Objective To evaluate the value of ghrelin on predicting prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) after hospital discharge.Methods Totally 145 patients withCHF (age≥60 years,83 males and 62 females) were divided into 3 subgroups by New York Heart Association classification (NYHA):class Ⅱ (n=48),class Ⅲ(n=57) and class Ⅳ(n =40).According to the basic diseases,the CHF group was divided into five subgroups.All patients were followed up for about 2 years.The study included 55 healthy control subjects (30 males and 25 females).Results Plasma ghrelin level was lower in CHF cases (1.66±0.28) μg/L than in control subjects (2.27±0.26) μg/L (t 3.77,P＜0.01).The ghrelin level in NYHA Ⅱ(1.85±0.13) μg/L were higher than in NYHA Ⅲ (1.56±0.28) μg/L,the latter were higher than in NYHA Ⅳ (1.27±0.24) μg/L (P＜0.05).The plasma ghrelin level of patients after treatment (1.98±0.25) μg/L was increased compared with that of before treatment (1.66±0.28) μg/L (P＜0.05).No significant difference was found among the five basic disease groups (P＞0.05).During the follow up periods of (637±97)days,plasma ghrelin level was decreased in patients with cardiovascular event (1.26±0.38) μg/L than in patients without cardiovascular event (1.86±0.34) μg/L.The plasma ghrelin was negatively correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (P＜0.05).Conclusions The plasma ghrelin in elderly patients with CHF is decreased than in healthy adults,and its level is lower in patients with severe heart failure.The plasma ghrelin is a predictor of cardiovascular event and death in elderly patients with CHF.

Objective To evaluate the validity of lipoprotien(a) [Lp(a)] concentration as diagnostic test for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stegnotic degree of coronary artherosclerosis. Methods 416 cases of patients who were assessed with coronary angiography were divided into four groups according to the stegnotic degree of coronary artherosclerosis. There were no stenosis and lipid plaque group, single branch group, double branch group, three branch and suffusive stenosis group. TC, HDL - C, LDL - C, ApoAl, ApoB, Lp(a) were examined in early morning fasting for 12 hours after the next admission day. Other risk factors were also recorded, such as hypertension. Results When Lp(a) concentration was used alone to diagnose CHD, the best cutoff value was 15 mg/dl. The crude agreement was 58.2% , the sensitivity was 57.5% , and the specificity was 59.3% . Along with the stegnotic degree of coronary artherosclerosis heavier, the levels of the crude agreement and the sensitivity had a indreasing trend,and levels of the false negative rate had a deoreasing trend. Conclusion The validity of Lp(a) concentration as diagnostic test for CHD is not satisfactory.

Objective To assess the left atrial early function in pilots with essential hypertension by strian rate imaging (SRI). Methods Twenty-five hypertensive pilots without left ventricular hypertrophy and expansion (LVN) were selected. Twenty-ifve healthy pilots were included as control group. At the left ventricular apical four-chamber view, three-chamber view, two-chamber view, the systolic, early and late diastolic peak strain rate (SRs, SRe, SRa) curves were acquired by SRI in the basal section, the middle section and the upper section of the wall of left atrium. The average strain rate (mSRs, mSRe, mSRa) was calculated. The LA maximal, minimal and pre-systolic volume (LAVmax , LAVmin and LAVp), LA passive ejection fraction (LAPEF), LA active ejection fraction (LAAEF) , left atrial stroke volume (LASV), E/A and E/E′ were calculated. Results The LAPEF, LAAEF, LASV, E/A, E/E′were (38.96±6.43)%, (61.11±5.86)%, (14.74±5.33)mm, 1.23±0.08, 8.63±1.77 in the control group, and were (34.18±5.72)%, (63.23±6.89)%, (10.12±3.23)mm, 1.04±0.26, 7.16±0.84 in the study group. Compared with the control group, signiifcant difference was detect in LAPEF, LAAEF, LASV, E/E′(t=4.840, 2.690, 4.801, 2.950, all P<0.05). No signiifcant difference was found in E/A between the study and control group (t=-1.424, P=0.178). There was signiifcant positive correlation between SRa and E/E′(r=0.632, P<0.05). Conclusion SRI could be applied in the evaluation of early left atrial function. In pilots with essential hypertension, the changes of strain rate in left atrial wall, which is prior to the modeling geometry of left ventricular, could be detected by SRI.

Objective To explore the relationship between the hematoma enlargement after intracerebral and level of blood glucose after admitted.Methods Data of all patients with intracerebral hemorrhage were reviewed retrospectively.All 225 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage were divided into the hematoma enlargement group and non-hematoma enlargement group according to Brott's diagnostic criteria.The relationship between the hematoma enlargement and level of blood glucose in patients after admitted was analyzed statistically.Results The incidence of hematoma enlargement correlated significantly with level of blood glucose after admitted(P<0.01).The level of blood glucose of patients with hematoma enlargement after admitted increases more than those of patients without hematoma enlargement(P<0.01).Conclusion If blood glucose over 7.8 mmol/L,the attention should be paid for occurrence of hematoma enlargement,and some effective treatment to lower the level of blood glucose should be taken to improve prognosis of the patients.

