Relationship between Novel Anthropometric Indices and the Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Calcification: A Large Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The relationship between novel anthropometric indices, specifically a body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI), with abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) or severe AAC (SAAC) is unclear. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate possible relationships between novel anthropometric indices and prevalence of AAC and SAAC. Methods: We obtained U.S. general population data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2014. The study used restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis, multivariable logistic regression modeling, subgroup analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve assessment. We investigated relationships between ABSI or BRI and AAC and SAAC risk. Associations between ABSI or BRI and the degree of AAC were also evaluated using a generalized additive model. Results: The study cohort was comprised of 1062 individuals. The RCS plots revealed a U-shaped curve associating ABSI with AAC risk. A similar trend emerged for SAAC, where the risk initially increased before subsequently decreasing with rising ABSI levels. Additionally, BRI exhibited a positive correlation with both AAC and SAAC risk. As ABSI and BRI values increased, the degree of AAC also increased. In ROC analysis, ABSI displayed a significantly larger area under the curve compared to BRI. Conclusions: ABSI is associated with AAC prevalence following a U-shaped curve. Additionally, BRI is positively correlated with AAC risk. ABSI demonstrates a superior discriminative ability for AAC compared to BRI. Therefore, maintaining an appropriate ABSI and BRI may reduce the prevalence of AAC.

In vivo study of a reserved atrial septal puncture area patent foramen ovale occluder.

PURPOSE: After patent foramen ovale interventional closure, puncture of the interatrial septum through the occluder is difficult but sometimes needed for further interventional treatment. This paper presents findings from an in vivo experimental study of a reserved atrial septal puncture area patent foramen ovale occluder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A patent foramen ovale model was established in canines using trans-septal puncture of the fossa ovale and high-pressure balloon dilation. Then, patent foramen ovale closure was performed with a reserved atrial septal puncture area and all canines were raised for 3 months. Then, the occluder was crossed and left atrial angiography was performed on the septal area with the occluder. Finally, DSA angiography, echocardiography, and histology were used to evaluate the performance and feasibility of the reserved atrial septal puncture area. RESULTS: A patent foramen ovale model was successfully established in 10 canines using the atrial septal puncture method. The average diameter of the patent foramen ovale was 3.77 ±0.19 mm, and the patent foramen ovale was successfully closed in all canines using a reserved atrial septal puncture area. As assessed using transoesophageal echocardiography, the new occluder exhibited an ideal position and was occluded entirely without a residual shunt intraoperatively and postoperatively. A 100% success rate of atrial septum puncture was achieved across the new occluder. The occluders were completely endothelialised 3 months post-implantation. CONCLUSIONS: The reserved atrial septal puncture area was effective in patent foramen ovale closure and exhibited positive sealing performance and biological compatibility. Trans-septal puncture was feasible and effective after reserved atrial septal puncture area patent foramen ovale closure.

Effect of Hydrogen-Consuming Compounds on In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation, Fatty Acids Profile, and Microbial Community in Water Buffalo.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of hydrogen-consuming compounds on ruminal methane (CH4) production, in vitro fermentation parameters, fatty acids profile, and microbial community in water buffalo. Different sodium nitrate to disodium fumarate ratios [2:1 (F), 1:1 (S), 1:2 (T)] were studied in vitro by batch culture technique in the presence of linoleic acid. Results revealed that the dominant bacterial communities were not affected with sodium nitrate and disodium fumarate, whereas CH4 production and Verrucomicrobia, Succiniclasticum, norank_f__Muribaculaceae, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 were reduced (P < 0.05). However, ruminal pH, unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (UFA/SFA) and Campilobacterota, Selenomonas, Succinivibrio, Oribacterium, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Campylobacter, Shuttleworthia, Schwartzia, and Prevotellaceae_YAB2003_group were increased (P < 0.05). Total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and Spirochaetae, Fibrobacterota, Verrucomicrobia, Fibrobacter, Treponema, and Prevotellaceae were decreased in F (P < 0.05), but cis-9, trans-11CLA, acetate/propionate and Proteobacteria, Campilobacterota, Selenomonas, Succinivibrio, and Campylobacter were increased in F (P < 0.05). The highly selected bacterial genera in F were Campylobacter and Succinivibrio. The disodium fumarate, enhanced (P < 0.05) the TVFA, propionate, total bacteria, Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus, and Atypical butyrivibrio. The concentrations of C18:3n3, C20:3n6, C21:0, C22:2n6, and C22:1n9, as well as the populations of total fungi, protozoa, methanogens, Butyrivibrio hungatei in T were higher (P < 0.05). The highly selected bacterial genera in T were Fibrobacter and Treponema. Conclusively, the addition of sodium nitrate and disodium fumarate can reduce the CH4 production and optimize ruminal fatty acid composition. Furthermore, disodium fumarate can alleviate the adverse effect of sodium nitrate on the rumen fermentation.

