Publications by authors named "Emilia Amengual-Cladera"

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are global public health issues. Although males show higher obesity and insulin resistance prevalence, current treatments often neglect sex-specific differences. White adipose tissue (WAT) is crucial in preventing lipotoxicity and inflammation and has become a key therapeutic target.

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Estrogens have a well-known protective role in the development of the metabolic syndrome. Nevertheless, recent epidemiological data question the cardioprotective effect of estrogens in obese and diabetic women. In this context, white adipose tissue (WAT) becomes dysfunctional, which has an impact on the cardiovascular system.

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Metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, has garnered attention for its potential in cancer management, particularly in breast and colorectal cancer. It is established that metformin reduces mitochondrial respiration, but its specific molecular targets within mitochondria vary. Proposed mechanisms include inhibiting mitochondrial respiratory chain Complex I and/or Complex IV, and mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, among others.

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Cancer arises from the complex interplay of various factors. Traditionally, the identification of driver genes focuses primarily on the analysis of somatic mutations. We describe a new method for the detection of driver gene pairs based on an epistasis analysis that considers both germline and somatic variations.

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Article Synopsis
  • The blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulates the central nervous system and is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), especially in infants with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
  • Researchers identified a rare disease trait in 13 individuals from 8 families due to a genetic variant in the ESAM gene, affecting endothelial cell function and leading to developmental issues.
  • The study highlights the connection between endothelial dysfunction and NDDs, suggesting the emergence of a new category of diseases called "tightjunctionopathies."
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Taking into account the sexual dimorphism previously found in white adipose tissue (WAT) regarding mitochondrial function and biogenesis, as well as insulin sensitivity, the aim of this study was to go further into the role of sex hormones in this dimorphism. To achieve this objective, we used ovariectomized rats and performed a screening by means of proteomic analyses of the periovarian WAT, combined with a study of the protein levels of specific factors involved in mitochondrial function. Rats were ovariectomized at 5 weeks of age and subcutaneously injected every 48 h with corn-oil (OVX group) or with 17β-estradiol (E2, 10 μg/kg body mass; OVX + E2 group) for 4 weeks prior to sacrifice.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the time-course response of retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) insulin and adiponectin signaling pathway intermediates in relation to the systemic age-associated impairment of insulin sensitivity in male and female rats. The main markers of the insulin and adiponectin signaling pathways of the retroperitoneal WAT, as well as of the systemic insulin sensitivity profile of 3-, 9- and 18-month old Wistar rats of both sexes were determined. Our results indicate that age leads to a decrease in the insulin sensitivity in both sexes that agrees with the decline in the levels of the WAT insulin signaling pathway intermediates, the increase in the adiposity index and the rise in the serum insulin resistance markers.

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Sexual dimorphism has been previously found both in mitochondrial biogenesis and function and in adiponectin expression of retroperitoneal WAT. However, little is known about the E2 effects on WAT mitochondrial function. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to examine in greater depth the role of estrogens in sexual dimorphism.

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Obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in white adipose tissue (WAT) leads to a dysregulation of adipokine secretion, which is involved in insulin resistance development. Taking into account the sex differences previously found both in mitochondrial function and for the insulin sensitivity profile in different tissues, the aim of this study was to investigate whether a sex-dependent effect of a long-term high-fat diet (HFD) feeding exists on WAT mitochondrial function. Indeed, HFD effects on the levels of the key components of the insulin and adiponectin signaling pathways, and the consequences of these effects on the systemic profile of insulin sensitivity were also studied.

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Serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) has been reported to be an important contributor to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of HDL, avoiding LDL oxidation. The activity of this enzyme is reduced in patients with renal insufficiency, caused by elevated oxidative stress and disturbances of apolipoprotein metabolism. Therapeutic utilization of antioxidants to control renal oxidative stress may be an effective therapy in renal protection.

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Background/aims: Mitochondrial biogenesis includes both mitochondrial proliferation and differentiation and its regulation under different physiological conditions is not clear. Given the sexual dimorphism previously found in mitochondrial function, the aim of this study was to investigate the gender-dependent effect of chronic high-fat-diet (HFD) feeding on rat liver mitochondrial function and biogenesis.

Methods: Ten-week old male and female rats were fed a HFD (26% fat) or a control diet (2.

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Muscle resistance to insulin plays a key role in the metabolic dysregulation associated to obesity. A pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant status has been proposed to be the link between dietary obesity and insulin resistance. Given the gender differences previously found in mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether this gender dimorphism leads to differences in the development of high-fat-diet-induced insulin resistance in rat skeletal muscle.

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