Publications by authors named "Kankai Chen"

Background: Semaglutide is a relatively new anti-hyperglycemic agent that was shown to carry cardioprotective potentials. However, the exact effects of semaglutide on diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and their underlining mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of semaglutide on myocardium injury and cardiac function in DCM mice and its potential mechanisms, with emphasis on its effects on Cx43 and electrophysiological remodeling.

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Background: Chronic inflammatory disorders in atrial fibrillation (AF) contribute to the onset of ischemic stroke. Systemic immune inflammation index (SIII) and system inflammation response index (SIRI) are the two novel and convenient measurements that are positively associated with body inflammation. However, little is known regarding the association between SIII/SIRI with the presence of AF among the patients with ischemic stroke.

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasingly considered an age-related degenerative disease, whose process is associated with the development of impaired left atrial (LA) performance. However, the subtle dynamic changes of LA performance in AF during aging have yet to be fully elucidated. Atrial fibrosis is a key substrate for the development of AF, but the progression of fibrosis during aging and its relationship with LA dysfunction need to be further explored.

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Hyperglycaemia is known to impair angiogenesis, which may contribute to the poor prognosis of diabetic patients following myocardial infarction (MI). miR-17 has been reported to be involved in the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of a variety of vascular endothelial cells. However, how miR-17 regulates angiogenesis under hyperglycaemic conditions has not been reported.

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Background/aims: Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to development of cardiorenal syndrome (CRS), and Silent Information Regulator 1 (SIRT1), a class III histone deacetylase, may have protective effects on heart and renal disease, by reducing ER stress. We aimed to determine if SIRT1 alleviates CRS through ER stress reduction.

Methods: Wild type mice (n=37), mice with cardiac-specific SIRT1 knockout (n=29), or overexpression (n=29), and corresponding controls, were randomized into four groups: sham MI (myocardial infarction) +sham STNx (subtotal nephrectomy); MI+sham STNx; sham MI+STNx; and MI+STNx.

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Background/aims: Hyperuricemia is associated with an increased risk for multiple cardiovascular diseases, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Calpain-1 is a protease that is implicated in several pathological conditions that affect the heart. The aim of this current study was to test the effects of uric acid (UA) on cardiomyocyte survival and cardiac function and to investigate the role of calpain-1 in the UA-induced effects in the heart and their underlying mechanisms.

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Insulin is involved in the development of diabetic heart disease and is important in the activities of mitochondrial complex I. However, the effect of insulin on cardiac mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1 subunit of retinoic-interferon-induced mortality 19 (GRIM-19) has not been characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of insulin on the mitochondrial GRIM-19 in the hearts of rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes.

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Adverse ventricular remodeling is a maladaptive response to acute loss of myocardium and an important risk factor for heart failure following myocardial infarction (MI). Intermedin (IMD) is a novel member of the calcitonin/calcitonin gene‑related peptide family, which may possess potent cardioprotective properties. The aim of the present study was to determine whether IMD1‑53, a mature bioactive form of IMD, may promote therapeutic angiogenesis within the infarcted myocardium, therefore attenuating adverse ventricular remodeling post‑MI.

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Remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) and remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC) have been previously demonstrated to protect the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. However, their combined effects remain to be fully elucidated. In order to investigate this, the present study used an in vivo rat model to assess whether synergistic effects are produced when RIPerC is combined with RIPostC.

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Currently, there is major interest in the functions of apelin-13, an endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein coupled receptor APJ, a receptor that closely resembles the angiotensin receptor AT1. In the present study, the role of apelin-13 in angiogenesis and its mechanism as a novel angiogenic factor in myocardial microvascular endothelial cells (MMVECs) was investigated. It was revealed that apelin-13 can promote proliferation, migration and tube formation in MMVECs.

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The current studies on pulsation phenomena in electrospray ionization, and pulsed electrospray ionization (ESI) under external electrical control are reviewed. A number of investigations have shown that two types of pulsation processes exist: low-frequency fluctuation and high-frequency droplet-formation. The low-frequency pulsation is induced by an imbalance between the flow rate of the input sample to the Taylor cone and the feed rate of the output solution to the liquid filament.

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