1.A Personalized Brain-computer Interface Paradigm and Decoding Method for The Objective Evaluation of Auditory Frequency Difference Limen
Sheng-Ye LI ; Xiao-Lin XIAO ; Shi-Hang YU ; Bei-Bei ZHANG ; Xing-Wei AN ; Min-Peng XU ; Dong MING
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(7):1927-1941
ObjectiveThe frequency difference limen (FDL) serves as a fundamental metric utilized for effectively quantifying the precise perceptual capabilities of the central auditory system. However, traditional measurement methods rely heavily on the active behavioral responses of subjects and are consequently highly susceptible to the negative influence of confounding subjective factors. Furthermore, existing research paradigms frequently employ uniform stimulus configurations that overlook critical individual perceptual differences. Based on brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, this comprehensive study aims to establish an objective and quantitative evaluation method for auditory frequency discrimination by systematically analyzing and decoding the specific neural responses elicited at the exact threshold state. MethodsWe designed a personalized rapid serial auditory presentation (RSAP) paradigm customized based on each individual’s precise FDL. A cohort of eleven healthy participants was recruited to evaluate the paradigm using pure-tone sequences at a baseline frequency of 4 000 Hz. This experimental paradigm simulates a realistic auditory perception environment through the continuous presentation of acoustic stimuli, thereby allowing for an in-depth investigation into the specific neural representations evoked by weak frequency deviations at the threshold state. Given that auditory stimulus-evoked response features exhibit complex and differentiated spatiotemporal distribution patterns across multiple frequency domains, this study further deeply integrates the cross-scale feature interaction module with the dynamic spatiotemporal attention allocation strategy, innovatively proposing the Multi-Scale Spatial-Temporal Dual Attention Network (MS-STAMNet). Specifically, the network constructs parallel processing branches with multiple receptive fields and introduces a dynamic adaptive weighting strategy to precisely localize core neural activity signals, further deeply integrating multi-scale information through cross-branch feature information interaction to achieve robust single-trial decoding of weak auditory evoked responses. ResultsThe comprehensive electrophysiological data analysis demonstrated that subtle auditory frequency deviation stimuli presented at the threshold level successfully elicited pronounced N2 and P3 event-related potential features, reflecting pre-attentive mismatch detection and subsequent cognitive evaluation, which were prominently distributed over the frontal, central, and temporal regions of the scalp. In the complex time-frequency domain, the extracted neural response characteristics exhibited distinct, statistically significant event-related synchronization within both the low-frequency δ and θ frequency bands, which was simultaneously accompanied by a widespread, prominent event-related desynchronization within the higher α band. A comparative analysis of model performance demonstrated that MS-STAMNet achieved an average unweighted average recall (UAR) of (69.67±6.12)% and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.761 8±0.07, significantly outperforming the established baseline models such as EEGNet and PLNet. Furthermore, a distinct dissociation phenomenon was verified between neural decoding and behavioral performance through regression analysis (R2=0.016, P=0.709), indicating that this model can effectively capture the implicit features of subtle frequency deviations, even when they fail to trigger explicit conscious responses. Additionally, attention weight visualization analysis further reveals the highly accurate focus of the network on key features concentrated over the bilateral temporal and fronto-parietal regions. ConclusionThis study systematically and comprehensively uncovers the multi-dimensional spatiotemporal evolutionary patterns of complex neural responses processing subtle acoustic variations under long-sequence threshold auditory stimulation. Concurrently, it verifies the efficacy and robustness of the proposed MS-STAMNet architecture in accurately deciphering weak, single-trial electroencephalogram signals amidst complex background noise. Ultimately, these neurophysiological and algorithmic findings lay a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for the objective and quantitative evaluation of individual auditory cognitive capabilities in clinical applications, transcending the fundamental limitations of traditional behavioral paradigms and providing robust technical support for future auditory research and related clinical assessments.
2.Analysis of the safety, economic benefit and social psychological satisfaction of day breast conserving surgery for breast cancer
Jiao ZHOU ; Xiaoxiao XIAO ; Jiabin YANG ; Yu FENG ; Huanzuo YANG ; Mengxue QIU ; Qing ZHANG ; Yang LIU ; Mingjun HUANG ; Peng LIANG ; Zhenggui DU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;32(02):160-166
Objective To investigate the safety, economic benefits and psychological effects of day breast conserving surgery for breast cancer. Methods The demographic data and clinical data of breast cancer patients undergoing day (day surgery group) and ward (ward surgery group) breast conserving surgeries in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from March 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively collected; the demographic data, clinical data, medical and related transportation costs, and preoperative and postoperative BREAST-Q scores of breast cancer patients undergoing day (day surgery group) and ward (ward surgery group) breast conserving surgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2021 to June 2022 were prospectively collected. The safety, economic benefit, and psychological satisfaction of day surgery was analyzed. Results A total of 42 women with breast cancer were included in the retrospective study and 39 women with breast cancer were included in the prospective study. In both prospective and retrospective studies, the mean age of patients in both groups were <50 years. There were only statistical differences between the two groups in the aspects of hypertension (P=0.022), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.037) and postoperative pathological estrogen receptor (P=0.033) in the prospective study. In postoperative complications, there were no statistical differences in the surgical-related complications or anesthesia-related complications between the two groups in either the prospective study or the retrospective study (P>0.05). In terms of the overall cost, we found that the day surgery group was more economical than the ward surgery group in the prospective study (P=0.002). There were no statistical differences in postoperative psychosocical well-being, sexual well-being, satisfaction with breasts or chest condition between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion It is safe and reliable to carry out breast conserving surgery in day surgery center under strict management standards, which can save medical costs and will not cause great psychological burden to patients.
3.Effects of meropenem exposure and degradation levels on clinical efficacy in patients with purulent meningitis
Tongtong LI ; Jiantong SUN ; Xianglong CHEN ; Peng DENG ; Yanping XUE ; Yao XIAO ; Lijuan YANG ; Jinhui XU ; Yanxia YU ; Lian TANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(24):3084-3090
OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of meropenem exposure and degradation levels on clinical efficacy in patients with purulent meningitis (PM). METHODS A total of 131 PM patients treated with meropenem at the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2022 to June 2025 were prospectively included. Relevant data were collected and divided into a cured group (91 cases) and a non-cured group (40 cases) based on the efficacy. High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentration of meropenem and its open-loop metabolites. Risk factors that affect efficacy were screened, and their predictive power and correlation were evaluated by univariate analysis, and multivariate Logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and correlation analysis. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that serum creatinine, creatinine clearance rate, minimum inhibitory concentration of meropenem ≥16 μg/mL, cerebrospinal fluid red blood cell count, cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count, cerebrospinal fluid glucose content, blood trough concentration, blood open-loop metabolite concentration/trough concentration ratio, and intrathecal injection were all correlated with efficacy (P<0.05). The results of multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that serum creatinine blood open-loop metabolite concentration/trough concentration ratio, intrathecal injection, and cerebrospinal fluid glucose content were influencing factors for suboptimal anti-infective ltt efficacy (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that when the blood open-loop metabolite concentration/trough concentration ratio was greater than 2.854 (AUC=0.647), serum creatinine was less than 59.5 μmol/L (AUC=0.647), and cerebrospinal fluid glucose content was less than 3.37 mmol/L (AUC=0.709), the risk of treatment failure significantly increased (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the blood trough concentration of meropenem was positively correlated with the concentration of its open-loop metabolites (R 2=0.134 5, P<0.000 1). CONCLUSIONS Insufficient exposure level and rapid degradation of meropenem are key mechanisms affecting the anti-infective efficacy of PM. Elevated blood open-loop metabolite concentration/ trough concentration ratio, low serum creatinine level, lack of intrathecal injection, and low cerebrospinal fluid glucose content are independent risk factors for poor efficacy.
4.Causal association between intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental disorders and mediating roles of lipoproteins and ATPase:A Mendelian randomization study
Zhengdong CHEN ; Qingqi RAN ; Minghui XIAO ; Qinyi YU ; Wenjie PENG ; Zhangxue HU
Journal of Army Medical University 2025;47(22):2725-2734
Objective To explore the callsal association between intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy(ICP)and offspring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)and Tourette's syndrome(TS)and its potential mechanisms.Methods Genome wide association study(GWAS)in public datasets was used to extract data.Among them,exposure was ICP(n=123 579),which stems from FinnGen dataset.Outcome was defined as ADHD,TS and other tic disorders(n=23 918),which is extracted from GWAS Catalog.Among mediators,total cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein(TC in HDL)were from the genetic map of the human plasma proteinome(n=21 558),and Obg-like ATPase 1 was from whole-genome study of circulating metabolites(n=3 301).In this study,we chose instrumental variables(IVs)that meets the Mendelian randomization(MR)hypothesis.When using two-sample MR,inverse variance weighted(IVW)was adopted as the primary method,and MR-Egger regression,weighted median,weighted mode,and simple mode were also utilized to analyse the robustness.Cochran's Q test,MR-Egger intercept test and leave-one-out sensitivity analysis were performed to verify the reliability.Significant threshold was set up as P<0.05.When using two-step MR,the first step is two-sample MR from exposure to mediator,and the second step is multivariable MR(MVMR),which is from mediator to outcome.At this time,conditional F-statistic was adopted to test the strength of IVs.At last,product distribution test was applied to determine the significance of mediation effects.Results ICP was significantly related to ADHD and TS as well as other tic disorders in offspring(IVW:OR=1.003,95%CI:1.000~1.006,P=0.035),and sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the results.The potential positive mediators included TC in HDL[total effect(TE)=2.855×10-3;mediated effect(ME)=8.628×10-4;mediated proportion(MP)=30.217%,95%CI:0.878%~73.954%],and Obg-like ATPase 1(TE=2.855×10-3;ME=1.216×10-3;MP=42.572%,95%CI:6.356%~90.195%).Conclusion ICP is possible to elevate the incidence rate of ADHD and TS and other tic disorders via reducing TC in HDL and Obg-like ATPase 1.
