Tetrahydropalmatine Alleviates Hyperlipidemia by Regulating Lipid Peroxidation, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Inflammasome Activation by Inhibiting the TLR4-NF-κB Pathway.

Hyperlipidemia (HLP) is a lipid metabolism disorder that can induce a series of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, and stroke, which seriously threaten human health. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) is a component of the plant Rhizoma corydalis and has been shown to exert hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in HLP. However, whether THP regulates lipid peroxidation in hyperlipidemia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammasome activation and even the underlying protective mechanism against HLP remain unclear. An animal model of HLP was established by feeding a high-fat diet to golden hamsters. Our results showed that THP reduced the body weight and adipose index; decreased the serum content of ALT, AST, TC, TG, and LDL-C; decreased the free fatty acid hepatic lipid content (liver index, TC, TG, and free fatty acid); inhibited oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation; extenuated hepatic steatosis; and inhibited ER stress and inflammasome activation in high-fat diet-fed golden hamsters. In addition, for the first time, the potential mechanism by which THP protects against HLP through the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway was demonstrated. In conclusion, these data indicate that THP attenuates HLP through a variety of effects, including antioxidative stress, anti-ER stress, and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, THP also inhibited the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway in golden hamsters.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Is a Viable Postremission Therapy for Intermediate-Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Complete Remission in the Absence of a Matched Identical Sibling: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The preferred type of postremission therapy (PRT) for intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1) is a subject of continued debate. Although allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is regarded as a curative strategy for AML, the efficacy of autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT) for patients without a matched sibling donor (MSD) has remained controversial. METHODS: To compare survival outcomes after alloSCT versus autoSCT for patients with intermediate-risk AML in CR1, we performed a meta-analysis of 11 clinical studies. The outcomes included relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), relapse rate (RR), and treatment-related mortality (TRM). RESULTS: Compared with autoSCT, alloSCT showed better RFS, OS, and RR benefits, but higher TRM. Subgroup analysis based on donor category (MSD and matched unrelated donor [MUD]) of alloSCT showed alloSCT from MSD rather than from MUD had better OS benefits compared to autoSCT. For fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplications (FLT3-ITD) wild-type patients, alloSCT and autoSCT had comparable RFS and OS outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that, in the absence of an available MSD, autoSCT remains a viable PRT alternative for intermediate-risk AML in CR1, especially for FLT3-ITD wild-type patients.

Body mass index and its correlates in 1,212 ultramarathon runners: baseline findings from the ULTRA study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the sociodemographics and lifestyle behaviors of ultramarathon runners, and the effects of these characteristics on body weight and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: We cross-sectionally analyzed baseline data of 1212 ultramarathoners on sociodemographics, lifestyle behaviors and BMI from the initial 12-month enrollment period in a longitudinal observational study. RESULTS: The ultramarathoners were mostly middle-aged men who were more educated, more likely to be in a stable relationship, and more likely to use over-the-counter vitamins/supplements than the general population. They appear to gain less body weight with advancing age than the general population. Factors with the greatest effect on current BMI were BMI at 25 years of age and sex, which explained 48% and 3% of the variance. Negligible, but statistically significant direct relationships, with BMI were observed for age, work hours per week, television watching hours per week, and composite fat consumption frequency score. Negligible, but statistically significant inverse relationships, with BMI were observed for running distance during the prior year, and composite fruit and vegetable consumption frequency score. CONCLUSIONS: While lifestyle decisions were found to impact BMI within this group of ultramarathoners, BMI at age 25 was the strongest predictor of current BMI.