Reduction of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and Interleukin-8 Levels by Ticlopidine in TNF-α Stimulated Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Atherosclerosis and its associated complications represent major causes of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized or Western countries. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is critical for the initiating and developing of atherosclerotic lesions. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a CXC chemokine, stimulates neutrophil chemotaxis. Ticlopidine is one of the antiplatelet drugs used to prevent thrombus formation relevant to the pathophysiology of atherothrombosis. In this study, we found that ticlopidine dose-dependently decreased the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α-stimulated MCP-1, IL-8, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Ticlopidine declined U937 cells adhesion and chemotaxis as compared to TNF-α stimulated alone. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects were neither due to decreased HUVEC viability, nor through NF-kB inhibition. These results suggest that ticlopidine decreased TNF-α induced MCP-1, IL-8, and VCAM-1 levels in HUVECs, and monocyte adhesion. Therefore, the data provide additional therapeutic machinery of ticlopidine in treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis

Identifying the pollution characteristics of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with functional districts in Ningbo, China

Duplicate polyurethane foam based passive air samplers (PUF-PAS) were deployed at seven sites in Ningbo from November 1, 2014 to October 31, 2015 and were used to analyze 15 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Higher benzo[a]pyrene toxic equivalent concentrations were observed in the industrial areas during wintertime. Correspondence analysis (CA) was used to characterize the PAH congener profiles associated with each functional district and their temporal variations. It showed that different PAH composition profiles and seasonal variations were observed in mountain, rural area and residential areas; and different industrial layouts also led to different properties of PAH congener emissions. Higher levels of PAHs were observed around oil refinery in summer and at mountainous areas in winter, which might be attributed to the evaporation of petroleum and the impact of local biomass burning. This study also demonstrated that the factors influencing the representativeness of a site could be more clearly understood using PUF-PAS and CA analysis. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Consensus document for invasive coronary physiologic assessment in Asia-Pacific countries

Background: Currently, invasive physiologic assessment such as fractional flow reserve is widely used worldwide with different adoption rates around the globe. Patient characteristics and physician preferences often differ in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with respect to treatment strategy, techniques, lesion complexity, access to coronary physiology and imaging devices, as well as patient management. Thus, there is a need to construct a consensus document on recommendations for use of physiology-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in APAC populations. This document serves as an overview of recommendations describing the best practices for APAC populations to achieve more consistent and optimal clinical outcomes.  Methods and Results: A comprehensive multiple-choice questionnaire was provided to 20 interven- tional cardiologists from 10 countries in the APAC region. Clinical evidence, tips and techniques, and clinical situations for the use of physiology-guided PCI in APAC were reviewed and used to propose key recommendations. There are suggestions to continue to develop evidence for lesion and patient types that will benefit from physiology, develop directions for future research in health economics and local data, develop appropriate use criteria in different countries, and emphasize the importance of education of all stakeholders. A consensus recommendation to enhance the penetration of invasive physiology-based therapy was to adopt the 5E approach: Evidence, Education, Expand hardware, Economics and Expert consensus.  Conclusions: This consensus document and recommendations support interventional fellows and cardiologists, hospital administrators, patients, and medical device companies to build confidence and encourage wider implementation of invasive coronary physiology-guided therapy in the APAC region.