Developing and Validating a Simple Risk Score for Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains substantial. The current study is aimed at developing a novel simple risk score for AMI. METHODS: The Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) extended validation trial (ChiCTR2000033730) and the CatLet validation trial (ChiCTR-POC-17013536), both being registered with chictr.org, served as the derivation and validation datasets, respectively. Both datasets included 1,018 and 308 patients, respectively. They all suffered from AMI and underwent percutaneous intervention (PCI). The endpoint was 4-year all-cause death. Lasso regression analysis was used for covariate selection and coefficient estimation. RESULTS: Of 26 candidate predictor variables, the four strongest predictors for 4-year mortality were included in this novel risk score with an acronym of BACEF (serum alBumin, Age, serum Creatinine, and LVEF). This score was well calibrated and yielded an AUC (95% CI) statistics of 0.84 (0.80-0.87) in internal validation, 0.89 (0.83-0.95) in internal-external (temporal) validation, and 0.83 (0.77-0.89) in external validation. Notably, it outperformed the ACEF, ACEF II, GRACE scores with respect to 4-year mortality prediction. CONCLUSION: A simple risk score for 4-year mortality risk stratification was developed, extensively validated, and calibrated in patients with AMI. This novel BACEF score may be a useful risk stratification tool for patients with AMI.

Resveratrol relieves chronic heat stress-induced liver oxidative damage in broilers by activating the Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway.

Heat stress (HS) affects poultry production and welfare, causing enormous damage to poultry. Resveratrol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory natural plant polyphenol, is widely used in agriculture for the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases. This study aimed to explore the effects and potential mechanism of resveratrol on liver oxidative damage in heat-stressed broilers. Sixty SPF chickens were randomly divided into control, heat stress (HS) and HS+ resveratrol (resveratrol) groups. Broilers were exposed to 35 ± 2 â„ƒ (8 h/d) for 7 consecutive days to induce HS, and the other 16 h/d were kept at 23 ± 2 â„ƒ, similar to the control group. Broilers received 400 mg/kg resveratrol in the basic diet 2 days before exposure to HS and for the following 7 days. The results showed that resveratrol improved growth performance by increasing the average daily gain (ADG) and reducing the feed conversion ratio (FCR), compared with the HS group. Heat stress reduced liver weight and index, increased inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver, enhanced serum AST levels, and decreased TP and ALB II levels, which resulted in liver injury in broilers, and resveratrol effectively alleviated liver injury. Moreover, supplementation with resveratrol enhanced the activities of liver antioxidant enzymes resulting in higher GPX and SOD levels than those in the heat-stressed broilers, and decreased MDA levels. Furthermore, resveratrol alleviated liver oxidative stress by activating the gene and protein levels of Nrf2 and HO-1, enhancing NQO1 and SOD1 gene levels, and decreasing protein levels of HSP70, p62, and Keap1, and thereby alleviated the liver injury of heat-stressed broilers. Compared with the HS group, Nrf2 immunofluorescence was significantly up-regulated in the livers of resveratrol group. These results suggest that resveratrol can enhance the liver antioxidant function by activating the Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway to promote growth performance in broilers under HS.

Resveratrol inhibits oxidative damage in lungs of heat-stressed broilers by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway and autophagy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on heat stress-induced lung injury in broilers and the mechanism underlying this process. Sixty two-week-old SPF BWEL broilers were randomly divided into the heat stress group (HS), resveratrol group (heat stress + 400 mg/kg resveratrol), and the control group after one week of feeding, with 20 chickens in each group. Broilers in the control group were reared at 23 ± 2 â„ƒ. Those in the HS and resveratrol group were reared under heat stress (35 â„ƒ ± 2 â„ƒ) for 8 h/day for seven days. Broilers in the resveratrol group were fed a diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg resveratrol two days before the start of the experiment. The feeding was continued for nine days. The results showed that HS decreased body weight (BW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and lung weight. It, however, increased the lung index, induced lung congestion, and promoted infiltration of inflammatory cells to the lung. Resveratrol improved growth performance and inhibited heat stress-induced lung damage. Compared with broilers in the control group, the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Beclin-1, LC3 Ⅰ, and LC3 Ⅱ genes in the lung of heat-stressed broilers was significantly lower. The levels of kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), NQO1, and HO-1 showed a similar trend with gene expressions. Immunofluorescence indicated that HS inhibited the expression of Nrf2 and LC3B proteins. Finally, the ratio of LC3 Ⅱ/LC3 Ⅰ was also significantly lower in the HS group. Further analyses revealed that resveratrol supplements in feeds enhanced antioxidation in the lung by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway and autophagy. In conclusion, HS causes oxidative damage and inhibits autophagy in broilers. However, resveratrol protects against lung injury by alleviating oxidative stress and enhancing autophagy.

Acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity predominantly via inhibiting Nrf2 antioxidative pathway and activating TLR4-NF-κB-MAPK inflammatory response in mice.

To explore the action time and molecular mechanism underlying the effect of acetaminophen (APAP) on liver injury. APAP was used to establish drug-induced liver injury (DILI) model in mice. Mice in the model group were intraperitoneally injected 300 mg/kg APAP for 6, 12, and 24 h respectively, and control group mice were given the same volume of normal saline. The mice were anesthetized through intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbital at 6, 12, and 24 h after APAP poisoning. Analysis of ALT, AST and ALP in serum, liver histopathological observation, oxidative damage and western blot were performed. The livers in APAP exposed mice were pale, smaller, with a rough texture, and poorly arranged cells. Lesions, large areas of hyperemia, inflammation, swelling, poorly cell arrangement, necrosis, and apoptosis of liver cells were obvious in the liver tissue sections. Serum ALT, AST and ALP levels were significantly enhanced at 12 h of APAP adminstration mice than that of in control group mice (P＜0.05). The histopathological alterations and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6) levels were most severe at 12 h of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. APAP treatment induced oxidative stress by decreasing hepatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) (P＜0.05), and enhancing malondialdehyde (MDA) content (P＜0.05). Moreover, APAP inhibited erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidative pathway with decreased of Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins levels. Furthermore, APAP aggravated the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by increasing of NLRP3, caspase-1, ASC, IL-1ß and IL-18 proteins levels. Finally, APAP further significantly activated the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways. This study demonstrated that APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by inhibiting of Nrf2 antioxidative pathway and promoting TLR4-NF-κB-MAPK inflammatory response and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Chronic heat stress promotes liver inflammation in broilers via enhancing NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of chronic heat stress on liver inflammatory injury and its potential mechanisms in broilers. Chickens were randomly assigned to the 1-week control group (Control 1), 1-week heat stress group (HS1), 2-week control group (Control 2), and a 2-week heat stress group (HS2) with 15 replicates per group. Broilers in the heat stress groups were exposed to heat stress (35 ± 2 °C) for 8 h/d for 7 or 14 consecutive days, and the rest of 26 hours/day were kept at 23 ± 2 °C like control group broilers. Growth performance and liver inflammatory injury were examined for the analysis of liver injury. RESULTS: The results showed that heat stress for 2 weeks decreased the growth performance, reduced the liver weight (P < 0.05) and liver index (P < 0.05), induced obvious bleeding and necrosis points. Liver histological changes found that the heat stress induced the liver infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes in broilers. Serum levels of AST and SOD were enhanced in HS1 (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and HS2 (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) group, compared with control 1 and 2 group broilers. The MDA content in HS1 group was higher than that of in control 1 group broilers (P < 0.05). Both the gene and protein expression levels of HSP70, TLR4 and NF-κB in the liver were significantly enhanced by heat stress. Furthermore, heat stress obviously enhanced the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB P65, IκB and their phosphorylated proteins in the livers of broilers. In addition, heat stress promoted the activation of NLRP3 with increased NLRP3, caspase-1 and IL-1ß levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that heat stress can cause liver inflammation via activation of the TLR4-NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways in broilers. With the extension of heat stress time, the effect of heat stress on the increase of NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways tended to slow down.

