Genetic and environmental factors are important components of the development of atherosclerosis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) have emerged as regulators of multiple pathophysiological pathways in ...the cardiovascular system. Here, we investigated potential associations between lncRNAs and atherosclerosis.
Tissue samples from atherosclerotic coronary artery plaques and non-atherosclerotic internal mammary artery were obtained from 20 patients during coronary artery bypass surgery. Expression levels of five lncRNAs known to be associated with coronary artery disease were measured using quantitative PCR.
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense RNA 1 (ANRIL) and myocardial infarction–associated transcript (MIAT) were more expressed in the atherosclerotic arteries compared to the non-atherosclerotic arteries. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was less expressed in the atherosclerotic plaques. Expression levels of potassium voltage-gated channel, KQT-like subfamily, member 1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) and hypoxia inducible factor 1A antisense RNA 2 (aHIF) were comparable between atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic arteries. In the atherosclerotic plaque, expression levels of MALAT1, MIAT, KCNQ1OT1 and aHIF were inversely correlated with age.
We report significant associations between lncRNAs and atherosclerosis. These findings support a role for lncRNAs in coronary artery disease development.
•To address the association of long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with atherosclerosis.•Arteries with or without atherosclerotic plaque were obtained from the same patient.•Five lncRNAs associated with coronary artery disease were assessed.•Three lncRNAs were modulated in the atherosclerotic tissue.•Four lncRNAs were correlated with age, specifically in the atherosclerotic tissue.
Objective Beta-blockers are a heterogeneous class of agents that are used in the treatment of many cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension and atherosclerosis, and that are commonly ...prescribed after cardiac surgery. In the present study, the aim is to investigate the vasorelaxant effects of some common beta-adrenoceptor blockers on the human radial artery in vitro, as well as their relaxation mechanisms. Methods Radial artery rings sourced from human patients were mounted in an organ bath and tested for changes in isometric tension in relaxation response to labetalol, nebivolol, and propranolol in the presence and absence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (3 × 10−5 mol/L) and tetraethyl ammonium (3 × 10−4 mol/L). Results The labetalol (10−8 to 10−4 mol/L), nebivolol (10−8 to 10−4 mol/L), and propranolol (10−8 to 10−4 mol/L) induced concentration-dependent relaxations on the radial artery rings, which had been precontracted with phenylephrine (10−6 mol/L). The relaxation response induced by labetalol in the isolated radial artery rings was significantly higher when compared with the nebivolol and propranolol samples ( P < .05). NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester significantly reduced the relaxation of nebivolol ( P < .05), and tetraethyl ammonium significantly reduced the relaxation of labetalol, nebivolol, and propranolol ( P < .05). Conclusions We speculated that the relaxant effect of labetalol, nebivolol, and propranolol was due partly to the Ca2+ -activated K+ channels. In addition, the relaxation induced by nebivolol was largely related with nitric oxide release. Nebivolol, and partly propranolol, may provide significant therapeutic benefit, but labetalol can be a good alternative for coronary artery bypass grafting with radial artery use.
Cardiovascular diseases are the most important cause of mortality worldwide, particularly atherosclerosis. Recently, lncRNAs affecting atherosclerotic progression have been reported in vascular ...smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and monocytes, suggesting that lncRNAs play an important role in atherosclerosis.
In recent clinical studies, nowadays, it was determined that internal mammary bypass grafts are closest to ideal grafts in coronary artery bypass surgery. In this study, we used tissue samples taken from atherosclerotic coronary arteries and the internal mammary artery (IMA) during coronary artery bypass surgery. Using RT-PCR, we investigated the role of two lncRNAs, FENDRR and LincRNA-p21, by comparing their expression levels in coronary artery plaques and normal mammary arteries of 20 atherosclerotic patients.
We found that the FENDRR and LincRNA-p21 expressions decreased by approximately 2 and 7 fold in coronary artery plaques, respectively, compared with those in IMA, which is known to have no plaque development.
This study was the first to use mammary artery tissues of the same patients as a control and to study FENDRR expression. Our data may provide helpful insights regarding the association of lncRNAs and atherosclerosis.
Introduction: In this study we used N-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate (NBCA), including dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), via the endovenous route, for mechanochemical ablation in the treatment of superficial venous ...insufficiency, in an attempt to establish whether an early systemic inflammatory response and an allergic reaction occurred in the patients. Methods: A total of 102 patients were treated with endovenous medical ablation in two centres between October 2015 and February 2016. This study was a two-centre, retrospective, non-randomised investigational study. Ablation treatment with endovenous NBCA was used in patients with C3 to C4b grade superficial venous insufficiency, according to the CEAP (clinical, aetiology, anatomy and pathophysiology) clinical classification, with sapheno-femoral junctional insufficiency and a reflux of 0.5 seconds and longer on duplex ultrasonography. Pre-operative whole blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level and blood chemistry were studied in all patients on admission to the clinic, and repeated in the second hour post-intervention. Results: All patients were treated successfully. Pre-operative white blood cell count (WBC) was 6.82 ± 1.67 × 109 cells/μl, and post intervention it was 6.57 ± 1.49 × 109 cells/μl; the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.68). The neutrophil count before the intervention was 4.09 ± 1.33 × 109 cells/μl, while afterwards, it was 4.09 ± 1.33 × 109 cells/μl, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.833). Pre-intervention eosinophil count was 0.64 ± 1.51 × 109 cells/μl, while it was 0.76 ± 1.65 × 109 cells/μl after the intervention, and the difference was statistically significant. Pre-intervention ESR and CRP values were 18.92 ± 9.77 mm/h and 1.71 ± 1.54 mg/dl, respectively. Postoperative ESR and CRP values were 19.78 ± 15.90 mm/h and 1.73 ± 1.59 mg/dl, respectively, but the differences were not statistically significant. When the parameters were analysed by gender, the differences between pre- and postoperative WBC and eosinophil count, ESR and CRP in women were not statistically significant. On the other hand, although the change in WBC count and CRP value were not statistically significant in males, the differences in eosinophil count and ESR were statistically significant. Conclusion: Cyanoacrylate has been used in the endovenous medical ablation of varicose veins and superficial venous insufficiency over the last few years without the use of thermal energy and tumescent anaesthesia, which represents the greatest advantage of this method. In addition, since it causes no systemic allergic or acute inflammatory reaction, it appears to be safe to use.
