To analyse the role and mechanism of lipid metabolism disorder in vascular aging caused by endothelial cells,smooth muscle cells,and macrophages.Lipid metabolism disorder damages endothelial cells and promotes vascular aging through the reactive oxygen species(ROS)pathway,endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)activity,oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL),inflammasomes,and various inflammatory factors.Lipid metabolism disorder accelerates vascular aging process through autophagy,DNA damage,and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)in vascular smooth muscle cells.Lipid metabolism disorder stimulates macrophages in the vascular wall to secrete various inflammatory factors that act on the Toll-like receptor(TLR)pathway,promoting oxidative stress and causing DNA damage,thereby promoting vascular aging.Lipid metabolism disorder promotes oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in endothelial cells,smooth muscle cells,and macrophages,leading to vascular aging.

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by prominent inflammatory responses.As a classic chronic inflammatory disease,atherosclerosis(As)has been demonstrated to exhibit specific expression of multiple pyroptosis-related proteins within plaques.Accumulating evidence indicates that pyroptosis plays a crucial regulatory role in the initiation and progression of As.This review primarily focuses on three key cell types involved in As—endothelial cell,macrophage,and vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC),and systematically summarizes their pyroptotic mechanisms and contributions to atherosclerotic development.Furthermore,we comprehensively summarize current advances in anti-atherosclerotic drugs and bioactive compounds targeting pyroptosis,aiming to provide theoretical foundations and research perspectives for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of As.

Aim To explore the effect of ultrasound-treated polystyrene nanoplastics(PS-NP)on lipid accumu-lation in macrophage-derived foam cells.Methods The CCK-8 method was used to detect the effects of PS-NP and high-frequency ultrasound-treated PS-NP(UPS-NP)on the activity of macrophages,oil red O staining and cholesterol de-tection kit were used to detect the intracellular lipid accumulation,RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the ex-pression of mRNA and protein related to cholesterol uptake and efflux,as well as mRNA levels of cell burial related recep-tors.Results UPS-NP had no significant effect on the activity of macrophages,but UPS-NP could significantly in-crease the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells and increase the lipid accumulation in foam cells.UPS-NP could significantly upregulate the mRNA and protein expression of CD36 and scavenger receptor-A1(SR-A1),but did not affect the mRNA and protein expression of cholesterol efflux related receptors ATP-binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1)and scavenger receptor-B1(SR-B1).UPS-NP did not affect the mRNA levels of receptors related to cell burial processes.Conclusion Ultrasound-treated PS-NP can significantly increase lipid accumulation in macrophage-derived foam cells,and its mechanism is related to the upregulation of CD36 and SR-A1 expression.

Aim To systematically analyze the risk factors for comorbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovas-cular diseases using principal component analysis.It seeks to identify key risk factors influencing comorbidity and to con-struct a predictive model to serve as a screening tool for the prevention and management of comorbidities.Methods This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease from December 1,2009 to June 30,2020,at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University,using data from the hospital's integrated coronary heart dis-ease prevention platform.Patients were divided into two groups:those with both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disea-ses and those with only coronary artery disease based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.Clinical indicators during hospi-tal admission were collected.The sample was randomly divided into a modeling set and a validation set in a 7∶3 ratio.In the modeling set,principal component analysis was used to explore the distribution differences in risk factors between the comorbid group and the single-disease group.By analyzing factor load contributions,the most significant variables were i-dentified.Logistic regression was then used to construct a predictive model,and a nomogram was generated.The model's predictive ability and robustness were evaluated in the validation set.Results A total of 11 808 participants were included,with 2 781(23.6%)in the comorbid group and 9 027(76.4%)in the coronary heart disease-only group.Compared with the single-disease group,the comorbid group had a higher average age,a greater proportion of females,and higher systolic blood pressure levels at admission(P<0.001).Additionally,thelevelsof hemoglobin,platelet distri-bution width,low density lipoprotein,and blood sodium were significantly higher in the comorbid group(P<0.05).A total of 8 265 participants were randomly assigned to the modeling set.Principal component analysis identified seven key factors with factor load contributions greater than 5:sodium level,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,age,hemoglobin concentration,platelet distribution width,and total bilirubin level.Using these factors,a nomogram was con-structed via Logistic regression.The nomogram's area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting co-morbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was 0.630(95%CI:0.600～0.768,P<0.001).A total of 3 543 participants were randomly assigned to the validation set.In the validation set,the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.628.Conclusion Elevated sodium level,higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at admission,older age,increased hemoglobin concentration,higher platelet distribution width,and lower total bilirubin level are risk factors for comorbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.The nomogram constructed has clinical value for screening patients with such comorbidities.

