Objective:To evaluate the changes in cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) burst suppression rate (BSR) during sevoflurane anesthesia in septic mice and the correlation with cerebral blood perfusion.Methods:Forty SPF male C57BL/6J mice, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 22-25 g, were divided into 2 groups ( n=20 each) by the random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group) and cecal ligation perforation group (CLP group). The sepsis model was established by cecal ligation and puncture in anesthetized animals. Mice in both groups inhaled 2% sevoflurane for 2 h. During sevoflurane anesthesia, BSR (30 min as an epoch) on electroencephalogram was recorded, and the cortical cerebral blood perfusion was recorded using the laser speckle flow imaging at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min of anesthesia. Results:Compared with Sham group, the cortical EEG BSR was significantly increased, and the cortical cerebral blood perfusion was decreased during sevoflurane anesthesia in CLP group ( P<0.05). Cortical EEG BSR was negatively correlated with cortical cerebral blood perfusion ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Cortical EEG BSR increases during sevoflurane anesthesia in septic mice, which may be related to decreased cortical cerebral blood perfusion.

Objective:To evaluate the changes in cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) burst suppression rate (BSR) during sevoflurane anesthesia in septic mice and the correlation with cerebral blood perfusion.Methods:Forty SPF male C57BL/6J mice, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 22-25 g, were divided into 2 groups ( n=20 each) by the random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group) and cecal ligation perforation group (CLP group). The sepsis model was established by cecal ligation and puncture in anesthetized animals. Mice in both groups inhaled 2% sevoflurane for 2 h. During sevoflurane anesthesia, BSR (30 min as an epoch) on electroencephalogram was recorded, and the cortical cerebral blood perfusion was recorded using the laser speckle flow imaging at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min of anesthesia. Results:Compared with Sham group, the cortical EEG BSR was significantly increased, and the cortical cerebral blood perfusion was decreased during sevoflurane anesthesia in CLP group ( P<0.05). Cortical EEG BSR was negatively correlated with cortical cerebral blood perfusion ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Cortical EEG BSR increases during sevoflurane anesthesia in septic mice, which may be related to decreased cortical cerebral blood perfusion.

