Identification of predictors for the comprehensive clinical risk and severity of coronary lesions of acute coronary syndrome

BackgroundAcute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the most common cause of death in patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of the study was to identify the predictors of both comprehensive clinical risk and severity of coronary lesions by comprehensive use of GRACE and SYNTAX scores in patients with ACS.MethodsClinical data of 225 ACS patients who underwent coronary angiography between 2015 and 2016 were collected. Multiple logistic regression analysis (stepwise) was used to identify the predictors. The predictive ability of predictors and the model were determined using receiver operating characteristics analyses.ResultsMultivariable logistic regression analyses showed that high aspartate aminotransferase (AST) predicted the comprehensive clinical risk with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.011 (1.002–1.021). High total cholesterol (TC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) predicted the severity of coronary lesions with ORs and 95% CIs of 1.517 (1.148–2.004) and 1.556 (1.195–2.028), respectively. Low prealbumin predicted both severity of coronary lesions and comprehensive clinical risk of ACS patients with ORs and 95% CIs of 0.743 (0.672–0.821) and 0.836 (0.769–0.909), respectively. The model with a combination of prealbumin and AST had the highest predictive efficacy for comprehensive clinical risk, and the combination of prealbumin, TC, and RDW had the highest predictive efficacy for the severity of coronary lesions. The sensitivity and specificity, and the optimal cut-off values of these four indexes were determined.ConclusionsFour predictors for the comprehensive clinical risk and severity of coronary lesions of ACS were identified, which provided important information for the early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ACS

Celastrol attenuates angiotensin II-induced cardiac remodeling by targeting STAT3

RATIONALE: Excessive Ang II (angiotensin II) levels lead to a profibrotic and hypertrophic milieu that produces deleterious remodeling and dysfunction in hypertension-associated heart failure. Agents that disrupt Ang II-induced cardiac dysfunction may have clinical utility in the treatment of hypertension-associated heart failure. OBJECTIVE: We have examined the potential effect of celastrol-a bioactive compound derived from the Celastraceae family-on Ang II-induced cardiac dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: In rat primary cardiomyocytes and H9C2 (rat cardiomyocyte-like H9C2) cells, celastrol attenuates Ang I-induced cellular hypertrophy and fibrotic responses. Proteome microarrays, surface plasmon resonance, competitive binding assays, and molecular simulation were used to identify the molecular target of celastrol. Our data showed that celastrol directly binds to and inhibits STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription)-3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Functional tests demonstrated that the protection of celastrol is afforded through targeting STAT3. Overexpression of STAT3 dampens the effect of celastrol by partially rescuing STAT3 activity. Finally, we investigated the in vivo effect of celastrol treatment in mice challenged with Ang II and in the transverse aortic constriction model. We show that celastrol administration protected heart function in Ang II-challenged and transverse aortic constriction-challenged mice by inhibiting cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy CONCLUSIONS: Our studies show that celastrol inhibits Ang II-induced cardiac dysfunction by inhibiting STAT3 activity

Learning and Memory Alterations Are Associated with Hippocampal N-acetylaspartate in a Rat Model of Depression as Measured by 1H-MRS

It is generally accepted that cognitive processes, such as learning and memory, are affected in depression. The present study used a rat model of depression, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), to determine whether hippocampal volume and neurochemical changes were involved in learning and memory alterations. A further aim was to determine whether these effects could be ameliorated by escitalopram treatment, as assessed with the non-invasive techniques of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Our results demonstrated that CUMS had a dramatic influence on spatial cognitive performance in the Morris water maze task, and CUMS reduced the concentration of neuronal marker N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in the hippocampus. These effects could be significantly reversed by repeated administration of escitalopram. However, neither chronic stress nor escitalopram treatment influenced hippocampal volume. Of note, the learning and memory alterations of the rats were associated with right hippocampal NAA concentration. Our results indicate that in depression, NAA may be a more sensitive measure of cognitive function than hippocampal volume

Experimental Study on Influencing Factors of Characteristic Index of Local Horizontal Frozen Body of Double-Row Pipe under Seepage

In order to deeply understand the influence of different factors on the characteristic indicators of the double-row-pipe partial horizontal frozen body in the sand-gravel stratum under the effect of seepage flow, several sets of sand-gravel stratum frozen model tests were carried out based on the similarity theory. The research showed that (1) under the effect of seepage flow, the backwater surface of the horizontal frozen body is in the shape of a quadratic parabolic and the development velocity of the backwater surface is inversely proportional to the square of the freezing time. The influence of seepage velocity on the downstream length and the freezing front development velocity of the backwater surface is stronger than the refrigerant temperature; (2) overlap time of the second row of frozen soil column increases with the increase of the distance between frozen pipes and seepage velocity and decreases with the decrease of the refrigerant temperature. The influence of various factors on the overlap time follows the order as the distance between freezing pipes > seepage velocity > refrigerant temperature. The average development velocity of the upstream surface decreases with the increase of the seepage velocity and the refrigerant temperature and first increases and then decreases with the increase of freezing pipe spacing. The influence of various factors on the average development velocity follows the order as seepage velocity > the distance between freezing pipes > refrigerant temperature. In addition, through the regression analysis, the quantitative relationship between the maximum arrangement spacing of the frozen pipes, the seepage velocity, and the refrigerant temperature was obtained. The research results can provide a basis for large-area partial horizontal freezing construction in Beijing sand-gravel stratum

