Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly widespread sleep-breathing disordered disease, and is an independent risk factor for many high-risk chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias and diabetes, which is potentially fatal. The key to the prevention and treatment of OSA is early diagnosis and treatment, so the assessment and diagnostic technologies of OSA have become a research hotspot. This paper reviews the research progresses of severity assessment parameters and diagnostic technologies of OSA, and discusses their future development trends. In terms of severity assessment parameters of OSA, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), as the gold standard, together with the percentage of duration of apnea hypopnea (AH%), lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO₂), heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the emerging biomarkers, constitute a multi-dimensional evaluation system. Specifically, the AHI, which measures the frequency of sleep respiratory events per hour, does not fully reflect the patients’ overall sleep quality or the extent of their daytime functional impairments. To address this limitation, the AH%, which measures the proportion of the entire sleep cycle affected by apneas and hypopneas, deepens our understanding of the impact on sleep quality. The LSpO₂ plays a critical role in highlighting the potential severe hypoxic episodes during sleep, while the HRV offers a different perspective by analyzing the fluctuations in heart rate thereby revealing the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The ODI provides a direct and objective measure of patients’ nocturnal oxygenation stability by calculating the number of desaturation events per hour, and the biomarkers offers novel insights into the diagnosis and management of OSA, and fosters the development of more precise and tailored OSA therapeutic strategies. In terms of diagnostic techniques of OSA, the standardized questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is a simple and effective method for preliminary screening of OSA, and the polysomnography (PSG) which is based on recording multiple physiological signals stands for gold standard, but it has limitations of complex operations, high costs and inconvenience. As a convenient alternative, the home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) allows patients to monitor their sleep with simplified equipment in the comfort of their own homes, and the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) offers a minimal version that simply analyzes the electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. As an emerging diagnostic technology of OSA, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly pinpoint respiratory incidents and expose delicate physiological changes, thus casting new light on the diagnostic approach to OSA. In addition, imaging examination utilizes detailed visual representations of the airway’s structure and assists in recognizing structural abnormalities that may result in obstructed airways, while sound monitoring technology records and analyzes snoring and breathing sounds to detect the condition subtly, and thus further expands our medical diagnostic toolkit. As for the future development directions, it can be predicted that interdisciplinary integrated researches, the construction of personalized diagnosis and treatment models, and the popularization of high-tech in clinical applications will become the development trends in the field of OSA evaluation and diagnosis.

Constructing an efficient and easy-to-operate multigene expression system is currently a crucial part of plant genetic engineering. In this study, a fragment carrying three independent gene expression cassettes and the expression unit of the gene-silencing suppressor protein(RNA silencing suppressor 19 kDa protein, P19) simultaneously was designed and constructed. This fragment was cloned into the commonly used plant expression vector pCAMBIA300, and the plasmid pC1300-TP2-P19 was obtained. Each gene expression cassette consists of different promoters, fusion tags, and terminators. The target gene can be flexibly inserted into the corresponding site through enzymatic digestion and ligation or recombination and fused with different protein tags, which provides great convenience for subsequent detection. The enhanced green fluorescent protein(eGFP) reporter gene was individually constructed into each expression cassette to verify the feasibility of this vector system. The results of tobacco transient expression and laser-confocal microscopy showed that each expression cassette presented independent and normal expression. Meanwhile, the three key enzyme genes in the betanin synthesis pathway, BvCYP76AD, BvDODA1, and DbDOPA5GT, were constructed into the three expression cassettes. The results of tobacco transient expression phenotype, protein immunoblotting(Western blot), and chemical detection of product demonstrated that the three exogenous genes were highly expressed, and the target compound betanin was successfully produced. The above results indicated that the constructed multigene expression system for plants in this study was efficient and reliable and can achieve the co-transformation of multiple plant genes. It can provide a reliable vector platform for the analysis of plant natural product synthesis pathways, functional verification, and plant metabolic engineering.
Nicotiana/metabolism* ; Genetic Vectors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Genetic Engineering/methods* ; Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression

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.

