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A single, high dose (20 mg) of rosuvastatin prior to PCI reduces postprocedural myocardial injury in patients with ACS, with a concomitant attenuation of the postprocedural increase in hs-CRP and IL-6 levels.

BackgroundPeriostin, an extracellular matrix protein, plays a significant role in adverse cardiac remodeling. However, no report has documented the function of periostin in left ventricular remodeling of streptozototin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The aim of the present study was to observe the expression of periostin in Wistar rat’s myocardium of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and the effect of valsartan on it.MethodsImmunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis were used to determine the degree of expression and location of periostin, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, TGF-β1 type II receptor (TGF-β1 R II), and Type I and III collagens in the myocardium of STZ-induced diabetic rats.ResultsPeriostin, TGF-β1, TGF-β1 R II, and Type I and III collagens were significantly increased in the myocardium of diabetic rats compared with control group on both messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels. In addition, diabetic rats treated with valsartan could have reduced expression of periostin and improved cardiac remodeling of DCM.ConclusionsPeriostin may play a crucial role in cardiac remodeling and myocardial interstitial fibrosis process of DCM and it could be one of the important mechanisms for valsartan to improve the ventricular remodeling of DCM.

Background Nesfatin-1 is an anorexigenic hormone suggested to regulate obesity. Objective To investigate the relationship between nesfatin-1 level and anthropometric and metabolic parameters in obese patients, and examine the change in plasma nesfatin-1 level after acupuncture treatment. Methods 64 obese adult patients without diabetes and 58 normal weight control subjects were enrolled in this study. The obese patients were randomly divided into an acupuncture plus diet group (n=32) and a diet only group (n=32). Measurements were repeated after 45 days. Results Body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, serum insulin, lipoprotein and insulin resistance measures were significantly higher, and plasma nesfatin-1 level was significantly lower, in obese patients than in normal weight controls. In addition, negative correlations were found between plasma nesfatin-1 level and BMI, waist and hip circumferences. Weight reduction in participants after acupuncture and diet restriction was 7.0% and 4.3%, respectively. Plasma nesfatin-1 level increased from 2.75±1.16 to 3.44±1.28 ng/mL and from 2.86±1.07 to 3.23±1.06 ng/mL in acupuncture and diet groups, respectively; the difference was significant, p<0.05. Conclusions Plasma nesfatin-1 level is reduced in obese adults, and is increased after acupuncture. The beneficial effect of acupuncture on obesity is associated with increased plasma nesfatin-1 level.

BackgroundStreptococcus iniae is a Gram-positive bacterium and a severe pathogen of a wide range of farmed fish. S. iniae possesses a virulence-associated streptolysin S cluster composed of several components, one of which is SagE. SagE a transmembrane protein with one major extracellular region named ECR. This study aimed to develop a SagE-based DNA candidate vaccine against streptococcosis and examine the immunoprotective mechanism of the vaccine.ResultsWe constructed a DNA vaccine, pSagE, based on the sagE gene and examined its immunological property in a Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) model. The results showed that at 7 days post-vaccination, expression of SagE at transcription and translation levels was detected in the tissues of the vaccinated fish. After challenge with S. iniae at one and two months post-vaccination, pSagE-vaccinated fish exhibited relative percent survival (RPS) of 95% and 88% respectively. Immunological analysis showed that (i) pSagE significantly upregulated the expression of a wide range of immune genes, (ii) pSagE induced the production of specific serum antibodies that bound whole-cell S. iniae, and (iii) treatment of S. iniae with pSagE-induced antibodies blocked bacterial invasion of host cells. To localize the immunoprotective domain of SagE, the ECR-expressing DNA vaccine pSagEECR was constructed. Immunization analysis showed that flounder vaccinated with pSagEECR exhibited a RPS of 68%, and that pSagEECR induced serum antibody production and immune gene expression in a manner similar to, though to lower magnitudes than, those induced by pSagE.ConclusionsWe in this study developed a DNA vaccine, pSagE, which induces highly protective immunity against S. iniae. The protective effect of pSagE is probably due to its ability to elicit systemic immune response, in particular that of the humoral branch, which leads to production of specific serum antibodies that impair bacterial infection. These results add insights to the immunoprotective mechanism of fish DNA vaccine.

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