ObjectiveBased on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the brain activity characteristics of gross motor tasks in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and motor dysfunctions (MDs) to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanism of MDs in children with ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 children with ASD accompanied by MDs were recruited into the ASD group and 40 children with typically developing (TD) into the TD group. The fNIRS device was used to collect the information of blood oxygen changes in the cortical motor-related brain regions during single-handed bag throwing and tiptoe walking, and the differences in brain activation and functional connectivity between the two groups of children were analyzed from the perspective of brain activation and functional connectivity. ResultsCompared to the TD group, in the object manipulative motor task (one-handed bag throwing), the ASD group showed significantly reduced activation in both left sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and right secondary visual cortex (V2) (P<0.05), whereas the right pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC&SMA) had significantly higher activation (P<0.01) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, there was a significant decrease in the strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and V2. In the body stability motor task (tiptoe walking), the ASD group had significantly higher activation in motor-related brain regions such as the DLPFC, SMC, and PMC&SMA (P<0.05) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, the ASD group had lower strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with PMC&SMA and V2. ConclusionChildren with ASD exhibit abnormal brain functional activity characteristics specific to different gross motor tasks in object manipulative and body stability, reflecting insufficient or excessive compensatory activation of local brain regions and impaired cross-regions integration, which may be a potential reason for the poorer gross motor performance of children with ASD, and meanwhile provides data support for further unraveling the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of MDs in the context of ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective.

Air Pollution/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Environmental Monitoring

Objective To explore the current status of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,analyze its influencing factors,and provide a reference basis for the prevention and control of H.pylori infection.Methods A total of 677 residents from four districts of Sanya City were selected by overall stratified random sampling method,and were subjected to urea 14C breath test and questionnaire survey to calculate the positive rate of H.pylori in the natural population and analyze the influencing factors of H.pylori infection.Results A total of 606 residents were included,and the number of H.pylori positive detections was 261,with a positive detection rate of 38.5％.Among them,different ethnicity,marital status,smoking,eating vegetables and fruits,and literacy level were associated with H.pylori infection(P＜0.05);gender,age,BMI,alcohol consumption,drinking water source,betel quid chewing,and the number of cohabitants were not significantly associated with H.pylori infection(P＞0.05).Family infection was an independent risk factor for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,and Li ethnicity,frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables,and college and higher education level were independent protective factors for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City.Conclusion The rate of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City is lower than the national average.Consuming more fruits and vegetables and improving the awareness of hygiene protection are conducive to the prevention of H.pylori infection;and the promotion of the family and related members with the same examination and treatment is important to avoid aggregation of infection within the family.

Objective:To summarize the imaging features of severe unilateral transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus thromboses, and evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravascular interventional therapy in them.Methods:Thirty-seven patients with severe unilateral transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus thromboses clinically mainly manifested as intracranial hypertension and accepted endovascular intervention in Department of Interventional Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2012 to September 2022 were chosen; their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and imaging features were summarized. Short-term efficacy was evaluated according to blood flow restoration degrees and pressure gradient reduction in the occlusive sinus and modified neurological symptoms before and after endovascular intervention. Hospitalized complications were observed; safety and long-term efficacy were evaluated according to postoperative clinical follow-up and imaging results 6-12 months after endovascular intervention.Results:(1) Preoperative brain MRI and (or) CT showed different degrees of swelling of the brain tissues, with the affected side as the target; mixed signals/density shadow could be seen in the blocked transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus; venous cerebral infarction or post-infarction cerebral hemorrhage could be combined in some patients. MRV, CTV and DSA showed poor or completely occluded transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus while normal in the contralateral side; obvious thrombus filling-defect was observed in the occluded venous sinus after mechanical thrombolysis. (2) Occlusive sinus blood flow was restored in all patients after endovascular intervention, and pressure gradient of the occlusive segment decreased from (16.6±3.3) mmHg before to (2.8±0.8) mmHg after endovascular intervention. Before discharge, clinical symptoms of all patients were significantly improved (modified Rankin scale [mRS] scores of 0 in 30 patients, 1 in 5 patients, 2 in 1 patient and 3 in 1 patient), and 2 patients had unilateral limb movement disorder (muscle strength grading III and IV, respectively). All patients received clinical follow-up for (9.6±3.0) months. At the last follow-up, neurological function obviously improved compared with that before endovascular intervention, without new neurosystem-related symptoms (mRS scores of 0 in 30 patients, 1 in 6, and 2 in 1 patient). In 34 patients received MRV or DSA follow-up, 28 had complete recanalization of occlusive sinus and 6 had partial recanalization, without obvious stenosis or recurrent occlusion.Conclusions:Severe unilateral transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus thrombosis can cause local intracranial venous blood stasis, and then cause "increased regional venous sinus pressure", which is manifested as unilateral brain tissue swelling and even venous cerebral infarction or post-infarction cerebral hemorrhage. Early diagnosis and endovascular intervention can obviously improve the prognosis of these patients, enjoying good safety.

