Objective To investigate the changes of mi crovascular endothelial dilatation in stunned myocardium. Methods Thirteen healthy and adult mongrel dogs were randomly organized into two groups, group A (n=6) and group B (n=7). Each dog in group A and B underwent 15 min and 30 min acute ligation at left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), respectively. Myocardial contrast echocardiography was implemented via intra-femoral vein bolus injection of C 3F 8-exposed sonicated dextrose albumin at different examining time.Peak-intensity (PI) and area under curve (AUC) were derived from time-intensity curve (TIC) after aortic root injection of acetylcholine (ACH) or nitroglycerin (NG),and then PI ratio (PIR) and AUC ratio (AUCR) of pre- to post-ACH or pre- to post- NG were calculated at each of the corresponding examining times. Myocardial endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) and non-EDR were analyzed at different examining times. Results ①At baseline (before LAD ligation), PI and AUC in group A and B increased considerably via aortic root injection of ACH and NG. ② After ACH injection,PIR in group A decreased sharply at 5,30 and 60 min, whose P values were less than 0.05 compared with baseline. And all these recovered completely at 120 min reperfusion. However,PIR in group B recovered slowly and reached finally to baseline at 150 min reperfusion. Meanwhile, the variation trends of AUCR in both group A and B were the same as those of PIR. Overall, the dynamic tendencies of PIR and AUCR in these two groups for post-NG at different examining times were much similar to those of post-ACH. ③ The decreased magnitudes of PIR and AUCR in group A and B after ACH injection were bigger than those of NG injection at 5,30 and 60 min reperfusion(P

The reseclability of 45 cases with pancreato-ampullar diseases was evaluated preoperatively with color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI).In 43,the situation was confirmed by surgery and pathology with obvious involvement of the peripancreatic vessels and/or liver metastases as the criteria for nonresectability. 22 patients considered to be not resectable on the basis of CDFl were proved at surgerY.While in 21 patients without sign of obvious involvement of peripancreatic vessels on CDFI,the resectability rate was 85.7%.The overall correlation rate of CDFl was 93%.It is concluded that CDFI plays a definite role in evaluating the resectability of panereato-ampullar disease.The positive signs of vessel involvement are discussed.

The reliability and reliable indexes of quantitative assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) by using time-intensity curve (TIC) via myocardial contrast echocardiography were investigated. The TIC variables were obtained by employing acoustic densitometry (AD) technique before and after acetylcholine (Ach) injection in 12 dogs. Meanwhile, the correlation between these variables and CFR was analyzed. Among the variables derived from TIC, peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC) and descending slope (DS) were increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increase of coronary blood flow after Ach injection. Conversely, time-to-peak (TP), half-time of descent (HT), and mean-transit-time (MTT) were decreased remarkably (P < 0.0001). The PI and AUC ratios from post- to pre-Ach injection were strongly associated with CFR with the correlation coefficient (r) being 0.8366 and 0.8824, respectively. It is reliable by using the variables derived from TIC with myocardial contrast echocardiography to quantitatively evaluate regional myocardial CFR. The PI and AUC ratios from post- to pre-Ach injection are the reliable indexes for quantitative assessment of CFR.
Blood Flow Velocity/physiology ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Circulation/*physiology ; Coronary Vessels/physiology ; Coronary Vessels/ultrasonography ; *Echocardiography/methods ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Observer Variation ; Regional Blood Flow/drug effects ; Regional Blood Flow/physiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

A total of 560 patients with primary hypertension were divided into two groups.Of them,260 were treated with Fosinopril(10～20 mg once daily),and the other 300 were treated with Amlodipine (5～10 mg once daily).The treatment lasted for 12 months in both groups.The levels of blood pressure (BP)、braehial ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV)and pulse pressure(PP)were examined at baseline,6 month and 12 month with automatic analysis system of arteriosclerosis.BP in Amlodipine group(132/76 mm Hg)decreased more significantly than Fosinopril group(136/85 mm Hg),but Fosinopril group showed more remarkable changes in baPWV(1310 cm/s)and PP(52 mm Hg)than Amlodipine group(1400 cm/s and 56 mm Hg).

The reliability and reliable indexes of quantitative assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) by using time-intensity curve (TIC) via myocardial contrast echocardiography were investigated. The TIC variables were obtained by employing acoustic densitometry (AD) technique before and after acetylcholine (Ach) injection in 12 dogs. Meanwhile, the correlation between these variables and CFR was analyzed. Among the variables derived from TIC, peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC) and descending slope (DS) were increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increase of coronary blood flow after Ach injection. Conversely, time-to-peak (TP), half-time of descent (HT), and mean-transit-time (MTT) were decreased remarkably (P < 0.0001). The PI and AUC ratios from post- to pre-Ach injection were strongly associated with CFR with the correlation coefficient (r) being 0.8366 and 0.8824, respectively. It is reliable by using the variables derived from TIC with myocardial contrast echocardiography to quantitatively evaluate regional myocardial CFR. The PI and AUC ratios from post- to pre-Ach injection are the reliable indexes for quantitative assessment of CFR.
Animals ; Blood Flow Velocity ; physiology ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Circulation ; physiology ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; physiology ; Dogs ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Observer Variation ; Regional Blood Flow ; drug effects ; physiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

AIM:This study aims to investigate the effects and mechanisms of silent information regulator 6(SIRT6)on carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis in mice,as well as the expression changes in the down-stream pathways of hepatic stellate cells after SIRT6 silencing.METHODS:Thirty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal control group(n=6)and a model group(modeling at 2,4,8,12 weeks,n=24).A liver fibrosis model in mice was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 twice a week for 12 weeks.Serum alanine aminotransfer-ase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)levels were measured to assess liver injury.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes in mouse liver tissues.Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to detect the expression of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)in the liver,Western blot analysis was used to measure the expression of liver α-SMA,SIRT6,acetyl histone H3 at Lys9(H3K9ac),acetyl histone H3 at Lys56(H3K56ac),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and IL-18 proteins.Hepatic stellate cells-T6(HSC-T6)underwent SIRT6 gene si-lencing,divided into NC siRNA group and SIRT6 siRNA group,with Western blot performed to detect the expression of SIRT6,H3K9ac,and H3K56ac proteins.RESULTS:Compared with the normal control group,the serum ALT and AST levels in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05);HE and Masson staining results showed that the patho-logical changes in the liver of the model group worsened over time,with an increase in collagen fiber deposition.Both im-munohistochemistry and Western blot showed that the expression of liver α-SMA significantly increased at 8 and 12 weeks in the model group(P<0.05).Western blot results showed that the expression of SIRT6 protein in the liver of all model group mice was lower than that in the normal control group(P<0.05),and decreased gradually with the progression of liv-er fibrosis;also,the expression levels of H3K9ac,H3K56ac,IL-1β,and IL-18 in the liver of the model group mice were significantly elevated at 8 and 12 weeks(P<0.05);after SIRT6 silencing,compared with the NC siRNA group,the levels of H3K9ac and H3K56ac in the SIRT6 siRNA group significantly increased(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The deficiency of SIRT6,by abnormally increasing H3K9ac and H3K56ac,raises the expression of IL-1β and IL-18,intensifying the in-flammatory response and promoting the progression of liver fibrosis,indicating that the aberrant expression of SIRT6 is in-volved in the development of liver fibrosis.