ABSTRACT
Background@#Lead exposure is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a biomarker for diagnosing atherosclerotic CVD. This study investigated the association between blood lead level (BLL) and CAC using coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. @*Methods@#This study enrolled 2,189 participants from the general population with no history or symptoms of CVD. All participants underwent coronary CT angiography, health examination, and BLL testing. The association between coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and BLL was analyzed. @*Results@#The arithmetic mean of BLL was 2.71 ± 1.26 μg/dL, and the geometric mean was 2.42 (1.64) μg/dL, ranging from 0.12 to 10.14 μg/dL. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between CACS and BLL (r = 0.073, P 0, < 10), 2.81 ± 1.25 μg/dL; mild grade (≥ 10, < 100), 2.74 ± 1.29 μg/dL; moderate grade (≥ 100, < 400), 2.88 ± 1.38 μg/dL; severe grade (≥ 400): 3.22 ± 1.68 μg/dL. The odds ratio for severe CAC was 1.242 in association with an 1 μg/dL increase in BLL (P = 0.042). @*Conclusion@#Using coronary CT angiography, we determined a positive correlation between BLL and CAC among participants without CVD from the general population. To reduce the burden of CVD, efforts and policies should be geared toward minimizing environmental lead exposure.
ABSTRACT
Hippocampal synaptic dysfunction is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Many agents regulating hippocampal synaptic plasticity show an ameliorative effect on AD pathology, making them potential candidates for AD therapy. In the present study, we investigated spinosin as a regulating agent of synaptic plasticity in AD. Spinosin attenuated amyloid β (Aβ)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment, and improved plasmin activity and protein level in the hippocampi of 5XFAD mice, a transgenic AD mouse model. Moreover, the effect of spinosin on hippocampal LTP in 5XFAD mice was prevented by 6-aminocaproic acid, a plasmin inhibitor. These results suggest that spinosin improves synaptic function in the AD hippocampus by regulating plasmin activity.
ABSTRACT
We have always attempted to create a standard treatment protocol for patients with gastric cancer. However, many debates still exist regarding gastric cancer treatment. For the past 2 years, at the Annual Congress of the Korean Gastric Cancer Association, we have presented a grand symposium on the "Debates on the strategy for treating gastric cancer". In 2008, four major topics were discussed and voted on after discussion. The four major topics were proximal location treatment for early gastric cancer, management choices for pyloric obstruction with advanced gastric cancer, management of liver metastasis, and reconstruction methods after a distal gastrectomy. The opinions of the audience for six minor topics were expressed by an electronic voting system. In 2009, the four main topics were treatment for submucosal tumor sized around 2 cm, laparoscopic gastrectomy in T2N1 gastric cancer, choices for managing gastric lymphoma, and application of a pylorus preserving procedure for early gastric cancer at the antrum. The opinions of the audience for these six minor topics were expressed by an electronic voting system, as was conducted in 2008. It was good opportunity to identify a point of contact about the debates on managing gastric cancer. The results of these debates and studies will identify the best methods to treat patients with gastric cancer.