Practices and outcomes of rotational atherectomy in China: The Rota China registry.

Background: Rotational atherectomy (RA) remains an integral tool for the treatment of severe coronary calcified lesions despite emergence of newer techniques. We aimed to evaluate the contemporary clinical practices and outcomes of RA in China.

Methods: The Rota China Registry (NCT03806621) was an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter registry based on China Rota Elite Group.

Application of Nanomaterials in Stem Cell-Based Therapeutics for Cardiac Repair and Regeneration.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Although the survival rate of patients with heart diseases can be improved with contemporary pharmacological treatments and surgical procedures, none of these therapies provide a significant improvement in cardiac repair and regeneration. Stem cell-based therapies are a promising approach for functional recovery of damaged myocardium.

Profilin-1 promotes the development of hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Objective: Cardiac hypertrophy is a major cause of heart failure and sudden cardiac death among hypertensive individuals. The present study examined the effects of profilin-1 on hypertension-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Methods: We used adenovirus injection to knockdown or overexpress profilin-1 in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs).

Effects of phlorizin on vascular complications in diabetes db/db mice.

Background: Diabetic macrovascular complications are important causes of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and also one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Phlorizin has been reported to be effective in reducing the blood glucose level in diabetic mellitus, while little is known about its effects on vascular complications. This study aimed to observe the effects of phlorizin on the aorta of diabetes db/db mice and explore its mechanism.

The correlation between carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and composition of the aortic media in CAD patients with or without hypertension.

Objectives: To investigate the influence of hypertension on large artery elasticity and the microstructure of the ascending aortic media in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and the association between arterial compliance and composition of the ascending aorta.

Methods: 60 patients with CAD who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery were divided into two groups: 30 patients in a hypertension group and 30 patients in a non-hypertension group. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was measured by an automatic device (Complior, Artech, France).

[Roles of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, RANTES and Fractalkine on promoting vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques].

Objective: To elucidate the roles of monocyte chemotactic factors (MCP-1, RANTES and Fractalkine) on the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with stable (SAP) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP).

Methods: Patients with SAP (n = 50) and UAP (n = 50) underwent coronary angiography (CAG) and intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) were included in the study. Monocyte chemotaxis was assayed by the transwell chamber.

Effect of ouabain on myocardial ultrastructure and cytoskeleton during the development of ventricular hypertrophy.

The aim of this work is to study cytoskeletal impairment during the development of ouabain-induced ventricular hypertrophy. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either ouabain or saline. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was recorded weekly.

Vascular compliance is reduced in geriatric people with angiographic coronary atherosclerosis.

This study investigated the value of arterial elasticity measurement in the early diagnosis of angiographic coronary artery atherosclerosis in 105 consecutive elderly patients. They were divided into two groups according to the results of selective coronary angiography: 55 with coronary atherosclerosis and 50 with a normal coronary angiogram. The Gensini score of the coronary artery was acquired and capacitive arterial compliance (C1) and oscillatory arterial compliance (C2) were measured.

Safety and efficacy of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects guided by transthoracic echocardiography: a prospective study from two Chinese Medical Centers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure guided by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). A total of 191 patients with ASD were recruited from two Chinese medical centers and TTE was carefully performed in multiple views to observe ASD number, position, diameter and relation with adjacent cardiac structures. All patients were divided into three groups based on their largest ASD diameters: 66 subjects with ASD diameter 5-14 mm (group A); 60 subjects with ASD diameter 15-20 mm (group B); and 65 subjects with ASD diameter 21-38 mm (group C).

Reliability of transthoracic echocardiography in estimating the size of Amplatzer septal occluder and guiding percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects.

Background: In China, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is popularly used for pre-intervention examination for atrial septal defect (ASD) and for guiding ASD closure. However, the ability to determine ASD size and the safety and efficacy of TTE for guiding ASD closure still has not been widely accepted. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TTE used before, during and after transcatheter ASD closure with Amplatzer septal occluders (ASO).

Back-regulation of six oxidative stress proteins with grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts in rat diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. To prevent the development of this disease and to improve advanced kidney injury, effective therapies directed toward the key molecular target are required. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts (GSPE) have been reported to be effective in treating DN, while little is known about the functional protein changes.

Grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts inhibit vascular cell adhesion molecule expression induced by advanced glycation end products through activation of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma.

Although evidence has shown that grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts (GSPE) can selectively inhibit cell adhesion molecule expression induced by advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the underlying molecular mechanism has not been extensively characterized. To study the antiinflammation mechanism of GSPE, we investigated the effect of GSPE on Von Willebrand factor (vWF) content and the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) induced by AGEs and the effect of GSPE on peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) and receptor for AGEs (RAGE) expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). HUVEC were preincubated with or without GSPE of different concentrations (10 mg/L, 50 mg/L, and 100 mg/L) for 4 hours before being treated with 200 mg/L AGEs or unmodified bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 24 hours.

Proteomics analysis of the proliferative effect of low-dose ouabain on human endothelial cells.

Digitalis has been used to treat congestive heart failure for more than 200 years, although the dual effects (proliferation and death) induced by digitalis on cell growth have been known for many years, the mechanisms by which digitalis causes the actions were not completely known. The aim of this work was to characterize the proliferative effect of ouabain on cell growth in endothelial cells, and, to do the differential proteomic analysis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in response to ouabain and examine changes in protein expression. HUVEC were exposed to different concentrations (0.

Selective inhibition by grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts of cell adhesion molecule expression induced by advanced glycation end products in endothelial cells.

The interaction of advanced glycation end products (AGE) with their cell surface receptors for AGEs (RAGE) has been causally implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications and has been shown to stimulate cell adhesion molecule expression in endothelial cells via induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Alternatively, grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts (GSPE), which are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds, have been reported to possess potent radical scavenging and antioxidant properties and to display significant cardiovascular protective action. In this study, we investigated whether GSPE could inhibit AGE-induced cell adhesion molecule expression through interference with ROS generations in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.