Animals ; Arrestins ; metabolism ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Male ; Prefrontal Cortex ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; metabolism ; beta-Arrestin 1 ; beta-Arrestins

OBJECTIVETo observe the influence of Xinmaitong capsule (XMT) on serum matrix metalloproteinases-9, high sensitive C-reactive protein levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

METHOD63 cases were divided by randomized, contrastive assigned to XMT group (n = 31) and control group (n = 32). The serum levels of MMP-9 and hs-CRP before and after treatment in 12 weeks were detected.

RESULTAfter treatment, the serum levels of MMP-9 in control group had no changed and the levels of hs-CRP reduced. The serum levels of MMP-9 and hs-CRP in XMT group had significantly decreased. The serum levels of MMP-9 and hs-CRP had positive correlation, but had no correlation to levels of serum lipids.

CONCLUSIONXMT decreased breakdown of matrix collagen, and inflammatory reaction in the patients of ACS, which may have effect on plaque stabilization.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; blood ; drug therapy ; Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Capsules ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Triglycerides ; blood

OBJECTIVEConflicting results exist on the therapeutic effects of percutaneous myocardial laser revascularization (PMR) in patients with refractory angina pectoris. This study assessed the effects of PMR on myocardial innervation and perfusion in patients with refractory angina pectoris.

METHODSPatients with refractory angina unsuitable for standard revascularization treatment (PTI and CABG) were randomly divided into medication plus PMR (PMR, n = 17) and medication group (M, n = 13). Coronary sinus noradrenaline (NE) and epinephrine (E) levels, heart rate variability (HRV), total ischemic burden (TIB), and ischemic ST segmental events (STI), myocardial perfusion were evaluated at pre-, immediately post and 12 months post treatment (mean followed up time = 11.6 +/- 4.9 months).

RESULTSIn PMR group, one patient developed non-persistent ventricular tachycardia, 2 developed pericardial tamponade and another one patient developed heart failure at 24 h after operation. Coronary sinus NE and E were significantly lower 60 min post PMR compared to pre-PMR and HRV was significantly increased 24 h post PMR. One year post treatments, angina grade was significantly decreased in PMR (1.7 +/- 0.3) than that in M group (0.4 +/- 0.2, P < 0.05) while other parameters were similar between the groups.

CONCLUSIONSPMR induced an early transient denervation and decreased angina grade one year post treatment in patients with refractory angina.

Aged ; Angina Pectoris ; therapy ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Laser-Assisted ; Autonomic Denervation ; Female ; Heart ; innervation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Ischemia ; therapy ; Myocardial Revascularization ; methods

【Objective】 To study the impact of lupus flares on pregnancy outcomes in pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), and analyze the risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes. 【Methods】 Data were obtained from 95 pregnancies of 89 patients with SLE between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018 at The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and its Lingnan Branch. The relationship between lupus flares and pregnancy outcomes, and the risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. 【Results】 ①The disease changes were evaluated by SLEDI and divided into two groups. Lupus flares occurred in 39 pregnancies(group A), and stable lupus disease was observed in 56 pregnancies(group B). The activity rate of lupus flares was 41.05%, compared with pregnancies in patients with stable lupus disease before pregnancy, pregnancies in patients with first onset pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy before pregnancy had higher lupus flares during pregnancy(100% vs. 28.21%, P < 0.05). ②Adverse pregnancy outcomes: the incidence of fetal loss, preterm labor, intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia and active lupus nephritis in group A was 20.51%, 35.90%, 43.59%, 17.95% and 41.02%, respectively, which was significantly higher than those of the group B(1.8%, 14.29%, 17.86%, 3.57% and 0, respectively) (P < 0.05). There was no difference in fetal distress, neonatal asphyxia and neonatal lupus between the two groups(10.26% vs. 1.79%, 7.69% vs. 1.79%, 2.56% vs. 0, respectively; P > 0.05). ③The Logistic regression analysis showed that unplanned pregnancy before pregnancy, active lupus nephritis during pregnancy, aPL positive and antiSSA positive were risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes(P < 0.05) . 【Conclusions】 Conception timing for pregnant women is crucial to lupus flares during pregnancy. Lupus flares during pregnancy increase the incidence of fetal loss, preterm labor, intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia and active lupus nephritis. Unplanned pregnancy before pregnancy, active lupus nephritis during pregnancy, aPL positive and antiSSA positive are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

