Ten-year follow-up of very-high risk hypertensive patients undergoing renal sympathetic denervation.

OBJECTIVES: Renal denervation (RDN) has been proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure (BP) in patients, but previous studies have had short follow-ups and have not examined the effects of RDN on major cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of RDN in the long-term treatment of hypertension and to determine if it has an effect on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: All patients with resistant hypertension who underwent RDN between 2011 and 2015 at Tianjin First Central Hospital were included in the study. Patients were followed up at 1,5 and 10 years and the longest follow-up was 12 years. Data were collected on office BP, home BP, ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), renal function, antihypertensive drug regimen, major adverse events (including acute myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular death and all cause death) and safety events. RESULTS: A total of 60 participants with mean age 50.37 ±â€Š15.19 years (43.33% female individuals) completed long-term follow-up investigations with a mean of 10.02 ±â€Š1.72 years post-RDN. Baseline office SBP and DBP were 179.08 ±â€Š22.05 and 101.17 ±â€Š16.57 mmHg under a mean number of 4.22 ±â€Š1.09 defined daily doses (DDD), with a reduction of -35.93/-14.76 mmHg as compared with baseline estimates ( P  < 0.0001). Compared with baseline, ambulatory SBP and DBP after 10-years follow-up were reduced by 14.31 ±â€Š10.18 ( P  < 0.001) and 9 ±â€Š4.35 ( P  < 0.001) mmHg, respectively. In comparison to baseline, participants were taking fewer antihypertensive medications ( P  < 0.001), and their mean heart rate had decreased ( P  < 0.001). Changes in renal function, as assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and creatinine, were within the expected rate of age-related decline. No major adverse events related to the RDN procedure were observed in long-term consequences. All-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality rates were 10 and 8.34%, respectively, for the 10-year period. CONCLUSION: The BP-lowering effect of RDN was safely sustained for at least 10 years post-procedure. More importantly, to the best of my knowledge, this is the first study to explore cardiovascular and all-cause mortality at 10 years after RDN.

Porphyromonas gingivalis exacerbates alcoholic liver disease by altering gut microbiota composition and host immune response in mice.

AIM: Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a major periodontal pathogen, increases the risk of systemic diseases. P. gingivalis infection is closely associated with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the role of P. gingivalis in the pathogenesis of ALD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ALD mouse model was established using a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet, and C57BL/6 mice were treated with P. gingivalis to detect the pathological indicators of ALD. RESULTS: Oral administration of P. gingivalis exacerbated alcohol-induced alterations in the gut microbiota, leading to gut barrier dysfunction and inflammatory response and disruption of the T-helper 17 cell/T-regulatory cell ratio in the colon of ALD mice. Furthermore, P. gingivalis worsened liver inflammation in ALD mice by increasing the protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and p65, increasing the mRNA expression of interleukins-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and up-regulating the transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) production. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that P. gingivalis accelerates the pathogenesis of ALD via the oral-gut-liver axis, necessitating a new treatment strategy for patients with ALD complicated by periodontitis.

Superior mesenteric artery embolism after radiofrequency ablation in regularly anticoagulated patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Superior mesenteric artery embolism (SMAE) is a rare cause of acute abdomen, and the fatality rate is extremely high if it is not diagnosed and treated in time. Due to the lack of knowledge and experience of nonspecialist physicians, it is easy to misdiagnose. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become the first-line treatment strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF). Thromboembolic events are some of the major complications after RFA, whereas SMAE is rarely reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70 year-old woman with paroxysmal AF who regularly took anticoagulant drugs for 3 months experienced abdominal pain after RFA. At the outset, she was misdiagnosed as mechanical intestinal obstruction. When the patient presented with blood in the stool, abdominal enhancement computed tomography was conducted and showed a small bowel perforation. Immediate laparotomy was performed, and the final diagnosis was SMAE. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that for unexplained abdominal pain after RFA of AF, the possibility of SMAE should be considered, and a targeted examination should be carried out in time to confirm the diagnosis and give appropriate treatment.

