Analysis of LDLR variants from homozygous FH patients carrying multiple mutations in the LDLR gene.

Background And Aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease with widespread global prevalence that partially accounts for the high prevalence of premature coronary heart disease. Although the majority of research on FH has focused on single heterozygous LDLR mutations, there have been limited reports of double LDLR mutations on the same chromosome. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the clinical consequences of the presence of multiple mutations in the LDLR gene.

The association between serum ferritin levels and the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus: A 10-year follow-up of the Chinese Multi-Provincial Cohort Study.

Aims: To investigate the association of serum ferritin levels and ferritin level changes with the 10-year risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Among 2359 subjects without T2DM at baseline in 2002, 1956 subjects were re-examined in 2007, and 1660 subjects were invited to be re-examined in 2012. Serum ferritin (ng/ml) levels were measured by latex-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay.

Off-Pump Semicircular Annuloplasty: Effective Treatment of Concurrent Moderate Aortic Regurgitation.

The treatment of aortic regurgitation (AR) in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a difficult problem. Aortic valve repair has become a promising therapy for AR. Various annuloplasty approaches have been used and have gained satisfactory results.

Association between plasma BMP-2 and in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between plasma bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) level and in-stent restenosis in patients with coronary artery disease.

Methods: A total of 96 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and were followed up after PCI were enrolled in this study. 47 patients diagnosed with in-stent restenosis (ISR) were recruited to ISR group and 49 patients without ISR were recruited to Control group according to the results of coronary angiography (CAG).

Distal Anastomosis Support for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A New Surgical Technique and Current Outcomes.

Background: Saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure remains the Achilles' heel of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and grafts performed on the right coronary artery (RCA) system always have the worst patency compared with those performed on the left coronary system. The aim of this study was to introduce the distal anastomoses support (DAS) procedure and investigate the effect of DAS on the mid-term graft patency of SVG-PDA.

Methods: Between May and September 2013, 100 patients with an RCA severe lesion who underwent isolated OPCABG (CABG alone group, n=50) or CABG with DAS for anastomoses of SVG-PDA (CABG plus DAS group, n=50) were evaluated retrospectively.

Is C-reactive protein a marker of obstructive sleep apnea?: A meta-analysis.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease, distinguished by recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, with an inflammatory component. C-reactive protein (CRP) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are markers of systemic inflammation and may serve as biomarkers of OSA.

Methods: Scientific studies published from January 1, 2006, to January 1, 2016 were obtained via searches of PubMed, Embase, SCI, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) using relevant terms.

Knockout of immunoproteasome subunit β2i ameliorates cardiac fibrosis and inflammation in DOCA/Salt hypertensive mice.

The immunoproteasome is a multicatalytic protease complex in all eukaryotic cells, which plays a key role in regulating essential cellular processes. However, the role of immunoproteasome subunit β2i in regulation of cardiac fibrosis and inflammation in deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)/salt mice remains unknown. Wild-type (WT) and β2i knockout (KO) mice were subjected to uninephrectomy and DOCA/salt treatment for 21 days.

Periodic limb movements of sleep are associated with an increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation in patients with mild sleep-disordered breathing.

Background: Growing evidence indicates that periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) may be related to increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the association of PLMS with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear, especially in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). This study sought to investigate whether PLMS were associated with increased AF prevalence, independent of established risk factors.

Independent Risk Factors Contributing to Acute Kidney Injury According to Updated Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 Criteria After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Meta-analysis and Meta-regression of 13 Studies.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the risk factors for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) according to the AKI definition from the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2).

Setting: A meta-analysis.

Participants: A total of 661 patients with post-TAVI AKI according to the VARC-2 definition and 2,012 controls were included in the meta-analysis.

Comparison of in-hospital glycemic variability and admission blood glucose in predicting short-term outcomes in non-diabetes patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aims: Admission hyperglycemia is associated with increased mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with or without diabetes mellitus after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, effects of glycemic variability (GV) on outcomes of non-diabetes patients with AMI still remains unclear. The aim of this study is to compare the prognostic value of in-hospital GV with admission blood glucose (ABG) for 3-month MACE in non-diabetes patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The Association between Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis on Cardiac Magnetic Resonance T1 Mapping and Myocardial Dysfunction in Diabetic Rabbits.

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between imaging surrogates for diffuse fibrosis and myocardial dysfunction. Thirty-six New Zealand white rabbits were classified into two groups: a control group (n = 18) and an alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) group (n = 18). For all rabbits, conventional ultrasonography, two-dimensional speckle tracking, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping were performed; all of the rabbits were then sacrificed for Masson's staining.

Risk Factors for Post-TAVI Bleeding According to the VARC-2 Bleeding Definition and Effect of the Bleeding on Short-Term Mortality: A Meta-analysis.

Background: In this study we investigated the effect of post-transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) bleeding (per Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 [VARC-2] bleeding criteria) on 30-day postoperative mortality and examined the correlation between pre- or intraoperative variables and bleeding.

Methods: Multiple electronic literature databases were searched using predefined criteria, with bleeding defined per Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria. A total of 10 eligible articles with 3602 patients were included in the meta-analysis.

