Clinical Effects of Surgical Left Atrial Reduction and Concomitant Mitral Valve Replacement in Patients with Giant Left Atrium

ABSTRACT Introduction: A giant left atrium may cause respiratory dysfunction and hemodynamic disturbance postoperatively. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate clinical effects of surgical left atrial reduction in concomitant cardiac valves operations. Methods: One hundred and thirty-five patients with heart valve diseases and giant left atriums from January 2004 to July 2021 were enrolled into this research. They were divided into the folded group (n=63) and the unfolded group (n=72). Patients in the folded group had undergone cardiac valve operations concomitantly with left atrial reductions. The perioperative characteristics were compared between both groups, and subgroup analysis was performed. Results: There were five deaths in the folded group and 25 deaths in the unfolded group (P<0.001). Complications including pneumonia, sepsis, multiple organs dysfunction syndrome, low cardiac output syndrome, and the use of continuous renal replacement therapy were significantly fewer in the folded group. The receiver operating characteristic curve of left atrial max. diameter predicting mortality was significant (area under the curve=0.878, P=0.005), and the cutoff point was 96.5 mm. The stratified analysis for sex showed that more female patients died in the unfolded group. Logistic regression for mortality showed that the left atrium unfolded, left atrial max. diameter, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and mechanical ventilation time increased the risk of death. Conclusion: Surgical left atrial reduction concomitantly with valves replacement could decrease mortality and was safe and effective in giant left atrium patients.

Analysis of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism in patients with upper digestive system diseases in Anhui Province / 预防医学

Objective@#To analyze the CYP2C19 gene polymorphism in patients with upper digestive system diseases in Anhui Province, so as to provide evidence for individual treatment.@*Methods@#The 307 patients with upper digestive system diseases in the Department of Gastroenterology, The 901st Hospital of Combined Service Force of People＇s Liberation Army were selected. The CYP2C19 genotypes were detected by DNA microarray microarray. The CYP2C19 genotypes and metabolic types in different genders, ages and diseases were analyzed.@*Results@# There were 197 males ( 64.17% ) and 110 females ( 35.83% ) , with the age of ( 58.00±16.13 ) years old. The gene frequency of CYP2C19*1, CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 was 62.70%, 32.25% and 5.05%, respectively. There were 119 cases (38.76%) of *1/*1 ( 636GG, 681GG ), 129 cases ( 42.02% ) of *1/*2 ( 636GG, 681GA ) , 18 cases (5.86%) of *1/*3 ( 636GA, 681GG ) , 29 cases ( 9.45% ) of *2/*2 ( 636GG, 681AA ) , 11 cases ( 3.58% ) of *2/*3 ( 636GA, 681GA ) , and 1 cases ( 0.33% ) of *3/*3 ( 636AA, 681GG ). In terms of metabolisms, there were 119 cases ( 38.76% ) of fast metabolism type, 147 cases (47.88%) of intermediate metabolism type and 41 cases (13.35%) of slow metabolism type. There were no significant differences in CYP2C19 genotypes and metabolic types among the patients with different gender, age and digestive system diseases ( P＞0.05 ).@*Conclusion@#The CYP2C19 genotypes of patients with upper digestive system diseases were polymorphic, mainly the fast metabolism type and the intermediate metabolism type, which could provide reference for the clinical medication of individualized treatment of proton pump inhibitors.

miR-29b-3p promotes progression of MDA-mB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells through downregulating TRAF3

