The value of PAPP-A in the diagnosis and prognosis of GTD

Objective: To investigate the value of PAPP-A (pregnancy assouated plasma protein-A) in the diagnosis and prognosis of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). Methods: The serum β-HCG (β-human chorionic gonadotropin) and PAPP-A levels of 25 normal pregnant women, 28 patients with complete hydatidiform mole and 38 patients with invasive mole were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) during the periods of diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Results: Compared with control group, patients with complete mole and invasive mole had higher levels of β-HCG (P ＜ 0.01 ). But there was no significant difference between the complete and invasive mole group (P ＞ 0.05). The PAPP-A level of complete mole group was significantly higher than that of control group (P ＜ 0.01). The PAPP-A level of invasive mole group was significantly higher than that of complete mole group and control group(P ＜ 0.05). In complete mole group, serum β-HCG and PAPP-A levels of the patients with malignant sequelae were significantly higher than those with benign sequelae (P ＜ 0.05). The β-HCG level had no relationship with the clinical stage of invasive mole. However, the PAPP-A level increased with clinical advancement of invasive mole. The levels of β-HCG and PAPP-A gradually decreased after evacuation in patients with complete moles, but maintained positive or even increased in patients with subsequent malignancy. Conclusion: The PAPP-A level can give us some help not only in early diagnosis of hydatidiform mole and invasive mole, but also in the prognosis of malignant sequelae.     

Association between Serum Homocysteine and Oxidative Stress in Elderly Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea/hypopnea Syndrome

Objective Elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome （OSAHS） has a higher risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. However, changes of homocysteine （Hey） as markers of cardiovascular and eerebrovascular disease associated with OSAHS and their mechanism have not been elucidated so far. This study aims to investigate the changes of both serum Hcy and oxidative stress and their possible links with OSAHS in elderly patients. Methods Based on polysomnogram （PSG） and age, 83 patients with OSAHS were recruited and divided into elderly-OSAHS （n=32） and non-elderly OSAHS groups （n=51）. Fifty two subjects without OSAHS were divided into elderly control （n=29） and non-elderly control groups （n-23）. A total of 135 subjects were included in the present study. All subjects were recorded for PSG variables and the contents of homocysteine （Hcy）, malonaldehyde （MDA）, and glutathione （GSH） which were detected after sleep. Serum homocysteine was measured by cyclophorase. MDA and GSH were measured by speetrophotometer. Results （1） The serum levels of Hcy showed significant difference among the four groups （P〈0.05）. The concentrations of Hcy in elderly OSAHS patients were higher than in other groups, while those in the elderly control group were higher than in the non-elderly control; the concentrations in the non-elderly OSAHS group were higher than in the non-elderly control. （2） The concentrations of MDA and GSH changed at an equal pace with Hcy in the four groups. （3） Multielement linearity regression analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between Hcy concentration and age, MDA, GSH, and apnea hypopnea index （AHI）. Conclusions （1） The concentrations of Hcy and oxidative stress have increased with advancing age. （2） The concentrations of Hcy and oxidative stress have further increased in the elderly patients with OSAHS. （3） Oxidative stress might cause high-level serum Hcy in the elderly patients with OSAHS.     

Predicting value of serum soluble ST2 and interleukin-33 for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background Acute myocardial infarction （AMI） is a common cardiac emergency with high mortality.Serum soluble ST2 （sST2） is a new emerging biomarker of cardiac diseases.The present study is to investigate the predictive value of sST2 and interleukin-33 （IL-33） for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with AMI.Methods Fifty-nine patients with AMI,whose chief complaint was chest pain or dyspnea,were selected for our study.Physical examination,chest radiograph,electrocardiograph （ECG）,biomarkers of myocardial infarction,NT-proBNP,echocardiography and other relevant examinations were performed to confirm the diagnosis of AMI.Thirty-six healthy people were chosen as the control group.Serum samples from these subjects （patients within 24 hours after acute attack） were collected and the levels of sST2 and IL-33 were assayed by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay （ELISA） kit.The follow-up was performed on the 7th day,28th day,3rd month and 6th month after acute attack.According to the follow-up results we defined the end of observation as recurrence of AMI or any causes of death.Results Median sST2 level of the control group was 9.38ng/ml and that of AMI patients was 29.06ng/ml.Compared with the control group,sST2 expression in the AMI group was significantly different （P〈0.001）.In contrast,the IL-33 level showed no significant difference between the two groups.Serum sST2 was a predictive factor independent of other variables and may provide complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.IL-33 had no relationship to recurrence of AMI.Both sST2 and the IL-33/sST2 ratio were correlated with the 6-month prognosis; areas under the ROC curve were 0.938 and 0.920 respectively.Conclusions Early in the course （〈24 hours） of AMI,sST2 usually increases markedly.The increase of sST2 has an independent predictive value for the prognosis in AMI patients and provides complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.The IL-33/sST2 ratio correlates with the 6-month prognosis of AMI patients.However,there is no significant relationship between IL-33 and the prognosis of AMI patients.     

