Brain’s neural activities encompass both periodic rhythmic oscillations and aperiodic neural fluctuations. Rhythmic oscillations manifest as spectral peaks of neural signals, directly reflecting the synchronized activities of neural populations and closely tied to cognitive and behavioral states. In contrast, aperiodic fluctuations exhibit a power-law decaying spectral trend, revealing the multiscale dynamics of brain neural activity. In recent years, researchers have made notable progress in studying brain aperiodic dynamics. These studies demonstrate that aperiodic activity holds significant physiological relevance, correlating with various physiological states such as external stimuli, drug induction, sleep states, and aging. Aperiodic activity serves as a reflection of the brain’s sensory capacity, consciousness level, and cognitive ability. In clinical research, the aperiodic exponent has emerged as a significant potential biomarker, capable of reflecting the progression and trends of brain diseases while being intricately intertwined with the excitation-inhibition balance of neural system. The physiological mechanisms underlying aperiodic dynamics span multiple neural scales, with activities at the levels of individual neurons, neuronal ensembles, and neural networks collectively influencing the frequency, oscillatory patterns, and spatiotemporal characteristics of aperiodic signals. Aperiodic dynamics currently boasts broad application prospects. It not only provides a novel perspective for investigating brain neural dynamics but also holds immense potential as a neural marker in neuromodulation or brain-computer interface technologies. This paper summarizes methods for extracting characteristic parameters of aperiodic activity, analyzes its physiological relevance and potential as a biomarker in brain diseases, summarizes its physiological mechanisms, and based on these findings, elaborates on the research prospects of aperiodic dynamics.

Objective To investigate the effect of Jichuan decoction on defecation in rats with slow transit constipation(STC).Methods A total of 36 SD rats were divided into model group,experimental group and control group.Except the control group,STC rat models were established in the other two groups by gavage of 2％rhein acid suspension.The experimental group was given 170％Jichuan decoction of 10 mL·kg-1 by gavage,while the control group and model group were given with 0.9％NaCl by gavage,once a day for 30 days.Fecal dry-wet weight ratio and colon transport time were observed by fecal weighing and recording of first fecal discharge time;substance P(SP)and vasoactive peptide(VIP)contents in plasma were detected by kit;changes in intestinal flora were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).Results The dry-wet ratio of feces in control group,model group and experimental group were(44.86±4.40)％,(53.44±3.52)％and(44.28±4.33)％,respectively;the colon transport time were(340.17±34.91),(424.67±37.26)and(377.36±38.87)min,respectively;plasma SP were(79.86±7.56),(60.30±2.41)and(78.84±5.83)pg·mL-1,respectively;plasma VIP were(30.56±2.87),(23.38±6.62)and(28.39±2.37)pg·mL-1,respectively;the numbers of Bifidobacterium were 7.77±0.04,5.19±0.09 and 7.45±0.03,respectively;the numbers of Lactobacillus were 6.40±0.07,4.10±0.05 and 6.36±0.08,respectively.There were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between model group and control group,and between experimental group and model group(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Conclusion Jichuan decoction can improve the defecation of rats with slow transit constipation.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness and severe visual impairment in adults.The high levels of glucose trigger multiple intracellular oxidative stress pathways,such as POLDIP2,resulting in excessive reactive oxygen species(ROS)pro-duction and increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1),hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α),and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),causing microvascular dysfunction.Dihydromyricetin(DMY)is a natural flavonoid small molecule antioxidant.However,it exhibits poor solubility in physiological environments,has a short half-life in vivo,and has low oral bioavailability.In this study,we present,for the first time,the synthesis of ultra-small Fe-DMY nano-coordinated polymer particles(Fe-DMY NCPs),formed by combining DMY with low-toxicity iron ions.In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm that Fe-DMY NCPs alleviate oxidative stress-induced damage to vascular endo-thelial cells by high glucose,scavenge excess ROS,and improve pathological features of DR,such as retinal vascular leakage and neovascularization.Mechanistic validation indicates that Fe-DMY NCPs can inhibit the activation of the Poldip2-Nox4-H2O2 signaling pathway and downregulate vital vascular function indicators such as VCAM-1,HIF-1α,and VEGF.These findings suggest that Fe-DMY NCPs could serve as a safe and effective antioxidant and microangio-protective agent,with the potential as a novel multimeric drug for DR therapy.