Objective:To investigate the impact of Tai Chi on brain network topology in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and mild cognitive impairment(MCI).Method:Patients with T2DM and MCI were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups:Tai Chi group(n=33),fitness walking group(n=31),and health education control group(n=35).Cognitive function was as-sessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)at baseline and after 24 weeks of intervention.Mag-netic resonance imaging(MRI)and graph theory methods were used to analyze characteristic path length,be-tweenness centrality,and nodal efficiency to evaluate brain network topology.Result:After 24 weeks,the MoCA score of the Tai Chi group significantly improved compared to the con-trol group(P=0.016),but there was no significant difference compared to the fitness walking group.No signif-icant changes in characteristic path length were observed among the three groups.Compared to the control group,the betweenness centrality in the Tai Chi group significantly increased in the right precentral gyrus,right middle temporal gyrus(temporoccipital part),and left angular gyrus.Additionally,the betweenness cen-trality in the bilateral middle temporal gyri(temporoccipital part)was higher in the Tai Chi group than in the fitness walking group.Nodal efficiency in the right supramarginal gyrus(posterior part)significantly increased in the Tai Chi group compared to the control group.Correlation analysis showed that the change in between-ness centrality of the left middle temporal gyrus in the Tai Chi group was positively correlated with the change in MoCA score(r=0.642,P＜0.001),and the nodal efficiency of the right supramarginal gyrus was also positively correlated with the change in MoCA score(r=0.372,P=0.033).Conclusion:This study preliminarily reveals that Tai Chi may improve cognitive function in patients with T2DM and MCI by modulating the local topological properties of brain networks,particularly in the left mid-dle temporal gyrus and right supramarginal gyrus.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between intracerebroventricular glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-induced improvement in long-term postoperative cognitive function and expression of PKMζ and Kalirin in the hippocampus of neonatal rats.Methods:Sixty 7-day old Sprague-Dawley rats, male or female, were divided into 4 groups ( n=15 each) using a random number table method: control group (group C), GDNF group (group G), surgery group (group S) and surgery plus GDNF group (group S+ G). Group C did not receive anesthesia, surgery or drug treatment. Group G received intracerebroventricular injection of 0.3 μg recombinant rat GDNF. Group S and group S+ G underwent right carotid artery exposure surgery under 3% sevoflurane anesthesia, and in addition group S+ G received intracerebroventricular injection of GDNF. The Barnes maze test and the fear conditioning test were performed starting from postnatal day 33. The animals were then sacrificed under sevoflurane anesthesia after behavioral testing, the brains were obtained and divided into 2 halves sagittally along the midline. The left half of the brain was used for Golgi staining to observe dendritic morphology and measure dendritic spine density. The hippocampal protein was extracted from the right half of the brain to detect the expression of PKMζ and Kalirin by Western blot. Results:Compared with group C, the time to identify the target box in the Barnes maze test was significantly prolonged, the context-related freezing time in the fear conditioning test was shortened, the total dendritic length, the number of branches, the number of intersections in sholl analysis and spinal density in the hippocampus were reduced, and the expression of PKMζ and Kalirin was down-regulated in group S ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the aforementioned parameters in group G ( P>0.05). Compared with group S, the time to identify the target box in the Barnes maze test was significantly shortened, the context-related freezing time in the fear conditioning test was prolonged, the total dendritic length, the number of branches, the number of intersections in sholl analysis and spinal density in the hippocampus were increased, and the expression of PKMζ and Kalirin was up-regulated in group S+ G ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which intracerebroventricular GDNF improves long-term postoperative cognitive function may be related to up-regulating the expression of PKMζ and Kalirin and promoting the development of dendrites and dendritic spines in the hippocampus of neonatal rats.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between the mechanism of preoperative sleep deprivation aggravating postoperative cognitive dysfunction and theta oscillations in the hippocampal CA1 region in aged mice.Methods:Twenty-four SPF male C57BL/6J mice, aged 18 months, weighing 20-30 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=8 each) by a random number table method: normal control group (group C), operation group (group S) and preoperative sleep deprivation + operation group (group SD+ S). The sleep deprivation model was established using the sleep deprivation rod method, and the sleep deprivation time was 24 h before operation. The sleep deprivation rod was set to rotate continuously at 6 rpm/min, and the direction was randomly reversed to force the mice to exercise to achieve the purpose of sleep deprivation. Group C received no treatment. Group S underwent exploratory laparotomy under isoflurane anesthesia. After sleep deprivation for 24 h, SD+ S group underwent exploratory laparotomy under isoflurane anesthesia. Y-maze and Morris water maze tests were used to evaluate postoperative cognitive function. The theta oscillations in the hippocampal CA1 region were observed and recorded by EEG electrodes in vivo. The animals were then sacrificed and brain tissues were obtained for determination of the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampal CA1 region. Results:Compared with group C, the number of crossing the original platform was significantly decreased, and the time of staying at the original platform quadrant and time of exploring the novel arm were shortened, and the number of entries into the novel arm was reduced, the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampal CA1 region was reduced, and the percentage of theta oscillation power was decreased during the Y maze test in group S ( P<0.05). Compared with S group, the number of crossing the original platform was significantly decreased, and the time of staying at the original platform quadrant and time of exploring the novel arm were shortened, and the number of entries into the novel arm was reduced, the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampal CA1 region was reduced, and the percentage of theta oscillation power was decreased during the Y maze test in SD+ S group ( P<0.01). Conclusions:The mechanisms by which preoperative sleep deprivation exacerbates postoperative cognitive dysfunction may be related to reduction in theta oscillations in the hippocampal CA1 region of aged mice.

Meibomian gland dysfunction is a chronic and diffuse disease of the meibomian glands, characterized by obstruction and(or)abnormal secretion of the terminal ducts. Clinically, it can lead to tear film abnormalities and inflammation of the ocular surface, resulting in symptoms of ocular irritation and potential corneal damage that may impact visual function. Meibomian gland dysfunction can be classified into two types based on meibomian gland secretion: low secretion type and high secretion type. The low secretion type further includes acinar atrophy type and obstruction type. In recent years, research has revealed that patients with diabetes experience chronic damage to their meibomian gland tissue in the early stages of the disease, leading to structural and functional changes. The incidence and severity of meibomian gland dysfunction are higher in diabetic patients. However, there are numerous complex factors contributing to this condition in diabetes patients, and mechanisms remain unclear at present. This article reviews both domestic and international research progress on the pathological mechanism underlying meibomian gland dysfunction in diabetes.

