AIM: To investigate the effects of myofibrillogenesis regulator-1 (MR1) on myocardial hypertrophy. METHODS: Three stem-loop structures of rMR1 mRNA were selected as targets to establish RNA interference carriers. After transient transfection with plasmids, cultured cardiomyocytes of neonatal were used to perform RT-PCR for choosing the first target to carry out RNA interference blocking MR1 gene. In order to observe the effect of MR1 gene silence on myocardial hypertrophy induced by angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ), the radiation intensity of tritium-leucine ([3H]-Leu) was used to label the cardiomyocytes. Morphological observation, protein extraction and Western blotting were also used to investigate protein synthesis rate, cell surface area and expression of rMR1. RESULTS: The radiation intensity of tritium-Leucine in AngⅡ group increased 21.4% (P

Objective To summarise the clinical characteristics and surgical treatment experience of primary cardiac tumours treated by tumorectomy under extracorporeal circulation .Methods The clinical data of 352 patients with primary cardiac tumors in our hospital from January 1980 to December 2015,who received surgical treatment of tumorectomy under extracorporeal circulation were retrospectively ana -lyzed.Results Among the 352 cases in all, there were 338 cases (96%) of benign tumor, including 309 cases (87.8%) of myxoma and 14 cases (4.0%) of malignant tumor.There were 4 cases of perioperative death, and all the 4 cases were malignant tumor.Conclusion Myxoma is the most common primary cardiac tumor ,and the best solution for the cardiac benign tumor is surgery .However , the effect of sur-gical operation on malignant cardiac tumors was poor .

Objective To explore the effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-α receptor Ⅱ:IgG Fc fusion protein injection (rhTNFR:FC) on the expression of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in the synovial fluid and peripheral blood of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA); and to explore the clinical significance of COMP for JIA and the relationship between rhTNFR:FC and COMP in JIA.Methods Thirty-five patients with JIA (JIA group),30 patients with traumatic arthritis (trauma group) and 30 patients with indirect inguinal hernia hernioplasty (normal group) were included.Peripheral blood from all enrolled patients and synovial fluid from 15 JIA and 10 trauma arthritis were obtained for COMP detection before the treatment.Fifteen JIA (group A) patients were treated with combined rhTNFR:FC,diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),20 JIA (group B) were treated with combined DMARDs and NSAIDs.After three to six months' treatment and when the disease were in remission,peripheral blood from group A and B were drawn for COMP detection.In group A,the synovial fluid from 5 patients were obtained for COMP detection after treatment.At the same time,such as tender joint count (TJC),swollen joint count (SJC),time for morning stiffness,blood routine,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),and C-reactive protein (CRP) and other parameters before and after treatment were measured.The level of COMP was tested by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The measurement data were tested for variance and independent sample t-test; and the enumeration data were tested by chi-squared or Fisher's exact test.Pearson's correlation analysis was adopted to analyze the association among the variables.Results ① The blood COMP level before treatment was (0.77±0.29) ng/ml in the JIA group,(1.00±0.28) ng/ml in the traumatic arthritis group,and (1.33±0.37) ng/ml in the normal control group.The level in the former two groups was obviously lower than that in the normal control group.The variation was statistically significant (F=25.345,P＜0.05).The comparison between any two groups was statistically significant (P＜0.05).② The COMP level in the synovial fluid before treatment were (14.8±1.6) ng/ml in the JIA group,(15.1±1.0) ng/ml in the traumatic arthritis group.The variation was not stati-stically significant (t=0.523,P=0.606).③ The serum COMP level of the systemic JIA group was obviously lower than that of the oligoarticular JIA patients,and patients with enthesitis-related arthritis and polyarticular JIA (0.26± 0.03 vs.0.87±0.17,0.89±0.22 and 0.70±0.35 ng/ml,respectively; F=9.244,P＜0.05).④ The serum COMP level of JIA at the acute phase was negatively correlated with white blood cells count (WBC),CRP and ESR (r=-0.556,-0.582 and-0.684,respectively; P all＜0.05).By contrast,no correlation was detected between the serum COMP level and joint tenderness index,joint swelling index,morning stiffness duration,hemoglobin level and platelet count(r=0.06,-0.206,-0.107,0.15 and-0.185,respectively; P all ＞0.05).⑤ The serum COMP level was obviously lower in the JIA with joint destruction than that without joint destruction (0.52±0.22 vs.0.92±0.22 ng/ml; t=5.207,P＜0.05).⑥After treatment,the blood COMP level in group A was (1.33±0.21) ng/ml and (0.96±0.22) ng/ml in group B,which was obviously higher than that in the JIA group before treatment (0.77±0.29) ng/ml.In addition,the level in group A was higher than that in group B.The variation was statistically significant (F=24.681,P＜0.05).⑦ After treatment,the COMP level in the synovial fluid (18.4± 1.1) ng/ml (n=5) was higher than that before the treatment was (14.8± 1.6) ng/ml (n =15).The variation was of statistical significant (t=4.565,P＜0.05).Conclusion The COMP level in blood and synovial fluid declines before treatment and increases after treatment.The increase is more obvious after combined with rhTNFR:FC treatment.The serum COMP level is remarkably decreased in JIA at the acute phase,systemic JIA,and the JIA with destruction of joint,and showes a negative correlation with WBC,CRP and ESR.Serum COMP may be a useful marker of active disease,destruction of joint and growth inhibition for patients with JIA.rhTNFR:FC treatment for JIA can facilitate the recovery of COMP.

