The Potential of Melatonin to Treat Atherosclerosis by Targeting Mitochondria.

As a circadian rhythm hormone, melatonin is widely present in the body and has rich physiological functions. Compared to its prominent circadian role, melatonin has been extensively studied in many fields as an ancient antioxidant. In addition to being considered a potent antioxidant, melatonin has also been found to play an important role in mitochondrial homeostasis.

miR-7 inhibits the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells by suppressing epidermal growth factor receptor expression.

The present study profiled differentially expressed microRNAs (miRs) in gastric cancer cell lines and then investigated miR-7 expression in gastric cancer tissue specimens and the effects of miR-7 on the growth, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells and the underlying molecular events. A microRNA microarray was used to profile differentially expressed miRNAs in human gastric cancer cell lines relative to a normal stomach mucosal epithelial cell line. The miRNA miR-7 was selected for further investigation, which included real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis of miR-7 levels in different gastric cancer cell lines and tissues and distant non-tumor tissues from patient resections.

Apolipoprotein A-I inhibits LPS-induced atherosclerosis in ApoE(-/-) mice possibly via activated STAT3-mediated upregulation of tristetraprolin.

Aim: To investigate the effects of the major component of high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) on the development of atherosclerosis in LPS-challenged ApoE(-/-) mice and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Male ApoE-KO mice were daily injected with LPS (25 μg, sc) or PBS for 4 weeks. The LPS-challenged mice were intravenously injected with rAAV-apoA-I-GFP or rAAV-GFP.

[Assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function by Doppler tissue imaging in patients with chronic heart failure].

Objective: To investigate the application of pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging ( PW-DTI) in evaluating left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods: Mitral annular velocities (MAV) were measured by PW-DTI in 35 patients with CHF and 25 healthy subjects. Traditional indices for evaluating the global left ventricular function by conventional echocardiography were also studied as a comparison.