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.

Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, combined with in vitro experiment verification, we explored the mechanism of action of Porana racemosa Roxb. (PRA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and provided a modern pharmacological basis for the treatment of RA by PRA. The potential target of chemical components in the analyzed moth rattan was predicted by Swiss Target Prediction database; OMIM, GeneCards, TTD and Disgenet databases were used to search the disease targets of RA; the protein interaction (PPI) network and medicine-composition-target network were constructed using STRING database and Cytoscape software; GO (gene ontology) functional enrichment and KEGG (kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway analysis were carried out using DAVID database, and molecular docking software was used to dock the potentially active ingredients of PRA and core targets; finally, MH7A cells were selected for cell viability, scratch healing and mRNA expression level analysis of key genes to explore the effects of PRA and their potentially active ingredients on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of MH7A cells. In this study, a total of 628 potentially active ingredient targets, 1 890 RA targets and 235 intersection targets were identified. It was screened that the potentially active ingredients of RA treatment by PRA were ethylcaffeate, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester and so on, and the core targets involved tumor necrosis factor (TNF), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and so on. 1 200 GO entries and 166 KEGG pathway entries were obtained from the enrichment analysis; molecular docking results showed that N-p-coumaroyltyramine and ethylcaffeate had good binding activity with TNF, MMP9, cysteine-aspartate protease 3 (CASP3), PTGS2, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) proteins. In vitro experiments showed that PRA, ethylcaffeate and N-p-coumaroyltyramine could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of MH7A cells, up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related gene CASP3 mRNA, and down-regulate the expression of MMP9, PTGS2 and BCL2 mRNA, and it can also down-regulate the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) mRNA and PI3K and p-AKT proteins. This study preliminarily revealed that the treatment of RA by PRA may be related to proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

This paper aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of hypoxic training at different fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂) on body composition, glucose metabolism, and lipid metabolism in obese individuals, and to determine the optimal oxygen concentration range to provide scientific evidence for personalized and precise hypoxic exercise prescriptions. A systematic search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CNKI databases for randomized controlled trials and pre-post intervention studies published up to March 31, 2025, involving hypoxic training interventions in obese populations. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software to assess the effects of different fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂≤14% vs. FiO₂>14%) on BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), with subgroup analyses based on oxygen concentration. A total of 22 studies involving 292 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that hypoxic training significantly reduced BMI (mean difference (MD)=-2.29,95%CI: -3.42 to -1.17, P<0.000 1), body fat percentage (MD=-2.32, 95%CI: -3.16 to -1.47, P<0.001), waist circumference (MD=-3.79, 95%CI: -6.73 to -0.85, P=0.01), fasting blood glucose (MD=-3.58, 95%CI: -6.23 to -0.93, P=0.008), insulin (MD=-1.60, 95%CI: -2.98 to -0.22, P=0.02), TG (MD=-0.18, 95%CI: -0.25 to -0.12, P<0.001), and LDL-C (MD=-0.25, 95%CI: -0.39 to -0.11, P=0.000 3). Greater improvements were observed under moderate hypoxic conditions with FiO₂>14%. Changes in HOMA-IR (MD=-0.74, 95%CI: -1.52 to 0.04,P=0.06) and HDL-C (MD=-0.09, 95%CI: -0.21 to 0.02, P=0.11) were not statistically significant. Hypoxic training can significantly improve body composition, glucose metabolism, and lipid metabolism indicators in obese individuals, with greater benefits observed under moderate hypoxia (FiO>14%). As a key parameter in hypoxic exercise interventions, the precise setting of oxygen concentration is crucial for optimizing intervention outcomes.

Post-orgasmic illness syndrome (POIS) is a rare condition characterized by the rapid onset of extreme fatigue, flu-like symptoms, difficulty concentrating, depression, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, itchy eyes, and other physical and psychological discomforts following ejaculation. This report presents the outcomes of two patients with POIS who underwent a two-year course of autologous seminal plasma subcutaneous cluster immunotherapy. Treatment efficacy was assessed using methods such as the symptom Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Union Physio-Psycho-Social Assessment Questionnaire (UPPSAQ)-70, and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The results suggest that autologous seminal plasma subcutaneous cluster immunother-apy may be a safe and effective therapeutic approach for POIS.

