Effect of Black Tea Intake on Blood Cholesterol Concentrations in Individuals with Mild Hypercholesterolemia: A Diet-Controlled Randomized Trial

Habitual intake of black tea has been associated with relatively lower serum cholesterol concentrations in observational studies. However, clinical trial results evaluating the effects of black tea on serum cholesterol have been inconsistent. Several factors could explain these mixed results, in particular, uncontrolled confounding caused by lifestyle factors, e.g. diet. This diet-controlled clinical trial estimates the effect of black tea flavonoid consumption on cholesterol concentrations in 57 borderline hypercholesterolemic individuals (total cholesterol concentrations between 190 and 260 mg/dl (4.9 and 6.7 mmol/L)). A double blind, randomized crossover trial was conducted in Minneapolis, MN from April 2002 through April 2004, wherein key conditions were tightly controlled to minimize possible confounding. Participants consumed a controlled low-flavonoid diet plus 5 cups per day of black tea or tea-like placebo over two 4-week treatment periods. The flavonoid-free caffeinated placebo matched the tea in color and taste. Differences in cholesterol concentrations at the end of each treatment period were evaluated via linear mixed models. Differences (95% CI) in mg/dl among those treated with tea versus placebo were 3.43 (−7.08, 13.94) for total cholesterol, −1.02 (−11.34, 9.30) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), 0.58 (−2.98, 4.14) for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), 15.22 (−40.91, 71.35) for triglycerides, and −0.39 (−11.16, 10.38) for LDL plus HDL cholesterol fraction. The LCL-C/HDL-C ratio decreased by −0.1 units (95% CI −0.41, 0.21). No results were statistically or clinically significant. Thus, the intake of 5 cups of black tea per day did not significantly alter the lipid profile of borderline hypercholesterolemic subjects

Baseline Cytomegalovirus Viremia at Cryptococcal Meningitis Diagnosis Is Associated With Long-term Increased Incident TB Disease and Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of Ugandan Adults With HIV.

BACKGROUND: Adults with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis have overlapping burdens of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and tuberculosis (TB) coinfections. CMV infection/reactivation is strongly associated with CMV-specific memory T-cell activation and upregulation of type 1 interferons, which may lead to increased risk of TB disease and poor outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of 2-week survivors of cryptococcal meningitis during 2010-2021 to determine TB incidence and all-cause mortality over time stratified by baseline CMV status. RESULTS: We followed 497 Ugandans with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis for a median (interquartile range) of 4.6 (2.6-53.9) months. Overall, 42% (210/497) developed incident TB disease or died. One-fifth (98/497, 19.7%) developed incident TB disease, and 29% (142/497) of participants died during follow-up. Of 259 participants with CMV viral load measured at baseline, 37% (96/259) had concurrent CMV viremia (defined as anyone with detectable CMV DNA in plasma/serum by qualitative polymerase chain reaction [PCR] detection). Of 59 with measured CMV immunoglobulin G (IgG), 100% had positive CMV IgG antibody serology (≥10 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay units/mL). CMV viremia was positively associated with higher HIV viral load (196 667 vs 73 295 copies/mL; P = .002) and higher cerebrospinal fluid fungal burden (68 500 vs 14 000 cfu/mL; P = .002) compared with those without. Participants with high-level CMV viremia (defined as CMV viral load ≥1000 IU/mL) had twice the risk of incident TB (subdistribution adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.18; 95% CI, 1.11-4.27) and death (aHR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.14-3.49) compared with participants with no or low-level CMV viremia. There was no association between the CMV IgG index and the incidence of TB/death (P = .75). CONCLUSIONS: CMV viremia >1000 IU/mL at meningitis diagnosis was associated with increased incident TB disease and mortality during long-term follow-up. Future studies to determine the causal relationship and potential for therapeutic intervention are warranted

Hookworm infection is associated with decreased CD4⁺ T cell counts in HIV-infected adult Ugandans

<div><p>Most studies evaluating epidemiologic relationships between helminths and HIV have been conducted in the pre-ART era, and evidence of the impact of helminth infections on HIV disease progression remains conflicting. Less is known about helminth infection and clinical outcomes in HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sampled HIV-infected adults for eight gastrointestinal parasites and correlated parasitic infection with demographic predictors, and clinical and immunologic outcomes. Contrasting with previous studies, we measured parasitic infection with a quantitative, highly sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. This cohort study enrolled HIV-infected Ugandans from August-September 2013 in Mbale, Uganda and collected stool and blood samples at enrollment. Real-time PCR quantified stool: <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i>, <i>Ancylostoma duodenale</i>, <i>Necator americanus</i>, <i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i>, <i>Trichuris trichiura</i>, <i>Cryptosporidium spp</i>., <i>Entamoeba histolytica</i>, and <i>Giardia intestinalis</i> infection. Generalized linear models assessed relationships between parasitic infection and clinical or demographic data. 35% of participants (71/202) tested positive for ≥1 helminth, mainly <i>N</i>. <i>americanus</i> (55/199, 28%), and 4.5% (9/202) were infected with ≥2 stool parasites. Participants with hookworm infection had lower average CD4⁺ cell counts (-94 cells/mcL, 95%CI: -141, -48 cells/mcL; p<0.001) after adjustment for sex, CD4⁺ nadir at clinic entry, and time on ART. The high prevalence of parasitic infection and correlation with decreased CD4⁺ concentrations highlight the need to re-examine the effects of invasive helminth co-infection in rural, HIV-infected populations in the era of widely available ART. Elucidating the relationship between hookworm infection and immune recovery could provide opportunities for health optimization, e.g. integrated deworming, in these vulnerable populations.</p></div

Change in CD4+ cells/mcL by hookworm infection status.

<p>CD4+ cells/mcL from baseline through 24 months of follow-up among participants infected with hookworm, versus those without hookworm infection enrolled at The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), Mbale, Uganda.</p

Stool parasite infection and burden by species.

<p>Stool parasite infection and burden by species.</p

Baseline characteristics and demographic information by presence of stool helminth infection.

<p>Baseline characteristics and demographic information by presence of stool helminth infection.</p

Demographic and clinical factors associated with parasitic infection.

<p>Demographic and clinical factors associated with parasitic infection.</p

Differences in CD4+ cells/mcL between parasite infected- and parasite-uninfected adults living with HIV in peri-urban Uganda.

<p>Differences in CD4+ cells/mcL between parasite infected- and parasite-uninfected adults living with HIV in peri-urban Uganda.</p

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Ozonation of p-Nitrophenol at Room Temperature with ReaxFF Force Field

Understanding the reaction mechanism of phenol ozonation in coking wastewater is very important for industrial applications of the ozonation process. Ozonation of p-nitrophenol in water at 300 K was simulated by ReaxFF force field molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD) employing the GPU-enabled high-performance code of GMD-Reax and a unique code of VARxMD developed in authors&#39; group. Evolution trends of aromatic ring opening, CO2 generation, dominant radicals (center dot OH, center dot O2, center dot O), and H2O clusters were obtained. The simulated CO2 generation and reduction of aromatic ring could be described with pseudo-first-order kinetics. Moreover, the reaction pathways for the ozonation of p-nitrophenol can be divided into three stages: hydrogen abstraction, opening of the six-membered-ring structure, and the breaking of C-C bonds. The simulations revealed the important role of radicals and water clusters in the ozonation of p-nitrophenol. This work is an attempt to investigate the ozonation mechanism of phenols in aqueous solutions at room temperature using ReaxFF MD, which should be helpful for further experimental or theoretical investigation of the mechanism.</p