Circulating circRNA expression profile and its potential role in late recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation post catheter ablation

BACKGROUND Catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation(PVI) is an effective and well-established intervention for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(PAF). Nevertheless, late recurrences of atrial fibrillation(LRAF) occurring during 3 to 12months are common, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Circular RNAs(circ RNAs) in atrial tissue have been linked to the pathophysiological mechanisms and progression of PAF in a few studies. However, their expression patterns in peripheral blood and regulatory function in LRAF are not clear.METHODS In the present study, the expression profile of circulating circ RNAs in three paired nonvalvular PAF patients with or without LRAF was investigated by high-throughput sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(q RT-PCR). Bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Ontology(GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis, and circ RNA/mi RNA regulatory network, were performed to predict the functions and potential regulatory roles of differentially expressed(DE) circ RNAs.RESULTS A total of 12,834 circ RNAs, comprising 5,491 down-regulated and 7,343 up-regulated circ RNAs, were found to be DE in blood smaples from the two groups in peripheral blood between LRAF and non-recurrence control individuals. The most enriched GO categories in terms of molecular function, biological process, and cellular component features were catalytic activity,cellular metabolic process, and intracellular part, respectively. The KEGG enrichment study revealed that the most important metabolic process controlled by DE circ RNAs is endocytosis. In the circ RNA/micro RNAs interaction network, four up-regulated circ RNAs(hsa_circ_0002665, hsa_circ_0001953, hsa_circ_0003831, and hsa_circ_0040533) and one down-regulated circ RNA(hsa_circ_0041103) were predicted to play potential regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of LRAF.CONCLUSIONS This investigation discovered the expression pattern of circulating circ RNAs that is indicative of PAF late recurrence, which may serve as risk markers or therapeutic targets for LRAF after PVI.

Effects of Compound α-Ketoacid Tablets on renal function, renal fibrosis indexes and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Objective: To investigate the effects of Compound α-Ketoacid Tablets on renal function, renal fibrosis indexes and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Methods: A total of 180 patients with diabetic nephropathy admitted to Nephrology Department of our hospital were randomly divided into control group and observation group, 90 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were given conventional treatment, such as antihypertensive drugs, diet and blood glucose control, and the patients in the observation group were given Compound α-Ketoacid Tablets on the basis of the control group. Renal function, renal fibrosis index and oxidative stress levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: After treatment, the levels of serum ALB, BUN, Cr, Hcy, VEGF and MDA in two groups were significantly decreased than those before the treatment, and the levels of ALB, Hcy, VEGF and MDA in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, the difference was statistically significant. After treatment, the levels of serum GFR, HGF, T-AOC and SOD in two groups were significantly increased than that before the treatment, and the levels of HGF, T-AOC and SOD in the serum of the observation group were significantly higher than that in the control group, the difference was significant. Conclusion:The Compound α-Ketoacid Tablets has good effect in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. It can effectively improve the state of renal fibrosis and reduce the oxidative stress reaction of the patients, so as to achieve the protection of the kidney.

Bone regeneration using coculture of mesenchymal stem cells and angiogenic cells

Cellular strategies remain a crucial component in bone tissue engineering （BTE）. So far, the outcome of cell-based strategies from initial clinical trials is far behind compared to animal studies, which is suggested to be related to insufficient nutrient and oxygen supply inside the Ussue-engineered constructs. Cocultures, by introducing angiogenic cells into osteogenic cell cultures, might provide a solution for improving vascularization and hence increasing bone formation for cell-based constructs. So far, pre-clinical studies demonstrated that cocultures enhance vascularization and bone formation compared to monocultures. However, there has been no report on the application of cocultures in clinics. Therefore, this mini-review aims to provide an overview regarding （i） critical parameters in cocultures and the outcomes of cocultures compared to monocultures in the currently available pre-clinical studies using human mesenchymal stem cells implanted in orthotopic animal models; and （ii） the usage of monocultures in clinical application in BTE.