Serum 25-hydroxycholesterol levels are increased in patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), produced by cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H) in macrophages, has been reported to inhibit the replication of viral pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. Also, CH25H expression in macrophages is robustly induced by interferons (IFNs).

Objective: To better understand the serum level increase of 25HC in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and how it relates to the clinical picture.

Sex-specific Association of Primary Aldosteronism With Visceral Adiposity.

Context: The association between primary aldosteronism and obesity, especially its sex difference, remains unknown.

Objective: To assess the association for each subtype of primary aldosteronism with obesity parameters including visceral adipose tissue and differences between sexes.

Methods: In this case-control study, 4 normotensive controls were selected for each case with primary aldosteronism.

AAA-ATPase valosin-containing protein binds the transcription factor SREBP1 and promotes its proteolytic activation by rhomboid protease RHBDL4.

Valosin-containing protein (VCP) is a member of AAA-ATPase superfamily involved in various cellular functions. To investigate the pathophysiological role of VCP in metabolic disorders, we generated knock-in mice bearing an A232E mutation in VCP, a known human VCP pathogenic variant. When heterozygous mutant mice (A232E/+) were fed a high-fat diet, we observed that fatty liver was ameliorated and the proteolytic processing of the transcription factor sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) was impaired.

Leptin sensitizing effect of 1,3-butanediol and its potential mechanism.

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that regulates appetite and energy expenditure via the hypothalamus. Since the majority of obese subjects are leptin resistant, leptin sensitizers, rather than leptin itself, are expected to be anti-obesity drugs. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the hypothalamus plays a key role in the pathogenesis of leptin resistance.