Circulating microRNA-1 in the diagnosis and predicting prognosis of patients with chest pain: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the early diagnostic and prognostic value of microRNA-1 in patients with acute chest pain. METHODS: This study enrolled 341 patients attacked by chest pain within 3 h, and another 100 volunteers as control group. Circulating microRNA-1 was collected and determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The clinical follow-up period was 720 days. RESULTS: There were 174 patients in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group, 167 in non-AMI group. The relative expression of microRNA-1 was significantly increased within 3 h in AMI group, and it continued rising within 12 h, lower at 24 h than that 12 h in AMI group without reperfusion therapy. Otherwise, microRNA-1 concentration was markedly low at 12 h after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in AMI group. The 95% reference range of circulating microRNA-1 was 0.171-0.653. It was significantly available for microRNA-1 to early diagnose AMI with an optimal cutoff value of 2.215 and diagnostic accuracy could be improved when combined with cardiac troponin I. It was not statistically significant for microRNA-1 to forecast future AMI but might prognose mortality of 720 days in chest pain patients. In patients with chest pain, microRNA-1 concentration was high with major adverse cardiac events within 30 days, low with high overall survival within 720 days. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating microRNA-1 might diagnose early AMI and predict the prognosis of patients with chest pain.

Multiplexed fluorometric determination for three microRNAs in acute myocardial infarction by using duplex-specific nuclease and MoS2 nanosheets.

Circulating microRNAs are of diagnostic value for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study describes a fluorometric assay for multiplexed detection of the AMI biomarkers microRNA-499, microRNA-133a and microRNA-1. The assay involves the following two steps: (a) duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-mediated signal amplification using aptamer-based sensor; (b) MoS2 nanosheets-based multiplexed fluorometric signal detection, and fluorometric signals have excitation/emission maxima at 492/518 nm for microRNA-499, 565/580 nm for microRNA-133a and 649/663 nm for microRNA-1. The assay has detection limits of around 100 fM for all three microRNAs. The assay is highly specific and rapid. It demonstrates that the expressions of microRNA-499, microRNA-133a and microRNA-1 are significantly higher in AMI patients. The ROC curves allow a clear distinction to be made between AMI group and non-AMI group. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of a multiplexed fluorometric method based on duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-mediated signal amplification and MoS2 nanosheets-based fluorometric signal detection (DSN-MoS2) for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of microRNAs in AMI.

Probing operational conditions of mixing and oxygen deficiency using HSV color space.

In this work, the relationship between sludge color and operational conditions was studied. It was found that the coordinates H and S of the HSV color space well correlated with biological status and the operational conditions of mixing and oxygen deficiency, and a coefficient of variation (CVH/S) of the ratio of H to S in sludge cake images was derived. A smaller CVH/S indicated better mixing conditions based on the observations of four laboratory-scale experiments and two full scale WWTPs, which can be used as a promising index for the monitoring of mixing condition. The coordinate oxygen uptake rate (OURq) of the respirogram space showed similar trend as CVH/S, and analysis of microbial community also showed that CVH/S could indicate changes of biological community including species and richness. These findings suggested that CVH/S is a biological meaningful index for detecting the effect of changing operational conditions, which gives a key to quantify a large number of empirical rules accumulated in the past. Furthermore, it promotes the Internet of Things (IoT) application to the management of WWTPs, as color is readily available with MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors such as smart phones.

