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.

Isosteviol is a tetracyclic diterpenoid compound obtained by hydrolysis of natural stevia glycoside under acidic conditions. It has many pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Due to its low water solubility, low activity and low bioavailability, isosteviol has poor performance. In order to overcome these shortcomings, scholars have obtained a large number of isosteviol derivatives with novel structures and excellent activity. In this paper, we review the recent progress in the research on the structure modification, biological activity, structure-activity relationship and microbial transformation of isosteviol, in order to provide a reference for the development of new drugs of isosteviol and its derivatives.

ObjectiveGastric cancer (GC) seriously affects human health and life, and research has shown that it is closely related to the serine/glycine metabolism. The proliferation ability of tumor cells is greatly influenced by the metabolism of serine and glycine. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism can affect the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. MethodsIn this work, a stable metabolic dynamic model of gastric cancer cells was established via a large-scale metabolic network dynamic modeling method in terms of a potential landscape description of stochastic and non-gradient systems. Based on the regulation of the model, a quantitative analysis was conducted to investigate the dynamic mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism affecting the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We introduced random noise to the kinetic equations of the general metabolic network, and applied stochastic kinetic decomposition to obtain the Lyapunov function of the metabolic network parameter space. A stable metabolic network was achieved by further reducing the change in the Lyapunov function tied to the stochastic fluctuations. ResultsDespite the unavailability of a large number of dynamic parameters, we were able to successfully construct a dynamic model for the metabolic network in gastric cancer cells. When extracellular serine is available, the model preferentially consumes serine. In addition, when the conversion rate of glycine to serine increases, the model significantly upregulates the steady-state fluxes of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH). ConclusionIn this paper, we provide evidence supporting the preferential uptake of serine by gastric cancer cells and the important role of serine/glycine conversion rate in SAM generation, which may affect the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells by regulating the cellular methylation process. This provides a new idea and direction for targeted cancer therapy based on serine/glycine metabolism.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Celastrol and wilforlide A are the main active triterpenoids of the traditional Chinese medicine Lei Gong Teng, which have anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities, and are the material basis for the clinical efficacy of Lei Gong Teng-related Chinese medicinal preparations. By analysing the biosynthetic pathway of active ingredients, optimizing genetic elements and utilizing "cell factory" to produce triterpenoids heterologously will be an effective way to obtain from Tripterygium wilfordii in the future in a "low-cost and high-efficient" manner. CYP712Ks are the first cytochrome P450s involved in the skeleton modification of friedelane-type and oleanane-type triterpenoids in T. wilfordii, and they can catalyse the generation of polpunonic acid from friedelin and 3-epi-katonic acid from β-amyrin by carboxylation at C-29 position. In this study, four multifunctional TwCYP712K1/2/3/5 were used to clarify the catalytic function and substrate selection preference using in vivo functional characterization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The spatial structure of the protein-substrate binding was clarified through homology modeling and molecular docking, and then the differential amino acids in the active pocket of the protein were mutated to clarify the crucial amino acids determining the catalytic function and the selection of substrate structure. A total of 63 mutant elements were constructed, and the amino acid sites affecting the carboxylation function of TwCYP712Ks were analyzed. In particular, the key amino acids affecting the substrate selectivity of TwCYP712K2 towards oleanane-type and friedelane-type triterpenoids were revealed and the TwCYP712K2^F127I and TwCYP712K2^A227T mutants would result in a reversal of the product ratio. In conclusion, four proteins of TwCYP712Ks were semi-rationally designed by homologous protein alignment and mutual mutation to elucidate multiple amino acid sites determining the catalytic function of the proteins, and a series of activity-enhancing or altering mutants were obtained, which provide abundant catalytic elements for the biosynthesis of active triterpenoids from T. wilfordii, and the mechanism of carboxylation in the C-29 position was initially elucidated.

Objective To investigate the clinical and genetic features of children with 3-methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase deficiency(MCCD).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations and genetic testing results of six children with MCCD who attended Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to October 2023.Results Among the six children with MCCD,there were 4 boys and 2 girls,with a mean age of 7 days at the time of attending the hospital and 45 days at the time of confirmed diagnosis.Of all children,one had abnormal urine odor and five had no clinical symptoms.All six children had increases in blood 3-hydroxyisovaleryl carnitine and urinary 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid and 3-methylcrotonoylglycine,and five of them had a reduction in free carnitine.A total of six mutations were identified in the MCCC1 gene,i.e.,c.1630del(p.R544Dfs*2),c.269A>G(p.D90G),c.1609T>A(p.F537I),c.639+2T>A,c.761+1G>T,and c.1331G>A(p.R444H),and three mutations were identified in the MCCC2 gene,i.e.,c.838G>T(p.D280Y),c.592C>T(p.Q198*,366),and c.1342G>A(p.G448A).Among these mutations,c.269A>G(p.D90G)and c.1609T>A(p.F537I)had not been previously reported in the literature.There was one case of maternal MCCD,and the child carried a heterozygous mutation from her mother.Five children with a reduction in free carnitine were given supplementation of L-carnitine,and free carnitine was restored to the normal level at the last follow-up visit.Conclusions This study identifies two new mutations,c.269A>G(p.D90G)and c.1609T>A(p.F537I),thereby expanding the mutation spectrum of the MCCC1 gene.A combination of blood amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles,urine organic acid analysis,and genetic testing can facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of MCCD,and provide essential data for genetic counseling.

