Objectives:In situ coronary calcium is a specific anatomic marker of coronary atheroma. Electron beam CT is the first noninvasive method to determine coronary artery calcium. The aim of this study was to investigate the coronary artery calcium(CAC) in Chinese. Methods:Nine hundred and fifty-nine Chinese cases undergoing electron beam screening were divided into six age groups: ①younger than 29,②30～39,③40～49,④50～59,⑤60～69,⑥older than 70 years old, and were divided into another three groups according to coronary artery disease(CAD) symptoms.①symptomatic group: symptomatic patients with CAD;②doubtful symptom group: patients had atypical chest pain, but without sufficient information of angina,③asymptomatic group: patients without CAD symptoms. Results:① Prevalence of CAC and the total scores of CAC in asymptomatic men and women increased significantly with increased ages. ② There was a large increase in the prevalence of CAC in asymptomatic women between the age of 40～49 and 50～59. Conclusions: ①Coronary artery calcium prevalence increases with age in both men and women.②There is a marked difference in the prevalence of calcium between men and women.③The noninvasive detection of CAC by EBCT has certain prognostic and predictive value for coronary artery disease.

The glucose transporter(GLUT) is an energy-related carrier protein located on the cell membrane.Most researches have shown that changes of energy metabolism play an important role in the development of heart failure.This review summarizes recent advances in the understanding of the relationship between GLUT and heart failure.

Angina pectoris is an important event in coronary heart disease.Many researches are conducted on the risk factors and risk stratification of the problem,so as to classify the patients into different risk groups,properly predict their prognosis,take the most effective therapeutic measures and achieve the best results with the least risks and expenses.

Objective To describe clinical and functional features of patients with left main coronary artery (LM) stenosis. Methods Significant stenosis was defined as ≥ 50%.One hundred and eighty-eight patients with LM stenosis and 200 patients with clinically suspected coronary heart disease (CHD) without LM stenosis were enrolled. Results (1) The incidence rate of LM stenosis was 5.59%.(2) Patients with LM stenosis all had risk factors.Furthermore,featured older age,higher incidence of angina pectoris,and the same incidence of myocardial infarction history when compared with the patients without LM stenosis.(3) The left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in patients with LM stenosis than that in patients without LM stenosis,and it was lower too in patients with isolated LM stenosis than in patients with LM stenosis accompanied by triple vessel stenosis.The left ventricular end diastolic pressure showed no significant difference among various groups. Conclusion Patients with LM stenosis feature older age,severe angina pectoris.Furthermore, most of them are accompanied by other vessel lesions.Most LM stenosis are located at the ostium and the crotch of LM is presented as stenosis

It is important to establish successfully animal models in the study of pathogenesis,diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.This article reviewe drecent animal models of heart failure.

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease for which the molecular etiology of many of the risk factors is still unknown.Reactive oxygen species(ROS) mediate various signaling pathways that underlie vascular inflammation in atherogenesis: from the initiation of fatty streak development through lesion progress to ultimate plaque rupture.The mitochondrial respiratory chain is the major source of reactive oxygen species as byproducts of normal cell respiration.Mitochondria may also be important target for reactive oxygen species,which may lead to mitochondrial dysfunction.Moreover,in patients with mitochondrial diseases,vascular complications are commonly observed at an early age,often in the absence of traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis.The aim of this review is to summarize the data linking mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Intracoronary stent implantation is a safe and effective treatment for coronary artery disease.In-stent restenosis has been significantly reduced by utilization of drug eluting stents.This article reviews the results of long-term follow-up after intracoronary stent implantation and their implication.

It is very important to successfully establish stable and reliable animal models in the study of pathogenesis,pathophysiology,prevention and treatment of heart failure.Although the establishment,maintenance and a long time observation of right heart failure animal models are difficult,they have great clinical values.This article reviews the recent study about modeling methods,animal choice and modeling mechanisms of animal models of right heart failure.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the main causes of death in diabetic patients.Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy,and mitochondrial function depends on the stabilization of the mitochondrial membrane structure.Studies on the molecular alteration and the underlying mechanism of the cardiocyte mitochondrial membrane of the diabetic heart may give us deeper insights into diabetic cardiomyopathy,and help us make a breakthrough in the therapeutic strategies.

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), a member of the mitochondrial inner membrane carrier family, partly dissipate the proton electrochemical gradient, decrease ATP production. UCP2 limits production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits insulin secretion and regulates fatty acid oxidation. FFA, PPAR?,leptin, thyroid hormones and so on could regulate the UCP2 expression. The function of UCP2 in myocardial energy metabolism remains unknown.