{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.cholesterol","code":"thing-q43656","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q43656/","name":"cholesterol","alternateNames":["7-dehydrocholesterol","HDL cholesterol","VLDL cholesterol","LDL cholesterol"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.MAT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Cholesterol is a sterol lipid (C27H46O) that is both synthesized endogenously and obtained from animal-derived foods, serving as a structural component of eukaryotic membranes and a biosynthetic precursor of steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise cholesterol, assess its chemical and contextual state, interpret observations about it, and identify justified handling or analytical actions.","scope":{"in":["Molecular identity and discrimination from related sterols","Free cholesterol and explicitly distinguished cholesteryl ester contributions","Physical form, purity and chemical alteration of cholesterol-containing material","Cholesterol amount, concentration and distribution in a specified sample or compartment","Measurement interpretation, traceability and justified material-handling actions"],"out":["Lipoprotein particle identity, composition and transport behaviour as complete entities","Patient cardiovascular risk, diagnosis and treatment decisions","Whole-cell regulation, organ physiology and complete metabolic pathways","Food composition, dietary planning and nutritional recommendations","Other sterols, cholesteryl esters and cholesterol oxidation products as independently characterised substances"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Identify cholesterol by its sterol structure, including the 3β-hydroxyl group and double bond between carbons 5 and 6; the molecular formula C27H46O alone does not establish identity against isomers.","Distinguish free cholesterol from cholesteryl esters by whether the hydroxyl group is esterified; an assay reporting total cholesterol may combine contributions from both.","Treat LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol as cholesterol measurements associated with specified lipoprotein fractions, rather than different molecular species of cholesterol.","Distinguish cholesterol from related sterols using analytical evidence capable of resolving the relevant structural differences, rather than appearance or a generic sterol-positive result.","Distinguish intact cholesterol from oxidised derivatives; a material derived from cholesterol is not automatically chemically unchanged cholesterol."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"cholesterol-identity","name":"Cholesterol identity","description":"Establish what substance is present and what a cholesterol label actually denotes.","layers":[{"id":"molecular-recognition","name":"Molecular recognition","description":"Record evidence that discriminates cholesterol from chemically similar substances.","findings":[{"id":"structure-supported-identity","name":"Structure-supported identity","description":"Record the claimed identity, its supporting evidence and whether relevant sterol alternatives were resolved.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence establishes the cholesterol structure, including its stereochemistry, rather than only a compatible formula or sterol class?","id":"structure-supported-identity-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which reference material, analytical record or supplier record supports this identity claim?","id":"structure-supported-identity-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"chemical-form-boundary","name":"Chemical form boundary","description":"Separate free cholesterol from esterified contributions and other derivatives.","findings":[{"id":"free-versus-derived","name":"Free cholesterol versus derived forms","description":"Record whether cholesterol denotes the unesterified substance, a cholesterol contribution within esters or an assay-defined total.","questions":[{"text":"Does this record refer to free cholesterol, esterified cholesterol contributions or total cholesterol?","id":"free-versus-derived-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which esters or oxidation products require linked substance records rather than being counted as intact free cholesterol?","id":"free-versus-derived-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"material-state-and-integrity","name":"Material state and integrity","description":"Describe how cholesterol is physically presented and whether its chemical identity has been preserved.","layers":[{"id":"physical-presentation","name":"Physical presentation","description":"Characterise the phase and surroundings in which cholesterol is available.","findings":[{"id":"phase-and-dispersion","name":"Phase and dispersion","description":"Record whether cholesterol is solid, dissolved, dispersed or incorporated into an organised lipid environment.","questions":[{"text":"Is cholesterol present as a solid, in solution, in a dispersion or associated with a membrane or particle?","id":"phase-and-dispersion-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What solvent, temperature and preparation history support that state, and is precipitation or phase separation evident?","id":"phase-and-dispersion-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"purity-and-alteration","name":"Purity and alteration","description":"Assess non-cholesterol constituents and changes affecting intended use.","findings":[{"id":"intact-cholesterol-fraction","name":"Intact cholesterol fraction","description":"Record purity evidence and any detected or suspected conversion to other chemical species.","questions":[{"text":"What fraction of the material is intact cholesterol, and does the method distinguish relevant impurities or oxidation products?","id":"intact-cholesterol-fraction-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What