BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the first cohort of people in China treated with a responsive neurostimulation system (Epilcure TM , GenLight MedTech, Hangzhou, China) for focal drug-resistant epilepsy in this study. METHODS: This multicenter, before-and-after self-controlled study was conducted across 8 centers from March 2022 to June 2023, involving patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who were undergoing responsive neurostimulation (RNS). The study was based on an ongoing multi-center, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Efficacy was assessed through metrics including median seizure count, seizure frequency reduction (SFR), and response rate. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationships of basic clinical factors and intracranial electrophysiological characteristics with SFR. The postoperative quality of life, cognitive function, depression, and anxiety were evaluated as well. RESULTS: The follow-up period for the 19 participants was 10.7 ± 3.4 months. Seizure counts decreased significantly 6 months after device activation, with median SFR of 48% at the 6th month (M6) and 58% at M12 ( P  <0.05). The average response rate after 13 months of treatment was 42%, with 21% ( n  = 4) of the participants achieving seizure freedom. Patients who have previously undergone resective surgery appear to achieve better therapeutic outcomes at M11, M12 and M13 ( β  <0, P  <0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in patients' scores of quality of life, cognition, depression and anxiety following stimulation when compared to baseline measurements. No serious adverse events related to the devices were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings suggest that Epilcure TM exhibits promising therapeutic potential in reducing the frequency of epileptic seizures. However, to further validate its efficacy, larger-scale randomized controlled trials are required. REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2200055247).
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy/therapy* ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; China ; Adolescent ; Treatment Outcome ; Quality of Life ; Single-Blind Method ; Seizures ; Electric Stimulation Therapy/methods*

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of sleep interruption(SI)cycles on emotional behavior in ICR mice,and to establish a mouse model of comorbid anxiety and depression induced by SI.Methods Seventy-two male ICR mice(4～5 weeks old)were divided randomly into a blank group and a model group.Mice in the model group were subjected to SI stress modeling for 1,2,and 3 weeks,respectively.After modeling,emotional behaviors were evaluated using open-field,elevated plus maze,light-dark box,marble-burying,and forced-swimming tests.Serum corticosterone levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results Mice in the model group buried significantly more marbles after 1 week of SI stress,compared with the blank group(P＜0.05).After 2 weeks of stress,mice in the model group also showed a significant decrease in the number of crossings in the light-dark box(P＜0.05)and a significant increase in the number of marbles buried(P＜0.01)compared with the control group.After 3 weeks of stress,mice in the model group showed a significant increase in the number of marbles buried(P＜0.05),a significant decrease in the number of crossings in the light-dark box(P＜0.05),and a significant increase in immobility time in the forced-swim test(P＜0.01).Conclusions ICR mice exhibited significant anxiety-related behaviors after 2 weeks of SI modeling and significant anxiety-and depressive-related behavioral changes after 3 weeks.Three weeks of SI stress can be used to establish a model of comorbid anxiety and depression.

Objective To provide a comprehensive review of the modeling method of the empty bottle stimulation(EBS)anxiety model,including commonly used experimental animal strains and genders,animal grouping,modeling procedures,modeling duration,primary behavioral evaluation method,and the underlying pathological mechanisms.This aims to offer a reference for the application of the EBS anxiety model in anxiety disorder research.Methods Searches were conducted in databases such as CNKI and PubMed to collect all literature related to the EBS anxiety model,which were then systematically summarized and organized.Results(1)Male adult SD or Wistar rats are predominantly used as experimental animals;(2)The optimal modeling period is 2 weeks;(3)Behavioral evaluations primarily utilize the open field test,elevated plus maze test,and light-dark box test;(4)Pathological mechanisms involve abnormal neurotransmitter metabolism in brain regions such as the hippocampus,prefrontal cortex,and amygdala.Conclusions The EBS anxiety model exhibits an anxiety-like behavioral phenotype and associated neurobiological mechanisms,validating its utility as an animal model for the study of anxiety disorders.However,further exploration and refinement are required for its standardized construction protocol and the understanding of its mechanistic underpinnings.

Objective: To translate the Menopause Perception Scale (MPS) into Chinese, and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the MPS. Methods: The MPS was translated back-translated, culturally adapted and pre-tested according to the Brislin translation model to develop the Chinese version of MPS. The menopausal women from five communities were selected using simple random sampling to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of MPS. Content validity was evaluated based on expert ratings, criterion-related validity was evaluated using the Chinese version of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) as the criterion. Structural validity was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's α, and split-half reliability and test-retest reliability were calculated. Results: Totally 430 questionnaires were allocated, and 414 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 96.28%. The Chinese version of the MPS consisted of 18 items across four dimensions: acceptance, sexual perception, normalization, and support perception. The item-level content validity index ranged from 0.833 to 1.000, and the scale-level content validity index average was 0.924. The correlation coefficients between the scores of each dimension and the total scores of the Chinese version of the MPS and the Chinese version of the MRS ranged from 0.529 to 0.790 (all P<0.05). Exploratory factor analysis extracted four common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 64.502%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed good model fit, with a root mean square error of approximation of 0.052, root mean square residual of 0.053, comparative fit index of 0.958, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.950, goodness of fit index of 0.908, incremental fit index of 0.958, and relative fit index of 0.884. The Cronbach's α of the Chinese version of the MPS was 0.916, the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.845, and the test-retest reliability was 0.906. Conclusion The Chinese version of the MPS demonstrates good reliability and validity, and can be used to assess the perceptions and attitudes of menopausal women in China toward menopause.

