Dietary habits of patients with coronary atherosclerosis: case-control study

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the dietary-related risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis among Hong Kong Chinese people. BACKGROUND: Prevalence and mortality figures for coronary atherosclerosis are increasing in Chinese communities, including those in Hong Kong. Changes in dietary patterns might explain the increased risk of coronary artery disease among the Hong Kong Chinese. METHOD: A total of 145 consecutive patients scheduled to have coronary angiogram in a regional hospital in Hong Kong completed a self-reported questionnaire on their dietary intake for 1 week. A case-control design was used, and the data were collected from December 2000 to February 2001. RESULTS: Consumption of more than 1120 g of fish [28 tael (Chinese weight unit, 1 tael equals approximately 42 g)] per week (OR = 0.07) and soybean (OR = 0.17) had a beneficial effect in preventing coronary atherosclerosis. In addition, an increased waist-hip ratio (OR = 4.81) and consumption of more than 28 teaspoons of fat per week (OR = 42.36) were identified by logistic regression as independent risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis. Moreover, people who smoked (OR = 1.72), had a lower educational level (OR = 0.51) or higher family income (OR = 1.92) were more vulnerable to coronary atherosclerosis. Patients confirmed as having coronary atherosclerosis were more likely than those with normal coronary vessels to rank deep fry, stir fry, and pan fry as their preferred cooking methods over steaming or boiling. CONCLUSION: The results provide nurses with information on which to develop appropriate health education programmes for patients and the general public in Hong Kong to promote cardiovascular health. Efforts should be directed particularly to promoting boiling and steaming as major cooking methods, rather than frying or deep frying, as protective actions against coronary atherosclerosis.     

REM SLEEP BEHAVIOUR DISORDER: AN OVERVIEW

REM sleep behaviour disorder (RSBD) is a recently described parasomnia characterised by a history of excessive nocturnal motor activity and absence of muscle atonia during REM sleep. Only limited literature is available on this condition. The exact prevalence is unclear, but recent studies suggest it might not be an uncommon condition. The elderly are more often affected and there is a male preponderance. While transient RSBD can be seen after taking certain drugs or during drug withdrawal, the chronic type is usually idiopathic or associated with an underlying degenerative neurological condition. It can result in considerable distress and/or serious injury to the patients or their bed partners. Differential diagnoses include sleep-walking, night terrors, nightmares, nocturnal seizures, obstructive sleep apnoea, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative states and nocturnal confusional states. The dramatic response to clonazepam highlights the importance of recognition and appropriate treatment of this sleep disorder.     

蒿甲醚对大鼠肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞DNA的影响

目的:蒿甲醚除了具有良好的临床治疗作用外,对正常组织有极大的副作用。实验拟观察蒿甲醚对大鼠肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞的影响。方法:实验于2005-09-20/2007-03-10在山东省泰山医学院生命科学研究所、中心实验室和机能实验室完成。①实验材料:蒿甲醚购自昆明制药厂,分析纯,使用前先进行预处理,处理方法:研磨后用溶液配成1g/L的母液,超声助溶解后供实验用。Wistar大鼠70只,体质量(70±15)g,雌雄不拘,由山东大学医学院实验动物中心提供。实验过程中对动物处置符合动物伦理学标准。②实验方法:将大鼠随机分为普通饲料对照组(n=10)和实验组(n=60),实验组分6个亚组,分别在饲料中加入0.1,0.2,0.4,0.8,1.6,3.2mg/kg的蒿甲醚。采用单细胞凝胶电泳技术观察大鼠肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞DNA的改变。结果:70只大鼠,饲养过程中实验组死亡6只,死亡原因为饲料添加蒿甲醚造成。当饲料中的蒿甲醚浓度为0.1mg/kg时,大鼠肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞DNA损伤率与对照组相比,差异无统计学意义;饲料中的蒿甲醚浓度超过0.2mg/kg时,大鼠肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞DNA损伤率明显增加,与对照组相比,差异有统计学意义。且损伤程度与饲料中蒿甲醚含量呈正相关。结论:当饲料中的蒿甲醚浓度超过0.2mg/kg时,蒿甲醚可在一定程度上改变肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞的DNA生物学特性。且随着蒿甲醚浓度的升高,这种损害更为明显。     

