Arya Atherosclerosis
Volume:13 Issue: 6, Nov 2017

microRNAs play pivotal roles in metabolism and other aspects of cell biology. microRNA-33 and liver X receptor (LXR) affect lipid metabolism and cholesterol trafficking. In this study, we evaluated effects of co-administration of miR-33 inhibitor and LXR activator on LXR-α and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression in mice liver.
Twenty-four mice were randomly allocated into four groups (n = 6). Group 1 mice received standard chow diet without any treatment, group 2 received 30 mg/kg/48 hour LXR agonist (T0901317), group 3 received 1 mg/kg/48 hour in vivo locked nucleic acids (LNA) anti-miR-33 and group 4 received both T0901317 and in vivo LNA anti-miR-33. All treatments were administrated through intraperitoneal injection (IP). After 7 days and at the end of the study, mice were sacrificed, liver tissues were excised and blood samples were collected. LXR-α and ABCA1 genes and protein expression were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting, respectively.
LXR activation caused LXR-α and ABCA1 mRNA (P Co-administration of T0901317 and anti-miR-33 can be considered as a good therapeutic alternative for atherosclerosis because miR-33 inhibition reduced lipogenic effects of LXR-α activator and also helps LXR-α agonist to increase reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and also HDL-C as antiatherogenic effects.

Considering the high level of air pollution and its impact on health, we aimed to study the correlation of air pollution with hospitalization and mortality of cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory diseases (ResD) (CAPACITY) to determine the effects of air pollutants on CVD and ResD hospitalizations and deaths in Isfahan, Iran.
Hourly levels of air pollutants including particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3), information of CVD and ResD admissions and death certificate were obtained respectively from Department of Environment (DOE), Iran, hospitals and cemetery. Time series and case-crossover model were used to find the impact of air pollutants. This paper only summarizes the descriptive findings of the CAPACITY study.
The total number of hospitalized patients were 23781 in 2010 and 22485 in 2011. The most frequent cause of hospitalization and death was ischemic heart diseases in both years. While the mean annual levels of O3, CO, and PM10 were lower in 2011 than in 2010, NO2 and SO2 levels higher in 2011. In both years, PM10 was similarly increased during last month of fall, late spring and early summer. In 2011, the PM2.5 and PM10 monthly trend of change were similar.
The CAPACITY study is one of the few large-scale studies that evaluated the effects of air pollutants on a variety of CVD and ResD in a large city of Iran. This study can provide many findings that could clarify the effects of these pollutants on the incidence and burden of both disease groups.

Breathing and living on mechanical ventilation develops a different feeling in patients. Most of such feelings and experiences are not pleasant and can lead to psychiatric disorders in the patients after they are detached from the ventilator. The aim of this study is to explore the psychological experiences of patients under mechanical ventilation.
This qualitative study was conducted according to an interpretive epistemological approach in 2016. Fifteen participants were selected according to purposive sampling. Data were drawn from the transcripts of in-depth, semi-structured interview that were not discontinued until data saturation was ensured. The participants were asked to share what they experienced when they were under mechanical ventilation and intubation. Data analysis was conducted according to Diekelmann method.
Altogether, 2 themes, 7 subthemes, and 27 sub-subthemes were drawn from the data. Two themes were dread (a horrible experience) and hope (an inspiring experience). Dread consisted of anxiety, hopelessness, and dependency. Hope consisted of spiritual connection as the only possible effort, the presence of health team the source of comfort, the family looking forward, and overcoming the illness (a step to life).
The psychological experiences of patients under mechanical ventilation are specific, and nurses can play an important role in decreasing tension and increasing hope among them through gaining knowledge about their experiences.

