Development of a brain-permeable peptide nanofiber that prevents aggregation of Alzheimer pathogenic proteins.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is proposed to be induced by abnormal aggregation of amyloidβ in the brain. Here, we designed a brain-permeable peptide nanofiber drug from a fragment of heat shock protein to suppress aggregation of the pathogenic proteins. To facilitate delivery of the nanofiber into the brain, a protein transduction domain from Drosophila Antennapedia was incorporated into the peptide sequence. The resulting nanofiber efficiently suppressed the cytotoxicity of amyloid βby trapping amyloid β onto its hydrophobic nanofiber surface. Moreover, the intravenously or intranasally injected nanofiber was delivered into the mouse brain, and improved the cognitive function of an Alzheimer transgenic mouse model. These results demonstrate the potential therapeutic utility of nanofibers for the treatment of AD

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation A Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesThe purpose of this meta-analysis is to summarize the estimated risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) related to alcohol consumption.BackgroundResults from observational studies examining the relationship between alcohol consumption and AF are inconsistent.MethodsA systematic electronic search of Medline (January 1966 to December 2009) and Embase (January 1974 to December 2009) databases was conducted for studies using key words related to alcohol and AF. Studies were included if data on effect measures for AF associated with habitual alcohol intake were reported or could be calculated. The effect measures for AF for the highest versus lowest alcohol intake in individual studies were pooled with a variance-based method. Linear and spline regression analyses were conducted to quantify the relationship between alcohol intake and AF risk.ResultsFourteen eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of AF for the highest versus the lowest alcohol intake was 1.51 (95% confidence interval: 1.31 to 1.74). A linear regression model showed that the pooled estimate for an increment of 10 g per day alcohol intake was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.10; R2 = 0.43, p < 0.001). A spline regression model also indicated that the AF risk increased with increasing levels of alcohol consumption.ConclusionsResults of this meta-analysis suggest that not consuming alcohol is most favorable in terms of AF risk reduction