High-dose atorvastatin therapy in severe heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia

Lipid targets can be difficult to attain in familial hypercholesterolaemia. To compare atorvastatin with simvastatin- fenofibrate and simvastatin-cholestyramine therapy, we studied 54 patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia over periods of 2-6 months on each therapeutic regimen. The atorvastatin regimen reduced total cholesterol by 41.2 +/- 11.2%, LDL by 45.6 +/- 15.5%, triglycerides by 33.8 +/- 24.8%, and increased HDL by 2.3 +/- 37.0%. Simvastatin- fenofibrate therapy achieved reductions of 33.9 +/- 8.5% in cholesterol, 42.0 +/- 12.2% in LDL, 34.7 +/- 38.3% for triglycerides, and a 25.4 +/- 55.1% increase in HDL. Simvastatin-cholestyramine gave a reduction of 31.3 +/- 11.8% in cholesterol, 36.0 +/- 14.4% in LDL, 13.7 +/- 36.3% in triglycerides, and a 1.1 +/- 30.3% rise in HDL. The atorvastatin regimen was marginally but not significantly better than simvastatin-fenofibrate in improving the LDL:HDL ratio, LDL:apoB and and apolipoprotein B:A1 ratios. Eleven patients (20.4%) had side- effects: two discontinued atorvastatin due to side-effects; two patients had rashes; six had myalgia and two had diarrhoea. Gastrointestinal side-effects were described in 16 (30.1%) patients on simvastatin-cholestyramine therapy and four cases of myalgia (11.2%) were seen with simvastatin-fenofibrate. In nine patients on atorvastatin (20.4%) a 30% or greater fall in HDL was observed, compared to five patients with resin therapy (9.2%) and two with fibrate therapy (5.5%). There were no significant differences in liver or muscle biochemistry between the regimens, but atorvastatin did raise transaminase and creatine kinase concentrations significantly compared to pre-treatment values (p = 0.001). Atorvastatin significantly improves the lipid profile in most patients compared with other regimens. It has a comparable incidence of side-effects to combination therapy regimens.      

糖尿病骨质疏松大鼠破骨细胞的改变

目的:采用腹腔注射链脲佐菌素 切除双侧卵巢复合方法建立绝经后糖尿病骨质疏松大鼠模型,观察糖尿病骨质疏松大鼠破骨细胞的改变。方法:实验于2003-12/2004-08在河北医科大学第三医院中心实验室完成。①实验材料:选用2.5～3个月龄清洁级雌性Wistar大鼠60只。②实验分组:完全随机设计分为6组:正常对照组、正常假手术组及正常双侧卵巢切除组均为8只;糖尿病对照组、糖尿病假手术组及糖尿病双侧卵巢切除组均为12只。③实验干预:采用链脲佐菌素诱导制备糖尿病大鼠模型1周后,将大鼠麻醉结扎输卵管切除卵巢。假手术组大鼠不作卵巢切除,余操作同去卵巢组。卵巢切除后0,2,4,8周随机选择各组大鼠1只,收集骨髓,进行体外骨髓破骨细胞样细胞的培养。④实验评估:切除双侧卵巢后2,4,8周时测量各组大鼠体质量、血糖;细胞培养7d后,进行细胞固定和抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶染色(抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶染色阳性且细胞核≥3个的细胞认定为破骨细胞样细胞);倒置显微镜计数破骨细胞样细胞数量。结果:制成糖尿病模型及切除卵巢后,3组糖尿病大鼠死亡7只,进入结果分析53只。①各组大鼠血糖和体质量的变化:切除卵巢0,2,4,8周,3组糖尿病大鼠血糖均高于正常组(P<0.01),体质量均低于正常组(P<0.01);4周时,正常双侧卵巢切除组体质量高于同期正常对照组和正常假手术组;糖尿病双侧卵巢切除组体质量在2,4,8周时均高于同期糖尿病对照组和糖尿病假手术组(4周P<0.05,8周P<0.01)。②切除卵巢后各组大鼠体外培养的破骨细胞样细胞形成的变化:糖尿病双侧卵巢切除大鼠破骨细胞多于糖尿病大鼠及正常去卵巢大鼠,且破骨细胞数量随着去卵巢的时间和糖尿病病程延长而增加。③骨髓来源的体外破骨细胞样细胞的形成与血糖、糖尿病病程及去卵巢时间的相关性分析:破骨细胞数量与糖尿病病程呈正相关,而与血糖增高的程度无关(r=-0.537;P=0.109)。结论:①卵巢切除对大鼠的血糖无显著影响,对大鼠体质量的影响被糖尿病减弱,在糖尿病早期破骨细胞样细胞的形成已有增加。②破骨细胞形成增加可能是绝经后糖尿病骨质疏松的原因之一。     

