Age-associated declined function of endothelial progenitor cells and its correlation with plasma IL-18 or IL-23 concentrations in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) persists to be prevalent in the elderly with a dismal prognosis. The capacity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is reduced with aging. Nevertheless, the influence of aging on the functionality of EPCs in STEMI is not fully understood. Method: This study enrolled 20 younger STEMI patients and 21 older STEMI patients. We assessed the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events Risk (GRACE) scores in two groups. Then, we detected EPC migration, proliferation, adhesion, and plasma interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-23 concentrations in two groups. In addition, we analyzed the interconnection between age, EPC function, plasma IL-18 and IL-23 concentrations, and GRACE or TIMI scores in STEMI patients. Result: GRACE and TIMI scores in older STEMI patients were higher than in younger STEMI patients, whereas EPC function declined. GRACE and TIMI scores were found to have an inverse relationship with the EPC function. In older STEMI patients, plasma concentrations of IL-18 and IL-23 increased. Plasma IL-18 and IL-23 concentrations were adversely connected to EPC capacity and positively related to GRACE and TIMI scores. Moreover, age was positively correlated with plasma IL-18 or IL-23 concentrations, as well as GRACE or TIMI scores. However, age was adversely correlated with EPC function. Conclusion: In patients with STEMI, aging results in declined EPC function, which may be associated with inflammatory cytokines. The current investigation may offer new perception about mechanism and therapeutic targets of aging STEMI.

Association Between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Leucocyte Telomere Length: A cross-sectional study of UK Biobank.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and leucocyte telomere length (LTL). METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the UK Biobank, including a total of 64,690 participants. LTL was measured using Q-PCR with natural logarithmic conversion and Z-score normalization. Dietary data were collected through a 24-hour recall questionnaire from 2009 to 2010. UPFs were identified using the Nova food classification and analyzed as either a continuous or categorical variable respectively. Multiple linear regression models were employed to analyze the association between UPF consumption and LTL. RESULTS: The included participants had an average age of 56.26 years, of whom 55.2% were female. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle-related and anthropometric variables, LTL exhibited a decrease of 0.005 (95% CI: -0.007, -0.002) with one UPF serving/day increase. Compared to participants consuming ≤ 3.5 servings/day, those consuming 3.5 to < 6, 6 to ≤ 8 and > 8 servings/day showed a shortening of LTL by 0.025 (95% CI: -0.047, -0.004), 0.034 (95% CI: -0.055, -0.012) and 0.038 (95% CI: -0.062, -0.015), respectively (P for trend = 0.001). Subgroup analyses by UPF subclasses revealed that consumption of ready-to-eat/heated food (ß = -0.008, 95% CI: -0.014, -0.002), beans and potatoes (ß = -0.024, 95% CI: -0.039, -0.009), animal-based products (ß = -0.011, 95% CI: -0.019, -0.004), artificial sugar (ß = -0.014, 95% CI: -0.025, -0.004), and beverages (ß = -0.005, 95% CI: -0.009, -0.001) showed negative associations with LTL. Conversely, breakfast cereals (ß = 0.020, 95% CI: 0.004, 0.036) and vegetarian alternatives (ß = 0.057, 95% CI: 0.027, 0.086) showed positive correlations with LTL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that a higher consumption of total UPFs was associated with a shorter LTL. However, some subclass UPFs may be associated with longer LTL, depending on their nutritional composition.

The association of sleep duration and leukocyte telomere length in middle-aged and young-old adults: A cross-sectional study of UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: The relationships between sleep duration and aging-associated diseases are intricate. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker of aging, while the association of sleep duration and LTL is unclear. METHODS: The 310,091 study participants from UK Biobank were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) analysis was firstly performed to assess the nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and LTL. Sleep duration was then categorized into three groups: <7 h (short sleep duration), 7-8 h (reference group), and >8 h (long sleep duration) and multiple linear regression was applied to analyze the association of short sleep and long sleep duration with LTL. We further performed subgroup analyses stratified by sex, age, chronotype and snoring. RESULTS: RCS showed an inverted J-shaped relationship between sleep duration and LTL. Compared with the reference group, the inverse association of long sleep duration and LTL was statistically significant in fully-adjusted model (P = 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that this association was more apparent in people over 50 years (51-60 y: P = 0.002; >60 y: P = 0.005), in men (P = 0.022), and in people preferred evening chronotype (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with participants sleeping 7-8 h, those sleep longer than 8 h had shorter LTL in middle-aged and young-old adults. The negative association between long sleep duration and LTL was more apparent in older people, in men, and in people preferred evening chronotype.

Subzero-Temperature Liquid-Liquid Extraction Coupled with UPLC-MS-MS for the Simultaneous Determination of 12 Bioactive Components in Traditional Chinese Medicine Gegen-Qinlian Decoction.

Based on the phase separation phenomenon of acetonitrile-water system at subzero temperature, a subzero-temperature liquid-liquid extraction coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry : UPLC-MS-MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 12 bioactive components in Gegen-Qinlian decoction. After optimization, the extraction conditions were set as follows: 3.0 mL of aqueous sample solution (pH 5.86) was extracted with 2 mL of acetonitrile at -35°C for 35 min. The separated acetonitrile phase was diluted 10-fold with water before UPLC-MS-MS analysis. Separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC(®)BEH C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm i.d., 1.7 µm) with ammonium formate buffer solution (20 mmol L(-1), pH 3.2, adjusted by formic acid) and acetonitrile as mobile phase with gradient elution. Twelve target components could be separated within 10 min and quantified in multiple reaction monitoring mode, both positive and negative ionization modes were employed. Limits of detection were in the range of 0.0003-0.0451 µg mL(-1). Relative standard deviation values for intra- and interday precision were <2.71 and 8.94%, respectively. The established method provides a simple and effective framework for the quality control of Gegen-Qinlian decoction and related traditional Chinese medicinal preparations.