Relationship between mixed exposure to heavy metals and seminal fructose in men of childbearing age / 环境与职业医学

Background The human body is usually exposed to a variety of heavy metals at the same time, and different types and concentrations of heavy metals may have complex interactions during their absorption and metabolism in the human body. Seminal fructose is an important energy source for sperm movement. A large number of studies have shown that metal exposure may impair semen quality, and seminal fructose is an important factor affecting male reproduction, so it is necessary to investigate the relationship between mixed heavy metal exposure and seminal fructose to explore the mechanism of semen quality damage caused by metal exposure. Objective To understand the status of common heavy metal exposure in men of childbearing age in Puyang City, Henan Province, and to study the relationship between mixed exposure to heavy metals and seminal fructose, as well as potential interactions among heavy metals. Methods Volunteers were recruited from the Puyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Reproductive Center for a cross-sectional survey on general demographic characteristics, smoking, alcohol consumption, and other information. Semen samples were collected to detect 12 metals such as vanadium (V), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), barium (Ba), thallium (Tl), iron (Fe), and lead (Pb) in seminal plasma and seminal fructose. After correcting for selected confounding factors, a Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was used to evaluate the impact of seminal plasma heavy metal mixed exposure and its interactions on seminal fructose. Results A total of 825 adult males were enrolled. The concentrations in M (P25, P75) of V, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, Ag, Cd, Ba, Tl, Fe, and Pb in seminal plasma were 0.39 (0.28, 0.54), 12.31 (8.92, 17.52), 0.26 (0.18, 0.38), 5.15 (3.32, 8.64), 182159.80 (121847.80, 199144.50), 13.61 (10.55, 17.68), 0.03 (0.02, 0.04), 0.34 (0.27, 0.46), 8.64 (5.94, 13.43), 0.06 (0.05, 0.08), 168.74 (114.17, 259.45), and 1.69 (1.15, 2.36) μg·L−1 respectively. The Spearman correlation results indicated that there was a negative correlation between V, Mn, Co, Zn, Se, Ba, Tl, or Fe in seminal plasma and seminal fructose (P<0.05), and the values of r (95%CI) were −0.044 (−0.087, −0.001), −0.129 (−0.171, −0.087), −0.055 (−0.099, −0.012), −0.099 (−0.143, −0.056), −0.053 (−0.097, −0.010), −0.068 (−0.111, −0.025), −0.095 (−0.138, −0.052), and −0.082 (−0.125, −0.039), respectively. The results of multiple linear regression indicated that there was a negative correlation between the exposure level of Cd, Mn, Zn, Ag, Ba, Tl, or Fe in seminal plasma and seminal fructose (P<0.05), the values of associated β (95%CI) were −0.551 (−0.956, −0.147), −0.315 (−0.419, −0.212), −0.187 (−0.272, −0.103), −0.161 (−0.301, −0.021), −0.188 (−0.314, −0.062), −1.159 (−2.170, −0.147), and −0.153 (−0.230, −0.076), respectively. The BKMR model analysis showed that seminal fructose level decreased with the increase of plasma metal mixed exposure concentration. Compared with all metal exposure at P50, the seminal fructose level decreased by 0.2374 units when all metal exposure was at P75. Seminal plasma Zn [posterior inclusion probabilities (PIPs)=1.0000] had the strongest effect on seminal fructose, followed by Mn (PIPs=0.5872), Se (PIPs=0.5656), and Ba (PIPs=0.5398). The univariate exposure-response curve showed a negative approximate linear correlations between Ba or Mn and seminal fructose, a positive linear correlation between Se and seminal fructose, and an approximate inverted U-shaped association between Zn and seminal fructose. No significant interaction between studied metals was found. Conclusion Mixed metal exposure may lead to decrease of seminal fructose, in which Zn, Mn, Se, and Ba may play an important role. Mn and Zn exposure may reduce the level of seminal fructose, Se may increase the level of seminal fructose, and there may be a threshold effect between Zn exposure and seminal fructose level. No interaction between different metals on seminal fructose is found.