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second common malignant cancer among females worldwide. Accumulating studies have indicated that deregulation of miRNA expression in breast cancer will contribute to tumorigenesis and form different cancer subtypes. However, the reported studies on miR-29b-3p-regulated breast cancer are limited so far. Herein, we investigated the role and mechanism of miR-29b-3p in the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. METHODS: The relative miR-29b-3p expression in different breast cancer cell lines were determined by qRT-PCR. CCK8 and colony formation assay were used to determine the influence of miR-29b-3p on cell proliferation. Migration assay and invasion assay were performed for cell migration and invasion respectively. To study the cell integrity immunofluorescence was performed. TUNEL assay, flow cytometry assay, hoechst staining and western blot were conducted to determine the influence of miR-29b-3p inhibitor on cell apoptosis. TRAF3 was found to be the target gene of miR-29b-3p using bioinformatics predictions. Dual-luciferase assay was performed to determine the relative luciferase activity in NC, miR-29b-3p mimic, miR-29b-3p inhibitor with TRAF3 3'-UTR wt or TRAF3 3'-UTR mt reporter plasmids. The proteins expression of NF-κB signaling pathway in MDA-MB-231 after transfection with NC, miR-29b-3p mimic, miR-29b-3p inhibitor were determined by western blot. RESULTS: The miR-29b-3p expression was significantly increased in MDA-MB-231 compare with MCF-10A. miR-29b-3p inhibitor reduced the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 and inhibited cell migration and invasion. Cell cytoskeleton integrity destroyed after miR-29b-3p inhibitor treatment. Furthermore, we identified the mechanism and found miR-29b-3p targets the TRAF3 and activates NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: From the above studies, our results indicated that miR-29b-3p acts as a promoter for the development of MDA-MB-231.

Effect of polysaccharides from Polygonatum sibiricum on lipid-metabolism related mRNA and protein expression in hyperlipidemic mice / 中国中药杂志

To study the effect of polysaccharides from Polygonatum sibiricum on mRNA and protein expressions of blood lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic mice. The mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely the blank control group, the hyperlipidemia model group, the simvastatin group, and low, middle and high-dose PSP groups (200, 400, 800 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹). Each group of the mice was administrated intragastrically for 14 days, respectively. Subsequently, every group of mice, except for the blank control group, was intraperitoneally injected with 75% fresh egg yolk emulsion for establishing the hyperlipidemic mice model. Upon completion of the administration, the contents of TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C in serum of each group were investigated in details. In particular, the mRNA expression levels of PPAR-α, PPAR-, PPAR-, SREBP-1c, IL-6 and TNF-α of the liver tissues were detected by Real-time PCR, and the protein expression levels (including PPAR-α, PPAR-, PPAR-, SREBP-1c, IL-6, TNF-α) were examined by Western blot. Consequently, the obtained results showed that the contents of the serum TC, TG, LDL-C of low, middle and high-dose PSP groups significantly decreased compared with those of the hyperlipidemia model group. Simultaneously, there were significant differences between middle-dose and high-dose PSP groups (<0.01). In striking contrast, the contents of serum HDL-C of low, middle and high-dose PSP groups significantly increased, while obvious differences were also observed between middle-dose and high-dose PSP groups (<0.01). Moreover, middle-dose and high-dose PSR groups could up-regulate the protein and mRNA expressions of PPAR-α, PPAR- (<0.05) compared with those of the hyperlipidemia model group, and down-regulate the expressions of PPAR-,SREBP-1c, IL-6 and TNF-α(<0.05) compared with those of liver tissues of the hyperlipidemia model group. In conclusion, all of the above results suggested that PSP could inhibit the oxidation of the liver lipid, and regulate the expression levels of the corresponding genes and proteins relating to the lipid metabolism, so as to play a critical role for preventing hyperlipidemia.

Novel liposomal drug delivery system actively targeting Cryptococcus neoformans and elimination of infection / 药学学报

The purpose of this study is to develop a liposomal drug delivery system actively targeting Cryptococcus neoformans and explore its feasibility in therapy of cryptococcal infection. The specific fungibinding peptide was screened from 12-mer random phage display library, and linked to PEG-DSPE as the functional material of liposomes. The targeting capability of peptide-modified liposomes were investigated by fungi binding assay in vitro and fluorescence imaging in vivo. Itraconazole as a model drug were then encapsulated in the liposomes and were evaluated in pharmacodynamic test in vitro and for therapeutic effects against cryptococcal meningitis complicated with pulmonary cryptococcosis in vivo. The results showed that the peptide (sequence:NNHREPPDHRTS) could selectively recognize Cryptococcus and effectively mediate the corresponding liposomal formulation to accumulate in the infection site in vivo. This peptide-modified liposome has a small particle size (mean diameter of 88.25±2.43 nm) with a homogeneous distribution and high encapsulation efficiency (88.05±0.25%) of itraconazole. After intravenous administration, the pathogens were obviously eliminated in lung and brain, and the life-span of model mice were significantly prolonged, suggesting a promising potential of this cryptococcosis targeting strategy.

