Objective: Levels of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) in blood are associated with variation in cardiovascular disease risk. Serum ACE activity in women may be reduced by combined oestrogen-progestogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, the relative contribution of each hormonal component to this observation is uncertain. We investigated ACE activity in two groups of healthy postmenopausal women receiving HRT regimens.
Design: The first group received placebo or oestrogen-only HRT randomly (oral conjugated equine oestrogens or transdermal 17 beta-oestradiol). The second group was treated with oestrogen-only HRT (oral 17 beta-oestradiol) followed by sequential oestrogen-progestogen HRT (17 beta-oestradiol and dydrogesterone).
Measurements: Assay of blood for soluble ACE activity before and whilst receiving HRT.
Results: In the first group, oral conjugated equine oestrogens significantly reduced (P < 0.01) ACE activity by 18% on average relative to pretreatment whereas non-significant changes of -9% and +7% were seen with transdermal 17 beta-oestradiol or placebo treatment, respectively. In the second group oestrogen-only HRT significantly reduced (P < 0.001) ACE activity by 15% on average. The reduction during both the oestrogen-only and combined phases of sequential treatment was 12% and 19%, respectively, compared with pretreatment values (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001). ACE activity also differed significantly (P < 0.05) between the two phases of sequential treatment.
Conclusions: Both oestrogen-only and oestrogen-progestogen HRT may reduce ACE activity in blood. Oestrogen and progestogen may exhibit additive effects on blood ACE activity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2265.2003.01600.x | DOI Listing |
J Ginseng Res
January 2025
Department of Food Science & Biotechnology, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background: Subcritical water (SW) is regarded as an effective conversion technology for lignocellulosic biomass. The effect of SW on ginseng are limited to evaluate the ginsenoside composition of red ginseng, and there is little information on the effects of SW on fresh ginseng.
Methods: The general characteristics of ginseng extracts (GE) prepared with SW were evaluated in terms of brix, reducing sugar and residual solid content, and compositions of GE was estimated using chromatography.
Nat Methods
January 2025
Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Teravoxel-scale, cellular-resolution images of cleared rodent brains acquired with light-sheet fluorescence microscopy have transformed the way we study the brain. Realizing the potential of this technology requires computational pipelines that generalize across experimental protocols and map neuronal activity at the laminar and subpopulation-specific levels, beyond atlas-defined regions. Here, we present artficial intelligence-based cartography of ensembles (ACE), an end-to-end pipeline that employs three-dimensional deep learning segmentation models and advanced cluster-wise statistical algorithms, to enable unbiased mapping of local neuronal activity and connectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
It is established that patients hospitalised with COVID-19 often have ongoing morbidity affecting activity of daily living (ADL), employment, and mental health. However, little is known about the relative outcomes in patients with COVID-19 neurological or psychiatric complications. We conducted a UK multicentre case-control study of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 (controls) and those who developed COVID-19 associated acute neurological or psychiatric complications (cases).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Food Sci Technol
February 2025
Food Science and Nutrition Department, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 80, Monteiro Lobato, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil.
The aim of this study was to assess the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in plant-based fermented beverages with kefir cultures (milk and water kefir). Water-soluble extracts of peanut and Brazil nut were evaluated as non-dairy substrates for the development of new bioactive beverages. A total of 12 formulations were developed and evaluated for their chemical composition, physical chemical characterization, and microbiological counts (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, lactobacilli, lactococci and yeasts).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) regulates the levels of disparate bioactive peptides, notably converting angiotensin-I to angiotensin-II and degrading amyloid beta. ACE is a heavily glycosylated dimer, containing 4 analogous catalytic sites, and exists in membrane bound and soluble (sACE) forms. ACE inhibition is a frontline, FDA-approved, therapy for cardiovascular diseases yet is associated with significant side effects, including higher rates of lung cancer.
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