Relationship between serum homocysteine levels and long-term outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background:@#The mortality of cardiovascular disease is constantly rising, and novel biomarkers help us predict residual risk. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of serum homocysteine (HCY) levels on prognosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).@*Methods:@#The 419 consecutive patients with STEMI, treated at one medical center, from March 2010 to December 2015 were retrospectively investigated. Peripheral blood samples were obtained within 24 h of admission and HCY concentrations were measured using an enzymatic cycling assay. The patients were divided into high HCY level (H-HCY) and low HCY level (L-HCY) groups. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared, as were age-based subgroups (patients aged 60 years and younger vs. those older than 60 years). Statistical analyses were mainly conducted by Student t-test, Chi-squared test, logistic regression, and Cox proportional-hazards regression.@*Results:@#The H-HCY group had more males (84.6% vs. 75.4%, P=0.018), and a lower prevalence of diabetes (20.2% vs. 35.5%, P < 0.001), compared with the L-HCY group. During hospitalization, there were seven mortalities in the L-HCY group and 10 in the H-HCY group (3.3% vs. 4.8%, P= 0.440). During the median follow-up period of 35.8 (26.9–46.1) months, 33 (16.2%) patients in the L-HCY group and 48 (24.2%) in the H-HCY group experienced major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (P=0.120). History of hypertension (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.881, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.178–3.005, P=0.008) and higher Killip class (HR: 1.923, 95% CI: 1.419–2.607, P < 0.001), but not HCY levels (HR: 1.007, 95% CI: 0.987–1.027, P=0.507), were significantly associated with long-term outcomes. However, the subgroup analysis indicated that in older patients, HCY levels were significantly associated with long-term outcomes (HR: 1.036, 95% CI: 1.011–1.062, P=0.005).@*Conclusion:@#Serum HCY levels did not independently predict in-hospital or long-term outcomes in patients with STEMI; however, among elderly patients with STEMI, this study revealed a risk profile for late outcomes that incorporated HCY level.

Relationship between serum homocysteine levels and long-term outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#The mortality of cardiovascular disease is constantly rising, and novel biomarkers help us predict residual risk. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of serum homocysteine (HCY) levels on prognosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).@*METHODS@#The 419 consecutive patients with STEMI, treated at one medical center, from March 2010 to December 2015 were retrospectively investigated. Peripheral blood samples were obtained within 24 h of admission and HCY concentrations were measured using an enzymatic cycling assay. The patients were divided into high HCY level (H-HCY) and low HCY level (L-HCY) groups. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared, as were age-based subgroups (patients aged 60 years and younger vs. those older than 60 years). Statistical analyses were mainly conducted by Student t-test, Chi-squared test, logistic regression, and Cox proportional-hazards regression.@*RESULTS@#The H-HCY group had more males (84.6% vs. 75.4%, P = 0.018), and a lower prevalence of diabetes (20.2% vs. 35.5%, P < 0.001), compared with the L-HCY group. During hospitalization, there were seven mortalities in the L-HCY group and 10 in the H-HCY group (3.3% vs. 4.8%, P = 0.440). During the median follow-up period of 35.8 (26.9-46.1) months, 33 (16.2%) patients in the L-HCY group and 48 (24.2%) in the H-HCY group experienced major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (P = 0.120). History of hypertension (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.881, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.178-3.005, P = 0.008) and higher Killip class (HR: 1.923, 95% CI: 1.419-2.607, P < 0.001), but not HCY levels (HR: 1.007, 95% CI: 0.987-1.027, P = 0.507), were significantly associated with long-term outcomes. However, the subgroup analysis indicated that in older patients, HCY levels were significantly associated with long-term outcomes (HR: 1.036, 95% CI: 1.011-1.062, P = 0.005).@*CONCLUSION@#Serum HCY levels did not independently predict in-hospital or long-term outcomes in patients with STEMI; however, among elderly patients with STEMI, this study revealed a risk profile for late outcomes that incorporated HCY level.

Cardioprotection by hypoxia-induced rat adipose-derived stem cells through paracrine mechanisms / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) represent one of the promising cell sources for myocardial regeneration due to their easy accessibility and efficacy in the improvement of cardiac function following myocardial infarction. However, previously reported studies on the underlying mechanism of ADSCs-mediated cardioprotective effect mainly focused on the ADSCs cultured at room air. OBJECTIVE: To test the paracrine actions and anti-apoptotic effect of ADSCs under hypoxic conditions. METHODS: After isolation and culture, neonatal rat myocardial cells were injured by hydrogen peroxide and co-cultured with rat ADSCs under normoxia and hypoxia (10% O2) conditions. Ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) in the cell pellet and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were tested by ELISA. Expression of apoptotic proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: GSH/GSSG, VEGF, IGF-1, and bFGF were decreased in neonatal rat myocardial cells injured by hydrogen peroxide. ADSCs significantly attenuated hydrogen peroxide-induced myocardial apoptosis by increasing the ratio of GSH/GSSG and the secretion of VEGF, IGF-1 and bFGF. ADSCs also down-regulated Bax expression and up-regulated Bcl-2 expression. To conclude, hypoxic conditions can enhance the anti-apoptosis and cardioprotective effects of ADSCs through the paracrine mechanism.

A study on the differences of emotion and depression between patients as doctor/nurse and others occupation with severe acute respiratory syndrome / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the emotional and depressive differences between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients whose occupations were doctor/nurse and others.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>During the three months when SARS was explosive in 2003, 524 questionnaires were collected from Xuanwu Hospital, You'an Hospital, Xiaotangshan Hospital, Renmin Hospital and Ditan Hospital in Beijing. There were 109 questionnaires finished by patients as doctors/nurses themselves. For a background matching, 109 questionnaires were also finished by the others.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From 218 questionnaires, we found that the score on emotional condition (46.6204 +/- 8.4408 vs. 41.6789 +/- 8.612 95, P < 0.001) of SARS patients whose jobs were doctor/nurse was higher than the other groups on while the score of SARS patients whose jobs were doctor/nurse was lower than the other groups (37.7615 +/- 9.026 61 vs. 41.2844 +/- 9.655 25, P = 0.006) regarding depressive condition. The scores of emotional and depressive condition were all correlated with the factor as "I can not master my future".</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Doctors/nurses having SARS had less emotional and depressive conditions than the others, which might due to the difference in medical knowledge, working condition and the route of infection, suggesting that psychological intervention in the post-SARS period called for attention.</p>