A healthy lifestyle may ameliorate metabolic syndrome (MetS); however, it remains unclear if incorporating nuts or seeds into lifestyle counseling (LC) has additional benefit. A 3-arm, randomized, controlled trial was conducted among 283 participants screened for MetS using the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for Asian Americans. Participants were assigned to a LC on the AHA guidelines, LC + flaxseed (30 g/d) (LCF), or LC + walnuts (30 g/d) (LCW) group. After the 12-wk intervention, the prevalence of MetS decreased significantly in all groups: -16.9% (LC), -20.2% (LCF), and -16.0% (LCW). The reversion rate of MetS, i.e. those no longer meeting the MetS criteria at 12 wk, was not significantly different among groups (LC group, 21.1%; LCF group, 26.6%; and LCW group, 25.5%). However, the reversion rate of central obesity was higher in the LCF (19.2%; P = 0.008) and LCW (16.0%; P = 0.04) groups than in the LC group (6.3%). Most of the metabolic variables (weight, waist circumference, serum glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein (Apo) B, ApoE, and blood pressure) were significantly reduced from baseline in all 3 groups. However, the severity of MetS, presented as the mean count of MetS components, was significantly reduced in the LCW group compared with the LC group among participants with confirmed MetS at baseline (P = 0.045). Our results suggest that a low-intensity lifestyle education program is effective in MetS management. Flaxseed and walnut supplementation may ameliorate central obesity. Further studies with larger sample sizes and of longer duration are needed to examine the role of these foods in the prevention and management of MetS.

Solar cells and optical detection devices often incorporate antireflective surfaces to reduce undesired reflection and enhance optical absorption. This letter reports a “black silicon” structure of antireflective porous silicon fabricated by using electrochemical etching. The sample has a gradient-index multilayer structure, i.e., the refraction indices of the structure increase from the top (near the air) to the bottom (near the Si substrate). Reflectance below 5% is obtained over a broad wave number range (3000–28000cm−1) and the depression mechanism of the optical reflectance is analyzed by simulating the structure with the transfer matrix method. The simulated result fits the measured spectra well.

Herein, we tested a recently-proposed working model of apolipoprotein E (apoE)-mediated sulfatide metabolism/trafficking/homeostasis with two well-characterized amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic (Tg) animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (i.e., APPV717F and APPsw) on a wild-type murine apoE background or after being bred onto an Apoe−/− background. As anticipated, lipidomics analysis demonstrated that the sulfatide levels in brain tissues were reduced beginning at approximately 6 months of age in APPV717F Tg, Apoe+/+ mice and at 9 months of age in APPsw Tg, Apoe+/+ mice relative to their respective non APP Tg littermates. This reduction increased in both APP Tg mice as they aged. In contrast, sulfatide depletion did not occur in APP Tg, Apoe−/− animals relative to the Apoe−/− littermates. The lack of sulfatide depletion in APP Tg, Apoe−/− mice strongly supports the role of apoE in the deficient sulfatide content in APP Tg, Apoe+/+ mice. Collectively, through different animal models of AD, this study provides evidence for an identified biochemical mechanism that may be responsible for the sulfatide depletion at the earliest stages of AD.