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Background: Recently, several studies have reported that the host immune response can be related to the RANKL/RANK/OPG signaling pathway. However, the associations of TNFSF11, TNFRSF11A, and TNFRSF11B gene polymorphisms in the RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection outcomes remain unclear.Methods: In this case-control study, 768 persistent HCV infection and 503 spontaneous HCV clearance cases, and 1,259 control subjects were included. The Taman-MGB probe method was utilized to detect TNFSF11 rs9525641, TNFRSF11A rs8686340, and TNFRSF11B rs2073618 genotypes. The distribution of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotypes was analyzed using stata14.0.Results: SNPs rs9525641, rs8086340, and rs2073618 genotype frequencies followed the Hardy-Weinberg natural population equilibrium (p = 0.637, 0.250, and 0.113, respectively). Also, rs9525641 was significantly associated with HCV chronicity risk in recessive (OR = 1.203, 95% CI: 1.018–1.420, p = 0.030) and additive models (OR = 1.545, 95% CI: 1.150–2.075, p = 0.004). The stratified analysis showed that rs9525641 variant genotypes were associated with HCV chronicity among people older than 50 years (OR =1.562, 95% CI: 1.079–2.262, p = 0.018), females (OR = 1.667, 95% CI: 1.145–2.429, p = 0.008), ALT p = 0.018), and AST < 40 U/L (OR = 1.552, 95% CI: 1.095–2.201, p = 0.014).Conclusion:TNFRSF11 rs9525641 was significantly associated with HCV chronicity in the Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of intravascular ultrasound(IVUS)in guiding the treatment of non-left main intermediate coronary lesions for patients of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: A total of 25 patients with intermediate coronary lesions(stenosis of 40%-70%) confirmed by coronary angiography were performed with IVUS. When MLA≥4 mm(2), we deferred the PCI treatment and performed optimal medical treatment (OMT). The patient were followed up for 12 month. The primary outcome was target vessel revascularization (TVR) and secondary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). RESULTS: A total of 25 lesions of 25 patients were examined by IVUS. 19(76%) lesions were attenuated plaque, 4(16%)were echo-lucent plaque, 2(8%) were calcified plaque. Most of the plaque (18/25, 72%) were eccentric. Positive remodeling was found in 20(80%) lesions and negative remodeling in 5(20%) lesions with meanremodeling index of 1.17±0.15. Thrombus was found in 1 case, accounting for 4%. The diameter stenosis, area stenosis, minimal lumen area and the reference diameter mea-sured by IVUS were larger than those measured by quantitative coronary angiography (all P < 0.05). One patient with non-ST segment elevated myocardiac infarction was performed revascularization because MI attacked again, and 2 patients with Unstable angina were treated with OMT but they were still rehospitalization because of angina occurred repeatedly. The incidence of TVR was 4.00%, so as 16.00% of MACE. CONCLUSION: IVUS can be used to guide the treatment of non-left main intermediate coronary lesions for patients of acute coronary syndrome.

In this work, we report a detailed theoretical investigation of the phase transition of ammonia borane (NH(3) BH(3); AB), from a tetragonal I4mm (C(4v)(9)) phase with disordered orientation of hydrogen to an orthorhombic phase with Pmn2(1) (C(2v)(7)) symmetry, as a function of temperature based on Density Functional Theory calculations with semiempirical dispersion potential correction. We define a series of substructures with the NH(3) BH(3) moiety always in C(3v) symmetry and the partially occupied high temperature state can be described as a continuous transformation between these substructures. To understand the role of the van der Waals corrections to the physical properties, we use the empirical Grimme's dispersion potential correction (PBE-D2). Both Perdew-Burke-Emzerhof (PBE) and PBE-D2 functional yield almost the same energy sequence along the transition path. However, PBE-D2 functional shows obvious advantage in describing the lattice parameters of AB. The rigid rotor harmonic oscillator approximation is used to compute the free energy and the entropies contribution along the transition pathway. With knowledge of free energy surfaces along rotations of the --[NH(3)] and --[BH(3)] groups, complete transformation paths are mapped out. The phase transition is found to follow the sequence of partially occupied tetragonal system (I4mm) of a mixture of states with monoclinic (Cc), (CM) and orthorhombic (Pmn2(1)) symmetries to fully occupied quasitetragonal system (the intermediate phase, Pmn2(1)) to fully occupied orthorhombic system (Pmn2(1)).