Aim To investigate the correlation between the new version of the European System for Cardiac Op-erative Risk Evaluation Ⅱ(EuroSCORE Ⅱ)score,Gensini score and the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular e-vents(MACE)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in patients with coronary heart disease(CHD).Meth-ods A total of 203 CHD patients undergoing PCI treatment admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 2021 to March 2023 were selected as the study objects.Depending on whether MACE happened or not,they were divided into MACE group and non-MACE group.The clinical data of the two groups of patients was compared.Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze the cor-relation between EuroSCOREⅡscore and Gensini score;Logistic regression model was used to evaluate the risk factors for the development of MACE after PCI in patients with CHD;and ROC curves was used to analyze the predictive value of pre-dictive indexes for the development of MACE after PCI in patients with CHD.Results In 203 cases of CHD patients who underwent PCI,65 of them experienced MACE during the 1-year postoperative follow-up(32.02%).The age,rate of history of diabetes mellitus,rate of Killip classification≥gradeⅡ,rate of≥2 diseased vessels,rate of≥2 stents,EuroSCOREⅡscore,and Gensini score of the MACE group were higher than those of the non-MACE group,and the differ-ences were all statistically significant(P<0.05).The results of the Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that there was a positive correlation between the EuroSCOREⅡscore and Gensini score(r=0.200,P=0.004).Logistic regression model analysis showed that age increase,Killip classification≥gradeⅡ,high EuroSCOREⅡscore,and high Gensini score were independent risk factors for the development of MACE after PCI in CHD patients(P<0.05).ROC curve anal-ysis showed that age increase,Killip classification≥gradeⅡ,EuroSCOREⅡscore,Gensini score,and combined predic-tion had statistical significance in determining the occurrence of MACE after PCI(P<0.05);The area under the curve(AUC)of combinedpredictionwas0.953,95%CI was 0.928～0.979,sensitivity was 0.892,specificity was 0.891,in-dicating high predictive value.Conclusion Age increase,Killip classification≥gradeⅡ,high EuroSCOREⅡscore,and high Gensini score are independent risk factors for the occurrence of MACE after PCI in patients with CHD,and all of them have a certain predictive value for MACE after PCI in patients with CHD,and the combined predictive value is higher.

Aim To investigate the predictive value of the Murray law-based quantitative flow ratio(μQFR)after target vessel pretreatment for vascular-related adverse events in patients with de novo coronary lesions treated with drug-coated balloon.Methods This retrospective study included 223 lesions from 223 patients who underwent drug-coated balloon-only strategy and completed 2-year clinical follow-up.Coronary angiographic images of target vessels pre-procedure,post-balloon and post-procedure were collected,and analyzed using a novel Murray's law-based algorithm.The μQFR analysis of each target vessel included not only the μQFR value of the target vessel,but also the length of the target vessel,the degree of vessel diameter stenosis,the reference lumen diameter,the minimum lumen diameter and blood flow velocity.The primary endpoint was defined as the postoperative vessel-oriented composite endpoint(VOCE).Results During the2-year clinical follow-up period,a total of 25 patients(11.2%)experienced VOCE events.Com-pared with the control group,patients with VOCE events after pretreatment showed a decrease in μQFR(P<0.001).Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that a lower target vessel μQFR after pretreatment(OR=0.931,95%CI:0.894～0.969,P<0.001)was an independent predictor of VOCE events.ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off value for predicting 2-year VOCE events using preprocessed μQFR was 0.83(95%CI:0.727～0.840),with a sensitivity of 72.7%and a specificity of 84.0%(AUC=0.773,95%CI:0.676～0.870,P<0.001).Survival analysis showed that compared with patients with μQFR>0.83,patients with μQFR≤0.83 had a significantly higher incidence of VOCE events at 1 and 2 years,increasing to 3.909 times(16.9%vs.4.6%,HR=3.909,95%CI:1.539～9.930,P=0.004)and 2.867 times(19.7%vs.7.2%,HR=2.867,95%CI:1.301～6.316,P=0.009).After adjusting for potential con-founds,patients with pretreated μQFR≤0.83 had a 2.567 times in 2-year incidence of VOCE events(HR=2.567,95%CI:1.151～5.727,P=0.021)and a 3.712 times in 1-year incidence of VOCE events(HR=3.712,95%CI:1.478～9.810,P=0.006)compared to patients with good pretreatment.Conclusions For patients with in situ coronary artery disease,a lower μQFR after pretreatment increases the risk of postoperative adverse clinical events.μQFR≤0.83 may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of lesion pretreatment.

