Sevoflurane Versus Propofol for Myocardial Protection in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery： a Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective To systematically review randomized controlled trials to compare myocardial protection profiles of sevoflurane with propofol in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG） surgery. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials comparing sevoflurane with propofol for protecting myocardium in adult patients undergoing CABG surgery. Two authors independently extracted patients＇ perioperative data, including patients＇ baseline characteristics, surgical variables, and outcome data. For continuous variables, treatment effects were calculated as weighted mean difference （WMD） and 95% confidential interval （C/）. For dichotomous data, treatment effects were calculated as odds ratio （OR） and 95% CI. Each outcome was tested for heterogeneity, and randomized-effects or fixed-effects model was used in the presence or absence of significant heterogeneity （Q test P〈0.05）. Sensitivity analyses were done by examining the influence of statistical model on estimated treatment effects. Publication bias was explored through visual inspection of funnel plots of the outcomes. Statistical significance was defined as P〈0.05. Results Our search yielded 13 studies including 696 patients, and 402 patients were allocated into sevoflurane group and 294 into propofol group. There was no significant difference in postoperative mechanical ventilation time, inotropic support, mortality, myocardial infarction, and atrial fibrillation between the two groups （all P〉0.05）. Patients randomized into sevoflurane group had higher post-bypass cardiac index （WMD=0.39, 95% CI： 0.18 to 0.60, P=0.0003）, lower troponin I level （WMD=-0.82, 95% CI：-0.87 to -0.85, P=0.0002）, lower incidence of myocardial ischemia （OR=0.37, 95% CI： 0.16 to 0.83, P=0.02）, shorter ICU and hospital stay length （WMD=-10.99, 95% CI： -12.97 to -9.01, P〈0.00001; WMD=-0.78, 95% CI： -1.00 to -0.56, P〈0.00001, respectively）. Conclusion This meta-analysis has found some evidence showing that sevoflurane has better myocardial protection than propofol in CABG surgery.     

Retrieval of dislodged coronary stent from left renal artery by gooseneck snare

A rapamycin-eluting stent was dislodged during attempt of implantation at the proximal right coronary artery,which was found by fluoroscopy to have migrated into the anterior trunk of the left renal artery.We chose a 5 mm diameter Amplatz gooseneck snare and successfully retrieved the lost stent from the lodging vessel.     

Pre-hospital care-seeking in patients with acute myocardial infarction and subsequent quality of care in Beijing

Background Cumulative evidence demonstrates that primary percutaneous coronary intervention（PCI）is a mperfusion strategy for ST-elevation myocardial Infarction（STEMI）.This study was undertaken to evaluate the pre-hospital care-seeking pathway and subsequent care quality in patients with STEMI in the Beijing health care system,which offers patients a choice between seeking care in a small community hospital（SH group）or a large hospital（LH group）.Methods Between January 1 and December 31,2006, a cross-sectional and multicenter survey was conducted in 11 hospitals qualified as tertiary centers in Beijing and included consecutive patients with STEMI admitted within 24 hours after onset of symptoms.Results Among the 566 patients interviewed,28.3%first arnved at a small community hospitaI and were transferred to large hospitals with the ability to perform primary PCI.The median total pre-hospital delay in the SH group（n=160）was significantly longer than in the LH group（n=406）（225 vs.120 minutes,P〈0.001）.Multivariate analysis showed that interpreting symptoms to non-cardiac origin（OR,1.996;95%CI： 1.264-3.155）,absence of history of myocardial infarction（OR,1.595;95%CI：1.086-3.347）,non-health insuranca coverage（OR,1.931;95%Cl：1.079-3.012）and absence of sense of impending doom （OR,4.367;95%CI：1.279-1 4.925） were independent predictors for choosing small hospitals.After adjusting for demographics and medical history,patients in the SH group were 1.698 times（95% CI： 1.1 82-3.661） less likely to receive primary PCI compared with those in the LH group. Conclusions Above one fourth of the STEMI patients in Beijing experienced inter-hospital transfer.Factors including symptoms interpretation,symptoms,history of myocardial infarcUon,and insurance coverage were associated with the patients＇pre-hospital care-seeking pathway.The patients who were transferred had longer pre-hospital delays and were less Iikely to receive primary PCI.     

Role of BKCa channels in diabetic vascular complications

Objective This review focuses on the role of the large conductance calcium-activated potassium （BKCa） channels in diabetic vascular complications.Data sources Relevant articles published in English or Chinese from 1981 to present were selected from PubMed.The search terms were ＂BKCa channels＂ and ＂diabetes＂.Important references from selected articles were also retrieved.Study selection Articles regarding the role of BKCa channels in diabetic vascular complications and relevant mechanisms were selected.Results The BKCa channels are abundantly expressed in vascular smooth cells and play an important role in regulation of vascular tone.Multiple studies indicated that the expression and function of BKCa channels are altered by different mechanisms in diabetic vascular diseases such as coronary arterial disease,cerebral arterial disease,and diabetic retinopathy.Conclusion BKCa channels may play an important role in diabetic vascular complications and may be an effective therapeutic target for relieving and reducing the burden of diabetic vascular complications.     

Effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment on insulin resistance and ghrelin levels in non-diabetic apnoeic patients with coronary heart disease

Background Obesity is a common risk factor for several diseases.Obesity related hormone and increased insulin resistance (IR) may contribute to the effects of obstructive sleep apnoea on cardiovascular...     

Renoprotective effect of alprostadil in combination with statins in patients with mild to moderate renal failure undergoing coronary angiography

Background The role of alprostadil and statins in contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is controversial.The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of combined therapy with alprostad...     

High Serum Resistin Level may be an Indicator of the Severity of Coronary Disease in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum resistin level, cardiovascular risk factors and severity of coronary disease in acute coronary syndrome （ACS）. Methods Alter evaluated by clinical history, electrocardiography, exercise tolerance tests, laboratory tests, and coronary angiography, 220 consecutive patients with suspected chest pain were divided into normal control group, stable angina pectoris （SAP） group, and ACS group, respectively. Baseline clinical characteristics, including height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, white blood cell count, high-sensitive C-reactive protein （hsCRP）, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were compared among three groups. ELISA was used to detect serum resistin levels. Pearson＇s correlation coefficient analysis was used to assess association between resistin and other traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to define the relationship between serum resistin level and SAP or ACS. Results Serum resistin level in ACS group （1.18±0.48 μg/L） was significantly higher than that in normal control and SAP groups （0.49±0.40 and 0.66±0.40 μg/L; P〈0.01）. Only in ACS group, increased serum resistin level was significantly correlated with hsCRP （r=0.262, P=0.004） and white blood cell count （r=0.347, P=0.001）. Furthermore, serum resistin levels showed a stepwise increase with the number increase of 〉 50% stenosed coronary vessels. Multinomial logistic regression test demonstrated that serum resistin was a strong risk factor for ACS （OR=29.132, 95 % CI： 10.939-77.581, P〈0.001）. Conclusion These findings suggested the potential role of resistin in atherosclerosis and especially its involvement in ACS.     

The relationship between serum amyloid A and apolipoprotein A-I in high-density lipoprotein isolated from patients with coronary heart disease

Background Alteration in the protein composition of high-density lipoprotein （HDL） has been proposed as a mechanism for the development of coronary heart disease （CHD）.In HDL,an increase in serum amyloid A protein （SAA） accompanying the decrease in apolipoprotein A-I （apoA-I） has been found during the acute inflammation period.However,whether this phenomenon persists in CHD patients,a disease related to inflammation,is unknown.The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between SAA and apoA-I in HDL isolated from CHD patients.Methods Overall,98 patients with confirmed stable CHD and 90 control subjects matched for age and gender were enrolled in this case-control study.Potassium bromide （KBr） density gradient ultracentrifugation was used to isolate HDL from plasma.The levels of SAA and apoA-I in the HDL samples were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.Pearson＇s correlation and general linear models were used in the analysis.Results Compared with controls,patients with CHD had a significant decrease in the amount of apoA-I （（14.21±8.44） μg/ml vs.（10.95±5.95） μg/ml,P =0.003） in HDL and a significant increase in the amount of log SAA （1.21±0.46 vs.1.51±0.55,P 〈0.00001）.Differences were independent of age,body mass index （BMI）,HDL cholesterol （HDL-C）,and other factors.An independently and statistically significant positive correlation between log SAA and apoA-I in HDL was observed only in the CHD group （β =2.0,P =0.026）.In the general linear model,changes in Iog（SAA）,age,age2,gender,BMI and HDL-C could explain a statistically significant 43% of the variance in apoA-I.Conclusions This study provides direct evidence for the first time that there was an independent positive correlation between log SAA and apoA-I in the HDL of CHD patients,indicating the alteration of protein composition in HDL.However,the question of whether this alteration in HDL is associated with impairment of HDL functions requires further research.     

