Impacts of anemia on 3-year ischemic events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a propensity-matched study

Background

Anemia correlates with worse outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), improved anemia can improve the outcomes in patients who underwent PCI. But the influence of anemia on long-term ischemic events after PCI remains unknown.

Methods

We analyzed 8,825 consecutive patients who underwent PCI at General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region and identified 581 patients with anemia. Patients (anemia vs. no anemia) were compared using a propensity score analysis to best match between groups. The main outcome of this study is 3-year ischemic events after PCI, the secondary outcome of this study is 3-year mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after PCI.

Results

Compared with nonanemic patients, anemic patients were often female (38.90% vs. 14.51%) and elder patients (66.44% vs. 34.95%). Anemic patients have lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) and were more likely to have history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) (P<0.05). However, the prevalences of diabetes and hyperlipidemia were lower in anemic patients (P<0.01). Anemia was an independent predictor for 3-year ischemic events [hazard ratio (HR): 2.20, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.61-3.00, P<0.01], 3-year mortality (HR: 3.58, 95% CI: 1.75-7.32, P<0.01) and 3-year MACE (HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.64-2.79, P<0.01) after PCI in post-match samples. The incidence of 3-year ischemic events was 41.0% and 19.3% in anemic and nonanemic patients, respectively.

Conclusions

Anemia is an independent predictor for 3-year ischemic events, 3-year mortality and 3-year MACE in patients who underwent PCI. Further studies need to explore the impact of the pathogenesis and progress, prevention and therapy of anemia on the outcome of patients undergoing PCI.     

Cyclophosphamide enhances anti-tumor effects of a fibroblast activation protein α-based DNA vaccine in tumor-bearing mice with murine breast carcinoma

Cyclophosphamide (CY) is a DNA alkylating agent, which is widely used with other chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of various types of cancer. It can be used not only as a chemotherapeutic but also as an immunomodulatory agent to inhibit IL-10 expression and T regulatory cells (Tregs). Fibroblast activation protein α (FAPα) is expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment. Immunotherapy based on FAPα, as a tumor stromal antigen, typically induces specific immune response targeting the tumor microenvironment. This study evaluated the efficacy of a previously unreported CY combination strategy to enhance the limited anti-tumor effect of a DNA vaccine targeting FAPα. The results suggested CY administration could promote the percentage of splenic CD8^+?T cells and decrease the proportion of CD4?⁺?CD25?⁺?Foxp3^+?Tregs in spleen. In tumor tissues, levels of immunosuppressive cytokines including IL-10 and CXCL-12 were also reduced. Meanwhile, the CY combination did not impair the FAPα-specific immunity induced by the DNA vaccine and further reduced tumor stromal factors. Most importantly, FAP-vaccinated mice also treated with CY chemotherapy showed a marked suppression of tumor growth (inhibition ratio =80%) and a prolongation of survival time. Thus, the combination of FAPα immunotherapy and chemotherapy with CY offers new insights into improving cancer therapies.     

恒河猴大脑中动脉M1段栓塞模型的麻醉新方法

目的为成功构建恒河猴M1段栓塞模型提供简捷、迅速、安全的麻醉方法。方法雄性成年恒河猴25只,年龄7~9岁,体重7~11 kg,由中国人民解放军军事医学科学院实验动物中心提供。以0.1 ml/kg氯胺酮及速眠新的混合液肌肉注射,待动物入睡后气管插管(ID:4.5-5.5#),妥善固定后送入介入中心。入室后连接监护、建立静脉通路并导尿。术中用丙泊酚2~4 mg/(kg·h)持续泵入维持麻醉,呼吸机控制呼吸,并根据动物的生命体征和肢体活动情况调整麻醉深度,必要时追加上述氯胺酮与速眠新的混合液,并根据手术的需要调整心率、血压、体温等。溶栓前后行脑MRI造影,造影前适时停止麻醉药物输注,确保动物在造影室已恢复自主呼吸。术中监测实验动物的心率、体温、血压及血氧饱和度,并于股动脉穿刺及溶栓后抽取动脉血行血气分析。结果所有动物均按预计方案实施完成,术中未发生动物躁动、呼吸抑制、心律失常等严重并发症。实验结束停药后,实验动物很快清醒并送回动物实验中心,进行后续处理。其中18只实验动物存活24 h以上,7只死于溶栓后严重的脑出血和脑梗死。结论以氯胺酮及速眠新的混合液进行麻醉诱导行气管插管,丙泊酚静脉维持全身麻醉可以为此类较复杂的介入及MRI实验的顺利完成提供一种安全、实用的麻醉方法。     

Astragaloside IV inhibits PMA-induced EPCR shedding through MAPKs and PKC pathway

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a main active substance isolated from Astragalus membranaceus Bunge, has been shown to have multiple pharmacological effects. Endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) is a marker of inflammation, and is also a major member of protein C (PC) anti-coagulation system. EPCR can be cut off from the cell surface by tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE), which is controlled through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways. To develop novel therapeutic drug for EPCR shedding, the effect of AS-IV was studied in phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the potential molecular mechanism of AS-IV action was investigated. The results showed that AS-IV could significantly inhibit PMA-induced EPCR shedding. In further study, AS-IV suppressed the expression and activity of TACE. In addition, AS-IV could decrease the phosphorylation of MAPK such as janus kinase (JNK) and p38, and inhibit activation of PKC through the prevention of non-phosphorylation and phosphorylation of specific PKC isoforms in PMA-stimulated HUVECs. These findings indicate that AS-IV may be used as a natural medicine to treat EPCR-related systemic inflammation and cardiovascular diseases by targeting MAPK and PKC pathway.     

