Objective: To analyze the independent and interaction effects of daytime outdoor light exposure and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) duration on sleep quality of primary school students, so as to provide scientific evidence for interventions on children s sleep health. Methods: From April to June 2024, a total of 444 students from grades 3 and 4 in 2 primary schools in Jiading District, Shanghai were selected using stratified random cluster sampling method for continuous 7 day monitoring. Wearable devices "Clouclip" were used to monitor daytime outdoor activity time (represented by time with light intensity ≥ 1 000 lx ), and accelerometers were used to monitor MVPA time and sleep quality related indicators. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the associations of daytime outdoor activity and MVPA with sleep quality. Results: Both daytime outdoor light exposure and MVPA duration(longer actual sleep duration per night,longer time in bed,fewer awakening and shorter post sleep awakening shic) were independently associated with multiple sleep indicators( β =0.52, 0.46, -0.83, -2.19, all P <0.05), with no significant interaction between the associations ( P >0.05). After controlling for MVPA, more daytime outdoor light exposure was significantly and independently associated with longer actual sleep time ( β =0.50, 95% CI =0.21-0.79, P <0.05). After controlling for light exposure, longer MVPA duration was independently associated with shorter post-sleep awakening duration ( β=-4.15, 95% CI = -6.33 to -1.96, P <0.05). Conclusion Increased daytime outdoor activity and MVPA are both associated with better sleep quality in primary school students.

Health economics evidence plays an important role in linking clinical value evidence with health resource allocation decisions in the development of clinical practice guidelines. It can not only effectively balance clinical effectiveness and economic feasibility but also avoid forming "idealized" recommendations that are detached from the affordability of the healthcare system or the burden-bearing capacity of patients. To promote guideline developers to use health economics evidence more standardizedly and fully, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the current application status, existing challenges, access channels, and application processes of health economics evidence in current guidelines, and on this basis, puts forward considerations and suggestions for strengthening and standardizing the application of health economics evidence in China's clinical practice guidelines.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is largely attributed to impaired endogenous repair. Nucleus pulposus-derived stem cells (NPSCs) senescence leads to endogenous repair failure. Small extracellular vesicles/exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (mExo) have shown great therapeutic potential in IDD, while whether mExo could alleviate NPSCs senescence and its mechanisms remained unknown. We established a compression-induced NPSCs senescence model and rat IDD models to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of mExo and investigate the mechanisms. We found that mExo significantly alleviated NPSCs senescence and promoted disc regeneration while knocking down thioredoxin (TXN) impaired the protective effects of mExo. TXN was bound to various endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) proteins. Autocrine motility factor receptor (AMFR) mediated TXN K63 ubiquitination to promote the binding of TXN on ESCRT proteins and sorting of TXN into mExo. Knocking down exosomal TXN inhibited the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and activator protein 1 (AP-1). NRF2 and AP-1 inhibition reduced endogenous TXN production that was promoted by exosomal TXN. Inhibition of NRF2 in vivo diminished the anti-senescence and regenerative effects of mExo. Conclusively, AMFR-mediated TXN ubiquitination promoted the sorting of TXN into mExo, allowing exosomal TXN to promote endogenous TXN production in NPSCs via TXN/NRF2/AP-1 feed-forward circuit to alleviate NPSCs senescence and disc degeneration.

