Qiliqiangxin Alleviates Imbalance of Inflammatory Cytokines in Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Qiliqiangxin (QLQX) capsule- a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating heart failure (HF), can modulate inflammatory cytokines in rats with myocardial infarction. However, its immune-regulating effect on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether QLQX has a unique regulatory role in the imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in patients with DCM.

Macrophage ILF3 promotes abdominal aortic aneurysm by inducing inflammatory imbalance in male mice.

Imbalance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses plays a crucial role in the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms. ILF3, a known modulator of the innate immune response, is involved in cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to investigate the role of ILF3 in abdominal aortic aneurysm formation.

Risk factors for chronic hydrocephalus in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage complicated by coma after emergency hematoma removal.

Background: The cerebrospinal fluid circulation of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) can be blocked by blood clots, resulting in acute hydrocephalus. However, current research on chronic hydrocephalus (CH) is lacking.

Methods: A total of 253 patients with ICH combined with coma treated at The Third People's Hospital of Gansu Province after emergency hematoma removal from January 2018 to January 2020 were included.

Rationale and design for comparison of non-compliant balloon with drug-coating balloon angioplasty for side branch after provisional stenting for patients with true coronary bifurcation lesions: a prospective, multicentre and randomised DCB-BIF trial.

Introduction: Provisional stenting using drug-eluting stent is effective for simple coronary bifurcation lesions. Kissing balloon inflation using conventional non-compliant balloon is the primary treatment of side branch (SB) after main vessel (MV) stenting. Drug-coating balloon (DCB) is reported to be associated with less frequent clinical events in in-stent restenosis and small vessel disease.

ARB might be superior to ACEI for treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients.

The administration of ACEI/ARB (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/Angiotension II receptor blockers) in COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) patients with hypertension exhibits a lower risk of mortality compared with ACEI/ARB non-users. In this context, an important question arises: is ACEI or ARB more suitable for the treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients? Taken into consideration the following four rationales, ARB may offer a more significant benefit than ACEI for the short-term treatment of hypertensive COVID-19 patients: 1. ACEI has no inhibition on non-ACE-mediated Ang II production under infection conditions, whereas ARB can function properly regardless of how Ang II is produced; 2.

Epidemiologically characteristics of human brucellosis and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella melitensis in Hinggan League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Background: Hinggan League is located in the Northeast of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the historically endemic area of animal and human brucellosis. In this study, the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis were analyzed, and the genotypic profile and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Brucella melitensis strains isolated from humans in Hinggan League were investigated.

Methods: The epidemic characteristics were described using case number, constituent ratio, and rate.

A New Zn(II)-containing Coordination Polymer for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes and Treatment Activity on Atherosclerosis via Reducing the Vcam-1 Expression.

By employment of a rigid tripodal nitrogen-containing heterotopic ligand tris(1-imidazolyl) benzene (Htib), a new fluorescent Zn(II)-containing coordination polymer {[Zn(tib)](NO)(HO)} (1) with a rare two-fold interpenetrating (3,6)-connected pyr network topology has been successfully prepared under the solvothermal reaction conditions. Under the condition of visible light irradiation, rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) could be degraded with good performance. In the biological function study, the cytotoxicity of the synthetic was evaluated with CCK-8 detection kit on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

[Effect of Ginkgo biloba Tablet on the Expression of Scavenger Receptor A of the Aortic Wall in Atherosclerotic Rats].

Objective: To observe the expression of Ginkgo biloba Tablet (GbT) on scavenger receptor A (SRA) of the aortic wall and changes of serum inflammatory factors in atherosclerotic rats, and to explore its new mechanism for fighting against atherosclerosis (AS).

Methods: Totally 45 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the GbT group, 15 rats in each group. Levels of blood glucose, blood lipids, blood calcium, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (slCAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) were measured in all rats.

[Salvia Miltiorrhiza reduces plasma levels of asymmetric ADMA in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To study changes of plasma ADMA levels of patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to explore the effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza (SM) on them.

Methods: Totally 52 patients with confirmed NSTEMI undergoing PCI were randomly assigned to the SM treated group and the control group, 26 in each group. Patients in the SM treated group received the conventional therapy plus SM (1 g each time, three times per day till one month after PCI).

Functional thyrotropin receptor expression in the ventricle and the effects on ventricular BNP secretion.

Elevated thyrotropin (TSH) and hypercholesterolemia commonly coexist in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, which can cause and aggravate heart disease. However, it is unclear whether TSH has a direct effect on cardiac function. To determine the expression of the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) and the effects of TSH on ventricular function, we analyzed the ventricular tissues and thyroid glands from normal rats and mice and the H9c2 cardiomyocyte cell line.

Association of SIRT1 expression with shear stress induced endothelial progenitor cell differentiation.

Shear stress imposed by blood flow is crucial for differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Histone deacetylase SIRT1 has been shown to play a pivotal role in many physiological processes. However, association of SIRT1 expression with shear stress-induced EPC differentiation remains to be elucidated.

