Objectives To explore the correlation between lipoprotein (a) and left main coronary artery ( LMCA) disease in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods A total of 264 ACS patients managed with coronary angiography (CAG) from June 2012 to December 2013 were included in the study and then they were divided into 2 groups (high-Lp(a) (> or = 300 mg/L) group (n = 93) and low-Lp(a) (< 300 mg/L)group(n = 171). The clinical data were studied and compared between the two groups. Binary unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to select the risk factors of LMCA disease. Results The percentages of multiple branch lesion (43.0% vs. 25.1%) and LMCA disease (17.2% vs. 8.2%)were higher in the high-Lp(a) group as compared with the low-Lp(a) group (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed Lp(a) was independent factor of LMCA disease. Conclusions In ACS patients the elevated Lp(a) levels are associated with the severity of coronary disease and Lp(a) is an independent factor of LMCA disease.

Infectious diseases cause great economic loss and individual and even social anguish. Existing detection methods lack sensitivity and specificity, have a poor turnaround time, and are dependent on expensive equipment. In recent years, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)‍-CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system has been widely used in the detection of pathogens that cause infectious diseases owing to its high specificity, sensitivity, and speed, and good accessibility. In this review, we discuss the discovery and development of the CRISPR-Cas system, summarize related analysis and interpretation methods, and discuss the existing applications of CRISPR-based detection of infectious pathogens using Cas proteins. We conclude the challenges and prospects of the CRISPR-Cas system in the detection of pathogens.
Humans ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Communicable Diseases ; Gene Editing/methods*