Background Recent studies have reported circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles in various tissue types; however, circRNA expression profile in human epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) remains undefined. This work aimed to compare circRNA expression patterns in EAT between the heart failure (HF) and non-HF groups. Methods RNA-sequencing was carried out to compare circRNA expression patterns in EAT specimens from coronary artery disease cases between the HF and non-HF groups. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed for validation. Comparisons of patient characteristics between the two groups were using t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-squared test. Results A total of 141 circRNAs substantially different between the HF and non-HF groups ( P < 0.05; fold change >2) were detected, including 56 up-regulated and 85 down-regulated. Among them, hsa_circ_0005565 stood out, for it had the highest fold change and was significantly increased in HF patients in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validation. The top highly expressed EAT circRNAs corresponded to genes involved in cell proliferation and inflammatory response, including GSE1, RHOBTB3, HIPK3, UBXN7, PCMTD1, N4BP2L2, CFLAR, EPB41L2, FCHO2, FNDC3B, and SPECC1. The top enriched Gene Ontology term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway were positive regulation of metabolic processes and insulin resistance, respectively. Conclusion These data indicate EAT circRNAs may contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders causing HF.

Background: There is currently no evidence regarding the role of plasma Sirtuin2 (SIRT2) level in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) yet. This study assessed the role of plasma SIRT2 in AMI, and investigated the association of plasma SIRT2 level with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and heart failure after AMI. Methods: This is a prospective observational study. A total of 129 AMI patients (mean age: 62.2±12.7 years old, male/female: 96/33) were included. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of different SIRT2 levels with MACE and heart failure after AMI. Results: According to the 75th percentile value of plasma SIRT2 level, we divided all the AMI patients into two groups: high-level group (plasma SIRT2 level ≥109.0 pg/mL) and low-level group (plasma SIRT2 level <109.0 pg/mL). Compared with the low-level group, the high-level group had higher percentage of Killip class ≥3 (P<0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% (P=0.007) or even <40% (P=0.012), use of breathing machine(P=0.003), and higher plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level (P=0.006).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that there were higher risks of MACE [hazard ratio (HR) 11.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.18-39.52, P<0.001)] and heart failure (HR 27.10, 95% CI: 4.65-157.83, P<0.001) in the high-level group. Conclusions: The present study suggested that plasma SIRT2 level is a promising biomarker to predict heart failure and MACE after AMI.

Objectives: There has been insufficient evidence for a quantitative recommendation for dietary cholesterol, therefore, we aim to investigate the optimal cholesterol intake related to a lower all-cause mortality risk.Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a large population survey to investigate public health in the United States. We analysed data from 1999-2002 linked with mortality data obtained through 2006. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess risks for all-cause mortality associated with cholesterol intake.Results: A total of 7,728 participants were analysed in the present study, and 519 assumed death events. Compared with the third quartile (216-373 mg/day) of cholesterol intake, the risks of mortality increased in both the first two and the last quartiles (quartile 1: HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.16-2.00; quartile 2: HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.94-1.60; quartile 4: HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05-1.83). The association between cholesterol intake and the risk of all-cause mortality followed a U-shaped curve, with the cholesterol intake associated with the lowest mortality being 328 mg/day.Conclusions: The present study suggests an optimal cholesterol intake for lowering the all-cause mortality risk.

Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (ASTEMI) leads to great morbidity and mortality, even after immediate reperfusion therapy by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Plasma exosomal proteins detected in the acute stage are supposed to affect the outcomes of ASTEMI. The present study collected ASTEMI patients with ischemic time around 6 hours and underwent successful emergency PCI, used exosomal proteomics to identify the plasma exosomal proteins, and performed a 1-year follow-up on ASTEMI outcomes. We observed that plasma exosomes concentration significantly decreased in ASTEMI after PCI than before it. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that several plasma exosomal proteins detected were strong predictors for coronary reintervention, which were revalidated in Cox regressions; while several plasma exosomal proteins were strong predictors for heart failure, which were revalidated in logistic regressions. The protein–protein network interactions and literature review suggest that plasma exosomal proteins might correlate with ASTEMI prognosis though involving in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, regulation of cardiac muscle contraction, inflammation, platelet activation, or ferroptosis. Our results provide potential preventive and therapeutic targets for ASTEMI outcomes after PCI.