CaMK Ⅱ活性对H_2O_2所致SK-N-SH细胞氧化应激损伤的影响

目的:评价钙调蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶Ⅱ(CaMKⅡ)活性对过氧化氢所致人源性神经母细胞瘤细胞氧化应激损伤的影响。方法:SK-N-SH细胞生长至对数期时,接种于96孔培养板或6孔培养板,采用随机数字表法,将其分为4组:正常对照组,培养基中添加H_2O_2组(H_2O_2组),培养基中只添加CaMKⅡ活性抑制剂KN93组(KN93组),培养基中同时添加H_2O_2和KN93组(H_2O_2+KN93组),倒置显微镜观察细胞形态学,采用CCK-8法测定细胞活力,采用Fura-2/AM荧光法检测细胞内Ca~(2+)浓度([Ca~(2+)]_i),采用免疫印迹测定CaMKⅡ和磷酸化CaMKⅡ的表达,采用RT-PCR法检测CaMK mRNA表达。结果:与正常对照组比较,H202组细胞体呈圆形的细胞和脱落细胞增加,细胞突起长度缩短,细胞存活率降低,[Ca~(2+)]_i升高,磷酸化CaMKⅡ表达上调,CaMKⅡmRNA表达下调。与H_2O_2组比较,H_2O_2+KN93组脱落细胞明显减少,突起变长,细胞存活率增加,[Ca~(2+)]_i降低,磷酸化CaMKⅡ表达下调,CaMKⅡmRNA表达水平上调。结论:CaMKⅡ增强了H_2O_2诱导的人源性神经母细胞瘤细胞氧化应激损伤。     

Salvaged single-unit cord blood transplantation for 26 patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission

Treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies not in remission are limited, but a few clinical studies have investigated the effects of salvaged unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT). We retrospectively studied 19 patients with acute leukemia, 5 with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS with refractory anemia with excess blasts [RAEB]), and 2 with non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma who received 1 CBT unit ≤2 loci human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched after undergoing myeloablative conditioning regimens between July 2005 and July 2014. All of them were in non-remission before transplantation. The infused total nucleated cell (TNC) dose was 4.07 (range 2.76-6.02)×10⁷/kg and that of CD34⁺ stem cells was 2.08 (range 0.99-8.65)×10⁵/kg. All patients were engrafted with neutrophils that exceeded 0.5×10⁹/L on median day +17 (range 14-37 days) and had platelet counts of >20×10⁹/L on median day +35 (range 17-70 days). Sixteen patients (61.5%) experienced pre-engraftment syndrome (PES), and six (23.1%) patients progressed to acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The cumulative incidence rates of II-IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD were 50% and 26.9%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 27 months (range 5-74), 14 patients survived and 3 relapsed. The estimated 2-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) rates were 50.5%, 40.3%, and 35.2%, respectively. Salvaged CBT might be a promising modality for treating hematologic malignancies, even in patients with a high leukemia burden.     

Thrombopoietin, but not erythropoietin, directly stimulates multilineage growth of primitive murine bone marrow progenitor cells in synergy with early acting cytokines: distinct interactions with the ligands for c-kit and FLT3

Thrombopoietin (Tpo), the ligand for c-mpl, has been shown to be the principal regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production. The ability of Tpo to potently stimulate the growth of committed megakaryocyte (Mk) progenitor cells has been studied in detail. Murine fetal liver cells, highly enriched in primitive progenitors, have been shown to express c-mpl, but little is known about the ability of Tpo to stimulate the growth and differentiation of primitive multipotent bone marrow (BM) progenitor cells. Here, we show that Tpo alone and in combination with early acting cytokines can stimulate the growth and multilineage differentiation of Lin- Sca-1+ BM progenitor cells. In particular, Tpo potently synergized with the ligands for c-kit (stem cell factor [SCF]) and flt3 (FL) to stimulate an increase in the number and size of clones formed from Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors. When cells were plated at 1 cell per well, the synergistic effect of Tpo was observed both in fetal calf serum-supplemented and serum-depleted medium and was decreased if the addition of Tpo to cultures was delayed for as little as 24 hours, suggesting that Tpo is acting directly on the primitive progenitors. Tpo added to SCF + erythropoietin (Epo)-supplemented methylcellulose cultures potently enhanced the formation of multilineage colonies containing granulocytes, macrophages, erythrocytes, and Mks. SCF potently enhanced Tpo-stimulated production of high-ploidy Mks from Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors, whereas the increased growth response obtained when combining Tpo with FL did not translate into increased Mk production. The ability of Tpo and SCF to synergistically enhance the growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors was predominantly observed in the more primitive rhodamine 123(lo) fraction. Tpo also enhanced growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors when combined with interleukin-3 (IL-3) and IL-11 but not with IL-12, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony- stimulating factor, or Epo. Epo, which has high homology to Tpo, was unable to stimulate the growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors alone or in combination with SCF or FL, suggesting that c-mpl is expressed on more primitive stages of progenitors than the Epo receptor. Thus, the present studies show the potent ability of Tpo to enhance the growth of primitive multipotent murine BM progenitors in combination with multiple early acting cytokines and documents its unique ability to synergize with SCF to enhance Mk production from such progenitors.