Silencing of Long Noncoding RNA TUG1 Ameliorates Atherosclerosis-Induced Myocardial Injury by Upregulating microRNA-30b-3p and Downregulating Brd4.

Long noncoding RNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging biomarkers involved in human diseases, and we focused on the roles of long noncoding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) and miR-30b-3p in the related mechanisms of atherosclerosis-induced myocardial injury. ApoE-deficient mice were fed with high-fat diet to establish atherosclerotic models and then were subjected to either TUG1 downregulation or miR-30b-3p upregulation treatment. The serum myocardial enzymes, inflammatory biomarkers, pathological changes, intramyocardial macrophage infiltration, and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in atherosclerotic mice were determined.

Intravenous insulin injection supplemented with subsequent milk consumption is a safer formulation for cardiac viability F-FDG imaging.

Background: The safety and efficacy of intravenous insulin injection coupled with subsequent milk consumption was evaluated for high-quality cardiac viability F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) images.

Methods And Results: A total of 328 patients with known/suspected coronary artery disease received intravenous insulin injection with or without subsequent milk consumption for cardiac F-FDG imaging. When blood glucose levels had decreased by ≥ 20%, F-FDG was injected.

Intravenous regular insulin is an efficient and safe procedure for obtaining high-quality cardiac F-FDG PET images: an open-label, single-center, randomized controlled prospective trial.

Background: An open-label, single-center, randomized controlled prospective trial was performed to assess the efficiency and safety of an insulin loading procedure to obtain high-quality cardiac F-FDG PET/CT images for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Between November 22, 2018 and August 15, 2019, 60 patients with CAD scheduled for cardiac F-FDG PET/CT imaging in our department were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive an insulin or standardized glucose loading procedure for cardiac F-FDG imaging. The primary outcome was the ratio of interpretable images (high-quality images defined as myocardium-to-liver ratios ≥ 1).

Astragaloside IV inhibits Angiotensin II-stimulated proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells via the regulation of CDK2 activity.

Aims: Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is the central active component extracted from Radix astragali, an herbal remedy widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Aberrant proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is closely involved in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular complications, such as atherosclerosis. Here we investigated whether AS-IV inhibited agonist-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and the underlying mechanism.