Enhanced stent visualization system for percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease: effects on contrast media volume and radiation exposure.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the impact of using enhanced stent visualization (ESV) systems on contrast media volume and radiation dose in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), especially for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), as they share a similar pathological pathway. In addition, the iodinated contrast media used for angiography is a risk factor for contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI), which could aggravate the progression of CKD. We hypothesized that ESV systems have the potential to reduce the use of contrast media as well as the radiation dose; however, few studies have reported the impact on contrast media with the use of ESV systems. METHODS: We retrospectively collected 124 patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent PCI from May 2020 to July 2021. The patients were divided into the ESV-guided group (n = 64) and angiography-guided group (n = 60). Procedural parameters, including contrast media volume, radiation exposure (in Air Kerma-AK and Dose Area Product-DAP), number of cines, cine frames, fluoroscopy and procedure time, were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: The groups were comparable regarding the patient characteristics. There was a significant reduction in contrast media volume (174.7 ± 29.6 ml vs.132.6 ± 22.3 ml, p = 0.0001), radiation exposure (776 (499 - 1200) mGy vs. 1065 (791 - 1603) mGy, p = 0.002 in AK; 43 (37 - 73) Gycm2 vs. 80 (64 - 133) Gycm2, p = 0.030 in DAP) and procedure time (53.06 ± 21.20 min vs. 72.00 ± 30.55 min, p = 0.01) with the use of ESV systems. Similar results were observed in the subgroup analysis for the patients with CKD. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the use of ESV is associated with reduced contrast media usage, radiation dose and procedure time during PCI. The same results were observed in a subgroup analysis in patients with CKD, and this shows that ESV-guided PCI has the potential to reduce renal impairment and mitigate the progression of CKD for those CHD patients with CKD.

Colchicine-Containing Nanoparticles Attenuates Acute Myocardial Infarction Injury by Inhibiting Inflammation.

PURPOSE: Anti-inflammatory therapy is important for reducing myocardial injury after acute myocardial infarction (MI). New anti-inflammatory drugs and their mechanism are necessary to be explored to improve clinical efficacy. We aimed to improve the efficacy of colchicine on attenuating MI injury by nano-drug delivery systems and to investigate the mechanism of anti-inflammatory. METHODS: A colchicine-containing delivery system based on calcium carbonate nanoparticles (ColCaNPs) was synthesized. The protection against MI by ColCaNPs was evaluated using an in vivo rat model established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Macrophage polarization and the levels of inflammatory cytokines were determined using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and ELISA analysis. RESULTS: ColCaNP treatment showed about a 45% reduction in myocardial infarct size and attenuating myocardial fibrosis compared with groups without drug intervention after MI. Furthermore, ColCaNPs significantly decreased the levels of CRP, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in serum and the expression of proinflammatory cytokine in myocardial tissues after MI (p < 0.05). We also found that ColCaNPs notably restrained pyroptosis and inhibited inflammatory response by modulating on M1/M2 macrophage polarization and suppressing TLR4/NFκB/NLRP3 signal pathway. CONCLUSION: Colchicine-containing nanoparticles can protect against MI injury in a clinically relevant rat model by reducing inflammation. In addition, calcium carbonate nanoparticles can increase the cardioprotective effects of colchicine.

Effect of Renal Denervation on Cardiac Function and Inflammatory Factors in Heart Failure After Myocardial Infarction.

Heart failure (HF) affects around 100 million people and is a staggering burden for health care system worldwide. Rapid and sustained activation of inflammatory response is an important feature of HF after myocardial infarction. Sympathetic overactivation is also an important factor in the occurrence and progression of HF. The beneficial effect of renal denervation (RDN) has been demonstrated in HF. In the current study, we hypothesized that RDN improves cardiac function in HF canine models due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and reduced inflammation might be involved. Twenty-four beagles were randomized into the control (n = 8), HF (n = 8), and HF + RDN group (n = 8). The HF model after AMI was established by embolization the anterior descending distal artery with anhydrous ethanol in the HF and HF + RDN group. Bilateral renal artery ablation was performed in the HF + RDN group. Cardiac function, serum creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB and NT-Pro BNP level, and expression of inflammation-related proteins in myocardial were examined. Because the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus might be involved in inflammation-induced central neural excitation in HF and plays an important role in regulating extracellular fluid volume and sympathetic activity, expression of inflammation-related proteins in hypothalamus was also examined. AMI and post-AMI HF model was created successfully. Compared with the HF group, dogs in the HF + RDN group showed better cardiac function 4 weeks after AMI: lower left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and left ventricular end-systolic dimension and higher LEVF and left ventricular systolic pressure (P < 0.05 for all) were observed in the HF + RDN group. In addition, dogs in the HF + RDN group had slightly less ventricular fibrosis. Interestingly, RDN had lower expression of inflammation-related proteins including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factors-α, nuclear factor κB, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (P < 0.05 for all) in both myocardial tissue and hypothalamus. RDN can improve cardiac function in dogs with HF after myocardial infarction. Our results suggested that RDN might affect cytokine-induced central neural excitation in HF and later affect sympathetic activity. Our results suggested a potential beneficial mechanism of RDN independent of mechanism involving renal afferent and efferent sympathetic nerves.