The adulteration and counterfeiting of herbal ingredients in medicinal and food homology (MFH) have a serious impact on the quality of herbal materials, thereby endangering human health. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, health products derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are more easily accessible and closely integrated into consumers' daily life. However, the authentication of the authenticity of TCM ingredients in MFH has not received sufficient attention. The lack of clear standards emphasizes the necessity of conducting systematic research in this area. This study utilized DNA barcoding technology, combining ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK as universal barcode sequences, and DX, HH, JYH as specific barcode sequences, to identify the authenticity of commercial medicinal and food homology scented herbal teas. The aim was to investigate the authenticity of scented herbal tea products circulating in the market. The research results revealed that among 180 scented herbal tea samples, DNA barcodes were successfully obtained from 164 samples, while the remaining samples either lacked the target components or suffered severe DNA degradation, resulting in failed amplification. Combined with morphological identification studies, it was found that out of the 180 samples, 141 were authentic, accounting for 78.33% of the total samples, while 31 samples showed adulteration and 8 samples lacked the target components, accounting for 21.67% of the total samples. Additionally, water testing revealed that 5 samples of Carthamus tinctorius herbal tea exhibited the phenomenon of weight adulteration. This study exposed the presence of adulteration and weight adulteration in scented herbal tea products, highlighting the need for regulatory authorities to expedite the establishment of quality standards in scented herbal tea industry. These findings provide valuable insights for the rapid development of the scented herbal tea industry.

Objective Viral encephalitis is an infectious disease severely affecting human health.It is caused by a wide variety of viral pathogens,including herpes viruses,flaviviruses,enteroviruses,and other viruses.The laboratory diagnosis of viral encephalitis is a worldwide challenge.Recently,high-throughput sequencing technology has provided new tools for diagnosing central nervous system infections.Thus,In this study,we established a multipathogen detection platform for viral encephalitis based on amplicon sequencing. Methods We designed nine pairs of specific polymerase chain reaction(PCR)primers for the 12 viruses by reviewing the relevant literature.The detection ability of the primers was verified by software simulation and the detection of known positive samples.Amplicon sequencing was used to validate the samples,and consistency was compared with Sanger sequencing. Results The results showed that the target sequences of various pathogens were obtained at a coverage depth level greater than 20×,and the sequence lengths were consistent with the sizes of the predicted amplicons.The sequences were verified using the National Center for Biotechnology Information BLAST,and all results were consistent with the results of Sanger sequencing. Conclusion Amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing technology is feasible as a supplementary method for the pathogenic detection of viral encephalitis.It is also a useful tool for the high-volume screening of clinical samples.

