Effect of calcium dobesilate in preventing contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the protective effect of calcium dobesilate against contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: A total of 130 patients with diabetes and CKD estimated glomerular filtration rate: 30-90 mL/min/1.73m2 were enrolled and included in the analysis. They were divided into experimental (n=65) and control groups (n=65). Patients in the experimental group were administered oral calcium dobesilate (500 mg) three times daily for 2 days before and 3 days after the procedure. The serum creatinine (SCr), cystatin C (Cys C), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels were measured before and after the procedure. RESULTS: The mean SCr level at 24h after the procedure was found to be significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (79.1±19.6 μmol/L vs. 87.0±19.3 μmol/L, p=0.023). However, the Cys C and NGAL levels were not significantly different between the two groups at all measurement time points (all p>0.05). The incidence of CIN defined by the SCr level was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (3 [4.6%] vs. 13 [20.0%], p=0.017). However, the incidence of CIN defined by the Cys C level was not statistically different between the two groups (7 [10.8%] vs. 7 [10.8%], p=1.000). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that calcium dobesilate has no preventive effect against CIN in patients with diabetes and CKD.

Discrete potentials guided ablation for idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Discrete potentials (DPs) have been recorded and targeted as the site of ablation of the outflow tract arrhythmias. The aim of the present study was to investigate the significance of DPs with respect to mapping and ablation for idiopathic outflow tract premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardias (VTs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventeen out of 24 consecutive patients with idiopathic right or left ventricular outflow tract PVCs/VTs who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation between September 2012 and December 2013 in our department were included. Intracardiac electrograms during the mapping and ablation were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During sinus rhythm, sharp high-frequency DPs that displayed double or multiple components were recorded following or buried in the local ventricular electrograms in all of the 17 patients, peak amplitude was (0.51 ± 0.21) mV. The same potential was recorded prior to the local ventricular potential of the PVCs/VTs. Spontaneous reversal of the relationship of the DPs to the local ventricular electrogram was noted during the arrhythmias. The DPs were related to a region of low voltage showed by intracardiac high-density contact mapping. At the sites with DPs, unipolar and bipolar ventricular voltage of sinus beats were lower compared with the adjacent regions without DPs (unipolar: (6.1 ± 1.8) mV vs. (8.3 ± 2.3) mV, P < 0.05; bipolar: (0.62 ± 0.45) mV vs. (1.03 ± 0.60) mV, P < 0.05). The targeted DPs were still present in 12 patients after successful elimination of the ectopies. Discrete potentials were not present in seven controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Discrete potentials and related low-voltage regions were common in idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias. Discrete potential- and substrate-guided ablation strategy could help to reduce the recurrence of idiopathic outflow tract arrhythmias.</p>

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to high altitude pulmonary edema in Chinese railway construction workers at Qinghai-Tibet over 4 500 meters above sea level / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine whether the polymorphisms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are associated with the susceptibility to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) in Chinese railway construction workers at Qinghai-Tibet where the altitude is over 4 500 m above sea level.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was conducted including 149 HAPE patients in the construction workers and 160 healthy controls randomly recruited from their co-workers, matching the patients in ethnicity, age, sex, lifestyle, and working conditions. Three polymorphisms of eNOS gene, T-786C in promoter, 894G/T in exon 7, and 27bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 4, were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed with DNA sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequencies of 894T allele and heterozygous G/T of the 894G/T variant were significantly higher in HAPE patients group than in the control group (P=0.0028 and P=0.0047, respectively). However, the frequencies of the T-786C in promoter and the 27bp VNTR in intron 4 were not significantly different between the two groups. Haplotypic analysis revealed that the frequencies of two haplotypes (H3,T-T-b, b indicates 5 repeats of 27 bp VNTR; H6, C-G-a, a indicates 4 repeats of 27 bp VNTR) were significantly higher in HAPE patients (both Pü0.0001). On the contrary, the frequencies of H1 (T-G-b) and H2 (T-G-a) were lower in HAPE patients than in healthy controls (both Pü0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Two haplotypes (T-T-b and C-G-a) may be strongly associated with susceptibility to HAPE. Compared with the individual alleles of eNOS gene, the interaction of multiple genetic markers within a haplotype may be a major determinant for the susceptibility to HAPE.</p>