The microbiota-derived bile acid taurodeoxycholic acid improves hepatic cholesterol levels in mice with cancer cachexia.

Alterations in bile acid profile and pathways contribute to hepatic inflammation in cancer cachexia, a syndrome worsening the prognosis of cancer patients. As the gut microbiota impinges on host metabolism through bile acids, the current study aimed to explore the functional contribution of gut microbial dysbiosis to bile acid dysmetabolism and associated disorders in cancer cachexia. Using three mouse models of cancer cachexia (the C26, MC38 and HCT116 models), we evidenced a reduction in the hepatic levels of several secondary bile acids, mainly taurodeoxycholic (TDCA).

Online coupling of size exclusion chromatography to capillary-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the identification of protein classes in hemolyzed blood serum.

The analysis of serum for biomarkers is a standard method in clinical diagnosis and health assessment. The application of Raman spectroscopy to probe biomarkers in serum is increasingly investigated due to its time- and cost-efficiency. However, time-consuming sample preparation is often required to analyze the serum samples.

Efforts to enhance reproducibility in a human performance research project.

Ensuring the validity of results from funded programs is a critical concern for agencies that sponsor biological research. In recent years, the open science movement has sought to promote reproducibility by encouraging sharing not only of finished manuscripts but also of data and code supporting their findings. While these innovations have lent support to third-party efforts to replicate calculations underlying key results in the scientific literature, fields of inquiry where privacy considerations or other sensitivities preclude the broad distribution of raw data or analysis may require a more targeted approach to promote the quality of research output.

Circulating myostatin as a biomarker of muscle mass and strength in individuals with cancer or obesity.

Background & Aims: Our study aims to determine whether myostatin (MSTN) is associated with muscle mass and strength in individuals with cancer or obesity, as well as with cancer cachexia (CC) or sarcopenic obesity (SO).

Methods: The ACTICA study included individuals with CC (n = 70) or without CC (NC, n = 73). The MYDIASECRET study included individuals with obesity evaluated before (T0) and 3 months (T3) after bariatric surgery (n = 62).