Investigating nutrient biomarkers of healthy brain aging: a multimodal brain imaging study.

The emerging field of Nutritional Cognitive Neuroscience aims to uncover specific foods and nutrients that promote healthy brain aging. Central to this effort is the discovery of nutrient profiles that can be targeted in nutritional interventions designed to promote brain health with respect to multimodal neuroimaging measures of brain structure, function, and metabolism. The present study therefore conducted one of the largest and most comprehensive nutrient biomarker studies examining multimodal neuroimaging measures of brain health within a sample of 100 older adults. To assess brain health, a comprehensive battery of well-established cognitive and brain imaging measures was administered, along with 13 blood-based biomarkers of diet and nutrition. The findings of this study revealed distinct patterns of aging, categorized into two phenotypes of brain health based on hierarchical clustering. One phenotype demonstrated an accelerated rate of aging, while the other exhibited slower-than-expected aging. A t-test analysis of dietary biomarkers that distinguished these phenotypes revealed a nutrient profile with higher concentrations of specific fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Study participants with this nutrient profile demonstrated better cognitive scores and delayed brain aging, as determined by a t-test of the means. Notably, participant characteristics such as demographics, fitness levels, and anthropometrics did not account for the observed differences in brain aging. Therefore, the nutrient pattern identified by the present study motivates the design of neuroscience-guided dietary interventions to promote healthy brain aging.

Elevated serum IL-35 levels in rheumatoid arthritis are associated with disease activity.

To investigate serum interleukin (IL)- 35 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to describe the association between serum IL-35 levels and clinical parameters: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), global health on Visual Analog Scale, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints based on ESR (DAS28-ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs). The study included 129 patients with RA and 83 healthy controls. Serum IL-35 levels were detected by ELISA. ESR and CRP were measured by the Westergren method and the immune transmission turbidity method, respectively. RF and ACPA were measured using immunoturbidimetric assays and chemiluminescence analysis, respectively. The results showed that serum IL-35 levels were elevated in patients with RA. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the high serum IL-35 levels were correlated with low ESR and DAS28-ESR. These suggested that IL-35, an important anti-inflammatory cytokine, may participate in the regulation of the pathogenesis of RA, especially with disease activity.

Expression and significance of telomerase in the nucleus pulposus tissues of degenerative lumbar discs.

The pathogenesis of lumbar disc degeneration is extremely complex, and the expression and role of telomerase in degenerative lumbar disc tissues remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to detect telomerase expression in nucleus pulposus tissues of degenerative lumbar discs and to explore the correlation between telomerase expression and other factors typical of disc degeneration. A total of 8 patients with degenerative nucleus pulposus were included as the experimental group and compared with 8 control patients without evident lumbar disc degeneration. The expression of telomerase in nucleus pulposus tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining. ELISA was performed to determine the differential expression of telomerase, type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate between the two groups. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed to form associations between these factors. Finally, 5 cases in the experimental group and 5 in the control group were involved in the analysis. Immunohistochemistry results showed that telomerase expression in the experimental group was significantly lower compared to the control group and the percentage in the unit field of view showed significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). Similarly, the ELISA test results showed lower expression levels of telomerase, type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate in the experimental group when compared with the control group (P<0.05). The correlation analysis revealed that telomerase was positively correlated with type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate (correlation coefficients, 0.673 and 0.528, respectively; P<0.01). In conclusion, telomerase is involved in the degeneration process of nucleus pulposus tissue in lumbar discs and has a positive correlation with other factors typically associated with degeneration.