The impact of early in-hospital use of PCSK9 inhibitors on cardiovascular outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the safety and assess the cardiovascular impact of early in-hospital administration of PCSK9 inhibitors in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted for studies involving the use of PCSK9 inhibitors in ACS patients from inception to October 2023. Two independent researchers screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 16.0 software.

RESULTS

Nine studies, encompassing a total of 2896 ACS patients, were included in the analysis. When compared to statin monotherapy, early administration of PCSK9 inhibitors during hospitalization for ACS proved effective in reducing the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). This encompassed a decrease in coronary revascularization [Relative Risk (RR) = 0.78, 95% CI (0.62, 0.98), P < 0.05], recurrent ACS [RR = 0.62, 95% CI (0.42, 0.94), P < 0.05], readmissions due to unstable angina [RR = 0.71, 95% CI (0.59, 0.85), P < 0.01], and strokes [RR = 0.31, 95% CI (0.09, 1.04), P = 0.058]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of death between the two groups.The use of PCSK9 inhibitors notably hastened the reduction of LDL-C, TG, and Non HDL-C levels in the short term. Additionally, it increased HDL-C levels and the number of individuals meeting LDL-C compliance criteria. Importantly, the risk of adverse drug events, such as ALT increase >3xULN, allergies, and musculoskeletal pain, did not significantly elevate with PCSK9 inhibitor use.

CONCLUSION

The early administration of PCSK9 inhibitors has been found to safely and effectively lower diverse lipid levels in patients with ACS. This reduction is associated with a noteworthy decrease in MACEs, encompassing revascularization, recurrent ACS, and hospital readmissions.

3D printed porous ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: a review

This study summarizes the recent research status and development of three-dimensional (3D)-printed porous ceramic scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. Recent literature on 3D-printed porous ceramic scaffolds was reviewed. Compared with traditional processing and manufacturing technologies, 3D-printed porous ceramic scaffolds have obvious advantages, such as enhancement of the controllability of the structure or improvement of the production efficiency. More sophisticated scaffolds were fabricated by 3D printing technology. 3D printed bioceramics have broad application prospects in bone tissue engineering. Through understanding the advantages and limitations of different 3D-printing approaches, new classes of bone graft substitutes can be developed.

Bone marrow mononuclear cell transplant therapy in mice with CCl4-induced acute liver failure

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Stem cell transplantation has theoretical potential for the treatment of certain liver diseases. However, the use of bone marrow mononuclear cells as a therapy for liver disease has received little attention. The present study was to examine whether bone marrow mononuclear cells might be useful in the management of acute liver failure in an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHOTS: Bone marrow mononuclear cells were harvested from BALB/c mice and then labeled with the fluorescent dye PKH26. The labeled cells were subsequently infused into the tail veins of mice in which hepatic injury had been induced by CCl4 toxicity. After transplantation, the labeled cells in the liver were studied by fluorescent microscopy, and the levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and albumin were quantified in bone marrow mononuclear cell-treated and untreated groups. Serum aminotransferase activity was also monitored at various time points post-liver injury.

RESULTS

Transplanted bone marrow mononuclear cells labeled with PKH26 were found to populate the damaged liver around the portal and centrolobular regions, and they appeared to differentiate into albumin-producing hepatocyte-like cells. Animals that received bone marrow mononuclear cells also showed a trend toward improved liver enzymes as well enhanced survival rates, relative to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that systemically delivered bone marrow mononuclear cells may relocate to and be retained by the injured liver; transplantation of bone marrow mononuclear cells showed an overall beneficial effect in a murine model of acute liver failure.

Effect of β -catenin siRNA on proliferation and apoptosis of hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 and HepG-2

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of expression of siRNA β- catenin silent gene on cell cycle and apoptosis of different hepatoma cells.

METHODOLOGY

The effect of the β-catenin-siRNA recombinant plasmid on the growth of different hepatoma cells was observed by MTT assays; and the effect of the recombinant plasmid on proliferation and apoptosis of different hepatoma cells was detected through flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Transfection of the β-catenin-siRNA recombinant plasmid into hepatoma cells significantly inhibited β-catenin expression at protein and mRNA levels (p<0.05) as shown by western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. The MTT assay showed that β-catenin-siRNA can significantly inhibit growth of hepatoma cells. The results of flow cytometry showed that the growth of different hepatoma cells was blocked at G0/G1 phase and compared with the control group there was a significant difference (p<0.05). Flow cytometry also showed that apoptosis of different hepatoma cells, compared with the control group, was significantly different (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Inhibition of β-catenin in hepatoma cells can inhibit growth and promote apoptosis, and there was difference in the effect on proliferation and apoptosis between different hepatoma cells.

