Publications by authors named "Meloche C"

Background/objectives: Pediatric cancer survivors are at greater risk of cardiometabolic complications than their peers. This study evaluates the preliminary impact of the VIE (Valorization, Implication, Education) intervention, which integrates nutrition, physical activity, and psychological support, on dietary intake and cardiometabolic health among children and adolescents during cancer treatment.

Methods: This comparative study includes pediatric cancer patients recruited to either the VIE intervention group or a control group receiving standard care.

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Purpose Of Review: To summarize selected late-breaking science on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention presented at the 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress.

Recent Findings: Key studies from the 2024 ESC Congress highlight advances in (CVD) management. Apolipoprotein A-1 infusions reduced risk in acute myocardial infarction patients with high LDL cholesterol.

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Purpose Of Review: To summarize selected late-breaking science on cardiovascular (CV) disease prevention presented at the 2024 Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference.

Recent Findings: The LIBerate-HR trial showed the efficacy and safety of lerodalcibep, a subcutaneous injection that prevents binding of Pro-Protein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin (PCSK) 9 to low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-receptors resulting in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering in patients at very high risk or high risk of atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD). The AEGIS-II randomized patients with type 1 myocardial infarction (MI) with multivessel coronary artery disease and additional CV risk factors and found no benefit in major adverse CV events (MACE) with CSL112, an apolipoprotein A1 infusion shown to increase cholesterol efflux capacity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Focused on ten notable studies from the 2023 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, this review summarizes advancements in cardiovascular disease research.
  • Included studies evaluated various treatments and interventions, such as semaglutide for weight management in non-diabetic patients, dapagliflozin post-myocardial infarction, and the impact of sodium intake on blood pressure.
  • The findings highlight innovative approaches for preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing novel therapies and techniques to improve patient outcomes.
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  • A study was conducted on adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized from February 2020 to October 2022 to identify effective inflammatory biomarkers for assessing patient risk during hospitalization.
  • The biomarkers analyzed included suPAR, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, procalcitonin, ferritin, and D-dimer; suPAR emerged as the strongest predictor of severe outcomes, such as death or the need for mechanical ventilation.
  • A suPAR cutoff of 4.0 ng/mL was found to indicate low risk with high sensitivity and negative predictive value, suggesting it could be a valuable tool for triaging low-risk COVID-19 patients.
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  • Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can lead to various cardiovascular complications, and this study aimed to assess the occurrence and risk factors of these events in patients post-transplant.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 3,354 adult patients who underwent HSCT from 2008 to 2019, tracking cardiovascular outcomes within 100 days and beyond, with a focus on incidents like heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
  • Results showed a low short-term incidence of cardiovascular events (4.1%) but a higher long-term incidence (13.9%), particularly among allogeneic transplant recipients and individuals with pre-existing heart conditions.
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Article Synopsis
  • A study aimed to create a risk score for assessing cardiovascular risks in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) due to limited existing guidelines.
  • Using data from the CARE-BMT study, researchers analyzed various predictive factors related to cardiovascular events in over 2,400 HSCT patients, leading to the development of a point-based risk score.
  • This score categorizes patients into low, intermediate, and high-risk groups for cardiovascular issues post-transplant, potentially aiding in specialist referrals and long-term monitoring of high-risk individuals.
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Purpose Of Review: To summarize selected late-breaking science on cardiovascular (CV) disease prevention presented at the 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress.

Recent Findings: The NATURE-PARADOX was a naturally randomized trial that used genetic data from the UK Biobank registry to create "cumulative exposure to low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)" biomarker and evaluate its association with major CV events regardless of plasma LDL-C levels or age. Safety and efficacy data of inclisiran, a PCSK9-interfering mRNA (PCSK9i) administered subcutaneously twice annually, were presented.

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Background: Long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at high risk of having dyslipidemia including low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). However, little is known about the prevalence of low HDL-C and the impact of therapy exposure on HDL composition early after treatment is terminated.

Methods: This associative study included 50 children and adolescents who had completed their cancer treatments (< 4 years).

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Pediatric cancer survivors may experience cardiometabolic sequelae over the course of their lives as a result of the treatments they have received. While nutrition consists of an actionable target for cardiometabolic health, few nutritional interventions have been documented in this population. This study assessed the changes in diet during a one-year nutritional intervention for children and adolescents undergoing cancer treatments and the participants' anthropometric and cardiometabolic profiles.

