Publications by authors named "Cecilia Legare"

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is considered a progeroid disease (i.e., causing premature aging).

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  • The study aimed to find specific circulating microRNAs in the first trimester of pregnancy that are linked to preeclampsia (PE) and evaluate their predictive power across two different groups of women.
  • Researchers analyzed plasma samples from two cohorts and identified 73 microRNAs associated with PE, narrowing down to five that showed promise when tested in the second cohort.
  • The inclusion of specific microRNAs, particularly miR-194-5p and miR-1278, improved prediction models for assessing PE risk when combined with traditional risk factors, showing a notable increase in accuracy.
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  • * This study aimed to identify specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in early pregnancy that correlate with blood glucose levels later, using data from 444 women and confirming findings in another 106.
  • * Researchers found 18 miRNAs linked to fasting blood glucose levels at 26 weeks, providing insights into glucose regulation mechanisms in pregnancy that could help understand gestational diabetes better.
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Background: Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. In DM1 patients, skeletal muscle is severely impaired, even atrophied and patients experience a progressive decrease in maximum strength. Strength training for these individuals can improve their muscle function and mass, however, the biological processes involved in these improvements remain unknown.

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Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy, is caused by a CTG expansion resulting in significant transcriptomic dysregulation that leads to muscle weakness and wasting. While strength training is clinically beneficial in DM1, molecular effects had not been studied. To determine whether training rescued transcriptomic defects, RNA-Seq was performed on vastus lateralis samples from 9 male patients with DM1 before and after a 12-week strength-training program and 6 male controls who did not undergo training.

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Aims: Our objective is to identify first-trimester plasmatic miRNAs associated with and predictive of GDM.

Methods: We quantified miRNA using next-generation sequencing in discovery (Gen3G: n = 443/GDM = 56) and replication (3D: n = 139/GDM = 76) cohorts. We have diagnosed GDM using a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and the IADPSG criteria.

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Many women enter pregnancy with overweight and obesity, which are associated with complications for both the expectant mother and her child. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate many biological processes, including energy metabolism. Our study aimed to identify first trimester plasmatic miRNAs associated with maternal body mass index (BMI) in early pregnancy.

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  • - Neurologically deceased organ donors experience a cytokine storm, leading to increased inflammation that damages organs and negatively affects transplant outcomes.
  • - This study investigated changes in circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) between the time of neurological death and organ recovery, identifying 32 fluctuating miRNAs that could influence inflammation.
  • - Eleven specific miRNAs were consistently present and targeted key inflammatory pathways, suggesting they might help predict the onset of the cytokine storm in organ donors.
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Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a consequence of an imbalance between insulin sensitivity (IS) and secretion during pregnancy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and secreted RNA molecules stable in blood and known to regulate physiological processes including glucose homeostasis. The aim of this study was to identify plasmatic miRNAs detectable in early pregnancy predicting IS at 24th-29th week of pregnancy.

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  • During pregnancy, maternal metabolism changes significantly to support the fetus, with microRNAs (miRNAs) playing a key role in regulating gene expression and biological functions.
  • A study analyzed the plasma microtranscriptome in pregnant women, comparing it to non-pregnant women, by examining 436 pregnant women (weeks 4-16) and 15 non-pregnant women using advanced sequencing techniques.
  • Results showed that 191 miRNAs were differentially abundant between the two groups, with fluctuations in 57 miRNAs correlated with gestational age, indicating that specific miRNAs are linked to both pregnancy and its progression during the first trimester.
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To investigate the associations between high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-enriched miRNAs and the cardiometabolic profile of healthy men and women. miRNAs were quantified using next-generation sequencing of miRNAs extracted from purified HDL and plasma from 17 healthy men and women couples. Among the HDL-enriched miRNAs, miR-30a-5p correlated positively with HDL-cholesterol levels, whereas miR-144-5p and miR-30a-5p were negatively associated with fasting insulin levels and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index.

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  • * A study examined how blood DNA methylation (DNAm) relates to cognitive functions in DM1 patients, analyzing data from 115 individuals with the condition.
  • * Results indicated that for most patients, baseline DNAm can predict cognitive performance almost a decade later, while those with variant repeats showed distinct DNAm and cognitive patterns.
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Objective: To assess the effects of dystrophia myotonica protein kinase () DNA methylation (DNAme) epivariation on muscular and respiratory profiles in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).

Methods: Phenotypes were assessed with standardized measures. Pyrosequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA was used to quantify DNAme levels in blood from 90 patients with DM1 (adult form).

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Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder caused by expansion of a germline and somatically unstable CTG repeat in the DMPK gene. Previously, CTG repeat length at birth has been correlated to patient age at symptom onset. Attempts to correlate CTG repeat length with progressive DM1 phenotypes, such as muscle power, have proven difficult.

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Aim: To assess whether epigenetic and genetic variations at the TNNT1 gene locus are associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients, materials & methods: TNNT1 DNA methylation and c.-20G>A polymorphism were genotyped in subjects with and without familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).

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Background: Leptin (LEP) and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) genes encode adipokines that are mainly secreted by adipose tissues, involved in energy balance and suspected to play a role in the pathways linking adiposity to impaired glucose and insulin homeostasis. We have thus hypothesized that LEP and ADIPOQ DNA methylation changes might be involved in obesity development and its related complications. The objective of this study was to assess whether LEP and ADIPOQ DNA methylation levels measured in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissues (VAT) are associated with anthropometric measures and metabolic profile in severely obese men and women.

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Background: Previous studies have suggested that DNA methylation contributes to coronary artery disease (CAD) risk variability. DNA hypermethylation at the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) gene, an important modulator of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and reverse cholesterol transport, has been previously associated with plasma lipid levels, aging and CAD, but the association with CAD has yet to be replicated.

Results: ABCA1 DNA methylation levels were measured in leucocytes of 88 men using bis-pyrosequencing.

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DNA methylation has been mostly studied in circulating blood cells. Although being readily accessible, metabolically active tissues such as adipose tissue would be more informative for the study of metabolic disorders. However, whether or not the blood DNA methylation profile correlates with that of adipose tissue remains unknown.

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