ObjectiveTo explore the value of MRI ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system （O-RADS MRI） in differentiating benign and malignant ovarian-adnexal masses.MethodsTotally 146 patients （202 masses） with ovarian-adnexal lesions who underwent pelvic examination at 3.0 T MRI according to standardized scan protocol of O-RADS MRI and were pathologically confirmed in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2020 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Two radiologists classified the ovarian-adnexal masses as risk levels 1~5 according to O-RADS MRI and evaluated their consistency by Cohen’s kappa. Using pathological findings as the gold standard， the detection yield of malignant lesions with O-RADS MRI classification was analyzed. Sensitivity， specificity， accuracy， and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated （cutoff for malignancy， score ≥ 4）.ResultsOf 202 masses， 62 （30.7%） were malignant， 140 （69.3%） were benign. The two radiologists presented good agreement in O-RADS MRI classification of ovarian adnexal masses （Kappa=0.932）. The malignancy rates of masses with scores of 1， 2， 3， 4 and 5 were 0%， 0%， 7.7%， 95%， 97.6%， respectively. Sensitivity， specificity， accuracy， and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 96.8% （60/62）， 98.6% （138/140）， 98.0% （198/202）， 0.977.ConclusionsO-RADS MRI yields high diagnostic efficiency for benign and malignant ovarian adnexal masses and its widespread implementation will improve communication between radiologists and clinicians， and facilitate optimal patient management. Therefore， O-RADS MRI warrants widespread use in clinical setting.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of betaine on the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient mice and explore its anti-inflammatory mechanism.

METHODSSeven-week-old ApoE-deficient mice (C57BL/6J background) were divided into four groups randomly based on body weight: model group and three betaine groups. Wild-type mice with the same age and genetic background were used as control group. The control group and model group were fed AIN-93G diet. Three betaine groups were fed AIN-93G diet supplemented with 1, 2, 4 g betaine/100 g diet, respectively. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, lipid levels and methylation status of TNF-alpha promotor in aorta were determined at 0, 7 and 14 weeks. The percentage of aorta sinus plaque to lumen area was measured at 14-week.

RESULTSThe percentage of aorta sinus plaque to lumen area of 1% and 2% betaine groups were (11.43+/-2.65)% and (12.09+/-3.07)%, respectively, which were 41% and 33% smaller than that of the model group (t=3.117, 3.010, respectively, and P<0.01). Serum TNF-alpha level of three betaine groups were (56.33+/-3.86), (63.04+/-4.67) and (65.52+/-3.97) pg/ml, respectively, which were lower than that of the model group (79.40+/-4.68) pg/ml (t=9.270, 6.571 and 5.576, respectively, P<0.001), but there was no significant difference in the methylation status of TNF-alpha promotor among all five groups.

CONCLUSIONBetaine could inhibit the development of atherosclerosis via anti-inflammation.

Animals ; Apolipoproteins E ; deficiency ; genetics ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; drug therapy ; Betaine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Chemokine CCL2 ; metabolism ; Dietary Supplements ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Sishencong electroacupuncture on preventing the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats with acute sleep deprivation and its effect on anxiety behavior. MethodsAdult Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into Sham group （control group）， SD group （sleep deprivation group）， and EA+SD group （eletroacupuncture group）. Modified multiple platform method was used to induce sleep deprivation for 4 days. EA+SD group received Sishencong electroacupuncture in each day during sleep deprivation with 20 minutes needling for 4 days. The open field test was used to detect the exploration of rats to evaluate the degree of anxiety， and the co-labeling of NeuN⁺ and Cleaved Caspase-3 in different regions of the hippocampus was detected by immunofluorescence staining； the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） in the hippocampus was labeled by immunofluorescence. GFAP and the morphological changes of astrocytes were analyzed by Sholl analysis， and the co-labeling with C3+ and S100A+ were detected to analyze the A1 and A2 types of astrocytes in the hippocampus. ResultsOpen field test showed that the time spent in the center of rats was increased in EA+SD group， but the movement speed was decreased compared with SD group. Immunofluorescence staining confirmed that the expression of Cleaved caspase-3 on neurons in different regions of the hippocampus （CA1， CA2， CA3， DG1， DG2） in the EA+SD group was lower than that of the SD group （P<0.05）. The number of intersections of astrocytes and concentric circles in the EA+SD group at 12 μm，15 μm， 18 μm and 21 μm were higher than those of the SD group. Immunofluorescence showed that electroacupuncture could regulate the proportion of C3⁺/GFAP⁺ and S100A⁺/GFAP⁺ in the hippocampus of rats during sleep deprivation. ConclusionElectroacupuncture could improve the exploration during sleep deprivation by reducing the apoptosis of neurons in the hippocampus， repairing the morphological damage of astrocytes and balancing the proportion of A1 and A2 astrocytes in the hippocampus.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.