Telomeres play an important role in maintaining genomic stability and cell life. Accumulating studies show that telomeres are closely related to human aging, cardiovascular diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. There are a series of researches about telomeres and atherosclerosis across the world, including studies on the relationship between atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and telomere length, and on telomere-targeted treatments for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Telomeres may be a risk predictor or a new therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. This article reviews the relationship between telomeres and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, introduces the research progress of telomere length and cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and the possible mechanisms of their association, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for exploring new therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis.
ObjectiveTo explore the prognostic value of serum cystatin C (Cys C) in patients with congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-CHD).MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted on adult PAH-CHD patients who were hospitalized for the first time in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2010 to January 2020. The serum Cys C and other related data of patients were collected. The median follow-up time was 57 months. The main end event was all-cause death. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into a survival group and a death group. Cox regression was used to analyze the risk factors for all-cause death in patients with PAH-CHD.ResultsA total of 456 patients were enrolled, including 160 males and 296 females, aged 38.99±14.72 years. The baseline data showed that there were statistical differences in resting heart rate, serum Cys C, creatinine, NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification and serum potassium between the survival group and the death group. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum Cys C, NT-proBNP, hs-cTnT, creatinine and NYHA cardiac function classification were related risk factors for all-cause death in patients with PAH-CHD. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum Cys C (HR=3.820, 95%CI 2.053-7.108, P<0.001), NYHA grade Ⅲ (HR=2.234, 95%CI 1.316-3.521, P=0.010), NYHA grade Ⅳ (HR=4.037, 95%CI 1.899-7.810, P=0.002) and NT-proBNP (HR=1.026, 95%CI 1.013-1.039, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for all-cause death in patients with PAH-CHD and had a good predictive value.ConclusionAs a new cardiac marker, serum Cys C can predict all-cause death in patients with PAH-CHD and is an independent risk factor.
The high incidence and mortality of acute kidney injury (AKI) have brought great challenges to global health. In recent years, China has made some achievements in the epidemiology, risk factors and treatment of AKI. However, further prevention and treatment are still facing difficulties. Based on current new ideas and research progress, this paper summarized and analyzed the management throughout the whole course of AKI, including AKI risk assessment, early prevention, early identification, treatment and follow-up. The aim is to make Chinese nephrologists realize the focus of AKI prevention and treatment, standardize the management of AKI, and explore the prevention and treatment strategy suitable for AKI in China.
Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers of the urinary system. Baesd on the involvement of the blandder muscle or not, bladder cancer can be generally classified into muscule-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-MIBC. Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy is the standard treament recommended by current guidelines for MIBC. Based on the good efficacy of immunocheckpoint inhibitors in advanced bladder cancer. More and more studies have explored the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy in MIBC neoadjuvant therapy, and analyzed biomarkers to explore the benefit groups. This article reviews the latest progress of various neoadjuvant immunomonotherapy in MIBC, and prospect the future direction of development.
Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is an analog of norepinephrine that accumulates in sympathetic nerve endings soon after intravenous administration. The degree of accumulation reflects the uptake, storage and release of transmitters by noradrenergic neurons. Myocardial imaging with 123I labeled MIBG (123I-MIBG) can be used to estimate the extent of local myocardial sympathetic nerve damage, which has been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various heart diseases. In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on the application of 123I-MIBG in the diagnosis of degenerative diseases of the nervous system (such as Parkinson's disease and dementia of Lewy body), and have made some achievements. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current clinical application of 123I-MIBG myocardial imaging in the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies, the problems in imaging technology and the possible research directions in the future, so as to provide valuable reference information for clinicians to reasonably and accurately apply this technology in the early diagnosis and discrimination of dementia.
Objective To summarize the research progress of microRNA in acute pancreatitis. Methods By reading the domestic and international literatures published in recent years, to summarize the research progress of microRNA in acute pancreatitis. Results In recent years, researches had found that microRNA could be used as a biomarker for acute pancreatitis to predict and determine the occurrence, development, and complications of acute pancreatitis. MicroRNA could regulate the programmed cell death of acute pancreatitis, and played an important role in the development of inflammation and complications, it also could be used as a therapeutic target for acute pancreatitis. Conclusions MicroRNA plays an important role in the development of acute pancreatitis. Researching the mechanism of microRNA in acute pancreatitis is helpful for the treatment and prevention of acute pancreatitis.
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a multi-effect endocrine factor, mainly secreted in liver and adipose tissue, with the properties of lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-atherosclerosis. Recent studies found that FGF21 can induce protective effect in cardiovascular disease, and plasma FGF21 levels in patients with disease cardiovascular are elevated. These studies have suggested the use of FGF21 as a biomarker for subclinical atherosclerosis and its potential role in the treatment of established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This article will review the recent advances in the anti-atherosclerosis effect of FGF21.
Biological markers play a pivotal role in the early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, enabling precise identification and monitoring of therapeutic interventions. The detection of central β-amyloid and Tau proteins has become an indispensable tool in clinical trials. Recent years have witnessed substantial progress in the development of readily accessible and cost-effective blood biomarkers. This comprehensive article provides a comprehensive overview of the clinical applications of blood biomarkers, encompassing β-amyloid, phosphorylated Tau protein, neurofilament light chain protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, all of which have demonstrated clinical relevance in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Notably, phosphorylated Tau protein exhibits superior diagnostic efficacy. The incorporation of blood biomarkers facilitates early screening, accurate diagnosis, and efficacious treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
ObjectiveTo explore the diagnostic value of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for cystic fibrosis (CF). MethodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases up to August 7, 2024. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and quality assessment. The quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the risk of bias and applicability of included prediction model studies were assessed by the prediction model risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST). ResultsA total of 10 studies were included, among which 5 studies only identified specific exhaled VOCs in CF patients, and another 5 developed 7 CF risk prediction models based on the identification of VOCs in CF. The included studies reported a total of 75 exhaled VOCs, most of which belonged to the categories of acylcarnitines, aldehydes, acids, and esters. Most models (n=6, 85.7%) only included exhaled VOCs as predictive factors, and only one model included factors other than VOCs, including forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75) and modified Medical Research Council scale for the assessment of dyspnea (mMRC). The accuracy of the models ranged from 77% to 100%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged from 0.771 to 0.988. None of the included studies provided information on the calibration of the models. The results of the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) showed that the overall bias risk of all predictive model studies was high, and the overall applicability was unclear. ConclusionThe exhaled VOCs reported in the included studies showed significant heterogeneity, and more research is needed to explore specific compounds for CF. In addition, risk prediction models based on exhaled VOCs have certain value in the diagnosis of CF, but the overall bias risk is relatively high and needs further optimization from aspects such as model construction and validation.