Animal Experimental Study of Bioabsorbable Left Atrial Appendage Occluder.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure can prevent stroke in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation.A bioabsorbable LAA occluder made of degradable polymer materials, such as polydioxanone (PDO) and poly-L-lactic acid (PLA), and nitinol wire was used. Occluders were successfully implanted in 18 Chinese rural dogs, 2 of which died within 48 hours after operation due to pericardial tamponade and hemorrhage, respectively. Follow-up observation was performed after transcatheter LAA closure. New tissue was found on the surface of the occluder 2 months after operation. No adjacent structures such as the mitral valve and the left superior pulmonary vein were affected by the occluder discs. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed at 3 months after operation, which showed intact intimal structure on the occluder surface, and unabsorbed PDO and PLA were observed. Scanning electron microscopy showed irregular arrangement of endothelial cells. New endothelial tissue was observed to completely cover the occluder at 6 months after operation. Most PDOs were replaced by fibrous connective tissue, and scanning electron microscopy showed regularly arranged endothelial cells. Pathological examination at 12 months showed only a small remnant of PDO. The gross specimens of the liver, spleen, and kidneys and pathological examination did not indicate thromboembolism.The bioabsorbable LAA occluder made of PDO, PLA, and nitinol wire was safe and effective for the occlusion of LAA in dogs. The surface of the occluder was endothelialized half a year after operation. The absorbable materials of the occluder were degraded after 1 year.

Jiaolong capsule protects SD rats against 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid induced colitis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Jiaolong capsule (JLC) was approved for the therapy of gastrointestinal diseases by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of China. It has a satisfactory curative effect in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, however, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. AIM OF THE STUDY: In current study, the effects and possible mechanisms of JLC on 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sulfasalazine and JLC were administrated orally and initialized 6 h after TNBS enema, once a day for seven consecutive days. The effect of JLC on intestinal microbial populations and LPS/TLR-4/NF-κB pathway was observed and assessed. Thirty female SD rats were distributed into six groups randomly and equally, namely, control, TNBS, TNBS + sulfasalazine (625 mg/kg), and TNBS + three different doses of JLC (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) groups. RESULTS: The effect of JLC on restoring normal structures of colorectum and repairing colonic damage were superior to that of sulfasalazine. JLC showed a positive effect in re-balancing intestinal bacteria population of colitis, and suppressed the activation of LPS/TLR-4/NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that JLC demonstrated a beneficial effect on treating colitis in a rat model. The possible mechanisms may be through the regulatory effect of intestinal commensal bacteria and down-regulation of LPS/TLR-4/NF-κB pathway.

High serum uric acid is associated with increased arterial stiffness in hypertension.

Serum uric acid level has been found to be associated with cerebrovascular diseases. However, whether serum uric acid level is a risk factor for arterial stiffness in the hypertension population is unclear. This study was designed to determine the relationship between serum uric acid level and arterial stiffness in the hypertension population. A total of 10450 participants were evaluated for the risk of arterial stiffness. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was assessed, and high baPWV was determined as the highest quartile of baPWV values in a sex-specific manner. We evaluated the association between serum uric acid level and baPWV through multivariate-adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses. There was a significant difference on high baPWV between patients with quartiles of serum uric acid level in females and males (p<0.01), respectively. The odds ratios (95% CI) of the highest baPWV quartile across the sex-specific serum uric acid level were 1.0, 1.71 (1.35, 2.17), 1.75 (1.38, 2.23), and 1.95 (1.51, 2.51) in female, and 1.0, 1.33 (1.09, 1.64), 1.36 (1.11, 1.67), and 1.67 (1.36, 2.04) in male after adjusting for potential confounders. In conclusion, serum uric acid level could be considered as an important risk factor for arterial stiffness in Chinese hypertension population.

Apple polysaccharide prevents from colitis-associated carcinogenesis through regulating macrophage polarization.

Macrophages, an important component of inflammatory microenvironment and tumor microenvironment, are closely related to tumor development and progression. Our previous studies showed that apple polysaccharide (AP) could prevent from colitis associated colorectal carcinogenesis. Herein, we further our study to observe the effect of AP on the polarization of macrophages in Raw 264.7 cells and a colitis associated colorectal cancer mouse model, and to investigate the possible mechanisms. Forty male ICR mice were administered with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Twenty mice were given no further treatment as model mice, the rest twenty were fed basal diet mixed with 5% of AP. Raw 264.7 cells were treated with 0.5 mg/mL AP. AP could protect ICR mice against AOM/DSS-induced carcinogenesis, keep the colon of AOM/DSS-treated mice in a moderative inflammatory state, and shift macrophage polarization toward M1 phenotype. In vitro study showed that AP could upregulate TLR-4 signaling mildly and trigger M1 macrophage transition. Moreover, AP-induced transition of macrophage phenotype was suppressed by a TLR-4 antagonist, TAK-242. These data may provide a novel molecular basis for understanding how apples act to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) and indicate that AP has a potential to prevent and treat CRC.

High level of circulating microRNA-142 is associated with acute myocardial infarction and reduced survival.

BACKGROUND: Recent study reported that microRNA-142 (miR-142) were up-regulated in the atherosclerotic plaques, which may be responsible for pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, whether it associates with presence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and its prognostic value is still unknown. We, therefore, investigated the association between miR-142 expression and presence of AMI, and its prognostic value in AMI patients. METHODS: We included 300 AMI patients and 100 subjects as the control group. MiR-142 content was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. MiR-142 level was identified in all subjects. The multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the risk factors of AMI. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE)-free survival. RESULTS: AMI group had significantly higher miR-142 level in comparison to the controls [4.10 (2.03-7.43) vs. 1.92 (0.91-2.91), p < 0.001], moreover, miR-142 content was significantly associated with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level (r = 0.707, p < 0.001). The MACCE-free survival was significantly lower over 24-month for patients in miR-142 high expression group (72.4% ± 5.6% vs. 76.4% ± 5.1%) (p = 0.022). After adjusting for the traditional risk factors, the odds ratios of miR-142 was 14.74 (95% CI, 2.15-101.24). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that miR-142 level significantly associated with presence of AMI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The serum level of miR-142 was increased in AMI patients when compared with health population. Furthermore, use of this marker may allow a certain predictor of the MACCE in AMI patients.