Cardiovascular Diseases ; prevention & control ; China ; Humans

Cardiovascular Diseases ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome

Cardiovascular Diseases ; psychology ; Humans ; Life Style

Cardiovascular Diseases ; prevention & control ; China ; Humans

Abnormal expression of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine like 1 (SPARCL1 )gene is closely related to the development,metastasis and prognosis of a variety of tumors.Recent studies show that SPARCL1 gene is high expressed in glioma.The protein product of SPARCL1 gene encoded can interact with collagen,thus affecting the metastasis ability of tumor,which is positively correlated with tumor malignant de-gree.SPARCL1 gene is low expressed in gastric cancer,colorectal cancer,prostate cancer and breast cancer, which is negatively correlated with the invasion and metastasis abilities of tumors.At present,the role of speci-fic molecular mechanisms of SPARCL1 gene remains controversial. The expressions and functions of SPARCL1 gene in tumor tissues seem to depend on the tumor microenvironment.

Objective To compare the clinical characteristics of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and normal gestational glucose metabolism at the 25th weeks of pregnant. Methods Sixty-eighty patients with GDM (GDM group) and 68 patients with normal blood glucose(control group) were enrolled in this study. During 25 weeks of pregnancy, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood pressure, fasting insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, uric acid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured and body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistence index (HOMA-IR), insulin sensitivity index (ISI) were computed. The results were compared between two groups. Results The age in GDM group was significantly higher than that in control group: (31.38 ± 0.54) years vs. (29.50 ± 0.56) years, P<0.05. The systolic pressure in two groups had no significant difference (P>0.05), but diastolic blood pressure in GDM group was significantly higher than that in control group:(73.2 ± 0.8) mmHg vs. (70.9 ± 0.8) mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa, P<0.05. The body weight and BMI in GDM group were significantly higher than that in control group:(65.67 ± 1.76) kg vs. (57.76 ± 1.11) kg, (24.77 ± 0.61) kg/m2 vs. (22.11 ± 0.42) kg/m2, P<0.01. The levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin and HOMA- IR in GDM group were significantly higher than those in control group (5.546 ± 0.746)% vs. (5.085 ± 0.034)% , (17.870 ± 1.015) mU/L vs. (14.400 ± 0.634) mU/L, 4.192 ± 0.271 vs. 2.645 ± 0.128, but the level of ISI in GDM group was significantly lower than that in control group:0.014 ± 0.001 vs. 0.020 ± 0.001, and there were significantly differences (P<0.01). The levels of uric acid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in two groups had no significant differences (P>0.05). Conclusions Compared to those with normal blood glucose, the patients with GDM have the characteristics of higher age, higher body weight, higher BMI, higher diastolic blood pressure , higher level of insulin, insulin resistance and decreased insulin sensitivity.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of serum endocan and procalcitonin (PCT) in early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of sepsis.Methods The patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS,n = 26) and sepsis (n = 78) admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from December 2014 to December 2016 were enrolled. According to the severity of disease, the sepsis patients were divided into general sepsis group (n = 20), severe sepsis group (n = 24), and septic shock group (n = 34). The cases were divided into survival group (n = 55) and non-survival group (n = 23) according to 28-day mortality. The serum endocan, PCT, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were recorded when the patients were admitted into ICU. The differences in endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA score between SIRS and sepsis groups and within sepsis subgroups were compared. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the indexes of sepsis patients. Receiver operation characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the value of endocan and PCT for the diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis.Results ① Serum endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA score and 28-day mortality in the sepsis group were significantly higher than those in the SIRS group [endocan (μg/L): 4.28 (10.64) vs. 1.03 (0.69), PCT (μg/L): 3.94 (10.75) vs. 0.43 (0.39), APACHE Ⅱ:18.81±9.17 vs. 9.35±3.78, SOFA: 9.00 (7.20) vs. 4.50 (1.50), 28-day mortality: 29.49% vs. 11.54%, allP < 0.01]. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA score for sepsis diagnosis were 0.887, 0.842, 0.822, 0.835, respectively. When the cut-off value of endocan was 1.26μg/L, the sepsis diagnostic sensitivity was 87.2% and specificity was 81.8%. When the cut-off value of PCT was 0.75μg/L, the sepsis diagnostic sensitivity was 85.9% and specificity was 81.8%. ② With the severity of the disease increased, the index showed an increasing trend in patients with sepsis. Serum endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA score and 28-day mortality in septic shock group were significantly higher than those in severe sepsis group or general sepsis group [endocan (μg/L): 13.02 (6.70) vs. 3.33 (3.05), 1.60 (0.98); PCT (μg/L): 8.10 (17.68) vs. 5.47 (8.92), 1.57 (2.78); APACHE Ⅱ: 25.00 (9.50) vs. 18.00 (9.00), 9.50 (5.75); SOFA: 13.00 (4.50) vs. 8.00 (3.00), 5.00 (3.50); 28-day mortality: 52.94% vs. 20.83%, 0%; allP < 0.01]. There was a significantly positive correlation between endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA, indicating that the endocan and PCT can be used to assess the severity of sepsis. ③ Serum endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ and SOFA score in non-survival group were significantly higher than those in the survival group [endocan (μg/L): 15.05 (9.23) vs. 2.32 (4.81), PCT (μg/L):18.40 (16.99) vs. 3.10 (6.67), APACHE Ⅱ: 28.13±7.56 vs. 14.91±6.64, SOFA: 14.70±3.65 vs. 7.38±3.26, allP < 0.01]. The AUC of endocan, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA score for the prediction of non-survival sepsis were 0.915, 0.763, 0.899, 0.930. When the cut-off value of endocan was 4.37μg/L, the septic death prediction sensitivity was 95.7% and specificity was 70.9%. When the cut-off value of PCT was 7.68μg/L, the septic death prediction sensitivity was 65.2% and specificity was 78.2%.Conclusions Serum endocan is more clinically valuable than PCT in early diagnosis and prognosis assessment of sepsis.

Hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), a nuclear protein with transcription activity, can make the body produce adaptive response to hypoxia/ischemia by binding to target gene, transcription and post-transcriptional control. Ischemic tolerance refers to the adaptive response to transient ischemia and reperfusion, which can improve tissue tolerance during the following damage caused by more severe ischemic events. The recent studies have found that the expression of HIF-1 has an important significance in ischemic tolerance. HIF-1 may be a key factor of the oxygen signal transduction pathway in the development of cerebral ischemic tolerance.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC) of the salivary gland constitutes approximately 21.9%-24.0% of all salivary gland malignant tumors,and is described as a tumor with indolent,but persistent and recurrent,growth and late onset of metastases,leading eventually to death.This review focuses on the advances in the studies of the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of ACC in the recent years.

The Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and has emerged as a key player in the control of multiple metabolic pathways. Bile acids are the major endogenous ligands for FXR, and by activating FXR have a variety of target genes, many of which are geared toward pre- venting synthesis and uptake and promoting excretion of bile acids. Here we summarized the latest results from studies on FXR target genes and functions in bile acids metabolism in this article.