Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Is Associated With Left Ventricular Geometry and Heart Failure in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Background Extracellular superoxide dismutase (Ec-SOD) is a major scavenger of reactive oxygen species. However, its relationships with abnormal left ventricular (LV) geometry patterns and heart failure (HF) are still unknown in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the association of serum Ec-SOD activity with LV geometry, as well as HF in 1047 patients with cardiovascular disease.

Protocatechuic Acid Inhibits Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Lesion Progression in Older Apoe-/- Mice.

Background: Normalization of arterial inflammation inhibits atherosclerosis. The preventive role for protocatechuic acid (PCA) in early-stage atherosclerosis is well recognized; however, its therapeutic role in late-stage atherosclerosis remains unexplored.

Objective: We investigated whether PCA inhibits vulnerable atherosclerosis progression by normalizing arterial inflammation.

Curcumin prevents high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis in ApoE mice by improving intestinal barrier function and reducing endotoxin and liver TLR4/NF-κB inflammation.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease and has become a public health concern worldwide. The hallmark of NAFLD is hepatic steatosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies that are efficacious and have minimal side effects in hepatic steatosis and NAFLD treatment.

Coenzyme Q10 attenuates platelet integrin αIIbβ3 signaling and platelet hyper-reactivity in ApoE-deficient mice.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) exists in a wide variety of foods and has promising cardiovascular benefits. However, its effects on platelets and integrin αIIbβ3 signaling during atherosclerosis have not been previously explored. Here, apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a standard diet, high-fat diet (HFD) or CoQ10-supplemented HFD for 12 weeks.

Protocatechuic acid from chicory is bioavailable and undergoes partial glucuronidation and sulfation in healthy humans.

Protocatechuic acid exerts multiple health-promoting effects such as anticancer, anti-atherosclerosis, and neuroprotection in animal models. While protocatechuic acid produced in the lower gastrointestinal tract by microbial catabolism of several flavonoids is bioavailable, the pharmacokinetics of protocatechuic acid has not been evaluated so far in humans following its oral consumption. In this open-label and single-dose pharmacokinetic trial, 16 healthy adults followed a low-phytochemical diet for three days.

Coenzyme Q10 Upregulates Platelet cAMP/PKA Pathway and Attenuates Integrin αIIbβ3 Signaling and Thrombus Growth.

Scope: Platelet integrin αIIbβ3 is the key mediator of atherothrombosis. Supplementation of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a fat-soluble molecule that exists in various foods, exerts protective cardiovascular effects. This study aims to investigate whether and how CoQ10 acts on αIIbβ3 signaling and thrombosis, the major cause of cardiovascular diseases.

Association of Serum Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Levels and the Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Subjects With Prediabetes.

Objective: To explore the association of serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels and risk for the development of type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes.

Research Design And Methods: A population-based prospective study was conducted among 1,011 Chinese participants with prediabetes (average age 55.6 ± 7.

Small dense LDL cholesterol is associated with metabolic syndrome traits independently of obesity and inflammation.

Background: Small dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-c) has been established to be highly associated with metabolic disorder. However, the relationship between circulating sdLDL-c and the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been fully established.

Methods: A total of 1065 Chinese males (45.

Association of sex hormone-binding globulin with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Chinese adults.

Background: Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a glycoprotein synthesized by hepatocytes, has been linked to insulin resistance and hepatic lipid metabolism and is suggested to be associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to investigate the association of SHBG with NAFLD in Chinese adults.

Methods: We conducted a community-based, cross-sectional study in China involving 2912 participants aged 40-75 years old.

Association between dietary protein intake and type 2 diabetes varies by dietary pattern.

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that high total protein intake was related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risks. However, few studies considered the impact of dietary pattern.

Objective: We examined the associations between protein intake and T2DM in different dietary patterns.

Cyanidin-3-o-β-Glucoside Induces Megakaryocyte Apoptosis via PI3K/Akt- and MAPKs-Mediated Inhibition of NF-κB Signalling.

Apoptotic-like phase is an essential step in thrombopoiesis from megakaryocytes. Anthocyanins are natural flavonoid pigments that possess a wide range of biological activities, including protection against cardiovascular diseases and induction of tumour cell apoptosis. We investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of cyanidin-3-o-β-glucoside (Cy-3-g, the major bioactive compound in anthocyanins) on the apoptosis of human primary megakaryocytes and Meg-01 cell line in vitro We found that Cy-3-g dose-dependently increased the dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity in megakaryocytes from patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia but not in those from healthy volunteers.

Butyrate from pectin fermentation inhibits intestinal cholesterol absorption and attenuates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the major products of dietary fiber fermentation by intestinal microflora, exert beneficial effects on pathogenesis of multiple metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether SCFAs from fermentation of pectin (PE), a soluble dietary fiber, prevent the development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE) mice. Male apoE mice (8-week-old) were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HCD; 21% wt/wt fat, 0.

27-Hydroxycholesterol Inhibits Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein 1 Activation and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Mice.

Objective: Although 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-HC) has been reported as a potent regulator of lipid homeostasis, its role in hepatic lipogenesis remains obscure. The present study was designed to investigate the impact of 27-HC on sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and hepatic steatosis.

