AIM: To observe the effect of crocetin on the apoptosis and the changes of its related regulating proteins caspase-3 and Bcl-2 expression induced by hydrogen peroxide (H_2O_2) in cultured cardiomyocytes. METHODS: Changes of cellular morphology were detected under microscope. Apoptosis rates of the cells were analyzed by PI staining with flow cytometry. Expressions of caspase-3 and Bcl-2 proteins in the cells were determined by immunofluorescence with flow cytometry. RESULTS: In the concentrations used, more severe morphological changes with higher apoptosis rate of the cultured myocardial cells were seen in each H_2O_2 group than that in control group. When treated with 1?10 -4 mol?L -1 H_2O_2, the caspase-3 was increased and Bcl-2 protein decreased remarkably in the cells. But each dosage of crocetin, especially the highest one (5?10 -5 mol?L -1, P

BACKGROUND:Previous study reveals that,glycated albumin plays an important role on the apoptosis of endothelial cells and the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 through increasing the activity of mitogen activated protein kinase and protein tyrosine kinase,besides generating active oxygen products. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of glycated albumin on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) . DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A single sample observation was carried out in the Cardiovascular Laboratory of Southeast University(Nanjing,Jiangsu,China) from May to November in 2006. MATERIALS:ECV304 HUVEC strain was provided from Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(China) . METHODS:Experimental procedures were assigned to two parts. On one hand,HUVECs were cultured with glycated albumin of the concentration of 400 mg/L for 0,8,16,24,48,or 72 hours. On the other hand,HUVECs were cultured with glycated albumin of the concentrations of 100,200,400,and 800 mg/L for 24 hours. In the control group,HUVECs were incubated with bovine serum albumin of the concentration of 400 mg/L and RPMI 1640 culture medium without addition of the serum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The proliferation of HUVECs was estimated by MTT colorimetric assay. The content of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the supernatant was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:Glycated albumin inhibited the proliferation rate of HUVECs in a time-dependent manner(P

Objective To investigate the effects of hemin on the quantity and apoptosis of human umbilical cord blood-derived late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vitro.Methods Mononuclear cells were isolated from human cord blood by density gradient centrifugation and were induced to differentiate to late EPCs in vitro.The second to third generation of attached late EPCs in good state were randomly plated for 24 h under different concentrations(0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 μmol/L)of hemin.Cell viability and proliferation were measured with typan blue staining and cell counting kit-8, respectively.Cell adhesion was analyzed by adhesive assay, and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.Results Compared to control group, hemin promoted viability of late EPCsat lower concentrations(5and 10μmol/L).Meanwhile, proliferation and adhesion were also improved and apoptosis was inhibited when the concentrations of hemin were 5,10, or 15 μ mol/L.All these effects were most prominent when hemin concentration was 10 μmoL/L, while the effects above were reversed when hemin concentration was moderated to 20 μmol/L.In addition, hemin showed a time-dependent manner in promoting cell proliferation and adhesion, and inhibiting apoptosis.That effects were most obvious at 24 h.Conclusions Lower concentration of herin augments the quantity and adhesion of late EPCs, inhibits cell apoptosis, while higher concentration present the reversed effects.

AIM: To examine the effects of recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor(rhHGF) and native calf HGF(cHGF) on SMMC-7721 human hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) cell line. METHODS: Human HCC cell line culture, photometric assay, and flow cytometric assay were used in this study . RESULTS: A similar type of dose-dependent cell growth inhibition effect on SMMC-7721 human HCC cells by rhHGF(5-20 ?g/L) as well as by cHGF(25-100 mg/L) had been found, with the maximal effect at the highest concentration used. Approximately over 50% of the cells treated with rhHGF(5 ?g/L, 10 ?g/L, 20 ?g/L) accumulated in the quiescent G 0/G 1 phase of the cell cycle over incubation periods for 3 d. CONCLUSION: The growth of SMMC-7721 human HCC cells was strongly inhibited by both rhHGF and cHGF. This might be because the cells exposed to HGF became arrested in the G 0/G 1 phase.

Objective To study the characteristics of clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in patients less than 50 years-old of premature stable coronary heart disease(PSCHD)complicated with nonalcoholic fatty liver(NAFL).Methods One hundred and six patients with documented PSCHD were recruited into this study and their clinical data,including biochemical parameters,high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP),white blood cell(WBC)count,ete.,were analyzed based on whether they had NAFL by B-type ultrasound scanning and their homeostasis model assessment ratio(Homa-IR)by the criteria for metabolic syndrome formulated by the International Diabetes Federation.Results Thirty-two (30.1percent)of 106 patients of PSCHD complicated with NAFL,and 74(69.9 percent)without NAFL. As compared to patients without NAFL,patients with NAFL had higher fasting blood glucose(FBS),serum level of insulin(INS),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),serum activity of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),hsCRP,WBC count,body mass index(BMI),Homa-IR,and higher proportion of those with abnormal blood glucose,hypertension.metabolic syndrome(MS)and carotid atherosclerosis (CA)(P＜0.05),respectively.Bi-variate correlation analysis revealed that hsCRP positively correlated to BMI,TG,ALT and Homa IR(r=0.420,P=0.000;r=0.200,P=0.040;r=0.218,P=0.048:and r=0.546,P=0.000,respectively)and inversely correlated with serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)(r=-0.220,P=0.023).WBC count positively correlated with FBS(r=0.211,P=0.030).BMI,hsCRP,ALT,and proportions of hypertension,diabetes,MS,NAFL and CA in patients with Homa-IR above median were significantly higher than those in patients with that below median ( P＜0.05,respectively).Conclusions More risk faetors for chronic inflammatory reaction,cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance were clustered more obviously in patients of PSCHD complicated with NAFL.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantified by dynamic computed tomography (CT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with troponin level and left ventricle (LV) function in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five STEMI patients who successfully had undergone reperfusion treatment within 1 week of their infarction were consecutively enrolled. All patients were referred for dynamic CT-MPI. Serial high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) levels and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by echocardiography were recorded. Twenty-six patients with 427 segments were included for analysis. Various quantitative parameters derived from dynamic CT-MPI were analyzed to determine if there was a correlation between hs-TnT levels and LVEF on admission and again at the 6-month mark. RESULTS: The mean radiation dose for dynamic CT-MPI was 3.2 ± 1.1 mSv. Infarcted territories had significantly lower MBF (30.5 ± 7.4 mL/min/100 mL versus 73.4 ± 8.1 mL/min/100 mL, p < 0.001) and myocardial blood volume (MBV) (2.8 ± 0.9 mL/100 mL versus 4.2 ± 1.1 mL/100 mL, p = 0.044) compared with those of reference territories. MBF showed the best correlation with the level of peak hs-TnT (r = −0.682, p < 0.001), and MBV showed a moderate correlation with the level of peak hs-TnT (r = −0.437, p = 0.026); however, the other parameters did not show any significant correlation with hs-TnT levels. As for the association with LV function, only MBF was significantly correlated with LVEF at the time of admission (r = 0.469, p = 0.016) and at 6 months (r = 0.585, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: MBF quantified by dynamic CT-MPI is significantly inversely correlated with the level of peak hs-TnT. In addition, patients with lower MBF tended to have impaired LV function at the time of their admission and at 6 months.
Blood Volume ; Echocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Reperfusion ; Stroke Volume ; Troponin T ; Troponin

BACKGROUND:Among many transplanted cells,adult autologous bone barrow-derived mononuclear cells have beenused in clinical practice because they are easy to be obtained,without immunological rejection and ethical disputationand other advantages.How to distinguish donor cells from receptors and observe the survival of donor cells following stem cell transplantation still trouble people.OBJECTIVE: superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)particles-labeled bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells from minipigs were used to observe the feasibility of in vivo tracking with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).DESIGN:A controlled observation experiment.SETTING:Institute of Cardiovascular Disease,Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University.MATERIALS:This experiment was carried out in the Institute of Cardiovascular Disease,Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University between April 2006 and August 2006.Healthy Chinese minipigs,aged 3 to 4 months,weighing from 20 to 30 kg,were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Southeast University[SYXK(Su)2002-0012].METHODS: Autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells of minipigs were isolated and cultured. Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells in the suspension were traced with SPIO particles.Ferrum in the cells were shown by Prussian blue staining, and cell viability was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion method. Eleven minipigs used for preparation of model of myocardial infarction were divided into experimental group(n=9)and control group(n=2).By means of percutaneous left or right cervical artery or femoral artery puncturation, 1.5 to 2.0 mm balloon was used to occlude 1/3 left anterior descending branch,304 to 405 kPa,60 minutes later,ischemic preconditioning was conducted 3 tO 4 times before operation. When pig models of myocardial infarction were successful that was proved by surface electrocardiogram,bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells were percutaneously injected into coronary artery.Coronary arteriography was performed through femoral artery acupuncture at 24 hours after establishing infarction models.Suspension of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells was perfused into coronary artery with OTW catheter.Then,the injector and OTW catheter for containing cells were rinsed with normal saline containing heparin and infused with the residual cells within 10 minutes.Non-labeled cells were perfused in 2 minipigs of control group by the same method.Postoperatively, bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells were traced by magnetic resonance and compared with Prussian blue-stained myocardial tissue sections.RESULTS: Seven minipigs of experimental group and one minipig of control group were Involved in the final analysis.One of each group was used for preparation of model of myocardial Infarction.One minipig of experimental group died from anesthetic accident before magnetic resonance.①Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells all were nearly labeled by SPIO particles. Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells could further proliferate in culture medium containing Fe2O3-PLL without obvious changes of cellular shape. ②T2+WI showed that 5 of 8 models of myocardial infarction presented fuzzy low-echo signal region in peripheral myocardial infarction after transplantation of labeled cells and the low-echo signal disappeared 4 weeks Iater. Ex vivo T2+WI sequence showed there was a dot-distributed low-echo signal region in the peripheral infarction region.③It was found in histological examination that 5 models(cell number over 106) had Prussian blue-positive cells,which distributed the same as those in magnetic resonance signal reducing region.CONCLUSION:SPIO particles-labeled bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells are safe and effective;T2+ WI is sensitive to tracing SPIO particles-labeled bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells;Magnetic resonance can in vivo trace SPIO particles-labeled stem cells transplanted through coronary artery,magnetic resonance signal change is related with the number of stem cells and division growth.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been implicated in aging and aging related diseases. Therefore, the clinical detection of AGEs is of great importance for the early prediction, intervention and long-term monitoring of above mentioned chronic diseases. There are various detection methods for assessment of AGEs, but due to the great heterogeneity and complex structure of AGEs, there is a lack of standardized detection method for AGEs so far. This review summarizes the current detection methods for AGEs and their advantages and disadvantages, aiming to highlight the future directions for the clinical detection of AGEs.

