BACKGROUND: Aronia melanocarpa is nowadays valued for its high content of biologically active substances, the main group of which are polyphenols, which include anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanols, proanthocyanidins and phenolic acids. From the available sources, we can conclude that extracts and juices from black chokeberry have a great potential in human nutrition and influence on their health.
OBJECTIVE: The research was to evaluate the effect of regular consumption of 100% organic chokeberry juice on selected anthropometric and lipid parameters of overweight or obese women.
METHODS: A clinical study consisted of 19 women with overweight and obesity, age from 44 to 63. The probands consumed 50 ml of chokeberry juice daily for 8 weeks as part of their regular diet. Body composition and biochemical indicators were monitored before consumption, after 4 and 8 weeks of nutritional intervention. Body composition was determined using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) - InBody 720. Biochemical analyzes of blood serum were performed using standard methods in an accredited laboratory using automatic biochemical analyzer a BioMajesty JCA-BM6010/C.
RESULTS: The monitored group of probands is characterized by menopausale and postmenopausale women, overweight or obese women with hypercholesterolemia without pharmacological treatment. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed when evaluating the amount of body fat (BFM) of the probands before the start of consumption and after the consumption of chokeberry juice. We noted a statistically significant reduction especially in the assessment of visceral fat (VFA) (p<0.001). There were no fundamentally significant changes in the lipid profile of women in this intervention study. With short-term consumption of chokeberry juice (after 4 weeks), we recorded an average reduction in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, but without statistical significant. We also focused on the evaluation of the inflammatory marker CRP and noted a significant beneficial reduction of CRP (p˂0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: In the research, we evaluated the effect of 8 weeks consumption of 100% chokeberry juice on selected anthropometric parameters, focusing on changes in visceral fat and total fat in overweight and obese women. In conclusion, we can state that the regular consumption of chokeberry juice has a beneficial effect on fat tissue in women of reproductive age, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Hyperlipidaemia is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In this study, the antihyperlipidaemic properties of spirulina (Arthrospira platensis, strain S2 from Serbia) were tested in adult Wistar rats before and after induction of hypercholesterolaemia by a high-fat diet (HFD) to compare the preventive with the curative effect. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels were measured in the blood samples. The chemical composition (lipids, proteins and cholesterol) and the content of bile acids in the faeces of the animals were also analysed. Feeding rats with an atherogenic diet for 10 weeks led to the successful development of hyperlipidaemia, as serum TC and LDL-C levels as well as lipids, cholesterol and bile acids in the animals\' faeces were significantly increased. Pre- and post-treatment with spirulina led to a reduction in serum LDL, TC and ALT levels. Administration of spirulina resulted in both a significant increase in primary bile acids excretion and a decrease in bile acids metabolism, with pre-treatment being more effective than post-treatment in some cases. These results suggest that increased excretion of bile acids as well as an effect on the gut microbiota may be the mechanism responsible for the anti-hyperlipidaemic activity of the tested spirulina strain.

Introduction Menopause is an important milestone in the lives of women. Despite it being a natural phenomenon, menopause brings a lot of changes in a woman\'s life, which significantly affects their health and well-being. Menopause involves the cessation of hormone production necessary for menstrual cycles and fertility of females. The absence of these hormones may disturb the homeostasis of minerals, blood glucose, and lipid parameters and predispose women to several health conditions affecting different organs. Obesity has been identified as one of the several conditions that influence the health of women. Therefore, assessing women\'s health before menopause may improve understanding of their well-being and predict problems during and after menopause. The present study evaluated the activities of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and lipid parameters in obese and nonobese premenopausal women. Methods The present study included 90 obese and 110 nonobese premenopausal women attending the General Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments of Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Secunderabad, Telangana, India. The body mass index (BMI) was measured in all the study participants to put them under obese and nonobese categories. Blood samples were collected from all the study participants for the estimation of the activities of minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, FBG, and lipid parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Results The results demonstrated a significant difference in the activities of lipid parameters (TC-obese (158.90 ± 20.20 mg/dl) versus nonobese (148.7 ± 18.6 mg/dl), p < 0.05; TG-obese (143.1 ± 58.2 mg/dl) versus nonobese (118.40 ± 55.80 mg/dl), p < 0.01; VLDL-obese (28.30 ± 11.50 mg/dl) versus nonobese (23.30 ± 11 mg/dl), p < 0.05; LDL-obese (92 ± 30.30 mg/dl) versus nonobese (73.90 ± 26.10 mg/dl), p < 0.01; HDL-obese (61.60 ± 12.50) versus nonobese (65.30 ± 11.25 mg/dl), p < 0.01), FBG (obese (106.80 ± 32.20 mg/dl) versus nonobese (88.50 ± 42.60 mg/dl); p < 0.01)), and magnesium (obese (1.79 ± 0.36 mg/dl) versus nonobese (2.42 ± 0.67 mg/dl); p < 0.01)). However, the activities of calcium (obese (9 ± 0.54 mg/dl) vs. nonobese (8.9 ± 0.58); p > 0.05)) and phosphorous (obese (3.84 ± 0.53 mg/dl) versus nonobese (3.75 ± 0.46 mg/dl); p > 0.05)) was found to be similar in obese and nonobese premenopausal women.  