storage or exposure history could affect integrity, and what evidence confirms or leaves that effect unresolved?","id":"intact-cholesterol-fraction-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"amount-and-assay-meaning","name":"Amount and assay meaning","description":"Make cholesterol quantities interpretable and comparable.","layers":[{"id":"quantity-definition","name":"Quantity definition","description":"Specify exactly what each reported cholesterol quantity counts.","findings":[{"id":"declared-cholesterol-basis","name":"Declared cholesterol basis","description":"Bind each quantity to a free, esterified or total basis and a specified sample denominator.","questions":[{"text":"What cholesterol quantity is reported, in which units, and relative to what sample volume, mass or amount?","id":"declared-cholesterol-basis-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"If esters contribute, is the result expressed as cholesterol equivalents or as the mass of whole ester molecules?","id":"declared-cholesterol-basis-q02","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"analytical-validity","name":"Analytical validity","description":"Capture the analytical operations and limitations behind a cholesterol result.","findings":[{"id":"method-qualified-result","name":"Method-qualified result","description":"Record sample preparation, assay selectivity, calibration and uncertainty sufficient to assess the result.","questions":[{"text":"How was cholesterol measured, and did preparation include extraction, ester hydrolysis or fraction separation?","id":"method-qualified-result-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What uncertainty, recovery limitations or interferences constrain comparison with another cholesterol result?","id":"method-qualified-result-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"biological-and-material-location","name":"Biological and material location","description":"Locate cholesterol without confusing the molecule with its carrier or host system.","layers":[{"id":"host-and-compartment","name":"Host and compartment","description":"Identify the material or biological location to which an observation applies.","findings":[{"id":"located-cholesterol-population","name":"Located cholesterol population","description":"Record the sample, compartment or material population represented by the cholesterol observation.","questions":[{"text":"Which material, specimen or biological compartment contains the cholesterol being described?","id":"located-cholesterol-population-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Was that location directly sampled, experimentally separated or inferred from a broader measurement?","id":"located-cholesterol-population-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"carrier-association","name":"Carrier association","description":"Represent cholesterol association with lipoproteins or membranes as a contextual relation.","findings":[{"id":"fraction-associated-cholesterol","name":"Fraction-associated cholesterol","description":"Distinguish cholesterol content attributed to a fraction from properties of the particles or membranes themselves.","questions":[{"text":"If the observation is labelled LDL cholesterol or HDL cholesterol, how was the fraction association measured or calculated?","id":"fraction-associated-cholesterol-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which conclusions concern cholesterol content, and which require a separate lipoprotein, membrane or patient model?","id":"fraction-associated-cholesterol-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"supported-operations","name":"Supported operations","description":"Connect cholesterol state and evidence to justified analytical and material operations.","layers":[{"id":"preparation-and-transformation","name":"Preparation and transformation","description":"Specify prerequisites and consequences of preparing cholesterol-containing material.","findings":[{"id":"operation-with-defined-target","name":"Operation with a defined target","description":"Record the target chemical form and material state for dissolution, extraction, separation or incorporation.","questions":[{"text":"What documented procedure supports the intended cholesterol preparation in this matrix and at this scale?","id":"operation-with-defined-target-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Will the operation preserve free cholesterol, release cholesterol from esters or otherwise change the analyte basis?","id":"operation-with-defined-target-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"retention-and-use-readiness","name":"Retention and use readiness","description":"Assess whether the material remains fit for its stated analytical or experimental purpose.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-based-use-disposition","name":"Evidence-based use disposition","description":"Connect documented storage requirements, current integrity evidence and intended use to a handling decision.","questions":[{"text":"Which storage and handling conditions apply to this specific cholesterol preparation according to its documentation?","id":"evidence-based-use-disposition-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does the available identity, purity and integrity evidence support use, or is reanalysis or replacement needed?","id":"evidence-based-use-disposition-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cholesterol this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the roles of cholesterol in the body and in diet from health authority sources.","Report cholesterol content from food labels or lab specifications."],"mustNot":["Interpret a person's blood cholesterol result as a diagnosis or treatment decision without a clinician.","Advise stopping or starting cholesterol-lowering medicines.","Disclose a person's lipid results without consent.","Promote supplements or diets as cures for high cholesterol."],"requiresHuman":["Any treatment decision based on a person's cholesterol levels."