Drachmannkumar3257

Results The distribution of liver density was similar and the prevalence of severe steatosis (density less then 40 HU) was not different (4.7% vs 5.2%, p=0.7) between COPD and controls. In patients with COPD, the lowest liver density quartile was associated, after age and sex adjustment, with coronary artery disease (ORa=1.59, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.24) and stroke (ORa=2.20, 95% CI 1.07 to 4.50), in comparison with the highest liver density quartile. Conclusion The present data indicate that a low liver density emerged as a predictor of cardiovascular comorbidities in the COPD population. However, the distribution of liver density and the prevalence of severe steatosis were similar in patients with COPD and control subjects. © 2019 Viglino et al.Purpose Aortic stiffness (AS) is associated with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in the older population. AS might also influence the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as a result of the negative effects of AS on cognitive and physical morbidity. We aimed to investigate the possible association between AS and HRQOL in people aged 75 years and over. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study was part of the SCOPE study, an international multicenter cohort observational study. The indicators for AS were aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and central pulse pressure (cPP). HRQOL was assessed using the EQ-5D index and the EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS). PD184352 inhibitor and multivariate regression models were used to investigate possible associations. Results We included 280 Dutch participants of the SCOPE study. Median age was 79 years (IQR 76-83) and 42.1% were women. Participants reporting any problem on the EQ-5D index (n=214) had higher values of aPWV (12.6 vs 12.2 m/s, p = 0.024) than participants not experiencing any problem (n=66) and comparable values of cPP (44.4 vs 42.0 mmHg, p = 0.119). Estimates only slightly changed after adjustments. No association was found between indicators of AS and EQ-5D VAS. Conclusion Aortic stiffness was associated with impaired quality of late life. This association could be mediated by subclinical vascular pathology affecting mental and physical health. © 2020 Tap et al.Purpose The aim of this analysis is to describe the baseline characteristics of patients who are prescribed teriparatide for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in a real-world setting in East Asia. Patients and Methods The Asia and Latin America Fracture Observational Study (ALAFOS) is a prospective, multinational, observational study designed to evaluate real-world use of teriparatide in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in 20 countries across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia. This subregional analysis focuses on the East Asian subpopulation of the ALAFOS study. Here we report baseline clinical characteristics, details regarding the history of fractures, risk factors for osteoporosis, comorbidities, osteoporosis treatment, and health-related quality of life in patients enrolled in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. Results The East Asian subgroup of ALAFOS included 1136 postmenopausal women, constituting 37.5% (1136/3031) of the overall ALAFOS patient population. The mean (SD) age was 75.0 (9.6) years. The mean (SD) bone mineral density T-scores were -3.11 (1.54), -2.58 (1.11), and -2.86 (1.09) at the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck, respectively; 69.6% of patients had experienced at least one fragility fracture and 40.4% had experienced ≥2 fragility fractures after 40 years of age. Overall, 63.3% of patients had used medications for osteoporosis in the past. The mean (SD) EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score at baseline was 59.7 (20.8); the mean (SD) back pain numeric rating scale score for worst pain in the last 24 hrs was 5.2 (3.2). Conclusion Our results indicate that patients who are prescribed teriparatide in East Asia were elderly women with severe osteoporosis, low bone mineral density, high prevalence of fractures, back pain and poor health-related quality of life. Most of the patients received teriparatide as a second-line treatment. © 2020 Chen et al.Background Aging is a spontaneous and inevitable phenomenon of biology, which can lead to the gradual deterioration of tissues and organs. One of the age-related deterioration processes is immunosenescence, which leads to changes in the function of immune systems, including immune cells and associated cytokines. A proper modulation of immune responses can improve the age-related immunosenescence process and then reach healthy aging. Schisandra sphenanthera, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used as both a medicine and a nutritional supplement for thousands of years. Anwulignan, a monomer compound of Schisandra sphenanthera lignans, has been reported to possess an immunomodulatory effect. Therefore, this study was designed to further explore whether Anwulignan could also modulate the immune functions in aging model mice and the underlying mechanism. Methods D-galactose (D-gal) is often used as an inducer of immunosenescence in animals. In this study, a mice model was created by subcutaneous D-gal (220 mis declined in D-gal-induced aging mice partly related to its antioxidant capacity by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway and downstream enzymes, as well as its anti-apoptotic effect by regulating Caspase-3 and the ratio of Bcl2 to Bax in the spleen. #link# © 2020 Li et al.Background Diamond nanoparticles (Nanodiamond) are biocompatible drug delivery platforms with outstanding surface properties. Their passage into the brain has been confirmed previously. Thus, nanodiamond could provide a drug delivery system to shuttle several drugs through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which represents a real challenge for the effective delivery of several drugs into the brain. Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker that cannot pass through BBB and may elicit neuroprotective effects to reverse calcium-induced excitotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction that underlie several neurologic disorders including Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Aim The study aimed to investigate the loading of amlodipine on nanodiamond particles. Methods Nanodiamond particles were oxidized in a strong oxidizing acidic mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. Adsorption of amlodipine on nanodiamond particles was achieved in alkaline pH using various concentrations of sodium hydroxide. The loaded amlodipine was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.