MicroRNA-791 is an independent prognostic factor of papillary thyroid carcinoma and inhibits the proliferation of PTC cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance and possible mechanism of miR-791 in the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of miR-791 in 80 cases of thyroid carcinoma tissues and 80 cases of paracancerous tissues was detected by quantitative Real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). After miR-791 mimics were transfected into thyroid cancer cells by liposome method, the cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU), respectively. Cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expression of miR-791 in thyroid cancer tissue was significantly lower than that of normal thyroid. The mir-719 expression is positively correlated with the prognosis of thyroid carcinoma. After transfection of miR-791 mimics, the proliferation ability of TPC-1 and HTH83 cells was weakened, and the cell cycle was blocked in the G0/G1 phase. Further study on the underlying mechanism found that after overexpression of miR-791, the expressions of Cyclin D1, CKD6 and CDK4 decreased significantly, while the expression of cyclin inhibitor P21 increased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-791 is lowly expressed in thyroid cancer. MiR-791 may inhibit thyroid cancer cell proliferation by blocking thyroid cancer cells in G0/G1 phase, thus participating in the impediment of thyroid cancer development.

Selective retention of the great saphenous vein to prevent saphenous nerve injury during varicose vein surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the selective retention of the great saphenous vein trunk below the knee to prevent saphenous nerve injury during varicose vein surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This research was a single-center prospective randomized trial. From January 2009 to January 2012, 280 patients of varicose veins in the great saphenous vein were treated and divided into two groups of 140 cases each. In the observation group, the vascular trunk of the great saphenous vein was stripped to below the knee level whilst that in the control group, it was stripped to the ankle level. Patients in both groups were treated with a transilluminated powered phlebectomy (TIPP) and foam sclerotherapy. Primary end points were postoperative pain, saphenous nerve injury, quality of life and recurrence rate. RESULTS: After one month follow-up: 5.71% of patients in the observation group had neurological symptoms, while 14.29% of patients had neurological symptoms in the control group. The saphenous nerve injury between the two groups was statistically significant. Postoperative follow-up of one year, 1.47% patients had symptoms of neurological disorders in the observation group, while 7.14% patients had symptoms of neurological disorders in the control group. The saphenous nerve injury between the two groups was statistically significant. Therefore,  selective retention of great saphenous vein below-knee can prevent saphenous nerve injury. The main outcome measures were postoperative pain, missing saphenous nerve, improvement of symptoms and the incidence of recurrence. The follow-up after one month showed that the percentage of neurological symptoms in the observation group and the control group was 5.71% and 14.29% respectively, and the saphenous nerve injury showed a statistical difference. The follow-up after one year showed 1.47% of abnormal sensation in the observation group and 7.14% of dysesthesia or paresthesia in the control group in surgical limb according to subjects' claims, and there existed a statistical difference in the saphenous nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS: The selective retention of the great saphenous vein trunk below the knee can prevent the saphenous nerve injury.

Effects of metoprolol and small intestine RNA on marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells applied for autograft transplantation in heart disease.

AIMS: The objective of this project was to improve the effect of EPC autograft transplantation and observe the tolerance of EPCs to I/R injury affected by metoprolol and small intestine RNA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We isolated bone marrow-derived EPCs and examined the effects of metoprolol and small intestine RNA on EPCs to ischemia at different time points after reperfusion. EPCs growth curve, secretion, apoptosis and mortality were also analyzed. RESULTS: EPCs will be better protected if the blood can be recovered within 4 hours after ischemia for cardiac muscle cells and pretreatment of EPCs with metoprolol or small intestine RNA could protect and promote EPCs proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstated that pretreatment of EPCs with metoprolol or small intestine RNA will increase the EPCs proliferation and may improve the EPCs autograft transplantation ability.

Formulation and characterization of poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticle containing vascular endothelial growth factor for gene delivery.

OBJECTIVE: The stability, in vitro release, in vitro cell transfection efficiency and in vivo gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF(165)) plasmid DNA-loaded poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles were investigated. METHODS: DNA-loaded nanoparticles were prepared with PLGA bearing VEGF(165) plasmid DNA and characterized with respect to morphology, size and encapsulation efficiency. The gene transfer efficiency of nanoparticles was tested in vitro on the cultured myocardial cells. And then the suspension of VEGF-loaded nanoparticles (VEGF-NPs) was injected into myocardial tissues in vivo to observe the process of nanoparticles as vectors for gene transfer to cardiac myocytes and to detect its biological effect and evaluate angiogenesis. RESULTS: The encapsulation efficiency of the VEGF-NPs was 58.06 +/- 2.8% and their diameter ranged 100-300 nm. VEGF gene could be successfully transfected into myocardial cells by nanoparticles, which significantly enhanced gene transfection efficiency. A great number of nanoparticles were seen in the myocardial cytoplasm and nucleus. Furthermore, the nanoparticles began to dissolve and degrade. There was a significant increase in the number of capillaries in the VEGF-NPs group when compared with the plasmid DNA group. CONCLUSION: The PLGA nanoparticles are capable of DNA delivery to cardiac myocytes for treating ischaemic myocardium. The direct gene transfer of VEGF-NPs into ischaemic rabbit myocardium can improve cardiac function and increase the number of capillaries.