Conclusions The results suggest that obese premenopausal women revealed lowered activities of magnesium that can predispose them to chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases. In addition, obese women showed higher activities of FBG that predisposes them to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There was significant variation in the lipid parameters among obese and nonobese women. However, serum calcium and phosphorous were similar in obese and nonobese premenopausal women.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a lifelong blood disorder affecting approximately 100,000 people in the United States and is one of the most common monogenic diseases. A serious complication of SCD is acute chest syndrome (ACS). ACS is a condition with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to assess hemolysis and lipid parameters in a cohort of confirmed SCD patients to predict ACS development in the following year.Standard lipid were performed (triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, low-density cholesterol) panel to calculate of non-HDL-C, large buoyant LDL cholesterol (lbLDL-C) and small dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) with Sampson equation. Hemolysis and hematologic parameters were also evaluated.Among 91 patients included between September 2018 and June 2021, thirty-seven patients had history of ACS and 6 patients developed ACS during following year. In unadjusted logistic regression, total bilirubin was associated with ACS occurrence (RR: 1.2 [1.05-1.51] p = 0.013). Concerning lipid profile, non-HDL-C (RR: 0.87 [0.0.67-0.99] p = 0.04) and sdLDL-C (RR: 0.78 [0.49-0.96] p = 0.03) were associated with ACS occurrence decrease. C-reactive protein was associated with ACS occurrence (RR: 1.27 [1.065-1.85] p = 0.011).Based on these findings, this study demonstrated that several biomarker easily available can be used at steady state to predict ACS in the following year. The validation of these results are required to ensure the reproducibility of the findings.

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) and lipid disorders are both known to be strongly associated with the development of diabetes, however, the indirect effect of lipid parameters in the BMI-related diabetes risk is currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of lipid parameters in the association of BMI with diabetes risk.
METHODS: We assessed the association of diabetes risk with BMI, as well as lipid parameters including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-CF and LDL-CS), triglycerides(TG), total cholesterol(TC), remnant cholesterol(RC), non-HDL-C, and combined indices of lipid parameters with HDL-C (RC/HDL-C ratio, TG/HDL-C ratio, TC/HDL-C ratio, non-HDL/HDL-C ratio, LDL/HDL-C ratio) using data from 15,453 subjects in the NAGALA project. Mediation models were used to explore the mediating role of lipid parameters in the association of BMI with diabetes risk, and mediation percentages were calculated for quantifying the strength of the indirect effects. Finally, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to compare the accuracy of BMI and BMI combined with lipid parameters in predicting incident diabetes.
RESULTS: Multivariate regression models, adjusted for confounding factors, demonstrated robust associations of lipid parameters, BMI, with diabetes risk, with the exception of TC, LDL-CF, LDL-CS, and non-HDL-C. Mediation analysis showed that lipid parameters except TC, LDL-CF, LDL-CS, and Non-HDL-C were involved in and mediated the association of BMI with diabetes risk, with the largest mediation percentage being the RC/HDL-C ratio, which was as high as 40%; it is worth mentioning that HDL-C and HDL-C-related lipid ratio parameters also play an important mediating role in the association between BMI and diabetes, with the mediator proportion being greater than 30%. Finally, based on the ROC results, we found that the prediction performance of all lipid parameters in the current study except TC was significantly improved when combined with BMI.
CONCLUSIONS: Our fresh findings suggested that lipid parameters partially mediated the association of BMI with diabetes risk; this result indicated that in the context of diabetes risk screening and disease management, it is important to not only monitor BMI but also pay attention to lipid parameters, particularly HDL-C and HDL-C-related lipid ratio parameters.

UNASSIGNED: A possible mechanism in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) is hypercholesterolemia, which may shift the balance between Th1- and Th2-dependent immune responses towards the latter.
UNASSIGNED: To assess the prevalence of lipid metabolism abnormalities in children with AR and their influence on the clinical course of AR.
UNASSIGNED: The study sample comprised 80 children (7-17 y.o.) with AR, including 28 with associated asthma, and 40 healthy children. Total blood cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels were evaluated (ARCHITECTcSystem). Skin prick tests (Allergopharma) for airborne allergens and a methacholine challenge test (Lungtest 1000, Ispa) were performed. Allergen-specific IgE for airborne allergens (Biocheck GmbH), FeNO and nNO concentrations (HypAir FeNO Medisoft) were measured.
