The aim of this study was to explore the associations of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) time and sedentary (SED) time with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and multifactorial (i.e., blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)) control status among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in China. A cross-sectional analysis of 9152 people with type 2 diabetes from the Multifactorial Intervention on Type 2 Diabetes (MIDiab) study was performed. Patients were grouped according to their self-reported MVPA time (low, < 150 min·week⁻¹; moderate, 150 to < 450 min·week⁻¹; high, ≥ 450 min·week⁻¹) and SED time (low, < 4 h·d^–1; moderate, 4 to < 8 h·d^–1; high, ≥ 8 h·d^–1). Participants who self-reported a history of CVD were identified as having a CVD risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of CVD risk and multifactorial control status associated with MVPA time and SED time were estimated using mixed-effect logistic regression models, adjusting for China's geographical region characteristics. The participants had a mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of (60.87 ± 8.44) years; 44.5% were women, and 25.1% had CVD. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, an inverse association between high MVPA time and CVD risk that was independent of SED time was found, whereas this association was not observed in the moderate-MVPA group. A higher MVPA time was more likely to have a positive effect on the control of BMI. Compared with the reference group (i.e., those with MVPA time ≥ 450 min·week⁻¹ and SED time < 4 h·d^–1), CVD risk was higher in the low-MVPA group: The OR associated with an SED time < 4 h·d^–1 was 1.270 (95% CI, 1.040–1.553) and that associated with an SED time ≥ 8 h·d^–1 was 1.499 (95% CI, 1.149–1.955). We found that a high MVPA time (i.e., ≥ 450 min·week⁻¹) was associated with lower odds of CVD risk regardless of SED time among patients with T2DM.

Myocardial infarction (MI), the most serious of the ischemic heart diseases, is accompanied by myocardial metabolic disorders and the loss of cardiomyocytes. Increasing evidence has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various pathological conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and are emerging as a novel biomarker for these disorders. This study aims to investigate the regulatory role and mechanisms of lncRNAs in myocardial remodeling in the setting of MI. We find that post-infarcted hearts exhibit a reduction of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and an alteration of the glucose and lipid metabolism genes cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), hexokinase 1 (HK1), and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), accompanied by cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. We then identify a previously unknown conserved lncRNA, AK009126 (cardiomyocyte pyroptosis-associated lncRNA, CPAL), which is remarkably upregulated in the myocardial border zone of MI mice. Importantly, the adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-mediated silencing of endogenous CPAL by its short hairpin RNA (shRNA) partially abrogates myocardial metabolic alterations and cardiomyocyte pyroptosis during MI in mice. Mechanistically, CPAL is shown to bind directly to nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and to act as an activator of NFκB to induce NFκB phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes. We also find that CPAL upregulates caspase-1 expression at the transcriptional level and consequently promotes the release of interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-1b from cardiomyocytes. Collectively, our findings reveal the conserved lncRNA CPAL as a new regulator of cardiac metabolic abnormalities and cardiomyocyte pyroptosis in the setting of MI and suggest CPAL as a new therapeutic target to protect cardiomyocytes against ischemic injury in infarcted hearts.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is endogenously produced in adipocytes and fat tissues and stimulates adipogenesis. The integrated pathogenic effects of H₂S on the development of obesity and the underlying mechanisms, however, have been unclear. Here, we find that a decreased endogenous H₂S level lowered lipid accumulation in mouse adipocytes. Exogenous H₂S treatment significantly increased the adipogenesis of primary mouse preadipocytes after six days of adipogenic induction. In the early phase of adipogenesis, H₂S increased cell proliferation and prepared cells to go through hyperplasia. After H₂S treatment for ten days, preadipocytes exhibited significantly greater cell surface area and diameter, indicating cell hypertrophy. Although it stimulated lipid accumulation and adipogenesis, H₂S had no effect on lipolysis. With nutrition overload and high glucose/insulin incubation, H₂S further stimulated glucose consumption and deteriorated adipocyte hypertrophy. H₂S upregulated hyperplasia genes (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPβ), cell division cycle 25 (Cdc25), minichromosome maintenance 3 (Mcm3), and cell division cycle (Cdc45)) and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 protein (Cdk2), which regulates cell proliferation. H₂S also upregulated the insulin receptor β (Irβ)-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (Akt) pathways, leading to adipogenesis. In conclusion, H₂S increases adipocyte differentiation, hypertrophy, and hyperplasia, implying that it plays a pathogenic role in obesity disorder.

Pleckstrin homology-like domain, family A, member 1 (PHLDA1) is a multifaceted intracellular protein belonging to the evolutionarily conserved pleckstrin homology-related domain family. Its murine homologue, T-cell death-associated 51 (TDAG51) gene, was initially discovered for its role in activation-induced apoptosis in T-cell hybridomas. In recent years, PHLDA1 has received increased attention due to its association with obesity, fatty liver disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Accumulating evidence also supports its role in endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathways as a crucial mediator of apoptosis, autophagy, and cell proliferation. In this review, the current knowledge of PHLDA1 gene and protein regulation, localization, and function is summarized. This review highlights the pro- and anti-apoptotic roles of PHLDA1 that contribute to vast array of metabolic diseases.

Due to its constant pumping and contraction, the heart requires a substantial amount of energy, with fatty acids (FAs) providing a major part of its adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, the heart is incapable of making this substrate and attains its FAs from multiple sources, including the action of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). LPL is produced in cardiomyocytes and subsequently secreted to its heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) binding sites on the plasma membrane. To then move LPL to the endothelial cell (EC) lumen, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1) attaches to interstitial LPL and transfers it to the vascular lumen, where the LPL is ready to perform its function of breaking down circulating triglycerides (TG) into FAs. The endo-β-glucuronidase heparanase (Hpa) is unique in that it is the only known mammalian enzyme to cleave heparan sulfate (HS), thereby promoting the abovementioned release of LPL from the cardiomyocyte HSPG. In diabetes, it has been suggested that changes in how the heart generates energy are responsible for the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Following moderate diabetes, with the reduction in glucose utilization, the heart increases its LPL activity at the vascular lumen due to an increase in Hpa action. Although this adaptation might be beneficial to compensate for the underutilization of glucose by the heart, it is toxic over the long term, as harmful lipid metabolite accumulation, along with augmented FA oxidation and thus oxidative stress, leads to cell death. This coincides with the loss of a cardioprotective growth factor—namely, vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB). This review discusses interconnections between Hpa, LPL, and VEGFB and their potential implications in DCM. Given that mechanism-based therapeutic care for DCM is unavailable, understanding the pathology of this cardiomyopathy, along with the contribution of LPL, will help us advance its clinical management.