Association between omentin-1 and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in Chinese elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Omentin-1 is a novel adipokine and is associated with chronic inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. However, it remains unclear whether omentin-1 levels are associated with diagnostic significance in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between omentin-1 and HFpEF in Chinese elderly patients. HYPOTHESIS: Omentin-1 may be invovled in HFpEF and there may be a difference of omentin-1 levels between HFpEF and control. METHODS: 217 subjects were selected, including 115 patients with HFpEF and 102 control subjects. Enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect plasma levels of omentin-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to examine the diagnostic performance of omentin-1 in HFpEF. RESULTS: The levels of omentin-1 decreased significantly in the HFpEF group (14.02 ± 8.35 vs. 19.74 ± 8.45 ng/mL, p < .001), while NT-proBNP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were significantly increased in the HFpEF group compared with the control group. Spearman correlation analysis showed that omentin-1 levels were negatively correlated with E/e' (r = -.340, p < .001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that omentin-1 was an independent protective factor for HFpEF (odd ratio = 0.948, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.905-0.993, p = .025). Omentin-1 levels were negatively correlated with NT-proBNP (r = -.273, p < .001) and TNF-α (r = -.221, p = .001). Diagnostic efficiency by ROC curve analysis in the patients with HFpEF showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for omentin-1 was equivalent to NT-proBNP (AUC: 0.734, 95%CI 0.667-0.802; AUC: 0.800, 95%CI 0.738-0.861). Subgroup analysis showed that in the patients between the age of 70 and 80, the predictive capability of omentin-1 was stronger than NT-proBNP (AUC: 0.809, 95%CI 0.680-0.937; AUC: 0.674, 95%CI 0.514-0.833). CONCLUSIONS: Omentin-1 levels which were associated with inflammation, were decreased in the HFpEF patients. It could be regarded as a valuable biomarker for the occurrence and development of HFpEF in elderly patients.

Preparation and evaluation of a novel alginate-arginine-zinc ion hydrogel film for skin wound healing.

In this paper, the mixed solution of sodium alginate (SA) and arginine (Arg) was dried into a film and then crosslinked with zinc ion to form sodium alginate-arginine-zinc ion (SA-Arg-Zn2+) hydrogel for skin wound dressings. SA-Arg-Zn2+ hydrogel had higher swelling ability, which was beneficial to absorbing wound exudate. Moreover, it exhibited antioxidant activity and strong inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus, and had no obvious cytotoxicity to NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Compared with other dressings utilized in rat skin wound, SA-Arg-Zn2+ hydrogel showed better wound healing efficacy and the wound closure ratio reached to 100 % on the 14th day. The result of Elisa test indicated that SA-Arg-Zn2+ hydrogel down-regulated the expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) and promoted the growth factor levels (VEGF and TGF-ß1). Furthermore, H&E staining results confirmed that SA-Arg-Zn2+ hydrogel could reduce wound inflammation and accelerate re-epithelialization, angiogenesis and wound healing. Therefore, SA-Arg-Zn2+ hydrogel is an effective and innovative wound dressing, moreover, the preparation technique is simple and feasible for industrial application.

Design and evaluation of glimepiride hydrogel for transdermal delivery.

The solubility of glimepiride (GM) was improved from 1.6 µg/mL to 22.0 mg/mL when GM and meglumine (MU) complexes were prepared. Therefore, transdermal hydrogels of GM Carbopol (GM-CP) and GM hydroxypropyl methylcellulose pullulan (GM-HPMC-Pu) were prepared successfully utilizing the improved drug solubility by GM-MU. Based on a single factor experiment and response surface methodology, two kinds of hydrogel formulations were optimized by drug release studies in vitro. The optimized GM-CP hydrogel was composed of GM, a mixture of azone and oleic acid (1:1, 2.6%, v/v) and carbopol 940 (1%, w/v). The GM-HPMC-Pu hydrogel was developed using GM, HPMC (3.5%, w/v), Pu (1.5%, w/v), glycerol (5%, v/v), azone (2.9%, v/v) and oleic acid (2.6%, v/v). The study of hydrogels in vivo was performed using rabbits. The results indicated that the drug could sustain release from GM-CP or GM-HPMC-Pu hydrogel and maintain the high plasma concentration for 48 h. Compared with commercial GM tablets, the relative bioavailability of GM-CP and GM-HPMC-Pu hydrogel reached 48% and 133%, respectively. Moreover, the drug release in vitro could well predict its absorption in vivo. There was a good correlation (R2≥0.966) in GM hydrogel between the drug release in vitro and transdermal absorption in vivo. Therefore, a novel GM hydrogel dosage form may be considered to design.