Twelve years’ experience and clinical results of using the radial artery for coronary revascularization

Background The radial artery （RA） is becoming a popular conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG）,yet data reporting the long-term results are rare.We reported our clinical,angiographic and intravascular ultrasound findings on 93 patients who had the RA used as part of the conduit for the CABG procedures during a 12-year period from June 2001 to June 2013.Methods A total of 118 radial artery conduits were harvested in 87 males and 6 females,age from 28 to 66 （mean 49.9） years.An ＂intra-operative Allen＇s test＂ was developed to safeguard blood supply to the arm and hand.A ＂double-clip ＆ scissors-cut＂ technique was carried out to minimize the thermal injury to the radial artery from the diathermy.The left radial artery was used in 67 patients,the right in one,and bilateral radial arteries in 25 patients.One hundred and twenty-two out of 272 distal anastomoses （44.9％） were constructed with radial arteries,with an average of 2.9 grafts per patient （range 2-6）.Results Follow-up angiography and intravascular ultrasound study at 3-139 postoperative months （mean 59 months） revealed a 93.1％ RA patency.String sign occurred in one patient in whom the RA was directed to a big right coronary artery with a stenosis of around 50％.The patency for the internal mammary artery was 96.4％.Conclusions The RA is an excellent conduit that broadens the options for total arterial CABG surgery.Good graft patency could be achieved through careful harvesting techniques and choice of proper target coronary vessels.     

Vascular brachytherapy revisited for in-stent restenosis in the drug-eluting stent era: current status and future perspective

Percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） with drug-eluting stents （DESs） has revolutionized the management of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. However, in-stent restenosis （ISR） has been the downside of all coronary interventions with the devices that have been tested so far, even in the DES era. The impact of ISR is still an important issue due to the recurrent costs from need for repeat PCI and bypass surgery in some patients who underwent PCI with DES. A safe and cost-effective method is desired to overcome this unfavorable burden following PCI with DES. Vascular brachytherapy （VBT） is one of the approved indications and has evolved over a decade as a valuable alternative to treat ISR. Although VBT has been regarded as a standard therapy in ISR, it has cumbersome logistics and global applicability is decreasing, leading more extensive introduction of DES.     

Chinese herbal medicine Xinfeng Capsule in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis： study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND： Rheumatoid arthritis （RA）, as a common systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease, affects approximately 1 in 100 individuals. Effective treatment for RA is not yet available because current research does not have a clear understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of RA. Xinfeng Capsule, a patent Chinese herbal medicine, has been used in the treatment of RA in recent years. Despite its reported clinical efficacy, there are no large-sample, multicenter, randomized trials that support the use of Xinfeng Capsule for RA. Therefore, we designed a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of Xinfeng Capsule in the treatment of RA. METHODS AND DESIGN： This is a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial on the treatment of RA. The participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group at a ratio of 1：1. Participants in the experimental group will receive Xinfeng Capsule and a pharmaceutical placebo （imitation leflunomide）. The control group will receive leflunomide and an herbal placebo （imitation Xinfeng Capsule）. The American College of Rheumatology （ACR） Criteria for RA will be used to measure the efficacy of the Xinfeng Capsule. The primary outcome measure will be the percentage of study participants who achieve an ACR 20% response rate （ACR20）, which will be measured every 4 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes will include the ACR50 and ACR70 responses, the side effects of the medications, the Disease Activity Score 28, RA biomarkers, quality of life, and X-rays of the hands and wrists. The first four of the secondary outcomes will be measured every 4 weeks and the others will be measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. DISCUSSION： The result of this trial will help to evaluate whether Xinfeng Capsule is effective and safe in the treatment of RA. TRIAL REGISTRATION： This trial has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. The identifier is N CT01774877.     

The role of central nervous system on hypoglycemia and the feasibility of the brain theory in traditional Chinese medicine on treatment of diabetes mellitus

The central nervous system （CNS） plays a key regulatory role in glucose homeostasis. In particular, the brain is important in initiating and coordinating protective counterregulatory responses when blood glucose levels fall. This may due to the metabolic dependency of the CNS on glucose, and protection of food supply to the brain. In healthy subjects, blood glucose is normally maintained within a relatively narrow range. Hypoglycemia in diabetic patients can increase the risk of complications, such as heart disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The clinical research finds that the use of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a positive effect on the treatment of hypoglycemia. Here the authors reviewed the current understanding of sensing and counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia, and discuss combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine and the theory of iatrogenic hypoglycemia in diabetes treatment. Furthermore, the authors clarify the feasibility of treating hypoglycemia on the basis of TCM theory and CNS and have an insight on its clinical practice.     

~rognostic value of baseline C-reactive protein levels in patients mdergoing coronary revascularization

Background C-reactive protein （CRP） is a lowly expressed marker for inflammatory response. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of baseline CRP levels in patients undergoing coronary revascularization in the context of modern medical treatment. Methods This was a retrospective study in a single center. Four hundred and fourteen patients were enrolled, who underwent coronary revascularization and received adequate medication for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. The study compared the follow-up clinical outcomes between high level CRP group （CRP 〉5 mg/L） and low level one. The median follow-up time was 551 days. Results Compared with low CRP group, the relative risk （RR） of the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events （MACCE） in high CRP group was 5.131 （95% CI： 1.864-14.123, P=0.002）. There were no significant differences in death myocardial infarction and stroke during the follow-up between two groups, but a higher risk of re-revascularization was found in high CRP group （RR 6.008, 95% CI： 1.667-21.665, P=0.006）. Cox regression analysis showed that only CRP level could contribute to MACCE during the follow-up. MACCE-free rate was much lower in high CRP group （Kaplan-Meier log-rank P 〈0.001）. Conclusion In the context of modern medical treatment, the baseline level of CRP is an independent predictor for long-term prognosis in patients with coronary revascularization.     

TGF-β1 Precursor and CD8 Are Potential Prognostic and Predictive Markers in Operated Breast Cancer简

The transforming growth factor β1（TGF-β1） and CD8-positive T cells are two important immune factors that function at opposite directions. The purpose of this study was to verify the relationship between the two factors and their associations with long-term effects of adjuvant chemotherapy or endocrine therapy in breast cancer. Expression of TGF-β1 precursor and CD8 was immunohistochemically detected on surgically-obtained tumor samples of 130（stageⅠ–Ⅲ） invasive breast carcinomas from Chinese subjects, who were followed up for a mean time of 112 months. Interstitial CD8-positive cells and TGF-β1 precursor-positive cells adjacent to tumor nests were counted. Infiltration of CD8-positive lymphocytes into tumor nests and TGF-β1 precursor expression in tumor cells were observed and survival analysis was performed. Our results showed that density of interstitial CD8-positive lymphocytes was an independent adverse prognostic factor for distant disease-free survival（DDFS）（HR=8.416, 95% CI=1.636–43.292, P=0.011） in hormone receptor-positive patients who were on adjuvant endocrine therapy. For breast cancer patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, those without infiltration of CD8-positive cells into tumor nests had a shorter overall survival（OS） than their counterparts with CD8-positive cell infiltration into tumor nests（Log-Rank, P=0.003）. But OS of patients without infiltration of CD8-positive cells into tumor nests was significantly prolonged by adjuvant chemotherapy（Log-Rank, P=0.013） and paralleled that of patients with CD8-positive cell infiltration. Although OS was shorter in the tumor cell TGF-β1 precursor（t-TGF-β1-pre）-positive patients than in the negative patients in patients without recieiving chemotherapy（P=0.053）, OS of t-TGF-β1-pre-positive patients was significantly prolonged by adjuvant chemotherapy（P=0.035） and was longer than that of t-TGF-β1-pre-negative patients. Analysis showed that t-TGF-β1-pre was an independent positive prognostic factor for DDFS（HR=0.392 95% CI=0.157–0.978, P=0.045） in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. This study suggested that density of interstitial CD8-positive lymphocytes was of prognostic value in hormone receptor-positive patients who received adjuvant endocrine therapy. Our study verified that adverse immunologic signatures consisting of absence of CD8-positive cells in tumor nests or expression of TGF-β1 precursor in tumor cells in breast cancer were associated with worse prognosis and significantly improved long-term survival with adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively.     

