The abundance of serum PlsCho with oleic acid (18:1) in sn-2 exhibited the strongest positive correlation with serum concentrations of adiponectin and HDL-C, while being inversely

associated with waist circumference and the serum levels of TG and small dense LDL-cholesterol. The characterization of serum ether glycerophospholipids verified the specificity of PlsCho, particularly the ones with 18:1 in sn-2, as a sensitive biomarker for the atherogenic state.”
“Lung CD4+ T cells accumulate as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progresses, but their role in pathogenesis remains controversial. To address this controversy, we studied lung tissue from 53 subjects undergoing clinically-indicated resections, lung volume reduction, or transplant. Viable single-cell suspensions were analyzed by flow cytometry

or underwent CD4+ T cell isolation, RepSox in vivo CCI-779 mw followed either by stimulation with anti-CD3 and cytokine/chemokine measurement, or by real-time PCR analysis. In lung CD4+ T cells of most COPD subjects, relative to lung CD4+ T cells in smokers with normal spirometry: (a) stimulation induced minimal IFN-gamma or other inflammatory mediators, but many subjects produced more CCL2; (b) the T effector memory subset was less uniformly predominant, without correlation with decreased IFN-gamma production. Analysis VS-6063 concentration of unstimulated lung CD4+ T cells of all subjects identified a molecular

phenotype, mainly in COPD, characterized by markedly reduced mRNA transcripts for the transcription factors controlling T(H)1, T(H)2, T(H)17 and FOXP3+ T regulatory subsets and their signature cytokines. This mRNA-defined CD4+ T cell phenotype did not result from global inability to elaborate mRNA; increased transcripts for inhibitory CD28 family members or markers of anergy; or reduced telomerase length. As a group, these subjects had significantly worse spirometry, but not DLCO, relative to subjects whose lung CD4+ T cells expressed a variety of transcripts. Analysis of mRNA transcripts of unstimulated lung CD4+ T cell among all subjects identified two distinct molecular correlates of classical COPD clinical phenotypes: basal IL-10 transcripts correlated independently and inversely with emphysema extent (but not spirometry); by contrast, unstimulated IFN-gamma transcripts correlated independently and inversely with reduced spirometry (but not reduced DLCO or emphysema extent). Aberrant lung CD4+ T cells polarization appears to be common in advanced COPD, but also exists in some smokers with normal spirometry, and may contribute to development and progression of specific COPD phenotypes.”
“Sleep is composed of an alternating sequence of REM and non-REM episodes, but their respective roles are not known.