Potential Structural Materials and Design Concepts for Light Airplanes

Potential structural materials and design considerations for helicopters and light general aircraf

Potential structural materials and design concepts for light airplanes Final report

Potential structural materials and design concepts evaluated for light aircraft application

Regulation of reverse cholesterol transport - a comprehensive appraisal of available animal studies

Plasma levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are strongly inversely correlated to the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A major recognized functional property of HDL particles is to elicit cholesterol efflux and consequently mediate reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). The recent introduction of a surrogate method aiming at determining specifically RCT from the macrophage compartment has facilitated research on the different components and pathways relevant for RCT. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of studies carried out on macrophage-specific RCT including a quick reference guide of available data. Knowledge and insights gained on the regulation of the RCT pathway are summarized. A discussion of methodological issues as well as of the respective relevance of specific pathways for RCT is also included

Voluntary exercise increases cholesterol efflux but not macrophage reverse cholesterol transport in vivo in mice

Physical exercise beneficially impacts on the plasma lipoprotein profile as well as on the incidence of cardiovascular events and is therefore recommended in primary and secondary prevention strategies against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of the protective effect of exercise remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis that voluntary exercise in mice impacts on cholesterol efflux and in vivo reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). After two weeks of voluntary wheel running (average 10.1 ± 1.4 km/day) plasma triglycerides were lower (p < 0.05), while otherwise lipid and lipoprotein levels did not change. Macrophage cholesterol efflux towards plasma was significantly increased in running (n = 8) compared to sedentary (n = 6) mice (14.93 ± 1.40 vs. 12.33 ± 2.60%, p < 0.05). In addition, fecal excretion of bile acids (3.86 ± 0.50 vs. 2.90 ± 0.51 nmol/d, p = 0.001) and neutral sterols (2.75 ± 0.43 vs. 1.94 ± 0.22 nmol/d, p < 0.01) was significantly higher in running mice. However, RCT from macrophages to feces remained essentially unchanged in running mice compared with sedentary controls (bile acids: 3.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.9 ± 1.1 % of injected dose, n.s.; neutral sterols: 1.4 ± 0.7 vs. 1.1 ± 0.5 % injected dose, n.s.). Judged by the plasma lathosterol to cholesterol ratio, endogenous cholesterol synthesis was increased in exercising mice (0.15 ± 0.03 vs. 0.11 ± 0.02, p < 0.05), while the hepatic mRNA expression of key transporters for biliary cholesterol (Abcg5/g8, Sr-bI) as well as bile acid (Abcb11) and phospholipd (Abcb4) excretion did not change. These data indicate that the beneficial effects of exercise on cardiovascular health include increased cholesterol efflux, but do not extend to other components of RCT. The increased fecal cholesterol excretion observed in running mice is likely explained by higher endogenous cholesterol synthesis, however, it does not reflect increased RCT in the face of unchanged expression of key transporters for biliary sterol secretion

Free Will and Knowledge before and after the Fall

There are certain ambiguities that impede a definitive reading of Paradise Lost, and this seems to be accepted as an occupational hazard for most scholars and students who undertake the task of coming to an intelligible understanding of the poem. Many of these interpretive problems result from personal convictions, a love or hate of Milton, or a need to approach the work from specific critical perspectives. In Milton\u27s attempt to clarify human and cosmological origins, he seems to have (out of necessity) made the reading such that it requires us to push our intellectual and philosophical capacities to the limit. This is not surprising, for one generally accepted function of epic poetry is to wrestle with certain doubts and incongruities concerning issues that have long baffled the most insightful and dedicated scholars, philosophers, and theologians. This is why addressing the nature of human knowledge is such an interesting irony when reading Paradise Lost: we not only must reflect on the extent of human intelligence before the fall, but must decide for ourselves whether the fall functioned (from an intellectual standpoint) in our favor. Additionally, it is not at all clear what true bearing the actual eating of the apple had on Adam\u27s and Eve\u27s existing mental capabilities. In other words, what exactly is Milton asserting as an outcome for humanity on an intellectual level as a result of eating from the Tree of Knowledge

Statin Use Is Prospectively Associated With New-Onset Diabetes After Transplantation in Renal Transplant Recipients

OBJECTIVE New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is frequent and worsens graft and patient outcomes in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). In the general population, statins are diabetogenic. This study investigated whether statins also increase NODAT risk in RTRs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS From a prospective longitudinal study of 606 RTRs (functioning allograft >1year,single academic center, follow-up: median 9.6 [range, 6.6–10.2] years), 95 patients using statins were age-and sex-matched to RTRs not on statins (all diabetes-free at inclusion). RESULTS NODAT incidence was 7.2% (73.3% of these on statins). In Kaplan-Meier (log-rank test, P 5 0.017) and Cox regression analyses (HR 3.86 [95% CI 1.21–12.27]; P 5 0.022), statins were prospectively associated with incident NODAT, even independent of several relevant confounders including immunosuppressive medication and biomarkers of glucose homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that statin use is prospectively associated with the development of NODAT in RTRs independent of other recognized risk factors

The triglyceride to HDL-cholesterol ratio and chronic graft failure in renal transplantation

BACKGROUND: Transplant vasculopathy (TV) is a major contributing factor to chronic graft failure in renal transplant recipients (RTR). TV lesions resemble atherosclerosis in several ways, and it is plausible to believe that some risk factors influence both atherosclerotic plaque formation and formation of TV. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this prospective longitudinal study was to determine if dyslipidemia reflected by the triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio is prospectively associated with death censored chronic graft failure in RTR. METHOD: 454 prospectively included RTR with a functioning graft for at least one year, were followed for a median of 7 years. RTR were matched based on propensity scores to avoid potential confounding and subsequently the association of the TG/HDL-C ratio with the endpoint chronic graft failure, defined as return to dialysis or re-transplantation, was investigated. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis showed that concentration of insulin, male gender, BMI and number of antihypertensives predict the TG/HDL-C ratio. Cox regression showed that the TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with chronic graft failure (HR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.12-1.84, p = 0.005) in competing risk analysis for mortality. Interaction testing indicated that the relationship of the TG/HDL-C ratio with graft failure is stronger in subjects with a higher insulin concentration. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the TG/HDL-C ratio has the potential to act as a predictive clinical biomarker. Furthermore, there is a need for closer attention to lipid management in RTR in clinical practice with a focus on triglyceride metabolism. (c) 2021 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)