Impact of increased serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels on extent of coronary artery lesions in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are prone to cardiovascular disease, and both conditions are linked to oxidative DNA damage, which produces 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). We investigated the impact of 8-OHdG on coronary heart disease (CHD) in elderly patients with T2DM. METHODS: We assessed the demographic, clinical, and biochemical characteristics of 147 patients with T2DM (mean age 73.29 ± 8.19 years) with or without CHD. Serum 8-OHdG was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CHD was diagnosed as ≥50% stenosis in at least one main branch of the coronary arteries determined by coronarography, evaluated by Gensini score. RESULTS: Serum 8-OHdG, number of stenotic branches, and Gensini score were all significantly increased in the CHD group. After adjustment for various factors, the number of stenotic branches and Gensini score remained positively correlated with 8-OHdG levels in the CHD group. Coronary artery lesions were significantly more severe in the CHD compared with the non-CHD group when 8-OHdG levels were >0.523 ng/mL. The number of stenotic branches and Gensini score were significantly independently associated with 8-OHdG levels in patients with T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: 8-OHdG is a marker of oxidative DNA damage, and is highly associated with the extent of coronary artery lesions in ageing patients with T2DM.Trial registration: Registration number: 1.0/20170720; date of registration 26/07/2016 (retrospectively registered).

Circulating CTRP1 Levels Are Increased and Associated with the STOD in Essential Hypertension in Chinese Patients.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between complement C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 1 (CTRP1) and subclinical target organ damage (STOD) in essential hypertension (EH). 720 patients were enrolled in this study, including 360 healthy subjects and 360 patients with EH. The EH group included 183 patients complicated with STOD and 177 patients without STOD. In the STOD group, there were 87 patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), 32 patients with microalbuminuria (MAU), and 58 patients with complication of LVH and MAU. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the CTRP1, adiponectin (APN), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). We found that CTRP1 levels were higher in patients with EH than those in healthy subjects; moreover, the level of CTRP1 of patients in the group complicated with EH and STOD was increased compared with EH patients without STOD. CTRP1 levels in the group complicated with LVH and MAU were significantly higher than those in the LVH group and the MAU group. Furthermore, APN, CTRP1, and IL-6 were three factors that influenced the STOD of EH patients, among which CTRP1 and IL6 were positively related with the complication of hypertension and STOD. In conclusion, CTRP1 levels are increased and associated with the STOD (heart and kidney) in essential hypertension, which can be regarded as a novel biomarker in the prediction of prognosis for patients with essential hypertension.

Preparation of Cellulose/Graphene Oxide Composite Membranes and Their Application in Removing Organic Contaminants in Wastewater.

Cellulose/graphene oxide composite membranes (CGCMs) were prepared using a vacuum-filtration method. The CGCMs were then used as filters to remove organic pollutants from wastewater. It was found that the CGCM filters could efficiently and simultaneously achieve wastewater treatment and adsorbent separation. Their adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB, an organic dye) varied with varying cellulose/graphene oxide mass ratios. The CGCM obtained at a cellulose/graphene oxide mass ratio of 8:1 exhibited the maximum removal efficiency for RhB. The maximum adsorption capacity of the CGCMs for RhB was found to be 86.4 mg/g. In addition, the CGCMs were easily regenerated and the regenerated CGCMs retained good abilities to remove contaminants, which could be significant for their application in wastewater treatment.