AIM: To construct HBx eukaryotic expression vector pEYFP-C1-X and eukaryotic expression vector pGL3-P4 driven by P4 promoter of human IGF-II gene and to investigate the effect of HBx on the transcription activity of IGF-II gene P4 promoter. METHODS: HBx gene and P4 promoters were cloned into pEYFP-C1 and pGL3-basic vectors respectively by gene recombination techniques to construct recombinant plasmids pEYFP-C1-X and pGL3-P4. HepG2 cells were transfected with pEYFP-C1-X and the resistant cell clones were selected by G418. Then methylated pGL3-P4 was transiently transfected into the above cell clones, and the transcription activity of P4 promoter was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay system. RESULTS: (1) Aim fragments HBx gene and P4 promoter that were cloned were 465 bp and 1 246 bp, respectively and the DNA sequences were accordant with GenBank data confirmed by restricted enzyme digestion and sequencing. (2) HepG2-EYFP-X cells that expressed HBx protein were obtained. (3) Luciferase activity of methylated P4 promoter in the HepG2-EYFP-X was more than that of control cell HepG2-EYFP (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: HBx may enhance the transcription activity of the P4 promoter.

Objective To quantitatively analysis the aortic valve leaf anatomical characteristics in aortic regurgitation(AR) patients by real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT-3D-TEE),and screening the parameters which significantly affect AR to further reveal the mechanism of AR.Methods 32 patients with AR were enrolled as AR group and 20 cases of non-AR people were involved as control group.RT-3D-TEE was using to collect images in two groups and offline analysis was performed.4 sets of parameters of the aortic valves(left coronary valve,right coronary valve,and non-coronary valve):leaflet edge length(LL,RL,NL),leaflet height (LH,RH,N H),leaflet length/height ratio (LRa,RRa,NRa),leaflet tip plane distance(LTH,RTH,NTH) were acquired.Parameters of two groups were compared,and the parameters were incorporated into the logistic regression model,then the ROC curves were obtained.Results ①Compared with the control group,LL,RL,NL,RH,LRa,NRa,RRa in AR group increased (P ＜ 0.05),while the rest parameters had no statistical differences (P ＞0.05).②Multivariable logistic regression model gradually screening of the significant factors influencing the reflux,and as a result RL and RTH had significant influence on AR,P values were 0.001,0.011.③The ROC curve analysis showed that the area of RL or RTH curve were both greater than 0.5,which were 0.811 and 0.605 respectively.Conclusions The free edge length and free edge length/height ratio have changed unbalanced.Furthermore,right coronary valve parameters changed significantly,and this might be one of the possible mechanism of AR.

Objective To study the morphologic and functional changes of the aortic‐mitral valve coupling ( AMC) after surgical aortic valve replacement ( SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation ( T AVI ) in patients with severe aortic stenosis ( AS) using three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography ( 3D‐T EE) . Methods Ninty‐three severe AS patients were chosed as AS group in which 43 cases underwent SAVR and 50 cases underwent T AVI . T EE was performed before and after operation . T hirty‐one age‐and gender‐matched patients who underwent 3D‐T EE for exclusion of intracardiac thrombus were selected as control group . Cardiovascular quantitative analysis software was used to measure the parameters of aortic valve ,mitral valve and AMC in the the control group ,the SAVR group and the T AVI group before and after operation . Results ① Compared with control group ,the antero posterior ( AP ) diameter of mitral value in AS group increased ,the ellipticity of mitral valve decreased ,the height of the mitral annulus increased ( all P＜ 0 .05 ) . T he open area of aortic valve decreased ,the aortic regurgitation area ,aortic regurgitant flow velocity and the diameter of the aortic annulus increased( all P ＜0 .05) . T here was no statistical difference in aortic‐mitral valvular angle ( AM A ) and other parameters( all P ＞0 .05) . ②After SAVR ,the anterolateral‐posteromedial diameter ,AP diameter ,perimeter and area of mitral valve decreased ,the ellipticity of mitral valve increased( all P ＜0 .05) . T he aortic valve opening area increased ,the aortic regurgitation area and aortic regurgitant flow velocity decreased ( all P ＜ 0 .05 ) . T here was no statistical difference in AM A and other parameters( all P ＞0 .05) . ③After TAVI ,the AP diameter ,height , perimeter and area of mitral valve decreased ,the ellipticity of mitral valve increased ( all P ＜ 0 .05 ) . The aortic valve opening area increased ,the aortic regurgitation area ,aortic regurgitant flow velocity and the diameter of the aortic annulus decreased ( all P ＜ 0 .05 ) . T here was no statistical difference in AM A and other parameters( all P ＞0 .05) . Conclusions After SAVR and T AVI ,the anatomy and function of AMC in patients with severe AS changed to varying degrees after operation . It demonstrates that the impacts of both AS and repairment of AS on the mitral valve were . In addition ,after SAVR and T AVI ,the geometry and function of aortic and mitral valves of the patients recovered to some degrees .