[Cardiac metallothionein overexpression improves cardiac contractile function and attenuates oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice].

Objective: This study was designed to examine the impact of the antioxidant metallothionein (MT) on cardiac contractile, intracellular Ca(2+) function and oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice.

Methods: Weight and age matched adult male FVB and cardiac-specific MT-overexpressing transgenic mice were injected intraperitoneally with 4 mg/kg Escherichia Coli LPS dissolved in sterile saline or an equivalent volume of pathogen-free saline (control groups). Six hours following LPS or saline injection, cardiac geometry and function were evaluated in anesthetized mice using the 2-D guided M-mode echocardiography.

Soluble erythropoietin receptor contributes to erythropoietin resistance in end-stage renal disease.

Background: Erythropoietin is a growth factor commonly used to manage anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. A significant clinical challenge is relative resistance to erythropoietin, which leads to use of successively higher erythropoietin doses, failure to achieve target hemoglobin levels, and increased risk of adverse outcomes. Erythropoietin acts through the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) present in erythroblasts.

Angiopoietin 2 is a partial agonist/antagonist of Tie2 signaling in the endothelium.

Angiopoietin 2 (Ang2) was originally shown to be a competitive antagonist for Ang1 of the receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 in endothelial cells (ECs). Since then, reports have conflicted on whether Ang2 is an agonist or antagonist of Tie2. Here we show that Ang2 functions as an agonist when Ang1 is absent but as a dose-dependent antagonist when Ang1 is present.

Receptor tyrosine kinase Tie-1 overexpression in endothelial cells upregulates adhesion molecules.

Tie-1 is an endothelial specific cell surface protein whose biology remains poorly understood. Using an overexpression system in vitro, we examined whether Tie-1 activity in endothelial cells in vitro would elicit a proinflammatory response. We found that when overexpressed in endothelial cells in vitro, Tie-1 is tyrosine-phosphorylated.

Activation of the orphan endothelial receptor Tie1 modifies Tie2-mediated intracellular signaling and cell survival.

A critical role for Tie1, an orphan endothelial receptor, in blood vessel morphogenesis has emerged from mutant mouse studies. Moreover, it was recently demonstrated that certain angiopoietin (Ang) family members can activate Tie1. We report here that Ang1 induces Tie1 phosphorylation in endothelial cells.

Immune tolerance to cardiac myosin induced by anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody in autoimmune myocarditis rats.

Autoimmune myocarditis is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease. CD4-positive T cells are believed to be the most important for the initiation and mediation of the disease. This study was aimed at evaluating whether anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody could induce immune tolerance to porcine cardiac myosin and whether the immune tolerance could protect rats with autoimmune myocarditis from myocardial injury.

Soluble endoglin contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive syndrome that causes substantial maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Maternal endothelial dysfunction mediated by excess placenta-derived soluble VEGF receptor 1 (sVEGFR1 or sFlt1) is emerging as a prominent component in disease pathogenesis. We report a novel placenta-derived soluble TGF-beta coreceptor, endoglin (sEng), which is elevated in the sera of preeclamptic individuals, correlates with disease severity and falls after delivery.

Excess circulating angiopoietin-2 may contribute to pulmonary vascular leak in sepsis in humans.

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating complication of numerous underlying conditions, most notably sepsis. Although pathologic vascular leak has been implicated in the pathogenesis of ARDS and sepsis-associated lung injury, the mechanisms promoting leak are incompletely understood. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a known antagonist of the endothelial Tie-2 receptor, was originally described as a naturally occurring disruptor of normal embryonic vascular development otherwise mediated by the Tie-2 agonist angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1).

Angiogenic factors in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia affects 5-10% of pregnancies and is responsible for substantial maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is believed to be a two-stage disease with an initial placental trigger with no maternal symptoms followed by a maternal syndrome characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and endothelial dysfunction. The first stage is thought to be due to shallow cytotrophoblast invasion of maternal spiral arterioles leading to placental insufficiency.

Dysmorphogenesis of kidney cortical peritubular capillaries in angiopoietin-2-deficient mice.

Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) modulates Tie-2 receptor activation. In mouse kidney maturation, Ang-2 is expressed in arteries, with lower levels in tubules, whereas Tie-2 is expressed by endothelia. We hypothesized that Ang-2 deficiency disrupts kidney vessel patterning.

Peritubular capillary loss after mouse acute nephrotoxicity correlates with down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor-A and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha.

Although the response of kidneys acutely damaged by ischemia or toxins is dominated by epithelial destruction and regeneration, other studies have begun to define abnormalities in the cell biology of the renal microcirculation, especially with regard to peritubular capillaries. We explored the integrity of peritubular capillaries in relation to expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-alpha proteins, and von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) in mouse folic acid nephropathy, a model in which acute tubular damage is followed by partial regeneration and progression to patchy chronic histological damage. Throughout a period of 14 days, in areas of cortical tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis, loss of VEGFR-2 and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-expressing peritubular capillaries was preceded by marked decreases in VEGF-A transcript and protein levels.