Echinacoside (ECH) is protective in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)). To investigate the mechanisms involved, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with MPP(+) or a combination of MPP(+) and ECH, and the expression of ATF3 (activating transcription factor 3), CHOP (C/EBP-homologous protein), SCNA (synuclein alpha), and GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor) was assessed. The results showed that ECH significantly improved cell survival by inhibiting the generation of MPP(+)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, ECH suppressed the ROS and MPP(+)-induced expression of apoptotic genes (ATF3, CHOP, and SCNA). ECH markedly decreased the MPP(+)-induced caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner. ATF3-knockdown also decreased the CHOP and cleaved caspase-3 levels and inhibited the apoptosis induced by MPP(+). Interestingly, ECH partially restored the GDNF expression that was down-regulated by MPP(+). ECH also improved dopaminergic neuron survival during MPP(+) treatment and protected these neurons against the apoptosis induced by MPTP. Taken together, these data suggest that the ROS/ATF3/CHOP pathway plays a critical role in mechanisms by which ECH protects against MPP(+)-induced apoptosis in PD.

At the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), the elastic constants of the orthorhombic phase of NH 3 BH 3 were calculated with plane-wave pseudo-potential method. Our calculation showed that the orthorhombic phase NH 3 BH 3 is a loose and brittle material, as well as hard to be deformed, also we calculated the elastic anisotropies and the Debye temperatures from the elastic constants. And from the band structure and density of state (DOS), we concluded that NH 3 BH 3 is a wide-gap semiconductor and the band gap is almost 6.0 eV. The bonds between N atoms and H atoms show a strong covalent characteristic, B atoms and H atoms form ironic bonds, and so as to the B–N bonds. Electrons from the B atoms are absorbed by the H atoms around the B atoms, and the H atoms display electronegativity.

Various structural possibilities for binary alloy Ni n Al + ( n = 1–8) cationic isomers have been investigated using density functional method (BPW91) with the effective core potential LanL2DZ basis set. Our calculations predicted the existence of a number of previously unknown isomers. The charged-induced structural changes in these cations have been discussed. With Ni n +1 forming base, replacing a Ni atom at marginal positions by an Al atom would be helpful to find the stable structures of Ni n Al + cationic clusters and neutral Ni n Al clusters quickly and correctly. The resulting geometries show that the aluminum atom remains on the surface of the clusters. Moreover, the obtained clusters prefer to adopt three-dimensional (3D) structures at the smaller number of nickel atoms compared with the pure Ni n +1 clusters ( n ⩾ 3), the tetragonal and pentagonal configurations are favored energetically when n > 5. The most stable structures of Ni n Al + clusters are same as the neutral ones except n = 7. The analysis of stabilization energies reveals that Ni 5 Al and Ni 4 Al + clusters are the relatively most stable in this series.

Objective To study the effect of combined acupuncture and rehabilitation training on early-stage Barthel index of ischemic stroke cases.

The structures and relative stability of the maximum-spin n+1Aun and nAu (n = 2–8) clusters have been determined by density-functional theory. The structure optimizations and vibrational frequency analysis are performed with the gradient-corrections of Perdew along with his 1981 local correlation functional, combined with SBKJC effective core potential, augmented in the valence basis set by a set of f functions. We predicted the existence of a number of previously unknown isomers. The energetic and electronic properties of the small high-spin gold clusters are strongly dependent on sizes. The high-spin clusters tend to holding three-dimensional geometry rather than planar form preferred in low-spin situations. In whole high-spin Aun (n = 2–8) neutral and cationic species, 5Au4, 2Au, and 4Au are predicted to be of high stability, which can be explained by valence bond theory. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009

Background Recent studies have showed that the fine mesh stents are associated with a significant reduction in both clinical and angiographic re-stenosis of the coronary arteries.To maintain a very satisfactory radio-opacity using the stents,Guidant of the USA has designed a new type of bare metal stents (BMS)-Multi-link (ML) Vision/ML MiniVision stents.The clinical outcomes of Asian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after implanting the Multi-link Vision or MiniVision stent were investigated in this study. Methods An observational,prospective,multi-center,non-randomized post marketing registry was conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the BMS- ML Vision/ML MiniVision stents.The primary end point of the registry was clinical target lesion revascularization (TLR) at a 6-month follow-up.The major secondary end points included the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and serious adverse events (SAE) in hospital and at 6 months;and the rate of clinical TLR as a function of the type of angina.A total of 429 Asian people with 449 lesions from 14 centers were selected for this study.The average reference diameter of the lesions was (3.0±0.5) mm,and the mean length was (15.7±5.0) mm. Results The successful rate of the procedure was 99.3%.Twenty-five percent of the lesions were treated by direct stenting without pre-dilation.Eighty-six percent of the lesions were implanted with ML Vision stent.After the 6-month follow-up,the rate of clinical TLR was 1.4%.The MACE,SAE and target vessel revascularization (TVR) were 6.8%,3.5% and 1.4% respectively. Conclusion The current registry showed the excellent 6-month clinical outcomes of ML Vision/ML MiniVision stents in Asian patients with CAD. Chin Med J 2007;120(12):1093-1096

