Three new isocoumarin analogues from an endolichenic fungus Aspergillus flavus CPCC 400810.

Five isocoumarin derivatives including three new compounds, aspermarolides A-C (1-3), and two known analogues, 8-methoxyldiaporthin (4) and diaporthin (5) were obtained from the culture extract of Aspergillus flavus CPCC 400810. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The double bond geometry of 1 and 2 were assigned by the coupling constants. The absolute configuration of 3 was determined by electronic circular dichroism experiment. All compounds showed no cytotoxic activities against the two human cancer cells HepG2 and Hela.

Plasma sex hormone-binding globulin predicts neurodegeneration and clinical progression in prodromal Alzheimer's disease.

It was unclear whether sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was a circulating biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We tested the cross-sectional relationships between plasma SHBG and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers in 707 non-demented adults. Next, the influences of plasma SHBG on dynamic changes of CSF Aß42, hippocampus volume, brain metabolism, and cognition were explored in 448 non-demented adults from the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Finally, the predictive and diagnostic values of plasma SHBG in AD were explored. A positive correlation was found between SHBG levels in plasma and CSF. Individuals with higher plasma SHBG levels had lower CSF Aß42 (p < 0.005), after adjusting for age, gender, education, APOE4 allele, and cognitive scores. Though no significant difference of plasma SHBG was observed between mild AD dementia and healthy normal, plasma SHBG could contribute to accelerated rates of CSF Aß42 decrease (p < 0.0005), decline in brain metabolism (p < 0.05), and hippocampus atrophy (p < 0.01), cognitive decline (p < 0.01), as well as higher risk of AD dementia (p < 0.05). These findings indicated plasma SHBG could be a prodromal biomarker to predict disease progression in AD.

Sleep characteristics and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively intact older adults: The CABLE study.

INTRODUCTION: This study tested the self-reported sleep characteristics associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers in cognitively intact older adults. METHODS: The linear and non-linear regression analyses were conducted in 736 cognitively normal participants (mean [standard deviation; SD] age, 62.3 [10.5] years, range 40 to 88 years, 59% female) who had measurements of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (Aß) and tTau proteins and sleep characteristics, after adjusting for age, gender, education, apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) ε4 status, and general cognition. RESULTS: Greater daytime sleepiness was associated with higher CSF indicators of amyloid deposition in female patients. No significant associations were revealed for CSF tTau proteins after Bonferroni correction. A U-shaped relationship was revealed for nocturnal sleep habits, such that those with insufficient or excessive nocturnal sleep duration had greater CSF biomarkers of amyloid deposition (the reflection range: bedtime: around 10:00 p.m. and sleep duration: 6.0 to 6.5 hours). DISCUSSION: These findings consolidated the close relationship between sleep and AD.

Elevated Hs-CRP Levels Are Associated with Higher Risk of Intracranial Arterial Stenosis.

Correlation between the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the incidence of intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is unclear. We aim to investigate the relationship between hs-CRP levels and ICAS. A total of 1458 patients aged ≥ 40 years were enrolled in this study. All the participants had a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) examination for the evaluation of ICAS. Participants were classified into four groups according to stroke and ICAS. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship of hs-CRP levels and ICAS status. A total of 432 (29.63%) subjects had ICAS. The levels of hs-CRP in stroke group were significantly higher than those in non-stroke group (p < 0.001). Patients with ICAS tend to have higher hs-CRP levels (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the fourth hs-CRP quartile had the strongest association with ICAS in both stroke group and non-stroke group (OR 2.512, 95% CI 1.651-3.853, p < 0.001 for stroke group, and OR 2.534, 95% CI 1.435-4.595, p = 0.002 for non-stroke group) among the four quartiles of hs-CRP levels. Our study suggests that elevated serum hs-CRP levels are associated with higher risk of ICAS, in both stroke patients and non-stroke participants.