Does Glycine max leaves or Garcinia Cambogia promote weight-loss or lower plasma cholesterol in overweight individuals: a randomized control trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Natural food supplements with high flavonoid content are often claimed to promote weight-loss and lower plasma cholesterol in animal studies, but human studies have been more equivocal. The aim of this study was firstly to determine the effectiveness of natural food supplements containing <it>Glycine max </it>leaves extract (EGML) or <it>Garcinia cambogia </it>extract (GCE) to promote weight-loss and lower plasma cholesterol. Secondly to examine whether these supplements have any beneficial effect on lipid, adipocytokine or antioxidant profiles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighty-six overweight subjects (Male:Female = 46:40, age: 20~50 yr, BMI > 23 < 29) were randomly assigned to three groups and administered tablets containing EGML (2 g/day), GCE (2 g/day) or placebo (starch, 2 g/day) for 10 weeks. At baseline and after 10 weeks, body composition, plasma cholesterol and diet were assessed. Blood analysis was also conducted to examine plasma lipoproteins, triglycerides, adipocytokines and antioxidants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>EGML and GCE supplementation failed to promote weight-loss or any clinically significant change in %body fat. The EGML group had lower total cholesterol after 10 weeks compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). EGML and GCE had no effect on triglycerides, non-HDL-C, adipocytokines or antioxidants when compared to placebo supplementation. However, HDL-C was higher in the EGML group (p < 0.001) after 10 weeks compared to the placebo group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ten weeks of EGML or GCE supplementation did not promote weight-loss or lower total cholesterol in overweight individuals consuming their habitual diet. Although, EGML did increase plasma HDL-C levels which is associated with a lower risk of atherosclerosis.</p

AMPK in Pathogens

During host–pathogen interactions, a complex web of events is crucial for the outcome of infection. Pathogen recognition triggers powerful cellular signaling events that is translated into the induction and maintenance of innate and adaptive host immunity against infection. In opposition, pathogens employ active mechanisms to manipulate host cell regulatory pathways toward their proliferation and survival. Among these, subversion of host cell energy metabolism by pathogens is currently recognized to play an important role in microbial growth and persistence. Extensive studies have documented the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, a central cellular hub involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis, in host–pathogen interactions. Here, we highlight the most recent advances detailing how pathogens hijack cellular metabolism by suppressing or increasing the activity of the host energy sensor AMPK. We also address the role of lower eukaryote AMPK orthologues in the adaptive process to the host microenvironment and their contribution for pathogen survival, differentiation, and growth. Finally, we review the effects of pharmacological or genetic AMPK modulation on pathogen growth and persistence.CIHR -Canadian Institutes of Health Researc

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke - the second leading cause of death worldwide - were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry(1,2). Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis(3), and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach(4), we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry(5). Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries.</p

Quasiparticle conduction in mesoscopic wires containing N-S-N junctions

We measured the dynamic resistance (dV/dl) of mesoscopic normal-metal/superconductor/normal-metal (N-S-N) junctions. At low temperatures (T < 4 K), we observed dips in dV/dI at zero bias and anomalous peaks near the bias of 2 Delta(PbIn)/e (where 2 Delta(PbIn) is the gap energy of superconducting Pb-ln) and at higher bias V-c. The zero-bias dips are supposed to originate from Andreev reflections of electrons and the peaks near 2 Delta(PbIn)/e from the interference of quasiparticles inside S. We attribute the peaks at V-c to the transition of the superconducting region to the normal state as the current exceeds the critical current I-c of S.X11sciescopu

Quasiparticle transport properties of mesoscopic wires containing normal-metal/superconductor/normal-metal proximity junctions

We measured the differential resistance dV/dI of mesoscopic normal-metal/superconductor/ normal-metal (N-S-N) junctions. At low temperatures (T < 4 K), we observed a dip in dV/dI at zero bias and anomalous peaks near a bias of 2 Delta(PbIn)/e, where Delta(PbIn) is the gap energy of superconducting Pb-In, and at a higher bias V-c. The zero-bias dip is supposed to originate from Andreev reflections of quasiparticles and the peak near 2 Delta(PbIn)/e from the formation of a standing-wave mode of quasiparticles inside the superconducting potential barrier. We attribute the peaks at V-c to a transition of the superconducting region to the normal state as the current exceeds the critical current I-c of S.X111sciescopu

