plants produce two major classes of valuable sterol-derived natural products-steroidal glycoalkaloids and steroidal saponins-from a common cholesterol precursor. Attempts to heterologously produce these molecules have consistently failed, although the genes responsible for each biosynthetic step have been identified. Here we identify a cellulose synthase-like protein, an unexpected biosynthetic component that interacts with the early pathway enzymes, enabling steroidal scaffolds production in plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent syndrome in elderly subjects. Currently, multiple drugs have shown clinical benefits in patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, evidence is scarce in elderly patients (beyond 75 years old), even more so for the latest drugs, such as angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: The validation of new lines of therapy for the elderly is required due to the progressive ageing of the world population and scarce evidence in elderly patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The purpose of our study is to analyze the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in this subgroup of patients. (2) Methods: A single-center, real-world observational study was performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) is an entity with poor prognosis characterized by decompensations. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is used to assess volume overload (VO) and may be useful to identify apparently stable HF outpatients at risk of decompensation. The aim of this study is to analyse whether VO assessed by BIA is associated with worsening heart failure (WHF) in stable outpatients with HF and reduced LVEF (HFrEF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of the study is to describe the genotype and phenotype of a Mexican cohort with -related retinal disease.
Methods: The study included 14 patients from 11 unrelated pedigrees with retinal dystrophies who were demonstrated to carry biallelic pathogenic variants in . Visual assessment methods included best corrected visual acuity, color fundus photography, Goldmann visual field test, kinetic perimetry, dark/light adapted chromatic perimetry, full-field electroretinography, autofluorescence imaging, and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography imaging.
Many organisms can adjust their development according to environmental conditions, including the presence of conspecifics. Although this developmental plasticity is common in amphibians, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Exposure during development to either 'cannibal cues' from older conspecifics, or 'alarm cues' from injured conspecifics, causes reduced growth and survival in cane toad () tadpoles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardenolides are specialized, steroidal metabolites produced in a wide array of plant families. Cardenolides play protective roles in plants, but these molecules, including digoxin from foxglove (Digitalis spp.), are better known for treatment of congenital heart failure, atrial arrhythmia, various cancers and other chronic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Med
June 2023
Physical exercise is a very promising non-pharmacological approach to prevent or reduce the cognitive decline that occurs in people aged 60 years or older. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a high-intensity intervallic functional training (HIFT) program on cognitive functions in an elderly Colombian population with mild cognitive impairment. A controlled clinical trial was developed with a sample of 132 men and women aged >65 years, linked to geriatric care institutions, which were systematically blind randomized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to assess the residual effects of a 12-week concurrent training program (power training + high-intensity interval training) in older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Methods: A total of 21 older adults with COPD [intervention (INT), n = 8; control (CON), n = 13; 76.9 ± 6.
Life (Basel)
May 2023
Physical exercise has been established as an intervention in the integral approach for the physical, functional, and social health of older adults. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a high-intensity functional training (HIFT) program on the physical condition and functional capacity of an elderly Colombian population with mild cognitive impairment. This research corresponds to a blind randomized controlled clinical trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Surgery and treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) in the elderly patient increase the risk of developing post-operative complications, losing functional independence, and worsening health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There is a lack of high-quality randomized controlled trials evaluating the potential benefit of exercise as a countermeasure. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based multicomponent exercise program for improving HRQoL and functional capacity in older adults undergoing CRC surgery and treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvances in omics technologies now permit the generation of highly contiguous genome assemblies, detection of transcripts and metabolites at the level of single cells and high-resolution determination of gene regulatory features. Here, using a complementary, multi-omics approach, we interrogated the monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) biosynthetic pathway in Catharanthus roseus, a source of leading anticancer drugs. We identified clusters of genes involved in MIA biosynthesis on the eight C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants synthesize tens of thousands of bioactive nitrogen-containing compounds called alkaloids, including some clinically important drugs in modern medicine. The discovery of new alkaloid structures and their metabolism in plants have provided ways to access these rich sources of bioactivities including new-to-nature compounds relevant to therapeutic and industrial applications. This review discusses recent advances in alkaloid biosynthesis discovery, including complete pathway elucidations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife (Basel)
February 2023
Sarcopenia is defined as the generalized and progressive loss of skeletal muscle strength and mass that may be affected by metabolic factors, although this relationship has been poorly studied. The aim of this review and meta-analysis was to analyze the relationship among the different metabolic risk factors and sarcopenia in people older than 65 years. Following the PRISMA 2020 guide, we searched for articles that studied the relationship among sarcopenia and metabolic risk factors in adults over 65 years of age, published between 2012 and 2022 in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Plus, and CINAHL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite frequent co-occurrence of drought and heat stress, the molecular mechanisms governing plant responses to these stresses in combination have not often been studied. This is particularly evident in non-model, perennial plants. We conducted large scale physiological and transcriptome analyses to identify genes and pathways associated with grapevine response to drought and/or heat stress during stress progression and recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Maximum muscle power (P ) is a biomarker of physical performance in all ages. No longitudinal studies have assessed the effects of aging on P obtained from the torque-velocity (T-V) relationship, which should be considered the 'gold standard'. This study evaluated the longitudinal changes in the T-V relationship and P of the knee-extensor muscles in young, middle-aged, and older adults after 10 years of follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increase in the prevalence and disease burden of diabetes has highlighted the need to strengthen a comprehensive care system that includes mental health treatment. A systematic review was carried out to analyze the effectiveness of mind-body training as a therapy for the mental health management of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were consulted between November and December 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Public Health
January 2023
Objectives: Nowadays, there is a significant increase in the elderly population in many countries around the world, and sarcopenia is one of the most common consequences of this with resistance training being one of the best treatments. Hence, this systematic review was conducted to determine what are the effects of different combinations of resistance training-based interventions on the musculoskeletal health of older male adults with sarcopenia.
Methods: This systematic review was performed following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
January 2023
Sport is a science of constant reinvention that is always searching for strategies to improve performance. Objective: This study seeks to compare the effects of myofascial release with Findings-Oriented Orthopedic Manual Therapy (OMT) combined with Foam Roller (FR), versus FR by itself, on the physical performance of university athletes. A randomized controlled study was conducted with a total of twenty-nine university athletes, measuring Range of Motion (ROM), jump height and flight time, strength and dynamic flexibility using Goniometer pro, CMJ protocol in OptoGait, 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM) and Mean Propulsive Velocity (MPV) and the Sit and Reach (V) test, correspondingly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare (Basel)
January 2023
Women frequently suffer from urinary incontinence due to atrophic changes in the urogenital tract. Recommended conservative treatment includes evaluation of pelvic-floor strength and the functional use of pelvic-floor-muscle (PFM) training. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a search was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles with at least one group performing PFM exercises in post-menopausal women with urinary incontinence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an infrequent cause of nonobstructive ischemic heart disease in previously healthy young women and therefore is not usually considered in differential diagnoses. The overall incidence of SCAD in angiographic series is between 0.28 and 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbohydrate availability affects fat metabolism during exercise; however, the effects of complete muscle glycogen unavailability on maximal fat oxidation (MFO) rate remain unknown. Our purpose was to examine the MFO rate in patients with McArdle disease, comprising an inherited condition caused by complete blockade of muscle glycogen metabolism, compared to healthy controls. Nine patients (three women, aged 36 ± 12 years) and 12 healthy controls (four women, aged 40 ± 13 years) were studied.
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