Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on the cardiac function and endothelial function in patients with myocardial infarction after PCI

Objective:To explore the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the cardiac function and endothelial function in patients with myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: A total of 76 patients with acute myocardial infarction treated in our hospital between August 2012 and January 2016 were collected and divided into observation group and control group (n=38) according to the randomized parallel control method. Control group of patients received PCI treatment, and observation group of patients received G-CSF treatment (5 μg/kg, subcutaneous injection, 3 times/d, for 5 d) after PCI. 2 weeks after treatment, color Doppler diasonograph was used to detect cardiac function parameters, RIA method was used to detect serum cardiac function indexes, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum endothelial function indexes.Results:Before treatment, differences in serum cardiac function index and endothelial function index levels were not statistically significant between two groups of patients. 2 weeks after treatment, cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) levels of observation group were significantly higher than those of control group while left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) levels were lower than those of control group;serum heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and Galectin-3 levels of observation group were lower than those of control group, endothelin-1 (ET-1) level was lower than that of control group, and nitric oxide (NO) level was higher than that of control group.Conclusion:G-CSF can enhance the cardiac function after PCI and also optimize the endothelial function in patients with myocardial infarction.

The add-on effect of a Chinese herbal formula for patients with resistant hypertension: study protocol for a pilot cohort study

BACKGROUND： Despite a recent American Heart Association （AHA） consensus statement emphasizing the importance of resistant hypertension （RH）, its control is still a challenge for conventional medicine. The Chinese herbal formula, Qutan Huayu Fang, has been used effectively to assist antihypertensive agents in blood pressure control, but its effect for RH patients is still unclear. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of taking the formula in addition to antihypertensive medication in the management of RH. METHODS/DESIGN： A prospective cohort study will be conducted in two first-class hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Eligible RH patients will be classified as the experimental group （n = 100） and the control group （n = 100） based on the interventions they receive. Participants taking antihypertensive agents and the Chinese herbal formula will be in the experimental group and those taking antihypertensive agents alone will be in the control group. The whole study will last 24 weeks, including an 8-week observation and follow-up at 24 weeks. The primary outcomes, assessed against patient baseline conditions, will be the reduction of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure as well as changes in TCM symptoms and signs. These outcomes will be assessed at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. The reductions of blood pressure will also be assessed at week 24. Cardiac events and mortality rate will be secondary outcomes and will be assessed at weeks 8 and 24. Any adverse reactions will be recorded during the study. The causal inference method will be used to assess the effectiveness of the inclusion of TCM herbal medicine in the management of patients with RH. DISCUSSION： This study will determine whether the Chinese herbal formula is helpful for RH patients treated with antihypertensive agents and the findings will provide a basis for further confirmatory studies TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER： ClinicalTria/s.gov Identifier NCT01904695