OBJECTIVE To summarize the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment experiences in dealing with non-severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia.METHODS The clinical data were collected from 34 patients who were diagnosed with non-severe C.psittaci pneumonia through quantitative polymerase chain reactiong(qPCR)for sputum in fever clinic of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from Mar.2023 to Mar.2024 and were retrospectively analyzed.The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were evaluated.RESULTS The average age of the patients was(44.82±13.74)years old,the ratio of male to female was 1∶1.83;all of the patients had fever;major symptoms were cough(70.59％),pharyngodynia(44.12％),and flu-like symptoms(41.18％);82.35％of the patients had the history of contact with poultry.The C-reactive pro-tein(CRP)level,interleukin-6(IL-6),systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI)and aggregate index of sys-temic inflammation(AISI)were higher among the patients aged no less than 44 years old than among the patients less than 44 years old(P＜0.05);the percentage of lymphocytes of the patients aged no less than 44 years old was lower than that of the patients aged less than 44 years old(P＜0.05).As for the imaging findings,73.53％of the patients had consolidation shadows,26.47％had ground-glass opacities,and 32.35％involved both lungs.All of the patients received quinolones or tetracyclines for treatment of 7-14 days and all symptoms relieved.CT reexami-nated 1 month after the treatment showed that 55.88％of the cases had complete absorption of pulmonary infec-tious lesions,and 35.29％had partial absorption.CONCLUSIONS The patients with non-severe Chlamydia psitta-ci pneumonia are characterized by the history of contact with poultry,fever complicated with respiratory tract symptoms,rise of inflammatory markers(more significant among patients of advanced age)and lower lobe con-solidation shadow/ground-glass opacities.Early identification and standardized treatment may facilitate the favora-ble treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE To explore the epidemiological characteristics of common allergens among children with al-lergic rhinitis(AR)in a children's specialized hospital of Beijing.METHODS A total of 2120 children who met the diagnostic criteria of AR and were treated in otolaryngology department of Beijing Jingdu Children's Hospital from 2021 to 2023 were recruited as the research subjects.The specific immunoglobulin E(sIgE)of allergens was de-tected by western blot quantitative assay.The positive rates of the allergens were statistically analyzed according to the age,sex and years.The epidemiological characteristics and changing trends were observed.RESULTS The pos-itive rate of allergens was 47.78％among the 2120 children,in whom multiple allergies polysensitization were pre-dominant;the positive rate of allergens and polysensitization rate were the highest among the population aged be-tween 1 and 7 years old.The inhalational allergens were dominant,and the positive rate of the Candida group was highest.The positive rates of inhalant allergens and ingested allergens reached the peak at the age of 1-7 and then declined with age;milk and egg white were the two types of predominant ingested allergens in childhood.Among the 2120 children,there were significant differences in the positive rates of allergens between the male and the fe-male,and the positive rates of the male were higher than those of the female(P＜0.001).The positive rates of al-lergens generally showed upward trends during the 3 years,the positive rates of the inhalant allergens such as mugwort,cat hair and dog dandruff ascended by a large margin,and the positive rates of the ingested allergens such as milk,egg white and egg yolk showed remarkable rising trends.CONCLUSIONS The causes of AR are complicated.There are a variety of factors affecting the allergen test.The epidemiological characteristics of the al-lergens among the AR children are observed from multiple perspectives,which may provide references for preven-tion and treatment of the children with AR.

