Objective: To develop a convenient, direct, and highly sensitive method for screening trace chemical additives in complex Chinese patent medicines, thereby addressing core technological bottlenecks in pharmaceutical analysis and quality control. Methods: A brush ionization probe device was independently designed and constructed, and an efficient detection method was established through systematic optimization of key parameters. Twenty-three Chinese patent medicine samples, representing 6 dosage forms (capsules, tablets, pills, granules, powders, and liquid preparations), were analyzed using 10 common chemical additives as target analytes. Results: All samples were successfully analyzed without complex pretreatment, and 5 chemical additives were detected in 7 Chinese patent medicines. The brush ionization probe device exhibited cost-effectiveness (~0.2 USD per probe), operational simplicity, rapid analysis (~10s per sample), high efficiency, and minimal reagent consumption (~10 μL per sample). Conclusion: This advancement is expected to provide an innovative scientific tool for improving the generality and convenience of on-site quality control, while promoting technological progress in disciplines such as pharmacology and traditional Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

Background/Aims: Obesity is associated with several gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and has been identified as a potential risk factor for various GI symptoms. Bowel frequency is an important indicator of bowel function. However, the causal link between obesity and gastrointestinal motility remains uncertain. This study aims to determine the causal effect of overall and central obesity on stool frequency. Methods: Four obesity-related anthropometric indicators–body mass index, body fat percentage, waist circumference (WC), and waist-tohip ratio (WHR)–were investigated. Individual-level baseline information from the UK Biobank was used to explore observational associations between obesity and stool frequency. Additionally, summary-level data from published genome-wide association studies were subjected to two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to examine causal associations. Results: For all 4 indicators of obesity, higher levels of obesity were associated with more frequent bowel movements after adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary factors. After rigorous screening, 482 body mass index single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 7 body fat percentage SNPs, 48 WC SNPs, and 287 WHR SNPs were identified as instrument variables for MR analysis. The MR results were generally consistent with observational findings, proving that the associations observed in the overall obesity indicators were causal. For central obesity, the association between WHR and stool frequency remained consistent in both analysis phases, whereas WC showed a multidirectional association. Conclusions Obesity-related anthropometric indicators were causally associated with increased stool frequency in the overall and central obesity groups. Weight loss could be a potential approach to improve gastrointestinal regularity in individuals with obesity.

Endometriosis is a common estrogen-dependent disease in women of childbearing age,often leading to chronic pelvic pain,infertility,ovarian cancer,and other serious complications,and jeopardizing the health of women.The pathogenesis of endometriosis is complex and involves the alteration of multiple signaling pathways mediated by hormones,immunity,genetics,and the environment,and their interactions.Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in the regulation of embryonic development and tissue homeostasis,and it has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis via multiple pathways.This review considers the biological characteristics of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and summarizes the main mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis,as well as the curr-ent research status of the regulation of this signaling pathway by traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of endometriosis.We aim to clarify how the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway affects the development of endometriosis,and suggest that future studies should focus on exploring its potential role as an indicator for the clinical prediction and early diagnosis of endometriosis,thus providing theoretical support for the early diagnosis of this condition and the development of targeted drugs.

In February 2024,the European Society of Cardiology(ESC)Working Group on Aortic and Peripheral Vascular Diseases,in collaboration with the European Society for Vascular Medicine(ESVM)and the European Society for Vascular Surgery(ESVS),published the Consensus on Exercise Therapy for Chronic Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease.This document provides evidence-based recommendations for estab-lishing comprehensive exercise programs,offering optimal therapeutic strategies for symptomatic chronic pe-ripheral artery disease(PAD)patients.Specifically,it proposes different exercise training regimens.This re-view interprets the consensus core components to inform evidence-based exercise therapy recommendations for PAD management in China.

