The study aimed to to evaluate the effect of feeding protected maggot oil at different levels on the ram sperm quality. The study used 15 local rams with an age of approximately 10-12 months and an initial weight of 19.99 ± 3.97 kg. The feeding rate was 4% of body weight per day. Feed was given 3 times a day, specifically in the morning (08.00 WIB), afternoon (12.00 WIB) and evening (16.00 WIB). Water was provided ad libitum. This study used 3 treatments and 5 groups as replicates. The treatments used concentrates with different levels of protected maggot oil: P0(0% protected maggot oil (control)), P1(4% protected maggot oil), and P2(8% protected maggot oil). The variables measured were nutrient consumption, blood cholesterol levels, scrotal circumference, and sperm quality. Blood cholesterol and scrotal circumference measured at the end of the experimental diet. Semen samples were collected and analysed before and at the end of the experimental diet. The data obtained were analysed using ANOVA, with further testing using Duncan\'s test for significant differences. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the consumption of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, scrotal circumference, volume, colour, pH of semen, sperm concentration, live percentage, abnormal percentage, plasma membrane, and acrosome integrity of spermatozoa. There were significantly (p < 0.05) produced higher consumption of oleic and palmitic acids in 8% protected maggot oil compared to 4% treatments, the treatments containing 4% and 8% protected maggot oil produced significantly (p < 0.05) higher consumption of lauric and myristic acids, blood cholesterol levels, and sperm motility than the control. The result indicates that protected maggot oil up to 8% in the ram diet have positive effect on improving the microscopic quality of ram sperm, i.e. increased sperm motility.

Cholesterol is a vital component of the central nervous system and tissues, and understanding its spatial distribution is crucial for biology, pathophysiology, and diagnostics. However, direct imaging of cholesterol using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) remains challenging and time-consuming due to the difficulty in ionizing the sterol molecule. To tackle this issue, a MALDI-MSI method is established for direct and rapid analysis of the spatial distribution of cholesterol in Alzheimer\'s disease (AD), different cancer tissues and organs via MALDI-MSI. This excellent imaging performance depends on the study and systemic optimization of various conditions that affect the imaging of MALDI-MSI. In this case, we report the distribution and levels of cholesterol across specific structures of the AD mouse brain and different tumor tissue and organs. According to the results, the content of cholesterol in the AD mouse cerebellum, especially in the arborvitae, was significantly higher than that in the wild type (WT) model. Furthermore, we successfully visualize the distribution of cholesterol in other organs, such as the heart, liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas, as well as tumor tissues parenchyma and interstitium using MALDI-MSI. Notably, the attribution of cholesterol MS/MS hydrocarbon fragments was systematically investigated. Our presented optimization strategy and established MALDI-MSI method can be easily generalized for different animal tissues or live samples, thereby facilitating the potential for applications of MALDI-MSI in clinical, medical and biological research.

OBJECTIVE: Oral contraception is one of the most popular contraceptive methods both in adults and adolescents. However, the effects of oral contraception on lipids in adolescents are not well studied.
METHODS: Lipid profiles were measured and contraceptive use was assessed in 14- to 19-year-old female participants of the prospective population-based Early Vascular Ageing-Tyrol Study between 2015 and 2018, twice on average 22 months apart.
RESULTS: For this analysis, data from 828 young women with a median age of 17.0 years were available. Of them, 317 (38%) used oral contraceptives (OCs). OC users had a slightly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure and larger changes over time and were more likely to use cigarettes than nonusers. Total cholesterol (179.6 vs. 162.4 mg/dL), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (106.4 vs. 94.6 mg/dL), and triglycerides (104.0 vs. 67.0 mg/dL) were significantly higher in OC users after multivariable adjustment in linear regression models. No difference in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol between the two groups was found. In 558 females, follow-up data were available. Those who initiated OC use had on average 15.4 mg/dL higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and 36.2 mg/dL higher triglyceride level changes between baseline and follow-up than never users. Duration of OC use did not show a significant association with lipid levels and changes.
CONCLUSIONS: We showed an independent association between OC use and blood lipids as well as lipid trajectories over time in a large cohort of healthy adolescents. These changes are especially relevant to consider in adolescents with other risk factors for dyslipidemia or other cardiovascular risk factors.