[The effect of catheter based renal synthetic denervation on renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in patients with resistant hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: to explore the effect of catheter based renal synthetic denervation on renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and blood pressure reduction in patients with resistant hypertension. and assess the validity and security of the treatment. METHODS: Ten patients with resistant hypertension from June 2011 to December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed, and then all of 10 patients screened for eligibility were allocated to renal denervation. Primary endpoints were changes of office blood pressure at 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months after procedure. We assessed the effectiveness of renal sympathetic denervation with heart rate (HR), renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II (AngII), aldosterone (Ald), and creatinine (Cr) before and 2 weeks after procedure. RESULTS: Office blood pressure after catheter-based renal denervation decreased by 22.8/9.1 mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa), 34.8/14.7 mm Hg, 42.6/20.7 mm Hg, 43.2/21.6 mm Hg, at 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the level of PRA, AngII, Ald decreased by (1.11 ± 0.89) ng×ml(-1)×h(-1) (P = 0.003), (17.06 ± 13.82) ng/L (P = 0.004), (404.5 ± 285.8) ng/L (P = 0.002), respectively; and heart rate decreased by 5.1 bpm (P = 0.002). However, the Cr level and eGFR did not change significantly (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation can reduce the level of renin activity, angiotensin II and aldosterone, and causes substantial and sustained blood-pressure reduction.

[Association of tryptophan hydroxylase gene A218C and serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with essential hypertension in Chinese northern Han population].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) gene A218C in intron 7 and 5-hydroxytryptamine transporter (5-HTT) gene variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 2 and gene-linked polymorphic region (LPR) deletion/insertion polymorphism and essential hypertension (EH) in Chinese northern Han population. METHODS: A total of 280 EH patients and 200 normotensive controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the frequencies of the genotypes and alleles of TPH gene A218C and 5-HTTVNTR between EH patents and controls (all P > 0.05). The genotype frequencies of SS, LS and LL in the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was 68%, 29% and 3% in EH patients, 53%, 37% and 10% in the controls respectively (P < 0.01). The frequencies of allele S and L of the 5-HTTLPR were 82% and 18% in EH patients, 72% and 28% in the controls respectively (P < 0.01). Compared with the carriers of L allele (LS + LL), the EH risk was significantly higher in the SS homozygote (OR = 1.90, 95%CI = 1.31 - 2.77, P = 0.001). After adjustment of age, gender, body mass index, blood lipids, fasting blood glucose and blood uric acid level, the binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SS genotype in the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was significantly related to occurrence of EH (OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.06 - 2.04, P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The SS genotype of the 5-HTTLPR might be a susceptible gene to EH, while the TPH gene A218C and 5-HTTVNTR polymorphism is not associated with EH in Chinese northern Han population.

[Association of serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region polymorphism with early onset myocardial infarction and platelet membrane glycoprotein I b].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of serotonin transporter gene linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) insertion/deletion polymorphism with early onset myocardial infarction(MI) and platelet membrane glycoprotein I b(GP I b) in Northern Han population of China. METHODS: A total of 150 patients with early onset MI and 150 age- and sex-matched controls with negative coronary arteriography were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism by using a polymerase chain reaction-based technique. The percentage of positive platelet membrane GP I b and the average fluorescence intensity were quantified by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of LL, LS and SS in the 5-HTTLPR were 32%, 47% and 21% in the MI patients, 17%, 43% and 39% in the controls respectively(P<0.01). The L allele frequency in the MI patients was significantly higher than that of the control group (56% vs 39%, P<0.01). The percentage of positive platelet membrane GP I b and the fluorescence intensity in subjects with LL homozygote were markedly lower than that of LS and SS genotypes in the MI and control groups (all P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the 5-HTTLPR LL genotype was independently related to the occurrence of early onset MI(OR was 1.961, P was 0.037). CONCLUSION: The LL genotype of the 5-HTTLPR might be associated with the susceptibility to developing early MI in Northern Han population of China. The platelet activation is increased in individuals of LL genotype.

