[Alterations of peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells from patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction after snake venom fibrinolytic enzyme therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the morphological and quantitative alterations of peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after snake venom fibrinolytic enzyme therapy. METHODS: Sixty patients with STEMI and 20 control patients free of STEMI were enrolled in this study. The mononuclear cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of the STEMI patients before and 3 and 7 days after fibrinolytic enzyme injection. The isolated cells were cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The EPCs were characterized as adherent cells of positive for both DiL-acLDL and FITC-UEA-I by direct fluorescent staining. The cell morphology was observed and the number of the colony-forming units (CFU) was determined by phase-contrast microscope. RESULTS: The number of the EPCs increased obviously in patients with STEMI 3 days after fibrinolytic enzyme injection, and reduced 7 days after the injection but remained greater than that in the control group. The injection of fibrinolytic enzyme did not result obvious changes in the number of CFU in the patients with STEMI. CONCLUSION: Snake venom fibrinolytic enzyme injection can increase the peripheral blood EPCs in patients with STEMI.

[Relationship of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 gene polymorphisms and vulnerability to coronary heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) gene polymorphisms and coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This study involved 121 patients with T2DM and 94 with diabetic macroangiopathy. The polymorphisms of G8790A in ACE2 gene was analyzed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in these patients, and the clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic data were also analyzed. RESULTS: No obvious difference was found in the genotyping data between the two groups. Among the male patients with diabetic macroangiopathy, the interventricular septal end-diastolic thickness (IVSTd) were significantly greater in patients of GG genotypes of ACE2 gene G8790A than in those of AA genotypes (P<0.01), and the left ventricular mass (LVMI) and urine protein were also significantly higher in GG genotypes (P<0.05). No similar results were found the uncomplicated diabetic group or the female diabetic patients with CAD. CONCLUSION: The ACE2 gene G8790A polymorphism plays a role in the pathogenesis of CAD in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that ACE2 genotyping is helpful to screen the susceptible patients.

[Detection of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio for diagnosis of coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of detecting high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) combined with determination of total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CHD). METHODS: A total of 240 patients with documented CHD and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study for measurement of serum concentrations of hs-CRP, TC and HDL-C. RESULTS: The concentration of hs-CRP and TC/HDL-C ratio was significantly higher in CHD patients than in the control subjects (P<0.01). The positivity rate by detecting both the two markers (0.950) was higher than that of single marker detection of either hs-CRP (0.850) or TC/HDL-C (vs 0.767). CONCLUSION: Detection of hs-CRP combined with determination of TC/HDL-C may facilitate early diagnosis of CHD.