UNASSIGNED: Children with AR were significantly more likely to have normal HDL levels than the control group (n = 70; 87.5% vs. n = 27; 67.50%; p = 0.03). No significant differences were observed between these two groups regarding total cholesterol, LDL or triglyceride levels (p > 0.05). Abnormally high total cholesterol levels were associated with a higher risk of sensitisation to D. pteronyssinus (n = 18; 72%, p = 0.023). Children with normal levels of total cholesterol and normal triglyceride values were less likely to be sensitized to dog dander (n = 43; 78.18%, p = 0.049) (n = 42; 72.41%, p = 0.042). No significant correlations were observed between lipid parameters and the clinical course of AR, FeNO concentrations, nNO concentrations and bronchial hyperreactivity in children with AR (p > 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: Children with AR are as likely to demonstrate dyslipidaemia as the general population. However, the presence of lipid abnormalities in this group may increase the likelihood of sensitization to perennial allergens.

OBJECTIVE: Lipid parameters have been shown to have significant predictive value for cardiovascular disease, but few studies have evaluated their correlation with erectile dysfunction (ED) in young men.
METHODS: The case-control study encompassed 186 young ED patients (ages 20-40) and 186 healthy controls. Lipid parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TC/HDL ratio, TG/HDL ratio, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, were assessed in all participants. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores were collected for all participants to evaluate erectile status. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to appraise the association of lipid-related parameters with ED. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly correlated with lipid parameters (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C) were selected from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) as instrumental variables (IV) (P < 5.0 × 10-8). Summary data for ED was gathered from a GWAS with a sample size of (n = 17,353 cases/28,210 controls). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary mendelian randomization (MR) analysis method to assess causal effects. Causal estimates were represented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS: Results from the case-control study revealed that, when compared with the control group, levels of LDL-C, TG, UA, LDL-C/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C in the ED group were significantly elevated (P < 0.01), while HDL-C was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in the ED group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated LDL-C/HDL-C as a risk factor for both the incidence and severity of ED (P < 0.001). Two-sample MR analysis demonstrated no significant causal correlation between lipid parameters-LDL-C (OR, 0.98, 95% CI, 0.88-1.08, P = 0.616), HDL-C (OR, 1.07, 95% CI: 0.96-1.19, P = 0.249), TC (OR, 1.07, 95% CI, 0.96-1.18, P = 0.208), TG (OR, 0.98, 95% CI, 0.80-1.13, P = 0.579) -and an increased risk of ED (all P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The case-control analysis ascertained a significant association between LDL-C, HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, and ED and its severity. However, results from the MR study do not support a causal role of lipid parameters in ED.

UNASSIGNED: Dyslipidemia is associated with kidney function decline (KFD), although the non-linear relationship of lipid parameters to KFD has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to determine the detailed relationship of baseline lipid parameters with KFD, considering the mediation of arterial stiffness.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 27 864 urban residents with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at baseline, who participated in a median of three (range two to eight) consecutive annual health examinations were studied. Arterial stiffness was assessed by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). KFD was defined as development of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2.
UNASSIGNED: During the study period, 1837 participants (6.6%) developed KFD. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined that the cutoff values independently associated with KFD are 123 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) [area under the curve (95% confidence interval) 0.570 (0.557-0.583)], 65 mg/dL for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) [0.552 (0.539-0.566)], 82 mg/dL for triglycerides (TG) [0.606 (0.593-0.618)] and 1.28 for TG/HDL-C ratio [0.600 (0.587-0.612)]. These cut-offs were independently associated with KFD in Cox analysis. Regarding the contribution of each lipid parameter to KFD, a linear relationship was observed for both TG and TG/HDL-C, and a U-shaped relationship for HDL-C. A adjusted mediating effect of CAVI on the relationship of TG or TG/HDL-C ratio with KFD was observed (mediating rate: 2.9% in TG, 2.5% in TG/HDL-C ratio). Regarding the association to KFD, a linear relationship was observed for both TG and TG/HDL-C, and a U-shaped relationship for HDL-C. A mediating effect of CAVI on the relationship of TG or TG/HDL-C ratio with KFD was observed after adjustment for confounders.
UNASSIGNED: TG and TG/HDL-C ratio related linearly to KFD and this was partially mediated by CAVI. A U-shaped relationship was observed between HDL-C and KFD risk. LDL-C showed no significant association. Further study should investigate whether intensive TG-lowering treatment prevents KFD via decreasing CAVI.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association of triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index with hypertension and compare the discriminative power of the TyG index, lipid, glycemic parameters for hypertension using the China Health Examination Collaborative study (CHEC Study).
