Calcitriol Suppressed Isoproterenol-induced Proliferation of Cardiac Fibroblasts via Integrin β3/FAK/Akt Pathway.

Objective: Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition are important features of cardiac fibrosis. Various studies have indicated that vitamin D displays an anti-fibrotic property in chronic heart diseases. This study explored the role of vitamin D in the growth of CFs via an integrin signaling pathway.

Efficacy of Long-term Selenium Supplementation in the Treatment of Chronic Keshan Disease with Congestive Heart Failure.

Few effective treatments for chronic Keshan disease have been available till now. The efficacy of long-term selenium supplementation in the treatment of chronic Keshan disease with congestive heart failure is inconclusive. This study aimed to determine whether selenium supplementation is associated with a decreased risk of cardiac death in chronic Keshan disease with congestive heart failure by ten years of follow-up.

[Progressive Risks of Latent Keshan Disease: a Long Term Follow-up Study].

Objective: To observe ten-year prognosis of patients with latent Keshan disease (KD) and to determine its associated risk factors.

Methods: A total of 448 patients with newly diagnosed latent KD were monitored and followed up for 10 years. Their ECG abnormalities were classified as major or minor using the Minnesota Code.

[The establishment and identification of GPx-1(P198L) gene systemic expression transgenic mice].

Objective: To generate systemic expression human cellular glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1) (198Leu) transgenic mice model in order to investigate the functional variants in GPx-1 gene in oxidative stress-related diseases.

Methods: After linearization with BamnH I and Acc I, the transgenic construct GPx-1 (198Leu) was microinjected into the zygotes of C57BL/6J mice to generate transgenic mice, whose genotype was detected by PCR with specific primers. The GPx-1 gene expression profile was determined by Western blotting.

Suppression of PKCε-mediated mitochondrial connexin 43 phosphorylation at serine 368 is involved in myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Mitochondrial connexin 43 (Cx43) is important in cardioprotection by ischemic preconditioning; however, whether mitochondrial Cx43 is involved in mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains to be elucidated. The present study was performed to investigate the changes in expression and the phosphorylation state of mitochondrial Cx43 in a rat model of DCM, and to determine whether the altered phosphorylation state of mitochondrial Cx43 was involved in mitochondrial dysfunction. A rat model of DCM was generated by daily oral administration of furazolidone (FZD) for 30 weeks.

[Effects of p66shc adapter protein and estrogen on cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by angiotensin II].

Objective: To explore the role of p66shc in cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by angiotensin (Ang) II and the effect of estrogen pretreatment.

Methods: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were randomly divided into five groups: normal control, 10(-11) mol/L Ang II, 10(-9) mol/L Ang II, 10(-7) mol/L Ang II, and 10(-7) mol/L Ang II + estrogen treated groups. The cell viability was measured by MTT.

Selenium deficiency is associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress in a rat model of cardiac malfunction.

The relationship between selenium (Se) deficiency-induced cardiac malfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is poorly understood. In the present study, 18 weaning Sprague Dawley rats were randomly fed with three different Se diets, and myocardial glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was measured by an enzyme activity assay. Cardiac function was evaluated by hemodynamic parameters.

Mitochondrial-related gene expression profiles suggest an important role of PGC-1alpha in the compensatory mechanism of endemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Keshan disease (KD) is an endemic dilated cardiomyopathy with unclear etiology. In this study, we compared mitochondrial-related gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from 16 KD patients and 16 normal controls in KD areas. Total RNA was isolated, amplified, labeled and hybridized to Agilent human 4 × 44k whole genome microarrays.

[Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis map of serum proteins in patients with chronic Keshan disease].

Objective: To identify the different serum proteins expressed in patients with Keshan disease (KD).

Methods: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed with serum samples from the patients with chronic KD and healthy controls to separate serum proteins. The gels were stained by sliver and scanned by Umax scanner.