Effects of the aqueous extract of Schizandra chinensis fruit on ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety in rats

Background We previously demonstrated that the aqueous extract of the Schizandra chinensis fruit （AESC） ameliorated Cd-induced depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain through antioxidant activity.In the present study,we investigated the effect of AESC on anxiety-like behavior and the levels of norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol （a metabolite of norepinephrine） in different brain regions during ethanol withdrawal in rats.Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 3 g/kg of ethanol （20％,w/v） or saline by daily intraperitoneal injection for 28 days followed by three days of withdrawal.During withdrawal,rats were given AESC （100 mg.kg 1.d-1 or 300 mg.kg 1·d1,P.O.） once a day for three days.Thirty minutes after the final dose of AESC,the anxiogenic response was evaluated using an elevated plus maze,and the plasma corticosterone levels were examined by radioimmunoassay.Meanwhile,the concentrations of norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and hippocampus were also measured by high performance liquid chromatography.Results Rats undergoing ethanol withdrawal exhibited substantial anxiety-like behavior,which was characterized by both the decrease in time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the increased level of corticosterone secretion,which were greatly attenuated by doses of AESC in a dose-dependent manner.The high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that ethanol withdrawal significantly increased norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus,while not significantly altering them in the hippocampus.Similar to the results from the elevated plus maze test,the AESC significantly inhibited the elevation of norepinephrine and its metabolite in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusions These results suggest that AESC attenuates anxiety-like behavior induced by ethanol withdrawal through modulation of the hypothalamic norepinephrine system in the brain.     

Effect of PercuSurge Distal Protection Device in Acute Myocardial Infarction during Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective To evaluate the efficiency and safety of PercuSurge DPD in coronary intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing PCI treatment within 72 hours. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of patients with AM. From December 2003 to December 2005, 174 acute myocardial infarction patients who received primary coronary intervention were included into this study. Patients were divided into DPD and control group according to whether Percusurge DPD was attempted during emergency PCI. The basic clinical characteristics, angiographic results, and follow up data before discharge were compared. TIMI flow grades and myocardial blush grades were performed in all cases after emergency PCI. Results The device was successfully deployed in 78 of 87 patients, the visible red, white debris or red clastic thrombosis were aspirated in 72 of 78 patients in DPD group. Post- PCI Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction （TIMI） grades and myocardial blush grades were significantly higher in DPD group than in control group. Post-PCl no-reflow, distal embolization and 30-day major adverse cardiac events were significantly higher in control group than in DPD group, whereas TIMI grades, myocardial blush grades and minimal lumen diameter were significantly increased after using the export aspiration. Conclusion PercuSurge DPD can be used safely and effectively in coronary intervention in the thrombus laden arteries such as AMI.     

Efficacy of Different Iron Controlling Fortificants in Wheat Flour in Iron Deficiency

Objective To observe the different impacts of electrolytic iron, FeSO4, and NaFeEDTA on body iron store of anemic school students. Methods Four hundreds anemic students at the age of 11-18 years were divided into four groups. Of which, three consumed different iron fortificants from wheat flour as food vehicle for six months and one consumed non-fortified flour （control）. The fortification level of electrolytic iron, FeSO4, and NaFeEDTA was 60 mg Fe/kg, 30 mg Fe/kg, and 20 mg Fe/kg, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, and 6 months and hemoglobin （Hb）, serum ferritin （SF）, and transferrin receptor （TfR） were measured. Results The hemoglobin levels in three intervention groups increased, the increments of Hb in the NaFeEDTA group were significantly higher than that in the other groups. SF and TfR levels increased in the tested groups and body iron store in the NaFeEDTA group was higher than that in the other groups. These parameters did not show any significant changes in the control group. Conclusion NaFeEDTA and FeSO4 tortified wheat flour has positive impacts on iron status in anemic students and NaFeEDTA is more effective than FeSO4, while electrolytic iron is less effective in improving iron store in anemic students.