Construction of biotin-modified polymeric micelles for pancreatic cancer targeted photodynamic therapy / 药学学报

In this study, we explored the feasibility of biotin-mediated modified polymeric micelles for pancreatic cancer targeted photodynamic therapy. Poly (ethylene glycol)-distearoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (mPEG2000-DSPE) served as the drug-loaded material, biotin-poly(ethylene glycol)-distearoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (Biotin-PEG3400-DSPE) as the functional material and the polymeric micelles were prepared by a thin-film hydration method. The targeting capability of micelles was investigated by cell uptake assay in vitro and fluorescence imaging in vivo and the amounts of Biotin-PEG-DSPE were optimized accordingly. Hypocrellin B (HB), a novel photosensitizer was then encapsulated in biotinylated polymeric micelles and the anti-tumor efficacy was evaluated systemically in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that micelles with 5 mol % Biotin-PEG-DSPE demonstrated the best targeting capability than those with 20 mol % or 0.5 mol % of corresponding materials. This formulation has a small particle size [mean diameter of (36.74 ± 2.16) nm] with a homogeneous distribution and high encapsulation efficiency (80.06 ± 0.19) %. The following pharmacodynamics assays showed that the biotinylated micelles significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of HB against tumor cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo, suggesting a promising potential of this formulation for treatment of pancreatic cancer, especially those poorly permeable, or insensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Long-circulating liposomal daptomycin enhances protection against systemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection with improved therapeutic potential / 药学学报

In the face of escalating problems with pathogen control, the development of proper formulations of existing antibiotics is as important as the development of novel antibiotics. Daptomycin is a lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Currently, only injectable solution of daptomycin has been approved for clinical use. In the present study, the formulation of PEGylated liposomal daptomycin (PLD) was prepared and optimized, and its efficacy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA252) strains was investigated. The obtained PLD had a mean vesicle diameter of (111.5 +/- 15.4) nm and a mean percent drug loading of (5.81 +/- 0.19) % with high storage stability. Potent activity of PLD against MRSA was demonstrated in vitro with a more sustained effect than that of conventional liposomal daptomycin and daptomycin solution. In addition, intravenous administration of a single dose (equal to human use) of PLD significantly increased the survival of mice in a MRSA252 systemic infection model compared with other formulations. Drug distribution in the lung was significantly enhanced following administration of PLD, and no measurable tissue lesions or pathological changes were detected during PLD treatment. Taken together, PEGylated liposomes loaded with daptomycin may represent a promising approach to reduce MRSA252 infections, especially those involving bloodstream dissemination, such as hematogenous pulmonary infection.

Silica-coated ethosome as a novel oral delivery system for enhanced oral bioavailability of curcumin / 药学学报

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of silica-coated ethosome as a novel oral delivery system for the poorly water-soluble curcumin (as a model drug). The silica-coated ethosomes loading curcumin (CU-SE) were prepared by alcohol injection method with homogenization, followed by the precipitation of silica by sol-gel process. The physical and chemical features of CU-SEs, and curcumin release were determined in vitro. The pharmacodynamics and bioavailability measurements were sequentially performed. The mean diameter of CU-SE was (478.5 +/- 80.3) nm and the polydispersity index was 0.285 +/- 0.042, while the mean value of apparent drug entrapment efficiency was 80.77%. In vitro assays demonstrated that CU-SEs were significantly stable with improved release properties when compared with curcumin-loaded ethosomes (CU-ETs) without silica-coatings. The bioavailability of CU-SEs and CU-ETs was 11.86- and 5.25-fold higher, respectively, than that of curcumin suspensions (CU-SUs) in in vivo assays. The silica coatings significantly promoted the stability of ethosomes and CU-SEs exhibited 2.26-fold increase in bioavailablity relative to CU-ETs, indicating that the silica-coated ethosomes might be a potential approach for oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs especially the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine with improved bioavailability.

