Abstract To understand the promoting effects of napping—a form of daytime short rest on memory development in preschool children, this article provides an in depth analysis of the differential mechanisms. Through the analysis of the differential promotion mechanisms of napping on semantic memory, episodic memory, and motor memory of preschool children, the paper deeply explores the intrinsic relationship between napping and the memory development of preschool children, and combs through the main influencing factors including physiological states, napping habits, napping conditions, and sociocultural backgrounds, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for formulating napping arrangements and strategies suitable for preschool children.

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.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) has become a cornerstone in the treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer; however, local control remains suboptimal, and persistent lesions or locoregional recurrences after treatment are not uncommon. For patients without distant metastases but with local failure, whether surgical intervention can still offer curative potential remains a major clinical dilemma. Salvage esophagectomy (SE) offers potential long-term survival for selected patients, but this procedure is performed in the context of severe fibrosis, impaired local blood supply, and obscured anatomical planes following chemoradiotherapy, resulting in significantly higher perioperative risk compared to primary esophagectomy. Consequently, controversies exist regarding patient selection, preoperative restaging, choice of surgical approach, extent of lymphadenectomy, gastrointestinal reconstruction, and perioperative management. In recent years, with the refinement of restaging modalities such as PET/CT, the accumulation of experience in high-volume centers, and emerging evidence from clinical studies, the clinical role of SE has gradually shifted from a "high-risk salvage measure" to a "selective curative strategy aimed at achieving long-term survival in carefully selected patients". Nevertheless, standardized guidelines for patient selection, technical approaches, and perioperative management are still lacking. Based on current evidence and clinical experience, experts organized by the Integrated Esophageal Cancer Committee of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association systematically reviewed key issues regarding SE, including its definition, indications, preoperative evaluation, choice of surgical approach, lymphadenectomy, gastrointestinal reconstruction, and perioperative management, and formulated a Chinese expert consensus. This consensus aims to provide guidance for standardized assessment, appropriate referral, individualized surgical decision-making, and optimized perioperative management of patients with locoregional failure after dCRT. Ultimately, this will increase the likelihood of R0 resection, reduce the risk of severe complications, and promote the safer, more judicious, and standardized implementation of SE in high-risk scenarios.

Objective: To deeply explore the systemic management dilemmas affecting patients with chronic periodontitis in underdeveloped regions, providing practical pathways for achieving oral health equity. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee, and written informed consent was obtained from the participants. Based on a comprehensive design integrating literature review and theory, an interview guide was developed. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis who were from underdeveloped regions and attended the Stomatological Hospital of Southern Medical University between November 2025 and February 2026. The sample size was determined by data saturation. Data analysis employed Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Results: Through interview with 20 participants, three core themes were extracted, encompassing eight sub-themes: individual cognitive-behavioral dilemmas (cognitive limitations and passive coping, inefficient and superficial self-management, and economic and psychological barriers to seeking care); systemic and environmental structural obstacles (distrust in primary healthcare capabilities, and the limited buffering effect and constraints of medical insurance); and the need for health empowerment and support systems (authoritative knowledge and management skill guidance, aspirations for access to high-quality specialized medical resources, and sustained and reminder-based remote support). Conclusion Patients with chronic periodontitis in underdeveloped regions face a multidimensional dilemma composed of limited health literacy, poor adherence to health behaviors, weak primary care service capacity, uneven medical insurance coverage, and insufficient high-quality specialized medical resources. Patients’ health literacy should be advanced through innovative health education, primary care capacity should be strengthened for periodontal disease prevention and treatment, and it is recommended to prioritize the inclusion of initial periodontal therapy in outpatient coordination or chronic disease management, and a remote medical support system based on digital technology should be established.