Association between remnant cholesterol and verbal learning and memory function in the elderly in the US.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between remnant cholesterol (RC) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk has been given increasing attention in recent years. However, its association with verbal learning and memory performance has not been reported. METHODS: Data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014 database. Participants aged ≥60 years with available fasting lipid data were included. Verbal learning and memory performance were evaluated using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Word List Memory Task (CERAD-WL) subtest. The CERAD total score was calculated as the mean of three immediate recalls and a delayed recall. RC was calculated as total cholesterol (TC) minus the sum of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between RC, as well as its derived marker, the TC/RC ratio, and age-stratified quartiles of the CERAD total score. RESULTS: A total of 1377 participants were analysed. On a continuous scale, per 1 mmol/L increase in RC and per 1 unit increase in the TC/RC ratio were associated with multivariable adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of 0.74 (0.58-0.94) and 1.45 (1.13-1.87), respectively, for having a CERAD total score in a higher quartile. On a categorical scale, higher RC quartiles were associated with a CERAD total score in a lower quartile; in contrast, the higher TC/RC quartile was associated with a CERAD total score in a higher quartile (all P for trend < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that lower RC levels and a higher TC/RC ratio are associated with better verbal learning and memory function, which indicates that lowering RC levels could be beneficial for preventing cognitive impairment in elderly individuals. Further research is needed to validate the causal roles of RC and the TC/RC ratio in cognition.

Yinhuang oral liquid protects acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury by regulating the activation of autophagy and Nrf2 signaling.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect and potential mechanism of Yinhuang oral liquid (YOL) against acetaminophen (APAP) induced liver injury in mice. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group, model group (300 mg/kg APAP), NAC group and YOL group. Mice were treated intragastrical with YOL (8 g/kg) and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC, 300 mg/kg) 6 h before and 6 h after the APAP (300 mg/kg) intraperitoneal injection. 12 h after APAP exposure, blood and liver samples were collected for subsequent testing. The results showed that APAP decreased liver index, induced liver pathological injury with hepatocytes swelling, necrosis and apoptosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. APAP exposure significantly increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels to 35 and 6 multiples than their original levels. YOL alleviated liver pathological damage, decreased the serum levels of ALT and AST in APAP exposure mice, and it worked better than NAC. Moreover, APAP promoted oxidative stress by increasing lipid peroxidation (MDA) and decreasing anti-oxidant enzyme activities of SOD and GSH, inhibited the mRNA levels of Nrf2, HO-1, Gclc and Gclm, and decreased the protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and Keap1, compared to control group. Furthermore, APAP exposure significantly down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of autophagy related genes (Beclin-1, LC3-II, LC3-I, Atg4B, Atg5, Atg16L1 and Atg7). However, the gene levels of mTOR and p-mTOR increased, and p-ULK1 protein level decreased in liver of APAP treated mice. Additionally, YOL alleviated the oxidative injury by up-regulating Nrf2 pathway. The gene and protein levels of autophagy-related genes Beclin-1, LC3-II, LC3-I, Atg4B, Atg5, Atg16L1 and Atg7 reached the basal levels after YOL treatment. In conclusion, YOL had a protective and therapeutic role in APAP-induced liver injury in mice by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway and autophagy.

Age, Serum Creatinine, and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Improved the Performance of the CatLet Angiographic Scoring System in Terms of Outcome Predictions for Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Median 4.3-Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: We recently developed the Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) angiographic scoring system. Our preliminary study demonstrated that the CatLet score better predicted clinical outcomes than the SYNTAX score. The current study aimed at assessing whether 3 clinical variables (CVs) - age, serum creatinine, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) - improved the performance of the CatLet score in outcome predictions in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This study was a post hoc study of the CatLet score validation trial. Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), and secondary endpoints were all-cause deaths and cardiac deaths. RESULTS: Over 1,185 person-years (median [interquartile range], 4.3 [3.8-4.9] years), there were 64 MACCEs (20.8%), 56 all-cause deaths (18.2%), and 47 cardiac deaths (15.2%). The addition of the 3 CVs to the stand-alone CatLet score significantly increased the Harrell's C-index by 0.0967 (p = 0.002) in MACCEs, by 0.1354 (p < 0.001) in all-cause deaths, and by 0.1187 (p = 0.001) in cardiac deaths. When compared with the stand-alone CatLet score, improved discrimination and better calibration led to a significantly refined risk stratification, particularly at the intermediate-risk category. CONCLUSIONS: CatLet score had a predicting value for clinical outcome in AMI patients. This predicting value can be improved through a combination with age, serum creatinine, and LVEF (http://www.chictr.org.cn; unique identifier: ChiCTR-POC-17013536).

