Impact of Renal Function Injury on the Diagnostic Value of NT-proBNP in Patients With Heart Failure / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To explore the impact of renal function injury on diagnostic value of NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: A total of 420 patients with cardiovascular disease at (50-75) years of age were divided into 2 groups based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): Control group, the patients with normal cardiac function, LVEF≥40%,n=232 and HF group, LVEFeGFR≥60 ml/min·1.73m2), Moderate renal injury (60>eGFR≥30 ml/min·1.73m2) and Severe renal injury (eGFR Results: Compared with Control group, HF group had increased blood level of NT-proBNP,P0.05, while it was much higher in Moderate and Severe renal injury subgroups than Normal renal function subgroup,P Conclusion: Moderate to severe renal function injury could increase circulating level of NT-proBNP and therefore, the cut-off value of NT-proBNP for HF diagnosis should be elevated accordingly in patients of HF combing renal injury.

Alterations of monocarboxylate transporter densities during hypoxia in brain and breast tumour cells.

BACKGROUND: Tumour cells are characterized by aerobic glycolysis, which provides biomass for tumour proliferation and leads to extracellular acidification through efflux of lactate via monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Deficient and spasm-prone tumour vasculature causes variable hypoxia, which favours tumour cell survival and metastases. Brain metastases frequently occur in patients with advanced breast cancer.Effective treatment strategies are therefore needed against brain metastasis from breast carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to identify differences in the capacity for lactate exchange, human T-47D breast cancer cells and human glioblastoma T98G cells were grown under 4 % or 20 % oxygen conditions and examined for MCT1, MCT2 and MCT4 expression on plasma membranes by quantitative post embedding immunogold electron microscopy. Whereas previous studies on MCT expression in tumours have recorded mRNA and protein levels in cell extracts, we examined concentrations of the proteins in the microvillous plasma membrane protrusions specialized for transmembrane transport. RESULTS: In normoxia, both tumour cell types highly expressed the low affinity transporter MCT4, which is thought to mainly mediate monocarboxylate efflux, while for high affinity transport the breast tumour cells preferentially expressed MCT1 and the brain tumour cells resembled brain neurons in expressing MCT2, rather than MCT1. The expressions of MCT1 and MCT4 were upregulated in hypoxic conditions in both breast and brain tumour cells. The expression of MCT2 also increased in hypoxic breast cancer cells, but decreased in hypoxic brain tumour cells. Quantitative immunoblots showed similar hypoxia induced changes in the protein levels. CONCLUSION: The differential expression and regulation of MCTs in the surface membranes of hypoxic and normoxic tumour cells of different types provide a foundation for innovation in tumour therapy through the selective targeting of MCTs. Selective inhibition of various MCTs could be an efficient way to quench an important energy source in both original breast tumour and metastatic cancer tissue in the brain.

Effect of Hypoxic Preconditioning on Neural Cell Apoptosis and Expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rats / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In order to investigate the protective effect of hypoxic preconditioning on the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by using immunohistochemical staining after 3 h cerebral ischemia followed by 1, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h reperfusion respectively in rats treated with or without hypoxic preconditioning before cerebral ischemia. In addition,the apoptosis of neural cells and the behavioral scores for neurological functions recovery were evaluated by TUNEL staining and "crawvling method", respectively. Compared with control group (cerebral ischemia-reperfusion without hypoxic preconditioning), the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly increased, but that of Bax decreased in the hypoxic preconditioning group (cerebral ischemiareperfusion with hypoxic preconditioning), both P＜0. 05. The pre-treatment with hypoxic preconditioning could reduce the apoptosis of neural cells and promote the neurological function recovery as compared to control group. It was suggested that hypoxic preconditioning may have protective effects on the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting the apoptosis of neural cells, increase the expression of Bcl-2 and decrease the expression of Bax.