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Transcutaneous neurostimulatory strategy to peripheral polyneuropathy caused by hypereosinophilic malady * A case document.
Objectives We attempted to develop more precisely quantified risk models for predicting cardiogenic stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients. Methods We conducted a case-control study, using data from hospitalized patients with AF who underwent transesophageal echocardiography at Shanghai Chest Hospital. A total of 233 high cardiogenic stroke risk patients with left atrial appendage thrombus (LAT) or left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (LA-SEC) and 233 controls matched for age, sex, AF type. Results AF history, LA diameter enlargement, larger left ventricular end diastolic diameter, lower ejection fraction, greater serum uric acid (SUA), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels showed association with high stroke risk. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that AF duration, left atrial diameter (LAd), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), SUA, and BNP were independent risk factors of the LAT/LA-SEC. We used LAd, LVEF, SUA, and BNP to construct a combined predictive model for high stroke risk in NVAF patients (the area under ROC curve 0.784; sensitivity 66.1%; specificity 76.8%; 95% CI 0.744-0.825, P less then 0.001). Conclusion Comprehensive evaluation of LAd, LVEF, SUA, and BNP may help stratify the cardiogenic stroke risk among non-valvular AF patients, guiding anticoagulation therapy.Regardless of the importance of acid-base disturbances in cardiac disease, there are currently no methods for clinical detection of pH in the heart. Several magnetic resonance imaging techniques hold translational promise and may enable in-vivo mapping of pH. We provide a brief overview of these emerging techniques. A particular focus is on the promising advance of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging with hyperpolarized 13C-subtrates as biomarkers of myocardial pH. Hyperpolarization allows quantification of key metabolic substrates and their metabolites. Hereby, pH-sensitive reactions can be probed to provide a measure of acid-base alterations. To date, the most used substrates are [1-13C]pyruvate and 13C-labeled bicarbonate; however, others have been suggested. In cardiovascular medicine, hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been used to probe acid-base disturbances following pharmacological stress, ischemia and heart failure in animals. In addition to pH-estimation, the technique can quantify fluxes such as the pivotal conversion of pyruvate to lactate via lactate dehydrogenase. This capability, a good safety profile and the fact that the technique is employable in clinical scanners have led to recent translation in early clinical trials. Thus, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging may provide clinical pH-imaging in the near future.Objective Research has shown a possible relationship between the E670G polymorphism of the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene and an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, there is no clear consensus on the subject because of conflicting results in the literature. The current meta-analysis was performed to better elucidate the potential relationship between the PCSK9 gene E670G polymorphism and CAD. Methods There were 5,484 subjects from 13 individual studies who were included in the current meta-analysis. The fixed- or random-effects models were used to evaluate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The current meta-analysis found a significant association between PCSK9 gene E670G polymorphism and CAD under allelic (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.42-2.27, P = 1.00 × 10-6), dominant (OR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.61-2.89, P = 2.22 × 10-7), heterozygous (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.55-2.64, P = 2.47 × 10-7), and additive genetic models (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.49-2.49, P = 6.70 × 10-7). ConclusionsPCSK9 gene E670G polymorphism was associated with an elevated risk of CAD, especially in the Chinese population. More specifically, carriers of the G allele carriers of the PCSK9 gene may be predisposed to developing CAD.The inability of the adult heart to repair or regenerate is manifested in prevalent morbidity and mortality related to myocardial infarction and heart failure. However, the cue to the reactivation of cardiomyocyte proliferation in the adult remains largely unknown. In the present study, three independent datasets were explored using bioinformatics analysis methods to solve the problem. Our results revealed that atrium genes were upregulated in response to the injury, which indicates the possible cell type withdraw and reinitiation of proliferation capability. Our findings might provide an alternative viewpoint on the cardiomyocyte regeneration or myocardial infarction.Background Inflammation-induced angiogenesis plays a critical role in many eye diseases, and abnormal angiogenesis inhibition is regarded as a therapeutic approach. Here, we examined the effects of laquinimod on inflammatory corneal angiogenesis. Methods Mouse model of corneal neovascularization was induced by NaOH. Laquinimod or control vehicle were topically applied to alkali-treated eyes twice a day for 10 days. Corneal neovascularization, infiltrating inflammatory cells, and the levels of chemokines, pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed. RAW cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were used in vitro to further explore the underlying mechanisms of the effects of laquinimod on inflammation-induced angiogenesis. Results Topical administration of laquinimod to the injured corneas dramatically inhibited alkali-induced corneal neovascularization and decreased inflammatory cell (such as macrophage) infiltration in a corneal injury mouse model. Laquinimod significantly downregulated the expression of chemokines (monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1), pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing C-terminal caspase-recruitment domain adaptor protein in both injured corneas and RAW cells. In vitro, laquinimod also dramatically inhibited the proliferation, migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Conclusion Laquinimod inhibits inflammation-induced angiogenesis in the cornea. These results suggest that laquinimod is a potential new therapeutic option for corneal neovascularization and other angiogenesis-associated diseases.Our previous study found that Notch3 knockout mice exhibit defects in mammary gland development. