Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and asymptomatic coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), and coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with no history or symptoms of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The study identified 66 pairs of T2DM patients with and without CAD using propensity score matching. All subjects performed coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Data on 25(OH)D, Lp-PLA2, and metabolic indexes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to the patients without CAD, the patients with CAD had lower 25(OH)D levels and the rate of vitamin D sufficiency, but higher Lp-PLA2 levels. Meanwhile, subjects in the vitamin D sufficiency group had a lower prevalence of CAD and Lp-PLA2 levels. Furthermore, 25(OH)D was inversely correlated with Lp-PLA2, Gensini score, Leiden score, segment involvement score, and segment stenosis score (P < 0.05). After adjusting for age, gender, blood lipids and blood pressure, 25(OH)D was associated with a decreased risk of CAD (aOR 0.933, 95 %CI 0.887-0.983, P = 0.009), while Lp-PLA2 was associated with an increased risk of CAD (aOR 1.014, 95 %CI 1.005-1.022, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased 25(OH)D and increased Lp-PLA2 could identify patients with a high risk of CAD and are associated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis in T2DM.

A Decreased Absolute Number of Treg Cells in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis is Associated with Elevated Serum Osteopontin Levels with Disease Progression.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and refractory autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation with unknown aetiology. Immune system dysfunction mediated by CD4+ T lymphocytes, which is regulated by the cytokine osteopontin (OPN), plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. METHODS: In this study, the levels of peripheral CD4+ T subsets and serum OPN in patients with active RA were measured and analysed to determine the possible pathogenesis of RA and to provide potential therapeutic targets. RESULTS: Serum OPN levels in both patients with active RA and patients with refractory RA were higher than those in healthy controls (HCs). Compared with HCs, the absolute numbers of Th2 cells increased in patients with active RA, while the absolute counts of Th1 and Treg cells decreased. There was no significant difference in CD4+ T subset levels between new-onset and refractory patients. As the condition persisted or deteriorated, a gradual increase in the levels of OPN and gradual declines in the absolute counts of Th1 and Treg cells were observed in patients with active RA. The fewest Th1 and Treg cells and the highest OPN levels were observed in patients with high disease activity. The serum OPN level was only significantly negatively correlated with the absolute counts of Treg cells in the CD4+ T lymphocyte subsets. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer Treg cells with the increase in disease activity may be related to the increased OPN concentration, which may provide new ideas and directions for the targeted immunoregulatory treatment of RA.

Aroma effects of key volatile compounds in Keemun black tea at different grades: HS-SPME-GC-MS, sensory evaluation, and chemometrics.

The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the grade and the characteristic aroma in Keemun black tea (KBT). Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), sensory evaluation, and chemometrics were employed to determine the changes in the flavor evolution of KBT at grade. The results showed that a total of 110 volatile components were identified. Linalool and linalool oxide were dominant. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) combined with relative odor activity value (rOAV > 0.1) revealed that 11 volatile components were the key volatile compounds of KBT, such as benzeneacetaldehyde (rOAV: 3.43-5.96) and methyl salicylate (rOAV: 2.15 - 2.50). Furthermore, the partial least squares (PLS) model indicated that geraniol, linalool, and methyl salicylate benefited from the reservation of floral flavor of Keemun aroma characteristic of KBT. The findings presented in this thesis add to our understanding of KBT at different grades.

A new potential NLO compound with a supramolecular layered structure: aqua(hexamethylenetetramine-κN)(iminodiacetato-κ3O,N,O')copper(II).

In the noncentrosymmetric title compound, [Cu(C(4)H(5)NO(4))(C(6)H(12)N(4))(H(2)O)] or [Cu(IDA)(HMTA)(H(2)O)], where IDA is iminodiacetate and HMTA is hexamethylenetetramine, the asymmetric unit consists of a whole mononuclear neutral molecule, where the Cu(II) cation is coordinated by two carboxylate O atoms and one N atom from the IDA ligand, by one N atom from the HMTA ligand and by the O atom of the coordinated water molecule, giving rise to a CuN(2)O(3) distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The IDA and HTMA ligands adopt terminal tri- and monocoordinated modes, respectively. All adjacent molecules within the ac plane are connected to each other via two pairs of O-H···O and one N-H...O hydrogen bond, forming a (4,4) supramolecular two-dimensional network. In the unit cell, these layers stack alternately in an …ABABAB… sequence along the b axis. The optical absorption properties of this compound have been studied on powder samples, which had previously been examined by powder X-ray diffraction.