Association of the EAT-Lancet diet, serial measures of serum proteome and gut microbiome, and cardiometabolic health: a prospective study of Chinese middle-aged and elderly adults.

Background: The EAT-Lancet diet was reported to be mutually beneficial for the human cardiometabolic system and planetary health. However, mechanistic evidence linking the EAT-Lancet diet and human cardiometabolic health is lacking.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the role of blood proteins in the association between the EAT-Lancet diet and cardiometabolic health and explore the underlying gut microbiota-blood protein interplay.

Cholesterol Interference in the Assessment of Vitamin D Status: A Canadian Health Measures Survey Biobank Project.

Background: Matrix effects are a known problem with immunoassays measuring serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].

Objectives: To determine if the inverse association between serum 25(OH)D and serum cholesterol concentrations is a function of assay method: Diasorin Liaison 25(OH) Vitamin D Total Assay (Liaison Total Assay), an immunoassay, compared with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Methods: Canadian Health Measures Survey data and biobank serum (White males aged 20-79 y, n = 392) were evaluated for bias in serum 25(OH)D using Bland-Altman plots.

Monomer-Promoting Asymmetric Kinetic Resolution-Alternating Copolymerization To Afford AAB-Type Copolyesters.

Living copolymerization of mixed monomers can enrich the diversity of copolymer materials with well-defined performance via controlling both monomers and stereosequences. However, periodic sequence-controlled living copolymerization of same-type monomers with more than two components in synthetic polymer science remains a challenge. In this work, a new method of monomer-promoting asymmetric kinetic resolution-alternating copolymerization can let a tricomponent mixture of l-lactide (-LA or l-LA) and two enantiomeric isomers of racemic tropic acid cyclic esters (tropicolactone) be polymerized into sequence-controlled -(AAB)- type biodegradable copolyesters (the subscript S presents the configuration and A and B present lactic acid units and tropic acid units, respectively), and diblock copolymers of -(AAB)--(AAB)- can further be obtained upon addition of -LA (dLA).

De Novo Germline and Somatic Variants Convergently Promote Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Simplex Brain Arteriovenous Malformation.

[Figure: see text].

Multiethnic Genome-Wide Association Study of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) are measures of subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals and strong risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor that accelerates atherosclerosis.

Methods: We performed meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies in up to 2500 T2D individuals of European ancestry (EA) and 1590 T2D individuals of African ancestry with or without exclusion of prevalent cardiovascular disease, for CAC measured by cardiac computed tomography, and 3608 individuals of EA and 838 individuals of African ancestry with T2D for cIMT measured by ultrasonography within the CHARGE (Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology) Consortium.

Comparative study of the effect of rice husk-based powders used as physical conditioners on sludge dewatering.

The effects of rice husk flour (RHF), rice husk biochar (RHB), and rice husk-sludge cake biochar (RH-SCB, expresses sludge cake biochar deriving from a sludge that has been previously conditioned with rice husk) used as physical conditioners on sludge dewaterability were compared. The effects of characteristics of physical conditioners on sludge compressibility and zeta potential were analyzed. The optimal rice husk-based powder was RH-SCB, which presented the highest net sludge solid yield (Y, expresses the dry mass flow by filtration) at 20.

Discovery of T-1101 tosylate as a first-in-class clinical candidate for Hec1/Nek2 inhibition in cancer therapy.

Highly expressed in cancer 1 (Hec1) plays an essential role in mitosis and is correlated with cancer formation, progression, and survival. Phosphorylation of Hec1 by Nek2 kinase is essential for its mitotic function, thus any disruption of Hec1/Nek2 protein-protein interaction has potential for cancer therapy. We have developed T-1101 tosylate (9j tosylate, 9j formerly known as TAI-95), optimized from 4-aryl-N-pyridinylcarbonyl-2-aminothiazole of scaffold 9 by introducing various C-4' substituents to enhance potency and water solubility, as a first-in-class oral clinical candidate for Hec1 inhibition with potential for cancer therapy.

Factors related to post surgical neurologic improvement for cervical spine infection.

Background: Cervical spine infections are uncommon but potentially dangerous, having the highest rate of neurological compromise and resulting disability. However, the factors related to surgical success is multiple yet unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 27 patients (16 men and 11 women) with cervical spine infection who underwent surgical treatment at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou branch, between 2001 and 2014.

Plasma MASP-1 concentration and its relationship to recovery from coronary artery lesion in children with Kawasaki disease.

Background: This study investigated prognostic factors for early recovery of coronary artery lesion (CAL) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD).

Methods: Patients hospitalized for KD were enrolled less than 2 wk from the onset of illness and divided into two groups: KD with CAL and KD without CAL. The CAL group was further divided into two subgroups according to the degree of CAL: mild (n = 31) and moderate/severe (n = 6) and further divided into two subgroups according to the age: younger than 1 y (n = 9) and older than 1 y (n = 28).

Dynamic Water-Mediated Hydrogen Bonding in a Collagen Model Peptide.

In the canonical (G-X-Y)(n) sequence of the fibrillar collagen triple helix, stabilizing direct interchain hydrogen bonding connects neighboring chains. Mutations of G can disrupt these interactions and are linked to connective tissue diseases. Here we integrate computational approaches with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to obtain a dynamic view of hydrogen bonding distributions in the (POG)(4)(-)(POA)-(POG)(5) peptide, showing that the solution conformation, dynamics, and hydrogen bonding deviate from the reported X-ray crystal structure in many aspects.

α-Tocopherol disappearance rates from plasma depend on lipid concentrations: studies using deuterium-labeled collard greens in younger and older adults.

Background: Little is known about α-tocopherol's bioavailability as a constituent of food or its dependence on a subject's age.

Objective: To evaluate the α-tocopherol bioavailability from food, we used collard greens grown in deuterated water ((2)H collard greens) as a source of deuterium-labeled ((2)H) α-tocopherol consumed by younger and older adults in a post hoc analysis of a vitamin K study.

Design: Younger (mean ± SD age: 32 ± 7 y; n = 12 women and 9 men) and older (aged 67 ± 8 y; n = 8 women and 12 men) adults consumed a test breakfast that included 120 g (2)H collard greens (1.

Investigation of several unique tandem mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns of NFDEIDR, an orcokinin analog, and its N-terminal dimethylated form.

Orcokinins are a family of myotropic neuropeptides widely present in various decapod crustaceans and insect species. The majority of the orcokinins identified to date share a conserved sequence of NFDEIDR at their N-termini. Electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometric (ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) analysis of doubly charged orcokinin precursor ions reveals the presence of a y(n - 1) + 10 peak, which is more intense than that for the y(n - 1) ion.

De novo sequencing of neuropeptides using reductive isotopic methylation and investigation of ESI QTOF MS/MS fragmentation pattern of neuropeptides with N-terminal dimethylation.

A stable-isotope dimethyl labeling strategy was previously shown to be a useful tool for quantitative proteomics. More recently, N-terminal dimethyl labeling was also reported for peptide sequencing in combination with database searching. Here, we extend these previous studies by incorporating N-terminal isotopic dimethylation for de novo sequencing of neuropeptides directly from tissue extract without any genomic information.

Chronic ginseng consumption attenuates age-associated oxidative stress in rats.

The antioxidant properties of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) were investigated in young and old rats fed a ginseng-supplemented diet for 4 mo. Female Fischer 344 rats at 4 (Y, n = 38) or 22 (O, n = 25) mo of age were randomly divided into three groups and fed either a AIN-93G formula-based control diet (C) or a diet containing 0.5 g/kg (low dose, L) or 2.