Effect of Liandouqingmai Recipe on life quality and vascular endothelial injury in patients with coronary heart disease

OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Liandouqingmai Recipe on life quality and vascular endothelial injury in patients with coronary heart disease.METHODS:Capitalized 101 patients with coronary heart disease were randomly divided into a treatment group(n=45) treated with Liandouqingmai Recipe and a standard treatment group(control group,n=56).A normal group of 16 healthy persons was additionally set up.Changes in ET-1 and NO levels were measured and Seatle Angina Questionnaire(SAQ) was adopted in studying life quality before and after treatment for two weeks.The data were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 statistic software.RESULTS:The average level of ET-1 in the normal group was lower and NO higher than that of patients with coronary heart disease.There was no significant difference in the average level of ET-1 and NO and in the scores of SAQ [physical limitation(PL),pngina stability(AS),apngina frequency(AF),treatment satisfaction(TS) and disease perception(DP)] between the two groups before treatment(P>0.05).But after treatment,the scores of SAQ(PL,AS,AF,TS,DP) and NO level were higher than those in the control group,and ET-1 average level in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group.The negative relations between PL and ET-1 and between AF and ET-1 were found in this study.CONCLUSION:Liandouqingmai Recipe can raise scores of SAQ and NO level and decline ET level in patients with coronary heart disease on the basis of convertional standard treatment,thus improving vascular endothelial function and life quality.Life quality is related to vascular endothelial function.     

Therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi, nourishing yin, and removing stasis on serum osteopontin and quality of life of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome

Objective:To observe the therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi, nourishing yin,and removing stasis on serum osteopontin(OPN) and quality of life(QOL) in patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome(pSS) and to study the correlation between OPN level and the disease.Methods:Sixtyeight pSS patients were randomly assigned to two groups:the treatment group(35 cases) treated by Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi,nourishing yin,and removing stasis combined with hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablet(HCQ) and the control group(33 cases) treated by HCQ only.Both were treated for 3 months. Before and after treatment,immunoglobulin G(IgG) level,erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),and OPN level were measured.The QOL in patients was evaluated using the Short Form-36 Health Survey(SF-36) before and after treatment.Thirty healthy females were taken as the normal control.Results:Before treatment,levels of IgG,ESR,and OPN in patients were higher than those in the normal control.After 3 months of treatment, those in both treatment groups decreased but were lower in the treatment group than those in the control group (P<0.05).The scores of 8 dimensions of SF-36 were lower in the pSS patients than those in the normal control (P<0.05) and higher in the treatment group than in the control group after treatment(P<0.05).Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the levels of OPN and the levels of IgG and ESR,and a negative correlation between OPN levels and the overall score of SF-36(P<0.05).Conclusions:Chinese herbal medicine for strengthening qi,nourishing yin,and removing stasis could alleviate pSS disease and improve the QOL.In addition,the OPN level might be used as an evaluating index for pSS disease.     

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction in elderly patients

heart failure with normal ejection fraction. Based on the previous studies, HFNEF has a significant morbidity and mortality and is associated with a similar prognosis to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). The present study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of HFNEF in elderly patients.

Methods  Consecutive elderly patients (≥60 years old) hospitalized for the first episode of heart failure (HF) in Beijing Hospital from January 2003 to December 2009 were retrospectively recruited. Three hundred and ten patients with HF were eligible for our study. As recently recommended, a cut-off value of 50% was used to distinguish HFNEF (LVEF≥50%) from HFREF (LVEF<50%). Data were retrospectively obtained from hospital records and databases. Follow-up data were obtained by telephone and from hospital records. For every eligible patient, the clinical characteristics and prognosis were collected and compared between the HFNEF and HFREF groups.

Results  Patients with HFNEF accounted for 54.5% of all cases of elderly patients with HF. Compared with HFREF, the elderly patients with HFNEF had a higher proportion of females (62.1% vs. 32.6%, P <0.001), higher body mass index (BMI) ((24.9±4.7) vs. (23.5±4.0) kg/m², P=0.011), higher systolic blood pressure at admission ((141.5±22.6) vs. (134.3±18.6) mmHg, P=0.002), but lower hemoglobin levels ((118.3±22.7) vs. (125.8±23.8) g/L, P=0.005). The incidence of coronary heart disease (43.2% vs. 65.2%, P <0.001) and myocardial infarction (16.6% vs. 46.1%, P <0.001) were significantly lower in elderly patients with HFNEF than in those with HFREF (P <0.001). With a mean follow-up of 33.5 (0.5–93) months, 120 patients (38.7%) died, including 94 (30.3%) cardiac deaths. The HFNEF group had fewer deaths than the HFREF group at the end of the first follow-up (46/169 (27.2%) vs. 58/141 (41.1%)) and at the end of the second follow-up (56/169 (33.1%) vs. 64/141 (45.4%)). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significantly higher survival rate in elderly patients with HFNEF than those with HFREF (P=0.021 for total mortality and P <0.001 for cardiac mortality). Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that LVEF <50% was an independent risk factor for death in elderly patients with HF.

Conclusions  More than half of elderly patients with HF have a normal LVEF. The prognosis of the elderly patients with HFNEF is poor, though slightly better than the elderly patients with HFREF.

