Prefrontal 5α-reductase 2 mediates male-specific acute stress response.

A key response to acute stress is the increased brain synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AP). Although the rate-limiting step of this reaction is catalyzed by 5α-reductase (5αR), the role of its two primary isoenzymes, 5αR1 and 5αR2, in stress reactivity remains unclear. Here, we found that acute stress led to increased levels of 5αR2, but not 5αR1, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male, but not female, rats.

Exercise-induced anxiety impairs local and systemic inflammatory response and glucose metabolism in C57BL/6J mice.

Introduction: The complex physiological and psychological responses to regular exercise are yet to be fully elucidated. Exercise strongly modulates the immune system, inducing a plethora of dynamic responses involving the innate immune cell function and inflammatory processes that contribute to both potential health benefits and harmful side effects. Indeed, the relationship between physical exercise, stress, immunity, and metabolism serves as a paramount model of neuroimmunoendocrine interaction.

Impact of Dietary Niacin on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Mediterranean Subjects: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The impact of dietary niacin on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is elusive. This sub-study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary niacin intake and the presence of MASLD in participants from two Catalonian cohorts.

Methods: A total of 222 subjects with MASLD were age- and sex-matched to 222 non-MASLD subjects.

Polygenic risk and subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic middle-aged individuals. The ILERVAS study.

Introduction And Objectives: More than 50% of first cardiovascular events (CVE) occur in populations identified as at low or intermediate risk by the risk equations, so the inclusion of additional variables, such as polygenic risk scores (PRS), has been proposed to improve the predictive capacity of these equations. The aim of this study was to assess whether a PRS, independently or with clinical risk equations, is associated with the presence, severity and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: 109 subjects with atherosclerosis were selected from the ILERVAS cohort (primary prevention) and matched with 109 participants without atherosclerosis of the same age, sex and SCORE2 risk level.

Type II Pleuropulmonary Blastoma in a Two-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is an extremely rare and highly malignant intrathoracic tumor in children, representing a unique form of aggressive primary lung carcinoma with a strong tendency for local recurrence. In this case report, we present a two-year-old girl who has had recurrent respiratory infections since birth. A chest X-ray revealed an abnormality, prompting a referral to a surgical team, where the lesion was identified as type II PPB based on histological analysis.