AIM To study the chemical constituents from Gymnema tingens Spreng.and their in vitro hypoglycemic activity.METHODS The 70％ethanol extract was isolated and purified by macroporous resin,silica gel,sephadex LH-20,and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical propeties and spectral data.The in vitro hypoglycemic activity was evaluated by glucose uptake test in L6 cells.RESULTS Seventeen compounds were isolated and identified as 7-desoxyneocynapanogenin A(1),glaucogenin(2),cynatratoside A(3),atratcynoside F(4),(+)-lyoniresinol(5),(+)-lyoniresinol 3-O-α-D-rhamnopyranoside-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside(6),fernandoside(7),3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl-1-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside(8),khaephuoside A(9),khaephuoside B(10),3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(11),liquiritigenin(12),7,3'-dihydroxy-flavanone-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(13),pinoresinol(14),syringaldehyde(15),(+)-1-hydroxy-pinoresinol-1-β-D-glucopyranoside(16),β-amyrin(17).Compounds 2-5、7、9、10、12、17 could promote the glucose uptake in L6 cells.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new compound,and 2-9、11-13、15-17 are isolated from this plant for the first time.Compounds 2-5、7、9、10、12、17 have good hypoglycemic activity.

Objective To explore the correlation between fasting blood glucose(FBG)level and fractional flow reserve(FFR)in patients with borderline coronary artery disease,and to clarify its potential influence on FFR measurement.Methods From August 2020 to August 2023,the data of 135 patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease who received coronary angiography and FFR evaluation in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were retrospectively collected.According to the exclusion and inclusion criteria,85 cases of borderline diseased vessels of single coronary artery with stenosis degree of 50％-80％were screened out,and they were divided into FBG≥6.1 mmol/L group(47 cases)and FBG＜6.1 mmol/L group(38 cases).The baseline data,angiographic and functional indexes of the two groups were compared,and the correlation between FBG and FFR was analyzed.Results Compared with the FBG＜6.1 mmol/L group,the FBG≥6.1 mmol/L group had a higher proportion of FFR negative results(72.3％vs.23.7％,P＜0.001),and the FFR measurement values were generally increased[0.84(0.80,0.90)vs.0.75(0.68,0.80),P＜0.001],with statistically significant differences.Pearson correlation analysis was performed on all lesions,and FFR＞0.80(negative result)was positively correlated with FBG≥6.1 mmol/L(r=0.484,P＜0.001).Conclusions Among the patients with borderline coronary artery disease(50％-80％stenosis)included in this study,FBG≥6.1 mmol/L is significantly correlated with FFR＞0.80.For patients with borderline coronary lesions with elevated FBG,the influence of blood glucose factors should be carefully considered in clinical interpretation of FFR results.

Objective To explore the feasibility and corresponding implementation methods of constructing a sample resource bank based on individual-level data of completed clinical trials and using it to construct external controls for drug/device clinical trials.Methods Taking the pre-marketing clinical trial of transcatheter active valve replacement(TAVR)for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis as an example,the individual-level databases of multiple trials were standardized to form a sample bank.The original data of any trial in the sample bank were selected as the experimental group,and the remaining samples were selected as the control group.The potential confounding was handled by using the propensity score matching and stratification methods to clarify the process of constructing external controls based on the sample bank of individual-level data of clinical trials.Results This study included individual-level data of single-group trials of 4 TAVR devices,with a total of 569 subjects(59.2%male).The number of subjects in Trials 1 to 4 was 120,120,163,and 166,respectively.Propensity score matching enabled the matching of 113,117,125,and 147 subjects with comparable or similar characteristics from individual-level data from other trials,respectively,demonstrating a high matching success rate.The PS score distribution plot after stratification showed that the proportions of subjects in the experimental and control groups in strata 1 to 5 in scheme 1 were 4/103,11/103,22/92,32/87,and 51/64,respectively.For all constructed external controlled trials,a certain number of control samples with similar baseline characteristics to the experimental groups were distributed within each propensity score stratum.The results of the simulation test also reflected the potential differences between different devices in the 12-month all-cause mortality rate.Conclusions The sample bank constructed with individual-level data from clinical trials,as a high-quality data source,can serve as a source of external control for single-arm trials in the same field,and as a useful supplement to the external control scenario of real-world evidence to support drug and device development.At the same time,targeted research on research methods and bias control measures in related fields is also needed.