Evaluation of left ventricular myocardial function in patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent aortic valve replacement with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction by three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To evaluate left ventricular myocardial function altemation by three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) after surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in severe aortic stenosis (AS) patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),and discuss its clinical value.Methods Forty patients with severe aortic stenosis who were hospitalized or outpatient in Nanjing First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University during the period of October 2014 to October 2016 (AS group),and forty healthy volunteers (normal control group) were enrolled in this study.Normal control group underwent conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI measurement,while the AS group underwent conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI measurement at preoperative,1 week postoperative and 3 months postoperative,then we obtained left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD),interventricular septum thickness diameter (IVSd),left ventricular posterior wall thickness diameter (LVPWd),left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),global longitudinal strain (GLS),global circumferential strain (GCS),global radial strain (GRS),global area strain (GAS) strain and 3D-strain.The independent sample t test was used to compare the difference of conventional ultrasound parameters and 3D-STI parameters between AS preoperative patients and healthy controls,AS patients at 3 months postoperative and healthy controls.The single factor analysis of variance was used to compare the difference of conventional ultrasound parameters and 3D-STI parameters in severe patients at preoperative,1 week postoperative and 3 months postoperative.LSD-t test was used to compare in different AS groups.Results Compared with normal control group,IVSD,LVPWD and GCS of severe AS patients increased significantly (t=13.824,11.298 and-6.584,all P ＜ 0.001),GLS,GRS and 3D-Strain decreased significantly (t=10.221,-6.237 and-5.674,all P ＜ 0.001),LVEDD,LVESDand GAS had no significant difference.Compared with preoperative AS patients,LVEF,GLS,GAS and GCS decreased significantly (t=-2.205,-2.093,-2.034 and-3.152,all P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) at 1 week postoperative,LVEDD,LVESD,IVSD,LVPWD,GRS and 3D-strain had no significant difference at 1 week postoperative;GLS,GRS and 3D-strain increased significantly (t=5.446,-4.923 and-4.388,all P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) at 3 months postoperative,GCS,IVSD and LVPWD decreased significantly (t=-3.988,4.794 and 4.211,all P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) at 3 months postoperative,LVEDD,LVESD,LVEF and GAS had no significant difference at 3 months postoperative.Compared with AS patients at 1 week postoperative,LVEF,GLS,GRS,GAS and 3D-strain increased significantly (t=-2.631,7.383,-4.719,2.923 and-4.154,all P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) at 3 months postoperative,GCS,IVSD and LVPWD decreased significantly (t=-2.109,4.747 and 4.323,all P ＜ 0.05 or0.01) at 3 months postoperative.But in AS patients at 3 months postoperative,IVSD,LVPWD,GLS and GCS were still higher than those of normal control group (t=9.809,7.066,4.752 and-2.553,all P ＜ 0.001 or ＜ 0.05),LVEDD,LVESD,LVEF,GRS,GAS and 3D-strain had no significant difference.Conclusion The alternation of left ventricular myocardial function have a certain characteristic before and after aortic valve replacement in severe aortic stenosis patients with preserved LVEF,and 3D-STI can evaluate it more accurately.

Assessment of myocardial viability by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the role of three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) in providing a novel approach to assessing myocardial viability in patients with myocardial infarction (MI).Methods The subjects from the Department of Cardiology and the Department of Cardiac Surgery admitted from April 2010 through December 2012 were diagnosed as MI by electrocardiogram,myocardial enzymes and angiography.The clear imaging of angiography was selected out and collected.All patients had different degrees of segmental wall motion abnormalities,and some already had percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and coronary stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting.Patients with diabetes,heart disease and severe valvular disease of heart were excluded.A total of 45 MI patients were checked with routine echocardiography,two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) and 3D-STE.Then,radionuclide myocardial perfusion/metabolic imaging was served as a golden standard to distinguish the viable from nonviable myocardium in each patient within a day.In order to determine the most sensitivity and specificity threshold values of circumferential peak-systolic strain (Cs),longitudinal peak-systolic strain (Ls),radial peak-systolic strain (Rs),3D strain and area strain for viability detection from 3D-STE,the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of viable myocardium with strain parameters in the study.Comparisons between viable and non-viable groups were carried out with t test.Data were expressed as the mean value ± standard deviation (-x ± s).Results The ventricular wall motion abnormality by visual assessment was observed in 368 segments from 720 segments in 45 patients.Furthermore,204 segments were confirmed to be viable by radionuclide myocardial perfusion/metabolic imaging whereas the rest 164 segments were identified as nonviable among 368 abnormal segments.There were no significant differences in circumferential peaksystolic strain (Cs),longitudinal peak-systolic strain (Ls) and radial peak-systolic strain (Rs) by 2D-STE between viable and nonviable group.Compared with those in viable group,there wasn' t any difference in Cs,but Rs and Ls decreased significantly by 3D-STE in nonviable group.The 3D strain and area strain in absolute value decreased in nonviable group compared with viable group.According to 3D-STE,when Rs higher than 11.1％,the sensitivity was 95.1％ and the specificity was 53.4％ for identification of viable myocardium,whereas Ls higher than 14.3％ resulted in sensitivity of 65.2％ and a specificity of 65.7％.Besides,3D strain higher than 17.4％ had a sensitivity of 70.6％ and a specificity of 77.2％ for detection of viable myocardium,while area strain higher than 23.2％ allowed a sensitivity of 91.5％ and a specificity of 78.8％.Conclusions The 3D-STE might have potential reliability of myocardial viability detection in the patients with left ventricular dysfunction after MI.