Heat stress inhibits TLR4-NF-κB and TLR4-TBK1 signaling pathways in broilers infected with Salmonella Typhimurium.

With the global warming, the harm of heat stress (HS) to the breeding industry has become more common, which causes the decline of animal production performance and low immunity. This study aimed to analyze the effect of HS on the intestinal immune function of Salmonella-infected chickens. Fourteen-day-old broilers were divided into the following four groups of eight replicates: control (Control), heat stress (HS), Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), and heat stress + Salmonella Typhimurium (HS+ST). The broilers were subjected to a heat stress of 35 °C from 15 to 28 days of age. Salmonella Typhimurium (ST, 14028, 109 cfu/mL) was inoculated, via oral administration at 29 days of age, into ST and HS+ST group birds. On the 4th day after Salmonella Typhimurium administration, an increase in jejunum IgA levels was observed in chickens infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. Mechanistic regulation of TLR4-NFκB-NLRP3 and TLR4-TBK1 signaling by heat stress was evaluated in Salmonella Typhimurium-infected broilers. Heat stress markedly inhibited the expression of cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, NLRP3, caspase-1, NF-κB-p65, and p-NF-κB-p65, and the TLR4-TBK1 cytokines IFN-α, IFN-γ, p-IRF3, and p-TBK1 in jejunum of broilers infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. Collectively, our results demonstrate that heat stress can inhibit intestinal immune response by downregulating the expression of TLR4-NFκB-NLRP3 and TLR4-TBK1 signaling pathways in broilers infected with Salmonella Typhimurium.

Heat stress inhibits expression of the cytokines, and NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling pathway in broiler chickens infected with salmonella typhimurium.

High ambient temperature has potential influence on oxidative stress, or systemic inflammation affecting poultry production and immune status of chickens. Heat stress (HS) induces intestinal inflammation and increases susceptibility of harmful pathogens, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Intestinal inflammation is a common result of body immune dysfunction. Therefore, we designed an experiment to analyze the effects of 35 ± 2 °C HS on salmonella infection in chickens through regulation of the immune responses. 40 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, heat stress (HS) group, salmonella typhimurium (ST) group and model group (heat stress + salmonella typhimurium, HS + ST). Birds in HS and model group were treated with 35 ± 2 °C heat stress 6 h a day and for 14 continuous days. Then, ST and model group birds were orally administrated with 1 mL ST inoculum (109 cfu/mL). Chickens were sacrificed at the 4th day after ST administration and ileum tissues were measured. We observed that heat stress decreased ileum TNF-α and IL-1ß protein expressions. Concomitantly heat stress decreased NLRP3 and Caspase-1 protein levels. The protein expressions of p-NF-κB-p65 and p-IκB-α in ileum. Heat stress also inhibited IFN-α, p-IRF3 and p-TBK1, showing a deficiency in the HS + ST group birds. Together, the present data suggested that heat stress suppressed intestinal immune activity in chickens infected by salmonella typhimurium, as observed by the decrease of immune cytokines levels, which regulated by NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling pathway.

The CatLet score and outcome prediction in acute myocardial infarction for patients undergoing primary percutaneous intervention: A proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: The Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) score accommodating the variability in coronary anatomy is a recently developed and comprehensive angiographic scoring system aimed at assisting in risk-stratification of patients with coronary artery disease. However, a validation of this angiographic scoring system is lacking. METHODS: The CatLet score was calculated retrospectively in 308 consecutively enrolled patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary endpoint, major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), was stratified according to CatLet tertiles: CatLetlow ≤14 (n = 124), CatLetmid 15-21 (n = 82) and CatLettop ≥22 (n = 102). RESULTS: The CatLet score alone or after adjusting for a broad spectrum of risk factors, significantly predicted clinical outcomes at a median 4.3-year follow-up. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95%CI)/unit higher score were 1.05 (1.04-1.07) for MACCE, 1.06 (1.04-1.07) for cardiac death, and 1.05 (1.04-1.07) for all-cause death. When compared to the SYNTAX score, improved discrimination and better calibration of this CatLet score resulted in a significantly refined risk stratification. The overall category-free net reclassification improvement afforded by this CatLet score was as follows: 37.2% (p = .008) for MACCEs, 35.5% (p = .0249) for cardiac death, and 31.8% (p = .0316) for all-cause death. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to integrate the variability in coronary anatomy into angiographic scoring makes the CatLet score a more specific tool for outcome predictions in AMI. (http://www.chictr.org.cn. Unique identifiers: ChiCTR-POC-17013536).

Fallacies and Possible Remedies of the SYNTAX Score.

Quite a few studies have revealed the clinical values regarding the outcome predictions in the cohort of the Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial and decision-making with the SYNTAX score. The Evaluation of Xience Everolimus-Eluting Stent Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left-Main Revascularization (EXCEL) and Nordic-Baltic-British left main revascularization (NOBLE) studies are the largest international randomized studies so far, comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in the treatment of left main coronary artery disease. Unfortunately, both studies failed to validate the value of the SYNTAX score in the selection of revascularization strategies for patients with coronary artery diseases (CAD).. This scenario prompted us to reconsider the inherent fallacies of the SYNTAX score in its derivation. We pointed out eight fallacies for the SYNTAX score in this paper. A recently developed Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) score, available at http://www.catletscore.com, a novel angiographic scoring system, could be the remedies for the SYNTAX score.

Interaction between lipoprotein (a) levels and body mass index in first incident acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Possible interaction between Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) and body mass index (BMI) was investigated with regard to the risk of first incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 1522 cases with initial AMI and 1691 controls without coronary artery disease (CAD) were retrospectively analyzed using logistic regression model. Subjects were categorized based on Lp(a) and BMI and compared with regard to occurrence of AMI by calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A potential interaction between Lp(a) and BMI was evaluated by the measures of effect modification on both additive (Relative excess risk due to interaction, RERI) and multiplicative scales. RESULTS: Compared with reference group (BMI < 24 kg/m2 and in the first quintile of Lp(a)), multivariable-adjusted analysis revealed that ORs(95%CI) of AMI were 2.27(1.46-3.52) for higher BMI alone; 1.79(1.11-2.90), 1.65(1.05-2.60), 1.96(1.20-3.20) and 2.34(1.47-3.71) for higher Lp(a) alone across its quintiles; and 2.86(1.85-4.40), 3.30(2.14-5.11), 4.43(2.76-7.09) and 5.98(3.72-9.60) for both higher BMI and higher Lp(a), greater than the sum of the both risks each. Prominent interaction was found between Lp(a) and BMI on additive scale (RERI = 2.45 (0.36-4.54) at the fifth quintile of Lp(a)) but not on multiplicative scale. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that BMI and Lp(a) levels are important factors affecting the risk of AMI. Significant interaction is found between Lp(a) and BMI in initial AMI on additive scale, indicating that Lp(a) confers greater risk for initial AMI when BMI is elevated. For those whose BMIs are inadequately controlled, Lp(a) lowering may be an option. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This clinical study was not registered in a publicly available registry because this study was a retrospective study first started in 2015. Data are available via the correspondent.

Evaluation of short-term effectiveness of eight targeted agents combined with chemotherapy for treating esophageal-gastric junction adenocarcinoma: A network meta-analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of eight targeted agents (ramucirumab, bevacizumab, rilotumumab, panitumumab, cetuximab, trebananib, trastuzumab, matuzumab) plus chemotherapy in esophageal-gastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA) by a network meta-analysis (NMA). PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically retrieved for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) concerning targeted agents plus chemotherapy in the treatment of EGJA. This NMA combined both direct and indirect evidence to evaluate odds ratio (OR) and to draw the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). In total 11 RCTs with 3649 EGJA patients (1907 patients treated with targeted agents plus chemotherapy were regarded as the case group, and 1742 patients with placebo plus chemotherapy were assigned into the control group) were enrolled in this study. Targeted agents in terms of stable disease (SD), partial response (PR), disease control rate (DCR), and overall response ratio (ORR) with the SUCRA values of 0.838, 0.807, 0.934, and 0.793, respectively. Cetuximab and trastuzumab, with the SUCRA values of 0.884 and 0.758, came on top as the best outcomes for treating EGJA in terms of progressive disease (PD) and complete response (CR). Cluster analysis results indicated that ramucirumab plus chemotherapy might be the optimal treatment for EGJA. Our findings indicated that ramucirumab plus chemotherapy might be the optimal treatment for EGJA amongst the nine treatment regimens, which provided clinical guidance for clinicians in the treatment of EGJA.

Elderly population have a decreased aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage incidence rate than Middle aged population: a descriptive analysis of 8,144 cases in mainland China.

PURPOSE: Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is a life-threatening acute cerebrovascular event. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) incidence rate is higher or lower in elderly population than in middle aged population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aneurysmal SAH cases were collected retrospectively from the archives of 21 hospitals in Mainland China. All the cases were collected from September 2016 and backward consecutively for a period of time up to 8 years. SAH was initially diagnosed by brain computed tomography (CT). CT angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was followed and SAH was confirmed to be due to cerebral aneurysm rupture. For cases when multiple bleeding occurred, the age of the first SAH was used in this study. The total incidence from all hospitals at each age group were summed together for females and males respectively; then adjusted by the total population number at each age group for females and males which was from the 2010 population census of the People's Republic of China. RESULTS: In total there were 8,144 cases of intracranial aneurysmal SAH, with 4,861 females and 3,283 males. For females the relative aneurysmal SAH incidence rate started to decrease after around 65 years old, while for males the relative aneurysmal SAH incidence rate started to decrease after around 53 years old. CONCLUSION: Our data tentatively suggest elderly patients may be at a reduced risk of rupture compared with patients who are younger while have similar other risk factors.

MiR-34a regulates apoptosis in liver cells by targeting the KLF4 gene.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or targeting messenger RNA (mRNA) for degradation in a posttranscriptional fashion. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of miR-34a-5p reduces the mRNA and protein levels of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). We also demonstrate that miR-34a targets the 3'-untranslated mRNA region of KLF4 and show that overexpression of miR-34a induces a significant level of apoptosis in BNL CL.2 cells exposed to doxorubicin or 10 Gy X-ray. Our data suggest that the effects of miR-34a on apoptosis occur due to the downregulation of KLF4.

Association between Abdominal Aortic Calcification and Coronary Heart Disease in Essential Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in essential hypertension (EH). METHODS: This study included patients diagnosed with EH during the 2013-2014 NHANES survey cycle. The study cohort was categorized into the following four groups based on their AAC-24 score: no AAC (0); mild AAC (1-4); moderate AAC (5-15); and severe AAC (16-24). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between AAC and CHD. Restricted cubic spline curves (RCS) were used to explore possible nonlinear relationships between AAC and CHD. RESULTS: The prevalence of CHD was found to be higher in the moderate AAC and severe AAC groups than in the group without AAC (40.1% versus 30.9%, 47.7% versus 30.9%). On a continuous scale, the fully adjusted model showed a 7% increase in the risk of CHD prevalence per score increase in AAC [OR (95% CI) = 1.07 (1.03-1.11)]. On a categorical scale, the fully adjusted model showed the risk of CHD prevalence in EH patients with moderate AAC and severe AAC was 2.06 (95%CI, 1.23-3.45) and 2.18 (1.09-5.25) times higher than that in patients without AAC, respectively. The RCS curve suggested a dose-response linear relationship between AAC and CHD. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that in patients with EH, a higher severity of AAC is associated with a higher risk of CHD prevalence.

CatLet score and clinical CatLet score as predictors of long-term outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting later than 12 hours from symptom onset.