OBJECTIVE To compare the short-term efficacy and safety of small-caliber polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） microsphere-based transcatheter arterial chemoembolization （TACE） versus conventional iodized oil emulsion-based TACE in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）.METHODS Clinical data of 146 patients with unresectable HCC who underwent TACE at Gansu Provincial Second People’s Hospital （Affiliated Hospital of Northwest Minzu University） from June 1， 2024， to June 30， 2025， were retrospectively collected. According to the treatment strategy， the patients were divided into the control group （conventional iodized oil emulsion-based TACE， n ＝79） and the observation group （small-caliber PVA microsphere-based TACE， n ＝67）. One-to-one propensity score matching （PSM） was performed， and the matched cohort （62 patients in each group） was used for the primary analysis. The objective response rate （ORR） and disease control rate （DCR） at 1 and 3 months post-treatment， serum levels of tumor markers （alpha-fetoprotein， alpha-fetoprotein lectin-binding fraction L3， and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-Ⅱ） before treatment and at 1 and 3 months post-treatment， the occurrence of adverse events， progression-free survival （PFS）， and overall survival （OS） were compared between the two groups. Sensitivity and interaction analyses were also performed.RESULTS After PSM， the ORRs in the observation group at 1 and 3 months post-treatment were both 59.7%， and the DCRs were 91.9% and 93.5%， respectively， significantly higher than those in the control group （ORRs： 41.9% and 38.7%； DCRs： 77.4% and 75.8%； P ＜0.05）. At 1 and 3 months post-treatment， the serum levels of tumor markers decreased significantly from baseline in both groups， with significantly lower levels in the observation group than in the control group （ P ＜0.05）. No statistically significant differences were observed in the overall incidence of adverse events or the incidence of grade≥3 adverse events between the two groups （ P ＞0.05）. The median PFS was 10.6 months in the control group and 14.3 months in the observation group， with no statistically significant difference [hazard ratio （HR） of 0.69， 95% confidence interval （CI） of 0.44-1.09， P ＝0.111]. During follow-up， 8 and 9 patients died in the control and observation groups， respectively， and the median OS was not reached in either group. The 12-month OS rates were 88.8% and 87.3%， respectively， with no statistically significant difference （HR of 0.88， 95%CI of 0.35-2.24， P ＝0.790）. After adjustment for potential confounding factors in the original cohort， the ORR at 3 months post-treatment remained significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group （adjusted odds ratio of 2.67， 95%CI of 1.28-5.56， P ＝0.009）. Additionally， the interaction between treatment modality and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging had no statistically significant impact on the ORR at 3 months post-treatment （ P ＝0.391）.CONCLUSIONS For patients with unresectable HCC， compared with conventional iodized oil emulsion-based TACE， small-caliber PVA microsphere-based TACE demonstrates superior efficacy in terms of early radiological response and improvement in tumor markers， and the two regimens are comparable in terms of safety.

The chemical constituents from leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus were isolated and purified by chromatography on silica gel, C_(18) reverse-phase silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 gel, as well as semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Six compounds were identified by UV, IR, NMR, MS, calculated ECD, and comparison with literature data as cyclopaloside D(1), boscialin(2),(5R,6S)-6-hydroxy-6-[(E)-3-hydroxybut-1-enyl]-1,1,5-trimethylcyclohexanone(3), 3S,5R-dihydroxy-6R,7-megastigmadien-9-one(4), 3S,5R-dihydroxy-6S,7-megastigmadien-9-one(5), and gingerglycolipid A(6), respectively. Among them, compound 1 was identified as a new tetralone glycoside, and compounds 2-6 were isolated from leaves of C. paliurus for the first time. Furthermore, compound 1 exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with the IC_(50) of(454.20±31.81)μmol·L~(-1) and(881.82±42.31)μmol·L~(-1) in scavenging DPPH and ABTS free radicals, respectively.
Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Glycosides/isolation & purification* ; Juglandaceae/chemistry* ; Tetralones/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*

Diterpenoid ferruginol is a key intermediate in biosynthesis of active ingredients such as tanshinone and carnosic acid.However, the traditional process of obtaining ferruginol from plants is often cumbersome and inefficient. In recent years, the increasingly developing gene editing technology has been gradually applied to the heterologous production of natural products, but the production of ferruginol in microbe is still very low, which has become an obstacle to the efficient biosynthesis of downstream chemicals, such as tanshinone. In this study, miltiradiene was produced by integrating the shortened diterpene synthase fusion protein,and the key genes in the MVA pathway were overexpressed to improve the yield of miltiradiene. Under the shake flask fermentation condition, the yield of miltiradiene reached about(113. 12±17. 4)mg·L~(-1). Subsequently, this study integrated the ferruginol synthase Sm CYP76AH1 and Sm CPR1 to reconstruct the ferruginol pathway and thereby realized the heterologous synthesis of ferruginol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The study selected the best ferruginol synthase(Il CYP76AH46) from different plants and optimized the expression of pathway genes through redox partner engineering to increase the yield of ferruginol. By increasing the copy number of diterpene synthase, CYP450, and CPR, the yield of ferruginol reached(370. 39± 21. 65) mg·L~(-1) in the shake flask, which was increased by 21. 57-fold compared with that when the initial ferruginol strain JMLT05 was used. Finally, 1 083. 51 mg·L~(-1) ferruginol was obtained by fed-batch fermentation, which is the highest yield of ferruginol from biosynthesis so far. This study provides not only research ideas for other metabolic engineering but also a platform for the construction of cell factories for downstream products.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics* ; Diterpenes/metabolism* ; Metabolic Engineering ; Fermentation ; Abietanes