Docetaxel-loaded multilayer nanoparticles with nanodroplets for cancer therapy

Keun Sang Oh,1,* Kyungim Kim,1,* Byeong Deok Yoon,1 Hye Jin Lee,1 Dal Yong Park,1 Eun-yeong Kim,1 Kiho Lee,1 Jae Hong Seo,2 Soon Hong Yuk1,2 1College of Pharmacy, Korea University, Sejong, 2Biomedical Research Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, Guro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: A mixture of docetaxel (DTX) and Solutol&reg; HS 15 (Solutol) transiently formed nanodroplets when it was suspended in an aqueous medium. However, nanodroplets that comprised DTX and Solutol showed a rapid precipitation of DTX because of their unstable characteristics in the aqueous medium. The incorporation of nanodroplets that comprised DTX and Solutol through vesicle fusion and subsequent stabilization was designed to prepare multilayer nanoparticles (NPs) with a DTX-loaded Solutol nanodroplet (as template NPs) core for an efficient delivery of DTX as a chemotherapeutic drug. As a result, the DTX-loaded Solutol nanodroplets (~11.7&nbsp;nm) were observed to have an increased average diameter (from 11.7&nbsp;nm to 156.1&nbsp;nm) and a good stability of the hydrated NPs without precipitation of DTX by vesicle fusion and multilayered structure, respectively. Also, a long circulation of the multilayer NPs was observed, and this was due to the presence of Pluronic F-68 on the surface of the multilayer NPs. This led to an improved antitumor efficacy based on the enhanced permeation and retention effect. Therefore, this study indicated that the multilayer NPs have a considerable potential as a drug delivery system with an enhanced therapeutic efficacy by blood circulation and with low side effects. Keywords: multilayer nanoparticles, Solutol, Pluronic F-68, docetaxel, cancer therap

Control of terahertz nonlinear transmission with electrically gated graphene metadevices

Graphene, which is a two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has attracted a great amount of attention due to its outstanding mechanical, thermal and electronic properties. Moreover, graphene shows an exceptionally strong tunable light-matter interaction that depends on the Fermi level - a function of chemical doping and external gate voltage - and the electromagnetic resonance provided by intentionally engineered structures. In the optical regime, the nonlinearities of graphene originated from the Pauli blocking have already been exploited for mode-locking device applications in ultrafast laser technology, whereas nonlinearities in the terahertz regime, which arise from a reduction in conductivity due to carrier heating, have only recently been confirmed experimentally. Here, we investigated two key factors for controlling nonlinear interactions of graphene with an intense terahertz field. The induced transparencies of graphene can be controlled effectively by engineering meta-atoms and/or changing the number of charge carriers through electrical gating. Additionally, nonlinear phase changes of the transmitted terahertz field can be observed by introducing the resonances of the meta-atoms

Prevalence of colorectal neoplasm among patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease

Context: Colorectal neoplasm and coronary artery disease (CAD) share similar risk factors, and their co-occurrence may be associated. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in patients with CAD in a cross-sectional study and to identify the predisposing factors for the association of the 2 diseases. Design, Setting, and Participants: Patients in Hong Kong, China, were recruited for screening colonoscopy after undergoing coronary angiography for suspected CAD during November 2004 to June 2006. Presence of CAD (n=206) was defined as at least 50% diameter stenosis in any 1 of the major coronary arteries; otherwise, patients were considered CAD-negative (n=208). An age- and sex-matched control group was recruited from the general population (n=207). Patients were excluded for use of aspirin or statins, personal history of colonic disease, or colonoscopy in the past 10 years. Main Outcome Measures: The prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in CAD-positive, CAD-negative, and general population participants was determined. Bivariate logistic regression was performed to study the association between colorectal neoplasm and CAD and to identify risk factors for the association of the 2 diseases after adjusting for age and sex. Results: The prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in the CAD-positive, CAD-negative, and general population groups was 34.0%, 18.8%, and 20.8% (P<.001 by χ 2 test), prevalence of advanced lesions was 18.4%, 8.7%, and 5.8% (P<.001), and prevalence of cancer was 4.4%, 0.5%, and 1.4% (P=.02), respectively. Fifty percent of the cancers in CAD-positive participants were early stage. After adjusting for age and sex, an association still existed between colorectal neoplasm and presence of CAD (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25-2.70; P=.002) and between advanced lesions and presence of CAD (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.43-4.35; P=.001). The metabolic syndrome (OR, 5.99; 95% CI, 1.43-27.94; P=.02) and history of smoking (OR, 4.74; 95% CI, 1.38-18.92; P=.02) were independent factors for the association of advanced colonic lesions and CAD. Conclusions: In this study population undergoing coronary angiography, the prevalence of colorectal neoplasm was greater in patients with CAD. The association between the presence of advanced colonic lesions and CAD was stronger in persons with the metabolic syndrome and a history of smoking. ©2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex