Risk of venous thromboembolism in Chinese pregnant women: Hong Kong venous thromboembolism study

BACKGROUND: Previous Caucasian studies have described venous thromboembolism in pregnancy; however, little is known about its incidence during pregnancy and early postpartum period in the Chinese population. We investigated the risk of venous thromboembolism in a “real-world” cohort of pregnant Chinese women with no prior history of venous thromboembolism. METHODS: In this observational study, 15,325 pregnancies were identified in 14,162 Chinese women at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong between January 2004 and September 2016. Demographic data, obstetric information, and laboratory and imaging data were retrieved and reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age at pregnancy was 32.4±5.3 years, and the median age was 33 years (interquartile range, 29–36 yr). Pre-existing or newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus was present in 627 women (4.1%); 359 (0.7%) women had pre-existing or newly detected hypertension. There was a small number of women with pre-existing heart disease and/or rheumatic conditions. Most deliveries (86.0%) were normal vaginal; the remaining were Cesarean section 2,146 (14.0%). The incidence of venous thromboembolism was 0.4 per 1,000 pregnancies, of which 83.3% were deep vein thrombosis and 16.7% were pulmonary embolism. In contrast to previous studies, 66.7% of venous thrombosis occurred in the first trimester. CONCLUSION: Chinese women had a substantially lower risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and the postpartum period compared to that of Caucasians. The occurrence of pregnancy-related venous thromboembolism was largely confined to the early pregnancy period, probably related to the adoption of thromboprophylaxis, a lower rate of Cesarean section, and early mobilization.

Lycopene protects against hypoxia/reoxygenation-injury by preventing calpain activation / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the possible mechanism of lycopene on protecting against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-injury.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Primary cultured cardiomyocytes, isolated from neonatal mouse, were divided into three groups randomly: control group (C) ; H/R group(4 h H followed by 8 h R); lycopene+H/R group(L+H/R), in which the cardiomyocytes were pretreated with lycopene for 4 h before H/R. The survival of cardiomyocytes was counted. Apoptotic cells were detected by TUNEL assays. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondrial matrix into the cytosol, the activity of caspase-3, intracellular ROS levels and the activity of calpain were also determined in these groups respectively at the same time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The pretreatment of cardiomyocytes with lycopene significantly improved the survival of cardiomyocytes [C: (89.84 ± 5.15)%, H/R: (63.59 ± 5.11)%, L+H/R: (79.25 ± 1.48)%, P < 0.05] and reduced the extent of apoptosis [C: ( 10.37 ± 1.25)%, H/R: (32.03 ± 4.79)%, L+H/R: (22.57 ± 3.22)%, P < 0.05], significantly reduced caspase-3 activation [C: (2.61 ± 0.19), H/R: (5.82 ± 0.92), L+H/R: (3.74 ± 0.64) pNA pmol/µg protein, P < 0.05]. To further study the mechanism underlying the benefits of lycopene, interactions between lycopene and calpain activation were examined. Lycopene pretreatment of cardiomyocytes suppressed the activation of calpain(C:272.33 ± 300.46, H/R: 1156.00 ± 212.02, L+H/R: 607.33 ± 166.23, P < 0.05) by reducing the H/R induced increased intracellular ROS levels [C: 100%, H/R: (239.79 ± 27.27)%, L+H/R: (188.19 ± 17.63)%, P < 0.05].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Lycopene may protect against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced injury by preventing calpain activation.</p>

Role of transfected angiotensinⅡ receptor anti-sense nucleotide in the growth of cardiomyocytes / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To evaluate the role of transfected angiotensinⅡ(Ang Ⅱ) receptor AT1 anti-sense nucleotide (AT1A) in the expression of subtypes of AngⅡ receptor mRNA, synthesis of protein and nucleic acid in cardiomyocytes. Methods　AT1 cDNA sequence (476 bp) was cloned with RT-PCR and reversely inserted into PcDNA3.1 (5.4 kb) to construct an intact plasmid containing AT1A (PAT1A). The plasmid was then transfected into the cultured cardiomyocytes and identified with RT-PCR and Western blot. The synthesis of protein and nucleic acid identified by 3H-Leu and 3H-TdR incorporation, and expressions of AT1 and AT2 mRNA by RT-PCR, were compared between transfected and nontransfected cardiomyocytes after being stimulated with 10-7 mol/L AngⅡ for 24 h. Results　The plasmid PAT1A were successfully constructed. The AT1 mRNA and its protein were expressed significantly less in the transfected cardiomyocytes than in the control (P<0.01). In the transfected cardiomyocytes, AT1 mRNA expression was markedly decreased, but that of AT2 mRNA obviously increased (P<0.01) when compared with the nontransfected cardiomyocytes after stimulation for 24 h with AngⅡ 10-7 mol/L; no significant difference was found in 3H-Leu and 3H-TdR incorporation between them. Conclusion　After the cardiomyocytes was tranfected with AT1A, the expression of AT1 mRNA was markedly suppressed，while AT2 mRNA up-regulated at the same time. Our results indicate that AT1A blocking can not effectively interrupt the Ang Ⅱ-induced synthesis of the protein and nucleic acid in cardiomyocytes.

Role of transfected angiotensinⅡ receptor anti-sense nucleotide in the growth of cardiomyocytes / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To evaluate the role of transfected angiotensinⅡ(Ang Ⅱ) receptor AT1 anti-sense nucleotide (AT1A) in the expression of subtypes of AngⅡ receptor mRNA, synthesis of protein and nucleic acid in cardiomyocytes. Methods　AT1 cDNA sequence (476 bp) was cloned with RT-PCR and reversely inserted into PcDNA3.1 (5.4 kb) to construct an intact plasmid containing AT1A (PAT1A). The plasmid was then transfected into the cultured cardiomyocytes and identified with RT-PCR and Western blot. The synthesis of protein and nucleic acid identified by 3H-Leu and 3H-TdR incorporation, and expressions of AT1 and AT2 mRNA by RT-PCR, were compared between transfected and nontransfected cardiomyocytes after being stimulated with 10-7 mol/L AngⅡ for 24 h. Results　The plasmid PAT1A were successfully constructed. The AT1 mRNA and its protein were expressed significantly less in the transfected cardiomyocytes than in the control (P<0.01). In the transfected cardiomyocytes, AT1 mRNA expression was markedly decreased, but that of AT2 mRNA obviously increased (P<0.01) when compared with the nontransfected cardiomyocytes after stimulation for 24 h with AngⅡ 10-7 mol/L; no significant difference was found in 3H-Leu and 3H-TdR incorporation between them. Conclusion　After the cardiomyocytes was tranfected with AT1A, the expression of AT1 mRNA was markedly suppressed，while AT2 mRNA up-regulated at the same time. Our results indicate that AT1A blocking can not effectively interrupt the Ang Ⅱ-induced synthesis of the protein and nucleic acid in cardiomyocytes.