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, tissue samples were subjected to RNA-seq, GO, and KEGG enrichment analyses and qRT-PCR validation. Of enriched pathways, chemokine signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction were noticed in both Notch3wt/wt/Notch3wt/- and Notch3wt/wt/Notch3-/- mice, in which the expression of chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) was sharply reduced in Notch3wt/- and Notch3-/- mammary gland tissues. The Mouse ENCODE transcriptome data reveal that the mammary gland fat pad exhibits a high CCL2, CCR2, and CCR4 expression, indicating that these molecules play important roles during mammary gland development. Specifically, defective mammary glands in Notch3 knockout mice could be partially rescued by CCL2 overexpression lentivirus through intraductal injection. An in vitro study showed that CCL2 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, and cancerous acinar formation of 4T1 cells, which could rescue the defective migration of 4T1 cells caused by Notch3 knockdown. We also found that Notch3 transcriptionally regulated the expression of CCL2 in a classical pattern. Our findings illustrated that Notch3-regulating CCL2/CCR4 axis should be an important signaling pathway for mammary gland development and should be a candidate target for breast cancer therapy.In this study, we assessed the effects of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) and Cinaciguat, as experimental medicines to treat neonatal lambs exposed to chronic hypoxic conditions. To compare the different treatments, the mechanical responses of aorta, carotid, and femoral arterial walls were analyzed by means of axial pre-stretch and ring-opening tests, through a study with n = 6 animals for each group analyzed. The axial pre-stretch test measures the level of shortening in different zones of the arteries when extracted from lambs, while the ring-opening test is used to quantify the degree of residual circumferential deformation in a given zone of an artery. In addition, histological studies were carried out to measure elastin, collagen, and smooth muscle cell (SMC) nuclei densities, both in control and treated groups. The results show that mechanical response is related with histological results, specifically in the proximal abdominal aorta (PAA) and distal carotid zones (DCA), where the cell nuclei content is related to a decrease of residual deformations. The opening angle and the elastic fibers of the aorta artery were statistically correlated (p less then 0.05). Specifically, in PAA zone, there are significant differences of opening angle and cell nuclei density values between control and treated groups (p-values to opening angle Control-ANP = 2 ⋅ 10-2, Control-Cinaciguat = 1 ⋅ 10-2; p-values to cell nuclei density Control-ANP = 5 ⋅ 10-4, Control-Cinaciguat = 2 ⋅ 10-2). Respect to distal carotid zone (DCA), significant differences between Control and Cinaciguat groups were observed to opening angle (p-value = 4 ⋅ 10-2), and cell nuclei density (p-value = 1 ⋅ 10-2). TTNPB Our findings add evidence that medical treatments may have effects on the mechanical responses of arterial walls and should be taken into account when evaluating the complete medical outcome.Quantum dots (QDs) have been established in our daily life, for instance, in display screens and light-harvesting technologies, mainly owing to their peculiar opto-electronic features. However, toxicity of inorganic QDs, such as CdSe, CdTe, and perovskites, limits their applications in biological environments for medical diagnosis and bio-imaging purposes. A new generation of QDs called carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have been progressing rapidly over the past few years. CQDs have become as popular as other carbon-based nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), due to their ease of preparation, ultra-small size, biocompatibility, and bright luminescence.Background Modifiable risk factors are associated with cardiovascular mortality (CVM) which is a leading form of global mortality. However, diverse nature of urbanization and its objective measurement can modify their relationship. This study aims to investigate the moderating role of urbanization in the relationship of combined exposure (CE) of modifiable risk factors and CVM. Design and Methods This is the first comprehensive study which considers different forms of urbanization to gauge its manifold impact. Therefore, in addition to existing original quantitative form and traditional two categories of urbanization, a new form consisted of four levels of urbanization was duly introduced. This study used data of 129 countries mainly retrieved from a WHO report, Non-Communicable Diseases Country Profile 2014. Factor scores obtained through confirmatory factor analysis were used to compute the CE. Age-income adjusted regression model for CVM was tested as a baseline with three bootstrap regression models developed for the three forms of urbanization.
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