Sulfate may play an important role in the wavelength dependence of laser induced damage

Sulfate replacement of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) was studied by the first-principles simulation method and the density of of its states was calculated. We found that sulfate can reduce the band gap of KDP crystal to 3.90eV (318nm), which is consistent with the experimental work of others and indicates that sulfate may be a source of the low damage threshold.

MyD88-dependent signaling for IL-15 production plays an important role in maintenance of CD8 alpha alpha TCR alpha beta and TCR gamma delta intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes

Interaction between commensal bacteria and intestinal epithelial cells (i-ECs) via TLRs is important for intestinal homeostasis. In this study, we found that the numbers of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta and TCRgammadelta intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (i-IELs) were significantly decreased in MyD88-deficient (-/-) mice. The expression of IL-15 by i-ECs was severely reduced in MyD88(-/-) mice. Introduction of IL-15 transgene into MyD88(-/-) mice (MyD88(-/-) IL-15 transgenic mice) partly restored the numbers of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta and TCRgammadelta i-IELs. The i-IEL in irradiated wild-type (WT) mice transferred with MyD88(-/-) bone marrow (BM) cells had the same proportions of i-IEL as WT mice, whereas those in irradiated MyD88(-/-) mice transferred with WT BM cells showed significantly reduced proportions of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta and TCRgammadelta i-IELs, as was similar to the proportions found in MyD88(-/-) mice. However, irradiated MyD88(-/-) IL-15 transgenic mice transferred with WT BM cells had increased numbers of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta and TCRgammadelta subsets in the i-IEL. These results suggest that parenchymal cells such as i-ECs contribute to the maintenance of CD8alphaalpha TCRalphabeta and gammadelta i-IELs at least partly via MyD88-dependent IL-15 production.

Real-time PCR detection of lactic acid bacteria in cecal contents of eimeria tenella-lnfected broilers fed soybean oligosaccharides and soluble soybean polysaccharides

This experiment was conducted to test whether dietary soybean meal oligosaccharides (SMO) and water-soluble polysaccharides (SMP) can assist broiler chickens in resisting Eimeria tenella, and to determine the survival of lactic acid bacteria in cecal contents postinfection. All birds received a soybean meal-free diet. The 6 experimental treatments were as follows: positive (COR) and negative (COW) control groups, 2 groups fed diets containing either 1% SMO or 0.5% SMP from 1 to 11 d of age; a vaccinated group (VAC), and an anticoccidial medicated group (ANT). Chickens of all treatments except COW were orally infected with 1000 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella on d 15. Fecal oocyst shedding was monitored per treatment group between d 5 and 13 postinfection. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in cecal contents were evaluated by a real-time PCR technique on d 7 postinfection. The results showed that the SMO and SMP groups had a lower number of oocysts per gram of feces during the monitoring period than the COR group. Threshold cycles were 22.21, 27.68, 13.99, 14.92, 12.97, and 14.85, for COW, COR, SMO, SMP, VAC, and ANT groups, respectively; specific PCR products were confirmed by the results of melting curve analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results suggest that these LAB communities were promoted by SMO and SMP and have a competitive exclusion function when broiler chickens are infected with E. tenella.

Chemiluminescence study on the peroxidation of linoleic acid initiated by the reaction of ferrous iron with hydrogen peroxide

Linoleic acid was used as a model system to study lipid peroxidation initiated by the reaction of ferrous iron with hydrogen peroxide. Low-level chemiluminescence of the peroxidation was measured with a high-sensitivity single-photon counter. It was found that the luminescence primarily comes from the dimol reaction of singlet oxygen and that the peak intensity of emission is a quadratic function of the concentration of either Fe2+ or H2O2, provided that the other Fenton reagent is in great excess. Under the same conditions, analysis on reaction kinetics shows a linear relationship between the maximal level of the initiator formed by the Fenton reaction and the initial concentration of Fe2+ or H2O2. This implies that the peak intensity of the chemiluminescence may be a good index of the maximal level of the initiator.