Vascular Calcification: Where is the Cure?

With the progress of aging, the incidence of vascular calcification (VC) gradually increases, which is correlated with cardiovascular events and all-cause death, aggravating global clinical burden. Over the past several decades, accumulating approaches targeting the underlying pathogenesis of VC have provided some possibilities for the treatment of VC. Unfortunately, none of the current interventions have achieved clinical effectiveness on reversing or curing VC.

Different Anti-inflammatory Drugs on High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Colchicine reduces atherothrombotic cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease because of its anti-inflammatory effect. However, the effects of the other anti-inflammatory drugs in coronary artery disease remain unclear. This study included 132 patients aged 18-80 years who completed the planned percutaneous coronary interventions and were treated with aggressive secondary prevention strategies for 4 weeks.

Paeonol alleviates placental inflammation and apoptosis in preeclampsia by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystemic and placental inflammatory disease that causes maternal and infant health issues. As one of the active components in peony root extract, paeonol (Pae) exerts anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammatory effects. Nonetheless, the protective role of Pae in PE has not yet been characterized.

Association Between Low-Dose Aspirin and Uric Acid in the Elderly: An Observational Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Uric acid is an independent factor for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Although aspirin is one of the most widely used agent in patients with ASCVD, there were only a few studies focusing on the effects of low-dose aspirin on uric acid metabolism with controversial results. The present study aimed to investigate an association between low-dose aspirin treatment for more than one month and serum uric acid (SUA) with its urinary excretion in elderly patients.

Plasma Level of Elabela in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease and Its Correlation with the Disease Classification.

This study aimed to evaluate the concentration of plasma elabela (ELA) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and its correlation with the disease classification.We enrolled 238 patients diagnosed by coronary angiography as CHD and 86 controls. The CHD group was divided into three subgroups: stable angina (SA), unstable angina (UAP), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Identification of Potential Inhibitors Against the TGF-β/BMPs-Activin Receptor- like Kinase 1 Signal Pathway.

Introduction: In many diseased states, especially fibrosis and cancer, TGF-β family members are overexpressed and the outcome of signaling is diverted toward disease progression. As the result of activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) plays a key role in TGF-β signaling, discovering inhibitors of ALK1 to block TGF-β signaling for a therapeutic benefit has become an effective strategy.

Methods: In this work, ZINC15894217 and ZINC12404282 were identified as potential ALK1 inhibitors using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MM/PBSA calculations studies.

Factors Influencing Aspirin Hyporesponsiveness in Elderly Chinese Patients.

BACKGROUND Aspirin hyporesponsiveness increases the risk of ischemic events. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors influencing aspirin hyporesponsiveness. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients aged 60 years or older who did not take aspirin before enrollment were included, with aspirin 100 mg/day administered after enrollment.

miR-34b-3p May Promote Antiplatelet Efficiency of Aspirin by Inhibiting Thromboxane Synthase Expression.

Aspirin has been widely used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but its antiplatelet efficiency varies between individuals. The present study aimed to evaluate response to aspirin based on gene profiles as well as potential regulating pathways using human blood samples and cell lines. Platelet function in patients 50 years or older with coronary artery disease on 100 mg/day aspirin was measured by light transmission aggregometry (LTA) of arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation.

Usage patterns and comfort of gardens: a seasonal survey of internal garden microclimate in the aged care homes of Chengdu City.

An increasing number of Chinese elders trade family care for institutional elder care, which poses an acute challenge due to the enormous number of elders. The internal garden of care homes is often the only green space supplied for the elderly. To elucidate the microclimate status of these internal gardens, three microclimate parameters (air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and solar radiation (SR) were measured in the gardens of eight care homes for the aged in Chengdu City (for 2015 and 2016).

Ginsenoside Re enhances the survival of H9c2 cardiac muscle cells through regulation of autophagy.

We examined the effect of ginsenoside Re (G-Re) on autophagy in H9c2 cardiomyocytes cultured in glucose deprivation (GD). Levels of the membrane-bound autophagy-related microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) B-2 were measured via immunoblotting and immunofluorescence was conducted to assess autophagosome formation. GD H9c2 cells were treated with 100 μmol/l G-Re.

Association of Circulating Neuregulin-4 with Presence and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease.

Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4) is a newly discovered adipokine that is synthesized in many tissues and plays an important role in modulating systemic energy metabolism and in the development of metabolic disorders. However, little is known about the relationship between Nrg4 and coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we investigated the association between Nrg4 and the presence and severity of CAD.

CCR7/p-ERK1/2/VEGF signaling promotes retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.

Aim: To investigate the role of CCR7/p-ERK1/2/VEGF signaling in the mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR).

Methods: Neonatal C57BL/6J mice were evenly randomized into four groups: normoxia, OIR, OIR control (treated with scramble siRNA), and OIR treated (treated with CCR7 siRNA). Normoxia group was not specially handled.

Efficacy of Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation versus Nissen Fundoplication for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Short Term: A Meta-Analysis.

. The efficacy of Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation (MSA) and its outcomes for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) are uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to summarize and analyze the efficacy of two treatments for GERD.

Effective components of and protect the myocardium by inhibiting platelet activation and improving the hypercoagulable state.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of extract of and (EPC) on platelet activation and the hypercoagulable state in rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The MI model in Wistar rats was induced by coronary artery ligation. Sham surgery was performed as a control.

[Value of 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging to quantify regional left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery disease].

Objective: To assess left ventricular (LV) strain by 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: All subjects underwent invasive coronary angiography.2-dimensional and 3-dimensional echocardiography were performed in 52 subjects with suspected CHD.

[The clinical features of gastrointestinal bleeding complicating aortic stenosis].

Objective: To deepen the understanding about Heyde's syndrome by investigating the clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patients with aortic valve stenosis complicating with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Methods: Patients with aortic valve stenosis and gastrointestinal bleeding coincidently admitted to our hospital from 2001 to 2011 were retrieved and analyzed.

Results: In all the 443 157 in-patients, 474 patients were diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis (0.

Xuezhikang, extract of red yeast rice, improved abnormal hemorheology, suppressed caveolin-1 and increased eNOS expression in atherosclerotic rats.

Background: Xuezhikang is the extract of red yeast rice, which has been widely used for the management of atherosclerotic disease, but the molecular basis of its antiatherosclerotic effects has not yet been fully identified. Here we investigated the changes of eNOS in vascular endothelia and RBCs, eNOS regulatory factor Caveolin-1 in endothelia, and hemorheological parameters in atherosclerotic rats to explore the protective effects of Xuezhikang.

Methodology/principal Findings: Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 12/group) group C, controls; group M, high-cholesterol diet (HCD) induced atherosclerotic models; group X, HCD+Xuezhikang; and group L, HCD +Lovastatin.

Effect of the combination of a cyclooxygenase-1 selective inhibitor and taxol on proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer in vivo.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of a cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibitor, SC-560, administered in combination with taxol, on the molecular mechanisms of antitumor efficacy in a SKOV-3 human ovarian carcinoma cell xenograft-bearing mouse model. The mice were treated with 6 mg/kg/day SC-560 by gavage twice every other day and 20 mg/kg taxol by intraperitoneal injection once a week for three weeks. Microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA levels of ovarian cancer were detected in the tumor tissues using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively.