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Objective:To explore the relationship between constitutional types of Chinese medicine and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to construct an early warning model for AD risk.Methods:In the established multimodal interventions to delay dementia and disability in rural China (MIND-China) study, 4 033 elderly subjects aged ≥60 years old were included. The data including demographic, underlying disease and neuropsychological data were collected.The Chinese medicine service record form for the elderly was used to assess constitutional types of Chinese medicine and to apply the NIA-AA diagnostic criteria published by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association in 2011 for the diagnosis of clinically likely AD. Logistic regression analysis and AD risk prediction models were constructed using R statistical software, and the final prediction results were presented using columnar plots.Results:The MIND-China cohort was dominated by the abnormal constitution (69.28%), of which Phlegm-wetness type was the most common (58.05%), followed by Yang-deficiency type (23.85%). The most constitutional type of Chinese medicine among AD patients was Phlegm-wetness type (54.35%), followed by Qi-depression type (38.04%). Multi-factorial logistic regression analysis suggested that increasing age ( β=0.101, P<0.001, OR=1.107, 95% CI=1.069-1.146) and Qi-depression type ( β=0.622, P=0.016, OR=1.862, 95% CI=1.116-3.076) were able to increase the risk of developing AD, while education ( β=-1.047, P<0.001, OR=0.351, 95% CI=0.205-0.584) was able to reduce the risk of developing AD. By using the risk score model to calculate the total risk score for each subject and plotting the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the area under the ROC was 0.769 and the calibration curve showed excellent consistency between prediction and reality. Conclusion:Older adults with Qi-depression type are significantly associated with an increased likelihood of AD.
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Qiliqiangxin (QL) can attenuate myocardial remodeling and improve cardiac function in some cardiac diseases, including heart failure and hypertension. This study was to explore the effects and mechanism of QL on atrial structural remodeling in atrial fibrillation (AF). Twenty-one rabbits were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, pacing group (pacing with 600 beats per minute for 4 weeks), and treatment group (2.5 g/kg/day). Before pacing, the rabbits received QL-administered p.o. for 1 week. We measured atrial electrophysiological parameters in all groups to evaluate AF inducibility and the atrial effective refractory period (AERP). Echocardiography evaluated cardiac function and structure. TUNEL detection, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and Masson's trichrome staining were performed. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting (WB) were used to detect alterations in calcium channel L-type dihydropyridine receptor α2 subunit (DHPR) and fibrosis-related regulatory factors. AF inducibility was markedly decreased after QL treatment. Furthermore, we found that AERP and DHPR were reduced significantly in pacing rabbits compared with sham rabbits; treatment with QL increased DHPR and AERP compared to the pacing group. The QL group showed significantly decreased mast cell density and improved atrial ejection fraction values compared with the pacing group. Moreover, QL decreased interventricular septum thickness (IVSd) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD). Compared with the sham group, the levels of TGFß1 and P-smad2/3 were significantly upregulated in the pacing group. QL reduced TGF-ß1 and P-smad2/3 levels and downstream fibrosis-related factors. Our study demonstrated that QL treatment attenuates atrial structural remodeling potentially by inhibiting TGF-ß1/P-smad2/3 signaling pathway.