Objective:To investigate the expression of Neurexophilin 4(NXPH4)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and its clinical significance and function.Methods:Retrieved LIHC project data(mRNA expression profiles and clinical records)from TCGA,analyzed differential NXPH4 expression in HCC versus adjacent non-tumor tissues,and investi-gated correlations between NXPH4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics/prognostic outcomes in HCC.Using GOEA and GSEA to investigate potential biological functions of NXPH4 in hepatocellular carcinoma.Results:NXPH4 exhibited significant upregulation in 23 cancer types(P<0.05),with significant associations to advanced HCC progression markers including TNM stage(P<0.05),histologic grade(P<0.05),and vascular invasion(P<0.05).Clinically,elevated NXPH4 expression correlated with reduced OS(HR=1.64,95%CI:1.15-2.33,P=0.006)and DSS(HR=1.88,95%CI:1.19-2.96,P=0.007).The immune infiltration results showed that NXPH4 expression was significantly correlated with Th2 cells and Th17 cells(all P values<0.05).Furthermore,NXPH4 expression was positively correlated with the levels of several immune checkpoint markers:TIGIT(r=0.265),PD-1(r=0.297),CTLA-4(r=0.302),and LAG-3(r=0.179,all P<0.001).Gene enrichment analysis revealed NXPH4 was significantly enriched in:pattern specification process(P<0.001);receptor ligand activity(P<0.001);collagen formation(P=0.009);activation of matrix metalloproteinases(P<0.001);neuro-active ligand receptor interactions(P<0.001);and ALK2 signaling(P=0.039).Conclusion:NXPH4 is associated with clinical pathological staging and poor prognosis in HCC patients;NXPH4 is associated with oncogenic pathways and im-mune infiltration,and has high value in predicting patient prognosis and immunotherapy.

Aim To investigate the effect of p-AMPK activity on autophagy in different subtypes of MDA-MB-231(triple-negative breast cancer cells)and MCF-7(estrogen receptor-positive cells)and its regulatory mechanism.Methods MDA-MB-231 cells were trea-ted with EBSS,Baf-A1,and EBSS+Baf-A1 for four hours,and MCF-7 cells for eight hours.The effects of autophagy on cell proliferation and apoptosis were ob-served,mitochondrial morphology was examined,and the expression of autophagy markers LC3B,P62,LAMP1,TOM20,AMPK,p-AMPK,ULK1,and Bec-lin1/VPS34 proteins was detected.The autophagy pathway was validated by inhibiting AMPK activity.Results Breast cancer cells underwent autophagy af-ter starvation induction(EBSS),with inconsistent au-tophagy processes observed in different subtypes of breast cancer cells.Autophagy inhibited cell prolifera-tion.In MDA-MB-231 cells,autophagy led to an in-crease in p-AMPK levels and a decrease in ULK1 lev-els,initiating autophagy through p-AMPK activation of ULK1.In MCF-7 cells,both p-AMPK and ULK1 levels decreased after autophagy,suggesting that autophagy might not be mediated by p-AMPK activation.Conclu-sions MDA-MB-231 cells primarily initiate autophagy by directly activating ULK1 by p-AMPK,independent of the MTOR pathway.In MCF-7 cells autophagy might be triggered by inhibiting MTOR through AMPK activity or directly activating MTOR through other up-stream factors.Regulating p-AMPK activity based on the autophagy pathways in different cell subtypes could enable more precise targeting and treatment of different types of breast cancer.

Aim To investigate the effect of p-AMPK activity on autophagy in different subtypes of MDA-MB-231(triple-negative breast cancer cells)and MCF-7(estrogen receptor-positive cells)and its regulatory mechanism.Methods MDA-MB-231 cells were trea-ted with EBSS,Baf-A1,and EBSS+Baf-A1 for four hours,and MCF-7 cells for eight hours.The effects of autophagy on cell proliferation and apoptosis were ob-served,mitochondrial morphology was examined,and the expression of autophagy markers LC3B,P62,LAMP1,TOM20,AMPK,p-AMPK,ULK1,and Bec-lin1/VPS34 proteins was detected.The autophagy pathway was validated by inhibiting AMPK activity.Results Breast cancer cells underwent autophagy af-ter starvation induction(EBSS),with inconsistent au-tophagy processes observed in different subtypes of breast cancer cells.Autophagy inhibited cell prolifera-tion.In MDA-MB-231 cells,autophagy led to an in-crease in p-AMPK levels and a decrease in ULK1 lev-els,initiating autophagy through p-AMPK activation of ULK1.In MCF-7 cells,both p-AMPK and ULK1 levels decreased after autophagy,suggesting that autophagy might not be mediated by p-AMPK activation.Conclu-sions MDA-MB-231 cells primarily initiate autophagy by directly activating ULK1 by p-AMPK,independent of the MTOR pathway.In MCF-7 cells autophagy might be triggered by inhibiting MTOR through AMPK activity or directly activating MTOR through other up-stream factors.Regulating p-AMPK activity based on the autophagy pathways in different cell subtypes could enable more precise targeting and treatment of different types of breast cancer.

