Glucagon-like peptide-1 protects against cardiac microvascular endothelial cells injured by high glucose.

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of glucagon-like peptid-1 (GLP-1) against cardiac microvascular endothelial cell (CMECs) injured by high glucose.

Methods: CMECs were isolated and cultured. Superoxide assay kit and dihydroethidine (DHE) staining were used to assess oxidative stress.

The effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on serum lipid level and TLR4 expression of monocyte in peripheral blood of rats.

Objective: To observe effect of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on serum lipid level and expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in rats' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Methods: Fifty Wistar female rats were divided into three groups: normal control (NC group; n=10), sham group (n=10), and L-T-4 (L-thyroxine) group (n=30, with thyroidectomy, fed with rich-calcium water after operation. 5 weeks later, abdominal subcutaneous injection of L-T-4: 0.

Ginkgo biloba extract reducing myocardium cells apoptosis by regulating apoptotic related proteins expression in myocardium tissues.

The Bax, cyt-c and caspase-3 proteins play an important role in regulating the myocardial apoptosis. Although very little is known about the specific signal pathways modulated by Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), it seems advisable to suppose that GBE-induced antiapoptotic effect might be attributed to the regulation of the expression of these proteins. Our aim was to investigate whether GBE could attenuate ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis in cardiac myocytes and its potential mechanisms.