Objective　To study the MRI diagnosis of spinal metastasis.Methods　The MRI appearances of 128 cases of spinal metastasis proved clinically were retrospectively analyzed.Results　(1)The MRI signal was T1WI low in 87.5% and 12.5% was mixed or equal.(2)Multi-focus in 80.5%.The "jump up sign"occurred in 52.3%,the accessory parts destructed in 64.1%,in which root of vertebral destructed with expanded in 57%.(3)The masses of paravertebral occurred in 31.3%.The disc of vertebral was not destructed.(4)The patients associated with vertebral compresion fracture such as "wedge","disc"or"wedge of rear"in 52.3%.Conclusion　The MRI findings of spinal metastasis is of high sensitivity and spectivity.The method is advanced than X-ray and CT.

Objective To investigate the effect of rhBNP in treating pulmonary hypertension after mitral value replacement (MVR) compared with PGE1.Methods 60 patients with pulmonary hypertension after MVR were randomly divided into 3 groups(control group, PGE1 group and rhBNP group).Hemodynamic factors(MAP, CVP, mPAP, etc.) were monitored before and after taking medicine at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h, respectively including drug withdrawal 2 h.TXA2 and cGMP were analyzed by ELISA.To observe the levels of TXA2 and cGMP in plasma before and after treatment with rhBNP and PGE1 for three times (24 h, 1 week and 3 months).Information about patients'mechanical ventilation time was also recorded.Results Patients' mechanical ventilation time in PGE1 group was the shortest.MAP, mPAP, PRVI, PAWP were reduced after treatment by medicine 1 h for in PGE1 group.However, these indexes were rebound after drug withdrawal.mPAP, PRVI, PAWP in rhBNP group decreased after treatment by medicine at 6 h.The decreased level of mPAP was less than that in PGEI group.In control group, TXA2 went down and cGMP went up after operation.After taking medicine at 24 h, TXA2 decreased and cGMP increased in both PGE1 and rhBNP group.The increased level in rhBNP group was higher than that of control group.With medicine, the decreased level of TXA2 in PGE1 was also higher than that in rhBNP group.The going-up of cGMP in rhBNP was higher than that in PGE1.Conclusion Both rhBNP and PGE1 can reduce pulmonary artery pressure, PGE1 is more effective than that of rhBNP.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of MicroRNA-214 on myocardial injury induced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion,as well as the regulation mechanism of PI3K and its downstream protein kinase B(AKT)and FoxO1(PI3K / AKT / FoxO1).Methods Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:sham operation group(Sham group),myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury(IRI)group(IRI group),microRNA-214+sham operation group(MS group),microRNA-214+IRI group(MI group),(n=10,each).The cardiac function was detected at 6 h after ischemia-reperfusion operation.And blood lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),creatine kinase(CK),creatine phosphate kinase isoforms MB(CK-MB),cardiac troponin T(cTnT),serum B natriuretic peptide(pro-BNP)in plasma were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Interleukin 10(IL-10),Interleukin 6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)were assayed.Pathological changes of myocardial tissue were detected by HE and Masson.The expression of microRNA-214 was detected by RT-PCR.The expression of Bax,Caspase-3,BCl2,PI3K,Akt,FoxO1 was detected by Western Blot.Results Compared with Sham group,IRI group showed a significantly increases in myocardial injury parameters of LDH,CK,IL-6 and TNF concentration in plasma,and a significantly reduced concentration of IL-10(P<0.05).And compared with Sham group,MI group showed a significantly increased expression of microRNA-214(P<0.05)and showed a significantly increased myocardial parameters of Bax,Caspase-3,PI3K,Akt protein,and a decreased level of BCl2,FoxO1(P<0.05).Compared with IRI group,microRNA-21 group showed a reduced myocardial ischemia-reperfusion-induced myocardial injury in rats and a reduced plasma concentration of LDH,CK,IL-6 and TNF-alpha,a inhibited expression of caspase-3,Bax,myocardial PI3K and Akt,and a promoted expression of BCl2 and FoxO1 protein(P<0.05).Conclusions MicroRNA-214 reduces the myocardial injury induced by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Annulate lamellae (AL) in oocytes of eel, Anguilla japonica have been observed with electron microscopy. Two types of AL have been found in the cytoplasm of these cells, one of which is the common type, characterized by a stack of parallelly arranged lamellae with annuli (or rings) as shown in figure 1, another is a rare one, which appears as alternative arrangement of parellel lamellae with annuli and membrane-like structures as shown in figures 2～4. The only difference between them is the presence of membrane-like structure in the latter. The origin and function of the membrane-like structure have not been found out yet. It is suggested that this structure might be similar to above-mentioned lamellae in origin and might be a "buffer" in function.

Objective To investigate the inflammation levels of 2-diabetes patients before and after 3 months of improving glycemic control.Methods A longitudinal study was performed in a subgroup of 48 subjects with T2D and poor glycemic control.Forty-four healthy individuals were taken as control group.The serum concentration of C-reactionprotein (CRP),interleukin-6 (IL-6),interleukin-6 (IL-8),transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (MCP1) in all participants were measured simultaneously by multiplexed Luminex assay.Results The serum levels of CRP,MCP-1 of 2-diabetes patients were 3.96 (3.45,5.58) mg/L and (195.0± 129.8) ng/L,significant higher than those in control group (2.25 (1.24,3.22) mg/L,(148.5±85.7) ng/L),and the differences were significant(t=-2.580,P=0.010;t=-2.118,P =0.047).No significant difference was found in the serum levels of IL-6,IL-8,TGF-β lbetween the two groups (P＞0.05).TGF-β1 level in patients with good glycemic control decreased to 26.85 (23.17-31.12) ng/l,significant lower than that before glycemic control (43.5(26.5-62.25) g/L;Z=-2.191,P=0.028),and there were no significant differences among the other 4 kinds of inflammatory factors before and after blood glucose control(CRP:Z =-0.937P =0.372;IL-6:Z =-0.875,P =0.396;IL-8:Z =-1.215,P =0.286;MCP-1:t =-1.846,P=0.065).Conclusion Low grade systemic inflammation status in T2D patients.Improvement of glycemic control reduces TGF-β1 levels and plays a key role in delaying the development of diabetic nephropathy.

Objective:To investigate the effect of chronic alcohol consumption on both left ventricular myocardial collagen and diastolic function in rats,and their relationship thereof.Methods:Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups:control group(n=12)and ethanol group(n=12).The changes in cardiac diastolic function were evaluated by echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging(TDI).The value of myocardial hydroxyproline content was determined by hydroxyproline reagent kit.The expressions of collagen Ⅰ and collagen Ⅲ mRNA were detected by RT-PCR analysis.Results:It was found that mitral E and mitral annulus Ea were decreased,mitral annulus Aa was increased,and isovolumic relaxation time(IVRT)was prolonged in the ethanol group compared with those in control group(P＜0.05).The value of Ea/Aa ratio was greater than 1 in control group and less than 1 in ethanol group(P＜0.01).It was found that myocardial hydroxyproline content,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ mRNA expression and their ratio significantly increased in ethanol group compared with those in the control group(P＜0.01).There was positive correlation between hydroxyproline content,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ mRNA expression,and collagen Ⅰ /collagen Ⅲ mRNA ratio with IVRT(P＜0.05),and negative correlation between hydroxyproline content,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ mRNA expression,and collagen Ⅰ /collagen Ⅲ mRNA ratio with the Ea/Aa ratio(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Chronic ethanol consumption can induce increase in left ventricular myocardial collagen synthesis and impairment in diastolic function in rats.Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction correlates with increase in myocardial collagen synthesis positively.

Objective:To investigate the role of serum inflammatory cytokines in the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: All of enrolled patients were diagnosed by clinical and coronary angiographic features and divided into four groups, the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group, unstable angina pectoris (UAP) group, stable angina pectoris (SAP) group and control group. The values of high-sersitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP-9) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in serum were measured by cytokine detection equipment system (B10-RAD Biological Technology Co.Ltd, USA) and analysed in four groups with statistics. Results: Compared with SAP and the control groups, the levels of TNF-a and MMP-9 were increased significantly in AMI group(P <0.01). The level of serum hs-CRP was significantly higher in AMI group than that in UAP, SAP and control groups (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the levels of hs-CRP and MMP-9 between UAP, SAP and control groups (P> 0.05). It was found that there was positive relation between hs-CRP, MMP-9 and TNF-a by Pearson correlation analysis. Conclusion:There was obvious relation between coronary heart disease and inflammation. The cytokines characterized by the increases of hs-CRP, TNF-a and MMP-9 were involved in the formation and progression of atherosclerosis and served as markers of unstable plagues.

Objective To investigate the association of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) promoter -2518A/G gene polymorphism with coronary lesions and in stent restenosis in Tianjin Chinese population. Methods Two hundred and seventy six patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary angiography during follow-up were enrolled in the study. The MCP-1 gene promoter polymorphism at position -2518 was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results The frequencies of three genotypes of MCP-1-2518A/G polymorphism were 21.0% AA, 34. 1% GG,44.9% AG, respectively. There were no statistical differences in the number and the mean degree of stenosis vessels before PCI among 3 genotype groups (all P＞0.05). 113 cases developed in-stent restenosis and 163 cases were free from restenosis. In restenosis group, the AA, AG and GG genotype frequencies were 23.9%, 40.7%, 35.4%, against 19.0%, 47.9% and 33.1% in nonrestenosis group (P = 0. 446) . The frequencies of -2518A and G allele were 44.2%, 55.8% in restenosis group versus 42.9%, 57. 1% in non-restenosis group(P=0. 761). Conclusions The polymorphism of MCP-1-2518 A/G gene may be associated with neither atherosclerosis nor the in-stent restenosis.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum levels of osteoprotein (OPG), soluble nuclear factor-κB receptor activator ligand (sRANKL), inflammatory factors and coronary heart disease (CHD) and its severity. Methods The patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) due to chest pain admitted to department of cardiology of Tianjin Chest Hospital from April 2017 to December 2018 were enrolled, and they were divided into CHD group and non-CHD group according to the CAG results. The gender, age, history of hypertension, smoking history, diabetes, the levels of cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), apolipoprotein B (apoB), lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)], MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and other clinical data of patients were collected. The serum levels of OPG, sRANKL, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). According to the results of CAG, the patients with CHD were divided into single-, double-, triple-branch coronary artery lesion groups, and the relationship between the levels of serum OPG, sRANKL, inflammatory factors and the degree of coronary artery lesions was observed. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of CHD, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the predictive value of main risk factors for CHD. Results A total of 472 patients were enrolled in the final analysis during the study period, including 264 patients in the CHD group, 208 patients in the non-CHD group, 79 patients in the CHD group with single-branch disease, 75 patients with double-branch disease, and 110 patients with three-branch disease. ① Compared with the non-CHD group, the CHD group had more older male patients, as well as higher proportion of hypertension and diabetes, the levels of serum Lp (a) and CK-MB were significantly increased, and the levels of serum HDL-C and apoAI were significantly lowered. There was no statistically significant difference in serum TC, LDL-C, or apoB between the two groups. The levels of serum OPG, MMP-9, MCP-1, IGF-1 and IL-6 in the CHD group were significantly higher than those in the non-CHD group [OPG (μg/L): 1.79±0.50 vs. 1.50±0.30, MMP-9 (μg/L): 57.91 (33.50, 130.46) vs. 38.33 (29.43, 109.78), MCP-1 (μg/L):298.30 (207.96, 537.16) vs. 252.73 (165.22, 476.01), IGF-1 (μg/L): 734.03±486.11 vs. 217.75±126.45, IL-6 (ng/L):64.76±40.25 vs. 48.60±15.80, all P < 0.05], and the levels of serum sRANKL was significantly lower than that in the non-CHD group (ng/L: 344.31±122.14 vs. 378.74±109.27, P < 0.05). ② The serum OPG level showed a slight upward tendency with the increase in the number of coronary artery lesions, and the sRANKL level showed a slight downward tendency [OPG (μg/L) in the single-, double-, triple-branch coronary artery lesion groups was 1.74±0.49, 1.76±0.50, 1.85±0.52, and sRANKL (ng/L) was 354.96±116.64, 340.05±124.24, 339.57±125.03, respectively) without statistically significant differences (all P > 0.05). The levels of IGF-1 and IL-6 were increased with the number of coronary artery lesions [IGF-1 (μg/L) in the single-, double- and triple-branch coronary artery lesions groups was 372.13±258.42, 676.06±350.29, 1 033.47±468.06, and IL-6 (ng/L) was 48.87±16.72, 65.36±18.84, 75.76±22.72, respectively], and the differences among different lesion groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). Correlation analysis showed that IGF-1 level was significantly positively correlated with the number of coronary artery lesions (r = 0.612, P < 0.01), while IL-6 was not correlated with the number of coronary artery lesions (r = 0.185, P > 0.05).③ Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated serum OPG and IGF-1 levels were risk factors for CHD [OPG: odds ratio (OR) = 1.995, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.936-2.067, P = 0.012; IGF-1: OR = 1.009, 95%CI = 1.004-1.015, P = 0.001]. ④ ROC curve analysis showed that the area under ROC curve (AUC) of OPG and IGF-1 was 0.716 and 0.867, respectively. When the cut-off value of OPG was 1.13 μg/L, the sensitivity was 81.7%, the specificity was 58.1%; when the cut-off value of sRANKL was 401.20 μg/L, the sensitivity was 69.7%, the specificity was 95.7%. Conclusions CHD was associated with increased in OPG, related inflammatory cytokines including MMP-9, MCP-1, IGF-1 and IL-6, and decreased in sRANKL. The level of IGF-1 was positively correlated with the severity of CHD. The serum levels of OPG and IGF-1 were risk factors for CHD, which had good predictive value for CHD.

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy and safety of bridging therapy with fondaparinux versus low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF).

METHODSAF patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation between January, 2009 and June, 2013 in Nanfang Hospital were analyzed. The patients received subcutaneous injection of either fondaparinux or LMWH as a bridging therapy during warfarin discontinuation 5 days before the ablation until a post-ablation international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0-3.0 was achieved. Anticoagulant-related complications, identified and classified as thromboembolic and bleeding events, were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSA total of 465 patients (68% male; mean age 52.3∓15 years, range 25 to 80 years) were enrolled in the study, including 265 in fondaparinux group and 200 in LMWH group. Anticoagulation-related complications were observed in 3 patients in fondaparinux group, as compared with 13 in LMWH group (P=0.002), but the thromboembolic rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (P=0.111). Two patients in fondaparinux group and 8 in LMWH group showed bleeding complications (P=0.039). No cardiovascular death occurred in these patients during a mean follow-up period of 3 months.

CONCLUSIONSFondaparinux as the bridging therapy during catheter ablation for AF does not increase the risk of thromboembolic complications but slightly reduces the risk of bleeding compared to LMWH, suggesting its safety and effectiveness for periprocedural anticoagulation management in AF patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; methods ; Female ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysaccharides ; therapeutic use