Cardiovascular disease is an important problem affecting global human health,and its incidence is in-creasing year by year.In recent years,more and more studies have shown that sex-determined region of Y(SRY)-related high mobility group-box 9(SOX9)gene,as a highly conserved transcription factor,is widely involved in regulating cardiac dvelopment and cardiovascular disease progression at the level of gene transcription.SOX9,alone or in combination with other proteins,can bind to corresponding cis-acting elements in the downstream target gene promoter region and participate in regulating the expression of downstream heart development or cardiovascular disease-related genes.Therefore,SOX9 has the potential to be a new therapeutic target for the cardiovascular system.In this paper,the structure and function of SOX9 were systematically described,and the latest research progress of SOX9 in cardiac remodeling and vascular remode-ling was summarized,in order to provide new ideas and methods for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular system diseases in the future.

Atherosclerosis(As)poses a serious threat to human health,and modern medicine still faces many limi-tations in its treatment of this disease.However,components and compounds of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)have unique advantages in anti-atherosclerosis by regulating macrophage autophagy,they exert anti-inflammatory,anti-oxi-dation,lipid metabolism-regulating and plaque-stabilizing effects.This paper reviews the application of TCM in regulating macrophage autophagy to prevent and treat atherosclerosis,and provides new insights into the application of TCM compo-nents and compounds in the treatment of As.

Aim To evaluate the tyrosine nitration modification of specific proteins in vascular endothelial cells and its impact on mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured in vitro and divided into three groups:control group(treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide),3-morphansulam(SIN-1)group,and SIN-1+Fe(Ⅲ)5,10,15,20-(tetraphenyl)porphyrin(FeTPP)group.After 24 h,the levels of hexokinase 1(HK1)nitration modification,mitochondrial membrane potential,reactive oxygen species(ROS)production,and endothelial cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed.A human umbilical vein endothelial cell line knockout of HK1 was constructed using gene editing technology,and its proliferation and apoptosis levels were detected.Results After treatment of hu-man umbilical vein endothelial cells with peroxynitrite generator SIN-1,the level of HK1 protein nitration modification sig-nificantly increased(P＜0.01),reactive oxygen species production significantly increased,mitochondrial membrane poten-tial significantly decreased,endothelial cell proliferation ability significantly decreased,and endothelial cell apoptosis level significantly increased(all P＜0.01).Peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst FeTPP could reverse the above effect(P＜0.01).In addition,HK1 gene knockout also exhibited similar antioxidant effects,with a significant decrease in endothe-lial cell proliferation ability and a significant increase in apoptosis levels(P＜0.01).Conclusion Peroxynitrite can induce an increase in the level of nitration modification of HK1 in vascular endothelial cells,which may be achieved by pro-moting the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species,thereby accelerating the process of endothelial cell apoptosis.

Aim Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment(SELEX)techniquewas employed to screen and identify nucleic acid aptamers that specifically bind to mouse atherosclerotic pathological tissues,aiming to pro-vide a research foundation for the development of molecular targets and diagnostic reagents for early atherosclerosis.Methods A single-stranded DNA(ssDNA)library with a capacity of 1015～1016 was constructed,which was then subjec-ted to binding-elution(negative selection)with normal mouse vascular tissue slices.The eluted library was subsequently bound to atherosclerotic tissue slices for binding-elution(positive selection).PCR was used to amplify the positive and negative screening products,and agarose gel electrophoresis was used to verify the amplified products.The ssDNA library after multiple rounds of selection was sequenced using T-A cloning and sequencing to obtain the primary structure of the nu-cleic acid aptamers,and the secondary structure was predicted using the Mfold online software.The selected nucleic acid aptamers were labeled with a FAM fluorescent group at the 5'-end and were bound to both positive and negative selection tissue slices,with fluorescence intensity observed under a fluorescence microscope.Image Pro Plus 6.0 was used to cal-culate the relative average fluorescence intensity to evaluate the binding specificity of nucleic acid aptamers.Results After 8 rounds of selection,agarose gel electrophoresis imaging showed PCR amplification products in the positive selection lanes,while no PCR amplification products were observed in the negative selection lanes,indicating the successful acquisi-tion of a nucleic acid aptamer library that specifically binds to atherosclerotic tissues.Five nucleic acid aptamers were i-dentified by T-A cloning and sequencing,and their predicted secondary structures all had stem-loop structures.Immuno-fluorescence staining verified that five nucleic acid aptamers had different degrees of binding with As blood vessels,and the quantitative results of the relative average fluorescence intensity showed that nucleic acid aptamer No.11 had the highest relative average fluorescence intensity value,which can be used as a candidate nucleic acid aptamer for subsequent re-search.Conclusion Specific nucleic acid aptamers that bind to atherosclerotic vesselswere successfully obtained,providing a research foundation for further screening of early molecular targets of Asand developing in vivo early diagnostic reagents.