MicroRNA-206 Downregulates Connexin43 in Cardiomyocytes to Induce Cardiac Arrhythmias in a Transgenic Mouse Model.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical modulators of various physiological and pathological processes, but their role in cardiac arrhythmias remains yet to be completely understood. Connexin43 (Cx43) is an important cardiac gap junction protein and a potential target of miR-206, and downregulation of Cx43 induces ventricular tachyarrhythmias. METHODS: We investigated the effects of miR-206 overexpression on the adult mouse heart and in cardiac arrhythmias. Luciferase activity assay was employed to validate Cx43 as a direct target of miR-206. Expression of Cx43 was measured in cardiac muscle cell line HL-1 securely expressing miR-206. An inducible miR-206 overexpression mouse model was established to evaluate the in vivo effect of miR-206 on Cx43 expression and cardiac rhythm. RESULTS: MiR-206 directly recognised 3'-untranslated region of Cx43 mRNA to inhibit its expression in HL-1 cells. Induction of miR-206 in the adult mouse heart suppressed Cx43 expression, particularly in the atria and ventricle. Importantly, miR-206 overexpression also induced abnormal heart-rate and PR interval, and shortened life-span in the experimental mice. CONCLUSIONS: In cardiomyocytes, miR-206 is a upstream regulator of Cx43, and its overexpression downregulates Cx43 to induce abnormal heart-rate and PR interval.

Atherogenic index of plasma is an effective index for estimating abdominal obesity.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and waist circumference (WC) remains unknown. METHODS: A total of 5351 middle-aged men living in Southeastern China were surveyed using the random stratified cluster sampling method. A WC of 90 cm or greater was indicative of abdominal obesity, and AIP was calculated as follows: log [triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C)]. RESULTS: (1) A significantly higher AIP was observed in subjects with abdominal obesity than in those without abdominal obesity (P < 0·001). (2) Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed an odds ratio of 1·93, 2·59 and 2·76 for abnormal AIP levels for the second, third and fourth WC quartiles, respectively (all P < 0·001) compared to the first WC quartile as a reference. (3) There was a linear correlation between WC and AIP, and a 1·0 cm increase in WC resulted in a 0·0175 rise in AIP. For AIP corresponding to moderate risk (0·12-0·21), WC was 85-90 cm; for AIP corresponding to high risk (> 0·21), WC was >90 cm. CONCLUSIONS: AIP of 0·12-0·21 or >0·21 indicates a likelihood of borderline abdominal obesity or abdominal obesity, respectively, and the combination of WC and AIP may increase the specificity and sensitivity for detection of abdominal obesity in clinical practice. The results suggest that AIP may be used as a reference to estimate abdominal obesity.

Caveolin-1 Plays an Important Role in the Differentiation of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes.

OBJECTIVES: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) may transdifferentiate into cardiomyocytes, making BMSCs a promising source of cardiomyocytes for transplantation. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying myogenic conversion of BMSCs. METHODS: This study was designed to investigate the functional role of caveolin-1 in the cardiomyocyte differentiation of BMSCs and to explore the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: BMSC differentiation was induced by treatment with 10 µM 5-azacytidine, and immunofluorescence assay showed that the expression of cardiomyocyte marker cardiac troponin T (cTnT) was significantly increased compared with a control group. Meanwhile, an increased caveolin-1 expression was found during the 5-azacytidine-induced BMSC differentiation. Additionally, the role of caveolin-1 in the differentiation process was then studied by using caveolin-1 siRNAs. We found that silencing caveolin-1 during induction remarkably enhanced the expression of cardiomyocyte marker genes, including cTnT, Nkx2.5 (cardiac-specific transcription factor), α-cardiac actin and α-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC). Moreover, we observed that downregulation of caveolin-1 was accompanied by inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings demonstrate that caveolin-1 plays an important role in the differentiation of BMSCs into cardiomyocytes in conjunction with the STAT3 pathway.

Circulating miR-208b: A Potentially Sensitive and Reliable Biomarker for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs are present in human plasma and have been reported to be biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of circulating microRNA-208b (miR-208b) for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A total of 100 AMI patients, 80 unstable angina (UA) patients, and 80 healthy controls (HCs) were consecutively included in this study. Plasma was collected from each participant on admission, and the levels of circulating miR-208b were measured using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were followed up at 6 months post-AMI. RESULTS: The concentration of miR-208b was higher in the AMI patients than in the other two groups (p < 0.05), and it was positively correlated with the levels of creatine kinase (CK)-MB and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) (p < 0.01). Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that miR-208b was sensitive like CK-MB and cTnI for the diagnosis of AMI. In addition, the miR-208b concentration in AMI patients with threevessel coronary artery disease (CAD) was higher than that of single- or two-vessel CAD AMI patients (p < 0.05). Also, the miR-208b expression after PCI was significantly lower than on admission (p < 0.01). Furthermore, miR208b expression in AMI patients with left ventricular remodeling/MACEs was higher than in those without after PCI (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating miR-208b may serve as a sensitive biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of AMI patients.