Objective:To understand the medical care of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in China and its relationship with survival time.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on data of 150 patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnosed by China′s Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Network during the period of January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 in this study, and telephone follow-up with family members was used to obtain information of the patients′ care, treatment, and survival after diagnosis. Survival was estimated by life table method, median survival time and 95% confidence interval ( CI) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank method was used to compare the difference in survival time between different groups, and multifactorial analysis was performed by COX proportional risk regression model regarding the influencing factors on patients′ survival time. Results:The median survival time of 150 patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was 6 months, and the cumulative lifetime survival rates at 2, 6, 12, and 18 months were 62%, 39%, 22%, and 9%, respectively. The result of univariate analysis showed that the differences in survival time between groups with the presence or absence of cortical blindness in the first symptom, the presence or absence of respiratory support (oxygen therapy), the presence or absence of adjunctive medication, and the presence or absence of tube feeding (nasogastric) were meaningful ( P<0.1). Multifactorial COX regression analysis showed that the risk of death in patients without adjuvant medication was 1.429 times higher than that in patients with adjuvant medication (95.0% CI: 1.014-2.014), and the risk of death in patients without tube feeding (nasal feeding) was 1.479 times higher than that in patients with tube feeding (nasal feeding) (95% CI: 1.052-2.081). Conclusions:Whether or not adjuvant medication is administered and whether or not tube feeding (nasogastric) is used are factors that affect survival time in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and the administration of appropriate adjuvant medication and tube feeding (nasogastric) may contribute to prolonging survival time in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Objective To establish a new animal model of filum terminale traction tethered cord syndrome to explore its pathogenesis.Methods Sixteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the traction group and the sham group,with 8 rabbits in each group.The traction group used silk thread to establish a model of filum terminale traction tethered cord syndrome,while the sham group only cut the filum terminale without traction.After 8 weeks,the behavioral Talov score,lumbosacral MRI examination,somatosensory evoked potential detection,urodynamic index test and pathological analysis were completed.Results At the 8th week after surgery,the hindlimb injury was obvious in the traction group,and the Talov scores at the 4th and 8th weeks after operation were lower than those in the sham group(P<0.001).The lumbosacral MRI results at 8 weeks after surgery showed that the distal filum terminale was pulled by silk thread,with bladder abnormal enlargement in sagital MRI in the traction group,while axial MRI showed the spinal cord within the spinal canal was subjected to mechanical forces in the downward and dorsal directions;the sagittal and axial MRI of the sham group showed that the spinal cord was located in the middle of the spinal canal and the bladder size was normal.At the 8th week after surgery,the amplitude in the traction group was significantly lower than that in the sham group(P<0.001),and the amplitude decreased by more than 50% .The overall latency period in the traction group was slightly longer than that in the sham group(P<0.05).The results of urodynamic examination showed that the maximum bladder capacity in the traction group was significantly higher than that in the sham group(Z=-3.361,P<0.001),the bladder pressure was significantly lower than that in the sham group(Z=-3.361,P<0.001),and the bladder compliance was significantly higher than that in the sham group(P<0.001).Pathological staining showed that the traction of the filum terminale on the spinal cord led to nerve tissue damage and degeneration of bladder epithelial cells.Conclusion This study successfully established a model of filum terminale traction tethered cord syndrome of New Zealand white rabbits,which can provide reference for exploring the pathogenesis of tethered cord and understanding the pathological process of spinal cord injury.

