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Ischemic cardiovascular disease (ICVD) has high incidence and high mortality worldwide. The studies of its risk factors were mostly concentrated on an individual level, and there are scarce studies on the two levels of risk factors which include individual and regional levels.The data were obtained from a community-based study in 4 cities and 6 counties of Henan, China. Risk factors were initially screened by one-way analysis of variance or chi-square test. Then, they were re-analyzed using a two-level logistic regression model to construct a personal disease risk prediction model.A two-level ICVD risk prediction model comprised 11 variables: age, body mass index (BMI), family history of hypertension, marital status, salt intake, smoking, moderate recreational physical activities, alcohol intake, and education at the individual level. Among the unalterable risk factors, for each additional unit of age and family history of hypertension, the risk of ICVD increased by 1.08 and 1.07 units [β95% confidence interval (95%CI): 0.99-1.16, 0.97-1.17, both p 0.0001], respectively. Among the modifiable risk factors, the ICVD risk increases by 0.67, 0.27, and 0.28 units for each additional unit of BMI, marital status, and education (β95%CI: 0.60-0.74, p 0.0001; β95%CI: 0.14-0.40, p = 0.0012, 0.18-0.37, p = 0.0001).The two-level ICVD risk model can predict that the risk of one person for ICVD will be lower if one is younger, thinner, and well-educated without a family history of hypertension. Overall, the two-level ICVD risk prediction model gets a better fitting effect than the single-level model.

Gout is a multifaceted inflammatory disease involving vascular impairments induced by hyperuricemia. Experiments using human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with uric acid (UA), monosodium urate (MSU), or serum from gout patients showed increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes (ie, VCAM1, ICAM1, CYR61, CCNA1, and E2F1) with attendant increase in monocyte adhesion. Mechanistically, UA- or MSU-induced SREBP2 expression and its transcriptional activity. RNA sequencing analysis and real-time PCR showed the induction of YAP signaling and pro-inflammatory pathways in HUVECs transfected with adenovirus-SREBP2. The SREBP2 knockdown by siRNA partially abolished UA- or MSU-induced YAP activity, pro-inflammatory gene expression, and monocytes adhesion. Vascular intima from transgenic mice overexpressing SREBP2 in endothelium or mice with hyperuricemia exhibited activated YAP signaling and increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Betulin, an SREBP pharmacological inhibitor, attenuated the UA-, MSU-, or gout serum-induced endothelial cell inflammation and dysfunction. In the human study, endothelial cell function, assessed by EndoPAT, was negatively correlated with serum UA level among gouty patients and healthy controls. Collectively, UA or MSU causes endothelial dysfunction via SREBP2 transactivation of YAP. Betulin inhibition of SREBP2 may restrain gout-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Goji berries (Lycium fruits) are usually found in Asia, particularly in northwest regions of China. Traditionally, dried goji berries are cooked before they are consumed. They are commonly used in Chinese soups and as herbal tea. Moreover, goji berries are used for the production of tincture, wine, and juice. Goji berries are high antioxidant potential fruits which alleviate oxidative stress to confer many health protective benefits such as preventing free radicals from damaging DNA, lipids, and proteins. Therefore, the aim of the review was to focus on the bioactive compounds and pharmacological properties of goji berries including their molecular mechanisms of action. The health benefits of goji berries include enhancing hemopoiesis, antiradiation, antiaging, anticancer, improvement of immunity, and antioxidation. There is a better protection through synergistic and additive effects in fruits and herbal products from a complex mixture of phytochemicals when compared to one single phytochemical.

To investigate whether transdermal scopolamine increased cardiac vagal activity in patients during the acute phase of myocardial infarction.30 patients with a first acute myocardial infarction and preserved sinus rhythm who were on no drug that could influence the sinus node were randomly assigned to either treatment group or placebo group. Measures of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients given drug or placebo were obtained by digital 24 hour Holter recording before and after treatment. Baroreflex sensitivity was performed using the phenylephrine method.No significant differences was found in the indices of the time domain and the frequency domain in both groups before treatment. Patients with transdermal scopolamine showed a significant increase in the standard deviation of normal RR intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of all five min mean normal RR intervals (SDANN), root mean square of differences of successive normal RR intervals (rMSSD), total power (TP, 0.000. - 0.40 Hz), low frequency peak (LF, 0.040 - 0.15 Hz), high frequency peak (HF, 0.15 - 0.40 Hz), and Baroreflex sensitivity after treatment (P0.05 - 0.01). These indices did not change in patients given placebo.Low doses of transdermal scopolamine safely increase cardiac parasympathetic activity and improve autonomic indices in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Despite the extensive hepatic differentiation potential of human umbilical cord lining-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC), little is known about the molecular mechanisms of hUC-MSC differentiation. At the post-transcriptional level, microRNAs are key players in the control of cell fate determination during differentiation. In this study, we aimed to identify microRNAs involved in the hepatic differentiation of hUC-MSCs. After successfully isolating hUC- MSCs, we induced hepatocyte formation in vitro with growth factors. After 26 days of induction, hUC-MSCs could express hepatocyte-specific genes, synthesize urea and glycogen and uptake low-density lipoprotein. Cellular total RNA from hUC-MSCs and hepatic differentiated hUC-MSCs was collected at 7 time points, including 2 days, 6 days, 10 days, 14 days, 22 days and 26 days, for microRNA microarray analysis. Dynamic microRNA profiles were identified that did not overlap or only partially overlapped with microRNAs reported to be involved in human liver development, hepatocyte regeneration or hepatic differentiation of liver-derived progenitor cells. A total of 61 microRNAs among 1205 human and 144 human viral microRNAs displayed consistent changes and were altered at least 2-fold between hUC-MSCs and hepatic differentiated hUC-MSCs. Among these microRNAs, 25 were over-expressed; this over-expression occurred either gradually or increased sharply and was maintained at a high level. A total of 36 microRNAs were under-expressed, with an expression pattern similar to that of the over-expressed microRNAs. The expression of the altered expressed microRNAs was also confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. We also found that microRNAs involved in hepatic differentiation were not enriched in hepatocyte or hepatocellular carcinoma cells and can potentially target liver-enriched transcription factors and genes. The elucidation of the microRNA profile during the hepatic differentiation of hUC-MSCs provides the basis for clarifying the role of microRNAs in hUC-MSC hepatic differentiation and specific microRNA selection for the conversion of hUC-MSCs to hepatocytes.