5.Research Progress on Detection Methods for Cytokeratin 19 Fragment Antigen 21-1
Jia-Hui DONG ; Li-Yue SHEN ; Ji-Hao SI ; Xiao-Ping YU ; Tao PENG
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(3):328-337
Cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1)is a new biomarker which has received much attention in recent years for cancer screening,and has shown great potentials for screening and diagnosis of various cancers,especially non-small cell lung cancer.CYFRA21-1 level in human serum has important clinical significance in the diagnosis,prognosis and treatment of lung cancer.Recently,a variety of detection techniques have been established to effectively enrich the detection technology system of CYFRA21-1,such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,chemiluminescence,fluorescence,immunochromatography,electrochemical method,and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy,etc.These techniques provide technical support for early diagnosis of lung cancer.However,the research progress of CYFRA21-1 detection methods is rarely reported.In this paper,CYFRA21-1 and its clinical significance were briefly introduced,and the progress of detection technology in recent ten years was reviewed,which was expected to provide reference for developing more sensitive,accurate,fast and convenient detection methods.
6.Determination of 238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and 241Pu in Soil by Tandem Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasmon-Mass Spectrometry
Yi-Chao GUO ; Chen-Yang PENG ; Xin-Yu DU ; Feng ZHANG ; Hao-Lin ZHOU ; Ke-Liang SHI ; Shan XING ; Xiao-Lin HOU
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(3):397-406
Plutonium isotopes(238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and 241Pu)in the environment are important"fingerprint"nuclides in the study of nuclear activity traceability.The content of plutonium isotopes in the environmental metrics is usually very low,and the measurement of these isotopes,especially 238Pu,using mass spectrometry is seriously interfered with by the coexisting 238U.The analysis of several plutonium isotopes in soil usually requires combination of multiple measurement techniques,which leads to a long analysis time and large uncertainty in the isotope ratio.In this work,the hydrous titanium oxide(HTiO)precipitated by the hydrolysis of titanium oxydichloride(TiOCl2)under near-neutral condition was used to preconcentrate plutonium from the soil digestion solution,and the highly efficient decontamination of 238U in the sample was achieved by TK200 resin column chromatography with a decontamination factor of 108.Simulation resuts of density functional theory(DFT)showed that NH3 was considered as a promising reaction gas to eliminate the interference of 238U from 238Pu measurement using mass spectrometry due to the significant discrepancy of the chemical reactivity of U+and Pu+with the reactive gas NH3.Experiments confirmed that by optimizing the flow rates of collision gas(He)and reaction gas(NH3),the interference of 238U could be effectively suppressed,and the decontamination factor of 238U was 104.Combined with chemical separation,the overall decontamination factor of 238U could reach 1012 by using the developed method.By combining chemical separation and tandem quadrupole inductively coupled plasmon-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS/MS)measurement,the simultaneous determination of four ultra-trace plutonium isotopes in soil was realized,and the detection limit of plutonium isotopes was at the femtogram level.Analysis of the international standard reference materials(NIST-SRM-4357 and IAEA-384)showed that the established method could be successfully used for the accurate analysis of ultra-trace four plutonium isotopes(238Pu,239Pu,240Pu and 241Pu)in soil samples.
7.Assembly of Protein Nanopore in Microfluidic Tube and Its Application in Single-Molecule Analysis
Peng ZHENG ; Xin-Yu SHI ; Xing-Peng WEI ; Xiao-Feng KANG
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(7):1090-1096
As the simplest label-free single-molecule analytical technique in solution,nanopore technology has been widely used in rapid sequencing of protein and nucleic acid,and single-molecule sensing.However,the main challenge is to get this technology out of the lab and achieve automation,miniaturization as well as rapid analysis at high throughput.In this work,a new microfluidic tubing protein nanopore analysis system was designed and constructed by combining microfluidic and nanopore nanofluidic analysis techniques.An arcuate lipid bilayer was formed in the microfluidic device through lipid monolayer at the oil/water interface by developed aperture processing technology at 10 μm level.The arcuate lipid bilayer with the life span of more than 98 h had high biomimetic fluidity and biological activity by which protein channel could be produced and sealed at 18 GΩ level without leakage.When applied+40 mV potential,relative standard deviation of single proteinα-hemolysin mutant(α-HL(M113F/K147N))channel current was less than 0.16 pA(n=3)in 10 mmol/L Tris-HCl(pH 7.4)buffer containing 1 mol/L NaCl.Single-molecule detection for aptamer and its host-guest interactions with biotin in protein channel demonstrated that this microfluidic tube protein nanopore sensor could well work with high sensitivity without the need of anti-vibration table and shielding cage.
