Dark-Blood Delayed Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance of Myocardial Infarction

Objectives

This study introduced and validated a novel flow-independent delayed enhancement technique that shows hyperenhanced myocardium while simultaneously suppressing blood-pool signal.

In vitro anti-hepatitis B and SARS virus activities of a titanium-substituted-heteropolytungstate

A structural determined heteropolytungstate, [K₄(H₂O)₈Cl][K₄(H₂O)₄PTi₂W₁₀O₄₀]·NH₂OH 1, has been synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antiviral activities against hepatitis B (HBV) and SARS virus. The identity and high purity of compound 1 were confirmed by elemental analysis, NMR, IR analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound 1, evaluated in HepG 2.2.15 cells expressing permanently HBV, significantly reduced the levels of HBV antigens and HBV DNA in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. EC₅₀ values were determined to be 54 μM for HBeAg, 61 μM for HBsAg and 2.66 μM for supernatant HBV DNA, as compared to 1671, 1570, 169 μM, respectively, for the commercially-available hepatitis B drug adefovir dipivoxil (ADV). Intracellular cccDNA, pgRNA and HBcAg were also found to be decreased by compound 1 in a concentration-dependent manner. Cytotoxicity results showed that compound 1 has low toxicity in HepG 2 cells with CC₅₀ value of 515.20 μM. The results indicate that compound 1 can efficiently inhibit HBV replication in HepG 2.2.15 cells line in vitro. Additionally, compound 1 also shows high anti-SARS activity at an EC₅₀ of 7.08 μM and toxicity with a CC₅₀ of 118.6 μM against MDCK cells.     

Heavy metal levels in patients with ineffective erythropoiesis

Objectives

Iron is taken into enterocytes at the duodenum via apical divalent metal-ion transporter 1 protein. Besides iron, divalent metal-ion transporter 1 also transports other divalent metals. We aimed to investigate blood heavy metal levels in patients with ineffective erythropoiesis.

通塞益脑液治疗急性缺血性中风及其微循环作用

通过临床研究观察了通塞益脑液治疗急性缺血性中风的临床疗效及作用机理.结果表明,通塞益脑液与有效对照组药物低分子右旋糖酐加维脑路通片疗效相似,以及通塞益脑液具有改善微循环的作用.     

Preclinical and clinical studies for transplant tolerance via the mixed chimerism approach

Based upon observations in murine models, we have developed protocols to induce renal allograft tolerance by combined kidney and bone marrow transplantation (CKBMT) in non-human primates (NHP) and in humans. Induction of persistent mixed chimerism has proved to be extremely difficult in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched primates, with detectable chimerism typically disappearing within 30–60?days. Nevertheless, in MHC mismatched NHP, long-term immunosuppression-free renal allograft survival has been achieved reproducibly, using a non-myeloablative conditioning approach that has also been successfully extended to human kidney transplant recipients. CKBMT has also been applied to the patients with end stage renal disease with hematologic malignancies. Renal allograft tolerance and long-term remission of myeloma have been achieved by transient mixed or persistent full chimerism. This review summarizes the current status of preclinical and clinical studies for renal and non-renal allograft tolerance induction by CKBMT. Improving the consistency of tolerance induction with less morbidity, extending this approach to deceased donor transplantation and inducing tolerance of non-renal transplants, are critical next steps for bringing this strategy to a wider range of clinical applications.     

A Relação entre Compartimentos de Volume Extracelular e Matriz Metaloproteinase 2 na Remodelação do Ventrículo Esquerdo após o Infarto do Miocárdio

Background:Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) can affect myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) and its compartments, and this can provide more detailed information about the mechanism of adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling (AR) after acute myocardial infarction (MI).Objectives:To investigate the role of changes (Δ) in ECV compartments (matrix volume (MVi) and cell volume (CVi)) in the development of AR after MI, and their relationship with MMP-2 expressions.Methods:Ninety-two first MI patients who underwent 3 Tesla cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging performed 2 weeks (baseline) and 6 months post-MI. We measured T1 mapping with MOLLI sequences. ECV was performed post-gadolinium enhancement. ECV and LV mass were used to calculate MVi and CVi. AR was defined as an increase of ≥ 12% in LV end-diastolic volume in 6 months. MMPs were measured using a bead-based multiplex immunoassay system at first day (baseline) and 2 weeks post-MI. P <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.Results:Mean ECV and mean MVi baseline levels were higher in AR group compared to without AR group (42.9±6.4 vs 39.3±8.2%, p= 0.037; 65.2±13.7 vs 56.7±14.7 mL/m², p=0.010; respectively). CVi levels was similar between groups. A positive correlation was found between baseline levels of MMP-2 and baseline levels of ECV (r=0.535, p<0.001) and MVi (r=0.549, p<0.001). Increased ΔMVi levels was independently predictor of AR (OR=1.03, p=0.010). ΔMVi had superior diagnostic performance compared to ΔECV in predicting AR (ΔAUC: 0.215±0.07, p<0.001).Conclusion:High MVi levels are associated with AR, and ΔMVi was independently predictor of AR. This may be associated with MMP-2 release due to increased inflammatory response.     

A pocket calculator program to fit first order kinetic curves

A program is presented for use with a TI59 calculator in analysing kinetic data, such as that obtained in studying the accumulation or disappearance of biological substances with time. It fits the data to an equation of the form y = a ? be^?kl and yields values of a, b, k and the half-life.