AIM: To evaluate retinal vascularization caused by the intravitreal injection of Conbercept in the treatment of a series of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)cases in Type Ⅰ(threshold and pre-threshold period)and aggressive ROP(A-ROP).METHODS: The data of 34 ROP cases(67 eyes)treated by intravitreal injection of Conbercept(IVC)in the ophthalmology department of the Xiamen Children's Hospital from July 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Reactivation, which refers to recurrence of acute phase features, occurred at any stage of the disease in the presence or absence of other diseases. RESULT: The average gestational age of the 34 children was 28.82±2.32wk. The average birth weight was 1155.18±398.22g. The lesion zone of 19 cases(37 eyes)was Zone Ⅰ. In 10 cases(20 eyes), the lesion was in Zone Ⅱ, and in 5 cases(10 eyes), the lesion was in the posterior Zone Ⅱ. The total effective rate of disease control in ROP children treated with once IVC was 73.1%(49/67), and the vascularization of Zone Ⅱ was completed. The patients showed variable changes in the vascularization in Zone Ⅲ. For the patients who received one treatment and did not reactivate, the average rate of Type Ⅰ vascularization of ROP was 9.11±2.49wk, and the A-ROP was 13.40±4.04wk. The rate of A-ROP vascularization in Zone Ⅱ was significantly longer compared to Type Ⅰ.CONCLUSION: IVC effectively completes vascularization in Zone Ⅱ.

Objective: To explore the distribution patterns of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) in elderly patients with colorectal cancer, and provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular metabolic diseases in these patients. Methods: Clinical data of 3 894 elderly patients with colorectal cancer from January 2008 to March 2018 admitted in the Chinese PLA General Hospital were recruited and the incidence rate of CMD was retrospectively analyzed. The influence factors of elderly patients with colorectal cancer combined with CMD were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression model. Results: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer is 33.4% (1 301/3 894), among them, the morbidity rate of the male was 31.9% (768/2 409), and that of the female was 35.9% (533/1 485). There was not significant difference between these two sex (P=0.074). The morbidity rates of CMD in patients of 65-74 years, 75-84 years and ≥85 years were 30.6% (754/2 462), 37.0% (479/1 294) and 49.3% (68/138), respectively, with significant differences (P<0.001). Multiple Logistic regression analysis revealed that female (OR=1.213, 95%CI: 1.056-1.394), age (75-84 years group: OR=1.344, 95%CI: 1.164-1.552; ≥85 years group: OR=2.345, 95%CI: 1.651-3.331) and body mass index (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) group: OR=1.319, 95%CI: 1.065-1.638; ≥25 kg/m(2) group: OR=2.041, 95%CI: 1.627-2.561) were independent risk factors for elderly colorectal cancer patients with CMD. Conclusion: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer increases with age and it is urgent to strengthen multidisciplinary cooperation and develop reasonable treatment plans to extend the survival and life quality of these patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; China/epidemiology* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Shenyankangfu Tablet (SYKFT) is a Chinese patent medicine that has been used widely to decrease proteinuria and the progression of chronic kidney disease. OBJECTIVE: This trial compared the efficacy and safety of SYKFT, for the control of proteinuria in primary glomerulonephritis patients, against the standard drug, losartan potassium. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Primary glomerulonephritis patients, aged 18-70 years, with blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mmHg, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 45 mL/min per 1.73 m MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in the 24-hour proteinuria level, after 48 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 735 participants were enrolled. The percent decline of urine protein quantification in the SYKFT group after 48 weeks was 8.78% ± 2.56% (P = 0.006) more than that in the losartan 50 mg group, which was 0.51% ± 2.54% (P = 1.000) less than that in the losartan 100 mg group. Compared with the losartan potassium 50 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 50 mg group had a 13.39% ± 2.49% (P < 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein level. Compared with the losartan potassium 100 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 100 mg group had a 9.77% ± 2.52% (P = 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein. With a superiority threshold of 15%, neither was statistically significant. eGFR, serum creatinine and serum albumin from the baseline did not change statistically significant. The average change in TCM syndrome score between the patients who took SYKFT (-3.00 [-6.00, -2.00]) and who did not take SYKFT (-2.00 [-5.00, 0]) was statistically significant (P = 0.003). No obvious adverse reactions were observed in any group. CONCLUSION: SYKFT decreased the proteinuria and improved the TCM syndrome scores of primary glomerulonephritis patients, with no change in the rate of decrease in the eGFR. SYKFT plus losartan potassium therapy decreased proteinuria more than losartan potassium therapy alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT02063100 on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Mesocotyl elongation is a key trait influencing seedling emergence and establishment in direct-seeding rice cultivation. The phytohormone gibberellin (GA) has positive effects on mesocotyl elongation in rice. However, the physiological and molecular basis underlying the regulation of mesocotyl elongation mediated by GA priming under deep-sowing conditions remains largely unclear. In the present study, we performed a physiological and comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of the function of GA priming in mesocotyl elongation and seedling emergence using a direct-seeding

