Objective: To observe the clinical effect of Qiliqiangxin capsule combined with recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide in acute left heart failure patients 7 days after onset as well as the effects of plasma MDA and ET-1. Methods: In total, 240 hospitalized patients with acute left heart failure from October 2017 to May 2021 were selected from the Department of Emergency and Critical Care Center of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University and the Department of Cardiology of the Jilin Provincial People's Hospital. They were randomly divided into routine treatment group and combined treatment group, with 120 cases in each group. The routine treatment group was treated with vasodilation, diuresis, cardiotonic and recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide. The combined treatment group was treated with Qiliqiangxin capsules based on the routine treatment group. One week later, the changes in clinical efficacy, ejection fraction, left ventricular commoid diameter, and plasma BNP, MDA, and ET-1 were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. SPSS 11.5 statistical software was used. The measurement data was expressed in x¯±s, the independent sample t-test was used for comparison between groups, and the paired t-test was used for comparison before and after treatment within groups. Counting data was expressed as case (%), and the rank sum test was used for inter-group comparison. Result: In terms of clinical efficacy, the total effective rate of the combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of the conventional treatment group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the routine treatment group, the left ventricular ejection fraction in the combined treatment group was significantly increased (P<0.05). The levels of plasma BNP, MDA and ET-1 were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion: Qiliqiangxin capsule combined with rhBNP treatment can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of acute heart failure, as well as reduce the lipid peroxidation product MDA content and endothetin ET-1 level in blood. The clinical application value of the Qiliqiangxin capsule needs to be further confirmed by further trials.
Humans ; Heart Failure/physiopathology* ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/therapeutic use* ; Stroke Volume/physiology* ; Ventricular Function, Left/physiology* ; Cardiotonic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use* ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drug Therapy, Combination

Objective: To detect the effects of shortwave radiation on dose-dependent cardiac structure and function in rats after radiation and to elucidate the mechanism of shortwave radiation induced cardiac injury to identify sensitive indicators and prophylactic treatment. Methods: One hundred Wistar rats were either exposed to 27 MHz continuous shortwave at a power density of 5, 10, and 30 mW/cm for 6 min or undergone sham exposure for the control (the rats had to be placed in the exposure system with the same schedules as the exposed animals, but with an inactive antenna). The Ca , glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (AST), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content in the peripheral serum of the rats were detected by an automatic blood biochemical analyser. The electrocardiogram (ECG) of standard lead II was recorded by a multi-channel physiological recording and analysis system. The cardiac structure of rats was observed by light and electron microscopy. Results: The results showed that the 5, 10, and 30 mW/cm shortwave radiation caused a significant increased in the levels of Ca , AST, CK, and LDH in the peripheral serum of rats. The cardiac structure was damaged by radiation and showed a disordered arrangement of myocardial fibres, the cavitation and swelling of myocardial mitochondria. These injuries were most significant 7 d after radiation and were not restored until 28 d after radiation. Conclusion Shortwave radiation of 5, 10, and 30 mW/cm can damage rat cardiac function, including damage to the tissue structure and ultrastructure, especially at the level of the myocardial fibres and mitochondria. Shortwave radiation at 5, 10, and 30 mW/cm induced damage to rat heart function and structure with a dose-effect relationship, i.e., the greater the radiation dose was, the more significant the damage was.
Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Heart ; radiation effects ; Heart Diseases ; ethnology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Radio Waves ; adverse effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objective To examine if the variations at sea level would be able to predict subsequent susceptibility to acute altitude sickness in subjects upon a rapid ascent to high altitude. Methods One hundred and six Han nationality male individuals were recruited to this research. Dynamic electrocardiogram, treadmill exercise test, echocardiography, routine blood examination and biochemical analysis were performed when subjects at sea level and entering the plateau respectively. Then multiple regression analysis was performed to construct a multiple linear regression equation using the Lake Louise Score as dependent variable to predict the risk factors at sea level related to acute mountain sickness (AMS). Results Approximately 49.05% of the individuals developed AMS. The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (22.0±2.66 vs. 23.2±3.19 mm, t=1.998, P=0.048) was significantly lower in the AMS group at sea level, while count of eosinophil [(0.264±0.393)×10⁹/L vs. (0.126±0.084)×10⁹/L, t=-2.040, P=0.045], percentage of differences exceeding 50 ms between adjacent normal number of intervals (PNN50, 9.66%±5.40% vs. 6.98%±5.66%, t=-2.229, P=0.028) and heart rate variability triangle index (57.1±16.1 vs. 50.6±12.7, t=-2.271, P=0.025) were significantly higher. After acute exposure to high altitude, C-reactive protein (0.098±0.103 vs. 0.062±0.045 g/L, t=-2.132, P=0.037), aspartate aminotransferase (19.7±6.72 vs. 17.3±3.95 U/L, t=-2.231, P=0.028) and creatinine (85.1±12.9 vs. 77.7±11.2 mmol/L, t=-3.162, P=0.002) were significantly higher in the AMS group, while alkaline phosphatase (71.7±18.2 vs. 80.6±20.2 U/L, t=2.389, P=0.019), standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (126.5±35.9 vs. 143.3±36.4 ms, t=2.320, P=0.022), ejection time (276.9±50.8 vs. 313.8±48.9 ms, t=3.641, P=0.001) and heart rate variability triangle index (37.1±12.9 vs. 41.9±11.1, t=2.020, P=0.047) were significantly lower. Using the Lake Louise Score as the dependent variable, prediction equation were established to estimate AMS: Lake Louise Score=3.783+0.281×eosinophil-0.219×alkaline phosphatase+0.032×PNN50. Conclusions We elucidated the differences of physiological variables as well as noninvasive cardiovascular indicators for subjects after high altitude exposure compared with those at sea level. We also created an acute high altitude reaction early warning equation based on the physiological variables and noninvasive cardiovascular indicators at sea level.
Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Alkaline Phosphatase/blood* ; Altitude ; Altitude Sickness/physiopathology* ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood* ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis* ; Creatinine/blood* ; Electrocardiography/methods* ; Exercise Test/methods* ; Heart Rate/physiology* ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

