Comparative analysis of heparin affecting the biochemical properties of chicken and murine prion proteins.

The conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) to disease-provoking conformer (PrPSc) is crucial in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. Heparin has been shown to enhance mammalian prion protein misfolding. As spontaneous prion disease has not been reported in non-mammalian species, such as chicken, it is interesting to explore the influence of heparin on the conversion of chicken prion protein (ChPrP).

Different effects of lipid on conformational conversion of chicken and murine prion proteins.

Prion diseases are characterized by the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP) to the pathogenic isoform (PrP). Lipids have been found to interact with PrP and contribute to the efficient formation of PrP. Non-mammalian PrPs are not readily to undergo the conversion process into an infectious isoform, yet the effect of lipid on the conformational conversion of non-mammalian PrP remains to be explored.

Detecting the genetic link between Alzheimer's disease and obesity using bioinformatics analysis of GWAS data.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents the major form of dementia in the elderly. In recent years, accumulating evidence indicate that obesity may act as a risk factor for AD, while the genetic link between the two conditions remains unclear. This bioinformatics analysis aimed to detect the genetic link between AD and obesity on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), gene, and pathway levels based on genome-wide association studies data.

Dishevelled2 promotes apoptosis and inhibits inflammatory cytokine secretion in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes through crosstalk with the NF-κB pathway.

Dishevelled (Dvl) not only links the canonical Wnt and non-canonical Wnt pathways but can also crosstalk with other pathways. As there is no systematic study to date on Dvl in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we explored the impact of Dvl2 on proliferation and inflammatory cytokine secretion in RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). Expression of Dvl2 in RA synovial tissue and RA-FLSs was measured.

One-Year Outcomes of Emergency Department Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective, Multicenter Registry in China.

There is lack of data about patient characteristics, practice patterns, and long-term adverse outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) attending emergency departments (EDs) in China. A total of 2016 patients from 20 representative EDs were included. During 1 year, all-cause mortality was 291 (14.

Comparison of the clinical features and outcomes in two age-groups of elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) disproportionately affects older adults. However, direct comparison of clinical features, medical therapy, and outcomes in AF patients aged 65-74 and ≥ 75 years is rare. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis in these two age-groups of geriatric patients with AF.

Risk factors and incidence of stroke and MACE in Chinese atrial fibrillation patients presenting to emergency departments: a national wide database analysis.

Background: Contemporary clinical risk stratification schemata for predicting stroke and thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are largely derived from western cohorts. The purpose of the present study is to assess the potential risk factors for stroke and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in a large population of Chinese AF patients presenting to emergency department.

Methods: The Chinese AF registry is a multicenter, prospective, observational study with 1 year follow up.