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cardiovascular System ; Extracellular Fluid ; Humans

Objective::The effects of three different doses of borneol on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model rats and the effects on oxidative stress factors were compared to provide reference for elucidation of the dose-effect relationship and mechanism of anti-myocardial infarction. Method::Healthy adult male SPF SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, solvation model group, nitroglycerin group, Borneolum high, medium and low dose(0.6, 0.3, 0.15 g·kg^-1) group, l-Borneolum and Borneolum syntheticum high, medium, low dose(0.2, 0.1, 0.05 g·kg^-1) group, a total of 13 groups, 20 in each group. Gavage was performed at 20 mL·kg^-1 once a day for 3 days of continuous preventive administration. The sham operation group and the model group were given the same volume of distilled water, and the solvation model group was given the same volume of 5% polysorbate 80.On the third day of the pre-administration, 30 minutes after the last dose, the left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to make a model, and the successful rats were treated for 3 days. BL-420N biological system analyzer was used to record the ST-segment amplitude and hemodynamic changes. Rat body weight and cardiac weight were weighed to calculate cardiac viscera coefficients, 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to calculate the myocardial infarction rate. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate the degree of myocardial pathological damage. According to the kit requirements, serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate amino-transaminase (AST), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and oxidative stress factors superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected. Result::Compared with the sham operation group, the ST segment amplitude of the model group significantly increased after 5 minutes, the left ventricular diastolic blood pressure (LVDP) value increased significantly, and the measured maximum shortening velocity (Vpm) value of the left ventricular myocardial contraction component significantly decreased. The organ coefficient and myocardial infarction rate were extremely significantly increased, and the myocardial pathological tissue was severely damaged. The serum CK-MB, AST, LDH, and MDA contents were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the solvation model group, the Borneolum and l-Borneolum in the middle and low, and the Borneolum syntheticum high dose groups could significantly inhibited the abnormal elevation of ST segments at different time points. The Borneolum and l-Borneolum high, medium, low, and Borneolum syntheticum high dose groups significantly increased the left ventricular systolic blood pressure (LVSP) value and decrease the LVDP value (P<0.01). The Borneolum medium, low, and l-Borneolum high, medium, Borneolum syntheticum high dose groups significantly increased the maximum rate of left ventricular pressure rise (dp/dt max) and Vpm value (P<0.05, P<0.01). The Borneolum and l-Borneolum medium, low dose groups significantly reduced rat cardiac organ coefficients. The Borneolum high, medium, low and l-Borneolum, Borneolum syntheticum medium, low dose groups significantly improved myocardial infarction in rats (P< 0.05, P<0.01). The Borneolum low, l-Borneolum high, medium, and Borneolum syntheticum high groups also significantly improved the degree of pathological damage (P<0.01). High dose of l-Borneolum significantly reduced CK-MB content, medium and low dose of l-Borneolum significantly reduced AST activity, medium and low dose of l-Borneolum, high, medium and low dose of Borneolum syntheticum significantly reduced LDH activity (P<0.05, P<0.01). Serum SOD activity of rats in l-Borneolum high, medium, and Borneolum syntheticum high dose groups increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01). Serum MDA levels in Borneolum high, medium, low, and l-Borneolum high, middle dose groups significantly decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion::Three kinds of borneol in different dose groups can play different degrees of myocardial protection. Under the experimental conditions, there was a trend of l-Borneolum>Borneolum>Borneolum syntheticum in improving the efficacy of myocardial infarction, the dose-effect of Borneolum was negatively correlated, Borneolum syntheticum was positively correlated, and no significant dose-effect relationship between l-Borneolum.