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.

Objective: To analyze characteristics of iron-deficient blood donors, implement targeted interventions, and evaluate their effectiveness, thereby providing a reference for formulating blood donor recruitment and care strategies. Methods: Based on serum ferritin (SF) test results, the apheresis platelet donors were divided into the low SF group (n=90; 45 males and 45 females) and the normal SF group (n=651; 510 males and 141 females). The results of related indicators of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Interventions for the low SF group included extending the blood donation interval to at least 45 days (group A) and oral iron supplementation combined with the extended donation interval implemented in group A (group B). Pre-intervention and post-intervention SF results were compared. Results: For both male and female donors, serum iron levels were significantly lower in the low SF group than those of the normal SF group, while the levels of transferrin, unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were higher in the low SF group compared to the normal SF group. Some indicators related to red blood cells showed changes, with more evident alterations in females than in males. Twenty-eight donors in group A and 39 donors in group B completed the study after intervention. SF value in group A was (18.32±8.09) μg/L at baseline and (26.21±17.30) μg/L after intervention. Similarly, SF value in group B was (15.87±7.69) μg/L at baseline and (26.24±15.55) μg/L after intervention. In both groups, SF values after intervention were significantly higher than baseline values. However, the magnitude of change did not significantly differ between groups A and B. Conclusion: Other related indicators in blood donors with low ferritin have also experienced some changes, suggesting that some blood donors may have entered the stage of iron-deficient erythropoiesis. Extending blood donation interval facilitates the recovery of iron storage in low-ferritin apheresis platelet donors. Blood stations should develop care strategies for apheresis platelet donors, including, at a minimum, the prolonged blood donation interval for donors with low ferritin.

Objective:To apply artificial intelligence（AI）in classifying ovarian tumors on ultrasound images，and compare the diagnostic results of several sonographers with varying seniority levels.Methods:A total of 645 patients diagnosed with adnexal masses via gynecological ultrasound examination at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2021 to December 2024 were enrolled. Three deep learning architectures，i.e.，Alexnet，Densenet121，and Resnet50 were developed and used to internally test the classification effectiveness of ovarian tumors，while the optimal model was selected for external testing. Two junior sonographers and two senior sonographers were recruited to independently diagnose ovarian tumors in the external test dataset. Subsequently，the benign and malignant results of the model's predictions were disclosed to each sonographer，and their revised diagnoses on the same external test data in combination with the best AI model were recorded.Results:The optimal model achieved an accuracy of 0.941，sensitivity of 0.936，and specificity of 0.944 on the internal test dataset，and maintained robust performance on the external test dataset with accuracy of 0.891，sensitivity of 0.880，and specificity of 0.907. Compared to junior sonographers，the optimal model demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity in discriminating benign from malignant ovarian tumors（0.880 vs. 0.723，0.602；all P<0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed in diagnostic accuracy between the optimal model and senior sonographer 1（ P=0.05）. With assistance from the optimal model，junior sonographers achieved significant improvements in both sensitivity and specificity（sensitivity：0.723 vs. 0.843，0.602 vs. 0.819；specificity：0.778 vs. 0.833，0.685 vs. 0.741；all P<0.05）. Conclusions:The optimal model achieves comparable performance to that of senior sonographers in ovarian tumor classification. With model assistance，the diagnostic performance of junior sonographers is significantly improved.

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most prevalent joint disease of late life, is closely linked to cellular senescence. Previously, we found that the senescence of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) played an essential role in the degradation of cartilage. In this work, single-cell sequencing data further demonstrated that cartilage acidic protein 1 (CRTAC1) is a critical secreted factor of senescent FLS, which suppresses mitophagy and induces mitochondrial dysfunction by regulating SIRT3 expression. In vivo, deletion of SIRT3 in chondrocytes accelerated cartilage degradation and aggravated the progression of OA. Oppositely, intra-articular injection of adeno-associated virus expressing SIRT3 effectively alleviated OA progression in mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that elevated CRTAC1 could bind with NRF2 in chondrocytes, which subsequently suppresses the transcription of SIRT3 in vitro. In addition, SIRT3 reduction could promote the acetylation of FOXO3a and result in mitochondrial dysfunction, which finally contributes to the degradation of chondrocytes. To conclude, this work revealed the critical role and underlying mechanism of senescent FLSs-derived CRTAC1 in OA progression, which provided a potential strategy for the OA therapy.

BACKGROUND:Adipose-derived stem cells have anti-aging effects,but whether adipose-derived stem cells from donors of different ages are different needs further study. OBJECTIVE:To compare the biological properties of adipose-derived stem cells in old and young mice. METHODS:Adipose-derived stem cells were extracted from adipose tissue of C57BL mice aged 8 and 14 weeks,respectively.The differences of cell cycle,apoptosis,and proliferation of adipose-derived stem cells in old and young mice were compared.The expression levels of aging-related P21 and P27 genes and proteins of adipose-derived stem cells in old and young mice were detected by quantitative PCR and western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with old mouse adipose-derived stem cells,young mouse adipose-derived stem cells were more active,more regular in morphology,less apoptosis,faster proliferation,and lower in expression of age-related P21 and P27 genes and proteins.It has been proven that adipose-derived stem cells from young mice have better anti-aging effects.

