Unlocking the link: how hippocampal glutathione-glutamate coupling predicts cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients.

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis and profoundly impacts quality of life. Glutathione (GSH) and glutamate (Glu) are tightly linked in the brain, participating in cognitive function. However, GSH-Glu couplings in cognitive brain regions and their relationship with cognitive impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) remains unclear. Forty-one RRMS patients and 43 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GSH and Glu levels in the posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus. Neuropsychological tests were used to evaluate the cognitive function. The Glu/GSH ratio was used to indicate the coupling between GSH and Glu and was tested as a predictor of cognitive performance. The results show that RRMS patients exhibited reduced hippocampal GSH and Glu levels, which were found to be significant predictors of worse verbal and visuospatial memory, respectively. Moreover, GSH levels were dissociated from Glu levels in the left hippocampus of RRMS patients. Hippocampal Glu/GSH ratio is significantly correlated with processing speed and has a greater predictive effect. Here we show the hippocampal Glu/GSH ratio could serve as a new potential marker for characterizing cognitive impairment in RRMS, providing a new direction for clinical detection of cognitive impairment.

Medium-Term Prognostic Implications of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Myocardial Infarction With Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the medium-term prognostic implications of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). METHODS: A systematic literature search of Embase, PubMed, and The Cochrane Library was performed. Eligible studies reported outcomes of CMR-assessed MINOCA with a mean follow-up period of >6 months. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Secondary endpoints included cardiac death, reinfarction, and cardiovascular rehospitalisation. The pooled effect sizes with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were estimated using a random effect model. RESULTS: A total of 3,050 patients from twenty-one studies were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of myocarditis, "true" myocardial infarction, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and normal CMR imaging was 36%, 25%, 14%, and 19%, respectively. Pooled data showed that the annualised event rates for all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, reinfarction, and cardiovascular rehospitalisation were 1.01% (95% CI 0.59%-1.51%), 0.06% (95% CI 0.00%-0.39%), 0.68% (95% CI 0.18%-1.38%), and 5.67% (95% CI 3.11%-8.85%), respectively. Compared with patients with a diagnosis of myocarditis on CMR, patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (RR 7.11; 95% CI 3.04-16.66) and "true" myocardial infarction (RR 3.82; 95% CI 1.65-8.86) were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality, whereas a similar risk of all-cause mortality was observed in patients with normal imaging (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.28-3.59). No association was found between CMR diagnoses and the risk of secondary endpoints in MINOCA. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MINOCA assessed by CMR, the overall absolute incidence rates of mortality and reinfarction were low. However, certain imaging diagnoses were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, with most deaths attributed to non-cardiac causes. Additionally, these patients experienced a high burden of cardiovascular rehospitalisation. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42022323615).

Effect of Exercise on Vascular Function and Blood Lipids in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to compare and rank the effectiveness of aerobic exercise (AE), resistance training (RT), combined training (CT), and water exercise (WE) on vascular function and blood lipids in postmenopausal women using a network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and EBSCO (SPORTDiscus) databases to identify randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of exercise on vascular function and blood lipids in postmenopausal women. The retrieval period was from inception to March 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the retrieved articles, extracted pertinent data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 38 studies involving 1407 patients were included in this study. The results of the NMA indicated that WE had the greatest effect on systolic blood pressure (SBP) (surface under the cumulative ranking [SUCRA] = 84.9) and total cholesterol (TC) (SUCRA = 93.1); CT had the greatest effect on triglycerides (TG) (SUCRA = 96.2), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SUCRA = 94.8), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (SUCRA = 91.1); RT had the greatest effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SUCRA = 79.4). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that exercise can effectively improve the PWV, SBP, and DBP and the levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C in postmenopausal women. WE had the best effect on improving TC and SBP. CT had the best effect on improving TG, HDL-C, and DBP. To improve LDL-C, RT can achieve a good effect. Considering the limitations of NMA, more RCTS need to be performed in the future to provide more direct evidence of the effectiveness of various exercise interventions on vascular health in postmenopausal women.

Simultaneous Determination of 5 Components in the Leaves of Dimocarpus longan by Quantitative Analysis of Multicomponents by Single Marker (QAMS) Based on UPLC and HPLC.

The pharmacodynamic effect of longan leaves was attributed to various components, especially the flavonoids. In this paper, a new strategy of quantitative analysis of multicomponents by a single marker (QAMS) method was first established to synchronously determine 5 components (ethyl gallate (C1), astragalin (C2), quercetin (C3), luteolin (C4), and kaempferol (C5)) in Dimocarpus longan by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Quercetin (C3) was chosen as the internal reference. Relative correction factors (RCFs, ƒs/i) of the other 4 components were calculated by two correction methods (multipoint correction and slope correction) to effectuate QAMS. At the same time, the difference between the results measured by the QAMS and external standard methods was compared to verify the accuracy of QAMS. Within the linear range, the results showed that all ƒs/i values were obtained with good durability under diverse chromatographic conditions (RSD < 2.28%). The quantitative results of 5 components in the leaves of Dimocarpus longan collected from 10 producing areas by different chromatographic systems and quantitative methods were significantly correlated (Pearson's r > 97.0%). The applicability and feasibility of the QAMS method established in this study were evaluated to be favorable for quality control of the leaves of Dimocarpus longan. As a new model of quality control, it can provide one more choice of multicomponent quality-control method in the absence of standard substances or instruments.