It was a cross-sectional study. Six myocardial infarction patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA group) admitted to Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from July 2021 to August 2022 were enrolled in the study and 78 healthy subjects were selected as control group. The patients and healthy controls were selected with 1∶1 propensity score matching according to age, gender, body mass index, occupation and marriage status; and 5 study subjects of each group were finally enrolled in the study. The general clinical data and magnetocardiographic (MCG) results were collected from the hospital′s electronic medical record system. Compared with control group, MINOCA group showed abnormal QR rotation, discrete changes in positive and negative magnetic poles in TT segment, and disordered current direction. The analysis of MCG data revealed 35 parameters with statistically significant difference between the two groups, involving TT interval, QRS complex, RS interval and QR interval. This study explored the magnetocardiographic characteristics of MINOCA, which suggest that MCG may be conducive for diagnosis of MINOCA in the future.

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of decreased myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantified by dynamic computed tomography (CT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in symptomatic patients without in-stent restenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven (mean age, 71.3 ± 10 years; age range, 48–88 years; 31 males, 6 females) consecutive symptomatic patients with patent coronary stents and without obstructive de novo lesions were prospectively enrolled to undergo dynamic CT-MPI using a third-generation dual-source CT scanner. The shuttle-mode acquisition technique was used to image the complete left ventricle. A bolus of contrast media (50 mL; iopromide, 370 mg iodine/mL) was injected into the antecubital vein at a rate of 6 mL/s, followed by a 40-mL saline flush. The mean MBF value and other quantitative parameters were measured for each segment of both stented-vessel territories and reference territories. The MBFratio was defined as the ratio of the mean MBF value of the whole stent-vessel territory to that of the whole reference territory. An MBFratio of 0.85 was used as the cut-off value to distinguish hypoperfused from non-hypoperfused segments. RESULTS: A total of 629 segments of 37 patients were ultimately included for analysis. The mean effective dose of dynamic CT-MPI was 3.1 ± 1.2 mSv (range, 1.7–6.3 mSv). The mean MBF of stent-vessel territories was decreased in 19 lesions and 81 segments. Compared to stent-vessel territories without hypoperfusion, the mean MBF and myocardial blood volume were markedly lower in hypoperfused stent-vessel territories (77.5 ± 16.6 mL/100 mL/min vs. 140.4 ± 24.1 mL/100 mL/min [p < 0.001] and 6.4 ± 3.7 mL/100 mL vs. 11.5 ± 4 mL/100 mL [p < 0.001, respectively]). Myocardial hypoperfusion in stent-vessel territories was present in 48.6% (18/37) of patients. None of clinical parameters differed statistically significantly between hypoperfusion and non-hypoperfusion subgroups. CONCLUSION: Decreased MBF is commonly present in patients who are symptomatic after percutaneous coronary intervention, despite patent stents and can be detected by dynamic CT-MPI using a low radiation dose.
Angiography ; Blood Volume ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Stents ; Veins