The ability to localize sound sources rapidly allows human beings to efficiently understand the surrounding environment. Previous studies have suggested that there is an auditory "where" pathway in the cortex for processing sound locations. The neural activation in regions along this pathway encodes sound locations by opponent hemifield coding, in which each unilateral region is activated by sounds coming from the contralateral hemifield. However, it is still unclear how these regions interact with each other to form a unified representation of the auditory space. In the present study, we investigated whether functional connectivity in the auditory "where" pathway encoded sound locations during passive listening. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while passively listening to sounds from five distinct horizontal locations (-90°, -45°, 0°, 45°, 90°). We were able to decode sound locations from the functional connectivity patterns of the "where" pathway. Furthermore, we found that such neural representation of sound locations was primarily based on the coding of sound lateralization angles to the frontal midline. In addition, whole-brain analysis indicated that functional connectivity between occipital regions and the primary auditory cortex also encoded sound locations by lateralization angles. Overall, our results reveal a lateralization-angle-based representation of sound locations encoded by functional connectivity patterns, which could add on the activation-based opponent hemifield coding to provide a more precise representation of the auditory space.
Humans ; Sound Localization/physiology* ; Male ; Female ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Young Adult ; Functional Laterality/physiology* ; Adult ; Brain Mapping ; Auditory Cortex/physiology* ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Auditory Pathways/physiology* ; Brain/physiology*

Objective To analyze the predictive value of serum Ficolin-3 combined with National Early Warning Score(NEWS)score in the prognosis of sepsis patients.Methods A total of 120 sepsis patients ad-mitted in the hospital from February 2021 to February 2024 were selected.Serum Ficolin-3 level was detected with samples collected at the time of admission and NEWS score was counted.According to the short-term prognosis,the patients were included in the survival group(n=82)and the death group(n=38).Serum Fico-lin-3 level and NEWS score of all patients were compared.The factors affecting the prognosis of sepsis pa-tients were explored by Multivariate Logistic regression.Results The serum Ficolin-3 and NEWS score in death group were higher than those in survival group(P<0.05).The area under the curve of serum Ficolin-3,NEWS score,and their combined evaluation for predicting the prognosis of sepsis patients were 0.819(95%CI:0.774-0.864),0.764(95%CI:0.714-0.814)and 0.921(95%CI:0.876-0.971),respectively.Arterial oxygen partial pressure(PO2)in the death group was lower than that in the survival group(P<0.05),se-quential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score at admission,acute physiology and chronic health evaluation(APACHEⅡ)score at admission,the proportion of acute kidney injury after admission and diabetes were higher than those in the survival group(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that PO2<70.30 mmHg(OR=2.399,95%CI:1.182-4.867),SOFA score≥7 points at admission(OR=2.479,95%CI:1.306-4.706),APACHEⅡ score≥24 points(OR=2.557,95%CI:1.355-4.826),serum Ficolin-3≥4.16 mg/L(OR=3.421,95%CI:1.750-6.688),NEWS score≥7.15 points(OR=2.921,95%CI:1.661-5.137)were factors affecting the prognosis of sepsis patients(P<0.05).Conclusion High level of serum Ficolin-3 and high NEWS score are closely related to poor short-term prognosis of sepsis patients,and the combination of Ficolin-3 level and NEWS score could effectively improve the predictive value of short-term prognosis of sepsis patients.

Objective:To assess the efficacy of modified arthroscopic lower trapezius transfer with autologous hamstring tendon bridging for irreparable massive posterosuperior rotator cuff tears.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 59 patients (11 males and 48 females; mean age 66.70±6.10 years, range 55-79 years) treated between June 2019 and November 2022 for posterior superior irreparable massive rotator cuff tears. The treatment involved total arthroscopic oblique muscle transposition combined with partial rotator cuff repair. Shoulder mobility was measured in active supination, forward flexion, posterior external rotation, and abduction external rotation before surgery and at the final follow-up. The Constant-Murley shoulder function score, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores were assessed preoperatively, at 3 months, 6 months postoperatively, and at the final follow-up. MR examinations were conducted preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively to evaluate rotator cuff healing and retear rates.Results:All surgeries were successfully completed using an average of 3.2±0.5 anchor nails (range 3-5) per case. The mean follow-up period was 15.9±5.7 months (range 12-37 months). Significant improvements in shoulder mobility were observed postoperatively compared to preoperative measurements. The mean body external rotation angle increased from 12.0°±19.4° preoperatively to 35.3°±19.6° at the final follow-up ( P<0.05), and the mean abduction external rotation angle increased from 33.4°±22.4° to 43.4°±23.1° ( P<0.05). The mean preoperative abduction angle improved from 121.7°±47.9° to 136.4°±40.6° ( P<0.05), and the mean forward flexion supination angle improved from 117.6°±45.8° to 139.5°±33.7° ( P<0.05). Postoperative VAS scores significantly improved from 4.8±1.8 preoperatively to 0.3±0.8 at the final follow-up ( F=104.868, P<0.001). The ASES scores improved from 42.0±14.9 preoperatively to 71.7±14.6 at the final follow-up ( F=47.287, P<0.001). The Constant-Murley scores increased from 54.3±17.1 preoperatively to 76.4±13.0 at the final follow-up ( F=44.082, P<0.001). Postoperative complications included 2 complete tears and 7 partial tears (re-tear rate 15.3%). No serious complications such as shoulder joint infection, joint stiffness, or vascular nerve injury were observed. One patient developed a localized subcutaneous hematoma at the tendon extraction site, and another developed deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity, which improved with symptomatic anticoagulation. Conclusion:Modified arthroscopic lower trapezius transfer with autologous hamstring tendon bridging effectively reduces shoulder pain, improves shoulder joint activity and function scores, and is associated with a low rate of surgical complications for patients with irreparable massive posterosuperior rotator cuff tears.