     

Effect of oxidative stress on ventricular arrhythmia in rabbits with adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of oxidative stress on ventricular arrhythmias in rabbits with adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy and the relationship between oxidative stress and ventricular arrhythmia. Forty Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 in each): control group, metoprolol (a selective β1 receptor blocker) group, carvedilol (a nonselective β blocker/α-1 blocker) group and adriamycin group. Models of adriamycin-induced car-diomyopathy were established by intravenously injecting adriamycin hydrochloride (1 mg/kg) to rabbits via the auri-edge vein twice a week for 8 weeks in the adriamycin, metoprolol and carvedilol groups. Rabbits in the control group were given equal volume of saline through the auri-edge vein. Rabbits in the metoprolol and carvedilol groups were then intragastrically administrated metoprolol (5 mg/kg/d) and carvedilol (5 mg/kg/d) respectively for 2 months, while those in the adriamycin and control groups were treated with equal volume of saline in the same manner as in the metroprolol and carvedilol groups. Left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were measured by echocardiography. Plasma levels of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), malondialdehyde (MAD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected. The left ventricular wedge preparations were perfused with Tyrode’s solution. The transmural electrocardiogram, transmural action potentials from epicardium (Epi) and endocardium (Endo), transmural repolarization dispersion (TDR) were recorded, and the incidences of triggered activity and ventricular arrhythmias were obtained at rapid cycle lengths. The results showed that TDR and the serum MDA and NT-proBNP levels were increased, and LVEF and the serum SOD level decreased in the adriamycin group compared with the control group. The incidences of triggered activity and ventricular arrhythmia were significantly higher in the adriamycin group than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the carvedilol group as compared with the adriamycin group, the serum SOD level and the LVEF were substantially increased; the TDR, and the serum MDA and NT-proBNP levels were significantly decreased; the incidences of triggered activity and ventricular arrhythmia were obviously reduced (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of MDA and SOD, LVEF, TDR and the incidences of triggered activity and ventricular arrhythmia between the adriamycin group and the metoprolol group. It was concluded that carvedilol may inhibit triggered activity and ventricular arrhythmias in rabbit with adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy, which is related to the decrease in oxygen free radials.     

Association of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide with the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction

Backround N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） is a reliable predictor in acute coronary artery disease （CAD）. Little is known about patients with stable CAD, especially Chinese patients with CAD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of NT-proBNP levels with the severity of CAD in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction. Methods A total of 658 consecutive patients were divided into two groups based on angiograms： CAD group （n=484） and angiographic normal control group （n=174）. The severity of CAD was evaluated by modified Gensini score, and its relationship with NT-proBNP was analyzed. Results The prevalence of risk factors such as age, male gender, diabetes mellitus （DM）, dyslipidemia, smoking, and family history of CAD in the CAD group were higher than that in the control group. In multivariate regression model analysis, age, gender, and DM were determinants of the presence of CAD. NT-pro BNP was found to be an independent predictor for CAD （OR：1.66 （95% CI： 1.06-2.61）, P 〈0.05）. In a receiver operating characteristic （ROC）curve analysis, an NT-proBNP value of 641.15 pmol/L was identified as a cut-off value in the diagnosis or exclusion of CAD （area under curve （AUC）=0.56, 95% CI： 0.51-0.61）. Furthermore, NT-proBNP was positively correlated with Gensini score （r=0.14, P 〈0.001） in patients with CAD. Conclusion NT-proBNP was an independent predictor for Chinese patients with CAD, suggesting that the NT-proBNP level might be associated with the presence and the severity of CAD.     

Levels of soluble adhesion molecules in patients with various clinical presentations of coronary atherosclerosis

Background Adhesion molecules play an important role in the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to compare concentrations of soluble forms of adhesion molecules in patients with different clinical presentations of coronary artery disease （CAD）.Methods One hundred and twenty-eight patients with CAD were divided into three groups; the first group was acute myocardial infarction group （AMI group, n=45）, the second group was unstable angina pectoris group （UAP group, n=48）,the third group was stable angina pectoris group （SAP group, n=35）. We compared them with patients with normal coronary arteries （control group, n=31）. The serum levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule （VCAM-1）, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）, E-selectin and P-selectin were measured in all subjects.Results The serum level of VCAM-1 in the AMI group was significantly higher than in the UAP, SAP and control groups （P 〈0.01）. The level in the UAP group was significantly higher than the SAP group and control group （P 〈0.01） and the level in the SAP group was significantly higher than in the control group （P 〈0.01）. The serum ICAM-1 level was significantly elevated in the AMI, UAP and SAP groups as compared to the control group （P 〈0.01）. The levels of serum E-selectin and P-selectin in the AMI and UAP groups were significantly higher than in the SAP and control groups （P〈0.01）.Conclusions Increased levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, E-selectin and P-selectin, as markers of inflammation, showed the importance of inflammatory processes in the development of atherosclerosis and clinical expression of CAD. Soluble ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin and P-selectin concentrations are useful indicators of the presence of atherosclerosis and the severity of CAD clinical presentation.