BioMed research international
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Vascular remodeling is the most critical pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Adipokine chemerin was known for its relationship with obesity as well as metabolism. Most recently, chemerin was found to play a crucial role in the pathologic process of cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease. In this study, we surveyed the role of chemerin in progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice. ⋯ Our study revealed that chemerin stimulated the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice.
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Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) has currently been considered as the first-tier genetic test for patients with developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID) in many countries. In this study, we performed an extensive assessment of the value of CMA for the diagnosis of children with ID/DD in China. ⋯ Microdeletion/microduplication syndromes and unbalanced rearrangements are probably the main genetic etiological factors for DD/ID. DD/ID patients with MCA have a higher rate of chromosomal aberrations. Parents of DD/ID children with submicroscopic unbalance rearrangements are more likely to have chromosome balanced translocations or pericentric inversions, which might have been missed by karyotyping. CMA can significantly improve the diagnostic rate for patients with DD/ID, which is of great value for medical management and clinical guidance for genetic counseling.
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Native nephrectomy in Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) patients is a major operation with controversy related to timing and indications. We present our single centre experience in transplanted patients and future candidates for transplantation. ⋯ Native nephrectomy for ADPKD could be safely performed in case of refractory symptoms, suspect of cancer or to create space for transplantation. It does not affect graft function or DSA status of transplanted patients or the prospect of transplantation of those on the waiting list.
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Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. Our study aimed to determine whether miR-22-5p, miR-132-5p, and miR-150-3p represent novel biomarkers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Plasma samples were isolated from 35 AMI patients and 55 matched controls. ⋯ Furthermore, neither heparin nor medications for coronary heart disease (CHD) affected plasma levels of miR-22-5p and miR-132-5p, but circulating miR-150-3p was downregulated by medications for CHD. We concluded that plasma miR-22-5p, miR-132-5p, and miR-150-3p may serve as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis of AMI. Moreover, a panel consisting of these three miRNAs may achieve a higher diagnostic value.
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Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a transient and reversible brain dysfunction, that occurs when the source of sepsis is located outside of the central nervous system; SAE affects nearly 30% of septic patients at admission and is a risk factor for mortality. In our study, we sought to determine whether metabolite changes in plasma could be a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis and/or the prediction of the prognosis of sepsis. ⋯ According to recent research on SAE, metabolic disturbances in tissue and cells may be the main pathophysiology of this condition. In our study, we found a correlation between the concentration of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and the severity of consciousness disorders. We suggest that 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid may be a potential biomarker for SAE and useful in predicting patient prognosis.