[Intravascular ultrasonic evaluation of poststenting atherosclerotic plaque redistribution and lumen reduction at the stent edge: does stent length matter?].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between poststenting atherosclerotic plaque redistribution/lumen reduction at the stent edge and stent length. METHODS: Seventy stents were implanted to 47 patients with stable or unstable angina and 33 stents were < or = 18 mm and 37 stents were > 18 mm. Intravascular ultrasound analysis was performed on proximal stent edge, stent area and distal stent edge. Lumen area (LA) and vascular area (VA) were measured and lumen volume (LV) and vascular volume (VV) were calculated on the three segments. Vascular wall volume (WV) was calculated as VV-LV, volume of plaque redistribution = poststenting WV-prestenting WV. RESULTS: Compared to prestenting, poststenting LV significantly decreased, VV remained unchanged and WV significantly increased at proximal and distal edges of < or = 18 mm group and at proximal edge of > 18 mm group, suggesting reduced lumen due to plaque distribution. At distal edge of > 18 mm group, poststenting LV, VV and WV all equally significantly increased therefore the lumen was not affected by plaque distribution. CONCLUSION: The poststenting lumen changes due to plaque redistribution were associated with stent length, lumen reduced at proximal and distal edge of short stents and proximal edge of long stents but not at the distal edge of long stents.

A new method to quantify coronary calcification by intravascular ultrasound - the different patterns of calcification of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris and stable angina pectoris.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) enables the identification of calcification with more details and quantification of calcification, but there is not a proper method to quantify the calcification with IVUS. Previous IVUS studies used arc or length of calcium, respectively, to quantify calcification, but calcium is determined by a combination of arc and length. We devised a new method to quantify calcium as arc area (AA) in the present study, and AA is two-dimensional and irrelevant to vessel size. METHODS AND RESULTS: We selected 201 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP), unstable angina pectoris (UAP), or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent IVUS imaging of a de novo native atherosclerotic lesion considered to be the culprit lesion before percutaneous coronary intervention between December 2001 and December 2007. The culprit lesion site for analysis was the 10 mm-long segment including the smallest lumen cross-sectional area. The arc of each calcium deposit in each image was measured with a protractor centered on the lumen and the length of each calcium deposit was calculated with the number of images containing the calcium deposit minus 1, then multiplying 0.5 mm (the images were 0.5 mm apart). Finally, the AA was calculated by arc (degree) multiplying length (mm). The average number of calcium deposits in the culprit lesions of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was significantly larger than patients with SAP or UAP, and the number of calcium deposits of patients with SAP or UAP was almost the same (mean +/- SD, AMI 2.21 +/- 1.98, SAP 1.15 +/- 1.01, UAP 1.20 +/- 1.15, AMI versus SAP or UAP; p < 0.0005). The average AA per calcium deposit was significantly different in culprit lesions of patients with SAP and UAP or AMI, the calcium deposits were bigger in SAP than in UAP or AMI, and there were no differences between UAP and AMI (mean +/- SD, SAP 788.6 +/- 767.0 degree x mm, UAP 136.6 +/- 189.3 degree x mm, AMI 148.4 +/- 217.1 degree x mm, SAP versus UAP or AMI; p < 0.0005). The total AA of culprit lesions per patient was greatest in patients with SAP, less in patients with AMI, and least in patients with UAP (mean +/- SD, SAP 903.3 +/- 1018.8 degree x mm, AMI 301.1 +/- 401.5 degree x mm, UAP 163.9 +/- 279.6 degree x mm, SAP versus UAP or AMI; p < 0.0005, AMI versus UAP; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The culprit lesions of patients with SAP, AMI, or UAP have greatest, less, or least calcification burden, respectively. The culprit lesions of patients with SAP have larger and fewer calcium deposits, patients with AMI have smaller and more numerous calcium deposits, and patients with UAP have smaller and fewer calcium deposits.

Study on the interrelationship between 5-HTTLPR/G-protein beta3 subunit (C825T) polymorphisms and depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and G-protein beta3-subunit (GNbeta3 C825T) polymorphisms are associated with depressive disorder and explore the genetic mechanism concerning the pathogenesis of this disorder. METHODS: The genotypes were determined with polymerase chain reaction and allele-specific restriction enzyme analysis. Patients suffering from depression (n=184) and sex and age-matched controls (n=158) were compared in this study. RESULTS: The frequencies of 5-HTTLPR SS and GNbeta3 825TT genotypes and 5-HTTLPR S and GNbeta3 825T alleles in patients suffering from depression were significantly higher than those in the controls (P<0.01). Combined genotype analysis showed that individuals with both 5-HTTLPR S and GNbeta3 825T alleles (odds ratio=3.25, P=0.002) had a risk of depressive disorder higher than those with 5-HTTLPR S (odds ratio=1.817, P=0.01) or GNbeta3 825T alleles (odds ratio=2.214, P=0.001) alone. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that the etiology of depressive disorder is associated with 5-HTTLPR and GNbeta3 C825T polymorphisms. Our data also suggests that an interaction effect may exist between the 5-HTTLPR S allele and GNbeta3 825T allele in increasing the risk of depressive disorder.

