The roles of the resting heart rate (RHR) have been actively investigated and increasingly recogn... more The roles of the resting heart rate (RHR) have been actively investigated and increasingly recognized in recent decades, because of the growing evidence that fast RHR is associated with and predicts the risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, as well as all-cause mortality. Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (eg, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) have been shown to have chronotropic effects on heartbeat in both healthy people and patients with various disease conditions. The aims of this review are (1) to briefly summarize the importance of elevated RHR in disease pathogenesis and mortality; (2) to provide an update on the negative chronotropic effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the heart; (3) to highlight how omega-3 PUFAs regulate heart rate through the autonomic nervous system – a central control mechanism; and (4) to highlight how omega-3 PUFAs modulate the trans-membrane ionic channels in cardiomyocytes – a fundamental mechanism of c...
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 2003
To assess the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in regulating body weight during prolo... more To assess the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in regulating body weight during prolonged leptin infusion, we evaluated food intake, body weight, and physical activity in conscious, unrestrained rats. Initial studies illustrated that prolonged intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of leptin enhanced substrate oxidation so that adipose tissue lipid stores were completely ablated, and muscle triglyceride and liver glycogen stores were depleted. After neonatal chemical sympathectomy, changes in weight and food intake were compared in groups of sympathectomized (SYM) and control (CON) adult animals during ICV infusion of leptin. CON animals lost 60 +/- 9 g over 10 days vs. 25 +/- 3 g in the SYM animals when food intake was matched between the two groups. Greater weight loss despite similar energy intake points to an important role of the sympathetic nervous system in stimulating energy expenditure during ICV leptin infusion by increasing the resting metabolic rate, since no...
Prospective observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of dietary or circulating ... more Prospective observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of dietary or circulating n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) with risk of all-cause mortality. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the associations. Potentially eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects model. Eleven prospective studies involving 371 965 participants from general populations and 31 185 death events were included. The summary RR of all-cause mortality for high-versus-low n-3 LCPUFA intake was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84-0.98). The summary RR for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.95), respectively. In the dose-response analysis, each 0.3 g/d increment in n-3 LCPUFA intake was associated with 6% lower risk of all-cause mortality (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99); ...
Although higher resting heart rate (RHR) has emerged as a predictor for lifespan, the underlying ... more Although higher resting heart rate (RHR) has emerged as a predictor for lifespan, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. The present study investigates whether a positive relationship exists between RHR and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and whether RHR predicts future MetS. A cohort of 89,860 participants were surveyed during 2006-2007 in Kailuan/Tangshan, China. MetS was diagnosed when a participant presented at least three of the following: abdominal adiposity, low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension or impaired fasting glucose. RHR was derived from ECG recordings and subjects were stratified based on RHR. Some participants without MetS at baseline were followed-up for 4 years. At baseline, 23,150 participants (25.76%) had MetS. There was a positive association between RHR and MetS. The OR of having MetS was 1.49 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.69) in subjects with RHR at 95-104 compared with those at 55-64 beats per minute (bpm) (reference), after adjusting fo...
ABSTRACT Although the benefits of wolfberry are well known and highly thought of in TCM, scientif... more ABSTRACT Although the benefits of wolfberry are well known and highly thought of in TCM, scientific evidence regarding its benefits is unclear. The objective of this review is to highlight the numerous health benefits of wolfberry from a rigorous scientific and clinical perspective. Arguments and evidence are given in this chapter indicating that LBP is not that unique, and that many of the potential benefits are related to indirect evidence (Sze et al. 2008). We also draw attention to new and refreshing initiatives of researchers, such as Chang and So (2008) who are trying to identify new ways to conduct research on wolfberry, for instance, by looking at its effects in relation to preventing neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases. New ideas regarding the delivery of bioactives from wolfberry, and other TCM herbs in general (Wang et al. 2005), are also a part of this review.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2000
The calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) has emerged as a major cause of secondary hyperten... more The calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) has emerged as a major cause of secondary hypertension in humans, but the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms have remained enigmatic. Synapsins are a family of synaptic vesicle phosphoproteins that are essential for normal regulation of neurotransmitter release at synapses. In addition to synaptic vesicles, synapsins and other vesicle proteins are found on microvesicles in sensory nerve endings in peripheral tissues. However, the functions of the sensory microvesicles in general, and of synapsins in particular, are unknown. We now demonstrate in a mouse model that CsA raises blood pressure by stimulating renal sensory nerve endings that contain synapsin-positive microvesicles. In knockout mice lacking synapsin I and II, sensory nerve endings are normally developed but not stimulated by CsA whereas a control stimulus, capsaicin, is fully active. The reflex activation of efferent sympathetic nerve activity and the increase in blood pressu...
Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscle by locally generated vasodilators... more Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscle by locally generated vasodilators, including NO. Skeletal muscle also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide (O 2 − ), which inactivates NO. We, therefore, hypothesized that excessive ROS production would result in enhanced sympathetic vasoconstriction in exercising muscle. To increase O 2 − by activating NADPH oxidase, rats underwent chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) or unilateral renal artery stenosis (2K1C) to increase endogenous Ang II. At rest, sympathetic nerve stimulation (range: 1 to 5 Hz) evoked similar graded decreases in femoral vascular conductance (range, −34% to −66%) in rats infused with vehicle, Ang II, or norepinephrine and in 2K1C or sham-operated rats. These sympathetically mediated decreases in femoral vascular conductance were markedly attenuated during hindlimb contraction in the vehicle, norepinephrine, and sham rats (range, −3% to −26%) and to a lesser degree in the ...