This study aims to reveal the effect and mechanism of Gentianella turkestanorum total extract(GTI) in ameliorating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH). UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to identify the chemical components in GTI. SwissTarget-Prediction, GeneCards, OMIM, and TTD were utilized to screen the targets of GTI components and NASH. The common targets shared by GTI components and NASH were filtered through the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.9.0 to identify core targets, followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. AutoDock was used for molecular docking of key components with core targets. A mouse model of NASH was established with a methionine-choline-deficient high-fat diet. A 4-week drug intervention was conducted, during which mouse weight was monitored, and the liver-to-brain ratio was measured at the end. Hematoxylin-eosin staining, Sirius red staining, and oil red O staining were employed to observe the pathological changes in the liver tissue. The levels of various biomarkers, including aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), hydroxyproline(HYP), total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), malondialdehyde(MDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and glutathione(GSH), in the serum and liver tissue were determined. RT-qPCR was conducted to measure the mRNA levels of interleukin 1β(IL-1β), interleukin 6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), collagen type I α1 chain(COL1A1), and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA). Western blotting was conducted to determine the protein levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and potential drug targets identified through network pharmacology. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS identified 581 chemical components of GTI, and 534 targets of GTI and 1 157 targets of NASH were screened out. The topological analysis of the common targets shared by GTI and NASH identified core targets such as IL-1β, IL-6, protein kinase B(AKT), TNF, and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma(PPARG). GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the ameliorating effect of GTI on NASH was related to inflammatory responses and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT pathway. The staining results demonstrated that GTI ameliorated hepatocyte vacuolation, swelling, ballooning, and lipid accumulation in NASH mice. Compared with the model group, high doses of GTI reduced the AST, ALT, HYP, TC, and TG levels(P<0.01) while increasing the HDL-C, SOD, and GSH levels(P<0.01). RT-qPCR results showed that GTI down-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, COL1A1, and α-SMA(P<0.01). Western blot results indicated that GTI down-regulated the protein levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K), phosphorylated AKT(p-AKT), phosphorylated inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B alpha(p-IκBα), and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)(P<0.01). In summary, GTI ameliorates inflammation, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress associated with NASH by regulating the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/genetics* ; Mice ; Network Pharmacology ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Liver/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Molecular Docking Simulation

Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the dynamic changes in general body parameters, blood glucose, and blood lipid profiles in obese cynomolgus monkeys, exploring the correlations among these parameters and providing a reference for research on the obese cynomolgus monkey model. Methods30 normal male cynomolgus monkeys aged 5 - 17 years old (with body mass index < 35 kg/m² and glycated hemoglobin content < 4.50%) and 99 spontaneously obese male cynomolgus monkeys (with body mass index ≥35 kg/m² and glycated hemoglobin content < 4.50%) were selected. Over a period of three years, their abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and four blood lipid indicators were monitored. The correlations between each indicator were analyzed using repeated measurement ANOVA, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression correlation analysis method. Results Compared to the control group, the obese group exhibited significantly higher levels of abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, and triglyceride (P＜0.05). In the control group, skinfold thickness increased annually, while other indicators remained stable. Compared with the first year, the obese group showed significantly increased abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, body mass index, triglyceride, and fasting blood glucose in the second year(P＜0.05), with this increasing trend persisting in the third year (P＜0.05). In the control group, the obesity incidence rates in the second and third years were 16.67% and 23.33%, respectively, while the prevalence of diabetes remained at 16.67%. In the obese group, the diabetes incidence rates were 29.29% and 44.44% in years 2 and 3, respectively. Among the 11-13 year age group, the incidence rates were 36.36% and 44.68%, while for the group older than 13 years, the rates were 28.13% and 51.35%. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations (P＜0.05) between fasting blood glucose and age, abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, body weight, and triglyceride in the diabetic monkeys. Conclusion Long-term obesity can lead to the increases in general physical indicators and fasting blood glucose levels in cynomolgus monkeys, and an increase in the incidence of diabetes. In diabetic cynomolgus monkeys caused by obesity, there is a high correlation between their fasting blood glucose and age, weight, abdominal circumference, skinfold thickness, and triglyceride levels, which is of some significance for predicting the occurrence of spontaneous diabetes.