Cardiac-specific CGI-58 deficiency activates the ER stress pathway to promote heart failure in mice

SCD4 deficiency decreases cardiac steatosis and prevents cardiac remodeling in mice fed a high-fat diet

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a lipogenic enzyme that catalyzes formation of the first double bond in the carbon chain of saturated fatty acids. Four isoforms of SCD have been identified in mice, the most poorly characterized of which is SCD4, which is cardiac-specific. In the present study, we investigated the role of SCD4 in systemic and cardiac metabolism. We used WT and global SCD4 KO mice that were fed standard laboratory chow or a high-fat diet (HFD). SCD4 deficiency reduced body adiposity and decreased hyperinsulinemia and hypercholesterolemia in HFD-fed mice. The loss of SCD4 preserved heart morphology in the HFD condition. Lipid accumulation decreased in the myocardium in SCD4-deficient mice and in HL-1 cardiomyocytes with knocked out Scd4 expression. This was associated with an increase in the rate of lipolysis and, more specifically, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) activity. Possible mechanisms of ATGL activation by SCD4 deficiency include lower protein levels of the ATGL inhibitor G0/G1 switch protein 2 and greater activation by protein kinase A under lipid overload conditions. Moreover, we observed higher intracellular Ca2+ levels in HL-1 cells with silenced Scd4 expression. This may explain the activation of protein kinase A in response to higher Ca2+ levels. Additionally, the loss of SCD4 inhibited mitochondrial enlargement, NADH overactivation, and reactive oxygen species overproduction in the heart in HFD-fed mice. In conclusion, SCD4 deficiency activated lipolysis, resulting in a reduction of cardiac steatosis, prevented the induction of left ventricular hypertrophy, and reduced reactive oxygen species levels in the heart in HFD-fed mice.

Effect of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Patients with Early-Onset Schizophrenia

Objective

To study the clinical effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy to one-on-one treatment on patients with early-onset schizophrenia.

Methods

Totally,133 patients with early-onset schizophrenia admitted to the Department of Psychiatry of our hospital from September 2020 to September 2023 were selected and divided into a control group and an observation group according to whether group behavioral cognitive therapy was performed. The general demographic data of the patients were collected, and the propensity score matching method was used to balance the baseline data of the 2 groups. The Positive and negative syndrome scale, Personal and Social Performance Scale, severity of illness (SI), and efficacy index (EI) were compared between the 2 groups after matching.

Results

After matching, 72 patients were included in our study. Compared to the control group, observation group PANSS score were decreased including after intervention (P > .05). Both groups showed a decrease between before and after treatments. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale reduction rate after treatment and total response rate were increased in the observation group (P <.001). Personal and Social Performance Scale of the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores were higher than those of the control group. In the CGI scores, there is a significant difference that SI scores were lower in the observation group (P = .002), while EI scores were higher (P <.001).

Conclusion

Group cognitive behavioral therapy is beneficial to the improvement of mental symptoms and disease severity, social function, and curative effect, which is advocated and popularized.

Pleiotropic attenuating effect of Ginkgo biloba against isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction via improving Bcl-2/mTOR/ERK1/2/Na+, K+-ATPase activities

Objective

Myocardial infarction (MI) is linked to an imbalance in the supply and demand of blood oxygen in the heart muscles. Beta-blockers and calcium antagonists are just two of the common medications used to treat MI. However, these have reportedly been shown to be either ineffective or to have undesirable side effects. Extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBE), a Chinese herbal product offers special compatibility benefits in therapeutic settings relating to inflammatory diseases and oxidative stress. In order to better understand how GBE affects MI in rats insulted by isoprenaline (ISO), the current study was designed.

Methods

The heart weight index, serum lipid profile, cardiac marker enzymes, endogenous antioxidants [catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), nitrites and malondialdehyde (MDA)], inflammatory mediators [tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)], immunohistochemical expressions of B-cell lymphoma factor-2 (Bcl-2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and histopathological analysis were used to assess the cardioprotective properties of GBE.

Results

The findings showed that GBE effectively attenuated myocardial infarction by boosting the body's natural antioxidant defense system and reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines as well as heart injury marker enzymes. The expression of Bcl-2, ERK1/2 and mTOR was increased while the histomorphological alterations were reversed.

Conclusion

The cardioprotective effects of GBE may be due to a mechanism involving increased Bcl-2/mTOR/ERK1/2/Na+, K+-ATPase activity.

Alterations of Lipid Metabolism in the Heart in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Precedes Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Cardiac Dysfunction

Disturbances in cardiac lipid metabolism are associated with the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), a genetic model of primary hypertension and pathological left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, have high levels of diacylglycerols in cardiomyocytes early in development. However, the exact effect of lipids and pathways that are involved in their metabolism on the development of cardiac dysfunction in SHRs is unknown. Therefore, we used SHRs and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats at 6 and 18 weeks of age to analyze the impact of perturbations of processes that are involved in lipid synthesis and degradation in the development of LV hypertrophy in SHRs with age. Triglyceride levels were higher, whereas free fatty acid (FA) content was lower in the LV in SHRs compared with WKY rats. The expression of de novo FA synthesis proteins was lower in cardiomyocytes in SHRs compared with corresponding WKY controls. The higher expression of genes that are involved in TG synthesis in 6-week-old SHRs may explain the higher TG content in these rats. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α protein content were lower in cardiomyocytes in 18-week-old SHRs, suggesting a lower rate of β-oxidation. The decreased protein content of α/β-hydrolase domain-containing 5, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) activator, and increased content of G0/G1 switch protein 2, ATGL inhibitor, indicating a lower rate of lipolysis in the heart in SHRs. In conclusion, the present study showed that the development of LV hypertrophy and myocardial dysfunction in SHRs is associated with triglyceride accumulation, attributable to a lower rate of lipolysis and β-oxidation in cardiomyocytes.

The multifaceted roles of ER and Golgi in metabolic cardiomyopathy

Metabolic cardiomyopathy is a significant global financial and health challenge; however, pathophysiological mechanisms governing this entity remain poorly understood. Among the main features of metabolic cardiomyopathy, the changes to cellular lipid metabolism have been studied and targeted for the discovery of novel treatment strategies obtaining contrasting results. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus (GA) carry out protein modification, sorting, and secretion activities that are more commonly studied from the perspective of protein quality control; however, they also drive the maintenance of lipid homeostasis. In response to metabolic stress, ER and GA regulate the expression of genes involved in cardiac lipid biogenesis and participate in lipid droplet formation and degradation. Due to the varied roles these organelles play, this review will focus on recapitulating the alterations and crosstalk between ER, GA, and lipid metabolism in cardiac metabolic syndrome.