The association between the C3435T polymorphism in the MDR1 gene and refractory epilepsy remains controversial. The association appears to be influenced by ethnicity and region. We have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the link between the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and refractory epilepsy in the Chinese population. We searched the Cochrane Library, MIDLINE, EMBASE, CBM disc, CNKI, VIP, and WANFANG databases for literature published through August 2013 for case–control studies that evaluated the association between the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and refractory epilepsy. Twenty-one case–control studies involving 4269 patients (1863 cases in the group with drug-resistant epilepsy and 2406 in the group with drug-responsive epilepsy) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The analysis showed that there were significantly more cases with the MDR1 3435 CC genotype in the group with drug-resistant epilepsy than in the group with drug-responsive epilepsy [odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–2.06, P = 0.01]. In a subanalysis of patients from the southern regions of China, the correlation was not significant [odds ratio (OR) = 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.89–1.64, P = 0.24]. The relationship established in a subset of the Chinese population between the MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and refractory epilepsy will guide epilepsy treatment and development of new AEDs.

To assess the efficacy and safety of two arterial closure devices, Angioseal and Perclose, in patients undergoing coronary angiography and invasive interventions.From January 2001 to April 2011, 997 inpatients underwent coronary angiography and interventions with arterial closure using Perclose (486 cases) or Angioseal (511 cases). The time to ambulation and hemostasis, major vascular complications and deployment success rate with the two devices were compared.The time to hemostasis was significantly shorter in Angioseal group than in Perclose group (3∓0.9 min vs 10.8∓4.8 min, P0.001), but the time to ambulation was comparable between the two groups (6.4∓1.2 h vs 6.3∓0.7 h, P0.05). The incidences of vascular complications showed no significant differences between the two groups (4.5% vs 3.7%, P0.05), and none of the cases in either group developed femoral artery thrombosis or low limb embolism following the procedures. The deployment success rate was comparable between the two groups (97.8% vss 98.6%, P0.05), and deployment failure was associated mainly with mishandling and design defect of the devices.Angioseal and Perclose are both effective and safe for arterial closure with reduced hemostasis and ambulation time and low incidences of vascular complications. Angioseal appears to have better performance than Perclose in shortening the hemostasis time and is easier to handle.

Although the majority of coronary artery anomalies are found incidentally and not clinically significant, the interarterial course between the major vessels of the aberrant artery may be responsible for syncope, angina, arrhythmias or sudden death. There are only a few case reports describing the origination of all the coronary arteries from a single ostium. This anomaly occurs in only 0.024%-0.044% of the population. Left coronary artery originating from the right coronary is a rare coronary abnormality. Here we report a case of acute myocardial infarction in a patient with anomalous left coronary artery originating from the right coronary artery, as was confirmed by computerized tomography angiogram, which showed that only one single coronary artery stem originating from the right sinus of Valsalva trifurcated into a right coronary artery, left circumflex artery and a hypoplastic left anterior descending artery. Subsequent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures were performed successfully. PCI procedures should be carried out with great caution in such cases, and this condition should be managed as a left main lesion.

Elastic properties of NaXH(4) (X = B, Al) have been studied by first-principles calculations using a projected augmented plane-wave approach. The calculated elastic constants compare favorably with experimental values. Our calculations show that the theoretically calculated elastic constants and bulk moduli have small values compared with those of typical metals and intermetallic compounds, which indicates that NaXH(4) (X = B, Al) are highly compressible. Comparison of bulk moduli B of different complex hydrides shows a correlation between B and the decomposition temperatures. Also, we calculated the elastic anisotropies and the Debye temperatures from the elastic constants.