We surveyed tick species and their carried pathogens for three important emerging zoonotic diseases(Babesiosis,Lyme disease,and fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome)at border areas between China and Mongolia,to provide data support for the construction of a database on cross-border transmission of important tick-borne diseases and the prevention and control of zoonotic tick-borne diseases in border areas.In 2023-2024,tick samples were collected from 12 border areas along the Sino-Mongolian bor-der,and tick species were identified according to morphology and molecular biology,then tested for the pathogens of three newly emerging zoonotic diseases with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and conventional PCR.Positive samples were verified through gene sequencing.A total of 2 477 ticks of five genera and nine species were collected from the border areas of China and Mongolia.The dominant tick species were identified as the grassland leatherback tick,the full-groove tick,and the small glaucous-eyed tick.The overall positivity rates of ticks carrying Babesia,Lyme disease spirochetes,and fever with thrombocytopenia virus in the 12 border ar-eas were 8.32%,11.59%,and 0%,respectively.Babesia,the most widely distributed tick species,was detected in ticks at eight areas in the eastern,central,and western parts of the China-Mongolia border.This species was found in eastern,central,and western ports along the Sino-Mongolian border;showed tick positivity rates of 0.37%-38.82%;and was most frequently carried by full-groove hard ticks.Spirochetes of Lyme disease were the next most widely distributed,and were detected in samples from four port areas,primarily in the eastern ports along the Sino-Mongolian border;97.2%of positive samples were detected in full-groove hard ticks.Zoonotic Babe-sia spp.were widely distributed in the border crossing areas of China and Mongolia,and included five species of Babesia microti,Ba-besia venatorum,and Babesia divergens,whereas the Lyme disease spirochetes were prevalent mainly in the east,including five geno-types of Borreliella garinii,Borreliella afzelii,and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.Co-infection with Babesia and Lyme disease spiro-chetes was present in hard ticks throughout the groove,and co-infected samples accounted for 74.27%of Babesia positive and 53.31%of Lyme disease positive samples.Thus,Babesia and Lyme disease spirochetes were found to be important tick-borne emerging zoo-notic pathogens in the Sino-Mongolian border crossing areas,the infected ticks were primarily full-grooved hard ticks,and co-infections were found.

We surveyed tick species and their carried pathogens for three important emerging zoonotic diseases(Babesiosis,Lyme disease,and fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome)at border areas between China and Mongolia,to provide data support for the construction of a database on cross-border transmission of important tick-borne diseases and the prevention and control of zoonotic tick-borne diseases in border areas.In 2023-2024,tick samples were collected from 12 border areas along the Sino-Mongolian bor-der,and tick species were identified according to morphology and molecular biology,then tested for the pathogens of three newly emerging zoonotic diseases with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and conventional PCR.Positive samples were verified through gene sequencing.A total of 2 477 ticks of five genera and nine species were collected from the border areas of China and Mongolia.The dominant tick species were identified as the grassland leatherback tick,the full-groove tick,and the small glaucous-eyed tick.The overall positivity rates of ticks carrying Babesia,Lyme disease spirochetes,and fever with thrombocytopenia virus in the 12 border ar-eas were 8.32%,11.59%,and 0%,respectively.Babesia,the most widely distributed tick species,was detected in ticks at eight areas in the eastern,central,and western parts of the China-Mongolia border.This species was found in eastern,central,and western ports along the Sino-Mongolian border;showed tick positivity rates of 0.37%-38.82%;and was most frequently carried by full-groove hard ticks.Spirochetes of Lyme disease were the next most widely distributed,and were detected in samples from four port areas,primarily in the eastern ports along the Sino-Mongolian border;97.2%of positive samples were detected in full-groove hard ticks.Zoonotic Babe-sia spp.were widely distributed in the border crossing areas of China and Mongolia,and included five species of Babesia microti,Ba-besia venatorum,and Babesia divergens,whereas the Lyme disease spirochetes were prevalent mainly in the east,including five geno-types of Borreliella garinii,Borreliella afzelii,and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto.Co-infection with Babesia and Lyme disease spiro-chetes was present in hard ticks throughout the groove,and co-infected samples accounted for 74.27%of Babesia positive and 53.31%of Lyme disease positive samples.Thus,Babesia and Lyme disease spirochetes were found to be important tick-borne emerging zoo-notic pathogens in the Sino-Mongolian border crossing areas,the infected ticks were primarily full-grooved hard ticks,and co-infections were found.

Objective To provide a comprehensive review of the modeling method of the empty bottle stimulation(EBS)anxiety model,including commonly used experimental animal strains and genders,animal grouping,modeling procedures,modeling duration,primary behavioral evaluation method,and the underlying pathological mechanisms.This aims to offer a reference for the application of the EBS anxiety model in anxiety disorder research.Methods Searches were conducted in databases such as CNKI and PubMed to collect all literature related to the EBS anxiety model,which were then systematically summarized and organized.Results(1)Male adult SD or Wistar rats are predominantly used as experimental animals;(2)The optimal modeling period is 2 weeks;(3)Behavioral evaluations primarily utilize the open field test,elevated plus maze test,and light-dark box test;(4)Pathological mechanisms involve abnormal neurotransmitter metabolism in brain regions such as the hippocampus,prefrontal cortex,and amygdala.Conclusions The EBS anxiety model exhibits an anxiety-like behavioral phenotype and associated neurobiological mechanisms,validating its utility as an animal model for the study of anxiety disorders.However,further exploration and refinement are required for its standardized construction protocol and the understanding of its mechanistic underpinnings.