The liver regenerative capacity is crucial for patients with end-stage liver disease following partial hepatectomy (PHx). The specific bacteria and mechanisms regulating liver regeneration post-PHx remain unclear. This study demonstrated dynamic changes in the abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis (P. distasonis) post-PHx, correlating with hepatocyte proliferation. Treatment with live P. distasonis significantly promoted hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration after PHx. Targeted metabolomics revealed a significant positive correlation between P. distasonis and β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), as well as hyodeoxycholic acid and 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid in the gut after PHx. Notably, treatment with BHB, but not hyodeoxycholic acid or 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, significantly promoted hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration in mice after PHx. Moreover, STAT3 inhibitor Stattic attenuated the promotive effects of BHB on cell proliferation and liver regeneration both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, P. distasonis upregulated the expression of fatty acid oxidation-related proteins, and increased BHB levels in the liver, and then BHB activated the STAT3 signaling pathway to promote liver regeneration. This study, for the first time, identifies the involvement of P. distasonis and its associated metabolite BHB in promoting liver regeneration after PHx, providing new insights for considering P. distasonis and BHB as potential strategies for promoting hepatic regeneration.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have indicated that Angong Niuhuang Pills (ANP) reduce cerebral infarct and edema volumes. This study aimed to investigate whether ANP safely reduces cerebral infarct and edema volumes in patients with moderate to severe acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial included patients with acute ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ranging from 10 to 20 in 17 centers in China between April 2021 and July 2022. Patients were allocated within 36 h after onset via block randomization to receive ANP or placebo (3 g/day for 5 days). The primary outcomes were changes in cerebral infarct and edema volumes after 14 days of treatment. The primary safety outcome was severe adverse events (SAEs) for 90 days. RESULTS: There were 57 and 60 patients finally included in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively for modified intention-to-treat analysis. The median age was 66.0 years, and the median NIHSS score at baseline was 12.0. The changes in cerebral infarct volume at day 14 were 0.3 mL and 0.4 mL in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively (median difference: -7.1 mL; interquartile range [IQR]: -18.3 to 2.3 mL, P = 0.30). The changes in cerebral edema volume of the ANP and placebo groups on day 14 were 11.4 mL and 4.0 mL, respectively ( median difference: 3.0 mL, IQR: -1.3 to 9.9 mL, P = 0.15). The rates of SAE within 90 days were similar in the ANP (3/57, 5%) and placebo (7/60, 12%) groups ( P = 0.36). Changes in serum mercury and arsenic concentrations were comparable. In patients with large artery atherosclerosis, ANP reduced the cerebral infarct volume at 14 days (median difference: -12.3 mL; IQR: -27.7 to -0.3 mL, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: ANP showed a similar safety profile to placebo and non-significant tendency to reduce cerebral infarct volume in patients with moderate-to-severe stroke. Further studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of ANP in reducing cerebral infarcts and improving clinical prognosis. TRAIL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov , No. NCT04475328.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Pilot Projects ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, manifests a variety of motor symptoms, such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, postural balance disorder, and also presents non-motor symptoms, including cognitive decline, depression, constipation, and sleep disorders. Currently, treatment for PD primarily encompasses pharmacological interventions, with levodopa being the first-line therapy, and non-pharmacological approaches such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, both approaches exhibit therapeutic limitations, with potential adverse reactions emerging from long-term use. Levodopa is associated with dyskinesia, while DBS may lead to mental confusion, cognitive decline, and depression. Exercise, as an effective adjuvant strategy for drug treatment of PD, can significantly improve PD motor disorders. Recently, studies have found that the mechanisms of exercise improving PD motor symptoms are associated with exerkines. Exerkine refers to signalling moieties secreted in response to acute and/or chronic exercise. This review mainly summarizes the improvement of PD motor disorders by various exerkines and the underlying mechanisms. Firstly, exercise can trigger the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the substantia nigra (SN) and the striatum, potentially improving PD. Recent evidence has suggested that both BDNF and GDNF could improve motor symptoms of PD via restoring the number of dopaminergic neurons in the SN and striatum, increasing striatal dopamine contents, and reducing α-synuclein (α-syn) accumulation in the SN. In addition, BDNF also alleviates motor symptoms of PD by enhancing long-term potentiation and increasing the spine density of spiny projection neurons in the striatum, while GDNF by inhibiting neuroinflammation in the SN via suppressing the activation of microglia, reducing interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expressions, reducing the phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa Bα (IκBα), and increasing the anti-inflammatory factors IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Secondly, exercise, a main trigger for irisin secretion from skeletal muscle, can improve PD motor symptoms by stimulating the irisin/adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) pathway. Specifically, irisin alleviates motor symptoms in PD through multiple mechanisms, including inhibiting excessive mitochondrial fission by reducing the expressions of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and mitochondrial fission protein 1 (Fis1), alleviating the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons by increasing B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression and reducing Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and caspase 3 expressions, and restoring the number of dopaminergic neurons. Thirdly, new biomarkers of PD (cathepsin B and Fetuin-A) also play roles in PD development. Cathepsin B can promote the clearance of pathogenic α-syn in PD by enhancing the function of lysosomes, including strengthening the lysosomal degradation capacity, elevating the transport rate, and increasing the activity of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GCase). Fetuin-A has been demonstrated to improve PD by restoring the number and the morphology of Purkinje cells, which are the only efferent neurons in the cerebellar cortex and play an important role in maintaining motor coordination. This review aims to facilitate a deep understanding of the mechanism by which exercise improves PD motor symptoms and provide a theoretical basis for promotion of exercise in PD.

