An ecological study on the correlation between sanitary vulnerability and air pollution with COVID-19 pandemic burden: What lessons can we learn?

Objectives: Air quality, socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, genetic predispositions, among other factors impacted the COVID-19 pandemic burden. We explored the relationship between PM2.5 levels and sanitary vulnerability in COVID-19 pandemic health outcomes in Argentina.

Circulating Ketone Bodies, Pyruvate, and Citrate and Risk of Cognitive Decline, Structural Brain Abnormalities, and Dementia.

The relationship between key energy metabolites and brain health is not well understood. We investigated the association between circulating ketone bodies, pyruvate, and citrate with cognitive decline, structural brain characteristics, and risk of dementia. We measured ketone bodies (acetoacetate, β-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone), pyruvate, and citrate species using NMR in plasma samples from 1,850 older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study collected in 1989-90 or 1992-93.

Cyclosporine A in children with ABCA3 deficiency.

Background: Biallelic ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 3 (ABCA3) variants can cause interstitial lung disease in children and adults, for which no proven treatments exist. Recent in vitro evidence suggested that cyclosporine A (CsA) could correct some ABCA3 variants, however for other variants this is unknown and no data in patients exist.

Methods: We retrieved the clinical data of two children aged 2 and 4 years carrying homozygous ABCA3 variants (G210C and Q1045R, respectively) and empiric CsA treatment from the Kids Lung Register database.

Physical activity shifts gut microbiota structure in aged subjects with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome.

We aimed to identify how physical activity (PA), within the context of a Mediterranean diet, affects metabolic variables and gut microbiota in older individuals with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome. Observational analysis was conducted as part of the PREDIMED-Plus study with 152 males and 145 females with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome. General assessments, anthropometric and biochemical measurements, and gut microbial 16S rRNA sequencing data were analyzed at baseline and 1-year of follow-up.

Association of Prenatal Dietary Toxicants and Inorganic Arsenic Exposure with Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems: ECLIPSES Study.

Prenatal exposure to dietary toxicants is linked to neurocognitive issues, but its effect on early emotional and behavioral development in children is less clear. To explore the relationship between prenatal intake of As, iAs, Cd, MeHg, Pb, PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs and emotional and behavioral issues in four-year-old children. This study included 192 mother-child pairs from the ECLIPSES study, assessing prenatal dietary toxicant exposure through a food-frequency questionnaire and Catalan Food Safety Agency data.

Shared familial risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychiatric disorders: a nationwide multigenerational genetics study.

Background: Psychiatric disorders and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are heritable, polygenic, and often comorbid conditions, yet knowledge about their potential shared familial risk is lacking. We used family designs and T2DM polygenic risk score (T2DM-PRS) to investigate the genetic associations between psychiatric disorders and T2DM.

Methods: We linked 659 906 individuals born in Denmark 1990-2000 to their parents, grandparents, and aunts/uncles using population-based registers.

Association between Prenatal Dietary Toxicants and Infant Neurodevelopment: The Role of Fish.

More research is needed to understand how the maternal consumption of fish and fish-borne toxicants impacts infant neurodevelopment. The present analysis was conducted over 460 mother-infant pairs within the ECLIPSES study. Dietary intake of metals and persistent organic pollutants from fish (including white fish, blue fish, and seafood) was estimated in pregnant women.

Dietary Glycemic Index and Load and Semen Quality: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Analysis within the FERTINUTS Trial.

Purpose: Infertility is a global health issue and nutrition plays a significant role in fertility outcomes. We aimed to investigate the cross-sectional and prospective associations of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with semen quality parameters in a cohort of healthy young men.

Materials And Methods: The study included 106 men aged 18-35 years from the FERTINUTS trial.

A red-fleshed apple rich in anthocyanins improves endothelial function, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in hypercholesterolemic subjects: the AppleCOR study.

The study determines the sustained and acute effects of a red-fleshed apple (RFA), rich in anthocyanins (ACNs), a white-fleshed apple (WFA) without ACNs, and an infusion from (AI) with an equivalent content of ACNs as RFA, on different cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in hypercholesterolemic subjects. A randomized, parallel study was performed for 6 weeks and two dose-response studies were performed at the baseline and after intervention. At 6 weeks, RFA consumption improved ischemic reactive hyperemia and decreased C-reactive protein and interleukine-6 compared to WFA consumption.