Methods: In this study, the 27-HC level in mice was upregulated by overexpressing CYP27A1 or treating primary hepatocytes with 27-HC, and then the hepatic lipid accumulation was detected.

Treatment of coenzyme Q10 for 24 weeks improves lipid and glycemic profile in dyslipidemic individuals.

Background: The use of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) as an adjuvant treatment with routine clinical therapy against metabolic diseases has shown benefit. However, the effect of CoQ10 as a primary preventive agent against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has not been well studied.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of CoQ10 on CVD risk factors in dyslipidemic patients.

Association of Plasma 7-Ketocholesterol With Cardiovascular Outcomes and Total Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Rationale: 7-Ketocholesterol (7-KC), a form of cholesterol oxidation product, plays an essential role in the atherogenesis in animal models.

Objective: We sought to determine the association of circulating 7-KC with clinical cardiovascular outcomes and total mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Methods And Results: We measured the plasma 7-KC levels by high-performance liquid chromatography in a prospective cohort study of 1016 patients (mean age, 63.

Retinol-Binding Protein-Dependent Cholesterol Uptake Regulates Macrophage Foam Cell Formation and Promotes Atherosclerosis.

Background: Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is an adipokine that plays decisive roles in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Elevated circulating RBP4 levels were reported to be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, but the precise role of RBP4 in atherosclerotic diseases and its mechanisms of action remain elusive.

Methods: Serum RBP4 levels of 1683 participants from South China were evaluated and the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events was followed up for 5 years.

Bisphenol A promotes cholesterol absorption in Caco-2 cells by up-regulation of NPC1L1 expression.

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA), an commonly exposed environmental chemicals in humans, has been shown to have a hypercholesterolemic effect with molecular mechanism not clear. Since intestinal cholesterol absorption plays a major role in maintaining total body cholesterol homeostasis, the present study is to investigate whether BPA affects cholesterol absorption in the intestinal Caco-2 cells.

Methods: The Caco-2 cells were pretreated with BPA at different concentrations for 24 h and then incubated with radioactive micellar cholesterol for 2 h.

Effects of purified anthocyanin supplementation on platelet chemokines in hypocholesterolemic individuals: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: It is becoming increasingly evident that platelet chemokines are involved in distinct aspects of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of long-term supplementation with purified anthocyanins on platelet chemokines in hypercholesterolemic individuals and to identify correlations of decreased platelet chemokine levels with serum lipid and inflammatory marker levels.

Methods: A total of 146 hypercholesterolemic individuals were recruited and treated with 320 mg of purified anthocyanins ( = 73) or a placebo ( = 73) daily for 24 weeks in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Induces Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Promotes Hepatic Steatosis.

Context And Objective: Elevated serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been implicated in insulin resistant and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) subjects; however, the molecular mechanism of RBP4 in NAFLD remains obscure.

Design And Participants: Hepatic RBP4 mRNA level and its association with lipid accumulation were examined in NAFLD patients and mouse model. Furthermore, human RBP4 overexpressing (RBP4-Tg) mice were metabolically phenotyped after either a regular chow or high-fat diet.

Effect of sublingual immunotherapy on platelet activity in children with allergic rhinitis.

Introduction: The role of platelet activation in allergic inflammation is receiving increasing attention. Sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis can modify the immunological process to an allergen, rather than simply treating symptoms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the role of platelet activation during sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis.

Association of Serum Retinoic Acid With Risk of Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

Rationale: Retinoic acid (RA) and its mediated nuclear receptor signaling have broad protective effects on vascular systems. Whether circulating levels of RA are associated with mortality in patients with coronary artery disease is still unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the association of circulating RA with the risk of mortality.

N-methylnicotinamide protects against endothelial dysfunction and attenuates atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Scope: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that N-methylnicotinamide (MNA) may exert antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects on the endothelium. However, the exact role of MNA in endothelial function remains uncertain.

Methods And Results: Apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-) ) mice fed with a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HCD) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used to explore the role of MNA in endothelial function and its underlying mechanism.

Circulating Retinoic Acid Levels and the Development of Metabolic Syndrome.

Context And Objective: In this prospective study, we evaluated the association of retinoic acid (RA) with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Chinese population.

Design And Participants: A total of 1042 nondiabetic adults from the population-based Nutrition and Health of Aging Population were prospectively followed up for 4 years. Serum RA concentrations was determined and its relationship with the MetS and its component was investigated.

PGC-1β suppresses saturated fatty acid-induced macrophage inflammation by inhibiting TAK1 activation.

Inflammation of infiltrated macrophages in adipose tissue is a key contributor to the initiation of adipose insulin resistance. These macrophages are exposed to high local concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) and can be proinflammatory activated by saturated fatty acids (SFAs). However, the regulatory mechanisms on SFA-induced macrophage inflammation are still elusive.

Retinoic acid induces macrophage cholesterol efflux and inhibits atherosclerotic plaque formation in apoE-deficient mice.

It has been suggested that retinoic acid (RA) has a potential role in the prevention of atherosclerotic CVD. In the present study, we used J774A.1 cell lines and primary peritoneal macrophages to investigate the protective effects of RA on foam cell formation and atherogenesis in apoE-deficient (apoE- / -) mice.