Mental state is an important part of the normal life activities of the human body, and it is also the most external expression and the most easily obtained information of the physical condition. The normal activities of the mind depend on the normal operation of the viscera, qi, and blood, and are a unified whole that prospers together and suffers together. The theory of the five-spirit-viscera in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic revealed that the normal mental activities of the human body were dominated by the five internal organs, that is, the five internal organs were the body and the five spirits were the function. And it highlighted the viewpoint that the five internal organs store the spirits and are actually one. The heart governs the spirit and belongs to the four internal organs. On this basis, Synopsis of Golden Chamber used the internal organs to diagnose and treat mental diseases, integrating the theory of the five spirits into it, forming a unique method of diagnosis and treatment with the heart as the leading factor and regulating the qi and blood of the four internal organs. It identified the pathogenesis of diseases such as pathogenic crying, lily disease, and hysteria from five levels: heart deficiency and weak qi, heart-lung disharmony, heart-liver disharmony, the heart of the loss of the spleen nourishment, and disharmony between heart and kidney. The treatment was mainly to replenish the deficiency of the viscera and eliminate the pathogens, reflecting the characteristics of regulating the mind and calming the four internal organs. This unique view on diagnosis and treatment has profoundly influenced the diagnosis and treatment theories of mental illnesses by later doctors, and is of great significance to the current clinical treatment of such illnesses.

ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.

Objective:To investigate the impact of the size of the liver tumor diameter on the prognosis of patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-inducing acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-HCC/ACLF).Method:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of patients with hepatitis B-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) diagnosed according to the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASLT) guidelines who were admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital between January 2016 and January 2021 were collected. The patients were enrolled in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group (116 cases) and the HBV-ACLF group (348 cases). General information, medical history, biochemical parameters, complications, and liver cancer status were collected. Clinical data and prognoses at 28 days and 12 months of follow-up were compared between the two groups. Factors influencing mortality in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group were analyzed to determine the prognostic significance of tumor diameter. The t test, χ 2 test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze factors influencing mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of tumor diameter for 28-day prognosis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival analysis. Result:There were statistically significant differences in the 28-day mortality rate [(55.17%, 64/116) vs. (38.51%, 134/348)] and 12-month mortality rate [(78.45%, 91/116) vs. (55.75%, 194/348)] between the HBV-HCC/ACLF group and the HBV-ACLF group ( P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve analysis for HBV-HCC/ACLF patients indicated that the tumor diameter was 0.707 (95% CI: 0.615-0.788). The survival group (52 cases) and the mortality group (64 cases) were divided into the HBV-HCC/ACLF group based on 28-day mortality. Univariate analysis showed that the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, alpha-fetoprotein, white blood cell count, international normalized ratio, model for end-stage liver disease score, acute kidney injury (AKI), the occurrence of infections and complications, and others were all significantly higher in the mortality group compared to the survival group ( P<0.05).The mortality group had a larger tumor diameter than the survival group ( P<0.01). The incidence of portal vein tumor thrombosis and distant liver cancer metastasis was also higher in the survival group ( P<0.01). The mortality group had a higher rate of HCC-related minimally invasive treatment within three months before ACLF diagnosis than the survival group ( P<0.01). AST levels, infection, size of tumor diameter, and minimally invasive treatment within three months before onset were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in the HBV-HCC/ACLF group. The optimal significant value for tumor diameter affecting prognosis was 3.3 cm, with a sensitivity of 67.19% and a specificity of 73.08%. Patients with liver tumor diameters >3.3 cm had significantly lower 28-day survival rates than those with a tumor diameter ≤3.3 cm [(24.56%, 14/57) vs. (64.41%, 38/59)]. Eighty case analyses had the same findings in patients who had not previously received any therapy. Conclusion:Patients with HBV-HCC/ACLF had a high 28-day mortality rate, and the size of the tumor diameter is important in determining the 28-day prognosis.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Ginkgo biloba extracts(GB)in the treatment of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(CIR)injury based on network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods The intersection targets of CIR and GB were obtained from TCMSP,GeneCards and other databases.Cytoscape software and Metascape database were used to analyze and map the related targets.The model of transient middle cerebral arterial occlusion(t-MCAO)was constructed in mice by suture method,and the effects of GB on the neurological function of mice after t-MCAO were observed by the neurological deficit score and Morris water maze test.HE staining was used to observe the pathological structural changes of neuron in the hippocampus of mice,and Western blot was used to verify the signal pathways screened by network pharmacology.Results Network pharmacology predicted that GB contained 33 active ingredients,and 116 potential targets of GB in treatment of CIR included Caspase3,Bax,etc.In addition,GB may play a protective role through signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt and AMPK.Animal experiments showed that GB treatment could significantly improve the neural function and learning spatial memory ability of mice,alleviate the brain histopathological injury,and activate p-Akt/Akt signaling pathway.Conclusion GB has the characteristics of multi-target and multi-pathways therapy for CIR,which may reduce neuronal apoptosis by activating the p-Akt/Akt signaling pathway.