To assess the diagnostic value of 8 equations using different variables for determining the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with cardiovascular diseases.GFR was estimated in 208 patients with cardiovascular diseases by (99m)Tc-DTPA dynamic renal imaging, and the eGFR was derived from 8 equations using different variables.In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3, the eGFR calculated suing serum creatinine (SCr)-based equation was better correlated to GFR estimated by (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging than that derived from cystatin C (Cys C)-based equations, whereas in patients with CKD stages 4 and 5, the estimates by the latter equation showed a better correlation to GFR. Compared with (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging, MDRD-based equation and simple MDRD equation resulted in a higher eGFR in patients with CKD stages 4 and 5, the Rule equation had a lower eGFR in CKD stages 1 and 2, the Macisaac equation yielded a higher eGFR in CKD stages 2-5, and the Tan equation showed a higher eGFR in CKD stages 2 and 3. In patients with mild renal dysfunction, the Scr-based equation had a higher AUC(ROC) than Cys C-based equation, which was reversed in patients with severe renal dysfunction; the AUC(ROC) of the two equations were comparable in patients with moderate renal dysfunction. Compared with (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging, the modified MDRD equation and Arnal-Dade equation showed no significant difference in the eGFR in patients with CKD stages 1-5.Modified MDRD equation (or simple MDRD equation) and Arnal-Dade equation are superior to other calculation methods for estimating the GFR in Chinese patients with cardiovascular disease.

To validate the efficacy of velocity vector imaging (VVI) and quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) for evaluating left ventricular diastolic function.Fifty-one patients underwent left heart catheterization were included in this study. Mean of peak early diastolic velocity (Em), EF and the ratio of early (E) to late (A) mitral valve flow velocity (E/A) were measured by echocardiography and the ratio of E to Em (E/Em) was calculated. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was measured during catheterization examination.E/Em derived from VVI or QTVI was significantly correlated with LVEDP (r = 0.808, P0.01 and r = 0.692, P0.01, respectively) and the correlation coefficient between VVI and LVEDP was significantly higher than that between QTVI and LVEDP (Z = 2.246, P = 0.025). Em derived from VVI and QTVI also negatively correlated with LVEDP (r = -0.740, P0.01 and r = -0.567, P0.01) and the correlation coefficient between VVI and LVEDP was significantly higher than that between QTVI and LVEDP (Z = 2.595, P = 0.009). However, there was no correlation between E/A and LVEDP (r = 0.117, P = 0.415).E/Em and Em derived from VVI and QTVI are valuable parameters for evaluating LV diastolic function.

To investigate the changes in plasma matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 (MMP2 and MMP9, respectively) levels in patients with different types of coronary heart diseases (CHD), and assess the value of MMP2/MMP9 detection in predicting acute coronary syndrome (ACS).According to the findings by coronary angiography and the clinical manifestations, 118 patients were divided in ACS group including 30 patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and 19 with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and non-ACS group including 23 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 21 with chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the coronary artery. Twenty-five individuals with normal coronary artery (NCA) served as the control group. Plasma levels of MMP9 and MMP2 were determined in these subjects using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Both the ACS and non-ACS groups showed significantly higher MMP9 and MMP2 levels than the NCA group (P0.05), and MMP2 and MMP9 levels were significantly higher in ACS group than in non-ACS group (P0.05). Compared with the NCA group, the UAP, AMI and CTO subgroups showed obvious increases in plasma MMP2 and MMP9 levels (P0.01). Significantly increased MMP9, but not MMP2 level was noted in AMI subgroup in comparison with SAP (P0.01) and UAP subgroups (P0.05); both MMP2 and MMP9 levels were elevated in CTO subgroup in comparison with those in SAP (P0.001), UAP (P0.01), and AMI subgroups (P0.05).Increased MMP2 and MMP9 levels in patients with CHD suggest the instability of the atherosclerotic plaque in correlation to the severity of ACS, and may serve as good indicators for the prediction of ACS and diagnosis of CTO of the coronary artery.

Several studies have shown that coronary stenting reduces the frequency of clinical and angiographic restenosis in patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency. However, less is known about the long-term benefits of stent use in this population. This study was aimed to determine the impact of coronary stenting on extended (5 years) long-term outcomes of patients with chronic renal insufficiency.The study included 602 consecutive patients who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting. Renal insufficiency was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate60 ml x min(-1) x 1.73 m(-2). The major adverse cardiac events were compared for patients with (n = 160) and without (n = 442) renal insufficiency.After the third year of follow-up, nonfatal myocardial infarction and revascularization rates were significantly increased in patients with renal insufficiency compared with those without renal dysfunction (16.9% vs 7.7%, P = 0.001; 29.4% vs 15.8%, P0.001). In patients who had recurrent cardiovascular events, a significantly higher rate of de novo stenosis revascularization was found in patients with renal insufficiency than without renal insufficiency (57.7% vs 22.7%, P0.001), while there was no significant difference in target lesion revascularization between the groups (51.9% vs 43.6%, P = 0.323). Multivariate analysis demonstrated an independent impact of the presence of renal insufficiency on the major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio: 1.488, 95% confidence interval: 1.051 - 2.106, P = 0.025) and de novo stenosis (hazard ratio: 5.505, 95% confidence interval: 2.151 - 14.090, P0.001).The late major adverse cardiac events, after successful coronary stenting, is increased in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate60 ml x min(-1) x 1.73 m(-2). This might be associated with increased risk of de novo stenosis in this population.