Evaluation of acute cardiac transplant rejection with targeted myocardial contrast echocardiography / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective To discuss the value of leukocyte-targeted myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) as a tool in observing the degree of acute rejection after heart transplantation. Methods Abdominal heterotopic cardiac transplantation was performed on 32 rats successfully, among which 8 isografts served as group A, and groups B, C and D involved 8 allografts respectively. The rats in groups B and C were treated with cyclosporine A (CsA) at a high dose (10mg· kg-1 · day-1 ), a low dose (3 mg · kg-1 · day-1 ) from 3rd day before transplantation respectively.The rats in groups A and D were untreated with CsA. MCE was performed during continuous intravenous SonoVue injection postoperatively on the third day after operation. We performed 2 types of MCE: perfusion imaging and leukocyte-targeted imaging. The images were obtained at 20 s and 5 min after injection of contrast agent. The value of the contrast image grayscale (GS) was measured by image analyzer (GS20s, GS5 min). GStarget was calculated as the GS5min minus the GS20s in the same rat.Postmortem histology was performed after observation. The degree of myocardial rejection was determined by HE-stained graft myocardium. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify the CD3-positive cells, and correlation analysis was performed between CD3-positive cell count and GS20s,GS5min, GStarget. Results Perfusion imaging showed no significant difference in myocardial GS20s of each group. Leukocyte-Targeted imaging exhibited a clear gradient in these groups (P＜0. 05). There was significant difference in GStarget of each group (P＜0. 001). Postmortem histology showed 0- Ⅰ grade rejection in group A, Ⅰ -Ⅱ grade rejection in group B, Ⅱ-Ⅲ grade rejection in group C, Ⅲ-Ⅳ grade rejection in group D. Immunohistochemistry revealed the CD3-positive cell infiltration was increased in turn from the group A to the group D. There was a significantly positive correlation between the CD3-positive cell count and GStarget ( r = 0. 86, P ＜ 0. 001 ). Conclusion Leukocyte-targeted contrast echocardiography may thus offer a noninvasive and effective ultrasound imaging technique for detecting the degree of acute cardiac transplant rejection.

Evaluation of viability of myocardium by adenosine stress echocardiography combined with quantitative tissue velocity imaging and tissue tracking after acute myocardial infarction / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To seek a new method to identify viability of myocardium by adenosine stress echocardiography combined with quantitative tissue velocity imaging(QTVI)and tissue tracking(TT).Methods Fifteen healthy canines were selected to establish the models of acute myocardial infarction and reperfusion by ligating anterior descending branch of coronary artery for 90 minutes and then releasing the artery to get reperfusion.After reperfusion.peak velocity in systole(Vs),peak velocity in isovolumic contraction(VIVC)and the displacement in systole(Ds)were measured on anterior wall and anterior septum at baseline.The 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride(TTC)staining was set as a"gold standard"for defining the viable and non-viable groups.The sensitivity and specificity of assessing myocardial viability were determined with QTVI and TT.Comparison of variables between viable and non-viable group was made by using t test.One way analysis of variance and LSD-t test were used to estimate the significance of differences in different states.Results Compared with baseline,Vs,VIVC and Ds decreased significantly(P＜0.01)after reperfusion in both viable and non-viable group.After administration of adenosine,Vs and Ds increased(P＜0.05),but VIVC didn't change significantly compared with that before administration of adenosine in viable group(P＞0.05).Variables in non-viable group didn't change significantly after administration of adenosine(P＞0.05).By receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analysis for predicting myocardial viability,when a cutoff value of △Vs(%)rate was 17.9,the sensitivity and the specificity was 78.6%and 81.1%,respectively,and when the cutoff value of △Ds(%)rate was 18.4,the sensitivity and the specificity was 75.0%,83.6%,respectively.Combined △Vs(%)with △Ds(%),the sensitivity and specificity to prediction of myocardium viability could reach 94.6%and 68.0%,respectively.Conclusions When the viability of myocardium after myocardial infarction is assessed by using the method of adenosine stress echocardiography with QTVI and TT,the sensitivity and the specificity are greatly enhanced.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubbles mediated VEGF gene delivery to injured artery in vivo / 中华超声影像学杂志

