Circulating miRNAs in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often change their metabolic profile over time to decrease levels of androgens while often gaining a propensity for the development of the metabolic syndrome. Recent discoveries indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in the development of PCOS and constitute potential biomarkers for PCOS. We aimed to identify miRNAs associated with the development of an impaired metabolic profile in women with PCOS, in a follow-up study, compared with women without PCOS.

Translating Academic Drug Discovery Into Clinical Development: A Survey of the Awareness of Regulatory Support and Requirements Among Stakeholders in Europe.

Important discoveries by academic drug developers hold the promise of bringing innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs to the market. However, the drug development process has proved to be challenging and demanding for academic researchers, and regulatory challenges are an important barrier to implementing academic findings in clinical practice. European regulators offer varying degrees of support services to help drug developers meet regulatory standards and requirements.

Sex, Food, and the Gut Microbiota: Disparate Response to Caloric Restriction Diet with Fiber Supplementation in Women and Men.

Scope: Dietary-based strategies are regularly explored in controlled clinical trials to provide cost-effective therapies to tackle obesity and its comorbidities. The article presents a complementary analysis based on a multivariate multi-omics approach of a caloric restriction intervention (CRD) with fiber supplementation to unveil synergic effects on body weight control, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota.

Methods And Results: The study explores fecal bile acids (BAs) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), plasma BAs, and fecal shotgun metagenomics on 80 overweight participants of a 12-week caloric restriction clinical trial (-500 kcal day ) randomly allocated into fiber (10 g day inulin + 10 g day resistant maltodextrin) or placebo (maltodextrin) supplementation groups.

No Effect of Dietary Fish Oil Supplementation on the Recruitment of Brown and Brite Adipocytes in Mice or Humans under Thermoneutral Conditions.

Scope: Brown and brite adipocytes within the mammalian adipose organ provide non-shivering thermogenesis and thus, have an exceptional capacity to dissipate chemical energy as heat. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the n3-series, abundant in fish oil, have been repeatedly demonstrated to enhance the recruitment of thermogenic capacity in these cells, consequently affecting body adiposity and glucose tolerance. These effects are scrutinized in mice housed in a thermoneutral environment and in a human dietary intervention trial.

Evaluation of a learning collaborative to advance team-based care in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Practising team-based primary care allows Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in the USA to be accredited as patient-centred medical homes, positioning them for value-based models of shared savings in healthcare costs. Team-based care (TBC) involves redesign of staff roles and care delivery processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness, which requires a systematic and supportive approach to practice change over time. Thirteen FQHC primary care teams participated in an 8-month learning collaborative with a goal of providing teams with the knowledge, skills and coaching support needed to advance TBC in their organisations.

Levels of Circulating miR-122 are Associated with Weight Loss and Metabolic Syndrome.

Objective: This study investigated whether the levels of specific serum microRNAs (miRNAs) were altered following diet-induced weight loss and whether the serum miRNAs differed in the presence of the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: The study was a weight loss intervention trial with a prescribed energy deficit of approximately 500 kcal/d. Levels of 22 miRNAs were determined in serum samples from 85 participants with overweight or obesity.

The effect of inulin and resistant maltodextrin on weight loss during energy restriction: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded intervention.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the additive effects of combining energy restriction with dietary fibres on change in body weight and gut microbiota composition.

Methods: The study was a 12-week randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel intervention trial. A total of 116 overweight or obese participants were assigned randomly either to 10 g inulin plus 10 g resistant maltodextrin or to 20 g of placebo supplementation through 400 mL of milk a day, while on a - 500 kcal/day energy restricted diet.

Analysis of circulating angiopoietin-like protein 3 and genetic variants in lipid metabolism and liver health: the DiOGenes study.

Background: Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3), a liver-derived protein, plays an important role in the lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Using data available from the DiOGenes study, we assessed the link with clinical improvements (weight, plasma lipid, and insulin levels) and changes in liver markers, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), adiponectin, fetuin A and B, and cytokeratin 18 (CK-18), upon low-calorie diet (LCD) intervention. We also examined the role of genetic variation in determining the level of circulating ANGPTL3 and the relation between the identified genetic markers and markers of hepatic steatosis.

A randomised, controlled, crossover study of the effect of diet on angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) through modification of the gut microbiome.

Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) is a lipoprotein lipase inhibitor that is involved in lipid metabolism and angiogenesis. Animal studies have suggested that the ANGPTL4 protein is modulated by the gut microbiota, possibly through increased concentrations of SCFA, such as C4, found in whole-fat milk or as a result of fermentation of inulin. This study investigated whether a standardised diet either high in fat content or supplemented with inulin powder would increase plasma ANGPTL4 in overweight men and whether this increase was mediated through a compositional change of the gut microbiota.

HspX vaccination and role in virulence in the guinea pig model of tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) currently infects billions of people; many of whom are latently infection and at risk for reactivation. Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) while approved as a vaccine, is unable to prevent reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Subunit vaccines boosting BCG or given alone are being tested for efficacy in LTBI models.

Neurocognitive outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: Preliminary reports have documented the safety of off-pump coronary artery bypass graft compared with conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Whereas off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be associated with improvement in some short-term outcomes, longer-term outcomes and influence on neurocognitive function have not been fully assessed. We examined short-term and intermediate-term neurocognitive and index admission morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery performed with and without the use of extracorporeal circulation.

Sensitive liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of beclomethasone dipropionate and its metabolites in equine plasma and urine.

Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is a potent pro-drug to beclomethasone (BOH) and is used in the treatment of chronic and acute respiratory disorders in the horse. The therapeutic dose of BDP (325 microg per horse) by inhalation results in very low plasma and urinary concentrations of BDP and its metabolites that pose a challenge to detection and confirmation by equine forensic laboratories. To solve this problem, a method involving the use of a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the detection, confirmation and quantification of the analytes in equine samples.