Prevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies against Adeno-Associated Virus Serotypes 1, 2, and 9 in Non-Injected Latin American Patients with Heart Failure-ANVIAS Study.

Neutralizing antibody (NAb) activity against the viral capsid of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors decreases transduction efficiency, thus limiting transgene expression. Several reports have mentioned a variation in NAb prevalence according to age, AAV serotype, and, most importantly, geographic location. There are currently no reports specifically describing the anti-AAV NAb prevalence in Latin America.

Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in reducing body mass index and lipid profile in healthy young adults in Colombia: a pilot randomised controlled clinical trial.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral administration of vitamin D supplementation in reducing BMI and lipid profile in adolescents and young adults from a cohort in Bucaramanga, Colombia. One hundred and one young adults were randomly assigned to one of two doses of vitamin D [1000 international units (IU) or 200 IU] administered daily for 15 weeks. The primary outcomes were serum 25(OH)D levels, BMI and lipid profile.

Uric acid and risk of pre-eclampsia: results from a large case-control study and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

To quantify the association between maternal uric acid levels and pre-eclampsia risk in a large collection of primigravid women. A case-control study (1365 cases of pre-eclampsia and 1886 normotensive controls) was conducted. Pre-eclampsia was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg and proteinuria ≥ 300 mg/24 h.

Effect of Antioxidants in the Treatment of COPD Patients: Scoping Review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, preventable, treatable lung disease characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation and multiorgan impact. This affects the nutritional status of patients and requires multidimensional interventions including nutritional interventions according to individual metabolic needs. Our scoping review determined the effects of antioxidants in the treatment of COPD patients and their role in the decrease in the probability of exacerbations, hospital readmissions, and changes in lung function.

Efficacy and Safety of Text Messages Targeting Adherence to Cardiovascular Medications in Secondary Prevention: TXT2HEART Colombia Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with a prevalence of approximately 100 million patients. There is evidence that antiplatelet agents and antihypertensive medications could reduce the risk of new vascular events in this population; however, treatment adherence is very low. An SMS text messaging intervention was recently developed based on behavior change techniques to increase adherence to pharmacological treatment among patients with a history of ASCVD.

Prevalence of vitamin D status and its association with overweight or obesity in a population of Colombian children and adolescents.

The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of 25-OH-D status (insufficiency and deficiency) in children and adolescents residing in Bucaramanga, Colombia and to determine its association with excess weight. A case-control study was nested in the SIMBA II cohort in children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 20 years old. Cases were defined as those children and adolescents with overweight or obesity.

Efficacy of oral Vitamin D supplementation in reducing body mass index and lipid profile in adolescents and young adults in Colombia: A pilot clinical trial protocol nested in the SIMBA cohort.

Background: In recent years, the role of vitamin D (VD) as a protective factor in cardiovascular disease has been recognized. Thus, there is a need to study the effect of vitamin D supplementation in the control of different cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome, especially in young populations where few studies have been conducted.

Methods: Pilot study of a randomized, parallel two-arm, triple-blind clinical controlled trial in 150 adolescents and young adults in the city of Bucaramanga-Colombia.

C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and pre-eclampsia: large-scale evidence from the GenPE case-control study.

Multiple small studies have suggested that women with pre-eclampsia present elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). However, little is known regarding the source of this CRP and IL-6 increase. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between CRP and IL-6 levels with pre-eclampsia considering different confounding factors.

Potential Role of Antioxidants as Adjunctive Therapy in Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease (CD) is one of the most important neglected tropical diseases in the American continent. Host-derived nitroxidative stress in response to infection can induce tissue damage contributing to the progression of Chagas disease. Antioxidant supplementation has been suggested as adjuvant therapy to current treatment.

Family history of pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease as risk factors for pre-eclampsia: the GenPE case-control study.

: To determine whether family history of pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease is consistently associated with the occurrence of pre-eclampsia sub-phenotypes and fetal growth restriction (FGR).: We conducted a case-control study in which cases of pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant controls were recruited at the time of delivery from eight Colombian cities between 2000 and 2012. Odds of pre-eclampsia among women with a positive family history of pre-eclampsia or cardiovascular disease were compared to women without affected relatives (logistic regression modeling and multinomial logistic regression model [Ajusted]).

Association between body fat mass and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Background: Obesity is common among children and teenagers and is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the adult age. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the association between the percentage of body fat and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Material And Methods: About 494 children and adolescents aged 10-20 years were studied.

Measuring mitochondrial respiration in adherent cells infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 using Seahorse extracellular flux analyser.

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 is reported to increase the production of reactive oxygen species in patients with Chagas disease. Mitochondria dysfunction, host inflammatory response and inadequate antioxidant response are described as the main factors leading to oxidative stress during acute and chronic stages of the disease. The Seahorse XFe24 extracellular flux platform allows energy metabolism determination through mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis measurements.

The perception of different social agents in Colombia regarding biobanks for research purposes.