Spine fracture and dislocation are common traumatic spinal conditions that often require surgical intervention due to compromised spinal stability. Surgical approaches include anterior, posterior, and combined anterior-posterior spinal procedures. According to the specific surgical requirements, patients may be placed in the prone position or repositioned between prone and supine positions during surgery. Intraoperative repositioning has become an essential step in patient positioning. However, during repositioning, patients with spinal fracture and dislocation are at increased risk for complications such as hemodynamic instability, nerve injury, and pressure injuries to the skin and soft tissue. Notably, due to the instability of the spinal cord, even minor manipulations can further exacerbate the damage, potentially leading to severe outcomes like paraplegia. Although the current clinical guidelines provide instructive recommendations for standard position, there remains no specific protocols for intraoperative repositioning in patients with spine fracture and dislocation. With a concern for the lack of clinical studies on positioning techniques, risk prevention, and operational norms for special patients, no applicable guidelines or standards are available. A consensus was required to provide clinical reference, meet the requirements of surgical treatment, and minimize the safety risks of patients caused by improper placement of positions. Professional Committee of Operating Room Nursing of Shaanxi Nursing Association organized experts in nursing management and operating room nursing from major hospitals across China to formulate Expert consensus on intraoperative repositioning for patients with spinal fracture and dislocation ( version 2025). The consensus provides 11 recommendations covering pre-repositioning preparation, intraoperative maneuvers, and post-repositioning observation, aiming to provide references for clinical standardization of the intraoperative repositioning process and protection of patients′ safety.

Objective:To explore the impact of lymph node ratio (LNR) on the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The clinical data of 146 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical surgery and standardized chemotherapy at Lianyungang Department of General Surgery, Lianyungang Municipal Oriental Hospital from January 2015 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. LNR was calculated, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of LNR were plotted based on overall survival (OS) to find the optimal cut-off value, and the patients were divided into high LNR group and low LNR group according to the cut-off value. The clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of the two groups of patients were analyzed, and further the survival difference between patients aged ≥ 65 years and <65 years were analyzed in the two groups.Results:Out of 146 patients, 103 were male and 43 were female, with an age of (69±2) years; Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the number of metastatic lymph nodes and LNR ( r = 0.899, P < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between the total number of cleared lymph nodes and LNR ( r = -0.069, P = 0.410). The 5-year cumulative OS rate for all patients was 30.1%, with a median OS time of 42.5 months. According to the 5-year OS, the ROC curve of LNR was plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) of LNR was 0.699 (95% CI: 0.614-0.785, P < 0.001), with the optimal cut-off value of 0.355. LNR was related to age, tumor differentiation degree and TNM staging (all P < 0.05). The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that LNR, age, TNM staging, and tumor differentiation degree were factors affecting the OS of patients. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 5-year OS rate of patients with high LNR was lower than that of patients with low LNR (10.3% vs. 42.0%, χ2 = 69.89, P < 0.001). Among all patients, the 5-year OS rate of patients aged ≥ 65 years was lower than that of patients aged < 65 years (18.8% vs. 50.0%, χ2 = 15.77, P < 0.001). In the high LNR group, the 5-year OS rate of patients aged ≥ 65 years was lower than that of patients aged <65 years (2.3% vs. 33.3%, χ2 = 6.29, P = 0.012); in the low LNR group, the 5-year OS rate of patients aged ≥ 65 years was lower than that of patients aged < 65 years (32.3% vs. 55.9%, χ2 = 4.78, P = 0.029). Conclusions:LNR is an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients, and gastric cancer patients with LNR > 0.355 have poor prognosis. With the same LNR, the prognosis of elderly patients is worse than that of young patients.

