Leptin and Coronary Heart Disease Prospective Study and Systematic Review

ObjectivesThis study sought to better determine the link between leptin and coronary heart disease (CHD).BackgroundCirculating leptin is considered a risk factor for CHD but larger studies are needed.MethodsLeptin levels were measured in 550 men with fatal CHD or nonfatal myocardial infarction and in 1,184 controls nested within a prospective study of 5,661 British men and set in context with a meta-analysis.ResultsBaseline leptin correlated with body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and inflammatory markers; correlations persisted after BMI adjustment. The within-person consistency of leptin values over 4 years (correlation coefficient: 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73 to 0.83) was higher than those of some established cardiovascular risk factors. In a comparison of individuals in the top third with those in the bottom third of baseline leptin, the age- and town-adjusted odds ratio for CHD was 1.25 (95% CI: 0.96 to 1.62), decreasing to 0.98 (95% CI: 0.72 to 1.34) after adjustment for BMI. A systematic review identified 7 prospective reports with heterogeneous findings (I2 = 60%, 13% to 82%). The combined adjusted risk ratio across all studies was 1.44 (95% CI: 0.95 to 2.16) in a comparison of extreme thirds of leptin levels. The inconsistency between studies was partially explained by sample size, with combined estimates from studies involving >100 CHD cases (1.28, 95% CI: 0.80 to 2.04) being somewhat weaker than those from smaller studies (1.81, 95% CI: 0.76 to 4.31).ConclusionsPrevious studies appear to have overestimated associations of leptin and CHD risk. Our results suggest a moderate association that is largely dependent on BMI

Interfacial Effects in ε-LixVOPO4 and Evolution of the Electronic Structure

The epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate ε-VOPO is a promising cathode material for high-capacity Li ion batteries, owing to its demonstrated ability to reversibly incorporate two lithium ions per redox center. As lithium is inserted into the nanosized particles within the cathode, the electrochemical reaction can be largely affected by the interfacial chemistry at the nanoparticle surface. We performed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using both soft (XPS) and hard (HAXPES) X-rays to chemically distinguish and depth-resolve the interfacial phase transitions in ε-VOPO electrodes as a function of electrochemical discharge. Our analysis shows that the second lithium reaction begins before the full incorporation of the first lithium. This results in a pronounced lithium gradient within the nanoparticles, with the ε-Li VOPO phase only forming near the surface. These results indicate that a disruption of the kinetics are limiting the realized capacity in our hydrothermally synthesized ε-VOPO . Moreover, from inspection of the valence band region, we were able to monitor the evolution of ε-VOPO to ε-Li VOPO at the surface of our nanoparticles. These assignments are confirmed by hybrid density functional theory of the three end phases. 4 4 2 4 4 4 2

A Computational Model of the LGI1 Protein Suggests a Common Binding Site for ADAM Proteins

Mutations of human leucine-rich glioma inactivated (LGI1) gene encoding the epitempin protein cause autosomal dominant temporal lateral epilepsy (ADTLE), a rare familial partial epileptic syndrome. The LGI1 gene seems to have a role on the transmission of neuronal messages but the exact molecular mechanism remains unclear. In contrast to other genes involved in epileptic disorders, epitempin shows no homology with known ion channel genes but contains two domains, composed of repeated structural units, known to mediate protein-protein interactions