<0.05）. In terms of "excessive straining and difficult defecation"， "anal heaviness， incomplete evacuation， and bloating sensation"， "abdominal distension"， and "defecation frequency"， the observation group showed better efficacy than the control group （P<0.05）. Scores of the four PAC-QOL dimensions and the scores and severity of primary and secondary TCM symptoms were reduced in both groups （P<0.05）， with more significant reductions in the observation group （P<0.05）. After treatment， acetic acid， propionic acid， butyric acid， and total SCFAs in the observation group increased significantly （P<0.05）. The efficacy attenuation index and degree in the observation group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.05）. No severe adverse reactions occurred in either group， and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. Positive correlations of varying degrees were observed among the total scores of primary constipation symptoms， PAC-QOL， and TCM syndromes， as well as between these scores and the history of stimulant laxative use， disease duration， and age. ConclusionYYHP can effectively alleviate the primary constipation symptoms in CC patients， improve quality of life， and ameliorate TCM syndromes， with good safety. It also has the advantage of a lower rebound degree after drug withdrawal， and its mechanism may be related to increasing fecal SCFA levels. Long-term abuse of stimulant laxatives may aggravate the severity of CC and prolong the disease course.

Macular hole is an age-related disorder defined by a full-thickness defect of the foveal retina and a profound loss of central vision. First described in the mid-19th century, its study has now extended across more than 150 years. Breakthroughs in science and technology—especially the relentless refinement of retinal imaging platforms—have progressively refined our understanding of the disease. Optical coherence tomography(OCT)in particular has revolutionized characterization of the condition. At the same time, the widespread adoption of macular hole surgery has not only driven deeper investigations into pathogenesis and pre-operative assessment but also facilitated the global dissemination of surgical expertise and a marked rise in anatomical success. This review synthesizes the multimodal imaging hallmarks of macular holes and highlights the remaining clinical challenges in the application of OCT technology.

This paper outlines the development of artificial intelligence （AI） and its applications in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） research， and elucidates the roles and advantages of large language models， knowledge graphs， and natural language processing in advancing syndrome identification， prescription generation， and mechanism exploration. Using spleen-stomach diseases as an example， it demonstrates the empowering effects of AI in classical literature mining， precise clinical syndrome differentiation， efficacy and safety prediction， and intelligent education， highlighting an upgraded research paradigm that evolves from data-driven and knowledge-driven approaches to intelligence-driven models. To address challenges related to privacy protection and regulatory compliance in cross-institutional data collaboration， a "trusted federated evidence-based analysis platform for TCM spleen-stomach diseases" is proposed， integrating blockchain-based smart contracts， federated learning， and secure multi-party computation. The deep integration of AI with privacy-preserving computing is reshaping research and clinical practice in TCM spleen-stomach diseases， providing feasible pathways and a technical framework for building a high-quality， trustworthy TCM big-data ecosystem and achieving precision syndrome differentiation.

ObjectiveTo analyze the causes and trends of injury-related mortality among elderly residents in Yuyao City, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating prevention and control strategies for injury-related deaths among the elderly. MethodsData on injury-related deaths among elderly residents aged 60 years old and above in Yuyao City from 2013 to 2022 were collected. The epidemiological characteristics were analyzed, including the crude mortality rates, standardized mortality rates, age-specific mortality rates, annual percent change (APC), and average annual percent change (AAPC). ResultsThe crude mortality rate of injury among elderly people aged 60 years old and above in Yuyao City was 263.90/100 000, with a standardized mortality rate of 131.21/100 000. A statistically significant decreasing trend in standardized mortality was observed from 2013 to 2020 (APC=-3.17%, P=0.017). The standardized mortality rates of injury for elderly males and females were 154.74/100 000 and 134.46/100 000, respectively. Among elderly females, the standardized mortality rate of injury initially decreased and then increased (APC_2013—2020=-5.14%, APC_2021—2022=22.86%, both P<0.05). The top five causes for injury-related deaths among the elderly were accidental falls, traffic injuries from motor vehicles, drowning, accidental asphyxia, and suicide, accounting for 74.78% of all injury-related deaths among the elderly. Among these top five causes, mortality rates due to accidental falls, motor vehicle traffic injuries, and accidental asphyxia all increased significantly with age (χ_trend²=8 315.40, 25.12, and 37.26, respectively; all P<0.001). Analyses of the annual trends showed a significant increase in deaths caused by accidental falls (AAPC=4.97%, P=0.013) and a significant decrease in deaths caused by suicide (AAPC=-14.87%, P<0.001). ConclusionFrom 2013 to 2022, the injury-related mortality burden among adults aged 60 years old and above in Yuyao City remained considerable, primarily caused by accidental falls, motor vehicle traffic injuries, drowning, accidental asphyxia, and suicide. There is an urgent need to develop targeted injury prevention strategies and measures to reduce the risk of unintentional injury deaths among the elderly.

Background: and Purpose Vertebrobasilar fusiform aneurysms (VBFAs) carry substantial morbidity and mortality, but optimal management for unruptured VBFAs remains unclear. We compared the safety and efficacy of conservative management (CM), stent-assisted coiling (SAC), and flow diverters (FDs) in patients with unruptured VBFAs, focusing on long-term prognosis. Methods: This study included data from a nationwide Chinese cohort of patients with vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) balanced confounders across groups. The primary outcome was poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale score >2). Secondary outcomes included aneurysm rupture, ischemic stroke, compression symptoms, and VBFA-related deaths. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Among 1,115 patients with unruptured VBFAs, 838 (median age, 54 years; 655 men) were included. After IPTW, baseline characteristics were balanced. Median follow-up was 54 months. FD was associated with a lower risk of poor prognosis than CM (OR, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.30 to 0.77]; p=0.002), with no difference between CM and SAC. FD also reduced aneurysm rupture (OR, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.60]; p=0.004) and compression symptoms (OR, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.13 to 0.68]; p=0.004) versus CM. Time-to-event analyses further revealed significant differences in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, whereas no significant differences were observed in basilar or vertebrobasilar junction lesions or in Type III–IV VBFAs. Conclusions Compared with CM, FD was associated with improved long-term outcomes in unruptured VBFAs, particularly in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, although residual confounding cannot be excluded.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the reversal effect of Qingfei huayu jiedu formula （QFHYJDF） on drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） cells based on the microRNA-641 （miR-641）/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK） signaling pathway. METHODS The human parental NSCLC cell line A549 was used to establish gefitinib-resistant cells A549/GR by combining concentration gradient increment with high-concentration pulse strategy. After screening for optimal intervention concentration and duration， the resistant cells were divided into a control serum group （treated with 20% blank serum for 48 h）， QFHYJDF-containing serum group （treated with 20% QFHYJDF-containing serum for 48 h）， and the normally cultured group （normally cultured for 48 h）. The cell relative viability， total apoptosis rate， as well as the expression levels of miR-641， neurofibromin 1 （NF1）， ERK1/2， and phosphorylated ERK1/2 （p-ERK1/2）， were assessed in each group. RESULTS Compared with the normally cultured group and the control serum group， the QFHYJDF-containing serum group exhibited significantly decreased cell relative viability and significantly increased total apoptosis rate （ P ＜0.05）. Moreover， the expression of NF1 protein was significantly up-regulated， while the expression levels of miR-641 and p-ERK1， p-ERK2 proteins were significantly down-regulated in the QFHYJDF-containing serum group （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS QFHYJDF can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells， which may be associated with up-regulating NF1 protein expression， down-regulating miR-641 expression， and inhibiting the activity of the ERK signaling pathway.

AIM:To explore the toxicological mechanisms of benzalkonium chloride(BAC)as a preservative in ophthalmic preparations leading to corneal injury in dry eye.METHODS:Network toxicology was employed to obtain the chemical structure of BAC, its toxic targets, and targets associated with dry eye-related corneal injury from databases including PubChem, CTD, ChEMBL, and STITCH. The protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed using the STRING database to screen key toxicity targets. Gene ontology(GO)functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses were performed to elucidate the potential biological processes and signaling pathways affected by BAC. Furthermore, molecular docking techniques were employed to validate the binding affinity of BAC to its key targets(IL-6, IL-1β, TNF, and EGF).RESULTS:BAC had a toxicity grade of 4 and exhibited significant eye irritation. A total of 85 common targets of BAC and dry eye corneal damage were screened out, of which 49 were key toxic targets, including TNF, IL-6, TP53, IL-1β, BCL2, etc. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that BAC mainly acted on 7 corneal injury pathways closely associated with corneal injury, such as IL-17, TNF, NF-κB, JAK-STAT, PI3K-Akt, Rap1, and MAPK. The results of molecular docking showed that BAC had stable binding ability to IL-6, IL-1β, TNF, EGF, and other targets(binding energy <0).CONCLUSION:BAC may induce corneal damage in dry eye through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms, involving processes such as inflammatory response, apoptosis, disruption of tear film stability, and delayed corneal repair, which suggests that long-term use of ophthalmic preparations containing BAC may aggravate ocular surface damage.

Objective To analyze esophageal cancer burden trends in China from 1990 to 2021, further project the burden from 2022 to 2050. Methods The time trends of standardized incidence, standardized mortality, and standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate of esophageal cancer in China from 1990 to 2021 using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 were analyzed using the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). The disease burden of esophageal cancer in China from 2022 to 2050 was predicted using the Bayesian age–period–cohort model combined with sensitivity analysis and model calibration. Results In China, the ASIR of esophageal cancer increased from 17.637 per 10⁵ in 1990 to 22.548 per 10⁵ in 2021 (EAPC=0.55, 95%CI: 0.38–0.71). The ASMR rose from 17.920 per 10⁵ in 1990 to 20.836 per 10⁵ in 2021 (EAPC=0.21, 95%CI: 0.02–0.39). The age-standardized DALYs decreased from 497.437 per 10⁵ in 1990 to 484.884 per 10⁵ in 2021 (EAPC=−0.39, 95%CI: from −0.59 to −0.2). Among individuals aged 45 years and above, the proportion of esophageal cancer cases increased from 93.32% in 1990 to 97.56% in 2021, and the proportion of deaths in this age group rose from 90.44% in 1990 to 98.22% in 2021. For individuals aged 40 years and above, the proportion of DALYs attributed to esophageal cancer increased from 95.29% in 1990 to 98.29% in 2021. Among people aged 20 years and above, the incidence rate of esophageal cancer showed a downward trend in all age groups. In particular, the 35–39 year age group exhibited the most significant decline (EAPC=−3.74, 95%CI: from −4.22 to −3.25). Among individuals aged 20 years and above, the 70+ year age group had the smallest decrease in ASMR and age-standardized DALYs. By 2050, the standardized prevalence, standardized incidence, standardized mortality, and standardized DALY rate of esophageal cancer in China were predicted to decrease to 25.1/10⁵, 6.4/10⁵, 14.2/10⁵, and 12.0/10⁵, respectively. Conclusion From 1990 to 2021, the ASIR and ASMR of esophageal cancer in China showed an upward trend, whereas the age-standardized DALY rate exhibited a slow downward trend. Although the incidence of esophageal cancer showed a downward trend across all the age groups from 20 years and above, the overall standardized rate exhibited an upward trend due to factors such as population aging. By 2050, the burden of esophageal cancer in China, including prevalence, incidence, mortality, and DALYs, will decline. The population aged 45 years and above is the core group affected by esophageal cancer and should be prioritized for prevention and control.