Circadian rhythms widely exist in living organisms, and they are regulated by the biological clock. Growing evidence has shown that circadian rhythms are tightly related to the physiological function of the cardiovascular system, including blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism of cardiomyocytes, function of endothelial cells, and vasoconstriction and vasodilation. In addition, disruption of circadian rhythms has been considered as one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction. This review summarizes the recent research advances in the relationship between circadian clock and cardiovascular diseases, hoping to improve treatment strategies for patients with cardiovascular diseases according to the theory of biological clock.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; physiopathology ; Circadian Clocks ; Circadian Rhythm ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; metabolism ; Vasoconstriction ; Vasodilation

Polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) are essential polycations that play important roles in various physiological and pathophysiological processes in mammalian cells. The study was to investigate their role in cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the underlying mechanism. Isolated hearts from male Sprague-Dawley rats were Langendorff-perfused and cardiac I/R was achieved by 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Different concentrations of polyamines (0.1, 1, 10, and 15 μmol/L of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), cyclosporin A (0.2 μmol/L), or atractyloside (20 μmol/L) were given 10 min before the onset of reperfusion. The hemodynamics were monitored; the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in the coronary effluent were measured spectrophotometrically; infarct size was determined by the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining method; and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening was determined spectrophotometrically by the Ca-induced swelling of isolated cardiac mitochondria. The results showed that compared to I/R alone, 0.1 and 1 μmol/L polyamines treatment improved heart function, reduced LDH release, decreased infarct size, and these effects were inhibited by atractyloside (MPTP activator). In isolated mitochondria from normal rats, 0.1 and 1 μmol/L polyamines treatment inhibited MPTP opening. However, 10 and 15 μmol/L polyamines treatment had the opposite effects, and these effects were inhibited by cyclosporin A (MPTP inhibitor). Our findings showed that polyamines may have either protective or damaging effects on hearts suffering from I/R by inhibiting or activating MPTP opening.
Animals ; Cyclosporine ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mitochondria, Heart ; physiology ; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins ; physiology ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; physiopathology ; Polyamines ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Activation of peripheral respiratory chemoreceptors provokes respiratory and cardiovascular reflexes, providing a novel understanding of pathogenic mechanism of hypertension. Here we hypothesize that activation of peripheral respiratory chemoreceptors by hypoxia causes enhanced cardiorespiratory activity in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Using whole body plethysmography in combination with radio telemetry, pulmonary ventilation, arterial blood pressure and heart rate were examined in SHRs and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. We found that exposure to hypoxia induced greater increases in tidal volume and minute ventilation volume in SHRs compared to WKY rats. In addition, hypoxia caused a robust increase in arterial blood pressure and heart rate in SHRs relative to WKY counterparts. After carotid body denervation, the hypoxic ventilatory response was significantly decreased in both SHRs and WKY rats, but without significant difference between the two strains; moreover, the differences of arterial blood pressure and heart rate changes during hypoxic exposure were statistically insignificant between SHRs and WKY rats. It is concluded that hypoxia remarkably potentiates cardiorespiratory activity in the SHRs, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity of carotid bodies to hypoxia.
Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Heart Rate ; Hypertension ; physiopathology ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY

The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. These two systems control the heart and work in a reciprocal fashion to modulate myocardial energy metabolism, heart rate as well as blood pressure. Multiple cardiac pathological conditions are accompanied by autonomic imbalance, characterized by sympathetic overactivation and parasympathetic inhibition. Studies have shown that overactive sympathetic nervous system leads to increased cardiac inflammatory reaction. Orchestrated inflammatory response serves to clear dead cardiac tissue and activate reparative process, whereas excessive inflammation may result in pathological cardiac remodeling. Since the discovery of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR)-mediated cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), the protective effects of the parasympathetic nervous system in cardiac inflammation have attracted more attention recently. In this review, we summarized the role and underlying mechanisms of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in cardiac inflammation, in order to provide new insight into cardiac inflammatory response in cardiovascular diseases.
Autonomic Nervous System ; physiology ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Inflammation ; physiopathology ; Parasympathetic Nervous System ; physiology ; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor ; physiology

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many of Japanese workers have complained of fatigue and stress, considering them as risk factors for depression. Studies have found that "forest bathing" (Shinrin-yoku) has positive physiological effects, such as blood pressure reduction, improvement of autonomic and immune functions, as well as psychological effects of alleviating depression and improving mental health. In this study, we investigate the physiological and psychological effects of "forest bathing" on people of a working age with and without depressive tendencies. METHODS: We conducted physiological measurements and psychological surveys before and after forest bathing with subjects who participated in day-long sessions of forest bathing, at a forest therapy base located in Hiroshima Prefecture. After excluding severely depressed individuals, the participants were classified into two groups: those with depressive tendencies (5 ≤ K6 ≤ 12) and those without depressive tendencies (K6 < 5) for comparative study. The evaluation indices measured were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), autonomic functions, and profile of mood states (POMS). RESULTS: Of the 155 participants, 37% had depressive tendencies, without any differences observed between males and females. All participants showed significant decrease in SBP, DBP, and in negative POMS items after a forest bathing session. Before the session, those with depressive tendencies scored significantly higher on the POMS negative items than those without depressive tendencies. After forest bathing, those with depressive tendencies demonstrated significantly greater improvement in many of POMS items than those without depressive tendencies, and many of them no longer differed between those with and without depressive tendencies. CONCLUSIONS Examining the physiological and psychological effects of a day-long session of forest bathing on a working age group demonstrated significant positive effects on mental health, especially in those with depressive tendencies. Not applicable; this is not a report of intervention trial.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Depression ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Female ; Forests ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Mental Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; psychology ; Young Adult

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias, which does great harm to patients. Effective methods were urgently required to prevent the recurrence of AF. Four methods were used to analyze RR sequence in this paper, and differences between Pre-AF (preceding an episode of AF) and Normal period (far away from episodes of AF) were analyzed to find discriminative criterion. These methods are: power spectral analysis, approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SpEn) analysis, recurrence analysis and time series symbolization. The RR sequence data used in this research were downloaded from the Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Prediction Database. Supporting vector machine (SVM) classification was used to evaluate the methods by calculating sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rate. The results showed that the comprehensive utilization of recurrence analysis parameters reached the highest accuracy rate (95%); power spectrum analysis took second place (90%); while the results of entropy analyses and time sequence symbolization were not satisfactory, whose accuracy were both only 70%. In conclusion, the recurrence analysis and power spectrum could be adopted to evaluate the atrial chaotic state effectively, thus having certain reference value for prediction of AF recurrence.
Atrial Fibrillation ; diagnosis ; Entropy ; Heart Atria ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Support Vector Machine

Pathological processes such as myocardial apoptosis, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, and cardiac electrical remodeling are involved in the development and progression of most cardiac diseases. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) has been found to play an important role in heart diseases as a novel type of endogenous regulators, which can inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis, improve hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy, promote myocardial fibrosis and atrial electrical remodeling. In this review, we summarize the research progress on the function of miR-21 in heart diseases and its mechanism, and discuss its potential application in diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.
Cardiomegaly ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Heart Diseases ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; pathology