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Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been strongly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma . HBV encodes an oncogenic hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx), which is a multifunctional regulator that modulates signal transduction, transcription, cell cycle progress, protein degradation, apoptosis, and genetic stability through direct and indirect interaction with host factors. The subcellular localization of HBx is primarily cytoplasmic, with a small fraction in the nucleus. In addition, high levels of HBx expression lead to an abnormal mitochondrial distribution. The dynamic distribution of HBx could be important to the multiple functions of HBx at different stages of the HBV life cycle. This short review presents an overview of the differential roles of HBx as a function of its intracellular localization.

Objective: To investigate the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification and the expressions of the m6A regulatory genes in the acute aortic dissection (AD).Methods: MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq experiments of aortic media tissue samples obtained from AD (n = 4) and Controls (n = 4) were conducted. m6A methylation quantification was used to measure the total mRNA m6A level. The five m6A regulators mRNA expressions were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the difference of METTL14 protein expression in the aortas of AD and Normal.Results: Among AD patients, we detected significantly elevated levels of m6A in total RNA. Compared with the normal group, the up methylated coding genes of AD were primarily enriched in the processes associated with extracellular fibril organization, while the genes with down methylation were enriched in the processes associated with cell death regulation. Furthermore, many differentially methylated m6A sites (DMMSs) coding proteins were mainly annotated during the extracellular matrix and inflammatory responses.Conclusions: These findings indicate that differential m6A methylation and m6A regulatory genes, including MTEEL14 and FTO, may act on functional genes through RNA modification, thereby regulating the pathogenesis of aortic dissection.

Knockout of ACTA2 promoted AngII induced progressive lumen dilation of the aortas, apoptosis, and the phenotypic modulation in VSMCs in mice.

We sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of valvular heart diseases (VHD) in the elderly population. The participants’ personal information, medical history, behavioral habits and clinical status were assessed by questionnaire, while the left ventricular dimensions, function and the presence and severity of VHD were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. This study analyzed the data of 3948 participants who were older than 60 years. Significant VHD was present in 1.93% of participants; the standardized prevalence of VHD among the elderly population in Hubei was 2.05% (95% CI: 1.61–2.49). The most frequent VHD was aortic regurgitation, followed by tricuspid regurgitation, mitral regurgitation and multiple valve diseases. Univariate analysis results indicated that compared with participants without VHD, those with VHD were older (p < 0.001), with a higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), were more likely to smoke (p = 0.04), and had higher rates of coronary artery disease (CAD) (p < 0.001) and arrhythmia (p < 0.001). The results of multinomial regression analysis of complex sampling indicated that combined mitral and aortic valve diseases were related to older age, male sex and smoking; CAD was associated with single left-sided VHD.

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Objectives The proper therapeutic management for acute type A aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes following emergency surgery or conservative treatment for patients with this disease. Methods From January 2015 to December 2018, 124 consecutive patients were diagnosed with an acute type A aortic IMH and were included in this study. According to our surgical indications, they were divided into two groups: an operation group (OG) and a conservative treatment group (CG). Results Of 124 patients, 83 (66.9%) patients accepted emergency surgery and 41 (33.1%) patients accepted strict conservative treatment. There were no differences between these two groups in early mortality and complications. However, the late mortality of patients in the CG was significantly higher than for patients in the OG. A maximum aortic diameter in the ascending aorta and aortic arch ≥ 45 mm and maximum thickness of IMH in the same section ≥ 8 mm were risk factors for IMH related death in patients undergoing conservative treatment. Conclusions The mortality associated with emergency surgery for patients with acute type A aortic IMH was satisfactory. In clinical centers with well-established surgical techniques and postoperative management, emergency surgical treatment may provide a better outcome than medical treatment for patients with acute type A aortic IMH.