Objective:To analyse the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic double-bundle Endobutton fixation of the thin bone channel in the treatment of Rockwood type III-V acromioclavicular joint dislocation.Methods:A total of 34 patients with acromioclavicular joint dislocation, 24 males and 10 females, aged 50.9±11.0 years (range, 21-74 years), who underwent arthroscopic double-bundle Endobutton fixation of the thin bone channel at Zhejiang Province Taizhou Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, from February 2015 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 24 cases on the left side and 10 cases on the right side. Causes of injury: 23 cases of car accident, 7 cases of fall, 4 cases of falling from height. Rockwood classification: Type III 17 cases, type IV 9 cases, type V 8 cases. The visual analogue scale (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant-Murley score, and joint range of motion were used to evaluate shoulder pain and functional improvement.Results:All patients successfully completed the operation and were followed up for an average of 16.6±2.8 months (range, 12-24 months). Postoperative VAS scores were significantly lower compared to preoperative scores ( F=199.408, P<0.001), with the final follow-up VAS score being 1.32±0.47, significantly lower than the preoperative score of 4.71±1.19 ( P<0.001). Postoperative ASES scores were significantly higher compared to preoperative scores ( F=335.838, P<0.001), with the final follow-up ASES score being 88.85±6.41, significantly higher than the preoperative score of 34.76±5.79 ( P<0.001). The Constant-Murley scores of 3 months, 6 months after operation and the last follow-up were 77.79±5.34, 87.40±5.19 and 88.17±4.40, respectively, which were higher than that before operation 37.41±6.52, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). At the final follow-up, shoulder flexion, adduction, and abduction were 172.9°±6.4°, 59.2°±6.2°, and 59.3°±5.9°, respectively. The coracoclavicular distance was 1.76±0.42 mm, 0.84±0.19 mm, and 0.87±0.18 mm before operation, 3 months after operation, and at the last follow-up, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=101.160, P<0.001). Whereas, 3 months postoperative and the final follow-up were smaller than the preoperative ones, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). All incisions healed in one stage, and there was no vascular or nerve injury, internal fixation infection, coracoid process or clavicle bone tunnel fracture, or internal fixation loosening or breakage. Conclusion:Arthroscopic double-bundle Endobutton fixation with thin bone channel for the treatment of Rockwood type III-V acromioclavicular joint dislocation can improve shoulder function and reduce pain, with high surgical safety.

Objective:To investigate the clinical applicability of the four-grade grading(G4) advocated by the academy in recent years compared with the guideline-recommended three-grade grading(G3) in functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR).Methods:A total of 137 consecutive patients were prospectively included from outpatient and inpatient clinics at Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University from May to December 2023. All patients underwent echocardiography and were graded for regurgitation based on the 2017 American Society of Echocardiography Valve Evaluation Guidelines as the reference standard. The patients with regurgitation were grouped according to the G3 based on the guidelines and the G4 advocated by the academic community in recent years, respectively. The consistency of the regurgitation grading between multi-indicators and single-indicators was analyzed using the Kappa test for both G3 and G4. The quantitative regurgitation relevant parameters were analyzed using ROC curves to evaluate the diagnostic efficacies for G4, including the vena contracta width (VCW), the area of the color flow jet (A Jet), and the radius of the PISA (R PISA). Results:The results of consistency analysis showed that the consistency of regurgitation volume (RVol) was significantly higher in the G4 multi-indicators comprehensive assessment versus the single-indicators assessment compared with the G3, with a Kappa value of 0.84 vs. 0.30. The consistency of effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) and VCW remained unchanged, with a Kappa value of 0.76 vs. 0.89, 0.51 vs. 0.66. ROC curve analysis showed that for the G4, the area under the curve (AUC) for moderate regurgitation were 0.854, 0.993, and 0.894, respectively, while for moderate-severe regurgitation, these values were 0.899, 0.979, and 0.917, respectively.Conclusions:For FTR, the G4 currently advocated by the academic community has better consistency between single-indicators and comprehensive indicators grading than the G3 based on the guideline, which is clinically applicable; A Jet, R PISA, and VCW can be supplemented to the G4, which helps to improve the quantitative assessment system.

