Background: Innovative coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, with elevated global manufacturing capacity, enhanced safety and efficacy, simplified dosing regimens, and distribution that is less cold chain-dependent, are still global imperatives for tackling the ongoing pandemic. A previous phase I trial indicated that the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (V-01), which contains a fusion protein (IFN-PADRE-RBD-Fc dimer) as its antigen, is safe and well tolerated, capable of inducing rapid and robust immune responses, and warranted further testing in additional clinical trials. Herein, we aimed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of V-01, providing rationales of appropriate dose regimen for further efficacy study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is a type of endothelial growth factor involved in angiogenesis and vascular remodeling. Circulating Ang-2 levels are elevated in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum Ang-2 levels and coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients without obstructive CAD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCtenoid scales protect the fish body against predators and other environmental impacts. At the same time, they allow for sufficient degree of flexibility to perform species-specific locomotion. The scales of the flatfish Solea solea were chosen to study the specific mechanical behavior and material properties of the ctenoid scales.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic changes play key roles in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the dynamic regulation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in diabetic peripheral blood DNA remains to be elucidated.
Results: We collected fasting blood samples (104 patients and 108 healthy controls) and glucose-stimulated blood samples at different time points (11 patients and 5 healthy controls underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)), as well as blood samples from six couples of diabetic and control rats.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is commonly associated with benign or malignant tumors in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, rare cases of NF-1-associated multiple rectal neuroendocrine tumors have been reported. This report describes a case of a 39 year old female with NF-1 and intermittent hematochezia as a primary symptom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFN-methyladenosine (mA) messenger RNA methylation is a gene regulatory mechanism affecting cell differentiation and proliferation in development and cancer. To study the roles of mA mRNA methylation in cell proliferation and tumorigenicity, we investigated human endometrial cancer in which a hotspot R298P mutation is present in a key component of the methyltransferase complex (METTL14). We found that about 70% of endometrial tumours exhibit reductions in mA methylation that are probably due to either this METTL14 mutation or reduced expression of METTL3, another component of the methyltransferase complex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes
July 2018
Aims: We previously showed in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) that admission levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) predict infarct size. We studied whether admission MIF alone or in combination with other biomarkers is useful for risk assessment of acute and chronic clinical outcomes in STEMI patients.
Methods And Results: A total of 658 STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were consecutively recruited.
Background: The left atrial size has been considered as a useful marker of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, it is not well known whether left atrial area index (LAAI) has predictive value for prognosis in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP). This study was aimed to assess the association between LAAI and outcomes in UAP patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Elevated left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP) is an important cause of exercise intolerance in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Exercise stress echocardiography could assess LVFP during exercise. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between exercise induced elevation of LVFP and exercise capacity in patients with AF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
October 2014
Proteins interact with each other to fulfill their functions. The importance of weak protein-protein interactions has been increasingly recognized. However, owing to technical difficulties, ultra-weak interactions remain to be characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi
July 2013
Objective: To explore the current status of morning blood pressure and medication of hypertensive patients in Beijing.
Methods: This study included 2187 hypertensive patients who visited the ambulance of our cardiology department in the morning (7:00-10:00) from March 2012 to April 2012. Patients were divided into three groups: no antihypertensive agent group, single antihypertensive drug therapy group (include CCB, ARB, ACEI, β-blocker) and combined drug therapy group at least one month.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev
January 2013
Aim: Liquid-based cytology is the most often used method for cervical cancer screening, but it is relatively insensitive and frequently gives equivocal results. Used as a complementary procedure, the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test is highly sensitive but not very specific. The human telomerase RNA gene (TERC) is the most often amplified oncogene that is observed in cervical precancerous lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To compare the therapeutic effect of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) and nitroglycerin on acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).
Methods: Fifty ADHF patients were randomly divided into rhBNP group and nitroglycerin group. In all the patients, dyspnea and global clinical status were assessed before and at 30 min, 6 h and 24 h after drug administration, and the volume of fluid intake and urine along with hemodynamic parameters was recorded 24 h after drug administration.
Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao
May 2008
Objective: To evaluate the effect of a phospholipid-coated microbubble contrast agent for myocardium opacification in comparison with a albumin-coated microbubble contrast agent (Quanfuxian).
Methods: In 10 dogs with single coronary artery stenosis involving the anterior descending branch or circumflex branch randomly received infusion of the two contrast agents through the femoral vein. The myocardial blood flow, heart rate and blood pressure were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.
Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao
April 2007
Objective: To investigate the effects of nitroglycerine (NTG) on myocardial oxygen metabolism and regional cardiac function in canine hearts with a stable systemic hemodynamics in situ.
Methods: Eight anesthetized open-chest dogs with flow-limited left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery or left circumflex artery (LCx) stenosis were studied. The percentage of ventricular wall thickening (%WT) was measured with quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), myocardial blood flow (MBF) with radiolabeled microspheres and tissue oxygen pressure (tPO(2).