Telemedicine in HIV health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: An implementation research study in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Background: From October 2020 to October 2022, we conducted an implementation study to offer telemedicine (TM) across four HIV units of general public hospitals in Buenos Aires. The intervention used TM to provide a continuum of care to patients with HIV.

Methods And Setting: We used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the strategy.

Bile Acids and Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The relationship between bile acids (BAs) and adverse cardiovascular events following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been little investigated. We aimed to examine the associations of BAs with the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in ACS. We conducted a prospective study on 309 ACS patients who were followed for 10 years.

Effects of a High-Fat Diet on Insulin-Related miRNAs in Plasma and Brain Tissue in APP/PS1dE9 and Wild-Type C57BL/6J Mice.

Insulin resistance (IR)-related miRNAs have been associated with the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The dietary modulation of these miRNAs could become a potential strategy to manage AD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a high-fat diet (HFD), which aggravates AD-related pathogenic processes, on serum, cortex and hippocampus IR-related miRNA expression.

Exploring small non-coding RNAs as blood-based biomarkers to predict Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis relies on clinical symptoms complemented with biological biomarkers, the Amyloid Tau Neurodegeneration (ATN) framework. Small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) in the blood have emerged as potential predictors of AD. We identified sncRNA signatures specific to ATN and AD, and evaluated both their contribution to improving AD conversion prediction beyond ATN alone.

Dietary fat, telomere length and cognitive function: unravelling the complex relations.

Purpose Of Review: The review aims to explore the recent evidence on the associations between different dietary fat intake and cognitive function, and to understand the role of telomere length in this relationship.

Recent Findings: Clinical and preclinical studies included in this review suggest that dietary fat intake is associated with cognitive function and telomere length. High intake of saturated fats and trans fats, commonly found in ultra-processed foods, appears to have negative effects on cognitive function and telomere length, while other dietary fats, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids are associated with improved cognitive performance and reduced telomere attrition.

Dietary intake of metals, metalloids, and persistent organic pollutants in Spanish pregnant women. ECLIPSES study.

Objective: This study aimed to describe dietary intake and important dietary sources to pollutants as well as to identify maternal socio-economic and lifestyle factors associated with high intake during pregnancy in women residing in a Mediterranean city with heavy industrial activity.

Methods: Dietary intake during pregnancy of As, InAs, Cd, MeHg, Pb, PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs, and NDL-PCBs in 701 pregnant women participating in the longitudinal ECLIPSES study was calculated based on a 45-item food-frequency questionnaire and a database of pollutants in food of the Catalan Food Safety Agency. Details on socio-economic, lifestyle, and anthropometric variables were also collected.

TCA cycle metabolites associated with adverse outcomes after acute coronary syndrome: mediating effect of renal function.

Aims: To examine relationships of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites with risk of cardiovascular events and mortality after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and evaluate the mediating role of renal function in these associations.

Methods: This is a prospective study performed among 309 ACS patients who were followed for a mean of 6.7 years.

Lipoprotein Particle Profiles Associated with Telomere Length and Telomerase Complex Components.

Telomere length (TL) is a well-known marker of age-related diseases. Oxidative stress and inflammation increase the rate of telomere shortening, triggering cellular senescence. Although lipoproteins could have anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory functional properties, the relationship between lipoprotein particles with TL and telomerase activity-related genes has not been investigated much.

A novel rhein-huprine hybrid ameliorates disease-modifying properties in preclinical mice model of Alzheimer's disease exacerbated with high fat diet.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a polyetiological origin. Despite the global burden of AD and the advances made in AD drug research and development, the cure of the disease remains elusive, since any developed drug has demonstrated effectiveness to cure AD. Strikingly, an increasing number of studies indicate a linkage between AD and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as both diseases share some common pathophysiological features.

Effects of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor therapy in children with cystic fibrosis - a comprehensive assessment using lung clearance index, spirometry, and functional and structural lung MRI.

Background: With improvement in supportive therapies and the introduction of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-modulator treatment in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), milder disease courses are expected. Therefore, sensitive parameters are needed to monitor disease course and effects of CFTR-modulators. Functional lung MRI using matrix-pencil decomposition (MP-MRI) is a promising tool for assessing ventilation and perfusion quantitatively.