Association between plasma ADAMTS-7 levels and ventricular remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: The metalloproteinase family of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) degrades extracellular matrix. However, the relevance of the ADAMTS family to cardiovascular diseases remains largely unknown. The study aimed to examine plasma ADAMTS-7 levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the relationship between plasma ADAMTS-7 levels and heart function. METHODS: This was a prospective study performed in 84 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 70 patients with non-STEMI (NSTEMI), and 38 controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure plasma ADAMTS-7 levels. Cardiac structure and function were assessed using two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. Patients were stratified according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35% or >35%. RESULTS: Plasma ADAMTS-7 levels were higher in patients with LVEF ≤35% compared with those with LVEF >35% (6.73 ± 2.47 vs. 3.22 ± 2.05 ng/ml, P < 0.05). Plasma ADAMTS-7 levels were positively correlated with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), and left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) and negatively correlated with the 6-min walk test (P < 0.05). According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, using a cutoff value of plasma ADAMTS-7 of 5.69 ng/ml was associated with a specificity of 61.0% and a sensitivity of 87.6% for the diagnosis of heart failure after AMI. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the association between ADAMTS-7 and heart failure after AMI was independent from traditional cardiovascular risk factors and other biomarkers (odds ratio = 1.236, 95% confidence interval: 1.023 to 1.378, P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated ADAMTS-7 level may be involved in ventricular remodeling after AMI

Towards a high-resolution modelling scheme for local-scale urban flood risk assessment based on digital aerial photogrammetry

With the rapid development of cities and the impact of climate change, cities located near rivers are facing an increasingly serious flood threat. Urban flood risk prediction management is pressing. The peak discharge and duration are important factors in urban flood management as well as the important characteristics of flood hygrograph. Mostly, hydrological model is used to obtain the upstream flood hygrograph to drive inundation model. However, lack of information on reservoirs, barrage structures and land use make it difficult to construct high-precision hydrological models, especially in upstream cities where data is lacking. In this study, therefore, we propose an approach to urban flood management based on measured flood data from urban hydrological stations in close proximity to derive flood hydrography for different return periods, and establish a high-precision urban-scale river flood risk management method by combining with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) survey data. This method can allow information on river construction and underlying surface change to be introduced into the flood hygrograph implicitly, thus avoiding the difficulty of establishing hydrological and hydrodynamic coupling of the whole basin. The applicability and accuracy of the methodology are explored in this article with reference to Chenxi City in the upper reaches of Yuanshui River. Comparison the flood process of the 10-year with the actual flood in 2016 indicates that the extent of inundation is strongly dependent on the instantaneous discharge, with the peak flow largely determining the maximum inundation extent and risk level. This illustrates the feasibility of risk assessment of urban flooding based on flood hygrograph with different period levels derived from measured flood processes at adjacent sites. Subsequently, the different return periods scenario is simulated and analyzed. This approach provides technical guidance for flood risk assessment in areas where data is lacking (e.g., upstream mountainous cities)

Ambulatory arterial stiffness index correlates with ambulatory pulse pressure but not dipping status in patients with grade 1/grade 2 essential hypertension

Objective To evaluate the relationship between ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) and other parameters derived from ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring, including dipping status, in patients with grade 1/grade 2 hypertension. Methods This retrospective analysis included baseline data from Chinese outpatients enrolled into a previous study, who had clinic diastolic BP of 90–109 mmHg and systolic BP &lt;180 mmHg, had undergone 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring and routine blood chemistry investigations, and had estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) data. Results Out of 120 patients screened, 87 were included. No significant difference in 24-h AASI was found between dippers and nondippers. The 24-h AASI significantly correlated with age, systolic BP and pulse pressure, and inversely correlated with 24-h diastolic BP variation and eGFR. In dippers and nondippers, AASI correlated with daytime pulse pressure, daytime diastolic BP variation and eGFR; in nondippers, AASI also correlated with 24-h systolic BP and 24-h pulse pressure. The 24-h AASI was significantly associated with 24-h pulse pressure and daytime pulse pressure. Conclusion In patients with grade 1/grade 2 essential hypertension, AASI shows a significant correlation with ambulatory pulse pressure. </jats:sec

Cardioprotection of ischemic preconditioning in rats involves upregulating adiponectin

It has been reported that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and adiponectin (APN) are cardioprotective in many cardiovascular disorders. However, whether APN mediates the effect of IPC on myocardial injury has not been elucidated. This study was conducted to investigate whether IPC affects myocardial ischemic injury by increasing APN expression. Male adult rats with cardiac knockdowns of APN and its receptors via intramyocardial small-interfering RNA injection were subjected to IPC and then myocardial infarction (MI) at 24 h after IPC. Globular APN (gAd) was injected at 10 min before MI. APN mRNA and protein levels in myocardium as well as the plasma APN concentration were markedly high at 6 and 12 h after IPC. IPC ameliorated myocardial injury as evidenced by improved cardiac functions and a reduced infarct size. Compared with the control MI group, rats in the IPC + MI group had elevated levels of left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening and a smaller MI size (P &lt; 0.05). However, the aforementioned protective effects were ameliorated in the absence of APN and APN receptors, followed by the inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation, but reversed by gAd treatment in wild-type rats, and AMPK phosphorylation increased (P &lt; 0.05). Overall, our results suggest that the cardioprotective effects of IPC are partially due to upregulation of APN and provide a further insight into IPC-mediated signaling effects.</jats:p

Advances and status of anode catalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis technology

A comprehensive summary on the developments and status of anode catalysts towards proton exchange membrane water electrolysis technology.</jats:p