Objective To investigate the expression of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)19 in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and its correlation with intestinal flora characteristics and β-glucuronidase (β-GD) activity. Methods Seventy-five neonates with hyperbilirubinemia in Daqing Longnan Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the observation group and 45 neonates with non-hyperbilirubinemia during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum FGF19,total bilirubin and total bile acid levels,intesti-nal flora characteristics and β-GD activity were compared between the two groups.The correlation between FGF19,intestinal flora and β-GD activity with serum total bilirubin level and total bile acid (TBA) level in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia and the correlation between FGF19 with the intestinal flora characteristics and β-GD activity were analyzed by the Pearson method.Results The serum FGF19 level in the observation group was lower than that in the control group,the total bilirubin and TBA levels and β-GD activity were higher,the number of bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were much less,the number of Escherichia coli was more,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).The FGF19 level and number of bifidobac-terium and Lactobacillus in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia were negatively correlated with the levels of se-rum total bilirubin and TBA levels,while the number of Escherichia coli and β-GD activity were positively cor-related with the levels of serum total bilirubin and TBA (P<0.05).FGF19 in hyperbilirubinemia neonates was positively correlated with the number of bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus,and negatively correlated with Escherichia coli and β-GD activity (P<0.05).Conclusion The serum FGF19 in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia is abnormally low expressed,moreover which is related to intestinal flora disturbance and β-GD activity.

ObjectiveTo investigate the pharmacodynamic characteristics and explore the molecular mechanism of Honghua oral liquid （HOL） in relieving neuropathic pain （NP）. MethodHealthy male SD rats were randomly assigned into sham group， model group， low-， medium-， high-dose （0.5， 1.0， 2.0 mL·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） HOL groups， and a positive drug （pregabalin， 25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） group， with 6 rats in each group. Spinal nerve ligation （SNL） of L5 was conducted in other groups except the sham group. Drug administration was performed 3 days after the SNL surgery for 2 consecutive weeks， and samples were collected after the end of the administration. During the treatment period， the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold were determined to measure the pain-relieving effect of HOL. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on hippocampal tissue samples from the sham， model， and high-dose HOL groups， and differentially expressed genes between the sham group and the model group as well as the model group and HOL high-dose group were obtained. After pathway enrichment analysis， we selected the targets which were closely related to neuroinflammation for validation， and predicted the specific binding sites of the major active components in HOL with the targets through molecular docking. In addition， the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-10 （IL-10） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） to evaluate the effect of HOL on neuroinflammation in NP rats. ResultCompared with the sham group， SNL decreased the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， HOL recovered the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. The transcriptome data showed that 376 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were identified between the model group and the sham group， including 124 upregulated genes and 252 downregulated genes， and 194 DEGs between the model group and the high-dose HOL group， including 33 upregulated genes and 161 downregulated genes. Among them， insulin-like growth factor 1（IGF1）， matrix metallopeptidase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metallopeptidase-14 （MMP-14）， erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 （ERBB2）， and integrin subunit alpha 5 （ITGA5） associated with NP were selected for further validation. The Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） results showed that compared with the sham group， the modeling up-gurelated the mRNA levels of the above five molecules in the hippocampus （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， HOL down-regulated the mRNA levels of these molecules （P<0.01）. The molecular docking results showed that the main active components of safflower， hydroxysafflor yellow A， kaempferol， and quercetin， formed stable hydrogen bonds with the amino acid residues of IGF1， MMP-2， MMP-14， ERBB2， and ITGA5. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） results showed that compared with those in the sham group， the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were out of balance in the model rats （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， HOL lowered the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α （P<0.01） and elevated that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHOL exerts analgesic effect on SNL rats by inhibiting neuroinflammation.

Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) are the most common craniofacial malformations in humans. Speech problems often persist even after cleft repair, such that follow-up articulation training is usually required. However, the neural mechanism behind effective articulation training remains largely unknown. We used fMRI to investigate the differences in brain activation, functional connectivity, and effective connectivity across CLP patients with and without articulation training and matched normal participants. We found that training promoted task-related brain activation among the articulation-related brain networks, as well as the global attributes and nodal efficiency in the functional-connectivity-based graph of the network. Our results reveal the neural correlates of effective articulation training in CLP patients, and this could contribute to the future improvement of the post-repair articulation training program.
Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Cleft Lip/surgery* ; Cleft Palate/surgery* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Reading

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a very important pathogen, especially for children.On a global scale, GAS is an important cause of morbidity and mortality.But the burden of disease caused by GAS is still unknown in China and also has not obtained enough attention.For this purpose, the expert consensus is comprehensively described in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of GAS diseases in children, covering related aspects of pneumology, infectiology, immunology, microbiology, cardiology, nephrology, critical care medicine and preventive medicine.Accordingly, the consensus document was intended to improve management strategies of GAS disease in Chinese children.