Objective:To investigate the expression of Neurexophilin 4(NXPH4)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and its clinical significance and function.Methods:Retrieved LIHC project data(mRNA expression profiles and clinical records)from TCGA,analyzed differential NXPH4 expression in HCC versus adjacent non-tumor tissues,and investi-gated correlations between NXPH4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics/prognostic outcomes in HCC.Using GOEA and GSEA to investigate potential biological functions of NXPH4 in hepatocellular carcinoma.Results:NXPH4 exhibited significant upregulation in 23 cancer types(P<0.05),with significant associations to advanced HCC progression markers including TNM stage(P<0.05),histologic grade(P<0.05),and vascular invasion(P<0.05).Clinically,elevated NXPH4 expression correlated with reduced OS(HR=1.64,95%CI:1.15-2.33,P=0.006)and DSS(HR=1.88,95%CI:1.19-2.96,P=0.007).The immune infiltration results showed that NXPH4 expression was significantly correlated with Th2 cells and Th17 cells(all P values<0.05).Furthermore,NXPH4 expression was positively correlated with the levels of several immune checkpoint markers:TIGIT(r=0.265),PD-1(r=0.297),CTLA-4(r=0.302),and LAG-3(r=0.179,all P<0.001).Gene enrichment analysis revealed NXPH4 was significantly enriched in:pattern specification process(P<0.001);receptor ligand activity(P<0.001);collagen formation(P=0.009);activation of matrix metalloproteinases(P<0.001);neuro-active ligand receptor interactions(P<0.001);and ALK2 signaling(P=0.039).Conclusion:NXPH4 is associated with clinical pathological staging and poor prognosis in HCC patients;NXPH4 is associated with oncogenic pathways and im-mune infiltration,and has high value in predicting patient prognosis and immunotherapy.

AIM To study the chemical constituents from Gymnema tingens Spreng.and their in vitro hypoglycemic activity.METHODS The 70％ethanol extract was isolated and purified by macroporous resin,silica gel,sephadex LH-20,and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical propeties and spectral data.The in vitro hypoglycemic activity was evaluated by glucose uptake test in L6 cells.RESULTS Seventeen compounds were isolated and identified as 7-desoxyneocynapanogenin A(1),glaucogenin(2),cynatratoside A(3),atratcynoside F(4),(+)-lyoniresinol(5),(+)-lyoniresinol 3-O-α-D-rhamnopyranoside-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside(6),fernandoside(7),3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl-1-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside(8),khaephuoside A(9),khaephuoside B(10),3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(11),liquiritigenin(12),7,3'-dihydroxy-flavanone-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(13),pinoresinol(14),syringaldehyde(15),(+)-1-hydroxy-pinoresinol-1-β-D-glucopyranoside(16),β-amyrin(17).Compounds 2-5、7、9、10、12、17 could promote the glucose uptake in L6 cells.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new compound,and 2-9、11-13、15-17 are isolated from this plant for the first time.Compounds 2-5、7、9、10、12、17 have good hypoglycemic activity.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the clinical benefits of the integrated optical and magnetic surgical navigation system in assisting transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TELD) for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent TELD for LDH at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University from November 2022 to December 2023. Patients treated with the integrated optical and magnetic surgical navigation system were defined as the navigation-guided TELD (Ng-TELD) group (30 cases), while those treated with the conventional x-ray fluoroscopy method were defined as the control group (31 cases). Record and compare baseline characteristics, surgical parameters, efficacy indicators, and adverse events between the 2 patient groups. Results: The average follow-up duration for the 61 patients was 11.8 months. Postoperatively, both groups exhibited significant relief from back and leg pain, which continued to improve over time. At the final follow-up, patients’ lumbar function and quality of life had significantly improved compared to preoperative levels (p < 0.05). The Ng-TELD group had significantly shorter total operation time (58.43 ± 12.37 minutes vs. 83.23 ± 25.90 minutes), catheter placement time (5.83 ± 1.09 minutes vs. 15.94 ± 3.00 minutes), decompression time (47.17 ± 11.98 minutes vs. 67.29 ± 24.23 minutes), and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies (3.20 ± 1.45 vs. 16.58 ± 4.25) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of efficacy evaluation indicators and hospital stay. At the final follow-up, the excellent and good rate of surgical outcomes assessed by the MacNab criteria was 98.4%, and the overall adverse event rate was 8.2%, with no statistically significant differences between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the integrated optical and magnetic surgical navigation system can reduce the complexity of TELD, shorten operation time, and minimize radiation exposure for the surgeon, highlighting its promising clinical potential.