Objective:To analyze the curative effect of tripterygium on NOD mice and the possible mechanisms.Methods:NOD mice were divided into 2 groups,Group A:tripterygium treatment(0.07 mg/kg,intraperitoneal injection,12 weeks);Group B:saline control.BALB/c mice were enrolled as control group( Group C).Results:After experiment,Group A had lower salivary flow rate than these of Group C,but higher than these of Group B at 12 and 20 weeks old( P<0.05).Group A had higher rate of inflammatory cells apoptosis than these of Group B and Group C(P<0.05).Group A mice had lower levels of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1βthan these of Group B(P<0.05),but higher than these of Group C(P<0.05).Group A mice had a higher level of SHIP-1 but a lower level of Mir-155 than these of Group B mice(P<0.05).Group A mice had a better neuroelectrophysiological outcomes than these of Group B mice ( P<0.05).Conclusion:Tripterygium can meliorate the sailoadentitis of NOD mice,which may though activating the SHIP-1/Mir-155 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo assess whether the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene 4G/5G polymorphism is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese patients.

METHODSPAI-1 gene 4G /5G polymorphism was analyzed in normal group (121 individuals) and CHD group (126 cases) by a combination of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP).

RESULTSThe 4G allele and 4G/4G genotype frequencies of PAI-1 gene (0.60 and 0.397) for CHD patients were higher than those (0.48 and 0.190) for healthy controls(chi-square=7.63 P<0.01; chi-square=12.67, P<0.01). The odds ratios(OR) for CHD in subjects with the 5G/5G (and 4G/5G) genotypes were 2.54 (95% CI 1.22-5.27, P<0.05) and 1.28(95% CI 1.45-2.38, P>0.05), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the PAI-1 4G/4G genotype is associated with an increased risk for CHD in Chinese patients. The subjects with the 4G/4G genotype had a higher prevalence of CHD, compared to those with the 5G/5G PAI-1 genotype.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Coronary Disease ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo explore the involvement of hepatitis B X protein (HBx) in promoter 3 (P3)-driven mRNA overexpression of the insulin-like growth factor II gene (IGF-II) and investigate the underlying epigenetic mechanism.

METHODSLevels of P3 and HBx mRNA and status of P3 methylation were analyzed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples, with and without hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and bisulfite sequencing. In addition, the levels of P3 mRNA and P3 methylation were examined in HepG2 cells stably overexpressing HBx (HepG2-HBx). Finally, P3 promoter-luciferase constructs were cotransfected into HepG2 cells along with an HBx-expressing plasmid, and the effects of HBx on transcriptional activity and methylation of P3 were analyzed. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted by chi square test, Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, Marn-Whitney U test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient test.

RESULTSThe HBV-positive HCC specimens had significantly higher levels of P3 mRNA than the HBV-negative HCC specimens (-9.59 ± 3.22 vs. -12.97 ± 3.08 delta CT; P=0.006) but significantly lower levels of P3 methylation (mean values for the 17 CpG sites (36.9% ± 15.5% vs. 52.1% ± 19.1%; P=0.025). The P3 transcript abundance was positively correlated with the level of HBx expression and negatively correlated with the level of P3 methylation. The epigenetic results from experiments with the HepG2-HBx cells were similar. Transfection of HBx significantly decreased P3 methylation level and increased its activity.

CONCLUSIONHBx expression may promote IGF-II expression by inducing hypomethylation of its P3 promoter in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Trans-Activators ; pharmacology

Objective:To investigate the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation rate, mutation characteristics and distribution characteristics of different mutation types in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Fuyang of Yunnan province, to provide the clinical individualized targeted therapy of NSCLC in this region.Methods:A total of 328 NSCLC patients whose native place were Fuyuan and who underwent EGFR test in Fuyuan County People's Hospital in Yunnan Province from January 2018 to August 2020 were selected, and their clinical data such as gender, age, ethnicity, pathological type and the results of EGFR test were collected for statistical analysis.Results:The EGFR mutation rate of NSCLC patients was 40.55% (133/328). The EGFR mutation rate of female patients was higher than that of males ( P < 0.01). The EGFR mutation rate showed a downward trend with age, the EGFR mutation rate of patients ≤ 60 years old was higher than that of patients > 60 years old ( P = 0.014). The EGFR mutation rate in ethnic minority was not statistically different from Han nationality ( P = 0.789). The EGFR mutation rate of patients without smoking history was higher than that of patients with smoking history ( P<0.01). Patients with adenocarcinoma had a higher EGFR mutation rate than squamous cell carcinoma ( P = 0.002). The EGFR mutation rate in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱwere higher than that in patents with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ ( P = 0.013). The EGFR mutation rate in tissue samples were higher than that in peripheral blood samples ( P = 0.009). In 328 patients the EGFR single-point mutation rate was 24.70% (81/328), and the compound mutation rate was 15.85% (52/328); the common mutation rate was 17.07% (56/328), and the rare mutation rate was 23.48% (77/328). The top 5 mutation types were L858R (10.06%), G719X+S768I (7.32%), 19-Del (7.01%), G719X+L861Q (6.40%), and G719X (4.21%). In 133 patients with EGFR mutation, the proportion of patients with rare mutation [57.89% (77/133)] was higher than the proportion of patients with common mutation [42.11% (56/133)]. Conclusion:The EGFR mutation rates of female, adenocarcinoma, non-smoking and young NSCLC patients in Fuyuan area are high, and the rare mutation rate is high.