Circulating miR-379 as a potential novel biomarker for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNA-379 (miR-379) was involved in regulating cell proliferation. The present study aimed to investigate its potential role in the diagnosis of cute myocardium infarction (AMI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Plasma samples from 30 patients with AMI and 30 healthy adults (non-AMI controls) were collected. The abundance of circulating miR-379 was determined using quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed by GraphPad Prism 5.0 and the areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated. The proliferative ability and cell cycle progression of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) were measured by CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively.

RESULTS

We found that the plasma miR-379 level was significantly decreased in patients with AMI compared with healthy people. Further studies demonstrated the miR-379 was negatively correlated with creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cTns in study subjects. Finally, ROC analysis revealed an AUC value of 0.751 in discriminating AMI patients from healthy controls. Function assay in vitro further indicated miR-379 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest in VSMCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that miR-379 may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of AMI by affecting VSMC cell function, which could be used in the early diagnosis of AMI.

High-sensitivity far-forward collective scattering diagnostic on HL-2A tokamak

The multichannel formic acid (HCOOH, λ = 432.5 µm) laser interferometer and Faraday-effect polarimeter on HL-2A tokamak have been developed to measure the far-forward collective scattering from electron density fluctuations. The far-forward collective scattering system provides eight channels of line-integrated electron density fluctuations, covering the wave-number range: k_⊥ < 1.6 cm^-1. With the new diagnostic, the density fluctuations caused by plasma energetic particles and turbulence have been routinely observed in HL-2A experiments.

High-intensity focused ultrasound and laparoscopic myomectomy in the treatment of uterine fibroids: a comparative study

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical efficacies of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) in the treatment of uterine fibroids and their effects on patients' quality of life.

DESIGN

A non-randomised control study.

SETTING

Gynaecological department in a university teaching hospital.

POPULATION

Patients with uterine fibroids.

METHODS

From November 2014 to November 2015, 166 patients with uterine fibroids were enrolled and underwent HIFU (n = 99) and LM (n = 67) surgeries, respectively. Clinical efficacy, postoperative complications and quality of life after treatment were evaluated using the SF-36 Scale to compare the differences in each variable at the 1-year follow up.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Differences in efficacy, safety and quality of life between the patients treated with HIFU and LM.

RESULTS

The 12-month follow-up results showed that the HIFU group had a total effective rate of 99%; only one patient underwent alternative treatment due to non-apparent tumour shrinkage. All patients in the LM group showed complete tumour disappearance. Of these patients, 52 showed significant clinical improvement, 15 with partial clinical improvement, a total effective rate of 98%. There was no significant difference in effectivity rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). Both treatments effectively improved patients' quality of life. Compared with the LM group, patients in the HIFU group experienced no blood loss, a shorter hospital stay and fewer adverse effects and complications, the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

High-intensity focused ultrasound can be as efficacious as LM therapy and effectively improve patients' quality of life in the treatment of uterine fibroids, with fewer adverse effects and complications, shorter hospital stays, and quicker postoperative recovery compared with LM therapy.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Patients with uterine fibroids can be effectively treated with both HIFU and myomectomy.