Kale Juice Improves Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors in Hypercholesterolemic Men

Objective To evaluate the effect of 3-month kale （Brassica oleracea acephala） juice supplementation on coronary artery disease risk factors among hypercholesterolemic men. Methods Thirty-two men with hypercholesterolemia （〉 200 mg/dL） were recruited after annual health examinations among the faculty and staff at university. The subjects consumed 150 mL of kale juice per day for a 12-week intervention period. Dietary and anthropometric assessments were performed and blood samples were collected to evaluate biochemical profiles before and after supplementation. Results Serum concentrations of HDL-cholesterol, and HDL- to LDL-cholesterol ratio were significantly increased by 27% （P〈0.0001） and 52% （P〈0.0001）, respectively. The LDL-cholesterol concentration and the atherogenic index were significantly reduced by 10% （P=0.0007） and 24.2% （P〈0.0001）, respectively without affecting body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, or nutrient intakes after three months of supplementation. While there was no difference in the concentration of malondialdehyde, significant increase in glutathione peroxidase activity （P=0.0005） were accompanied by a significant increase in the serum selenium level （P=0.0132）. It was also found that the responses of these risk factors to kale juice administration were dependent on smoking status. Conclusion Regular meals supplementation with kale juice can favorably influence serum lipid profiles and antioxidant systems, and hence contribute to reduce the risks of coronary artery disease in male subjects with hyperlipidemia.

Attenuation of corneal neovascularization by topical low-molecular-weight heparin-taurocholate 7 without bleeding complication

AIM：To investigate the antiangiogenic effects and safety of topically administered low-molecular-weight heparintaurocholate 7（LHT7） on corneal neovascularization（CoNV）.METHODS：Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed into four groups of six rats each.The central corneas were cauterized using a silver/potassium nitrate solution.From 2d after cauterization,12.5 mg/mL（low LHT7 group） or 25 mg/mL（high LHT7group） LHT7 was topically administered three times daily;12.5 mg/mL bevacizumab was topically administered as positive control（bevacizumab） group,with normal saline（NS） administered as negative control（NS group）.The corneas were digitally photographed to calculate the CoNV percentage from the neovascularized corneal area at 1 and 2wk.RESULTS：The 4 study groups did not have different CoNV percentages at 1wk after injury（P〉0.05）.However,the low LHT,high LHT,and bevacizumab groups had significantly lower CoNV percentages than the NS group at 2wk（all P〈0.05）.No significant differences in CoNV percentage were found among the low LHT,high LHT,and bevacizumab groups（all P〉0.05）.All groups except the NS group had lower CoNV percentages at 2wk postinjury than the levels observed at 1wk（all P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION：Topically-administered LHT7 inhibited CoNV without complication after chemical cauterization in the rat.

Investigation of prodromal features in metabolic syndrome based on transcriptome analysis

Metabolic syndrome(MetS)is a complex condition that significantly increases the risk of several diseases,including heart disease and diabetes.Patients with MetS show both pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic states;however,the state that takes precedence in MetS progression is unclear.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling reveals candidate biomarkers and probable molecular mechanism of metabolic syndrome

Although aberrant DNA methylation changes are significantly associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases,little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between DNA methylation and gene expression in metabolic syndrome(MetS).The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers and molecular mechanisms regulated by DNA methylation in MetS.We profiled genome-wide DNA methylation using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChIP and characterized the transcriptome by RNA sequencing in our study population comprised of subjects with MetS(n=11)and controls(n=9).