Objective To study the expression levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP),serum albumin of Kawasaki' s disease (KD),incomplete Kawasaki' s disease (IKD),and children whose fever were unexplained and to explore the clinical significance of the levels of NT-proBNP and serum albumin in the early diagnosis of IKD.Methods The levels of NT-proBNP of 246 cases of KD (KD group),61 cases of IKD (IKD group) and 301 cases of children with unexplained fever (fever group)were measured by the enzyme-linked fluorescence analysis (ELFA) at the day of admission,meanwhile,the levels of albumin were tested in KD,and IKD children were underwent ECG and echocardiography.Based on the test results,patients were further divided into the group with cardiovascular damage and the group without cardiovascular damage.SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis.The t test was used to compare the parameters between each group,the variance analysis and association analysis were carried out with Pearson's correlation analysis.The ROC curve analysis was done to identify the cardiovascular damage threshold.Results ① The level of plasma NT-proBNP of the KD group,the IKD group was significantly h igher than the fever group [(789.1±4.7) ng/L,(824.8±4.4) ng/L vs (92.5±2.3) ng/L,F=230.736,all P＜0.05];② The level of albumin of the KD group and the IKD group was significantly lower than that of the fever group [(33.9±2.8) g/L,(33.8±3.1) g/L vs (40.8±3.6) g/L,F=355.648,all P＜0.05]; ③ The levels of NT-proBNPs between the cardiovascular damage group and the groups without cardiovascular damage among the KD group,and those of the IKD groups were compared.In the KD group,the NT-proBNPs level of the two subgroups was (2948±3) g/L (n=103) vs (305±3) g/L,n=143; while in the IKD group,the NT-proBNPs of the two subgroups was (1454±4) g/L (n=38) vs (323±4) g/L (n=23).The dif-ferences were statistically significant (t=16.464,4.356,all P＜0.05).④ The plasma NT-proBNP level higher than 933.5 ng/L was identify as the indicator for cardiovascular damage in both KD and IKD children.Its sensi-tivity was 88.1％,and its specificity was 89％.⑤ When the level of NT-proBNP was higher than 250 ng/L,the sensitivity for diagnosis in the KD,the IKD was 80.9％,85.2％ respec-tively,and the specificity was 85.7％.When the level of NT-proBNP was higher than 250 ng/L and that of albumin was lower than 35 g/L,the sensitivity for diagnosis of KD,IKD was 67.5％,70.5％ respectively,the specificity was 99.7％.Conclusion The level of plasma NT-proBNP (＞250 ng/L) accompanied by decreased albumin (＜35 g/L) may be specific markers for early diagnosis of IKD.In addition,the level of NT-proBNP ≥933.5 ng/L can be used as a diagnostic threshold,which has good sensitivity and specificity for identifica-tion of cardiovascular damage in the KD and IKD in children.

