OBJECTIVETo determine the effectiveness of an instant haw beverage in regulating lipid disturbance, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity and immune function.

METHODSData was collected from 60 hyperlipidemic subjects. In this crossover design, each subject randomly received either the instant haw beverage (100 ml corresponding to 3 g of haw powder or 30 g of fresh haw fruit plus the carrier-guar gum plus some starch) or placebo (guar gum 1.5 g plus some starch as the carrier of the beverage) twice daily. Each supplementation lasted 31 days with a 28-day washout period between treatments.

RESULTSThe instant haw beverage significantly reduced total serum cholesterol (9.6%), triglyceride (12.1%), LDLC (18%) while significantly increased SOD activities (7.5%). The placebo was shown to have positive results in some of the lipid profiles, though the effects of the instant haw beverage demonstrated greater significance. Serum triglyceride levels were significantly decreased and SOD activity significantly increased only as subjects were supplemented with the instant haw beverage while no significant changes were seen with placebo.

CONCLUSIONSupplementation with the instant haw beverage positively affects blood lipid profile, antioxidant status and immune function in individuals with hyperlipidemia.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport ; Adult ; Aged ; Antioxidants ; Apolipoprotein A-I ; blood ; Apolipoproteins B ; blood ; Beverages ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cross-Over Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; drug therapy ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proteins ; analysis ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Triglycerides ; blood

Objective:To explore the intervention effect of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on body composition and glycolipid metabolism in obese adults.Methods:This was a self-controlled study, which enrolled 280 obese adults who received weight loss treatment in the Health Management Institute of the Chinese PLA General Hospital from November 2017 to March 2018 and performed a 12-week precise aerobic exercise intervention (40%-60% of heart reserved rate) based on an independently developed aerobic exercise intervention system for chronic diseases. The following requirements also need to be met as effective exercise time of ≥40 minutes every time, total exercise time of ≤100 minutes per day, effective exercise time of ≥200 minutes per week, exercise frequency of ≥4 times per week, and an interval of ≤48 hours between two exercises. During the research, 77 subjects were excluded due to illness, sports injuries, work reasons, etc., and 203 subjects were included in the analysis. These patients were divided into three groups based on weekly exercise duration, including 97 cases in short-term group (weekly exercise time <300 minutes), 63 cases in medium-term group (weekly exercise time of 300-400 minutes), and 43 cases in long-term group (weekly exercise time >400 minutes). Paired t-tests were used to compare the differences in indicators before and after intervention, and covariance analysis was used to compare the differences in indicators among three groups. The intervention effect of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on the body composition and glucose and lipid metabolism in obese adults was analyzed. Results:The resting heart rate, body weight, body mass index, body fat rate, body fat mass, muscle mass, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, fasting insulin, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were all decreased significantly in the 203 patients after the intervention [(66.67±9.38) vs (71.48±10.13)/min, (86.02±13.13) vs (90.16±13.93) kg, (30.33±3.08) vs (31.80±3.27) kg/m 2, 35.64%±7.19% vs 37.87%±7.21%, (30.78±8.14) vs (34.30±8.73) kg, (52±10.30) vs (52.74±10.61) kg, (100.82±38.63) vs (119.53±43.08) cm 2, (270.14±74.19) vs (305.24±77.12) cm 2, (12.33±6.92) vs (17.86±14.23) mmol/L, 3.08±2.22 vs 4.52±4.09, (4.42±0.78) vs (4.62±0.89) mmol/L, (1.46±0.82) vs (1.71±1.11) mmol/L, (2.93±0.70) vs (3.08±0.80) mmol/L] (all P<0.05). The reduction degree of indicators including body weight, body mass rate, body fat rate, and body fat mass were all significantly higher in long-term group when compared with those in medium-term and short-term group [(5.56±0.62) vs (3.97±0.51) vs (3.63±0.41) kg, (1.98±0.21) vs (1.39±0.17) vs (1.31±0.14) kg/m 2, 3.38%±0.40% vs 2.27%± 0.33% vs 1.69%±0.27%, (4.90±0.53) vs (3.54±0.43) vs (2.89±0.35) kg]. Besides, patients in long-term group had significantly higher reduction degree of fasting insulin and higher rising degree of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [(7.38±0.94) vs (4.54±0.62) mmol/L, (0.07±0.02) vs (0.01±0.02) mmol/L] and higher reduction degree of visceral fat area [(28.45±4.53) vs (12.55±3.67) cm 2] than medium-term group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Moderate intensity aerobic exercise can be an effective intervention for the body composition and glycolipid metabolism in obese adults. If the weekly exercise time is greater than 400 minutes, the potential benefits of improvement may be more evident.

