Serum S100B levels may be associated with cerebral infarction: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to explore the potential association of serum human soluble protein-100B protein (S100B) levels with the diagnosis and prognosis of cerebral infarction (CI). METHODS: Potential relevant studies were searched for in PubMed, Springerlink, Wiley, EBSCO, Ovid, Web of Science, Wanfang databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases and VIP databases. Two investigators extracted data and assessed studies independently. Statistical analyses were carried out with the version 12.0 STATA statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 10 case-control studies that assessed the correlation of S100B serum level with CI, including 1211 subjects (patients=773, healthy controls=438) were included. The results showed that S100B serum levels in CI victims were significantly higher compared with those of the control group. According to the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, S100B serum level in CI victims was statistically significant in Asians and the control group, but no statistical significance was found in Caucasians. An additional subgroup analysis was carried out based on sample size, revealing that the S100B serum levels in CI victims in small samples were of statistical significance; however, no statistical significance was discovered in large samples. CONCLUSIONS: Elevator S100B serum levels might be negatively correlated with CI, suggesting that higher serum levels of S100B could lead to more serious condition and worse prognoses for CI patients. Therefore, S100B serum levels could be regarded as a biomarker for CI, and furthermore, S100B could aide in the diagnosis and prognosis of CI.

Optimal protective hypothermia in arrested mammalian hearts.

Many therapeutic hypothermia recommendations have been reported, but the information supporting them is sparse, and reveals a need for the data of target therapeutic hypothermia (TTH) from well-controlled experiments. The core temperature ≤35°C is considered as hypothermia, and 29°C is a cooling injury threshold in pig heart in vivo. Thus, an optimal protective hypothermia (OPH) should be in the range 29-35°C. This study was conducted with a pig cardiopulmonary bypass preparation to decrease the core temperature to 29-35°C range at 20 minutes before and 60 minutes during heart arrest. The left ventricular (LV) developed pressure, maximum of the first derivative of LV (dP/dtmax), cardiac power, heart rate, cardiac output, and myocardial velocity (Vmax) were recorded continuously via an LV pressure catheter and an aortic flow probe. At 20 minutes of off-pump during reperfusion after 60 minutes arrest, 17 hypothermic hearts showed that the recovery of Vmax and dP/dtmax established sigmoid curves that consisted of two plateaus: a good recovery plateau at 29-30.5°C, the function recovered to baseline level (BL) (Vmax=118.4%±3.9% of BL, LV dP/dtmax=120.7%±3.1% of BL, n=6); another poor recovery plateau at 34-35°C (Vmax=60.2%±2.8% of BL, LV dP/dtmax=28.0%±5.9% of BL, p<0.05, n=6; ), which are similar to the four normothermia arrest (37°C) hearts (Vmax=55.9%±4.8% of BL, LV dP/dtmax=24.5%±2.1% of BL, n=4). The 32-32.5°C arrest hearts showed moderate recovery (n=5). A point of inflection (around 30.5-31°C) existed at the edge of a good recovery plateau followed by a steep slope. The point presented an OPH that should be the TTH. The results are concordant with data in the mammalian hearts, suggesting that the TTH should be initiated to cool core temperature at 31°C.

Genetic associations with mountain sickness in Han and Tibetan residents at the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

BACKGROUND: Acute (AMS) and chronic (CMS) mountain sicknesses are illnesses that occur among humans visiting or inhabiting high-altitude environments, respectively. Some individuals are genetically less fit than others when stressed by an extreme high-altitude environment. Seven blood physiological parameters and five genetic polymorphisms were studied in Han patients with AMS and Tibetan patients with CMS. METHODS: We compared 98 AMS patients with 60 Han controls as well as 50 CMS patients with 36 Tibetan controls. The genetic loci studied are ACE I/D (rs4340), AGT M235T (rs699), AGTR1 A1166C (rs5186), GNB3 A(-350)G (rs2071057) and APOB A/G (rs693). RESULTS: All physiological parameters (RBC, HCT, Hb, SaO(2), HR, and BPs/d) studied significantly changed in the CMS patients while SaO(2) and HR changed in the AMS Han patients compared to their controls. The ACE D and AGT 235M alleles were found to be significantly associated with AMS and CMS, respectively, while a significantly high incidence of the G-protein (GNB3) (-350)A allele was found in the AMS patients. ACE (I/D) was significantly associated with HR in CMS patients while the AGT M235T was significantly associated with SaO(2) and BPs/d in AMS patients. APOB A/G was significantly associated with BPs/d in AMS and HR in CMS patients. CONCLUSION: AMS and CMS share very similar genetic results for the ACE I/D and AGT M235T polymorphisms indicating that these mutations have an effect on both illnesses.