Angiogenesis inhibition and depression in older men

Background

Cardiovascular diseases have been associated with depression in later life, and a potential mechanism is inhibition of angiogenesis. We designed this study to determine if depression is associated with higher serum concentration of endostatin, an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional examination of a random sample of men aged 69–86 years. Those who scored 7 or higher on the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale were deemed depressed. We determined the concentration of serum endostatin using a reproducible assay. Other measures included age, education, body mass index, smoking, history of depression, use of antidepressants, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, plasma homocysteine, triglycerides and cholesterol. We used logistic regression to investigate the association between endostatin and depression, and adjusted the analyses for confounding factors.

Results

Our sample included 1109 men. Sixty-three (5.7%) men were depressed. Their serum endostatin was higher than that of nondepressed participants (p = 0.021). Men in the highest decile of endostatin had greater adjusted odds of depression (odds ratio [OR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–3.06). A doubling of endostatin doubled the odds of depression (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.31–2.84). The probability of depression increased with the concentration of endostatin in a log-linear fashion up to a maximum of about 20%–25%.

Limitations

The cross-sectional design limits the study’s ability to ascribe causality to the association between high endostatin and depression.

Conclusion

Serum endostatin is associated with depression in older men. It remains to be established whether correction of this imbalance is feasible and could decrease the prevalence of depression in later life.     

Infective Meningitis Caused by Phialemonium curvatum

Infections caused by rarely encountered fungal pathogens have increased in recent decades. Phialemonium species are widely distributed in the environment and are also involved in human infections, affecting both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. The present study describes a case of meningitis caused by Phialemonium curvatum.     

Retracted Article: Upregulation of miR-26b alleviates morphine tolerance by inhibiting BDNF via Wnt/β-catenin pathway in rats

Background: Morphine is a commonly used analgesic drug. However, long-term use of morphine will cause tolerance which limits its clinical application in pain treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the morphine tolerance, but the underlying mechanism is still poorly understood. Methods: Tail flick test was used to measure the maximum possible effect (MPE). Quantitative real-time PCR was employed to detect miR-26b, BDNF, and Wnt5a expression in rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Luciferase report assay was introduced to verify the binding relationship between miR-26b and Wnt5a. BDNF, Wnt5a and β-catenin protein level were tested by western blotting. Results: MiR-26b was down-regulated during the development of morphine tolerance while BDNF was upregulated. Overexpression of miR-26b or BDNF inhibition alleviated morphine tolerance. Wnt5a was directly targeted and inhibited by miR-26b via binding to the 3′-UTR of Wnt5a. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway was active in morphine tolerant rats. Moreover, overexpression of Wnt5a could partially enhance miR-26 mimic-mediated morphine tolerance, while a Wnt5a inhibitor could attenuate the tolerance. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that miR-26b overexpression alleviated morphine tolerance by inhibiting BDNF via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in rats, highlighting a promising target for the treatment of morphine tolerance.

Morphine is a commonly used analgesic drug. However, long-term use of morphine will cause tolerance which limits its clinical application in pain treatment.     

内脏感觉的检测方法

内脏敏感性在功能性胃肠病的发病机制中得到越来越多的证实,其检测方法的研究也得到了重视.我们简要介绍了RⅢ反射反向抑制技术、恒压器检测技术、脑显像技术、黏膜电刺激方法和温度刺激方法在检测内脏敏感性中的应用．     

体质量指数对前列腺癌合并心血管疾病的老年患者预后的影响及列线图构建

目的 探讨体质量指数(BMI)对前列腺癌合并心血管疾病的老年患者预后的影响,构建并验证患者1年内心血管病再入院的预测列线图。方法 回顾性分析2019年5月至2021年5月于山西医科大学第一医院初诊为前列腺癌伴心血管疾病的237例患者的临床资料。根据中国肥胖工作组(WGOC)推荐的BMI标准将患者分为高BMI组(110例)和低BMI组(127例),比较两组患者基线资料、实验室和影像学检查等临床资料。主要终点事件为1年内心血管病再入院,次要终点为1年内全因死亡。采用SPSS 26.0和R Studio(4.1.2版本)进行数据分析。根据数据类型,分别采用t检验、Mann-Whitney U检验或χ²检验进行组间比较。采用Kaplan-Meier法绘制生存曲线,通过多因素Cox回归模型分析患者预后的影响因素并建立患者预后预测列线图模型。结果 118例患者CVD再入院,其中低BMI组71例(55.9%),高BMI组47例(42.7%);全因死亡4例,其中低BMI组3例(2.4%),高BMI组1例(0.9%)。Kaplan-Meier生存分析显示,低BMI组患者首次CVD再...     

Treatment of Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome by Surgery Combined With ALA-PDT: A Case Report

Introduction:Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by developmental malformations and carcinogenic activity.Multi...