Objective: To explore the value of parameters obtained by dual-pulse wave Doppler to predict the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation(RFCA) and the value of the technology to evaluate the left ventricular diastolic function of the AF. Methods: Sixty-seven AF patients who were subjected to ablation were selected as the case group, and 47 patients with sinus rhythm were matched as control group. The general clinical data of the case group and the control group was collected, routine ultrasound examination and dual-pulse wave Doppler examination were performed to all of them. A 24-hour Holter examination was performed at 3, 6 and 12 months after radiofrequency catheter ablation in the case group, the patients were divided into two groups with and without recurrence according to the results. Dual-pulse wave Doppler parameters included: ①the time interval between the onset of early transmitral flow velocity (E) and that of early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e′) (TE-e′); ②peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E) and tissue Doppler septal (S) mitral annular early diastolic velocity (e′), peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E) and tissue Doppler lateral (L) mitral annular early diastolic velocity (e′), E/e′(S) and E/e′(L). The differences between the case group and the control group, and between the recurrent and the non-recurrent group were compared. The factors influencing the recurrence of AF after RFCA were analyzed with univariate and multivariate Logistic regression. Results: ①The parameters E/e′(S), E/e′(L) and TE-e′ of case group were higher than those of control group (all P<0.05); ②During follow-up examinations after the ablation, 21 (31.34%) patients recurred. TE-e′ of the recurrence group was higher than that in the nonrecurrence group (P<0.001). The parameters E/e′(S) and E/e′(L) in the recurrence group had no difference compared with those in nonrecurrence group without recurrence(all P>0.05); ③Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression suggested that TE-e′ was an independent predictor for the recurrence of AF patients after the ablation(P=0.001). Conclusions Dual-pulse wave Doppler can evaluate left ventricular diastolic function of atrial fibrillation, TE-e′ is an independent predictor for the recurrence of AF patients after radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Objective To assess right ventricular systolic function using real-time three-dimensional right ventricular quantitative analysis (RT-3DRVQ) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) complicating left heart failure. Methods Sixty-eight patients diagnosed with CAD and left heart failure were selected as the case group.Among them,38 individuals were associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and 30 were without. Another 30 healthy people were recruited as control group. Conventional echocardiographic parameters,as well free wall and septum longitudinal strains of right ventricle were evaluated in all subjects. Results Patients with left heart failure had significant lower strain values than control group( P <0.001).In case group,three-dimensional derived right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (3D-FWLS) had strongly correlation with right ventricular ejection fraction ( r = -0.877, P <0.001). The patients with PH had also significantly reduced 3D-FWLS values compared with patients without PH ( P < 0.01),and the area under the curve was 0.726 using ROC method to predict patients with PH.Conclusions RT-3DRVQ could be recognized as a good technology to evaluate right ventricular systolic function,which would provide valuable information for clinical decision-making.

Objective:To detect the changes of left ventricular myocardial work parameters, and evaluate the left ventricular systolic function in patients with hyperglycemia during pregnancy by left ventricular pressure-strain loop (PSL).Methods:From June 2021 to March 2022, 97 pregnant women who were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University and clinically diagnosed as gestational hyperglycemia were prospectively and randomly selected. According to the blood glucose level, the patients were divided into gestational dominant diabetes mellitus (ODM) group(39 cases) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) group(58 cases). Meanwhile, another 62 healthy pregnant women were selected as control group. The basic clinical data of the pregnant women were collected, and the conventional two-dimensional parameters of the heart were collected. The global longitudinal strain (GLS) was analyzed by two-dimensional speckle tracking technique. Then the cuff blood pressure was used as the left ventricular pressure to construct a non-invasive left ventricular pressure-strain loop. The global myocardial work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW) and global work efficiency (GWE) of each group were calculated and compared. The correlation between myocardial performance parameters and GLS, glycated hemoglobin(HbA 1c) were analyzed, and the independent factors affecting left ventricular systolic function were obtained by Logistic regression analysis. Twenty cases were randomly selected from the study subjects, and the intraclass correlation coefficients(ICC) of within the observers and between observers were calculated for repeatability test. Results:①Conventional ultrasound parameters: There were no significant differences among the three groups (all P>0.05). ②GLS and left ventricular myocardial performance parameters: GWI, GWE, GCW and GLS in GDM and ODM groups were significantly lower than those in control group (all P<0.001), GWW was significantly higher than control group ( P<0.001); GWI, GWE, GCW and GLS in ODM group were lower than those in GDM group (all P<0.001), while GWW was higher than control group ( P<0.001). ③GWE, GWI and GCW were negatively correlated with GLS ( r=-0.525, -0.408, -0.435; all P<0.05), GWW was positively correlated with GLS ( r=0.348, P<0.05). GWE, GWI and GCW were negatively correlated with HbA 1c ( r=-0.325, -0.262, -0.250; all P<0.05), while GWW was positively correlated with HbA 1c ( r=0.175, P<0.05). ④GWE, 1 h oral glucose tolerance test and HbA 1c were the influencing factors of left ventricular systolic function in patients with hyperglycemia during pregnancy. ⑤The predictive values of GWI, GWE, GCW, GWW and GLS for cardiac function in patients with gestational hyperglycemia were high, and the predictive value of GWE was the highest (AUC: 0.87, the best truncation value: 94.5%, specificity: 0.76, sensitivity: 0.82) and better than GLS. ⑥The repeatability of myocardial work parameters was better in both groups. Conclusions:Myocardial work parameters obtained by PSL are early and sensitive parameters for evaluating left ventricular systolic function impairment in patients with hyperglycemia during pregnancy which can provide reliable and objective quantitative indicators for early clinical intervention and improvement of prognosis.