To evaluate the effects of different treatments on the prognosis of aortic dissection.Different treatment modalities including drug therapy, surgical resection and stent implantation were performed in 37, 9, and 5 cases of aortic dissection (AD) respectively, and the clinical outcome of the patients was observed during the follow-up study.The survival rate in drug therapy group was 70.3% (26) while death occurred in 11 cases (29.7%). Four (44.4%) of the nine cases were cured surgically, leaving a mortality of 55.6%. Stent implantation yielded cures in 4 cases, with death occurring in 1 case, and complications arose in none of the cases.Surgical resection is superior to drug therapy in the treatment of type A AD cases, while stent implantation should be the first choice for type B AD cases for causing less complications and injuries and resulting in high cure rate.

We present theoretical studies for second- and third-order elastic constants in NaBH4 based on ab initio calculations. Our calculated second-order elastic constants agree well with available experimental results. The anharmonic properties of NaBH4, such as pressure derivative of the second-order elastic constants and the Gruneisen constants for long-wavelength acoustic mode γ(q, j), are characterized using the third-order elastic constants.

The structural stability, electronic structure, elastic constants and vibrational properties of TaRu β (cubic), β' (tetragonal) and β'' (orthorhombic) phases have been studied using density functional theory. It is found that the β-to-β' phase transformation is closely related to the elastic properties. The β' phase exhibits an unstable phonon at the R point (0 1/2 1/2), which induces the transition from the high-symmetry β' phase to the low-symmetry β'' phase. The β'' phase is obtained for the first time from first-principles calculations and the lattice parameters agree very well with the experimental data. The total density of states at the Fermi level and the phonon dispersion relations indicate that the β and β' phase are unstable, whereas the β'' phase is the most stable structure.

The structural properties and mechanical stabilities of α-NaBH4 and β-LiBH4 have been investigated using first-principles calculations. Elastic constants of α-NaBH4 and β-LiBH4 are calculated from the second derivative of total energy as a function of strain. The calculated structural parameters and elastic constants of α-NaBH4 are in good agreement with the available experimental data. Our calculations show that β-LiBH4 with P63mc space group is unstable under the distortions (0, 0, 0, δ, δ, 0) and (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, δ) and these distortions lead to a Martensitic transformation into Cc and Cmc21 structures, respectively. Thermodynamically, β-LiBH4 with P63mc space group is more likely changed into a Cmc21 structure, which is consistent with experimental results.

BACKGROUND Several studies have shown that coronary stenting reduces the frequency of clinical and angiographic restenosis in patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency. However, less is known about the long-term benefits of stent use in this population. This study was aimed to determine the impact of coronary stenting on extended (5 years) long-term outcomes of patients with chronic renal insufficiency. METHODS The study included 602 consecutive patients who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting. Renal insufficiency was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml x min(-1) x 1.73 m(-2). The major adverse cardiac events were compared for patients with (n = 160) and without (n = 442) renal insufficiency. RESULTS After the third year of follow-up, nonfatal myocardial infarction and revascularization rates were significantly increased in patients with renal insufficiency compared with those without renal dysfunction (16.9% vs 7.7%, P = 0.001; 29.4% vs 15.8%, P < 0.001). In patients who had recurrent cardiovascular events, a significantly higher rate of de novo stenosis revascularization was found in patients with renal insufficiency than without renal insufficiency (57.7% vs 22.7%, P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in target lesion revascularization between the groups (51.9% vs 43.6%, P = 0.323). Multivariate analysis demonstrated an independent impact of the presence of renal insufficiency on the major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio: 1.488, 95% confidence interval: 1.051 - 2.106, P = 0.025) and de novo stenosis (hazard ratio: 5.505, 95% confidence interval: 2.151 - 14.090, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The late major adverse cardiac events, after successful coronary stenting, is increased in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml x min(-1) x 1.73 m(-2). This might be associated with increased risk of de novo stenosis in this population.

Sodium aryl tellurolates react with aryltellurenyl iodides in dry THF at room temperature to form unsymmetrical diaryl ditellurides in excellent yields.

Vic-dibromoalkanes can be converted into alkenes with the use of sodium O, O-diethyl phosphite catalysed by tellurium at room temperature in ethanol in good yields.

Sodium aryl tellurolates react with aryltellurenyl iodides in dry THF at room temperature to form unsymmetrical diaryl ditellurides in excellent yields.