The roles of the resting heart rate (RHR) have been actively investigated and increasingly recogn... more The roles of the resting heart rate (RHR) have been actively investigated and increasingly recognized in recent decades, because of the growing evidence that fast RHR is associated with and predicts the risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, as well as all-cause mortality. Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (eg, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) have been shown to have chronotropic effects on heartbeat in both healthy people and patients with various disease conditions. The aims of this review are (1) to briefly summarize the importance of elevated RHR in disease pathogenesis and mortality; (2) to provide an update on the negative chronotropic effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the heart; (3) to highlight how omega-3 PUFAs regulate heart rate through the autonomic nervous system – a central control mechanism; and (4) to highlight how omega-3 PUFAs modulate the trans-membrane ionic channels in cardiomyocytes – a fundamental mechanism of c...
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 2003
To assess the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in regulating body weight during prolo... more To assess the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in regulating body weight during prolonged leptin infusion, we evaluated food intake, body weight, and physical activity in conscious, unrestrained rats. Initial studies illustrated that prolonged intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of leptin enhanced substrate oxidation so that adipose tissue lipid stores were completely ablated, and muscle triglyceride and liver glycogen stores were depleted. After neonatal chemical sympathectomy, changes in weight and food intake were compared in groups of sympathectomized (SYM) and control (CON) adult animals during ICV infusion of leptin. CON animals lost 60 +/- 9 g over 10 days vs. 25 +/- 3 g in the SYM animals when food intake was matched between the two groups. Greater weight loss despite similar energy intake points to an important role of the sympathetic nervous system in stimulating energy expenditure during ICV leptin infusion by increasing the resting metabolic rate, since no...
Prospective observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of dietary or circulating ... more Prospective observational studies have shown inconsistent associations of dietary or circulating n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) with risk of all-cause mortality. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the associations. Potentially eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects model. Eleven prospective studies involving 371 965 participants from general populations and 31 185 death events were included. The summary RR of all-cause mortality for high-versus-low n-3 LCPUFA intake was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84-0.98). The summary RR for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.95), respectively. In the dose-response analysis, each 0.3 g/d increment in n-3 LCPUFA intake was associated with 6% lower risk of all-cause mortality (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99); ...
Although higher resting heart rate (RHR) has emerged as a predictor for lifespan, the underlying ... more Although higher resting heart rate (RHR) has emerged as a predictor for lifespan, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. The present study investigates whether a positive relationship exists between RHR and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and whether RHR predicts future MetS. A cohort of 89,860 participants were surveyed during 2006-2007 in Kailuan/Tangshan, China. MetS was diagnosed when a participant presented at least three of the following: abdominal adiposity, low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension or impaired fasting glucose. RHR was derived from ECG recordings and subjects were stratified based on RHR. Some participants without MetS at baseline were followed-up for 4 years. At baseline, 23,150 participants (25.76%) had MetS. There was a positive association between RHR and MetS. The OR of having MetS was 1.49 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.69) in subjects with RHR at 95-104 compared with those at 55-64 beats per minute (bpm) (reference), after adjusting fo...
ABSTRACT Although the benefits of wolfberry are well known and highly thought of in TCM, scientif... more ABSTRACT Although the benefits of wolfberry are well known and highly thought of in TCM, scientific evidence regarding its benefits is unclear. The objective of this review is to highlight the numerous health benefits of wolfberry from a rigorous scientific and clinical perspective. Arguments and evidence are given in this chapter indicating that LBP is not that unique, and that many of the potential benefits are related to indirect evidence (Sze et al. 2008). We also draw attention to new and refreshing initiatives of researchers, such as Chang and So (2008) who are trying to identify new ways to conduct research on wolfberry, for instance, by looking at its effects in relation to preventing neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases. New ideas regarding the delivery of bioactives from wolfberry, and other TCM herbs in general (Wang et al. 2005), are also a part of this review.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2000
The calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) has emerged as a major cause of secondary hyperten... more The calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) has emerged as a major cause of secondary hypertension in humans, but the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms have remained enigmatic. Synapsins are a family of synaptic vesicle phosphoproteins that are essential for normal regulation of neurotransmitter release at synapses. In addition to synaptic vesicles, synapsins and other vesicle proteins are found on microvesicles in sensory nerve endings in peripheral tissues. However, the functions of the sensory microvesicles in general, and of synapsins in particular, are unknown. We now demonstrate in a mouse model that CsA raises blood pressure by stimulating renal sensory nerve endings that contain synapsin-positive microvesicles. In knockout mice lacking synapsin I and II, sensory nerve endings are normally developed but not stimulated by CsA whereas a control stimulus, capsaicin, is fully active. The reflex activation of efferent sympathetic nerve activity and the increase in blood pressu...
Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscle by locally generated vasodilators... more Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscle by locally generated vasodilators, including NO. Skeletal muscle also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide (O 2 − ), which inactivates NO. We, therefore, hypothesized that excessive ROS production would result in enhanced sympathetic vasoconstriction in exercising muscle. To increase O 2 − by activating NADPH oxidase, rats underwent chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) or unilateral renal artery stenosis (2K1C) to increase endogenous Ang II. At rest, sympathetic nerve stimulation (range: 1 to 5 Hz) evoked similar graded decreases in femoral vascular conductance (range, −34% to −66%) in rats infused with vehicle, Ang II, or norepinephrine and in 2K1C or sham-operated rats. These sympathetically mediated decreases in femoral vascular conductance were markedly attenuated during hindlimb contraction in the vehicle, norepinephrine, and sham rats (range, −3% to −26%) and to a lesser degree in the ...
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