The major aim of this study was evaluating the effect of atorvastatin treatment on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ferric reducing the ability of plasma (FRAP), small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL) and lipid profile in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.
This study was carried out on 83 patients with angiographically proven coronary artery stenosis (52 men and 31 women) at Shahid Madani Hospital, Khorramabad, Iran, in 2015. The patients were divided into the 3 groups. 27 patients were classified statins consumption less than 6 days, 28 patients for 6 to 90 days, and 28 patients for more than 90 days. The level of sdLDL, lipid profile, TBARS and FRAP were assayed.
FRAP levels of patients that received atorvastatin for more than 90 days (832 ± 101) were significantly elevated (P = 0.01) compared to the patients received atorvastatin less than 6 days (688 ± 75), whereas the levels of TBARS diminished significantly (P = 0.04). Also, the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C were significantly decreased after 3 months of atorvastatin receiving (158 as compared to patients that consumed atorvastatin less than 6 days), (P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). The level of sdLDL was slightly increased with long-time consumption of atorvastatin (37 ± 14) in patients in comparison with patients that received atorvastatin less than 6 days (32 ± 15) (P = 0.06), but was not significant.
The serum level of TBARS decreased and the serum level of FRAP increased in patients with long-time receiving atorvastatin. Therefore, atorvastatin contributes to the lowering oxidative stress in these patients.

There is a small number of studies that considered the relationship between shift work (SW) and Framingham risk score (FRS). This study prospectively examined the association between SW and FRS among man workers based on the multilevel modeling approach.
This five-year prospective cohort study was done among workers (using stratified random sampling) who work in Esfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Company (EMSC), Iran, from March 2011 to February 2015.
The study sample included 1626 man workers (mean age = 40.0 ± 6.2). Among these subjects, 652 (40.01%), 183 (11.3%) and 791 (48.6%) were day workers, weekly rotating shift workers and routinely rotating, respectively. After controlling unbalanced variables, there was no any significant association between SW and FRS.
The results of this prospective cohort study did not show a relationship between SW and FRS.

Double-orifice mitral valve (DOMV) is an extremely rare cardiac malformation. It has been found to be accompanied by congenital anomalies (CAs), however, it can be detected as an isolated anomaly. The clinical findings of a DOMV are variable and depend predominantly on the associated cardiac abnormalities, particularly atrioventricular septal defects or mitral valve (MV) regurgitation and/or stenosis.
CASE REPORT: In this regard, we describe an isolated DOMV in an 18-year-old young girl who complained of a short-term nonspecific chest pain. She underwent transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic examinations. The examinations revealed a DOMV without any valvular or structural malformations. Other examinations were unremarkable. The patient did need neither medical nor surgical interventions.
The isolated cases of DOMV do not need therapy and might be only followed up using echocardiographic examinations. However, a careful echocardiographic examination for detection of concomitant structural malformations would be of great importance in the management of such cases.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia and an important risk factor for thromboembolic stroke. CHA2DS2-VASc score was introduced for assessment of embolic events and as criteria for starting anticoagulants. This study was performed to evaluate the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in patients with non-hemorrhagic stroke and AF.
This cross-sectional study consisted of 76 consecutive patients with suspected non-hemorrhagic stroke referred to the Cardiology Department of Alzahra and Ayatollah Kashani hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, during 2015-2016. Demographic, anthropometric and clinical characteristics were evaluated for all patients at baseline. CHA2DS2-VASc score was calculated for all. All eligible patients underwent transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) and LVDD was measured in the patients.
The mean age of the patients was 64.64 ± 5.95 years and 28 subjects (36.8%) were women. The most common underlying disease in the patients was hypertension (HTN) (65.8%). Median (range) CHA2DS2-VASc score was 4 (1-7). Four patients (5.3%) had paroxysmal AF and 16 cases (21.1%) had LVDD. Analysis showed that LVDD in patients with non-hemorrhagic stroke and coexisting AF was not associated with CHA2DS2-VASc score (r = 0.151, P = 0.192).
LVDD is not associated with CHA2DS2-VASc score in patients with non-hemorrhagic stroke and coexisting AF.