Cardioprotective effects of Schisantherin A against isoproterenol-induced acute myocardial infarction through amelioration of oxidative stress and inflammation via modulation of PI3K-AKT/Nrf2/ARE and TLR4/MAPK/NF-κB pathways in rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The scientific community is concerned about cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity, especially myocardial infarction (MI). Schisantherin A (SCA), a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan monomer found in S. chinensis fruits has cardiovascular advantages such as increasing NO production in isolated rat thoracic aorta and reducing heart damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) through decreasing apoptosis. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential effects of SCA on ISO-induced myocardial infarction in rats. METHODS: Rats were randomly allocated to four groups: control; ISO-treated, and two additional groups of ISO + SCA (5 or 10 mg/kg body weight). All SCA-treated groups were administered with SCA for 20 days and all ISO groups were challenged with ISO on days 19 and 20. RESULTS: SCA significantly attenuated ISO-induced rise in heart/body weight ratio, myocardial infarct size, and cardiac functional biomarkers (CK-MB, cTnI and BNP). SCA pre- and co-treatment resulted in a significant reduction in oxidative stress (via MDA, NO and GSH and increased activities of SOD, CAT and GPx) and inflammation (via decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß) markers when compared to the same levels in cardiac tissue of ISO-treated rats. This study also showed that SCA protects ISO-induced oxidative stress and inflammation by activating the PI3K-AKT/Nrf2/ARE pathway and suppressing TLR4/MAPK/NF-κB pathways. Furthermore, SCA treatment protected histopathological alterations observed in only ISO-treated cardiac transverse sections of rats. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that SCA protects against cardiac injury in the ISO-induced MI model of rats.

Diagnostic efficacy of serum ST2 in patients with ASC.

BACKGROUND: Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) is closely related to the development of cardiovascular disease, but the level of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the relationship between ST2 and ACS are unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with the acute coronary syndrome were divided into the unstable angina pectoris (USAP) group (n = 65) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) group (n = 58), and the healthy population, without chest pain and with normal coronary CT, was included as a control group (n = 55). Laboratory index levels were collected from each participant. The baseline information was reviewed and analyzed. The binary logistic regression was used to explore the relation of ST2 levels with the occurrence of ACS and NSTEMI, and the diagnostic performance of ST2 for diagnosing ACS or NSTEMI was evaluated using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: The level of ST2 was found significantly higher in NSTEMI than in USAP and was higher in USAP than in control (p < 0.01). ST2 levels were positively correlated with ALT, AST, and BNP in the control group, were negatively correlated with HGB and TG in the USAP group, and were positively correlated with WBC, GLU, BNP, and Gensini scores in the NSTEMI group. Multivariate analysis revealed that the occurrence of ACS was associated with ST2, BNP, GLU, TC, BUN, WBC, and PLT, and the occurrence of NSTEMI was associated with AST, WBC, LDL-C, and ST2. Meanwhile, ST2 levels achieved good performance for ACS and NSTEMI diagnostician. CONCLUSION: ST2 could be used as an auxiliary diagnostic indicator for the occurrence of ACS and NSTEMI.

Diagnostic value of the cardiopulmonary exercise test in coronary artery disease.

Background: Coronary angiography (CAG) is "gold standard" for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to explore the diagnostic value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and the oxygen uptake kinetics indexes of CPET. Methods: One hundred thirty-one patients with chest pain who underwent coronary angiography in the Department of Cardiology of our hospital from April to September 2021 were selected. According to the results of angiography, the patients were divided into an observation group (patients with coronary heart disease, n=80) and a control group (patients without coronary heart disease, n=75). Both groups underwent CPET before angiography. The differences of peak oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold, peak kilogram oxygen uptake, peak oxygen pulse, maximum exercise load, maximum metabolic equivalent, and exercise time between the two groups were compared. Also, the correlation between the above indexes and the degree of coronary artery stenosis was analyzed, and the clinical value of the CPET in the diagnosis of CHD was evaluated. Results: The peak oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold, peak kilogram oxygen uptake, peak oxygen pulse, maximum exercise load, maximum metabolic equivalent, and exercise time in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01), and were negatively correlated with the Gensini score (P<0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the above seven indexes in the combined diagnosis of CHD was 0.974, the sensitivity was 86.40%, and the specificity was 98.50%, which was better than the clinical value of any of the above indexes alone. Conclusions: CPET is an effective non-invasive examination in the diagnosis of CHD, and has a certain clinical value in the evaluation of the severity of coronary artery stenosis.

