[Clinical effect and safety of clopidogrel combined with aspirin in antithrombotic therapy for children with Kawasaki disease complicated by small/medium-sized coronary artery aneurysms].

Objective: To study the clinical effect and safety of clopidogrel combined with aspirin in antithrombotic therapy for children with Kawasaki disease (KD) complicated by coronary artery aneurysm (CAA).

Methods: A total of 77 KD children who were diagnosed with multiple small/medium-sized CAAs by echocardiography between January 2013 and June 2018 were enrolled. They were randomly divided into observation group with 38 children (treated with clopidogrel and aspirin) and control group with 39 children (treated with low-molecular-weight heparin and aspirin).

LncRNA-ANRIL inhibits cell senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells by regulating miR-181a/Sirt1.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is one of the major threats to human life and health, and vascular aging is an important cause of its occurrence. Antisense non-coding RNA in the locus (ANRIL) is a kind of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that plays important roles in cell senescence. However, the role and mechanism of ANRIL in senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are unclear.

Interferon-α-induced CD100 on naïve CD8 T cells enhances antiviral responses to hepatitis C infection through CD72 signal transduction.

Objectives We investigated the effects of CD100 on naïve CD8 T cells during hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after interferon-α (IFN-α) therapy to clarify the mechanism underlying the effect of IFN-α in enhancing the antiviral response. Methods The CD100 molecules on subsets of CD8 T cells were analysed with flow cytometry. The effects of CD100-overexpressing naïve CD8 T cells were determined with ELISAs and an MTT cytotoxicity assay.

[Relationship between heart rate variability and coronary artery lesion in children with Kawasaki disease].

Objective: To explore the correlation of heart rate variability (HRV) indices with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and their prognostic value.

Methods: A total of 130 children with KD were assigned into coronary artery lesion (CAL) group (n=47) and non-coronary artery lesion (NCAL) group (n=83). Meanwhile, 110 healthy children and 29 children in the recovery stage of non-cardiovascular diseases were selected as control and non-KD groups, respectively.

microRNA-214 functions as a tumor suppressor in human colon cancer via the suppression of ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 2.

microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a conserved class of endogenous, short non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of genes involved in diverse cellular processes. miR-214 has been reported to be associated with several cancers, including human colon cancer. However, the function of miR-214 in colon cancer development is poorly understood.

[The role of endogenous vascular elastase in coronary artery reconstruction in Kawasaki disease].

Objective: To investigate the role of endogenous vascular elastase (EVE) in coronary artery between reconstruction among pediatric patients with Kawasaki disease (KD).

Methods: Sixty children who were diagnosed with KD between January 2012 and April 2013 were selected as the case group, and peripheral venous blood samples were collected on days 0-11 (pathological stage I) and days 12-25 (pathological stage II) after the onset of disease; another 60 children without KD who visited the hospital due to acute fever during the same period were selected as the control group, and fasting peripheral venous blood samples were collected in the acute stage of fever. For both groups, serum levels of EVE and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

[Plasma concentration of growth-differentiation factor-15 in children with congenital heart disease: relation ship to heart function and diagnostic value in heart failure].

Objective: To study the correlation between growth differentiation factor-15(GDF-15) and cardiac function in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease, and the diagnostic value of GDF-15 in heart failure(HF).

Methods: From March 2011 to May 2012, 97 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease(CHD) who consecutively attended Chengdu Women's & Children's Central Hospital were enrolled in the study and assigned to HF (patients with heart failure, n=71) and Non-HF(patients without heart failure, n=26) groups. HF was defined as patients presenting with modified Ross score≥3.

[Risk factors for coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease].

Objective: To study risk factors for the development of coronary artery lesions (CAL) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD).

Methods: The clinical data of 527 children with KD between January 2006 and January 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 15 potential factors associated with occurrence of CAL were evaluated by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis.

[Characterizations of atrial contractions triggering paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and the effect of atrial fibrillation prevention pacing].

Objective: To evaluate the electrocardiographic characterizations of atrial contractions(AC) triggering paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(AF), and to explore the effects of AF prevention pacing on their electrocardiographic characterizations.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with the implantation of AF therapy pacemaker(Vitatron 900E) were analyzed by AC triggering paroxysmal AF with Holter monitoring in the study. AC compluing interval, compensatory pause and frequency 2 minutes before the AF or during the AC were compared between the induced paroxysmal AF group and noinduced paroxysmal AF group, and the preventive effect of AF on the post-PAC response program was investigated.

[Effect of atrial pacing on the sleep apnea syndrome in elderly patients].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of atrial pacing to increase the heart rate during sleep in elderly patients with sleep apnea syndrome.

Methods: Sixteen elderly patients with central type or obstructive type sleep apnea received permanent atrial-synchronous ventricular pacemakers for symptomatic sinus bradycardia were analysed in this study. All patients received polysomnographic evaluations for 3 consecutive nights.

[Detecting the activity of antibodies induced by recombinant TGFbeta1 vaccine].

Objective: To measure the neutralization activity in vitro of the antibodies induced by recombinant TGFbeta1 vaccine and to evaluate the vaccine's anti-liver fibrosis activity.

Methods: Balb/c mice were immunized with a fusion protein of the human TGFbeta1 epitope-inserted into a hepatitis B core antigen using a prokaryotic expression system. The antibody produced by the recombinant vaccine was determined using ELISA.

Construction of prokaryotic expression system of TGF-beta1 epitope gene and identification of recombinant fusion protein immunity.

Aim: To insert the constructed TGF-beta(1) epitope gene into the el loop of C-terminus of truncated hepatitis B core antigen to increase TGF-beta(1) antigenicity in its prokaryotic expression system and to identify immunity of the expressed recombinant protein in order to exploit the possibility for obtaining anti-TGF-beta(1) vaccine.

Methods: The TGF-beta(1) encoding epitope gene (the mature TGF-beta(1) from 78-109 amino acid residues, TGF-beta(1)(32)) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the recombinant pGEM-7z/ TGF-beta(1)(32) vector. The HBcAg gene fragments (encoding HBcAg from 1-71 and 89-144 amino acid residues) were amplified from PYTA1-HBcAg vector.

[Fusion of TGF-beta 1 antigenic determinant and HBV core antigen as an anti-TGF-beta 1 vaccine].

Objectives: To examine the expression and purification of the TGFbeta1 vaccine from prokaryotic expression system and to determine the antigenicity of the fusion protein of recombinant vector pET28a/ HBcAg1-71-TGFbeta132-HBcAg89-144.

Methods: The reconstructed vector pGEMEX-1/CTC was subcloned to pET28a and transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3).