Study Protocol for a Prospective, Unicentric, Double-Blind, Randomized, and Placebo-Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of a Low-Histamine Diet and DAO Enzyme Supplementation in Patients with Histamine Intolerance.

Background/objectives: Histamine intolerance is primarily caused by a deficiency in the diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme at the intestinal level. The reduced histamine degradation in the gut leads to its accumulation in plasma, thereby causing multiple clinical manifestations, such as urticaria, diarrhea, headache, dyspnea, or tachycardia, among others. The dietary management of this food intolerance consists of the follow-up of a low-histamine diet, often combined with DAO supplementation.

Treatment variability and its relationships to outcomes among patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Despite guidelines and recommendations, Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) treatment lacks evidence, leading to clinical practice variability.

Aims: Given the overall lack of information on thiamine use for WE treatment, we analyzed data from a large, well-characterized multicenter sample of patients with WE, examining thiamine dosages; factors associated with the use of different doses, frequencies, and routes; and the influence of differences in thiamine treatment on the outcome.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with data from 443 patients from 21 centers obtained from a nationwide registry of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (from 2000 to 2012).

Design and validation of a predictive model for determining the risk of developing fibromyalgia.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia is a prevalent disease of unknown aetiology and is difficult to diagnose. Despite the availability of the American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis, it continues to be a challenge in the field of primary health care in terms of identifying individuals with susceptibility to developing the disease. The aim of this study is to design and validate a predictive model of fibromyalgia in subjects with a history of chronic pain.

Frequency, risk factors, and outcomes of hospital readmissions of COVID-19 patients.

To determine the proportion of patients with COVID-19 who were readmitted to the hospital and the most common causes and the factors associated with readmission. Multicenter nationwide cohort study in Spain. Patients included in the study were admitted to 147 hospitals from March 1 to April 30, 2020.

Meteorin-like/Meteorin-β protects heart against cardiac dysfunction.

Meteorin-like/Meteorin-β (Metrnl/Metrnβ) is a secreted protein produced by skeletal muscle and adipose tissue that exerts metabolic actions that improve glucose metabolism. The role of Metrnβ in cardiac disease is completely unknown. Here, we show that Metrnβ-null mice exhibit asymmetrical cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and enhanced signs of cardiac dysfunction in response to isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy and aging.

Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990-2019: Update From the GBD 2019 Study.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), principally ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke, are the leading cause of global mortality and a major contributor to disability. This paper reviews the magnitude of total CVD burden, including 13 underlying causes of cardiovascular death and 9 related risk factors, using estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019. GBD, an ongoing multinational collaboration to provide comparable and consistent estimates of population health over time, used all available population-level data sources on incidence, prevalence, case fatality, mortality, and health risks to produce estimates for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.

Mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted for COVID-19 in association with glucose-lowering drugs: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: Limited evidence exists on the role of glucose-lowering drugs in patients with COVID-19. Our main objective was to examine the association between in-hospital death and each routine at-home glucose-lowering drug both individually and in combination with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted for COVID-19. We also evaluated their association with the composite outcome of the need for ICU admission, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, or in-hospital death as well as on the development of in-hospital complications and a long-time hospital stay.

The protective effect of fibroblast growth factor-21 in alcoholic cardiomyopathy: a role in protecting cardiac mitochondrial function.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) resulting from chronic alcohol misuse is one of the main contributors leading to heart failure and cardiovascular mortality. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a well-established cardioprotective factor. We aimed to study the role of FGF21 in experimentally induced models and clinical affected patients with cardiac damage due to chronic alcohol consumption.

Admission hyperglycaemia as a predictor of mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 regardless of diabetes status: data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.

Background: Hyperglycaemia has emerged as an important risk factor for death in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between blood glucose (BG) levels and in-hospital mortality in non-critically patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Methods: This is a retrospective multi-centre study involving patients hospitalized in Spain.

The Effects of Ethanol on the Heart: Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy.

Alcoholic-dilated Cardiomyopathy (ACM) is the most prevalent form of ethanol-induced heart damage. Ethanol induces ACM in a dose-dependent manner, independently of nutrition, vitamin, or electrolyte disturbances. It has synergistic effects with other heart risk factors.

Fibroblast growth factor-21 protects against fibrosis in hypertensive heart disease.

FGF21 is an endocrine factor that contributes to multiple pathophysiological processes, mainly via its action as a metabolic regulator and cardioprotective agent. Recent studies have shown increased circulating FGF21 levels in hypertensive patients and in mouse models of hypertension. However, the relevance of FGF21 in hypertensive heart disease has not been addressed.

Cardiokines as Modulators of Stress-Induced Cardiac Disorders.

Almost 30 years ago, the protein, atrial natriuretic peptide, was identified as a heart-secreted hormone that provides a peripheral signal from the myocardium that communicates to the rest of the organism to modify blood pressure and volume under conditions of heart failure. Since then, additional peripheral factors secreted by the heart, termed cardiokines, have been identified and shown to coordinate this interorgan cross talk. In addition to this interorgan communication, cardiokines also act in an autocrine/paracrine manner to play a role in intercellular communication within the myocardium.

New Treatment Strategies for Alcohol-Induced Heart Damage.

High-dose alcohol misuse induces multiple noxious cardiac effects, including myocyte hypertrophy and necrosis, interstitial fibrosis, decreased ventricular contraction and ventricle enlargement. These effects produce diastolic and systolic ventricular dysfunction leading to congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and an increased death rate. There are multiple, dose-dependent, synchronic and synergistic mechanisms of alcohol-induced cardiac damage.

Stressful Events in the Onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Background: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex and multifactorial disease. Stressful situations experienced could be related to the presentation of the disease. Few studies have determined which factors could trigger CFS.

Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Risk Factors for Non-recording of Alcohol Use in Hospitals across Europe: The ALCHIMIE Study.

Aim: To determine the detection rates, clinical features, and risk factors for lack of registration of alcohol use in medical patients admitted in European hospitals.

Methods: A point-prevalence, cross-sectional, multicenter survey involving 2100 medical inpatients from 43 hospitals from 8 European countries. Patients were screened for current alcohol use, using standardized questionnaires.

Cardiovascular risks and benefits of moderate and heavy alcohol consumption.

The heart and vascular system are susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol. Alcohol is an active toxin that undergoes widespread diffusion throughout the body, causing multiple synchronous and synergistic effects. Alcohol consumption decreases myocardial contractility and induces arrhythmias and dilated cardiomyopathy, resulting in progressive cardiovascular dysfunction and structural damage.

Myostatin and insulin-like growth factor-1 in hypertensive heart disease: a prospective study in human heart donors.

Objective: The physiopathological mechanisms implicated in hypertensive heart disease are multi-factorial, including myocyte hypertrophy, apoptosis and myocardial remodelling. In this process, some hormonal and local growth factors have a regulatory influence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of myostatin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) myocardial expression in the development of hypertensive-induced cardiac damage.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 myocardial expression decreases in chronic alcohol consumption.

Background: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (CMP) is one of the major complications of chronic excessive alcohol consumption. The pathogenic mechanisms implicated are diverse, inducing functional and structural changes in the myocardium. Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) plays an important role in modulating the cell cycle, and helps the differentiation and proliferation of cardiac tissue inhibiting apoptosis.

Evaluation of myocyte proliferation in alcoholic cardiomyopathy: telomerase enzyme activity (TERT) compared with Ki-67 expression.

Aims: Although the human heart was classically considered a terminal organ, recent studies have reported a myocyte proliferation response versus some aggressions. Excessive ethanol consumption induces development of cardiomyopathy (CMP) through myocyte apoptosis. We evaluated myocyte proliferation response in the heart of chronic alcoholic donors with telomerase activity (telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT)) compared with Ki-67 nuclear expression.

Increased myostatin activity and decreased myocyte proliferation in chronic alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Apoptosis mediates in alcohol-induced heart damage leading to cardiomyopathy (CMP). Myocyte proliferation may compensate for myocyte loss. Myostatin is upregulated after cardiac damage and by alcohol consumption thereby decreasing myocyte renewal.