OBJECTIVES
In both low- and high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, the internal mammary artery is the first choice of arterial graft, and the second choice is the radial ...artery (RA). Unfortunately, RA spasms are a significant problem for a surgical team to overcome in the perioperative and postoperative period. In current surgical practice, the use of vasodilator agents perioperatively in the pending graft preparation is generally accepted and these may be implemented topically, endoluminally or both ways. Moxonidine is the latest second-generation, centrally acting antihypertensive agent, and the intention in this paper is to investigate its direct vasorelaxant effects and relaxation mechanisms on the human radial artery in vitro.
METHODS
RA rings were mounted in an organ bath and tested for changes in isometric tension in its relaxation response to moxonidine in the presence and absence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, non-specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase), idazoxan (non-selective I1 and α2-antagonist) and yohimbine (selective α2-antagonist).
RESULTS
Moxonidine induced concentration-dependent relaxations on the RA rings precontracted with phenylephrine (P < 0.05). L-NAME and idazoxan significantly reduced the relaxation caused by moxonidine (P < 0.05), while yohimbine significantly increased the relaxation by moxonidine (P < 0.05). In the presence of L-NAME + idazoxan, the relaxation by moxonidine was eliminated completely (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
We speculate that the relaxant effect of moxonidine may be attributed partly to the synthesis and/or release of nitric oxide, and partly to the stimulation of imidazoline I1 receptors. We suggest that moxonidine may help to prevent RA spasms during the preparation period in operation when used topically or/and endoluminally.
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in one of the most effective and widely used methods employed in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, but many factors to various degrees are directly ...associated with perioperative and postoperative problems. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between preoperative eosinophil count and postoperative mortality in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft operation.
A total of 241 patients (157 males, 84 females) who underwent isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass graft operation between 2011 and 2013 in two centers were evaluated retrospectively. The mean age of patients was 64 ± 11 years. After the mean 6.2 ± 0.8 month follow-up period, 36 (15%) of the 241 patients experienced cardiovascular death. Patients were classified into two groups as those who survived versus those who died.
Eosinophil levels were lower among the patients who died compared to the patients who survived (0.8 0-3.8 versus 1.7 0-9.4 ×1000 cells/mm3; P < .001). Optimal cut-off level of eosinophils for predicting mortality was determined as ≤1.6 ×1000 cells/mm3, with a sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 51.0% (area under curve, 0.703; 95% CI, 0.641-0.760).
Eosinopenia was used as the predictor of mortality in pediatric and adult patients in the intensive care units. Eosinopenia after coronary artery bypass graft can be related to the endogenous stress hormones, and insufficiency of the existing cardiac status. Eosinophil levels can assist and facilitate risk stratification for patients with coronary artery bypass graft.
Primary cardiac extrasceletal osteosarcomas are uncommon tumours. They have aggressive behaviour and thus poor prognosis. This report describes a 40-year old female patient who was referred to our ...hospital with dyspnoea, weakness and syncopal attacks. Echocardiography and chest computed tomography showed a left atrial mass, and tumour excision revealed a cardiac chondroblastic osteosarcoma. After pathological diagnosis, she was scheduled for chemotherapy and radiotherapy by the related departments.
The symptoms and examination findings of masses that are located in the neck region can mimic each other. Although conventional radiological methods are useful for diagnosis, the distinction between ...carotid body tumors and papillary thyroid cancer may be challenging. In order to eliminate this situation that may lead to technical problems during surgery, the differential diagnosis must be made carefully. The definitive diagnostic method is pathological evaluation of the excised lesion. Herein, a patient with papillary thyroid cancer mimicking carotid body tumor is presented along with the literature.
Endovascular stent graft implantation is a favorable method for complex aortic coarctation accompanied by patent ductus arteriosus. Herein, an 18-year-old woman with complex aortic coarctation and ...patent ductus arteriosus was successfully treated by endovascular thoracic stent graft via retroperitoneal approach. The reason for retroperitoneal iliac approach was small sized common femoral arteries which were not suitable for stent graft passage. This case is the first aortic coarctation plus patent ductus arteriosus case described in the literature which is treated by endovascular thoracic stent graft via retroperitoneal approach.
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