A Decision-Making Method for Machinery Abnormalities Based on Neural Network Prediction and Bayesian Hypothesis Testing

For anomaly identification of predicted data in machinery condition monitoring, traditional threshold methods have problems during residual testing. It is difficult to make decisions when the residuals are close to the threshold and fluctuate. This paper proposes a Bayesian dynamic thresholding method that combines Bayesian inference with neural network signal prediction. The method makes full use of historical prior data to build an anomaly identification and warning model applicable under single variable or multidimensional variables. A long short-term memory signal prediction model is established, and then a Bayesian hypothesis testing-based anomaly identification strategy is presented to quantify the probability of anomaly occurrence and issue early warnings for anomalies beyond a certain probability. The model was applied to open data sets of a pumping station and actual operating data of a nuclear power turbine. The results indicate that the model successfully predicts the failure probability and failure time. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified

Optimization of development mode of asphalt profile control based on numerical simulation and study of its mechanism

Asphalt profile control is an effective method, which can further improve oil recovery of reservoir polymer flooded, it has a lot of advantages including high strength profile control, seal strata formation efficiency, low cost and no pollution, but there has not a perfect evaluation system for its development mode. The effect of different concentration, injection rate, radius of profile control, the timing of profile and segment combination way on the oil displacement effect of the asphalt profile control were researched using numerical simulation method on actual typical well area in Daqing oilfield, and the mechanism of asphalt profile control was studied in detail. According to the results of laboratory test, the largest Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) of asphalt was obtained at injection concentration 4000 mg/L, and the best combination was “high–low–high” concentration slug mode. According to the results of numerical simulation, the best concentration, injection rate, radius of profile control and injection timing were 4000 mg/L, 0.15 PV/a (Pore Volume [PV], m3), 1/2 of well spacing and 96% water cut in single slug of asphalt injection system, when the injection condition was multiple slug, the “high–low–high” slug combination mode was the best injection mode. These results could provide effective development basis for asphalt profile control after polymer flooding in thick oil layers

Calcitonin Inhibits Phenotypic Switching of Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Neointimal Hyperplasia through the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase/Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Pathway

Calcitonin (CT) is a peptide hormone secreted by the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid gland, salmon calcitonin was originally extracted from the hind cheek of salmon. Neointimal hyperplasia refers to the excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this study, a rat model of restenosis was employed to explore the impact of calcitonin on neointima proliferation. Calcitonin was administered via continuous injections for a duration of 14 days postsurgery, and the expression of proteins associated with proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switching was assessed using the vascular smooth muscle cells. Additionally, metabolomic analyses were conducted to shed light on the mechanisms that underlie the role of calcitonin in the development of cardiovascular disease. In our study, we found that calcitonin possesses the capability to dispute the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation of VSMCs induced by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and 15% fetal bovine serum in vitro. Calcitonin has demonstrated a favorable impact on smooth muscle cells, both in vitro and in vivo. More specifically, it has been observed to mitigate phenotypic switching, proliferation, and migration of these cells. Moreover, calcitonin has been identified as a protective factor against phenotypic switching and the formation of neointima, operating through the AMP-activated protein kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway

Effects of CUMS and escitalopram treatment on hippocampal ¹H-MRS measurements.

<p>Data are presented as mean ± S.D. (n = 6 per group).</p><p>**<i>P</i><0.005 vs. control+saline group,</p>#<p><i>P</i><0.05 vs. CUMS+saline group. Abbreviations: CON, control; CUMS, chronic unpredictable mild stress; ESC, escitalopram; NAA, N-acetylaspartate; Cr, creatine; Cho, choline-containing compounds; Glu, glutamate; MI, Myo-inositol.</p

Correlation analysis between NAA/Cr of the right hippocampus and the learning and memory test.

<p>(A–D) In the acquisition trials, a significant negative correlation was found between NAA/Cr of right hippocampus and the latency to find platform on day 1 (r = −0.478, <i>P</i> = 0.018), day 3 (r = −0.539, <i>P</i> = 0.007) and day 4 (r = −0.450, <i>P</i> = 0.027), although the correlation of day 2 (r = −0.348, <i>P</i> = 0.096) was not significant. (E) A significant positive correlation was shown between NAA/Cr of right hippocampus and the crossing number of platform (r = 0.654, <i>P</i> = 0.001). (F) There is a strong positive correlation between NAA/Cr of right hippocampus and the time spent in the target quadrant (r = 0.627, p = 0.001).</p

Effects of CUMS and escitalopram treatment on acquisition and consolidation in the Morris water maze test.

<p>(A) In the acquisition trials, CUMS rats showed longer escape latency during training days 2–4, while escitalopram treatment restored the CUMS-induced longer latencies to control levels. In the probe trial, CUMS impaired memory retrieval as indicated by fewer crossing times of the platform position (B) and less time spent in the target quadrant (C), while escitalopram treatment restored the CUMS-induced impairment of memory retrieval to levels seen in controls. There was no significant difference of swim distance (D) and swim speed (E) among groups. Data are presented as mean ± S.D. (n = 6 per group). * <i>P</i><0.05, ** <i>P</i><0.01 vs. control+saline group. # <i>P</i><0.05, # # <i>P</i><0.01, vs. CUMS+saline group.</p