Methods: This study enrolled 40 patients with AIS, 20 patients with congenital scoliosis (CS), and 20 patients with spinal degenerative disease (SDD). All patients underwent open posterior surgery in our hospital, and a paravertebral muscle (multifidus muscle) biopsy was performed intraoperatively. This study included many indexes that describe muscle, especially dystrophin staining. The above pathological results were compared among the AIS, CS, and SDD groups. The correlation between the Cobb angle and Nash–Moe classification and the above pathological results was analyzed in patients with AIS. Results: Significant reductions in the dystrophin staining of dystrophin-1 (p<0.001), dystrophin-2 (p<0.001), and dystrophin-3 (p<0.001) were observed in the AIS group than in the CS and SDD groups. The higher the Nash–Moe classification in the AIS group, the more significant the loss of dystrophin-2 (p=0.042) in the convex paraspinal muscles. Additionally, a significantly positive correlation was observed between the reductions of dystrophin-2 on the concave side of the AIS group and Cobb angle (p=0.011). Conclusions Dystrophin protein deficiency in the paraspinal muscles plays a crucial role in AIS formation and progression. The severity of scoliosis in patients with AIS is correlated with the extent of dystrophin loss in the paravertebral muscles. Therefore, dystrophin dysfunction may be relevant to AIS occurrence and development.

Objective To explore the effect of plasma-activated gas(PAG)in promoting wound healing.Methods The pro-healing effect of PAG was explored by testing the effectiveness of PAG in promoting cell proliferation and healing of infected wounds.Cell proliferation assay:five different cells(i.e.,HSF,IHSMC,WPMY-1,HaCaT,and HFF)in logarithmic growth phase were inoculated into culture plates.After the cells grew adherently to the wall,the different cells were each grouped experimentally using a suitable time gradient.After the cells were treated with PAG for different time,their activity was detected by CCK-8 method.Animal infected wound healing assay:a wound of about 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm in size was created on the back of SD rats with sterile tweezers and scissors,and then the wound was infected with P.Aeruginosa with A600nm=6.5.After the infection was completed,the wounds were treated with PAG at regular intervals,and the experiment groups were subdivided according to the different treatment durations.Wound healing photographs and changes in relative wound area were used as indicators of healing performance.Results Cell proliferation assay:PAG treatment was effective in promoting cell proliferation for a reasonable period of time,while overdose led to cell death.Therefore,the dose of cells treated with plasma activation gas was defined as=W/N(J/cell),where W is the work consumed by the activation gas device during the treatment process and N is the number of cells.The three indexes(starting dose,optimal dose and safe dose range)were used to characterize the proliferative effect of PAG.Animal infected wound healing assay:the experimental groups all showed accelerated wound healing,so the optimal treatment time was used to characterize the pro-healing effect of PAG.The sterilization mode played a primary role,with an optimal treatment time of 2 min,and the pro-healing mode played a secondary role.The treatment conditions with the best overall healing effect were 2 min for the sterilization mode and 1 min for the pro-healing mode.Conclusion PAG has the effect of promoting cell proliferation and infected wound healing,and indicators can be summarized to quantitatively describe its effect,which is conducive to further standardization of PAG research and clinical utility.

Background/Aims: Obesity is associated with several gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and has been identified as a potential risk factor for various GI symptoms. Bowel frequency is an important indicator of bowel function. However, the causal link between obesity and gastrointestinal motility remains uncertain. This study aims to determine the causal effect of overall and central obesity on stool frequency. Methods: Four obesity-related anthropometric indicators–body mass index, body fat percentage, waist circumference (WC), and waist-tohip ratio (WHR)–were investigated. Individual-level baseline information from the UK Biobank was used to explore observational associations between obesity and stool frequency. Additionally, summary-level data from published genome-wide association studies were subjected to two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to examine causal associations. Results: For all 4 indicators of obesity, higher levels of obesity were associated with more frequent bowel movements after adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary factors. After rigorous screening, 482 body mass index single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 7 body fat percentage SNPs, 48 WC SNPs, and 287 WHR SNPs were identified as instrument variables for MR analysis. The MR results were generally consistent with observational findings, proving that the associations observed in the overall obesity indicators were causal. For central obesity, the association between WHR and stool frequency remained consistent in both analysis phases, whereas WC showed a multidirectional association. Conclusions Obesity-related anthropometric indicators were causally associated with increased stool frequency in the overall and central obesity groups. Weight loss could be a potential approach to improve gastrointestinal regularity in individuals with obesity.