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of pregestational overweight and obesity on maternal lipidome during pregnancy and on newborns\' characteristics. The study encompassed 131 pregnant women, 99 with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 and 32 with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Maternal lipid status parameters, plasma markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption and sphingolipids were determined in each trimester. Data on neonatal height, weight and APGAR scores were assessed. The results showed a higher prevalence (p < 0.05) of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the participants with elevated pregestational BMI. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) were significantly lower, and concentrations of triglycerides were higher (p < 0.05) in women with increased pre-gestational BMI. Lower concentrations of the cholesterol synthesis marker, desmosterol, in the 2nd trimester (p < 0.01) and the cholesterol absorption marker, campesterol, in each trimester (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) were also found in this group. Markers of maternal cholesterol synthesis were in positive correlation with neonatal APGAR scores in the group of mothers with healthy pre-pregnancy weight but in negative correlation in the overweight/obese group. Our results indicate that gestational adaptations of maternal lipidome depend on her pregestational nutritional status and that such changes may affect neonatal outcomes.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) may play an important role in the pathomechanism/pathogenesis of Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) and several other neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders. AD leads to progressive alterations in the redox state, ion homeostasis, lipids, and protein metabolism. Significant alterations in molecular processes and the functioning of several signaling pathways result in the degeneration and death of synapses and neuronal cells, leading to the most severe dementia. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) is among the processes affected by AD; it regulates the transcription of genes related to the metabolism of cholesterol, fatty acids, other lipids and neurotransmission, mitochondria biogenesis, and function. PPAR-α is involved in the cholesterol transport to mitochondria, the substrate for neurosteroid biosynthesis. PPAR-α-coding enzymes, such as sulfotransferases, which are responsible for neurosteroid sulfation. The relation between PPAR-α and cholesterol/neurosteroids may have a significant impact on the course and progression of neurodegeneration/neuroprotection processes. Unfortunately, despite many years of intensive studies, the pathogenesis of AD is unknown and therapy for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases is symptomatic, presenting a significant goal and challenge today. This review presents recent achievements in therapeutic approaches for AD, which are targeting PPAR-α and its relation to cholesterol and neurosteroids in AD and neuropsychiatric disorders.

(1) Background: Asthma is a syndrome found in both adults and children, characterized by airflow obstruction caused by the inflammation of the airways. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have found that lipid metabolism influences both the development and symptomatology of asthma. Lipid metabolism plays an important role both in the occurrence of exacerbations and in the reduction of lung inflammation. Our study aimed to identify any type of association between patients diagnosed with asthma and their serum lipids, including HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in adults. (2) Methods: To find articles for our review, we searched two platforms: PubMed and Google Scholar. A total of 309 articles from two platforms were analyzed. Finally, 12 papers were selected from the initial pool of identified articles. (3) Results: The positive correlation between triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol), and asthma has been demonstrated in several studies. Moreover, it appears that there is an association between biomarkers of type 2 inflammation and HDL and serum triglycerides in people with atopic status. Regarding the nutrition of asthmatic patients, the greatest impact on the development of the disease seems to be the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Several studies show that a predominantly vegan diet is associated with better control of the disease and a decrease in the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (4) Conclusions: Studies show a positive correlation between total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-cholesterol levels and asthma and a negative correlation between HDL-cholesterol and asthma. Increased cholesterol values would lead to the stimulation of pro-inflammatory processes and the secretion of cytokines involved in these processes. The most successful diets for asthma patients seem to be those in which the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and high-fiber foods is increased because all of these food groups are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.

