Effect of spironolactone on cardiac remodeling after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND:Few studies have reported the effect of aldosterone receptor antagonist(ARA) on myocardial remodeling after acute myocardial infarction(AMI).This study was undertaken to investigate the preventive effect of ARA on myocardial remodeling after AMI.METHODS:A total of 616 patients who had been admitted into the CCU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2008 to January 2010 were studied prospectively.Only 528 patients were observed completely,including 266 of the control group and 262 of the treatment group.There was no statistical difference in age,gender,medical history,admission situation,and treatment between the two groups(P>0.05).The preventive effects of spironolactone on cardiac remodeling,left ventricular function,renal function and blood levels of potassium were evaluated by echocardiography,serum potassium and serum creatinine at one-month and one-year follow-up.RESULTS:The echocardiography indicators such as LVESD,LVEDD,LVEF,LAD-ML and LADSI were significantly improved in the treatment group compared with the control group at one year(P<0.05).In the treatment group,LVESD,LVEDD,LVPWT,LVEF,LAD-ML and LAD-SI were more significantly improved at one year than one month(P<0.05,P=0.007 to LVEF),and in the control group LVEF was more significantly improved at one year than one month(P=0.0277).There were no significant differences in serum potassium and serum creatinine levels between the two groups.CONCLUSION:On the basis of conventional treatment,the early combination of low-dose spironolactone(20 mg/d) could inhibit cardiac remodeling at late stage and prevent heart fadure.

LC-MS-based lipidomic analysis in distinguishing patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis from nonalcoholic fatty liver

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is one of the main liver diseases, and its pathologic profile includes nonalcoholic fatty liver(NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH). However, there is no reliable non-invasive parameter in distinguishing NASH from NAFL in clinical practice. The present study was to find a non-invasive way to differentiate these two categories of NAFLD via lipidomic analysis. Methods: Lipidomic analysis was used to determine the changes of lipid moieties in blood from 20 NAFL and 10 NASH patients with liver biopsy. Liver histology was evaluated after hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson’s trichrome staining. The profile of lipid metabolites in correlation with steatosis, inflammation, hepatocellular necroptosis, fibrosis, and NAFLD activity score(NAS) was analyzed. Results: Compared with NAFL patients, NASH patients had higher degree of steatosis, ballooning degeneration, lobular inflammation. A total of 434 different lipid molecules were identified, which were mainly composed of various phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Many lipids, such as phosphatidylcholine(PC)(P-22:0/18:1), sphingomyelin(SM)(d14:0/18:0), SM(d14:0/24:0), SM(d14:0/22:0), phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)(18:0/22:5), PC(O-22:2/12:0), and PC(26:1/11:0) were elevated in the NASH group compared to those in the NAFL group. Specific analysis revealed an overall lipidomic profile shift from NAFL to NASH, and identified valuable lipid moieties, such as PCs [PC(14:0/18:2), PE(18:0/22:5) and PC(26:1/11:0)] or plasmalogens [PC(O-22:0/0:0), PC(O-18:0/0:0), PC(O-16:0/0:0)], which were significantly altered in NASH patients. In addition, PC(14:0/18:2), phosphatidic acid(18:2/24:4) were positively correlated with NAS;whereas PC(18:0/0:0) was correlated positively with fibrosis score. Conclusions: The present study revealed overall lipidomic profile shift from NAFL to NASH, identified valuable lipid moieties which may be non-invasive biomarkers in the categorization of NAFLD. The correlations between lipid moieties and NAS and fibrosis scores indicate that these lipid biomarkers may be used to predict the severity of the disease.

Purification and characterization of a gastrointestinal tract epithelial receptor for the adhesion factor of <i>Lactobacillus</i>

An epithelial receptor for the Lactobacillus surface adhesion factor was isolated and purified from mucus of the gastrointestinal tract of SPF chickens, using chromatography. The purified protein was analyzed with discontinuous, native gel electrophoresis and binding assay with cultured intestinal epithelial cells. A single band was obtained after purification. The molecular weight of this band was about 60 KDa. The purified protein inhibited the attachment of Lactobacillus to intestinal epithelial cells, suggesting that it is the gastrointestinal receptor for the surface adhesion factor of Lactobacillus.

Extraction, purification and identification of surface adhesion ligand from <i>Lactobacillus</i>

The objective of this experiment was to purify and analyze adhesion protein from the surface of Lactobacillus. The surface adhesion ligand of Lactobacillus was isolated with of LiCl method and (NH4)2SO4 method, followed by sephadex chromatography, analyzed with discontinuous native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and tested with a binding assay with intestinal epithelial cells. We get the adhesion matter by two methods: ammonium sulfate and LiCl extraction. Further purification with sephadex chromatography produced 3 components. The second component of eluted from chromatography had adhesion enhancing ability compared with the control. A single band was present in discontinuous native—poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and molecular weight was determined to be 43-66 KDa. The purified adhesion ligand can improve the number of Lactobacillus adhering to the intestinal epithelial cells.