METHODS: Data were collected at Ningbo Mingzhou Hospital and Beijing physical examination center from the CHEC Study during 2014 and 2021. Participants with ≥2 medical check-up times were included. The TyG index is the logarithmized product of fasting triglyceride and glucose. Generalised estimation equation (GEE) model was used to evaluate the association between the TyG index, lipid parameters, glycemic parameters and hypertension. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to explore the predictive ability of TyG index on hypertension at different years of medical check-up.
RESULTS: 112,902 participants with an average age of 42.8 years were recruited in the study, 36,839 participants developed hypertension over the 8-year period. GEE model analysis showed that the ORs with 95% CI of hypertension were 3.35 (3.15-3.57), 1.86 (1.76-1.95), 1.67 (1.58-1.78), 1.45 (1.33-1.58), 1.24 (1.19-1.29), 0.92 (0.86-0.99), and 1.90 (1.83-1.97) in the highest versus lowest quintiles of TyG index, TG/HDL-C ratio, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and FPG in model 2. The area under the ROC curve of the overall years of medical check-up was signifi-cantly higher than a particular year in predicting hypertension (AUC: 0.883, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: TyG index is associated with hypertension and shows the superior discriminative ability for hypertension compared with lipid and glycemic parameters.

UNASSIGNED: Antiseizure medications can have negative effects on plasma lipid levels.
UNASSIGNED: To evaluate plasma lipid changes in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy treated with eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) or controlled-release carbamazepine (CBZ-CR) monotherapy during a phase III, randomized, double-blind (DB) trial and 2 years of ESL treatment in an open-label extension (OLE).
UNASSIGNED: Post hoc analysis of a phase III trial and OLE study.
UNASSIGNED: Proportions of patients with elevated levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were assessed at DB baseline, OLE baseline (last visit of DB trial), and end of OLE.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 184 patients received ESL monotherapy during the OLE: 96 received ESL monotherapy in the DB trial and 88 patients received CBZ-CR monotherapy. The proportions of patients with elevated total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol increased significantly during the DB trial in those treated with CBZ-CR monotherapy [total cholesterol, +14.9% (p < 0.001); LDL cholesterol, +11.5% (p = 0.012)] but decreased significantly after switching to ESL monotherapy in the OLE [total cholesterol, -15.3% (p = 0.008); LDL cholesterol, -11.1% (p = 0.021)]. No significant changes were observed in those treated with ESL monotherapy during the DB trial and OLE. At the end of the DB trial, between-group differences (ESL-CBZ-CR) in the proportions of patients with elevated total and LDL cholesterol were -13.6% (p = 0.037) and -12.3% (p = 0.061), respectively; at the end of the OLE, these between-group differences were -6.0% (p = 0.360) and -0.6% (p = 1.000), respectively.
UNASSIGNED: A lower proportion of patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy had increased levels of total and LDL cholesterol, compared to baseline, following monotherapy with ESL versus CBZ-CR; after switching from CBZ-CR to ESL, the proportions of patients with increased levels decreased significantly.
UNASSIGNED: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01162460/NCT02484001; EudraCT 2009-011135-13/2015-001243-36.
The impact of treatment with either eslicarbazepine acetate or controlled-release carbamazepine on cholesterol levels in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy Patients with epilepsy have an increased risk of having cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (e.g., myocardial infarction and stroke). Treatment with antiseizure medications can have a negative effect on blood cholesterol levels [such as total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol], which can further increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. We examined the impact of monotherapy treatment (i.e., treatment with only one antiseizure medication) using either eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) or a controlled-release formulation of carbamazepine (CBZ-CR) in 184 patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy (ESL, 96 patients; CBZ-CR, 88 patients). Patients received monotherapy with ESL or CBZ-CR for approximately 1 year in a phase III clinical trial. After this, the patients could continue into a 2-year extension study during which they all received monotherapy with ESL. We assessed the proportions of patients with elevated levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol at the beginning and end of the phase III trial, and at the end of the extension study. At the beginning of the phase III trial, the proportions of patients with elevated total cholesterol and elevated LDL cholesterol were similar between treatment groups. During the phase III trial, the proportions of patients with elevated total cholesterol and elevated LDL cholesterol increased in those treated with CBZ-CR monotherapy (total cholesterol, +14.9%; LDL cholesterol, +11.5%) but decreased after switching to ESL monotherapy in the extension study (total cholesterol, −15.3%; LDL cholesterol, −11.1%). By contrast, the proportions of patients with elevated levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol remained relatively stable in those treated with ESL monotherapy during the phase III trial and extension study. These findings indicate that ESL monotherapy may be an appropriate treatment option for patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy who either already have, or who are at risk of developing, high levels of cholesterol, since this may reduce their likelihood of having cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.