(1) Background: Recently, academic studies are demonstrating that the cholesterol-lowering effects of pectin oligosaccharides (POSs) are correlated to intestinal flora. However, the mechanisms of POS on cholesterol metabolisms are limited, and the observations of intestinal flora are lacking integrative analyses. (2) Aim and methods: To reveal the regulatory mechanisms of POS on cholesterol metabolism via an integrative analysis of the gut microbiota, the changes in gut microbiota structure and metabolite composition after POS addition were investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing and non-targeted metabolomics through in vitro gut microbiota fermentation. (3) Results: The composition of fecal gut flora was adjusted positively by POS. POS increased the abundances of the cholesterol-related bacterial groups Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, while it decreased conditional pathogenic Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, showing good prebiotic activities. POS changed the composition of gut microbiota fermentation metabolites (P24), causing significant changes in 221 species of fermentation metabolites in a non-targeted metabolomics analysis and promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids. The abundances of four types of cholesterol metabolism-related metabolites (adenosine monophosphate, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, guanosine and butyrate) were significantly higher in the P24 group than those in the control group without POS addition. (4) Conclusion: The abovementioned results may explain the hypocholesterolemic effects of POS and promotion effects on cholesterol efflux of P24. These findings indicated that the potential regulatory mechanisms of citrus POS on cholesterol metabolism are modulated by cholesterol-related gut microbiota and specific metabolites.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterized by visual impairment observed in elderly population. Two forms of the disease are generally described, the atrophic (AMDa) and exudative forms (AMDe). Up until now, no curative treatment is available for this disease. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. Here, involvement of RPE dysfunction in AMD onset and progression was analyzed by a comparison of transcriptome profiles of hiPSC-RPE derived from healthy individuals or individuals affected by AMDa or AMDe. The analysis highlighted almost 1000 genes differentially expressed between the three comparison groups. Among these genes, 33 genes were already known to be involved in AMD pathogenesis. To establish an AMD genetic signature, we focused on genes differentially expressed in both AMDa/e cell lines compared to control cells and focused on the three genes (ABCA1, RPN2, RB1CC1) that were related to lipidic homeostasis. Differences in level expression of these three genes are found not only in control and AMDa/e cell lines, but also between AMDa and AMDe populations.

Considering the significant impact of total cholesterol (TC) and vascular endothelin-1 (ET-1) on children sepsis outcomes, this research aimed to explore the association between the levels of plasma cholesterol and vascular endothelin-1 and the severity of sepsis and evaluated its clinical implications. In this study, we examined 250 pediatric patients diagnosed with sepsis between February 2019 and April 2021, collecting data on their plasma levels of TC and ET-1. Depending on the observed outcomes, the participants were divided into 2 categories: a group with a positive prognosis (control group, n = 100) and a group with a negative prognosis (n = 50). We assessed the significance of plasma TC and ET-1 levels in forecasting the outcomes for these pediatric patients. Patients in the group with a poor prognosis experienced notably longer hospital stays and higher treatment expenses than those in the control group (P < .05). Within the first 24 hours of admission and again on days 3 and 7, the levels of ET-1 were significantly higher in the poor prognosis group, whereas plasma TC levels were notably lower in comparison to the control group (P < .05). A Spearman correlation analysis identified a significant correlation between the levels of plasma TC and ET-1 and the severity of sepsis among the children (P < .05). The diagnostic performance for the severity of sepsis in children, as measured by the area under the curve (AUC), was 0.805 for plasma TC, 0.777 for ET-1 levels, and 0.938 when both were combined. This investigation underscores a meaningful relationship between the levels of plasma TC and ET-1 in pediatric sepsis patients, suggesting these biomarkers are highly valuable in predicting patient outcomes. High levels of ET-1 and low levels of TC in these patients signify a grave condition and a poor prognosis.

Previous epidemiologic studies have suggested a potential negative correlation between total cholesterol (TC) and Gastric cancer (GC); however, several observational studies have shown conflicting results and have failed to provide definitive evidence for a causal relationship between TC and GC. Therefore, we conducted a 2-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the genetic correlation and potential causal relationship between the 2 variables. We screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with TC and GC utilizing a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) public database. The causal relationship was analyzed using 5 MR analysis methods: inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger regression, weighted mode, and simple mode. Additionally, reverse MR analysis was performed to evaluate the possibility of reverse causality. Sensitivity analyses were conducted, including heterogeneity tests, horizontal multiple validity tests, and leave-one-out tests. After meticulous screening, 79 SNPs were identified as instrumental variables (IVs). The IVW method revealed a causal relationship between TC and GC (OR = 0.844; 95% CI: 0.741-0.961; P = .01). Sensitivity analyses did not detect significant horizontal pleiotropy. Though heterogeneity was observed in the forward MR analysis (IVW, Qp = 0.0006), the results remained reliable as we utilized the IVW random-effects model as the primary analytical method. Furthermore, inverse MR analysis found no evidence of reverse causality between TC and GC, effectively ruling out the influence of GC on the reverse causality of TC. Our MR study provided evidence of a causal association between TC and GC, suggesting that TC acts as a protective factor against GC due to its negative association with the disease.