Increased Mean Platelet Volume is Associated with Higher In-Hospital Mortality Rate in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic value of mean platelet volume (MPV) on admission for the in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Medical records of 567 AMI patients were retrospectively reviewed, and their baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics were extracted. The relationships between the MPV and both clinical and laboratory characteristics were analyzed. The predictive value of the MPV for in-hospital death was estimated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) of MPV for in-hospital death was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.72 - 0.82). At a threshold of 12.5 fL, the sensitivity and specificity of MPV for in-hospital death were 0.58 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48 - 0.67) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84 - 0.91), respectively. In a multivariable logistic regression model, MPV > 12.5 fL was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality, with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.35 (95% CI, 3.03 - 9.45). CONCLUSIONS: Increased MPV is associated with higher in-hospital mortality rate in patients with AMI.

Biodegradation of N,N-dimethylacetamide by Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 isolated from the rhizosphere of pagoda tree.

The biodegradation characteristic and potential metabolic pathway for removal of environmental N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) by Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 was studied. Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 was isolated from the rhizosphere of a pagoda tree and proved capable of utilizing DMAC as sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Batch culture studies showed that strain B83 could tolerate up to 25g/L DMAC and showed distinct growth on possible catabolic intermediates except for acetate. The nitrogen balance analysis revealed that approximately 71% of the initial nitrogen was converted to organic nitrogen. DMAC degradation has led to accumulation of acetate and organic nitrogen, meanwhile traces of nitrate and ammonia was build-up but without nitrite. The growth of strain B83 could be inhibited by adding exogenous acetate. By means of the assay of enzymatic degradation of DMAC, several catabolic intermediates at different intervals were observed and identified. Based on the results obtained from culture solution and enzymatic degradation assay, a detailed pathway is proposed for DMAC biodegradation.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Circulating MicroRNA-133a in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the expression of circulating microRNA (miR)-133a in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and assess its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. METHODS: This study enrolled 222 consecutive patients who presented with chest pain symptoms suggestive of AMI in either the Department of Emergency or Department of Cardiology at Wuxi Second People's Hospital from October 2012 through December 2014. Of these, 102 were diagnosed with AMI and 120 with non-AMI chest pain. An additional 110 healthy individuals who received physical examinations in the same hospital during the same period were used as controls. RESULTS: MiR-133a expression was significantly elevated in the AMI patients compared to both non-AMI patients and healthy controls (p < 0.01 for both). MiR-133a levels were markedly increased in AMI patients within 2 hours after the onset of chest pain and remained elevated over the next 9 hours. MiR-133a concentration at 24 hours after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was significantly lower compared to time of admission in the emergency PCI group (p < 0.01). The elevation in miR-133a was specific and sensitive for the diagnosis of AMI, with an optimal cutoff value of 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.812 - 0.928). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that major adverse cardiovascular events occurred significantly more often in AMI patients who had miR-133a levels above the median (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of circulating miR-133a were strongly associated with AMI diagnosis. The concentration of miR-133a may provide prognostic information additive to traditional markers for clinical prognosis in AMI patients.

Swimming exercise increases serum irisin level and reduces body fat mass in high-fat-diet fed Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that irisin levels are reduced in skeletal muscle and plasma of obese rats; however, the effect of exercise training on irisin level remains controversial. We aim to evaluate the association of swimming exercise with serum irisin level and other obesity-associated parameters. METHODS: Forty healthy male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups: a normal diet and sedentary group (ND group), normal diet and exercise group (NDE group), high-fat diet and sedentary group (HFD group), and high-fat diet and exercise group (HFDE group. After 8 consecutive weeks of swimming exercise, fat mass and serum irisin level was determined. RESULTS: Higher serum irisin levels were detected in the HFDE group (1.15 ± 0.28 µg/L) and NDE group (1.76 ± 0.17 µg/L) than in the HFD group (0.84 ± 0.23 µg/L) or the ND group (1.24 ± 0.29 µg/L), respectively (HFDE group vs. HFD group, P < 0.05; NDE group vs. ND group, P < 0.01). Pearson's correlation analysis showed that serum irisin level negatively correlated with TG level (r = -0.771, P < 0.05), percentage fat mass (r = -0.68, P < 0.05), fat mass (r = -0.576, P < 0.05), visceral fat mass (r = -0.439, P < 0.05) and TC level (r = -0.389, P < 0.05). The fat mass, visceral fat mass and percentage fat mass were lower in the HFDE group than the HFD group (all P values < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Swimming exercise decreases body fat mass in high-fat-fed Wistar rats, which may be attributable to elevated irisin levels induced by swimming exercise.