8.A Sensitive Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Detection of Interleukin-6 Using Carbon Dots-Mesoporous Silica Nanocomposite Fluorescent Probes
Yue-Qian YANG ; Peng-Yue WANG ; Jia-Qi REN ; Xiao PAN ; Feng-Hua TAN ; Yu-Jie MA ; Cong-Ying WEN ; Jing-Bin ZENG
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(9):1467-1475
In this study,a sensitive lateral flow immunoassay(LFIA)platform based on carbon dots-mesoporous silica nanocomposite(CD-MSNs)fluorescent probes was constructed for high-performance detection of inflammatory marker interleukin-6(IL-6).Green fluorescent carbon dots(CDs)were prepared by hydrothermal method with 3,9-perylenic acid and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane(APTES)as raw materials,and highly fluorescent CD-MSNs composites were then constructed by encapsulating the prepared CDs in mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs).Fluorescent probes were prepared by covalent coupling of CD-MSNs with IL-6 antibody.Fluorescent immunochromatographic test strips were constructed by spraying IL-6 capture antibody and goat anti-mouse IgG on nitrocellulose membrane as detection line(T-line)and quality control line(C-line),respectively.The fluorescence immunoassay analyzer was used to quantitatively detect the fluorescence intensity of T-line,and the experimental results showed that the LFIA platform based on this probe had a good linear relationship in IL-6 concentration range of 102-106 pg/mL,and the detection limit was 64 pg/mL,which was two orders of magnitude more sensitive than that of the traditional colloidal gold test strips.This method effectively solved the issue of insufficient sensitivity of traditional LFIA technique,and provided a rapid and highly sensitive detection method for early diagnosis of inflammatory diseases.
9.Determination of Decabromodiphenyl Ether and Decabromodiphenyl Ethane in Sediments by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry
Xiao-Fei WEI ; Jing WU ; Zhuo HAN ; Yu-Zhu ZHANG ; Zi-Juan PENG ; Peng-Hui LI ; Shan-Jun SONG
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(9):1526-1535
Decabromodiphenyl ether(BDE-209)and decabromodiphenyl ethane(DBDPE)are widely used brominated flame retardants,which have been detected in the atmosphere,water,soil,and various organisms.In this study,a method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(HPLC-ICP-MS)was developed for determination of BDE-209 and DBDPE in sediment.Firstly,the target compounds in the sediments were extracted by accelerated solvent extraction(ASE),and the extraction solvent was hexane/dichloromethane(1∶1,V/V).The extract was concentrated by rotary evaporation and purified by a composite silica gel column(6 g neutral silica gel,8 g acidic silica gel,and 4 g anhydrous sodium sulfate),concentrated by nitrogen blowing,and then re-dissolved with 1 mL of toluene for instrumental determination.The chromatographic separation was carried out on a TC-C18(2)column(250 mm×4.6 mm)with isocratic elution using methanol-isopropanol-water(89∶6∶5,V/V)as the mobile phase,and the samples were separated within 20 min.Further,the Br element was quantified by ICP-MS to realize the detection of the target.The results showed that the method established in this study exhibited good linearity(R2>0.999)in the range of 100-10000 ng/mL,and the limits of quantification(LOQs)of the method were 2.0 ng/g for BDE-209 and 10.0 ng/g for DBDPE,with the relative standard deviations(RSDs,n=3)lower than 10%,and the recoveries were in the acceptable range(80.9%-120.7%).The matrix effect was effectively controlled within 10%.In addition,by analyzing the actual sediment samples from Guangxi,a background point,and Taizhou,Zhejiang,a typical contaminated area,it was found that neither BDE-209 nor DBDPE was detected in the sediment from Guangxi,while the concentrations of BDE-209 and DBDPE in the sediment from Zhejiang ranged from 1591.8 to 3362.9 ng/g,which further demonstrated the applicability and reliability of the method for analyzing actual environmental samples.This study provided a strong technical support for the accurate detection of POPs in the environment.
10.The Improvement of Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease by Exerkines and The Underlying Mechanisms
Jin PENG ; Yu LIU ; Xiao-Hui WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2332-2345
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.

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