Introduction: Biobanks for research purposes are public assets that require active participation from all interested parties; therefore, it is important to discern and investigate the perception that the general public in Colombia has with regards to their participation in a biobank. Objective: To question different healthy Colombian social agents about the perception they have on donating human biological material to be stored in a biobank for future research purposes. Materials and methods: We conducted an exploratory quantitative and qualitative research by means of an anonymous survey on healthy members of the Colombian community in order to evaluate their knowledge and stances related to biobanks.

Association of pre-eclampsia risk with maternal levels of folate, homocysteine and vitamin B12 in Colombia: A case-control study.

Background: Maternal serum concentrations of folate, homocysteine, and vitamin B12 have been associated with pre-eclampsia. Nevertheless, reported studies involve limited number of cases to reliably assess the nature of these associations. Our aim was to examine the relation of these three biomarkers with pre-eclampsia risk in a large Colombian population.

[Relationship between exclusive breastfeeding the first six months of life and development of insulin resistance in children and adolescents in Bucaramanga, Colombia].

Introduction: exclusive breastfeeding (EB) is a protective factor against the development of insulin resistance (IR) as mainstay of the metabolic syndrome.

Objective: the objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between EB during the first six months of life and the development of IR through the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) indexes.

Material And Methods: a population-based cohort study included 494 adolescent participants, from whom socio-demographic, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic variables were assessed using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI indexes to determine the degree of association between EB and the development IR.

Lipid profile, plasma apolipoproteins, and pre-eclampsia risk in the GenPE case-control study.

Background And Aims: Pre-eclampsia constitutes a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Pre-eclampsia susceptibility is believed to be associated with altered lipid profiles and abnormal lipid metabolism via lipid peroxidation that leads to endothelial dysfunction. The goal of this study was to evaluate the association of maternal blood lipid and apolipoprotein levels with pre-eclampsia in a large-scale study.

Vitamin D deficiency and pre-eclampsia in Colombia: PREVitD study.

Purpose: Pre-eclampsia is a multisystem disorder characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria during pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia remains a major cause of maternal death in low-income countries. Vitamin D has a very diverse biological role in cardiovascular diseases.

Mobile phone text messaging to improve medication adherence in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD). This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD. Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aimed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events.

Neurological and cardiac responses after treatment with miglustat and a ketogenic diet in a patient with Sandhoff disease.

Sandhoff disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of GM2 gangliosides. We describe a 6-year-old male with coarse facial features, developmental delay, refractory seizures, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, who was later found to have Sandhoff disease. Previous studies have revealed that caloric restriction in combination with miglustat increased survival and motor behavior in mouse model of Sandhoff disease.

Genetic association studies in pre-eclampsia: systematic meta-analyses and field synopsis.

Background: Pre-eclampsia is thought to have a polygenic basis, but the identification of susceptibility genes and the quantification of associated risks have been elusive owing to lack of replication from published genetic association studies.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of genetic association studies to evaluate the evidence for the associations of various candidate genes with pre-eclampsia.

Methods: For inclusion, studies had to involve unrelated subjects and examine the associations between pre-eclampsia (excluding publications without a measurement of proteinuria) and any candidate variant.

Laminin-1 (LM-111) in preeclampsia and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antibodies. SLE has been associated with placental pathology, a finding that is also the determinant in preeclampsia (PE). Genetic evidence and serologic reports suggest laminin-1 (LM-111) as an immunogenic molecule and its polymorphic gene as a candidate gene for both disorders.

Analysis of population genetic structure from Bucaramanga (Colombia) based on gene polymorphisms associated with the regulation of blood pressure.

Introduction: In spite of nearly 40% of variability in blood pressure being explained by genetic factors, the identification of genes associated with essential high blood pressure is difficult to determine in populations where individuals have different genetic backgrounds. In these circumstances it is necessary to determinate whether the population is sub-structured because this can bias studies associated with this disease.

Objective: TO DETERMINE THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION IN BUCARAMANGA FROM GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REGULATION OF BLOOD PRESSURE: 448G>T, 679C>T y 1711C>T from the gene kinase 4 of the dopaminergic receptor linked to the protein G and Glu298Asp, -786T>C and the VNTR of the intron 4 of the gene of endothelial nitric oxide.

Frequency of eNOS polymorphisms in the Colombian general population.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by endothelial cells is known to be a potent vasodilator. It has been suggested that polymorphisms in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) can affect the response of the vascular endothelium to increased oxidative stress. The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of G894T (rs1799983), intron-4 (27-bp TR) and -T786C (rs2070744) polymorphisms in the eNOS gene among the Colombian general population.

[Impact of the new definitions in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in an adult population at Bucaramanga, Colombia].

Introduction: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome depends on the criteria used for its classification. Three criteria in common use are those from International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP-III) or its update (ATP-IIIa).

Objective: The prevalence statistic for generated metabolic syndrome was compared on the basis of each of the three criteria in an adult population.