Objective:To develop and validate the Pain nursing Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for Nursing Students to provide an effective tool for measuring the pain management competency of nursing students in China.Methods:The questionnaire was constructed through literature review, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, Delphi expert consultation, and a pre-survey. From September 2023 to January 2024, a convenience sampling method was used to select 250 nursing students from Hangzhou Normal University and Lishui University in Zhejiang Province for the survey. Reliability and validity of the developed questionnaire were tested. A random sample of 30 nursing students was selected for retesting after two weeks.Results:A total of 10 female experts were consulted through correspondence. The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students consists of 36 items. Through exploratory factor analysis, five common factors were extracted: pain health education, comprehensive pain assessment, pain screening and assessment, analgesic interventions, and analgesic side effects nursing, which together explained 61.695% of the variance. The content validity of the questionnaire was 0.96, and the item-level content validity index ranged from 0.900 to 1.000. The overall Cronbach′s α coefficient was 0.924, and the Cronbach′s α coefficients for the five dimensions ranged from 0.856 to 0.915. The test-retest reliability was 0.831. Conclusions:The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students developed in this study has good reliability and validity. It can be used as a tool to assess nursing students′ competency in pain care and provides a reference for the design and optimization of pain care courses and clinical practice programs for nursing students in undergraduate institutions.

Objective:To apply artificial intelligence（AI）in classifying ovarian tumors on ultrasound images，and compare the diagnostic results of several sonographers with varying seniority levels.Methods:A total of 645 patients diagnosed with adnexal masses via gynecological ultrasound examination at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2021 to December 2024 were enrolled. Three deep learning architectures，i.e.，Alexnet，Densenet121，and Resnet50 were developed and used to internally test the classification effectiveness of ovarian tumors，while the optimal model was selected for external testing. Two junior sonographers and two senior sonographers were recruited to independently diagnose ovarian tumors in the external test dataset. Subsequently，the benign and malignant results of the model's predictions were disclosed to each sonographer，and their revised diagnoses on the same external test data in combination with the best AI model were recorded.Results:The optimal model achieved an accuracy of 0.941，sensitivity of 0.936，and specificity of 0.944 on the internal test dataset，and maintained robust performance on the external test dataset with accuracy of 0.891，sensitivity of 0.880，and specificity of 0.907. Compared to junior sonographers，the optimal model demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity in discriminating benign from malignant ovarian tumors（0.880 vs. 0.723，0.602；all P<0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed in diagnostic accuracy between the optimal model and senior sonographer 1（ P=0.05）. With assistance from the optimal model，junior sonographers achieved significant improvements in both sensitivity and specificity（sensitivity：0.723 vs. 0.843，0.602 vs. 0.819；specificity：0.778 vs. 0.833，0.685 vs. 0.741；all P<0.05）. Conclusions:The optimal model achieves comparable performance to that of senior sonographers in ovarian tumor classification. With model assistance，the diagnostic performance of junior sonographers is significantly improved.

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory dis-ease of the colon and rectum with an unclear etiology.Early di-agnosis and effective treatment of UC are still urgent challenges that need to be addressed in clinical practice.More and more studies have found that galectin-3 is involved in the occurrence and development of UC,which may become a biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of UC.Galectin-3,widely expressed in colonic epithelial cells and immune cells,can regulate intestinal immunity and play an important role in the occurrence and de-velopment of inflammation.This article provides a brief intro-duction to the structure and function of galectin-3,and summari-zes and discusses the expression changes and roles of galectin-3 in UC.At present,most literature reports believe that galectin-3 plays a pro-inflammatory role in UC,but there are still some re-ports that hold the opposite view.This article analyzes the rea-sons for this controversy and provides a reference for further de-termining whether galectin-3 may become a diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for UC.

Objective:To develop and validate the Pain nursing Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for Nursing Students to provide an effective tool for measuring the pain management competency of nursing students in China.Methods:The questionnaire was constructed through literature review, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, Delphi expert consultation, and a pre-survey. From September 2023 to January 2024, a convenience sampling method was used to select 250 nursing students from Hangzhou Normal University and Lishui University in Zhejiang Province for the survey. Reliability and validity of the developed questionnaire were tested. A random sample of 30 nursing students was selected for retesting after two weeks.Results:A total of 10 female experts were consulted through correspondence. The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students consists of 36 items. Through exploratory factor analysis, five common factors were extracted: pain health education, comprehensive pain assessment, pain screening and assessment, analgesic interventions, and analgesic side effects nursing, which together explained 61.695% of the variance. The content validity of the questionnaire was 0.96, and the item-level content validity index ranged from 0.900 to 1.000. The overall Cronbach′s α coefficient was 0.924, and the Cronbach′s α coefficients for the five dimensions ranged from 0.856 to 0.915. The test-retest reliability was 0.831. Conclusions:The Pain Care Competency Evaluation Questionnaire for nursing students developed in this study has good reliability and validity. It can be used as a tool to assess nursing students′ competency in pain care and provides a reference for the design and optimization of pain care courses and clinical practice programs for nursing students in undergraduate institutions.

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory dis-ease of the colon and rectum with an unclear etiology.Early di-agnosis and effective treatment of UC are still urgent challenges that need to be addressed in clinical practice.More and more studies have found that galectin-3 is involved in the occurrence and development of UC,which may become a biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of UC.Galectin-3,widely expressed in colonic epithelial cells and immune cells,can regulate intestinal immunity and play an important role in the occurrence and de-velopment of inflammation.This article provides a brief intro-duction to the structure and function of galectin-3,and summari-zes and discusses the expression changes and roles of galectin-3 in UC.At present,most literature reports believe that galectin-3 plays a pro-inflammatory role in UC,but there are still some re-ports that hold the opposite view.This article analyzes the rea-sons for this controversy and provides a reference for further de-termining whether galectin-3 may become a diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for UC.