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor disease in young children and young people. It usually has strong invasiveness, and conventional treatment cannot achieve the expected results. Therefore, studying the mechanism of tumor cell death and exploring more effective treatment methods is of great significance. As a new form of cell death, ferroptosis has been found to have three main regulatory pathways closely related to tumor cell molecular mechanisms, genes, etc. This provides a theoretical basis for the application of ferroptosis in the treatment of osteosarcoma. This article reviews recent research on the interaction between ferroptosis and osteosarcoma in regulating molecules, genes, and other factors, as well as the application of ferroptosis in the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP), an abnormal vascular proliferative retinopathy of prematurity, is a serious condition that can lead to retinal detachment or blindness. With the development of neonatal medicine, the survival rate of low birth weight and low gestational age infants has been increasing, as well as the incidence of ROP. Therefore, studying ROP's pathogenesis and influencing factors is of great clinical importance. Numerous studies have been conducted on the risk factors for ROP, including gestational age, oxygen intake, mode of delivery, neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and the use of surfactants. At present, it is widely accepted both at home and abroad that preterm birth, low birth weight, and high oxygen concentration after birth are independent risk factors for ROP. In recent years, more and more scholars have found that abnormalities in blood indicators in preterm infants may be associated with the development of ROP. This article reviews the effects of platelets, haemoglobin, blood glucose, inflammatory cells, and lipids on ROP, providing a reference for identifying and preventing risk factors for ROP.

Myocardial strain is a dimensionless parameter reflecting the degree of deformation of the whole or local myocardium under stress,which can quantitatively detect myocardial injury and guide the early diagnosis,intervention and prognostic assessment of cardiac diseases.Cardiac ultrasound,cardiac CT and cardiac magnetic resonance can all be used for strain imaging and analysis,with two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography being the most widely used means of myocardial strain detection today.However,due to inter-observer variations in manual analysis of myocardial strain and differences in the imaging systems and analysis software,the consistency and reproducibility of measured strain values among vendors are poor,limiting the clinical application of myocardial strain.Artificial intelligence(AI)can overcome the defects of strain measurement to a certain extent through automatic strain calculation and image quality assessment,which has a broad developmental prospect.This review focuses on the progress of AI-assisted measurement of myocardial strain in ultrasound,magnetic resonance,and other imaging modalities,as well as its application to disease diagnosis and patient prognosis assessment.This will improve the efficiency and consistency of strain measurement and promote the routine application of myocardial strain to clinical practice,which will play an incremental role in assessing myocardial injury and cardiac function.However,most of the current studies involve small sample sizes and lack external validation,and the reliability of their results needs to be further verified.

Objective:To investigate the effect of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) gene on the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in vitro, and the role of Nrf2 gene in regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway.Methods:Three Nrf2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences were designed and synthesized, namely siRNA-223, siRNA-538 and siRNA-756, and the unrelated sequences were designed and synthesized. The plasmids carrying various siRNA sequences of Nrf2 were constructed, and the plasmids carrying siRNA sequences and the plasmids carrying unrelated sequences were transfected into human colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells, namely interference group and empty vector group, respectively. Additionally, Caco-2 cells without any treatment were used as the control group. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting (WB) methods were used to detect the relative expression of Nrf2 gene in transcription and translation levels in each group of cells, in order to verify the interference effect of Nrf2; the siRNA with the best interference effect was selected for subsequent experiments. CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation ability of each group of cells (expressed as absorbance value); RT-qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of EMT pathway-related factors [vimentin (Vim), N-cadherin (N-cad) and E-cadherin (E-cad)] in transcription level in each group of cells; WB method was used to detect the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax in each group of cells.Results:The results of RT-qPCR and WB methods showed that compared with the control group and the empty group, the relative expression of Nrf2 gene in transcription and translation levels in Caco-2 cells of the siRNA-756 interference group were the lowest, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The CCK-8 results showed that the absorbance values of Caco-2 cells in the control group, empty group and siRNA-756 interference group after 48 hours of culture were (100±5)%, (94±4)% and (82±5)%, respectively; compared with the control group and the empty group, the siRNA-756 interference group had lower absorbance value, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The results of RT-qPCR method showed that the relative expression of Vim and N-cad in transcription level in the siRNA-756 interference group were higher than those in the control group and the empty vector group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05); the relative expression of E-cad in transcription level was lower than those in the control group and the empty vector group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P < 0.05). The results of WB method showed that the relative expression of Bax protein in the siRNA-756 interference group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:Interference with Nrf2 expression in vitro can weaken the proliferation and anti-apoptotic abilities of human colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells. The mechanism may be that Nrf2 regulates the expression of Vim, N-cad and E-Cad in the EMT pathway to enhance the EMT ability of tumor cells.