The change of serum leptin and its relationship with platelet membrane glycoprotein Ib in patients with coronary heart disease.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the change of serum leptin and its relationship with platelet membrane glycoprotein Ib (GP Ib) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The enrolled included 50 patients with CHD (CHD group) and 30 patients without CHD (control group) who were diagnosed by coronary angiography. The positive percentage and the average fluorescence intensity of platelet membrane GP Ib were detected by full-blood flow cytometry. Serum leptin was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The positive percentage and the average fluorescence intensity of platelet membrane GP Ib in the CHD group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After correcting the differences of systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose, PPBS, fasting insulin and quantitative insulin sensitive index, serum leptin level in the CHD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Single factor correlative analysis revealed that serum leptin in CHD patients was negatively correlated with the average fluorescence intensity of platelet membrane GP Ib (P < 0.05). Multifactorial stepwise regression analysis showed that serum leptin in CHD patients was independently negatively correlated with the average fluorescence intensity of platelet membrane GP Ib (P < 0.05). Logistic analysis demonstrated that serum leptin was independently correlated with the risk of CHD (P < 0.05). Hyperleptinemia was verified in CHD patients. The increase of serum leptin could affect blood platelet activation. Hyperleptinemia may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CHD.

[Intravascular ultrasound study of coronary remodeling and determination of matrix metalloproteinase and hypersensitive C-reactive protein].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate remodeling characteristics of coronary lesions in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) versus stable angina pectoris (SA) using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and to explore the relationship between arterial remodeling and clinical presentation or matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) or hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). METHODS: We studied culprit lesions of 38 patients with ACS and 18 patients with SA using IVUS before coronary intervention. The lesion site and a proximal or distal reference site including the external elastic membrane (EEM) area and lumen area were analyzed. Plaque area and remodeling index (RI) were calculated, and directions of arterial remodeling were determined. Positive remodeling was defined as RI > 1.05 and negative remodeling as RI < 0.95. We analyzed the culprit lesion qualitatively, identified high risk plaque and compared them in each group. The blood level of MMP-2, MMP-9 and hs-CRP in each group were also determined. RESULTS: The plaque area at culprit lesions in patients with ACS was significantly larger (11.94 +/- 4.90 versus 9.17 +/- 3.36 mm2; P = 0.035), and also the RI in ACS group was significantly greater than that of patients with SA (0.972 +/- 0.222 versus 0.796 +/- 0.130; P = 0.003). The distribution of remodeling in these two groups was different: positive remodeling was more frequent in ACS group than in SA group (34.2% versus 5.6%, P = 0.047), whereas negative remodeling was more frequent in SA group (52.6% versus 88.9%, P = 0.003). There was higher incidence of high risk plaque in ACS group compared to SA (76.3% versus 50.0%, P = 0.040). The level of serum MMP-2 in ACS group was higher than that of SA group (250.65 +/- 47.97 microg/L versus 214.21 +/- 47.20 microg/L, P = 0.029). The same applied for plasma MMP-9 (84.26 +/- 9.78 microg/L versus 68.46 +/- 22.82 microg/L, P = 0.038) and serum hs-CRP (3.62 +/- 3.37 mg/L versus 1.48 +/- 1.52 mg/L, P = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Positive remodeling, larger plaque area and higher incidence of high risk plaque are associated with ACS, whereas negative remodeling is more common in patients with SA. This association between the extent of remodeling and clinical presentation may reflect a greater tendency that plaques with positive remodeling can cause ACS. The change of level of MMP-2, MMP-9 and hs-CRP in ACS patients may be helpful in investigating vulnerable plaques.

[Further study on the indexes of auxiliary laboratory diagnosis in the syndrome of hyperactivity of liver-yang].

The indexes of auxiliary laboratory diagnosis, including plasma norepinephine (NE) levels, plasma epinephrine (E) levels, mean blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA-Vm) and systolic blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA-Vs), were observed in patients with the syndrome of hyperactivity liver-yang. The results indicated that the levels of the 4 indexes were significantly higher in the patients with the syndrome of hyperactivity liver-yang than those in the controls. In hypertension patients with the syndrome of hyperactivity liver-yang, there was a positive correlation between symptomatic scores of the syndrome of hyperactivity liver-yang and diastolic pressure (Pd), plasma NE and E levels. The symptoms ameliorated, and the levels of the 4 indexes decreased correspondingly in 3 weeks after the treatment of Qianyangfang (a traditional Chinese herb).