MiR-214 regulates the pathogenesis of patients with coronary artery disease by targeting VEGF.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in patient body fluids have recently been considered to hold the potential of being novel disease biomarkers and drug targets. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the levels of circulating miR-214 and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease patients to further explore the mechanism involved in the vasculogenesis. Three different cohorts, including 13 acute myocardial infarction patients, 176 angina pectoris patients, and 127 control subjects, were enrolled to investigate the expression levels of circulating miR-214 in patients with myocardial ischemia and also the relationship between plasma miR-214 and severity of coronary stenosis. Plasma miR-214 levels of participants were examined by real-time quantitative PCR. Simultaneously, plasma cardiac troponin I concentrations were measured by ELISA assays. We further detected the correlation of miR-214 and VEGF by molecular and animal assays. MiR-214 was enriched in not only diseased endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) but also the plasma of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Besides, we found out miR-214 was able to suppress VEGF expression and EPC activities. Reporter assays confirmed the direct binding and repression of miR-214 to the 39-UTR of VEGF mRNA. Knockdown of miR-214 not only restored VEGF levels and angiogenic activities of diseased EPCs in vitro, but also further promoted blood flow recovery in ischemic limbs of mice. Circulating miR-214 may be a new biomarker for CAD and as a potential diagnostic tool. And increased miR-214 level may be used to predict the presence and severity of coronary lesions in CAD patients.

Effects of C-Reactive Protein on the Cardiac Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

A major challenge in stem cell therapy for cardiac repair is how to obtain normally functioning stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We aim to address the effects of C-reactive protein (CRP) on the cardiac differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells. Immunostaining, Western blotting and electrophysiology were employed. A hundred fifty milligran/liters CRP significantly reduced the percentage of cardiomyocytes differentiated from mouse ES cells, while it may also promote sarcomere development compared to 30 mg/L CRP treatment. Further examination of the action potential (AP) in individual ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes showed that there exist three types of cardiomyocytes: artial-like (A-like), ventricular-like (V-like), and pacemaker-like (P-like). A hundred fifty milligran/liters CRP treatment decreased the P-like cardiomyocytes, whereas it increased the A-like. Such inhibitory effect and alteration were not significant at 30 mg/L CRP treatment. Moreover, 150 mg/L CRP significantly increased the APD90 (90% of duration of AP) and decreased the spontaneous firing rate of AP in P-like cells, while had little effect on other electrophysiological characteristics, including APA (AP amplitude) and MDP (maximum diastolic potential). This study revealed the effect of CRP on the cardiac differentiation of ES cells. It provides an in vitro pathological model and may be of importance to the future work of ES cell-based therapy in clinical applications and in vivo pathological studies.

A label-free electrochemical aptasensor for the analysis of the potassium ion.

Herein, a simple and novel electrochemical method for the detection of potassium ions (K(+)) was developed. In the presence of potassium ions, the potassium ions aptamer will form a G-quadruplex complex. Thus, further addition of hemin in the presence of potassium ions will lead to the formation of a recombined G-quadruplex. Then the electroactive label, hemin, will give an electrochemical response. The linear range of the method covered a large variation of K(+) concentration from 0.1 nM to 0.1 µ M and the detection limit of 0.1 nM was obtained. Moreover, this assay was able to detect K(+) with high selectivity and had great potential applications.

Association of SLC22A4 gene polymorphism with Rheumatoid arthritis in the Chinese population.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with complex genetic factors. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SLC22A4 gene have been previously reported to be associated with RA in Japanese but not European populations. This study further investigated the association of SLC22A4 polymorphisms, in particular slc2F1/slc2F2, with RA in the Chinese population, the largest Asian population. A total of 160 human subjects with 95 RA patients and 65 healthy controls were genotyped for slc2F1-G/A and slc2F2-C/T polymorphisms. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the genotype distribution of these two polymorphisms between the two groups. In addition, the presence of slc2F1 A allele and slc2F2 T allele carries a 1.93-fold and 2.14-fold increased risk for anticyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) positivity, respectively. Overall, this study provided evidence that SLC22A4 gene polymorphisms played important roles in the etiology of RA in the largest Asian population, the Chinese population.