Plasma urocortin in human systolic heart failure

Urocortin (UCN), a member of the corticotrophin-releasing factor family, is expressed in heart, brain and gut. UCN has potent cardiostimulatory, cardioprotective, vasodilator and diuretic/natriuretic effects, and cardiac UCN expression is increased in heart failure (HF). In the present study, we investigated plasma levels of UCN in 119 patients with HF and 212 age- and gender-matched controls to clarify its relationship with gender and disease severity. UCN was elevated in HF [normal males, 19.5 (3.9-68.8) pmol/l and HF males, 50.2 (6.9-108.2) pmol/l, P < 0.0005; normal females, 14.2 (3.9-53.5) pmol/l and HF females, 21.8 (3.9-112.5) pmol/l, P < 0.001; values are medians (range)]. The relative increase was greater in males than females ( P < 0.03). UCN fell with increasing age, especially in HF patients ( r(s) = -0.56, P < 0.0005) and with increasing New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ( r(s) = -0.55, P < 0.0005). The fall in UCN levels with increasing NYHA class was reinforced by a significant correlation between UCN and ejection fraction ( r(s) = 0.45, P < 0.0005) in HF patients. Although receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for diagnosis of all HF cases yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76, ROC AUCs for patients with early HF (NYHA class I and II) were better (0.91). ROC AUCs for logistic models incorporating N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP) and UCN were better than either peptide alone. In conclusion, plasma UCN is elevated in HF, especially in its early stages. Its decline with increasing HF severity may expedite disease progression due to diminished cardioprotective/anti-inflammatory effects. UCN measurement may also complement N-BNP in the diagnosis of early HF.     

Protocadherin PCDH10, involved in tumor progression,is a frequent and early target of promoter hypermethylation in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer in women. Currently, no tractable molecular‐based therapeutic targets exist for patients with invasive CC and no predictive markers of risk assessment for progression of precancerous lesions are identified. New molecular insights into CC pathogenesis are urgently needed. Towards this goal, we first determined the copy number alterations of chromosome 4 and then examined the role of PCDH10 mapped to 4q28 as a candidate tumor suppressor gene. We identified monosomy 4 in 47% of 81 invasive CC studied by SNP array and found that 91% of 130 invasive CC harboring methylation in the promoter region of the PCDH10 gene. We then showed that aberrant promoter hypermethylation of PCDH10 is associated with downregulation of gene expression and cell lines exposed to demethylating agent resulted in profound reactivated gene expression. We also showed that the promoter methylation in the PCDH10 gene occurs at an earliest identifiable stage of low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Our studies demonstrate that inactivation of PCDH10 may be a critical event in CC progression and form a potentially useful therapeutic target for CC. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.