BACKGROUND: Our recently developed Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) angiographic scoring system is unique in its description of the variability in the coronary anatomy, the degree of stenosis of a diseased coronary artery, and its subtended myocardial territory, and can be utilized to predict clinical outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) presenting ≤12 h after symptom onset. The current study aimed to assess whether the Clinical CatLet score (CCS), as compared with CatLet score (CS), better predicted clinical outcomes for AMI patients presenting >12 h after symptom onset. METHODS: CS was calculated in 1018 consecutive AMI patients enrolled in a retrospective registry. CCS was calculated by multiplying CS by the ACEF I score (age, creatinine, and left ventricular ejection fraction). Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) at 4-year-follow-up, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization. RESULTS: Over a 4-year follow-up period, both scores were independent predictors of clinical outcomes after adjustment for a broad spectrum of risk factors. Areas-under-the-curve (AUCs) for CS and CCS were 0.72(0.68-0.75) and 0.75(0.71-0.78) for MACEs; 0.68(0.63-0.73) and 0.78(0.74-0.83) for all-cause death; 0.73(0.68-0.79) and 0.83(0.79-0.88) for cardiac death; and 0.69(0.64-0.73) and 0.75(0.7-0.79) for myocardial infarction; and 0.66(0.61-0.7) and 0.63(0.58-0.68) for revascularization, respectively. CCS performed better than CS in terms of the above-mentioned outcome predictions, as confirmed by the net reclassification and integrated discrimination indices. CONCLUSIONS: CCS was better than CS to be able to risk-stratify long-term outcomes in AMI patients presenting >12 h after symptom onset. These findings have indicated that both anatomic and clinical variables should be considered in decision-making on management of patients with AMI presenting later.

Three different routes of EHEC O157:H7 infection were used to establish EHEC broiler model.

In order to study the prevention and control EHEC disease measures in poultry, the infection process and development of this disease and the pathological changes of various organs were to be observed. In this study, chickens were infected with different doses of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 using different routes of administration to establish EHEC broiler model. A total of 195 14-day-old broilers were randomly divided into 13 groups: including control group, Enema-drip groups (1010, 1011, 1012, 1013 CFUs E. coli O157:H7), gavage groups (P.O) (1011, 1012, 1013, 1014 CFUs E. coli O157:H7), and intraperitoneal injection group (I.P.) (108, 109, 1010, 1011 CFUs E. coli O157:H7). Escherichia coli (E. coli) was given using enema-drip, gavage or intraperitoneal infection. Then the feed intake, weight changes, stool and clinical symptoms of the chicks were recorded during the experiment. 7 d after E. coli infection, blood was collected from the jugular vein and serological tests were carried out. The liver, spleen, and colon of the chicks were extracted to get the organ index, bacteria load, and their histopathological changes. After infection with E. coli, some chicks feces were green or red watery stool, sometimes accompanied by foam, and the material to weight ratio of broilers in I.P. group increased significantly (P < 0.05), the 108 CFUs group were 1.3 times as large as control group. Three modeling methods can result in abnormal serum lipid metabolism and liver function indexes (increase of AST, TBA, T-Bil and TC level; decrease of ALB, TG, and TP level). Infection of chicks with O157:H7 by all 3 methods resulted in its detection in the liver, spleen, and colon. Three modeling methods significantly decreased liver index, and inflammatory cell infiltration and hyperemia were observed in liver. The spleen index in E. coli broilers by gavage and enema-drip was significantly decreased, splenic hyperemia and periarteriolar hyalinosis were observed. The spleen was enlarged with purplish-black spheroids in I.P. group broilers, and the spleen histological changes was more serious. The colon villi of broilers in gavage and enema-drip groups were thinner, more prone to rupture, intestinal lamina propria hyperemia, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, the number of goblet cells in the mucosal epithelium increased. E. coli O157:H7 can induce liver, spleen and intestinal damage and reduce growth performance of chicks. By comparing these 3 methods, we found that chicks infected with O157:H7 by gavage had more severe liver and intestinal damage, the enema-drip method caused most serious intestinal damage, and I.P. method significantly damaged the liver and spleen of chickens.