Influence of sodium tripolyphosphate coupled with (-)-epigallocatechin on the in vitro digestibility and emulsion gel properties of myofibrillar protein under oxidative stress.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC; at 0, 10, and 100 µmol g-1 protein) coupled with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) on the in vitro digestibility and emulsion gel properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) under oxidative stress. The addition of both EGC and STP inhibited protein carbonyl formation but promoted the loss of thiol and free amine groups. Combined with the results of tryptophan fluorescence, surface hydrophobicity, electrophoresis, and solubility, the presence of STP enhanced the covalent reactions between the quinone of EGC and the thiols and free amines of MP. The combination of EGC at 10 µmol g-1 and STP increased the protein digestion rate in the gastric tract and contributed to an improved emulsion gel structure with higher gel elasticity, strength, water-holding capacity, and oxidative stability. This improvement could be attributed to the moderation of MP-EGC cross-linking, which was homogeneously formed among the adsorbed and/or unadsorbed proteins. Thus, oil droplets adhered better to the gel matrix. However, EGC at 100 µmol g-1 coupled with STP led to the formation of excessive non-disulfide covalent bonds, which aggravated the aggregation of MP. This ultimately reduced the protein digestibility and the nutritional value, caused the coalescence of oil droplets as well as the collapse of the gel structure, and thus, an overall decrease in the gel properties and oxidative stability. These results indicated that the enhanced oxidative stability and gelling capacity of MP without nutrition deterioration can be attained through tripolyphosphate coupled with lower doses of EGC.

Site-specific incorporation of sodium tripolyphosphate into myofibrillar protein from mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria) promotes protein crosslinking and gel network formation.

Formation of protein gels in processed muscle foods is one of the most important functionalities. To explore the mechanisms responsible for affecting gel properties of muscle proteins by phosphates, myofibrillar protein (MP) from mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria) was treated with sodium tripolyphosphate at three pH values (7.0, 8.0, and 9.0). FTIR and UPLC-MS/MS firstly confirmed that phosphate groups were introduced to MP through COP bonds via serine and threonine residues. The incorporation of STP caused increased electronegativity and solubility, more stable α-helix secondary conformation, and reduced tryptophan fluorescence intensity of MP, especially at pH 8.0 and 9.0. These changes led to a finer, ordered and denser three-dimensional gel network microstructure with higher gel strength and elasticity, and water-holding capacity. This study demonstrated that the introduction of phosphate groups could increase negatively charged residues in MP, enhance the crosslinks of proteins through ionic interaction, and promote gel network formation.

Prognosis of ß-adrenergic blockade therapy on septic shock and sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.

PURPOSE: ß-adrenoceptor antagonist (ß-blocker) may have potential in the treatment of septic shock and sepsis. However, the relevant research findings are still controversial. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of ß-blocker in patients with septic shock and sepsis. The primary sources of the reviewed studies through August 2018, with restriction on the language of English, were Pubmed and Embase. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included to evaluate the efficacy of ß-blocker in the treatment of septic shock and sepsis. Meta analysis was performed using a random effect model. Two researchers independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies related to 5 original RCTs were qualified for inclusion in this systematic review and meta-analysis with a total of 363 patients with sepsis and/or septic shock. ß-blocker was associated with a significantly decreased 28-day mortality compared to usual treatment group as the control (RR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.48, 0.74; P < 0.00001). Heart rate in ß-blocker was significantly lower than that in the standard care group (SMD = -2.01, 95%CI: -3.03, -0.98; P = 0001). CONCLUSION: ß-blocker of esmolol is safe and effective in improving 28-day mortality and controlling ventricular rate in patients with sepsis after fluid resuscitation, and has no significant adverse effect on tissue perfusion.

