Clinical value and expression of Homer 1, homocysteine, S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine, fibroblast growth factors 23 in coronary heart disease

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward coronary heart disease secondary prevention among coronary heart disease patients in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward coronary heart disease (CHD) secondary prevention among CHD patients.

METHODS

This web-based cross-sectional study enrolled patients with CHD who visited the Yangpu District Central Hospital in Shanghai (China) between October 18, 2022, and March 25, 2023. The administered questionnaire assessed demographic information and KAP; factors associated with good practice were identified by multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 507 participants were included in the study, with 361 (71.2%) being male. In terms of education, 125 (24.7%) had a junior high school level or below. The mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 31.28 ± 7.30 (possible range: 0-42), 54.09 ± 3.33 (possible range: 12-60), and 35.48 ± 3.36 (possible range: 11-55), respectively. For specific knowledge items on CHD, 57.6% of participants correctly identified that women are more susceptible to CHD. Physical labor and emotional excitement as triggers for CHD were correctly recognized by 94.1%. The need for long-term medication and follow-up after a CHD diagnosis had the highest correctness rate at 98.8%. Additionally, 84.6% correctly understood that recurrence of CHD is possible after PCI surgery. Multivariate analysis indicated that smoking and diabetes status were significantly associated with Practice scores. Current smokers reported lower practice levels than never smokers (OR = 2.858, 95% CI: 1.442-5.662, P = 0.003). Participants with diabetes reported higher practice levels than those without diabetes (OR = 4.169, 95% CI: 2.329-7.463, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with CHD in Shanghai, China, demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitudes toward CHD secondary prevention, although there were some gaps in actual practice behaviors. Enhancing targeted educational interventions and support systems in clinical settings may help bridge these gaps and improve adherence to recommended preventive practices.

Orai1/STIMs modulators in pulmonary vascular diseases

Calcium (Ca2+) is a secondary messenger that regulates various cellular processes. However, Ca2+ mishandling could lead to pathological conditions. Orai1 is a Ca2+channel contributing to the store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and plays a critical role in Ca2+ homeostasis in several cell types. Dysregulation of Orai1 contributed to severe combined immune deficiency syndrome, some cancers, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and other cardiorespiratory diseases. During its activation process, Orai1 is mainly regulated by stromal interacting molecule (STIM) proteins, especially STIM1; however, many other regulatory partners have also been recently described. Increasing knowledge about these regulatory partners provides a better view of the downstream signalling pathways of SOCE and offers an excellent opportunity to decipher Orai1 dysregulation in these diseases. These proteins participate in other cellular functions, making them attractive therapeutic targets. This review mainly focuses on Orai1 regulatory partners in the physiological and pathological conditions of the pulmonary circulation and inflammation.

Positive Regulation of S-Adenosylmethionine on Chondrocytic Differentiation via Stimulation of Polyamine Production and the Gene Expression of Chondrogenic Differentiation Factors

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is considered to be a useful therapeutic agent for degenerative cartilage diseases, although its mechanism is not clear. We previously found that polyamines stimulate the expression of differentiated phenotype of chondrocytes. We also found that the cellular communication network factor 2 (CCN2) played a huge role in the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes. Therefore, we hypothesized that polyamines and CCN2 could be involved in the chondroprotective action of SAM. In this study, we initially found that exogenous SAM enhanced proteoglycan production but not cell proliferation in human chondrocyte-like cell line-2/8 (HCS-2/8) cells. Moreover, SAM enhanced gene expression of cartilage-specific matrix (aggrecan and type II collagen), Sry-Box transcription factor 9 (SOX9), CCN2, and chondroitin sulfate biosynthetic enzymes. The blockade of the methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) enzyme catalyzing intracellular SAM biosynthesis restrained the effect of SAM on chondrocytes. The polyamine level in chondrocytes was higher in SAM-treated culture than control culture. Additionally, Alcian blue staining and RT-qPCR indicated that the effects of SAM on the production and gene expression of aggrecan were reduced by the inhibition of polyamine synthesis. These results suggest that the stimulation of polyamine synthesis and gene expression of chondrogenic differentiation factors, such as CCN2, account for the mechanism underlying the action of SAM on chondrocytes.

Development of a colloidal gold strip assay for the detection of total homocysteine in serum samples

A highly sensitive anti-SAH mAb was produced and an LFIA strip was developed to detect tHcy in serum samples after enzymatic hydrolysis.