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Article Synopsis
  • Preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) was examined to see if it impacted in-hospital death and cardiovascular events among critically ill COVID-19 patients, utilizing data from 68 U.S. hospitals during the early pandemic stages.
  • Out of 5,133 patients studied, 22.9% had CVD, with a 34.6% death rate and 17.9% experiencing cardiovascular events; however, CVD itself did not significantly predict cardiovascular events.
  • Myocardial injury upon ICU admission was strongly linked to higher odds of both death and cardiovascular events, indicating that factors such as this injury were more critical in determining the outcomes than CVD alone.
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Treatments for adolescent cancer can cause debilitating side effects in the short- and long-term such as nausea and malnutrition but also cardiometabolic disturbances. Although the risk for cardiometabolic complications is greater for adolescents with cancer than younger ones, adolescents typically respond poorly to family-oriented health promotion programs. This study aims to assess the needs, barriers and facilitators to healthy lifestyle promotion interventions for adolescents with cancer and how to best adapt these interventions for them.

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Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) contributes significantly to COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. The urokinase receptor system is involved in the regulation of coagulation. Levels of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) reflect hyperinflammation and are strongly predictive of outcomes in COVID-19.

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This cross-sectional study aimed at comparing the cardiometabolic (CM) health of children and adolescents and identifying factors associated with CM complications shortly after cancer treatment. Cancer-related characteristics, blood pressure (BP), anthropometry, and biochemical parameters were collected in 80 patients (56.3% female, mean age: 11.

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This study aims to describe the feasibility of a nutritional intervention that promotes healthy eating habits early after cancer pediatric diagnosis in patients and their parents. Participants were recruited 4 to 12 weeks after cancer diagnosis as part of the VIE study. The one-year nutritional intervention included an initial evaluation and 6 follow-up visits every 2 months with a registered dietician.

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Article Synopsis
  • Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly increases the risk of severe outcomes in COVID-19 patients, with a study showing higher incidences of in-hospital death, mechanical ventilation, and renal therapy among those with DM.
  • The research identified inflammation, specifically measured by suPAR levels, as a major factor in the association between DM and severe COVID-19 outcomes, with 84.2% of the effect mediated by this biomarker.
  • Hyperglycemia and higher insulin doses were also found to predict severe outcomes independently, suggesting both inflammation and high blood sugar levels contribute to the risks faced by diabetic patients during COVID-19.
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  • RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is being tested in a phase 3 clinical trial for children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to identify hidden genetic alterations and improve diagnosis.
  • In a study with 173 patients, RNA-seq successfully detected at least one genetic alteration in 91% of cases, verifying its accuracy against traditional methods and uncovering additional significant gene fusions.
  • The results from RNA-seq enabled better classification of B-cell ALL subgroups and identified numerous mutations, highlighting its potential to enhance treatment strategies and patient outcomes compared to conventional analyses.
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Background Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEi/ARB) is thought to affect COVID-19 through modulating levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the cell entry receptor for SARS-CoV2. We sought to assess the association between ACEi/ARB, biomarkers of inflammation, and outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods and Results We leveraged the ISIC (International Study of Inflammation in COVID-19), identified patients admitted for symptomatic COVID-19 between February 1, 2020 and June 1, 2021 for COVID-19, and examined the association between in-hospital ACEi/ARB use and all-cause death, need for ventilation, and need for dialysis.

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Purpose: Racial disparities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes have been described. We sought to determine whether differences in inflammatory markers, use of COVID-19 therapies, enrollment in clinical trials, and in-hospital outcomes contribute to racial disparities between Black and non-Black patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Methods: We leveraged a prospective cohort study that enrolled 1325 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19, of whom 341 (25.

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Potent antithrombotic agents are routinely prescribed after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to reduce ischemic complications. However, in patients who are at an increased bleeding risk, this may pose significant risks. We sought to evaluate the association between a history of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and outcomes after PCI.

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Objectives: To estimate the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with in-hospital cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in critically ill adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).

Design: Multicenter cohort study.

Setting: Intensive care units at 68 geographically diverse hospitals across the United States.

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Background: Changes in food intake are common in children with cancer and are often caused by nausea and perturbations in sense of taste. The VIE (Valorization, Implication, Education) study proposes family-based nutrition and cooking education workshops during childhood cancer treatments. Process evaluation during implementation allows to assess if the intervention was delivered as planned and to determine its barriers and facilitators.

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Many gram-positive bacteria produce bacillithiol to aid in the maintenance of redox homeostasis and degradation of toxic compounds, including the antibiotic fosfomycin. Bacillithiol is produced via a three-enzyme pathway that includes the action of the zinc-dependent deacetylase BshB. Previous studies identified conserved aspartate and histidine residues within the active site that are involved in metal binding and catalysis, but the enzymatic mechanism is not fully understood.

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Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The physiological and psychological benefits of physical activity have been shown in children with cancer. However, almost one in two cancer patients do not follow the physical activity guidelines.

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Purpose: Cryofibrinogenemia is a rare cryopathy presenting as acrocyanosis following exposure to cold. Familial presentation has been described but the underlying molecular cause remained undetermined.

Methods: Forty (40) members from a large family with an initial diagnosis of familial cryofibrinogenemia were interviewed and examined to determine affected status and collect DNA.

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