OBJECTIVE To explore the potential mechanism by which drug-containing serum of Dianxianqing granules （DXQ） inhibits microglial ferroptosis. METHODS Male SD rats were given normal saline and Dianxianqing granules solution via intragastric administration to prepare normal serum and DXQ， respectively. Mice microglia BV2 cells were collected and successfully transfected with a negative control small interfering RNA （si-NC）， and then they were included in the si-NC group and cultured under normal conditions. Cells successfully transfected with small interfering RNA targeting glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） （si-GPX4） were divided into the si-GPX4 group， the CsA group （treated with 1 μmol/L cyclosporine A）， and the DXQ- L， DXQ-M and DXQ-H groups （treated with 5%， 7% and 10% DXQ， respectively）. These groups were subsequently treated with their corresponding drug solutions and ferroptosis inducer Erastin （10 μmol/L）. The intracellular levels of total iron ions， glutathione （GSH）， reactive oxygen species （ROS）， and the expression of mitochondrial superoxide were determined in each group after 48 h of treatment. Additionally， mitochondrial membrane potential， the opening degree of mitochondrial permeability transition pore （MPTP）， and mRNA expressions of GPX4 and cyclophilin D （CypD） were detected. Furthermore， the expressions of ferroptosis-related proteins[GPX4， transferrin receptor 1 （TfR1） and ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）]， as well as MPTP-related proteins [adenine nucleotide translocator （ANT）， cytochrome C （CytC）， mitochondrial calcium uniporter （MCU） and CypD] were assessed. RESULTS Compared with si-NC group， the levels of total iron ions and ROS， the expression level of mitochondrial superoxide， the opening degree of MPTP， protein and its mRNA expressions of CypD as well as protein expressions of TfR1 and MCU were increased or up-regulated significantly （P＜0.01）； however， GSH content， mitochondrial membrane potential， protein and mRNA expressions of GPX4， and protein expressions of FTH1， ANT and CytC were decreased or down-regulated significantly （P＜0.01）. Compared with the si-GPX4 group， the cells in the DXQ-M， DXQ-H groups showed a general improvement in the above quantitative indicators （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS DXQ can enhance antioxidant capacity by activating the GSH/GPX4 pathway， regulate the expressions of TfR1 and FTH1 protein to correct iron ion homeostasis， inhibit excessive opening of MPTP to improve mitochondrial function， and ultimately suppress microglial ferroptosis.

Closed-loop neuromodulation, especially using the phase of the electroencephalography (EEG) rhythm to assess the real-time brain state and optimize the brain stimulation process, is becoming a hot research topic. Because the EEG signal is non-stationary, the commonly used EEG phase-based prediction methods have large variances, which may reduce the accuracy of the phase prediction. In this study, we proposed a machine learning-based EEG phase prediction network, which we call EEG phase prediction network (EPN), to capture the overall rhythm distribution pattern of subjects and map the instantaneous phase directly from the narrow-band EEG data. We verified the performance of EPN on pre-recorded data, simulated EEG data, and a real-time experiment. Compared with widely used state-of-the-art models (optimized multi-layer filter architecture, auto-regress, and educated temporal prediction), EPN achieved the lowest variance and the greatest accuracy. Thus, the EPN model will provide broader applications for EEG phase-based closed-loop neuromodulation.
Humans ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Brain/physiology* ; Machine Learning ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Adult ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Brain Waves/physiology*

Objective To explore effect of Wenyang Qudu formula on serum inflammatory factors and immune index in patients with severe infections.Methods A total of 86 severe infection patients admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Henan Province from January to December 2023 were selected as the research subjects.According to the patient file order,odd numbers were the study group,and even numbers were the control group,with 43 cases in each group.The control group was treated with cefoperazone sulbactam sodium,while the study group was treated with Wenyang Qudu formula in addition to the control group[drug composition:Prepared aconite(first decocted)30 g,Poria cocos 30 g,White peony 15 g,Red peony 15 g,Stir fried atractylodes macrocephala 30 g,Dried ginger 9 g,Roasted licorice 9 g,Cassia twig 15 g,Semen lepidii 15 g,Dragon's bone 15 g,Raw oyster 15 g,Codonopsis pilosula 12 g,Angelica sinensis 12 g,Asarum 3 g,Schisandra chinensis 6 g,and Jujube 12 g].Brew in water,and took one dose daily,once in the morning and once in the evening,for a continuous period of 7 days.The differences in the scores of traditional Chinese medicine symptoms such as fever,dyspnea,frequent urination,urgency,and degree of sputum production,serum levels of interleukin-10(IL-10),C-reactive protein(CRP),eosinophils(EOS),and immune function indicators[immunoglobulin E(IgE),CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,CD4+/CD8+]were compared between two groups after treatment,and observed the occurrence of adverse reactions.Results After treatment,the traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores(fever,dyspnea,frequent urination and urgency,degree of sputum production),as well as IL-10,CRP,EOS levels,IgE,and CD8+ were significantly reduced in both groups compared to before treatment,CD3+,CD4+,and CD4+/CD8+ were significantly increased compared to before treatment.In addition,the study group had significantly lower scores of fever,dyspnea,frequent urination and urgency,degree of sputum production,IL-10,CRP,EOS levels,IgE,and CD8+ compared to the control group(fever score:1.36±0.30 vs.2.57±0.46,dyspnea score:1.22±0.31 vs.2.26±0.75,urinary frequency and urgency score:1.30±0.39 vs.2.33±0.82,degree of sputum production:1.19±0.77 vs.2.51±0.85,IL-10(ng/L):9.03±1.67 vs.10.51±2.40,CRP(mg/L):4.68±1.33 vs.7.82±2.53,EOS(×109/L):0.30±0.04 vs.0.46±0.10,IgE(mg/L):104.62±10.73 vs.135.68±14.64,CD8+:0.228±0.016 vs.0.258±0.020,all P<0.05],the levels of CD3+,CD4+,and CD4+/CD8+ were significantly higher than those in the control group(CD3+:0.636±0.044 vs.0.567±0.055,CD4+:0.537±0.054 vs.0.397±0.045,CD4+/CD8+:1.76±0.51 vs.0.55±0.39,all P<0.05].After treatment,it was discovered that the study group had not experienced any adverse reactions,while the control group had 1 case of nausea and vomiting and 1 case of chest tightness.There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the study group and the control group[0(0/43)vs.0.05%(2/43),P>0.05].Conclusion The Wenyang Qudu formula can reduce the serum factor levels of IL-10,CRP,and EOS in critically infected patients,and improve immune function with good safety.

As indications of radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer continue to expand, more and more patients need radiotherapy after mastectomy. With the development of breast reconstruction, radiotherapy and its timing will affect breast reconstruction while patients benefit from tumor treatment and may lead to different postoperative complications and cosmetic effects. How to optimize the comprehensive therapeutic strategies of postoperative breast reconstruction and radiotherapy for breast cancer, especially the techniques of breast reconstruction and the choices of radiotherapy timing, has become an issue of common concerns of multidisciplinary treatment involving radiotherapy, breast surgery, and plastic surgery. This paper aims to review and summarize the latest high-quality research in this field including the impact of radiotherapy and its timing on tissue expander/prosthetic breast reconstruction, rate of prosthetic reconstruction, and postoperative patient satisfaction so that scholars can understand the latest research progress of radiotherapy and breast reconstruction and clinicians can optimize therapeutic regimens.