Objective To investigate the effects of Tirofiban on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase(MMP-9)and sCD40L in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)and to explore the potential mechanism of anti-artherosclerosis and stabilize plaque by Tirofiban.Methods Eighty-six patients with ACS were enrolled and were randomly divided into the control group and the Tirofiban group with different time periods after PCI.The expression of MMP-9 and sCD40L were tested by ELISA at 6 h,12 h,24 h,36 h after PCI.Results After application of Tirofiban 6 h,12 h,24 h,36 h,the expression of MMP-9 decreased from(228.25 ±0.015)ug/L to(53.56 ±0.02)μg/L and the expression of sCD40L decreased from(321.12 ±0.02)ng/L to(123.32 ±0.02)ng/L,compared with the control group,the difference was significant(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Tirofiban can inhibite the expression of sCD40L and MMP-9,the inhibition of the expression of MMP-9 may be related to the CD40/CD40L pathway.This effect may be one of the mechanism of reducing atherosclerotic plaque inflammation and preventing plaque rupture by Tirofiban.

Objective To explore cardioprotective effect of matrine on myocardial ischemia in hypercholesterolemia rats. Methods Myocardial infarction was induced by subcutaneous injection of isopreterenol (ISO, 85 mg/kg) once daily for two consecutive days in rats feeding cholesterol-rich diet for 4 weeks. Content of serum lipid, myocardial injury marker enzymes, lipid peroxidatase and activities of antioxidative enzymes in serum and/or heart tissues were measured, and cardiac function was evaluated. Results Administration of matrine (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) decreased serum level of TC and TG, improved left ventricle (LV) contractile function (increased LVSP and +dp/dtmax) and LV diastolic function (decreased LVEDP and increased -dp/dtmax), depressed the levels of myocardial injury marker enzymes of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), promoted the activities of antioxidative enzymes of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalyst (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GHS-PX), as well as decreased the content of lipid peroxidation product of malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma and/or myocardial tissues in hypercholesterolemia rats with myocardial infarction. Histopathology examination demonstrated that matrine could attenuate ISO-induced myocardial infarction morphologically in hypercholesterolemia rats. Conclusion Our results suggest that cardioprotective effect of matrine on myocardial infarction in hypercholesterolemia rats is attributed to its ability to decrease the TC and TG content of serum, enhance the activities of antioxidative enzymes, and maintain the stability of myocardial cellular membranes.

Objective:To correlate peripheral blood hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with cognitive function in patients with depression.Methods:Seventy-five patients with depression who received treatment in the Second People's Hospital of Lishui from January 2019 to May 2020 were included in the depression group. An additional 50 healthy controls were included in the control group. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used to evaluate participates' cognitive function. Serum hs-CRP level was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in the depression group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t = 10.774, 2.774, 9.840, 5.064, 7.915, all P < 0.01). Serum hs-CRP level in the depression group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(13.05 ± 2.94) mL vs. (1.13 ± 0.18) mL, t = 28.595, P < 0.01]. Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in patients with moderate and severe depression were significantly lower than those in patients with mild depression. Serum hs-CRP level in patients with moderate and severe depression was (10.41 ± 2.21) mg/L and (25.71 ± 4.04) mg/L, respectively, which was significantly higher than that in patients with mild depression [(3.03 ± 0.49) mg/L, t = 3.015, 3.370; 3.903, 3.441; 3.541, 3.604; 4.503, 4.661; 4.001, 3.980; 4.035, 3.669, all P < 0.01]. Speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores in patients with severe depression were significantly lower than those in patients with moderate depression ( t = 8.331, 5.227, 10.031, 6.003, 9.416, all P < 0.01). Serum hs-CRP level in patients with severe depression was significantly higher than that in patients with moderate depression [(25.71 ± 4.04) mg/L vs. (10.41 ± 2.21) mg/L, t = 11.005, P < 0.01]. Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum hs-CRP level in patients with depression was remarkably negatively correlated with speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning and reasoning/problem-solving scores (all P < 0.01). Conclusion:Serum hs-CRP level in patients with depression is greatly increased, can reflect the severity of depression and is related to cognitive function.