Objective:To study the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Bacillus cereus sepsis in premature infants.Methods:From February 2011 to February 2021, 10 cases of Bacillus cereus sepsis in premature infants admitted to the Department of Neonatology of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The 10 cases of premature infants with Bacillus cereus sepsis included 5 males and 5 females, with gestational age 27 +2~35 +2 weeks, birth weight 940~2 430 g and the age of onset 7~35 days. At the beginning, all the infants showed lethargy and recurrent apnea as the onset symptoms. 8 cases had gray color skin, 7 cases had fever, 7 cases experienced septic shock, 5 cases had neonatal seizures and 4 cases showed abdominal distension. 7 cases were complicated with purulent meningitis and 3 cases with necrotizing enterocolitis. 9 cases had significantly decreased white blood cells and platelets and significantly increased C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at the onset. Among the 7 cases of purulent meningitis, 5 cases had multiple encephalomalacia. During follow-up of all the infants, 4 cases died, 3 cases cured and 3 cases survived with severe neurological sequelae. Conclusions:Bacillus cereus sepsis is a serious infectious disease for premature infants with acute onset, rapid progress and high mortality. Complication of purulent meningitis and serious neurological sequelae are common.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have confirmed that microRNAs play important roles in the pathogenesis of acute aortic dissection (AAD). Here, we aimed to explore the role of miR-145 and its regulatory mechanism in the pathogenesis of AAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AAD tissue samples were harvested from patients with aortic dissection and normal donors. Rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were transfected with miR-145 mimic/inhibitor or negative control mimic/inhibitor. Gene and protein expression was measured in human aortic dissection tissue specimens and VSMCs by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Luciferase reporter assay was applied to verify whether connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was a direct target of miR-145 in VSMCs. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay was used to detect VSMC viability. RESULTS: miR-145 expression was downregulated in aortic dissection tissues and was associated with the survival of patients with AAD. Overexpression of miR-145 promoted VSMC proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis. Moreover, CTGF, which was increased in aortic dissection tissues, was decreased by miR-145 mimic and increased by miR-145 inhibitor. Furthermore, CTGF was confirmed as a target of miR-145 and could reverse the promotion effect of miR-145 on the progression of AAD. CONCLUSION: miR-145 suppressed the progression of AAD by targeting CTGF, suggesting that a miR-145/CTGF axis may provide a potential therapeutic target for AAD.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; Humans ; Luciferases ; MicroRNAs ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Rats ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of telomere length with breast cancer risk. We simultaneously explored the association between telomerase reverse transcriptase gene polymorphisms and telomere length. METHODS: We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to measure relative telomere length (RTL) in genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood from 183 breast cancer cases and 191 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. RESULTS: Our results show that breast cancer patients had significantly shorter RTLs than control subjects (p < 0.05). When the RTLs were categorized into tertiles, we found that the lowest RTL was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk compared with the highest RTL (odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40–3.90; p=0.001). Subgroup analyses indicated that risk of breast cancer was also significantly increased in the lowest RTL compared with the highest RTL in age >40 years (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.31–4.43; p=0.005), body mass index ≤24 kg/m2 (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.55–5.10; p=0.001), and postmenopausal women (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.63–9.51; p=0.002), respectively. In addition, individuals with the AA genotype of rs2853677 have longer telomeres than those of breast cancer patients with the AG genotype (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that shorter RTL was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. An association was found between the AA genotype of rs2853677 and longer RTLs in the case group. Functional studies are warranted to validate this association and further investigate our findings.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Body Mass Index ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Case-Control Studies* ; DNA ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Telomerase ; Telomere*

Objective    To investigate the multidisciplinary management of patients with acute type A aortic dissection in late pregnancy. Methods    The clinical data of 3 patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from 2018 to 2019 were analyzed. Their age ranged from 27 to 32 years, while gestational age was 34-37 weeks. Sudden chest pain was the main clinical symptom before operation. All 3 patients underwent Bentall surgery after cesarean section under general anesthesia, of whom 2 patients received total arch replacement (TAR) combined with frozen elephant trunk (FET) implantation and 1 received coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) additionally. Results    No patient died during the perioperative period, and all the newborns were delivered successfully and survived healthily. The ICU stay was 3-5 d. The postoperative hospital stay was 15-18 d. The follow-up was 250-751 d. There was no recurrence or death. One patient who developed spontaneous pneumothorax and hydropneumothorax was cured in our center. Conclusion    The multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment strategy plays a crucial role in saving the life of pregnant patients with acute type A aortic dissection.