Dynamic observation on serum sialic acid in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the diagnostic value and possibility to be a dynamic monitoring index of serum sialic acid (SA) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum SA and Epstein-Barr virus-viral coat antigens-IgA (EBV-VCA-IgA) were detected in 50 cases of NPC before treatment, after clinical recovery and recurrence. Healthy adult and patients of benign lesions of head and neck were also detected as controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SA and EBV-VCA-IgA were positively related significantly in different periods of NPC patients. SA was significantly varied dynamically before and after radiation and chemical therapy in NPC patients. The positive rate of SA was 94.0% (47/50) before treatment, 2.0% (1/50) after clinical recovery, 96.2% (25/26) in recurrent patient and 4.2% (1/24) in patients without recurrence. The reaction of EBV-VCA-IgA was slow and its corresponding positive rates were 90.0%, 90.0%, 84.6%, 0% and 75.0% respectively. The sensitivity of SA in pre-treated NPC patients was 94.0%, higher than EBV-VCA-IgA (90.0%). The specificity of serum SA was 93.0% in this series, lower than that of EBV-VCA-IgA (96.0%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Dynamic detections of serum SA combined with EBV-VCA-IgA can be used as indices in dictating the changes in NPC patients and screening of high-risk population, judgment of curative effect and prediction of prognosis.</p>

Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor in the Lesions of Patients with Psoriasis / 中华皮肤科杂志

0.05).These receptors were distributed evenly in all layers of epidermis in nor-mal controls,while intensively in granular layer of lesional skin.The significant overexpression of the recep-tors mainly presented in the papillary dermal microvessels of lesional skin compared to that of normal con-trols(P

Detection of Serum HGF and MMP-9 and Its Clinical Significance in Pat ients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objectives To explore the relationship between serum leve ls of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and study the mechan isms of these two factors in the pathogenesis of SLE. Methods The serum levels of HGF and MMP-9 were measured by ELISA. The growth curve of normal ECV304 cell line was obtained, and the action concentration of recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor (rhHGF) was determined. MMP-9 expression level in cells was detec ted by flow cytometric analysis. Results The serum level of HGF increased sign ificantly in SLE patients as compared with that in healthy controls (P 0.05). The area of ROC curve was 0.707 and the sensitivity was 66 .7% when using the serum level of HGF as diagnostic standard. The area under ROC curve was 0.984 and the sensitivity was 97.2% when using the serum level of MMP-9 as diagnostic standard. The sensitivity was 66.7% (24/36) when two markers (H GF and MMP-9) were examined simultaneously. Additionally, the action concentrati on of rhHGF was 8 ng/mL, and the expression level of MMP-9 was 39.74% in normal ECV304 cells and increased to 40.32% after rhHGF stimulation. Conclusions It i s suggested that HGF and MMP-9 may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE, and s erum levels of HGF and MMP-9 might be used as markers for monitoring the disease activity, renal damage, disease progression and improvement in SLE. The sensiti vity might be higher when serum level of MMP-9 is used as diagnostic standard, a nd rhHGF can enhance MMP-9 expression in ECV304 cell line.

The relationship between serum level of HGF and disease activity in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum level of Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Serum level of HGF in 30 control and 36 SLE patients were measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. ResultsSignifi cantly increased sera level of HGF were found in SLE patients as compared to that in healthy controls[ (1 433.3?154.0)ng/L vs (1 142.1?78.8)ng/L,P

The relationship between MMP-9 serum level and disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum level of MMP-9(matrix metalloproteinase-9) and the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).Methods Serum level of MMP-9 of 30 controls and 36 SLE patients were measured by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay.Results Significantly decreased serum level of MMP-9 was found in SLE patients as compared to that in healthy controls(108?113) ng/ml vs (352?155) ng/ml (P0.05).Conclusion The present data suggests that MMP-9 may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE,and serum MMP-9 level may be a marker of disease activity,renal damage,disease progression and amelioration in SLE.

Serum Levels of Matrix Metalloproteinases-9 in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To determine the serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their clinical significances. Methods The serum concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were measured by ELISA in 46 patients with SLE and age- and sex-matched normal controls. Results ①Serum levels of MMP-9 was significantly decreased in patients with SLE compared with those in normal controls (P