Background In the case of hypertension, lesions in the microvessels of the target organs precede and deteriorate futher after arteriosclerosis in the small arteries. Thus coronary microvascular lesion (CML) was consid...Background In the case of hypertension, lesions in the microvessels of the target organs precede and deteriorate futher after arteriosclerosis in the small arteries. Thus coronary microvascular lesion (CML) was considered the crucial factor contributing to damage to the target organs. The purpose of this study is to observe the characteristics and differences of CML in autopsies of elderly patients with essential hypertension (EHT), coronary heart disease (CHD), or EHT with CHD, given the same degree of left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT).Methods A retrospective study was performed on 246 cases of patients over 60 years old with EHT, CHD, or EHT with CHD, and on 26 cases without cardiovascular disease as controls , out of a total of 3195 consecutive autopsied cases. The arterioles (with diameter 10 -60 μm) and the capillaries in the cardiac muscle layer were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining, elastic van Gieson staining, and CD31 immunohistochemistry. To quantify CML severity, measurements were taken of arteriole density (AD), the ratio of wall-to-lumen area of arteriole (RWL), and capillary density (CD), using light microscopy and computer image analysis. Based on LVWT, the cases were divided into four degrees, from Ⅰ to Ⅳ. The EHT, CHD, and EHT with CHD groups all rated LVWT Ⅰ -Ⅳ, and the control group rated LVWT Ⅰ. SAS software was used for statistical analysis.Results With the aggravation of LVWT, both AD and RWL increased while CD decreased significantly in the EHT group (P<0. 05 -0. 0001); there were similar but more severe changes in the EHT with CHD group (P<0. 001 -0. 0001); and AD increased (P <0.001) while RWL and CD did not change significantly in the CHD group.Conclusion Comparing EHT with CHD patients, there are similar patterns of change to AD, but different patterns of change to RWL and CD. CML is much more severe in EHT patients with CHD. We conclude that CML is one of the main causes of decreased coronary flow reserve and myocardial damage in both EHT patients and EHT patients with CHD.展开更多
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic systemic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, with various patho-genic mechanisms. From absolute or relative insulin deficiency, patients with DM often demonstrate vari-ous level...Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic systemic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, with various patho-genic mechanisms. From absolute or relative insulin deficiency, patients with DM often demonstrate vari-ous levels of metabolic disorders. Major clinical manifestations of DM include metabolic disorders, vascu-lar lesions, circulatory disturbances and neurologic complications. Along with advances in DM research, re-ports of DM related tinnitus and hearing impairment have increased continuously. Research on DM related auditory system dysfunction has focused on cochlear microcirculation, cellular homeostasis, genetics and ag-ing. Cochlear microcirculation plays an important role in cochlear physiology and its disorders are associat-ed with many inner ear diseases. Ischemia and subsequent reperfusion seen in cochlear microcirculation dis-orders are important factors in hearing damage. Understanding cochlear microcirculation and structural as well as functional changes in DM patients with hearing loss and their causal factors will help reveal patho-genic mechanisms in diabetic hearing loss and provide new ideas in developing interventions and preventing damages caused by diabetes.展开更多
Objective Apolipoprotein E （apoE） is associated with increased risk of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） and cerebrovascular disease （CVD）. The present study aims to investigate the age-rel...Objective Apolipoprotein E （apoE） is associated with increased risk of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） and cerebrovascular disease （CVD）. The present study aims to investigate the age-related general morphological changes of the brain in GFAP-apoE transgenic mice, especially the alterations in number and size of hippocampal pyramidal cells and the microvascular lesions in the thalamus. Methods Nine female apoE4/4 mice were divided into 3 groups （n=3 in each group）： 3-4 months （young group）, 9-10 months （middle-aged group） and 20-21 months （old group）. Age-matched apoE3/ 3 mice were employed as control group （n=3 in each group）. The paraffin sections of brain tissue were stained by 2 conventional staining methods, thionin staining and hematoxylin-esion（HE） staining, the former of which was to observe the hippocampal cells, while the latter was used to examine the brain microvasculature. Results There was no apparent difference in the cortical layer between apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice, neither any significant difference in the number of cells in hippocampal CA1-CA3 subfields between apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice at various age points （P 〉 0.05）. However, the mean size of pyramidal cells in CA1 subfield in apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice decreased as mice were getting older （P 〈 0.001）. At the age of 20-21 months, this cellular atrophy in apoE4/4 mice was more severe than that in old apoE3/3 mice （P 〈 0.05）. Furthermore, microvascular lesion in the thalamus was detected in all the 3 old apoE4/4 mice, at varying degrees （5.24%, 1.41% and 3.97%, respectively）, while only one apoE3/3 mouse exhibited microvascular lesion in the thalamus, at a low level （0.85%）. Conclusion The current study suggests that the cell size in hippocampal CA1 subfield decreases with aging, irrespective of apoE genotype. Cellular atrophy in CA1 subfield and the microvascular lesion in the thalamus are both more severe in old apoE4/4 mice as compared with those in age-matched apoE3/3 mice. Doubts still exist on whether the decreased cell size in hippocampal CA1 subfield in old apoE4/4 mice is associated with dysfunction in learning and memory and whether the microvascular lesions indicate a higher risk of stroke in human apoE4 allele mice. To clarify these issues, further investigations are needed.展开更多
