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Background The factors that influence cognitive function in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear. Methods This study involved an AF group and control group (normal sinus rhythm) of 150 patients each. Cognitive function was assessed with the adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSEadj) score and Memory and Executive Screening (MES) score. The relationship between cognitive function and the CHA2DS2VASc score was analyzed. Subgroup analysis was performed according to stroke history. Clinical factors affecting the MMSE score were screened by logistic regression analysis. Results Baseline data were similar between the two groups. The MMSEadj and MES scores were significantly lower in the AF than control group; the mean MMSEadj score in the AF non-stroke subgroup and control non-stroke subgroup was 26.2 ± 2.7 and 27.9 ± 2.0, respectively. In non-stroke patients with AF, the MMSEadj and MES scores were negatively correlated with the CHA2DS2VASc score. Factors significantly influencing the MMSE score in these patients were age, education, smoking history, NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide, hemoglobin, and anticoagulation. Conclusion AF is associated with cognitive dysfunction regardless of stroke history. High CHA2DS2VASc scores are associated with impaired cognitive function. Factors influencing cognitive function in non-stroke patients with AF are age, education, smoking history, NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide, hemoglobin, and anticoagulation.

Objective This study was performed to investigate the relationship between the serum cystatin C (Cys C) level and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients of advanced age. Methods The study included 184 patients with ACS and 46 healthy control subjects. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 14.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results The serum Cys C level was significantly higher in patients with than without ACS (1.24 ± 0.30 vs. 1.42 ± 0.46 mg/L, respectively). Patients with more stenotic coronary arteries were significantly more likely to have higher median serum Cys C and creatinine levels and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the serum Cys C level was independently associated with the presence of ACS and the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries after adjustment for confounding factors. Additionally, the serum Cys C level was positively correlated with age, the creatinine level, and the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level in all patients but was negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Conclusion A high serum Cys C level was independently associated with ACS and the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries in patients of advanced age regardless of renal function.

Objective To determine the prevalence of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) related myocardial damage (injury or myocardial infarction), investigate several cardiac biomarkers, explore possible risk factors and assess survival in patients undergoing elective PCI. Methods Patients >18 years of age who had undergone an elective PCI at Huashan hospital in Shanghai, China from October 2016 to June 2017 and had baseline and post-PCI results available for four cardiac biomarkers (cTnT, CK-MB mass, hs-CRP and NT-ProBNP) were eligible. Patients were separated into two groups according to whether or not they had PCI related myocardial damage. Results Of the 143 patients who were eligible for the study, 75 (52%) were classified as ‘controls,’ and 68 (48%) had PCI related myocardial damage. Of the 68 patients, 64 (45%) had PCI related myocardial injury and 4 (3%) had PCI related myocardial infarction. Elderly Chinese patients, with high systolic blood pressure on admission and who required multiple coronary segments for PCI had a high risk of myocardial damage. Relative cTnT or relative CK-MB mass may be useful cardiac biomarkers for monitoring PCI related myocardial damage, especially at 24h post-PCI. There was no significant difference in survival rates between controls and those with myocardial complications. Conclusions PCI related myocardial damage is common but appears to have no impact on prognosis. Senior age, high systolic blood pressure and multiple coronary segments for PCI are risk factors.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of female mortality and its early detection is an important means of reducing this. The present study investigated an approach, based on fuzzy clustering, to detect small lesions, such as microcalcifications and other masses, that are hard to recognize in breast cancer screening. A total of 180 mammograms were analysed and classified by radiologists into three groups ( n = 60 per group): those with microcalcifications; those with tumours; and those with no lesions. Twenty mammograms were taken as training data sets from each of the groups. The algorithm was then applied to the data not taken for training. Analysis by fuzzy clustering achieved a mean accuracy of 99.7% compared with the radiologists' findings. It was concluded that the fuzzy clustering algorithm allowed for more efficient and accurate detection of breast lesions and may improve the early detection of breast tumours.

Cathepsin L enhances angiogenesis by increasing extracellular matrix degradation and remodelling. This study investigated whether plasma cathepsin L could be used as a biomarker to predict collateral formation in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Patients with CHD ( n = 218; aged 67 ± 11 years) underwent coronary angiography and were categorized as having either ‘poor’ or ‘rich’ collaterals. Plasma cathepsin L, the proangiogenic placenta growth factor (PLGF) and the antiangiogenic factors, cystatin C and endostatin, were measured. Elevated cathepsin L and PLGF levels were independently and significantly associated with enhanced collateral formation in patients with CHD; subgroup analyses also showed a significant correlation in patients with diabetes and acute coronary syndrome. Plasma endostatin and cystatin C levels were not significantly correlated with coronary collateral formation. Plasma cathepsin L and PLGF, acting as important modulators of angiogenesis, could be used as biomarkers to predict coronary collateral formation in patients with CHD.

Torreya grandis cv. Merrillii is an endemic tree species in China, seeds of which are used as a popular snack, possessing beneficial effects on preventing angiosclerosis and coronary heart diseases. In this study, antioxidant activity and chemical constituents of T. grandis cv. Merrillii seed (TGMS) were investigated. The antioxidant activity of different fractions and the ethanol extract was evaluated using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation assays. The oil, CH2Cl2 and n-BuOH fractions, and ethanol extract of TGMS all showed antioxidant activities in these models, especially the DPPH one. By GC-MS analysis, twenty-seven constituents were identified from the oil fraction of TGMS. The total content of phenolic compounds in the CH2Cl2 and n-BuOH fractions and ethanol extract was also determined by the Folin-Ciocalteau method as 17.6, 21.6 and 12.9 μg/mg, respectively. In addition, analysis of the CH2Cl2 fraction yielded four phenolic compounds: 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-methoxy pyrocatechol, coniferyl aldehyde, 4-hydroxy cinnamaldehyde, and two steroids, β-sitosterol and daucosterol. These results provide scientific support for the empirical use of TGMS as a medicinal food for cardiovascular diseases.