We analyzed the binding of P.rβ₂-GPI-DV with ox-LDL by fluorescence, molecular simulation and circular dichroism. We used SDS-PAGE and Western blotting to identify the purity of P.rβ₂-GPI-DV, fluorescence, circular dichroism spectroscopy and molecular docking simulation to analyze the binding between P.rβ₂-GPI-DV and oxLDL. P.rβ₂-GPI-DV was specifically recognized by anti-His antibody at 12 kDa position. The chromophoric groups, the changes of secondary structure and the molecular docking simulations revealed that the active pocket formed by Cys281-Lys-Asn-Lys-Glu-Lys-Lys287 and Leu313-Ala-Phe-Trp316 of P.rβ₂-GPI-DV and the -COOH carboxyl of oxLig-1 were the key for binding. P.rβ₂-GPI combined with ox-LDL via the fifth functional domain and the -COOH group. Our findings provide theoretical basis to further study the binding between β₂-GPI and ox-LDL in serum.

CD36, the major scavenger receptor, is intimately involved in the uptake of oxLDL in macrophages. To further study the function of CD36 in macrophages, we constructed CD36 gene silence cell lines (J774A.1) by lentivirus-mediated RNA interference technique, and analyzed the effect of CD36 in caveolin-1 protein expression. At first, 5 shRNA fragments were designed and synthesized according to the coding sequence (CDS) region of CD36 gene. Next, the CD36-shRNA was inserted into lentiviral vector to yield pLKO.1-CD36-shRNA plasmid. After DNA sequencing, the pLKO.1-CD36-shRNA plasmid and psiCHECK-II-CD36 were co-transfected into the 293T cells to screen the efficient CD36-shRNA. The efficient CD36-shRNA plasmid and the helper plasmid were co-transfected into the 293T cells to package the lentivirus, and then infected the J774A.1 cells. After screening by puromycin, CD36 gene silence cell lines (J774A.1) was established. Western blotting and confocal fluorescence microscopy results showed that the CD36 silencing efficiency in the gene silence cell line was 90%. Accompanied by a decrease in CD36 protein on cell surface, oxLDL binding to CD36 was significantly inhibited, indicating that the CD36 gene silence cell line is successfully established. Finally, the oxLDL stimulation and inhibitor experiments results showed that the CD36 knockdown significantly suppresses the phosphorylation of JNK and ERK, thereby inhibiting the oxLDL-induced caveolin-1 protein expression, demonstrating that CD36 modulates the caveolin-1 protein expression through the JNK/ERK-mediated signaling transduction.

Evoked Potentials ; Social Isolation ; Attention ; Humans

Cognitive enhancement refers to the technology of enhancing or expanding the cognitive and emotional abilities of people without psychosis based on relevant knowledge of neurobiology. The common methods of cognitive enhancement include transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive training (CT). tDCS takes effect quickly, with a short effective time, while CT takes longer to work, requiring several weeks of training, with a longer effective time. In recent years, some researchers have begun to use the method of tDCS combined with CT to regulate the cognitive function. This paper will sort out and summarize this topic from five aspects: perception, attention, working memory, decision-making and other cognitive abilities. Finally, the application prospect and challenges of technology are prospected.
Cognition ; Cognition Disorders ; Humans ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation