Chinese medical journal
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2013
Association between genetic variants of the leukotriene biosynthesis pathway and the risk of stroke: a case-control study in the Chinese Han population.
Leukotrienes are arachidonic acid derivatives long known for their inflammatory properties. Leukotriene-based inflammation has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in atherosclerosis, a major risk factor for several human diseases. Recently, human genetic studies from us and others suggest that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in leukotriene pathway genes influence the risk of atherosclerotic diseases such as stroke. This study aimed to assess the role of additional leukotriene pathway genes as a stroke risk factor within the Chinese Han population. ⋯ Genetic variants in LTA4H and ALOX5 may modulate the risk of stroke in the Chinese Han population.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2013
Atorvastatin reduces myocardial fibrosis in a rat model with post-myocardial infarction heart failure by increasing the matrix metalloproteinase-2/tissue matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-2 ratio.
The cholesterol-lowering statin drugs have some non-lipid-lowering effects, such as inhibiting myocardial remodeling. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. ⋯ These data suggest that atorvastatin can inhibit cardiac fibroblast proliferation and enhance collagen degradation by increasing the MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio, thereby inhibiting the formation of myocardial fibrosis in rats with heart failure after myocardial infarction.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2013
Effects of epithelial cell injury of the lower respiratory tract in the pathogenesis of allergic responses in a rat model.
Asthma is a complex disease involving genetic and environment interactions. Atopy is a strong risk factor for asthma. The airway epithelium not only forms a physical barrier but also provides immune defense against harmful materials. To explore the effects of airway epithelium on asthma, we hypothesized that environmental injuries could act on bronchial epithelial cells and damage the physical barrier, which might facilitate allergens to stimulate immunoreactions and play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. ⋯ The experiment results show that the injury to the bronchial epithelial layer may be the initial event of allergic responses. This finding implies that a rational approach to therapeutics would be to increase the resistance of the airways to environmental injuries rather than concentrating on suppressing inflammation.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2013
Review Meta AnalysisA comparative study on the medium-long term results of endovascular repair and open surgical repair in the management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Although it is generally acknowledged that patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) obtain the greatest benefit from endovascular repair (EVAR), convincing evidence on the medium-long term effect is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare and summarize published results of rAAA that underwent EVAR with open surgical repair (OSR). ⋯ On the basis of this systematic review, rAAA EVAR results in less blood use for transfusion, shorter operation time, shorter intensive care unit and hospital stays, and lower 30-day mortality. However, in the medium-long term, it is not associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality.
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Chinese medical journal · Jan 2013
Evaluation of neuromuscular activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea using chin surface electromyography of polysomnography.
It is believed that defects in upper airway neuromuscular control play a role in sleep apnea pathogenesis. Currently, there is no simple and non-invasive method for evaluating neuromuscular activity for the purpose of screening in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study was designed to assess the validity of chin surface electromyography of routine polysomnography in evaluating the neuromuscular activity of obstructive sleep apnea subjects and probe the neuromuscular contribution in the pathogenesis of the condition. ⋯ Recording and analyzing chin surface electromyography by routine polysomnography is a valid way of screening the neuromuscular activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The neuromuscular contribution is different among subjects with obstructive sleep apnea.