Objective To investigate the potential relationship between the paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation(PAF) and serum uric acid level.Methods Consecutive patients with (patient group,n =65) and without(control group,n =41) PAF,who were hospitalized in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from September 2011 to June 2012,were included in this study.We excluded subjects with congestive heart failure,acute coronary syndrome,congenital heart disease,valvular heart disease,cardiomyopathy,thyroid dysfunction and acute infection or inflammatory conditions.Baseline clinical data,complications and laboratory examination results were collected.Left atrium diameter (LAD),left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were determined by echocardiography.Univariate and logistic regression was conducted to detect risk factors for PAF.Results Serum uric acid level were significantly increased in patients with PAF compared with controls ((360.2 ± 103.9) μmol/L vs (296.0 ±68.1) μmol/L,P =0.001).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher level of serum uric acid (OR:1.007,95％ CI:1.000-1.015) and LAD (OR:1.142,95％ CI:1.031-1.265) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of PAF.Conclusion High serum uric acid level is an independent risk factor for the development of PAF.Future larger studies should further evaluate this potential association as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Intracranial artery stenosis is the main cause of ischemic stroke in China. Because of the high recurrence rate of stroke in these patients, the selected patients may benefit from interventional therapy. Therefore, risk stratification and evaluation of intracranial artery stenosis are helpful to determine the clinical treatment plan. High resolution magnetic resonance imaging can clearly show the characteristics of intracranial vascular wall, which is helpful to comprehensively evaluate intracranial vessels. This article reviews the characteristics of vulnerable plaque of intracranial atherosclerosis, the pathogenesis of stroke and the clinical application of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in intracranial artery stenosis.

Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses occasionally cause epidemics and pandemics worldwide, such as the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we identified two potent inhibitors of human DHODH, S312 and S416, with favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic profiles, which all showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against various RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Notably, S416 is reported to be the most potent inhibitor so far with an EC of 17 nmol/L and an SI value of 10,505.88 in infected cells. Our results are the first to validate that DHODH is an attractive host target through high antiviral efficacy in vivo and low virus replication in DHODH knock-out cells. This work demonstrates that both S312/S416 and old drugs (Leflunomide/Teriflunomide) with dual actions of antiviral and immuno-regulation may have clinical potentials to cure SARS-CoV-2 or other RNA viruses circulating worldwide, no matter such viruses are mutated or not.
Animals ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Betacoronavirus ; drug effects ; physiology ; Binding Sites ; drug effects ; Cell Line ; Coronavirus Infections ; drug therapy ; virology ; Crotonates ; pharmacology ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Humans ; Influenza A virus ; drug effects ; Leflunomide ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections ; drug therapy ; Oseltamivir ; therapeutic use ; Oxidoreductases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; drug therapy ; virology ; Protein Binding ; drug effects ; Pyrimidines ; biosynthesis ; RNA Viruses ; drug effects ; physiology ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Toluidines ; pharmacology ; Ubiquinone ; metabolism ; Virus Replication ; drug effects