Astragalus membranaceus(A. membranaceus), a traditional tonic, contains flavonoids as one of its main bioactive components and key indicators for quality standard detection. These compounds predominantly exist in glycosylated forms after glycosylation modification within the plant. The catalytic products of flavonoid glycosyltransferases in A. membranaceus have been reported to be mostly monoglycosides, and only AmUGT28 catalyzes luteolin to form diglycosides. In this study, we cloned a glycosyltransferase gene, AmGT90, from A. membranaceus, with an ORF length of 1 335 bp, encoding 444 amino acids, and the protein had a relative molecular mass of 50.5 kDa. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that AmGT90 belongs to the UGT74 family. In vitro enzymatic reaction showed that AmGT90 had broad substrate specificity and could catalyze the glycosylation of various flavonoids, including isoflavones, flavones, flavanones, and chalcones. AmGT90 not only catalyzed the formation of monoglycosides but also diglycosides. In addition, the mechanism of AmGT90 catalyzing the formation of diglycosides from luteolin was preliminarily explored. The experimental results showed that AmGT90 may preferentially recognize C4'-OH of luteolin and then recognize C7-OH to form diglycosides. This study reported a glycosyltransferase from A. membranaceus capable of converting flavonoids into monoglycosides and diglycosides. This finding not only enhances our understanding of the biosynthetic pathways of flavonoid glycosides in A. membranaceus but also introduces a new component for glycoside production through synthetic biology.
Glycosyltransferases/chemistry* ; Flavonoids/chemistry* ; Astragalus propinquus/classification* ; Phylogeny ; Glycosylation ; Plant Proteins/chemistry* ; Substrate Specificity ; Cloning, Molecular ; Amino Acid Sequence