[A multi-center survey on the therapeutic status of patients with acute myocardial infarction in Wuxi city of China].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics and therapies of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Wuxi city, China. METHODS: A network was established to obtain information of patients with AMI who were admitted to 9 designated hospitals between 2011 and 2012. A total of 1 714 patients were enrolled (1 334 males, 754 smokers, 1 076 hypertension, 270 hyperlipidemia and 398 diabetes) including 1 410 patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 304 patients with acute non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Patients' characteristics, therapies, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and all-cause mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: (1) Medication therapy was as follows: antiplatelet therapy 98.3% (1 685 cases) , beta-blockers 59.1% (1 013 cases) , ACEI or ARB 67.6% (1 159 cases) , statins 98.1% (1 682 cases) , and nitrates 71.1% (1 218 cases) . Of the patients, 7.1% (132 cases) received temporary pacemakers, 34.0% (480 cases) with acute STEMI underwent reperfusion [direct PCI 18.4% (260 cases) and thrombolysis 15.6% (220 cases)]. (2) According to the hospital admission data, patients were divided into three groups: group A, transported to the hospital by ambulance (n = 361); group B, transported to the hospital by private vehicles (n = 1 318); and group C, AMI occurred in the hospital (n = 35). The median time of AMI onset to physician contact of the 3 groups was 178 min, 368 min, and 9 min, respectively. The median time from AMI onset to the first ECG was 181 min, 379 min, and 10 min, respectively. The median time from AMI onset to cardiology specialist consultation was 187 min, 431 min, and 69 min, respectively. AMI onset-to-physician contact, AMI onset-to-first ECG, and AMI onset-to-specialized treatment time was the shortest in group C, followed by group A and group B. For patients with STEMI underwent reperfusion therapy, the median AMI onset-to-reperfusion therapy time was significantly shorter in group A patients than group B patients [thrombolysis group: 224(171, 514) min vs. 378 (158, 785) min, PCI group: 318 (154, 674) min vs. 489 (143, 816) min, all P < 0.05]. (3) The total incidence of MACEs was 16.3% (279/1 714), the all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 13.1% (224/1 714). According to the AMI onset-to-physician contact, patients were divided into 4 groups: <3 h, 3-6 h, 6-12 h, and >12 h. The incidence of MACEs [4.4% (23/517), 13.3% (60/451), 19.1% (77/404) and 34.8% (119/342),χ(2) = 114.36, P < 0.01] and all-cause in-hospital mortality rate [4.1% (21/517) , 10.4% (47/451), 18.6% (75/404), 23.7% (81/342), χ(2) = 84.36, P < 0.01] increased in proportion to the time of AMI onset-to-physician contact. Among STEMI patients, the incidence of MACEs [5.8% (15/260) , 12.3% (27/220) , 20.9% (194/930) ,χ(2) = 39.93, P < 0.01] and all-cause in-hospital mortality [1.5% (4/260) , 10.0% (22/220) , 18.2% (170/930) ,χ(2) = 50.90, P < 0.01] was the lowest in the primary PCI group, followed by thrombolysis group and was the highest in the early conservative treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Guideline is well followed in terms of drug treatments of AMI in this cohort, but only a small proportion of AMI patients in Wuxi received reperfusion therapy. There is a considerable out-of-hospital time delay for AMI patients in this cohort which is shorter in group A than in group B. All-cause in-hospital mortality and MACEs is the lowest in AMI patients underwent primary PCI.

Differences in Milk Fatty Acids Profile of Two Breeds of Water Buffaloes Explained by Their Gastrointestinal Microbiota.

This experiment investigated gastrointestinal microbes' role in milk fatty acid differences between Murrah and Nili-Ravi buffaloes. After 30 days of a basal diet, rumen microbial diversity was similar, but Murrah buffaloes had greater partially unsaturated fatty acids like C18:2c9t11. Rumen bacteria like Acetobacter, Ruminococcus, and Prevotellaceae_YAB2003_group correlated positively with milk fatty acids C22:5n-6 and C18:3 in Murrah. Fecal microbial beta diversity differed, with UCG-005 and Prevolla positively correlated with C18:2c9t11 and C22:5n-6. The greater quantity of milk fatty acids C18:3, C18:2c9t11, and C22:5n-6 in Murrah milk was linked to rumen and fecal microbes. This suggests that gastrointestinal microbes like Acetobacter, Ruminococcus, and UCG_005 regulate milk fatty acid concentrations in buffaloes.