Cytokine Imbalance as a Common Mechanism in Both Psoriasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Psoriasis (PS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Previous studies showed that these two diseases had a common pathogenesis, but the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was employed to explore both the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of 10 PS and 10 RA patients compared with those of 10 healthy volunteers and the shared DEGs between these two diseases.

Circulating endothelial microparticles and in acute myocardial infarction.

Microparticles (MPs) and miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in coronary artery disease (CAD) by monitoring endothelial dysfunction. The present study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of endothelial MPs (EMPs) and miRNAs ( or ) as biomarkers in distinguishing patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from those with CAD. Plasma samples from 37 patients with AMI, 42 patients with stable CAD (SCAD), and 35 healthy adults were collected for investigation in the present study.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased bleeding in pulmonary embolism receiving conventional anticoagulant therapy: findings from a "real-world" study.

Bleeding refers to the most important complication during anticoagulation therapy in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). However, the incidence and risk factors of bleeding in Chinese population with anticoagulant therapy remains unknown. Although diabetes mellitus (DM) has been demonstrated to increase the risk of PE, little information of its influence on anticoagulation-associated bleeding risk can be available.

Racial Disparity in the Associations of Cotinine with Insulin Secretion: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2012.

Background: Although relationships between smoking/high cotinine and type 2 diabetes have consistently been observed, few studies have investigated the relationship between cotinine and underlying pathophysiological defects that characterize diabetes aetiology. This study aimed to test the associations between cotinine and measures of insulin resistance or insulin secretion.

Methods: This analysis included 5,751 non-diabetic adult American from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007-2012.

A previously unreported impact of a PLA2G7 gene polymorphism on the plasma levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity and mass.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA) levels are associated with the development of atherosclerosis. We aimed to assess the genetic determinants of Lp-PLA activity and mass by genotyping multiple polymorphisms in PLA2G7, the gene encoding Lp-PLA, among 1258 participants from the Chinese Multi-provincial Cohort Study-Beijing Project. The Sequenom MassARRAY system, Taqman assay and direct sequencing were adopted.

Mean apnea-hypopnea duration (but not apnea-hypopnea index) is associated with worse hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

To determine which polysomnography parameters are associated with severity of hypertension.This retrospective study collected data on all patients admitted to our urban, academic center in Beijing with hypertension who had undergone polysomnograms (PSG) and were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (apnea-hyponea index [AHI] ≥5/hour). We then compared polysomnographic parameters (AHI, oxygen desaturation index [ODI], lowest oxygen saturation [LOS], and mean apnea-hypopnea duration [MAD]) by hypertension severity in this cohort.

Transient ulnar artery compression facilitates transradial access.

Background: Unsuccessful radial artery puncture is one of the important causes of transradial procedure failure. Ulnar artery compression made the radial artery pulse stronger. Whether it would make transradial access easier, however, is uncertain.

Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid Attenuates Angiotensin II Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Objective/background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is characterised by the infiltration of smooth muscle cell (SMC) apoptosis, inflammatory cells, neovascularisation, and degradation of the extracellular matrix. Previous work has shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and SMC apoptosis were increased both in a mouse model and human thoracic aortic aneurysm. However, whether the ER stress is activated in AAA formation and whether suppressing ER stress attenuates AAA is unknown.

Assessing the feasibility and quality of shared decision making in China: evaluating a clinical encounter intervention for Chinese patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using the Statin Choice decision aid to have discussions about starting a statin medication for cardiovascular risk reduction in Chinese patients with stable coronary artery diseases.

Methods: A prospective, pilot study of the Statin Choice decision aid in two teaching hospitals in Northern China was conducted. A total of seven clinicians were enrolled and underwent a 12-hour, group-based, in-person training on shared decision making (SDM) and the Statin Choice decision aid.

Circulating osteogenic endothelial progenitor cell counts: new biomarker for the severity of coronary artery disease.

Background: There is increasing evidence implying that the early and functionally highly active circulating endothelial progenitor cell (CEPC) phenotype (CD34-/CD133+/KDR+) with osteogenic potential (OCN+) might link between vascular atherosclerotic calcification and mechanisms of bone metabolism. We sought to evaluate the early OCN+ CEPC counts as an independent biomarker for the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were drawn from 593 patients undergoing clinically indicated coronary angiography.

The use of targeted exome sequencing in genetic diagnosis of young patients with severe hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder. Although genetic testing is an important tool for detecting FH-causing mutations in patients, diagnostic methods for young patients with severe hypercholesterolemia are understudied. This study compares the target exome sequencing (TES) technique with the DNA resequencing array technique on young patients with severe hypercholesterolemia.

Lifetime risk of stroke in young-aged and middle-aged Chinese population: the Chinese Multi-Provincial Cohort Study.

Objective: Stroke is a major cause of premature death in China. Early prevention of stroke requires a more effective method to differentiate the stroke risk among young-aged and middle-aged individuals than the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to establish a lifetime stroke risk model and risk charts for the young-aged and middle-aged population in China.

Intermedin1-53 Attenuates Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress.

Objective: Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Intermedin (IMD) is a regulator of oxidative stress. Here, we investigated whether IMD reduces AAA by inhibiting oxidative stress.