Deficiencies in the clearance of peripheral amyloid β (Aβ) play a crucial role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that the ability of blood monocytes to phagocytose Aβ is decreased in AD. However, the exact mechanism of Aβ clearance dysfunction in AD monocytes remains unclear. In the present study, we found that blood monocytes in AD mice exhibited decreases in energy metabolism, which was accompanied by cellular senescence, a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and dysfunctional phagocytosis of Aβ. Improving energy metabolism rejuvenated monocytes and enhanced their ability to phagocytose Aβ in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, enhancing blood monocyte Aβ phagocytosis by improving energy metabolism alleviated brain Aβ deposition and neuroinflammation and eventually improved cognitive function in AD mice. This study reveals a new mechanism of impaired Aβ phagocytosis in monocytes and provides evidence that restoring their energy metabolism may be a novel therapeutic strategy for AD.
Animals ; Mice ; Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Monocytes ; Cognition ; Energy Metabolism ; Phagocytosis

Objective: To analyze the status of excess heart age and its risk factors among Chinese residents aged 35 to 64 years. Methods: The study subjects were Chinese residents aged 35 to 64 years who completed the heart age assessment by WeChat official account "Heart Strengthening Action" through the internet from January 2018 to April 2021. Information such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), smoking history, and diabetes history was collected. The heart age and excess heart age were calculated according to the characteristics of individual cardiovascular risk factors and the heart aging was defined as excess heart age≥5 years and 10 years respectively. The heart age and standardization rate were calculated respectively based on the population standardization of the 7th census in 2021.CA trend test was used to analyze the changing trend of excess heart age rate and population attributable risk (PAR) was used to calculate the contribution of risk factors. Results: The mean age of 429 047 subjects was (49.25±8.66) years. The male accounted for 51.17% (219 558/429 047) and the excess heart age was 7.00 (0.00, 11.00) years. The excess heart age rate defined by excess heart age≥5 years and ≥10 years was 57.02% (the standardized rate was 56.83%) and 38.02% (the standardized rate was 37.88%) respectively. With the increase of the age and number of risk factors, the excess heart age rate of the two definitions showed an upward trend according to the result of the trend test analysis (P<0.001). The top two risk factors of the PAR for excess heart age were overweight or obese and smoking. Among them, the male was smoking and overweight or obese, while the female was overweight or obese and having hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion: The excess heart age rate is high in Chinese residents aged 35 to 64 years and the contribution of overweight or obese, smoking and having hypercholesterolemia ranks high.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Overweight ; Hypercholesterolemia/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology*

Objective: To establish reference values for carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) of adult dwellers in Shenzhen City. Methods: The study was conducted based on the Shenzhen heart failure epidemiological survey from 2021 to 2022. In this survey, residents aged 18 years and above in Shenzhen were selected by using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. General information, cardiovascular disease (CVD) related behavior and carotid ultrasound examination and etc. were collected from the participants. People with CVD factors, a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, carotid plaque or having no carotid ultrasound examination results were excluded. The parameter regression model based on fractional polynomial was used to establish the reference values of CIMT by age and sex. Results: A total of 2 163 healthy individuals were enrolled in the final analysis, including 576 males (26.6%) and 1 587 females (73.4%). The fractional polynomial regression of the CIMT mean and standard deviation was obtained. For men, the regression was mean_CIMT=0.324 7+0.006 9×age and SD_CIMT=0.076 9+0.001 2×age. For women, the regression was mean_CIMT=0.354 9+0.005 4×age and SD_CIMT=0.041 6+0.002 0×age. Conclusion: The age and sex reference values for CIMT of adult people in Shenzhen established in this study could provide the latest reference standards for early screening of subclinical CVD.
Male ; Humans ; Adult ; Female ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Reference Values ; Carotid Arteries/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography, Carotid Arteries ; Risk Factors ; Carotid Artery Diseases

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the convolutional neural network（CNN） in diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma using endoscopic narrowband imaging. Methods:A total of 834 cases with nasopharyngeal lesions were collected from the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region between 2014 and 2016. We trained the DenseNet201 model to classify the endoscopic images, evaluated its performance using the test dataset, and compared the results with those of two independent endoscopic experts. Results:The area under the ROC curve of the CNN in diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma was 0.98. The sensitivity and specificity of the CNN were 91.90% and 94.69%, respectively. The sensitivity of the two expert-based assessment was 92.08% and 91.06%, respectively, and the specificity was 95.58% and 92.79%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the diagnostic accuracy of CNN and the expert-based assessment （P=0.282, P=0.085）. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the accuracy in discriminating early-stage and late-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma（P=0.382）. The CNN model could rapidly distinguish nasopharyngeal carcinoma from benign lesions, with an image recognition time of 0.1 s/piece. Conclusion:The CNN model can quickly distinguish nasopharyngeal carcinoma from benign nasopharyngeal lesions, which can aid endoscopists in diagnosing nasopharyngeal lesions and reduce the rate of nasopharyngeal biopsy.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Narrow Band Imaging ; China ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Pai-Neng-Da Capsule (, panaxadiol saponins component, PNDC) in combination with the cyclosporine and androgen for patients with chronic aplastic anemia (CAA). METHODS: A total of 79 CAA patients was randomly divided into 2 groups by a random number table, including PCA group [43 cases, orally PNDC 320 mg/d plus cyclosporine 5 mg/(kg·d) plus andriol 80 mg/d] and CA group [36 cases, orally cyclosporine 5 mg/(kg·d) plus andriol 160 mg/d]. All patients were treated and followed-up for 6 treatment courses over 24 weeks. The complete blood counts, score of Chinese medical (CM) symptoms were assessed and urine routine, electrocardiogram, hepatic and renal function were observed for safety evaluation. Female masculinization rating scale was established according to the actual clinical manifestations to evaluate the accurate degree of masculinization in female CAA patients treated by andriol. RESULTS: The effective rates were 88.1% (37/42) in the PCA group and 77.8% (28/36) in the CA group based on the standard for the therapeutic efficacy evaluation of hematopathy. There was no significant difference in the white blood cell (WBC) counts, platelet counts and hemoglobin concentration of peripheral blood between two groups after 6 months treatment. The masculinization score of female patient in the PCA group was significantly lower than the CA group (P<0.05). The mild abdominal distention was observed in 1 cases in the PCA group. In CA group, the abnormalities in the hepatic function developed in 2 cases and the renal disfunction was found in 1 case. CONCLUSION The PNDC possesses certain curative effects in the treatment of CAA without obvious side-effects and can partially replace andriol thereby to reduce the degree of masculinization [Registried at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChicTR1900028153)].
Androgens ; Anemia, Aplastic/drug therapy* ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Saponins/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of using thyroid ^99mTcO₄^- imaging ROI ratio instead of 24 h radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) for estimating ¹³¹I dose in individualized treatment of hyperthyroidism. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 132 patients receiving ¹³¹I treatment in our department between January and June, 2019. According to their 3 h/24 h RAIU peak ratio, the patients were divided into peak forward (≥80%) group and no peak forward (< 80%) group. In the former group, the therapeutic ¹³¹I dose was calculated based the Marinelli formula (¹³¹I dose=thyroid mass×planned amount/24 h RAIU), and in the latter group, the correlation between the ROI ratio and the 24 h RAIU was analyzed, and the ¹³¹I dose was calculated using a modified Marinelli formula where 24 h RAIU was replaced by a converted ROI ratio. The two groups of patients were compared for antithyroid drug type and discontinuation time, thyroid hormones and related antibodies, thyroid area, thyroid mass and ¹³¹I dose. All the patients were and followed up for one year to analyze the treatment efficacy. The ROI ratios after the treatment were analyzed in the two groups using ROC curves. RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between the ROI ratio and 24 h RAUI in the no peak forward group (Y=58.13 + 0.2X, R²=0.118, P < 0.05), and the formula for calculating ¹³¹I dose was converted into: ¹³¹I dose=thyroid mass× planned amount/(58.13+0.2×ROI ratio)%. Before the treatment, therapeutic ¹³¹I dose, thyroid hormone levels, TRAb, 3 h and 24 h RAIU, thyroid area, thyroid mass, and ROI ratio all differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05). At 3 months after treatment, thyroid hormone levels, TRAb, TPOAb, thyroid area, thyroid mass, ROI ratio, response rate, hypothyroidism rate, cure rate, remission rate, and nonresponse rate were similar between two groups (P>0.05). At the 1-year follow-up, the composition ratios of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and cured cases remained similar between two groups (P>0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that at 3 months after treatment, the optimal cutoff values of ROI ratio for predicting hyperthyroid recurrence and hypothyroidism were 15.79 and 6.33, respectively. CONCLUSION Thyroid ^99mTcO₄^- imaging ROI ratio can be used for calculating ¹³¹I dose in individualized treatment of hyperthyroidism and for prognostic evaluation of the patients.
Humans ; Iodine Radioisotopes/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Hypothyroidism