Surgical robot is the national strategic diagnostic and therapeutic equipment research focus,get a number of scientific research institutes,colleges and universities and enterprises pay extensive attention to the design and development of a variety of surgical robots,and registration declaration.This article explores the critical technologies of surgical robots and key areas for optimizing their performance,including kinematic positioning errors,pose errors,feedback model errors,image recognition positioning errors,path planning,and safety aspects.The findings not only provide a scientific basis for future standardization research on surgical robots but also offer significant theoretical and practical references for the research,manufacturing,and registration processes in the medical robotics industry.

Objective To explore the clinical value of anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH)to optimize endocrine therapy for peri-menopausal early breast cancer.Methods Two hundred and four patients of pre-menopausal breast cancer aged 45-55 years old between 2020 and 2023 were enrolled,and AMH≤0.1 ng/mL was considered as cut-off value for menopause.Switching from selective estrogen receptor modulator(SERM)to aromatase inhibitor aromatase inhibitor(AI)and initial endocrine therapy regimens were based on AMH,follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)and estradiol(E2).Results Pre-chemotherapy AMH level was significantly negatively correlated with FSH level(P<0.001).Among 100 cases who were amenorrhea for one year during SERM treatment,42 cases did not have AMH testing.Fourteen out of the 42 cases switched to AI within one year,and ovarian function recovery(OFR)occurred in 2 cases after AI switching.Fifteen cases with AMH>0.1 ng/mL did not switch to AI within one year.Forty among 43 cases with AMH≤0.1 ng/mL switched to AI,after a significantly shorter median SERM treatment duration(3.15 months vs.8.14 months,P<0.001)and a significantly lower OFR rate(0 vs.12.5%,P=0.023)compared with those who did not test AMH but switched to AI.AMH≤0.1 ng/mL was an independent risk factor of transition to menopause shortly in peri-menopausal patients(OR=35.857,P<0.001).Among 104 cases with AMH tested before adjuvant chemotherapy,69 cases had AMH>0.1 ng/mL.Thirty-one out of the 69 cases were treated with ovarian function suppression(OFS)initially and 38 with SERM initially.Thirty-five cases with AMH≤0.1 ng/mL were all treated with SERM initially,with a higher rate of switching to AI(71.4%vs.23.7%,P<0.001)and a shorter SERM treatment duration(6.52 months vs.13.56 months,P=0.016)compared with the 38 cases(AMH>0.1 ng/mL)treated initially with SERM.After a median 30-month follow-up,no recurrence was observed in these thirty-five cases treated with SERM initially and AMH≤0.1 ng/mL,just like in OFS group.And they had a tendency of improved survival outcome compared with those treated with SERM initially and AMH>0.1 ng/mL(Log Rank P=0.076).Conclusion AMH could evaluate and predict menopause accurately,resulting in optimizing endocrine therapy for peri-menopausal patients effectively and safely.

Hereditary breast cancer refers to breast cancer with a genetic susceptibility gene.PTEN germline mutations are rare in breast cancer,but patients with PTEN mutations have a high risk of breast cancer.In 2021,A young patient with bilateral breast cancer was admitted to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital,Fudan University.Due to bilateral multiple breast lumps,she underwent Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy,which was pathologically confirmed as right ductal carcinoma in situ,left breast invasive carcinoma.The patient had multiple neoplasms in bilateral axillary region skin,neck skin and bilateral inguinal regiona skin,and the second-generation sequencing results of peripheral blood genes showed PTEN gene mutation.Combined with family history,the patient was diagnosed with Cowden syndrome(CS).Such patients should be paid attention to cancer risk management and family management,so as to attain early diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To develop a portable medical oxygen purity analyzer capable of real-time detection of multi-compo-nent gases in medical oxygen or aviation oxygen to ensure the safety of oxygen consumption.Methods The portable medical oxygen purity analyzer with STM3F103RC as the main controller involved in a management module,an oxygen detection module,a carbon monoxide/chlorine detection module,a flow/carbon dioxide detection module and a dew point detection module as its hardware components,which had its human-machine interface programmed with DGUS supervision,control and data acquisition(SCADA)software and system program developed with C language under Keil MDK environment.The performance verification of the analyzer developed was carried out in terms of oxygen detection error and stability and errors for measuring carbon monoxide,chlorine and carbon dioxide.Results The analyzer showed high precision when used to detect oxygen with high volume fraction,with long-term stability and the absolute error restrained within±0.1％;the erros for measuring carbon monoxide,chlorine and carbon dioxide were all limited within±5％FS to meet the desired requirements.Condusion The portable medical oxygen purity analyzer developed with high precision,stability and portability can be used for detection of medical oxygen and aviation oxygen.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):36-40]