nd targeted-ultrasound can facilitate VEGF gene transfer of vascular endothelial. Targeted-ultrasound group transfer efficiency is higher than that of microbubble group, and the plasmid alone can not promote transfer of vascular endothelial.

Ultrasonic study on effects of simvastatin on left ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM: To evaluate the effect of simvastatin on the left ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension (EH). METHODS: 50 patients with hypertension without severe complication were randomly divided into two treatment groups: combination treatment group and hydragogue group, and 25 normal subjects without any treatment were taken as the control. The 25 patients in combination treatment group were given simvastatin and hydragogue for 12 weeks while the other patients in hydragogue group were given hydragogue during the same time. The left ventricular mass was examined from ultrasonography in all patients before and after treatment. RESULTS: The left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was higher in the two treatment groups of patients (133.61±31.02, 118.04±39.62 g·m-2) than that in the control group (88.79±22.73 g·m-2) before treatment (P<0.01, 0.0001, respectively) while the blood pressure was higher. There was no significantly difference in age, serum concentrations of total cholesterol or triglyceride, sugar and blood pressure between the two treatment groups and the control group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in all variables between the two treatment groups before treatment. After treatment, the LVMI was decreased (133.61±31.02 vs 91.07±16.01 g·m-2, P<0.01) in the combination treatment group while there was no significant change in LVMI in the hydragogue group compared with the control group. The blood pressure in the two treatment groups was decreased to the normal. Compared with hydragogue group, the change of LVMI was higher in the combination group though the serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride or sugar were not significantly different. No significant change in serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride or sugar was found during treatment in the two groups. The change of LVMI did not correlate with the change of blood pressure, serum concentrations of total cholesterol , triglyceride or sugar in the combination treatment group(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Being independent of the changes of serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride or sugar and blood pressure, simvastatin can inhibit the increase of left ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension.

Intervention of xuezhikang on patients of acute coronary syndrome with different levels of blood lipids / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the intervention of Xuezhikang (XZK) on patients of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with different levels of blood lipids.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Adopting the double blind randomized controlled method, 105 patients of ACS were divided into two groups. The 53 patients in the treated group, 26 with normal blood lipids (NBL) and 27 with hyperlipemia (HL) were treated with conventional western medicine plus XZK 1.2 g per day for 12 weeks. The 52 patients in the control group, 25 with NBL and 27 with HL, were treated with conventional western medicine alone. Besides, a healthy control group consisted of 40 subjects was set up. The changes of brachial arterial endothelium-dependent diastolic function (FMD) before and after treatment was observed, the changes of blood levels of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipids were also recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before treatment, FMD value and serum NO level were lower and ET-1 and CRP levels in ACS patients were higher than those in the healthy subjects, and a significant correlation existed between CRP, NO and FMD with LDL-C. After treated for 12 weeks, FMD value and serum NO level increased, levels of ET-1 and CRP decreased significantly in the treated group, showing significant difference to those in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Serum levels of TC, TG and LDL-C in the treated group lowered significantly. HDL-C level in patients with HL increased significantly while in those with NBL, it showed a trend of increasing but with no statistical significance.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Applying XZK in ACS patients in early stage, either with NBL or with HL, could improve the endothelial function, antagonize inflammatory response to stabilize the atheromatous plaque.</p>