Phosphorylation modification of myofibrillar proteins by sodium pyrophosphate affects emulsion gel formation and oxidative stability under different pH conditions.

Formation of a gel matrix, involving interactions between proteins, lipids, and water, plays an essential role in the textural properties of processed meats. This study investigated the effects of sodium pyrophosphate (SPP) on the textural properties and oxidative stability of myofibrillar protein (MP)-stabilized emulsion gels under different pH conditions (5.0-9.0). The SPP-modified MP emulsion gels showed an improved elasticity, strength, water-holding capacity, and oxidative stability at pH 6.0 and 7.0. This improvement should be mainly attributed to the enhanced protein-protein crosslinks via ionic interaction between phosphate groups and -NH3+ of amino acids, which were homogeneously formed among adsorbed and/or unadsorbed proteins, entrapping fractions of MPs (myosin heavy chain, actin, and troponin T) within the network. Therefore, the oil droplets were better adherent to the gel matrix. Nevertheless, increased electrostatic repulsion between protein molecules due to excessive phosphates attached to MPs at pH 8.0 and 9.0, as well as protein precipitation at pH 5.0, caused the collapse of the MP-stabilized emulsion gel structure, and thus, overall decreased the gel properties and oxidative stability. LC-MS/MS results confirmed that phosphate groups were successfully introduced to MPs through C-O-P bonds at pH 6.0, and the phosphorylation sites were found to be on serine residues (Ser14, Ser79, Ser96, Ser148, Ser2427, and Ser5272), threonine residues (Thr118 and Thr926), and tyrosine residues (Tyr215 and Tyr425). The results provided a new aspect for better understanding the effect of polyphosphates in meat protein/oil composite systems.

ß-Receptor blocker influences return of spontaneous circulation and chemical examination in rats during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the influence of ß-receptor blocker metoprolol on return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in rats with induced myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: the sham-operated group, the MI group without metoprolol, which was fed the vehicle, and the MI+metoprolol group receiving intragastric metoprolol. Each group was further divided randomly into three subgroups, depending on the dosage of epinephrine administered during subsequent CPR applied after the induction of asphyxial cardiac arrest. RESULTS: The ROSC rate was significantly decreased in the low dose subgroup of MI group, unchanged in the medium dose subgroup of MI group, and significantly decreased in the high dose subgroup of MI group, compared with the same dose subgroup of sham-operated group. MI+metoprolol group had a lower ROSC rate than MI group in the medium dose subgroup, and a higher ROSC rate than MI group in the high dose subgroup. There was no difference in blood K(+) values of successful rats between MI group and MI+metoprolol group. The rats with successful CPR had lower blood K(+) values than rats with unsuccessful CPR in each of the three treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Metoprolol administered to MI rats over a long period significantly improved ROSC rates under an appropriate dose of epinephrine during CPR. An increasing high blood K(+) value would attenuate the rate of a successful CPR.

[Bronchial artery embolization with polyvinyl alcohol foam and gelatinum sponge for serious hemoptysis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foam and gelatinum sponge (GS) for serious hemoptysis. METHOD: Of 46 patients with severe hemoptysis, BAE with only GS was performed in 21 cases and with both PVA and GS in 25 cases. RESULT: The total efficacy rate of BAE was 91.3%; and comparable between PVA+GS and GS groups (92.0%; vs 90.5%;, P>0.05). The total recurrence rate after BAE was 26.2%;, but lower in PVA+GS group than in GS group (11.3%; vs 42.1%;, P<0.05). No serious complications occurred in these patients after BAE. CONCLUSION: BAE is effective and safe for management of serious hemoptysis, and treatment with PVA+GS may effectively lower the recurrence rate.