文摘Background In the case of hypertension, lesions in the microvessels of the target organs precede and deteriorate futher after arteriosclerosis in the small arteries. Thus coronary microvascular lesion (CML) was considered the crucial factor contributing to damage to the target organs. The purpose of this study is to observe the characteristics and differences of CML in autopsies of elderly patients with essential hypertension (EHT), coronary heart disease (CHD), or EHT with CHD, given the same degree of left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT).Methods A retrospective study was performed on 246 cases of patients over 60 years old with EHT, CHD, or EHT with CHD, and on 26 cases without cardiovascular disease as controls , out of a total of 3195 consecutive autopsied cases. The arterioles (with diameter 10 -60 μm) and the capillaries in the cardiac muscle layer were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining, elastic van Gieson staining, and CD31 immunohistochemistry. To quantify CML severity, measurements were taken of arteriole density (AD), the ratio of wall-to-lumen area of arteriole (RWL), and capillary density (CD), using light microscopy and computer image analysis. Based on LVWT, the cases were divided into four degrees, from Ⅰ to Ⅳ. The EHT, CHD, and EHT with CHD groups all rated LVWT Ⅰ -Ⅳ, and the control group rated LVWT Ⅰ. SAS software was used for statistical analysis.Results With the aggravation of LVWT, both AD and RWL increased while CD decreased significantly in the EHT group (P<0. 05 -0. 0001); there were similar but more severe changes in the EHT with CHD group (P<0. 001 -0. 0001); and AD increased (P <0.001) while RWL and CD did not change significantly in the CHD group.Conclusion Comparing EHT with CHD patients, there are similar patterns of change to AD, but different patterns of change to RWL and CD. CML is much more severe in EHT patients with CHD. We conclude that CML is one of the main causes of decreased coronary flow reserve and myocardial damage in both EHT patients and EHT patients with CHD.
基金Projects of Hebei Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,No.2012068
文摘Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic systemic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, with various patho-genic mechanisms. From absolute or relative insulin deficiency, patients with DM often demonstrate vari-ous levels of metabolic disorders. Major clinical manifestations of DM include metabolic disorders, vascu-lar lesions, circulatory disturbances and neurologic complications. Along with advances in DM research, re-ports of DM related tinnitus and hearing impairment have increased continuously. Research on DM related auditory system dysfunction has focused on cochlear microcirculation, cellular homeostasis, genetics and ag-ing. Cochlear microcirculation plays an important role in cochlear physiology and its disorders are associat-ed with many inner ear diseases. Ischemia and subsequent reperfusion seen in cochlear microcirculation dis-orders are important factors in hearing damage. Understanding cochlear microcirculation and structural as well as functional changes in DM patients with hearing loss and their causal factors will help reveal patho-genic mechanisms in diabetic hearing loss and provide new ideas in developing interventions and preventing damages caused by diabetes.
基金supported by Outstanding Youth Teacher Fund of Anhui Province, China (No.2009SQRZ041ZD)
文摘Objective Apolipoprotein E （apoE） is associated with increased risk of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） and cerebrovascular disease （CVD）. The present study aims to investigate the age-related general morphological changes of the brain in GFAP-apoE transgenic mice, especially the alterations in number and size of hippocampal pyramidal cells and the microvascular lesions in the thalamus. Methods Nine female apoE4/4 mice were divided into 3 groups （n=3 in each group）： 3-4 months （young group）, 9-10 months （middle-aged group） and 20-21 months （old group）. Age-matched apoE3/ 3 mice were employed as control group （n=3 in each group）. The paraffin sections of brain tissue were stained by 2 conventional staining methods, thionin staining and hematoxylin-esion（HE） staining, the former of which was to observe the hippocampal cells, while the latter was used to examine the brain microvasculature. Results There was no apparent difference in the cortical layer between apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice, neither any significant difference in the number of cells in hippocampal CA1-CA3 subfields between apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice at various age points （P 〉 0.05）. However, the mean size of pyramidal cells in CA1 subfield in apoE3/3 and apoE4/4 mice decreased as mice were getting older （P 〈 0.001）. At the age of 20-21 months, this cellular atrophy in apoE4/4 mice was more severe than that in old apoE3/3 mice （P 〈 0.05）. Furthermore, microvascular lesion in the thalamus was detected in all the 3 old apoE4/4 mice, at varying degrees （5.24%, 1.41% and 3.97%, respectively）, while only one apoE3/3 mouse exhibited microvascular lesion in the thalamus, at a low level （0.85%）. Conclusion The current study suggests that the cell size in hippocampal CA1 subfield decreases with aging, irrespective of apoE genotype. Cellular atrophy in CA1 subfield and the microvascular lesion in the thalamus are both more severe in old apoE4/4 mice as compared with those in age-matched apoE3/3 mice. Doubts still exist on whether the decreased cell size in hippocampal CA1 subfield in old apoE4/4 mice is associated with dysfunction in learning and memory and whether the microvascular lesions indicate a higher risk of stroke in human apoE4 allele mice. To clarify these issues, further investigations are needed.
