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Background Platelet indices are blood-based parameters reflecting the activation of platelets. Previous studies have identified an association between platelet indices and blood pressure (BP). However, causal inferences are prone to bias by confounding effects and reverse causation. We performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to compare the causal roles between genetically determined platelet indices and BP levels. Methods Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with platelet count (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and BP at the level of genome-wide significance (p − 8) in the UK Biobank were used as instrumental variables. In bidirectional univariable MR analyses, inverse variance-weighted (IVW), MR‒Egger, and weighted median methods were used to obtain estimates for individual causal power. In addition, heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the pleiotropy of effect estimates. Finally, multivariable MR analyses were undertaken to disentangle the comparative effects of four platelet indices on BP. Results In the univariable MR analyses, increased levels of PLT and PCT were associated with higher BP, and PDW was associated with higher DBP alone. In the reverse direction, SBP had a minor influence on PLT and PCT. In multivariable MR analysis, PDW and PLT revealed an independent effect, whereas the association for PCT and MPV was insignificant after colinear correction. Conclusion These findings suggest that platelets and BP may affect each other. PDW and PLT are independent platelet indices influencing BP. Increased platelet activation and aggregation may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension, which may provide insights into evaluating thromboembolic events in people with high BP. The necessity of initiating antiplatelet therapy among hypertension groups needs further investigation.

Stroke is one of the highest incidence neurological disorder with great morbidity and mortality rate. The secondary neuroinflammation contributed by microglial activation is a consequential response observed in the pathogenesis of stroke. High-mobility group box 1, a non-histone nuclear protein, interacts with immune cells, such as microglia, and leads to a cascade amplification of the secondary neuroinflammatory responses, which are related to neuronal damage later. Melatonin is a neurohormone, well-known as its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. However, until now, more findings are required for better understanding about anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin on HMGB1 and HMGB1-triggered pathway in LPS-induced microglial activation. Melatonin effect on the viability of BV2 microglial cells was measured by CCK-8 assay; mRNA levels of HMGB1 and other inflammatory cytokines were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; the protein expression levels of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and SIRT1 were detected by Western blot, and HMGB1 translocation and release from BV2 microglial cells were examined by immunofluorescence assay. The results of this study demonstrated that melatonin suppressed LPS-triggered BV2 microglial activation-mediated inflammation by inhibiting high expression and release of HMGB1 and moderating the activation of subsequent TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, which was activated by SIRT1 elevation. Furthermore, LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) was notably reversed by melatonin pre-treatment. In summary, our findings suggest that melatonin may act as a promising therapeutic agent for reducing post-stroke neuroinflammation by targeting HMGB1 and the subsequent signaling axis.

A health program aiming at college students is pressingly needed to improve their lifestyle and prevent diseases. However, a health intervention often requires health facilities and the many efforts of health workers. This project attempts to evolve traditional health intervention by using integrated methods based on social media and multiple mobile tools. A total of 110 undergraduates from Zhejiang University were recruited. In all, 87 participants volunteered to enroll in the intervention group, whereas 23 stayed in a control group. Fifteen staff (dietitians, health assistants and a sports coach) used the WeChat app and its plugin Zhishi mini-program for health education, diet and physical activity (PA) supervision during 21 days. Pre-to-post changes of eating habits, physical fitness tests and anthropometry data were measured. The RE-AIM framework was employed to evaluate the intervention, dimensions of which were Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance. The recruitment rate of students was 79.1%. The intervention group showed significant progress in terms of healthy food intake (all P