This study was aimed at understanding the detection rate,drug resistance characteristics,virulence characteris-tics,multi-locus sequence typing,and other molecular epidemic and pathogenic characteristics of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in children in Guangdong Province from 2020 to 2022.Anal swabs or stool samples of suspected infection cases in children from 2020 to 2022 were collected from two hospitals in Guangzhou,Guangdong Province.Campylobacter was isolated and cultured through the filtration method,and identified with a microbial mass spectrometry system;antibiotic resist-ance was analyzed with the agar dilution method;bacterial genome nucleic acids were extracted,and whole-genome sequencing was conducted;and drug resistance genes,virulence genes,multi-locus sequence typing,and phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed from whole-genome sequencing results.First,53 strains of Campy-lobacter were detected through continuous routine monitoring in this study,with a positive detection rate of 2.94％.Among them,Campylobacter jejuni accounted for 81.13％(43/53)and Campylobacter coli accounted for 18.87％(10/53).In addition,16 strains of Campylobacter were screened through multi-pathogen surveillance,including 11 strains of Campylobacter jejuni and 5 strains of Campylobacter coli.Drug resistance ex-periments and whole genome sequencing were conducted on 46 Campylobacter isolates,including 33 isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and 13 isolates of Campylobacter coli.The resistance rate of Campylobacter to erythromycin,a widely used clinical treatment,was21.73％(10/46);that to tetracycline was 80.43％(37/46);those to the quinolone antibiotics nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin were 76.08％(35/46)and 71.73％(33/46)respectively;and that to chloramphenicol was lowest,at 2.17％(1/46).The drug resistance rate was generally higher for Campylobacter coli than Campylobacter jejuni,and the differences in the indicators of erythromycin,gentamicin,streptomycin,telithromycin,and clindamycin were statistically significant.A total of 30 isolates of multidrug-resistant Campylobacter were detected,including nine multidrug-resistant phenotypes.Whole-ge-nome sequence analysis indicated that 46 Campylobacter isolates carried antibiotic resistance genes for antibiotics such as quino-lones,tetracyclines,β-lactams,and aminoglycosides,and carried 128 virulence factor genes in five categories.All 46 isolates of Campylobacter were identified as 35 ST type through MLST typing,and phylogenetic analysis indicated no obvious dominant ST type.Campylobacter coli had more SNPs than Campylobacter jejuni.In conclusion,the positive detection rate of Campy-lobacter in Guangzhou City,Guangdong Province stabilized from 2020 to 2022,and the detection rate of Campylobacter jejuni was higher than that of Campylobacter coli.Campylobacter isolates were resistant to tetracyclines and quinolone,and showed a wide spectrum of multi-drug resistance,which was relatively severe among Campylobacter coli.Resistance genes and drug-resistant phenotypes were correlated and had predictive significance.The virulence genes of Campylobacter jejuni were more a-bundant than those of Campylobacter coli,possibly because of the higher detection rate and pathogenicity of Campylobacter jejuni.The phylogenetic tree showed clear branches with high genetic diversity and no clearly dominant clonal group.

Objective:To investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on the replication, amplification, and fibre formation of prions (PrP Sc). Methods:The CCK8 assay was used to detect the cell viability of the prion-infected cell model SMB-S15 after CAPE treatment for 3 days and 7 days and the maximum safe concentration of CAPE for SMB-S15 was obtained. The cells were treated with a concentration within a safe range, and the content of PrP Sc in the cells before and after CAPE treatment was analyzed by western blot. Protein misfolding cycle amplification (PMCA) and western blot were used to assess changes in PrP Sc level in amplification products following CAPE treatment. Real-time-quaking induced conversion assay (RT-QuIC) technology was employed to explore the changes in fibril formation before and after CAPE treatment. The binding affinity between CAPE and murine recombinant full-length prion protein was determined using a molecular interaction assay. Results:CCK8 cell viability assay results demonstrated that treatment with 1 μmol/L CAPE for 3 and 7 days did not exhibit statistically significant differences in cell viability compared to the control group (all P<0.05). However, when the concentration of CAPE exceeded 1 μmol/L, a significant reduction in cell viability was observed in cells treated with CAPE for 3 and 7 days, compared to the control group (all P<0.05). Thus, 1 μmol/L was determined as the maximum safe concentration of CAPE treatment for SMB-S15 cells. The western blot results revealed that treatment with CAPE for both 3 and 7 days led to a detectable reduction in the levels of PrP Sc in SMB-S15 cells (all P<0.05). The products of PMCA experiments were assessed using western blot. The findings revealed a significant decrease in the levels of PrP Sc (relative grey value) in the PMCA amplification products of adapted-strains SMB-S15, 139A, and ME7 following treatment with CAPE, as compared to the control group (all P<0.05). The RT-QuIC experimental results demonstrated a reduction in fibril formation (as indicated by ThT peak values) in CAPE-treated mouse-adapted strains 139A, ME7, and SMB-S15, as well as in SMB-S15 cells infected with prions. Furthermore, CAPE exhibited varying degrees of inhibition towards different seed fibrils formation, with statistically significant differences observed (all P<0.05). Notably, CAPE exhibited a more pronounced inhibitory effect on ME7 seed fibrils. Molecular interaction analyses demonstrated significant binding between CAPE and murine recombinant prion protein, and the association constant was (2.92±0.41)×10 -6 mol/L. Conclusions:CAPE inhibits PrP Sc replication, amplification, and fibril formation in vitro possibly due to specific interactions with the prion protein at the molecular level.