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of imaging features of primary lesions combined with venous phase CT value in predicting central group lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) .Methods:Clinical data of 170 PTC patients who underwent central group LN dissection in the First People's Hospital of Handan City of Hebei Province from January 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into different groups according to whether central group LN metastasis or not, and there were 89 patients with central group LN metastasis and 81 patients without central group LN metastasis. The CT value and imaging features of primary lesions in different periods were analyzed, and the imaging features of primary lesions combined with venous phase CT values to predict the central group LN metastasis were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in CT value in plain scan phase and CT value, net increased CT value, standardized CT value in arterial phase between patients with and without central group LN metastasis (all P>0.05) . The CT value, net increased CT value and standardized CT value in venous phase of patients with central group LN metastasis were (113.84±22.95) HU, (59.05±12.10) HU and 0.72±0.14 respectively, which were significantly higher than those of patients without central group LN metastasis [ (103.99±17.67) HU, (51.29±14.45) HU and 0.59±0.10] ( t=3.26, P<0.001; t=3.81, P<0.001; t=3.67, P<0.001) . ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for diagnosing central group LN metastasis of PTC patients was 0.75, 0.70 and 0.76 when the cut-off values of CT value, net increased CT value and standardized CT value in venous phase were 115.78 HU, 62.37 HU and 0.75 respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the diameter of primary focus and the contact area of thyroid capsule between patients with and without central group LN metastasis ( Z=-2.34, P=0.019; Z=-2.08, P=0.037) . There were no statistically significant differences between calcification and primary lesion location (both P>0.05) . Lesion diameter >2 cm (87.73%) and capsule contact range ≥1/2 (92.17%) had the highest specificity in predicting central group LN metastasis. The imaging features of primary lesion combined with standardized CT value in venous phase was in good agreement with histopathological diagnosis results in predicting central group LN metastasis (Kappa=0.475) , and the sensitivity and specificity were 73.12% and 82.75% respectively. Conclusion:The imaging features of the primary lesion combined with CT value in venous phase have a good clinical value in predicting central group LN metastasis in PTC patients. Patients with primary lesion diameter >2 cm, capsule contact range ≥1/2 and the standardized CT value in venous phase >0.75 are more likely to have central group LN metastasis.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of physical state of HPV-l6 DNA in cervical cancer and cervical precancerous carcinoma. Methods Multiplex PCR was adopted to detect the physical state of HPV in samples from 252 patients with cervical carcinoma, including 48 samples of cervical cancer, 204 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN ) (125 CIN I, 46 CIN II and 33 CIN III) and 20 normal samples from the subjects with hysteromyoma undergoing hysterectomy, respectively. Results Among 48 patients with cervical cancer, 31 (65.6%) were infected with HPV-16. Eighteen among 31 (58.1%) HPV-16 infected patients with cervical cancer were found to have integrated infection of HPV-16. The positive rates of HPV-16 infection in the patients with CIN I, CIN II and CIN III were 19.2%, 34.8%and 42.4%, and the integrated infection rates of HPV-16 were 16.7%, 18.8%and 35.7%, respectively. Compared with patients with different grades of CIN, the integrated rate of HPV-16 infection in those with cervical cancer was significantly elevated. Conclusion Among the patients with HPV-16 infection, the integrated state of HPV-16 is positively correlated with the severity of cervical lesions. Combined HPV typing test and detection of integrated viral state contribute to predicting the prognosis of patients with cervical precancerous lesions and increasing the accuracy of screening cervical cancer on the basis of HPV DNA detection.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of physical state of HPV-l6 DNA in cervical cancer and cervical precancerous carcinoma. Methods Multiplex PCR was adopted to detect the physical state of HPV in samples from 252 patients with cervical carcinoma, including 48 samples of cervical cancer, 204 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN ) (125 CIN I, 46 CIN II and 33 CIN III) and 20 normal samples from the subjects with hysteromyoma undergoing hysterectomy, respectively. Results Among 48 patients with cervical cancer, 31 (65.6%) were infected with HPV-16. Eighteen among 31 (58.1%) HPV-16 infected patients with cervical cancer were found to have integrated infection of HPV-16. The positive rates of HPV-16 infection in the patients with CIN I, CIN II and CIN III were 19.2%, 34.8%and 42.4%, and the integrated infection rates of HPV-16 were 16.7%, 18.8%and 35.7%, respectively. Compared with patients with different grades of CIN, the integrated rate of HPV-16 infection in those with cervical cancer was significantly elevated. Conclusion Among the patients with HPV-16 infection, the integrated state of HPV-16 is positively correlated with the severity of cervical lesions. Combined HPV typing test and detection of integrated viral state contribute to predicting the prognosis of patients with cervical precancerous lesions and increasing the accuracy of screening cervical cancer on the basis of HPV DNA detection.

Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response that occurs in the setting of chronic liver injury and is caused by imbalance in the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix （ECM）. If left untreated， it can progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The activation of hepatic stellate cell （HSC） is now well established as a central driver of liver fibrosis. The activated HSC will transform into myofibroblasts that produce ECM protein. Transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） can induce the activation of hepatic stellate cell （HSC）， and TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway is one of the important pathways to promote liver fibrosis. Non-coding RNA （ncRNA） does not encode proteins during the transcription but plays an important regulatory role in the post-transcriptional process of genes. Accumulating evidence shows that the occurrence of liver fibrosis is closely related to the abnormal expression of ncRNA which participates in the activation of HSC by regulating TGF-β₁ signal transduction and then affects the process of liver fibrosis. MiRNA-mediated TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway can not only promote liver fibrosis but also play a role in anti-fibrosis. Long non-coding RNA （lncRNA） not only promotes the development of liver fibrosis by binding to target genes but also enhances TGF-β₁ signal transduction by acting as competitive endogenous RNA. circular RNA （circRNA） acts as a ''sponge'' to regulate TGF-β₁/Smads pathway， thereby inhibiting HSC activation and exerting the anti-liver fibrosis effect. Chinese medicinal plays an essential part in the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis， and the active components can inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads pathway by regulating the expression of miRNA， thus alleviating liver fibrosis. This article reviews the role and mechanism of miRNA-， lncRNA- and circRNA-mediated TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway in liver fibrosis and summarizes the anti-liver fibrosis effect of active components of Chinese medicinals by regulating miRNA-mediated TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， which can serve as a reference for clinical treatment of liver fibrosis and the development of new drugs.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption has been observed to be a contributing factor in liver damage. However, very few studies have tried to decipher the correlation between patients with liver disease and alcohol consumption. Therefore, this study was planned to determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption among patients with liver disease, and to evaluate the risk factors, liver diseases, and chronic medical conditions associated with alcohol drinking. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with liver disease in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across China. All participants answered the questionnaire, which led to the calculation of Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Test (AUDIT) score for each patient. Based on this score, low-risk drinkers, hazardous drinkers, and harmful drinkers were defined as having AUDIT score of <8, between 8 and 15, and ≥16, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 1489 participants completed the questionnaire. Based on this information, 900 (60.44%) participants were classified as alcohol drinkers. Among these, 8.66% were ex-drinkers, 22.10% were low-risk drinkers, 17.13% were hazardous drinkers, and 12.56% were harmful drinkers. Further investigation of the association between alcohol consumption and other baseline characteristics of patients with liver disease revealed that usually men <40 years old, participants having higher family annual income, having college degree or higher education, living alone, having higher body mass index (BMI), current smokers, and ex-smokers had significant association with higher risk of alcohol consumption. In addition, among the 18.07% of the participants with cirrhosis, it was observed that risk of cirrhosis increased with higher alcohol consumption. Furthermore, harmful drinkers showed greater odds of hypertension and heart diseases, while hazardous drinkers and harmful drinkers, both had greater odds of hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS Overall our analyses indicated that among the patients with liver disease in China, there was high rate of alcohol consumption and dependence. Alcohol consumption usually associated with men <40 years old, higher family income, education level, living alone, high BMI, and smoking. Increased alcohol consumption not only increased the risk of cirrhosis, but also enhanced the risk of hypertension, heart diseases, and hyperlipidemia.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; adverse effects ; Alcoholism ; etiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Smoking ; adverse effects

Abstract OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of isodon ternifolia-containing serum(ITS) on the activation of rat primary hepatic Kupffer cell(KC) induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) through TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway. METHODS The primary KC of rats were isolated and cultured, and the primary KC induced by LPS were divided into blank control group, model control group, blank serum group, positive control group(colchicine containing serum group), ITS group, TLR4 blocker group and TLR4 blocker+ITS group. MTT assay was used to detect the effect of different concentrations of ITS on the proliferation activity of KC. The content of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-18(IL-18), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in KC supernatant were detected by ELISA. Fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of TLR4, nuclear factor κB inhibitor protein α(IκBα), cysteine protease-1(Caspase-1), NLRP3 mRNA and TLR4, IκBα, phosphorylated IκBα(p-IκBα), Caspase-1, NLRP3 and NF-κBp65 in KC. RESULTS Compared with the model control group, the contents of IL-1β, IL-18, TNF-α and IL-6 in the supernatant of KC and the expression of TLR4, IκB α, Caspase-1, NLRP3 mRNA and TLR4, IκBα, p-IκBα, Caspase-1, NLRP3, NF-κBp65 protein in the supernatant of KC in all drug groups were down-regulated or decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with TLR4 blocker group, the improvement of most of the above indexes in TLR4 blocker+ITS group was more obvious. CONCLUSION Isodon ternifolia may inhibit the activation of KC and reduce the expression and release of inflammatory factors by down-regulating TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway, thus alleviating the inflammatory injury of liver.