The study investigated the intrinsic changes in material basis of Angelicae Sinensis Radix during wine processing by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry(HS-GC-IMS), headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS), and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) combined with chemometrics. HS-GC-IMS fingerprints of Angelicae Sinensis Radix before and after wine processing were established to analyze the variation trends of volatile components and characterize volatile small-molecule substances before and after processing. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were employed for differentiation and difference analysis. A total of 89 volatile components in Angelicae Sinensis Radix were identified by HS-GC-IMS, including 14 unsaturated hydrocarbons, 16 aldehydes, 13 ketones, 9 alcohols, 16 esters, 6 organic acids, and 15 other compounds. HS-SPME-GC-MS detected 118 volatile components, comprising 42 unsaturated hydrocarbons, 11 aromatic compounds, 30 alcohols, 8 alkanes, 6 organic acids, 4 ketones, 7 aldehydes, 5 esters, and 5 other volatile compounds. UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS identified 76 non-volatile compounds. PCA revealed distinct clusters of raw and wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix samples across the three detection methods. Both PCA and OPLS-DA effectively discriminated between the two groups, and 145 compounds(VIP>1) were identified as critical markers for evaluating processing quality, including 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one, ethyl 2-methylpentanoate, and 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane detected by HS-GC-IMS, angelic acid, β-pinene, and germacrene B detected by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and L-tryptophan, licoricone, and angenomalin detected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. In conclusion, the integration of the three detection methods with chemometrics elucidates the differences in the chemical material basis between raw and wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix, providing a scientific foundation for understanding the processing mechanisms and clinical applications of wine-processed Angelicae Sinensis Radix.
Wine/analysis* ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Angelica sinensis/chemistry* ; Solid Phase Microextraction/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Chemometrics ; Volatile Organic Compounds/chemistry* ; Principal Component Analysis ; Ion Mobility Spectrometry/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point on testosterone (T) synthesis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in naturally aged mice. METHODS: We fed 40 twelve-month-old SPF male C57BL/6J mice with a normal diet for 3 months, randomized them into a moxibustion and an aged group of an equal number, and selected 7 four-month-old ones as young controls. We treated the animals of the moxibustion group by wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point, once 5 moxibustion sticks, qd, 5 times a week, and fed those of the aged group normally, all for 12 weeks. After treatment, we obtained the testicular index of the mice, observed the histomorphology of the testis tissue by HE staining, measured the contents of T in the testis, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the hypothalamus and total T (tT), free T (fT), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the serum by ELISA, and determined the expressions of silence information regulator-1 (SIRT1), P53, glutathione peroxidase (GPX4) and cholesterol side-chain?cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1) in the testis by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the young controls, the mice in the aged group showed obviously losing and dull hair, energy declination, loose structure of the spermatogenic tubule with different degrees of cell loss and rupture, reduced testicular index, and evident aging phenotype. In comparison with the aged mice, the animals of the moxibustion group were fairly energetic and exhibited distinct structure of the spermatogenic tubules, orderly arranged and highly differentiated cells at all levels, significantly increased T level, up-regulated expressions of SIRT1, GPX4 and CYP11A1, and down-regulated expression of P53 in testis tissue, and elevated levels of GnRH, FSH, LH, tT and fT in the HPG axis. CONCLUSION Wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point protects testosterone synthesis in the testis tissue of naturally aged mice, promotes negative feedback regulation of the HPG axis, and improves low testosterone.
Animals ; Male ; Moxibustion ; Mice ; Testosterone/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Testis/metabolism* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/metabolism* ; Triticum ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism* ; Luteinizing Hormone/blood* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Aging ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Points ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive computed tomography angiography (CTA)-based fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) could become a gatekeeper to invasive coronary angiography. Deep learning (DL)-based CT-FFR has shown promise when compared to invasive FFR. To evaluate the performance of a DL-based CT-FFR technique, DeepVessel FFR (DVFFR). METHODS: This retrospective study was designed for iScheMia Assessment based on a Retrospective, single-center Trial of CT-FFR (SMART). Patients suspected of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and undergoing both CTA and invasive FFR examinations were consecutively selected from the Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 1, 2016 to December 30, 2018. FFR obtained during invasive coronary angiography was used as the reference standard. DVFFR was calculated blindly using a DL-based CT-FFR approach that utilized the complete tree structure of the coronary arteries. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty nine patients (60.5 ±10.0 years and 209 men) and 414 vessels with direct invasive FFR were included in the analysis. At per-vessel level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of DVFFR were 94.7%, 88.6%, 90.8%, 82.7%, and 96.7%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.95 for DVFFR and 0.56 for CTA-based assessment with a significant difference (P < 0.0001). At patient level, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of DVFFR were 93.8%, 88.0%, 90.3%, 83.0%, and 95.8%, respectively. The computation for DVFFR was fast with the average time of 22.5 ± 1.9 s. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that DVFFR was able to evaluate lesion hemodynamic significance accurately and effectively with improved diagnostic performance over CTA alone. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a critical disease in which coronary artery luminal narrowing may result in myocardial ischemia. Early and effective assessment of myocardial ischemia is essential for optimal treatment planning so as to improve the quality of life and reduce medical costs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effects of gentiopicroside (GPS) against reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in endothelial cells, aiming to reduce atherosclerosis. METHODS: Eight-week-old male ApoE-deficient mice were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=10 per group): the vehicle group and the GPS treatment group. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. GPS (40 mg/kg per day) was administered by oral gavage to the GPS group, while the vehicle group received an equivalent volume of the vehicle solution. At the end of the treatment, blood and aortic tissues were collected for assessments of atherosclerosis, lipid profiles, oxidative stress, and molecular expressions related to NLRP3 inflammasome activation, ROS production, and apoptosis. Additionally, in vitro experiments on human aortic endothelial cells treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) were conducted to evaluate the effects of GPS on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and ROS production, specifically examining the role of the sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. SIRT1 and Nrf2 inhibitors were used to confirm the pathway's role. RESULTS: GPS treatment significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesions in the en face aorta (P<0.01), as well as in the thoracic and abdominal aortic regions, and markedly decreased sinus lesions within the aortic root (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Additionally, GPS reduced oxidative stress markers and proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1 β and IL-18, in lesion areas (P<0.05, P<0.01). In vitro, GPS inhibited ox-LDL-induced NLRP3 activation, as evidenced by reduced NLRP3 (P<0.01), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD, cleaved-caspase-1, and cleaved-gasdermin D expressions (all P<0.01). GPS also decreased ROS production, apoptosis, and pyroptosis, with the beneficial effects being significantly reversed by SIRT1 or Nrf2 inhibitors. CONCLUSION GPS exerts an antiatherogenic effect by inhibiting ROS-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome activation via the SIRT1/Nrf2 pathway.
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Iridoid Glucosides/therapeutic use* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Animals ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Inflammasomes/drug effects* ; Male ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Humans ; Endothelial Cells/pathology* ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

OBJECTIVE: miR-34c-3p is down-regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The biological role of miR-34c-3p in NPC and its underlying mechanisms are unknown and were explored in this study. METHODS: Flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining were employed to detect cluster of differentiation 86 (CD86) and cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206) expression; quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were employed to examine mRNA expression and protein levels; cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and transwell assays were employed to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to assess pathological changes in tumor tissues. RESULTS: Our results revealed that the miR-34c-3p mimic markedly inhibited M2 polarization of macrophages by targeting SLC7A11, and M2 macrophages transfected with the miR-34c-3p mimic inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NPC cells. The in vivo experiments further confirmed that miR-34c-3p mimics blocked tumor growth and reduced inflammatory infiltration in tumor tissues. CONCLUSION This study provides novel insights into the pathogenesis of NPC and a new treatment strategy.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/genetics* ; Macrophages/physiology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Cell Movement ; Male ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Mice, Nude ; Female