The number of stenotic coronary arteries and passive smoking exposure from husband in lifelong non-smoking women in Xi'an, China.

The relationship between the number of stenotic coronary arteries and passive smoking exposure from the husband was examined in a retrospective study of 78 cases with stenotic coronary arteries and 83 controls with normal coronary arteries. All the 161 subjects were examined by coronary arteriography and were Chinese women who had never smoked cigarettes (i.e. lifelong non-smokers). The Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients between the number of stenotic coronary arteries and passive smoking exposure indices were 0.27-0.29 and 0.25-0.28 (all with P < 0.01), respectively. The linear prediction equations from multiple regression analysis showed that passive smoking exposure, after adjustment for other major risk factors, was a significant predictive variable for the number of stenotic coronary arteries. The multiple response logistic regression model was used to estimate the odds ratio of stenotic coronary arteries for passive smoking exposure categories. The crude and adjusted odds ratios showed that the number of stenotic arteries increased with the amount of exposure to passive smoking from the husband. These results provide new evidence to support that passive smoking is causally associated with coronary heart disease.

Passive smoking at work as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in Chinese women who have never smoked.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether passive smoking at work is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Xi'an, China. SUBJECTS: 59 patients with coronary heart disease and 126 controls, all Chinese women with full time jobs, who had never smoked cigarettes. RESULTS: The crude odds ratio for passive smoking from husband was 2.12 (95% confidence interval 1.06 to 4.25) and at work was 2.45 (1.23 to 4.88). The final logistic regression model, with passive smoking from husband and at work as the base, included age, history of hypertension, type A personality, and total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations; the adjusted odds ratios for passive smoking from husband and at work were 1.24 (0.56 to 2.72) and 1.85 (0.86 to 4.00) respectively. For passive smoking at work, statistically significant linear trends of increasing risks (for both crude and adjusted odds ratios) with increasing exposures (amount exposed daily, number of smokers, number of hours exposed daily, and cumulative exposure) were observed. When these exposure variables were analysed as continuous variables, the crude and adjusted odds ratios were also significant. CONCLUSION: Passive smoking at work is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Urgent public health measures are needed to reduce smoking and to protect non-smokers from passive smoking in China.

Correlation of serum lipids, lipoproteins, lipid peroxide products and metals with coronary heart disease.

Serum lipids, lipoproteins, malondialdelyde (MDA) and metal levels were determined in 86 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) proved angiographically and 33 controls subjects. Serum concentrations of TC, LDL-C, AI, MDA and Cu were significantly elevated and serum HDL-C, Zn and Mg contents were decreased markedly in patients. Correlation analyses indicated that the severity of coronary arterial lesions was related positively to serum TC, LDL-C, AI, MDA and Cu levels, and inversely to HDL-C levels; both the serum Cu and MDA contents were related positively to TC and LDL-C levels. These data suggest that serum Cu and MDA might have effects on the extent of CA lesions during the progress of atherosclerosis in patients with CHD.

Correlations of blood lipids and lipoproteins with coronary artery disease documented by angiography.

A study of the relationships between serum TC, TG and HDL.C and selective coronary arteriography was carried out on 117 patients who were divided into groups according to the extent of artery stenosis. Normal control group consisted of 153 healthy subjects. There were no statistical differences in TC, TG, HDL.C, LDL.C, TC/HDL.C, LDL.C/HDL.C and TC-HDL.C/HDL.C between normal control group and the group with normal coronary arteriogram. LDL.C, TC/HDL.C, LDL.C/HDL.C, TC HDL.C/HDL.C rose and HDL.C decreased as the degree of coronary artery stenosis and the extent of stenosis increased, besides the medium and severe stenosis group. Analyses based on the correlation coefficients indicate that 3 compound indexes (TC-HDL.C/HDL.C, TC-HDL.C, LDL.C/HDL.C) are better in assessing CAD than single index such as LDL.C, HDL.C and TC. The results of our study showed that the 3 compound indexes might be regarded as important risk factors for CAD.