Background: In the era of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), distant metastasis remains the major cause of death from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of pretreatment serum lipid profiles in predicting clinical outcome of NPC. Methodology / Principal Findings: A total of 1927 consecutive patients who had untreated NPC and completed radical IM...

Since the original description of the gene encoding apolipoprotein AI (apoAI) considerable progress has been made in identifying the regulatory regions and corresponding transcription factors that regulate its transcription in liver and intestinal cells. Nuclear receptors (in particular HNF-4) have emerged as the dominant (although by no means the exclusive) transcriptional activators that driv...

An initial step in reverse cholesterol transport is the movement of unesterified cholesterol from peripheral cells to high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). This transfer usually occurs in extracellular spaces, such as the subendothelial space of a vessel wall, and is promoted by the interaction of lipid-free or lipid-poor apolipoprotein (apo)AI with ATP binding cassette A1 cellular transporters on ...

Obesity is a strong cardiometabolic (CM) risk factor in children. We tested potential CM risk in obese/overweight children and the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention using newer CM markers: atherogenic index of plasma AIP [Log(TG/HDL-C)], apoB/apoAI ratio and a marker of insulin resistance HOMA-IR. The participants (194 girls, 115 boys, average age 13) were enrolled in an intensive, ...

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the main protein of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and a principal mediator of the reverse cholesterol transfer pathway. Variants of apoA-I have been shown to be associated with hereditary amyloidosis. We previously characterized the G26R and L178H variants that both possess decreased stability and increased fibril formation propensity. Here we investigate the Mil...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Dyslipidaemia is the main risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Plasma lipid levels are conven-tionally used to predict coronary risk globally, but further studies are required to investigate whether the lipoprotein ratios are superior to conventional lipid parameters as predictors for CHD. METHODS A hospital-based case-control study consisting of 738 CHD patients a...

Previous studies suggest that high-density lipoprotein and apoAI inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses. The goal of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the apoAI mimetic peptide L-4F exerts antiinflammatory effects similar to apoAI. Pretreatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with LPS induced the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes. Incubation...

Apolipoproteins of high density lipoprotein (HDL) and especially apolipoprotein (apo)AI and apoAII have been demonstrated as binding directly to the class B type I scavenger receptor (SR-BI), the HDL receptor that mediates selective cholesteryl ester uptake. However, the functional relevance of the binding capacity of each apolipoprotein is still unknown. The human adrenal cell line, NCI-H295R,...

Human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) plays a key role in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway that delivers excess cholesterol back to the liver for clearance. In vivo, HDL particles vary in size, shape and biological function. The discoidal HDL is a 140-240 kDa, disk-shaped intermediate of mature HDL. During mature spherical HDL formation, discoidal HDLs play a key role in loading cholest...