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Heart disease risk is unevenly shared and tied to income and food access.","Conflicting diet advice confuses people and can be exploited for profit."],"affectedParties":["Patients","People with inherited high cholesterol","Consumers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: a substance in living bodies; clinicians interpret each person's levels.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q143623","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.cholesterol","Wikidata: Q43656 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43656)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identity evidence: Links to structural identification, reference material, analytical results or supplier documentation","Chemical representation: Free cholesterol; esterified cholesterol contribution; total cholesterol; unresolved","Material presentation: Solid; dissolved; dispersed; membrane-associated; lipoprotein-associated; other specified presentation","Amount or concentration: mol, g, mmol/L, mg/dL, mg/g or another explicitly defined basis","Purity or constituent fraction: Mass fraction, mole fraction or method-defined purity with its basis stated","Associated matrix or compartment: Specified solvent, material, biological sample, membrane or lipoprotein fraction","Chemical integrity: Integrity supported; alteration detected; alteration suspected; unassessed","Measurement qualification: Method, calibration, uncertainty, reporting limit, sample preparation and observation time"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A white, waxy crystalline solid when purified.","In the body, identified by laboratory tests rather than appearance."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Verify a cholesterol identity claim against suitable structural or analytical evidence.","Quantify cholesterol on a declared free, esterified or total basis and compare compatible observations.","Locate cholesterol within a specified material, biological compartment or separated fraction.","Assess whether dissolution, extraction, separation or incorporation into a preparation is supported by the material state and intended use.","Select documented storage and handling conditions and flag evidence of chemical alteration.","Route clinical interpretations or decisions about associated particles to the relevant neighbouring model."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Build-up in arteries contributing to heart disease and stroke.","Gallstones formed from cholesterol."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["The Cholesterol monograph in the European Pharmacopoeia, published by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare of the Council of Europe, specifies quality requirements for cholesterol intended for pharmaceutical use."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Cholesterol occurs in animal tissues and animal-derived foods, contributing to cell membrane structure and serving as a precursor for several biologically active substances.","Clinical laboratories measure cholesterol carried in blood lipoproteins as part of lipid assessment.","Purified cholesterol is used in biochemical research, analytical reference materials and some lipid-based formulations."]}},"sources":[{"title":"sterols (steroid alcohols)","url":"https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/S06003","note":"IUPAC Gold Book definition of sterols as naturally occurring steroids with a 3-hydroxy group, of which cholesterol is the principal animal example."},{"title":"Physiology, Cholesterol","url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470561/","note":"Membrane role, de novo synthesis via HMG-CoA reductase, lipoprotein transport, steroid/bile-acid/vitamin D precursor functions, and clinical lipid-panel fractions."},{"title":"Blood Cholesterol","url":"https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/blood-cholesterol","note":"Clinical distinction of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides; atherosclerotic risk framing; and US public-health treatment of blood cholesterol as a measured quantity."},{"title":"Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)","url":"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)","note":"WHO attribution of raised blood cholesterol as a major modifiable risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease globally."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q43656: cholesterol","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43656","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Cholesterol","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry already contain authoritative models for sterols, cholesteryl esters, lipoproteins or clinical lipid observations that should own some of these boundaries?","Which identity methods and reference materials provide sufficient discrimination from relevant sterol isomers and impurities for each intended use?","Which assay conventions govern total and esterified cholesterol reporting in the target sample types, including cholesterol-equivalent calculations?","What preparation-specific storage conditions, integrity criteria and reanalysis intervals are supported by authoritative documentation?","Which physical-state details, such as solid form or membrane accessibility, materially change decisions in the intended applications and therefore warrant finer modelling?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q43656/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q43656/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T11:52:44Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:31+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 5 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}