Individuation of a cut-off value of triglyceride-glucose index for incident diabetes mellitus in patients with essential hypertension.

The prevalence of obesity and diabetes, risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular diseases, is increasing worldwide; therefore, it is desirable to early identify them to reduce cardiovascular events. Thus, we investigated whether the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index), a new marker of insulin resistance, is associated with incident diabetes in patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension. We selected 585 patients with newly diagnosed arterial hypertension referred to our tertiary Clinic of Catanzaro University Hospital for the evaluation of their cardiometabolic risk profile.

Gut Permeability and Immune-Mediated Inflammation in Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by low-grade immune-mediated inflammation due to increased Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression as response to endotoxin increase and dysregulated gut barrier permeability. We investigated TLR expression and possible gut dysbiosis in HF patients compared to a control group. We enrolled 80 Caucasian HF patients and 20 controls.

Sex-related differences for uric acid in the prediction of cardiovascular events in essential hypertension. A population prospective study.

Background: Uric acid (UA) is an independent prognostic factor for cardiovascular events, but there are no data demonstrating a different risk profile between women and men. Thus, we tested whether UA is associated with a possible sex-related difference in fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events.

Methods: In this prospective population-based study we enrolled 1,650 never-treated Caucasian hypertensive outpatients referred to Catanzaro University Hospital (Italy).

Association between higher duodenal levels of the fructose carrier glucose transporter-5 and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis.

Background: An increased dietary fructose intake has been shown to exert several detrimental metabolic effects and contribute to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). An augmented intestinal abundance of the fructose carriers glucose transporter-5 (GLUT-5) and glucose transporter-2 (GLUT-2) has been found in subjects with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Herein, we investigated whether elevated intestinal levels of GLUT-5 and GLUT-2, resulting in a higher dietary fructose uptake, are associated with NAFLD and its severity.

Obesity and overweight are linked to increased sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 and glucose transporter 5 levels in duodenum.

Objective: Prior evidence indicates that individuals with obesity have an accelerated intestinal glucose absorption. This cross-sectional study evaluated whether those with overweight or obesity display higher duodenal protein levels of the glucose carriers sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT-1), glucose transporter 2 (GLUT-2), and glucose transporter 5 (GLUT-5).

Methods: SGLT-1, GLUT-2, and GLUT-5 protein levels were assessed on duodenal mucosa biopsies of 52 individuals without diabetes categorized on the basis of their BMI as lean, with overweight, or with obesity.

Monoclonal Antibodies and Antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 Reduce the Risk of Long COVID: A Retrospective Propensity Score-Matched Case-Control Study.

Long COVID is a complex condition affecting quality of life, with limited therapeutic options. We investigated the occurrence of long COVID in subjects receiving early therapy with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or antivirals to reduce the risk of COVID-19 progression. In this retrospective study we enrolled 737 adult patients (aged 65.

Augmented duodenal levels of sodium/glucose co-transporter 1 are associated with higher risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and noninvasive index of liver fibrosis.

Aims: Subjects with elevated 1 h post-load glucose concentrations (1hPG) exhibit increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and duodenal sodium/glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT-1) levels. Herein, we evaluate whether higher SGLT-1 duodenal levels are associated with NAFLD and increased risk of advance liver fibrosis.

Methods: SGLT-1 levels were assessed on duodenal mucosa in 52 individuals subdivided into two groups according to ultrasonography-defined presence of NAFLD.

One-hour post-load hyperglycemia combined with HbA1c identifies individuals with augmented duodenal levels of sodium/glucose co-transporter 1.

Aims: Individuals with HbA1c-defined prediabetes (HbA1c 5.7-6.4%) and 1-hour post-load plasma glucose (1hPG) ≥ 155 mg/dl have an increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Real-life burden of adverse reactions to biological therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a single-centre prospective case series.

Background/aim: Biologics represent a key therapeutic option in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but are associated with several side effects. Post-marketing surveillance, through a spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) monitoring system, is essential to assess the safety profile of biologics. The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the occurrence of ADRs in IBD patients treated with biologics from a single centre in Southern Italy.

New-Onset Diabetes, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Hypertensive Patients: An Illness-Event Model Analysis.

Background: Insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction are common findings in hypertensives, both predisposing to a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular events. We designed this study to evaluate the role of endothelial dysfunction in three pathogenetic pathways: (1) from baseline to cardiovascular events, (2) from baseline to diabetes, and (3) from new-onset diabetes to cardiovascular events.

Methods: We enrolled 653 Caucasian never-treated hypertensives.

Trends and characteristics associated with dietary triggers and psychological distress in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Diet, visceral sensitivity, and psychological distress play an important role in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This study focused on the relation between IBS severity, foods, visceral sensitivity, and anxiety/depression.

Patients And Methods: Patients with IBS were investigated through (1) IBS-symptoms severity score (SSS), (2) self-reported food intolerance, (3) visceral sensitivity index (VSI), and (4) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

COPD significantly increases cerebral and cardiovascular events in hypertensives.

Essential hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often coexist in the same patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease modifies the risk of cardiovascular events in hypertensives. We enrolled 1728 hypertensives.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Improves Renal Function in Obese Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and it has a detrimental effect on renal function. Obesity is the major risk factor for OSAS, and represents a risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the suggested therapy for moderate-to-severe OSAS.

Endothelial dysfunction and C-reactive protein predict the incidence of heart failure in hypertensive patients.

Aims: Endothelial dysfunction and heart failure are associated, but no prospective studies demonstrated that impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation predicts incident heart failure. We designed this study to test whether endothelial dysfunction is associated with incident heart failure in a group of hypertensives.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 735 White never-treated hypertensive outpatients free from heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and previous cardiovascular events.

The Reality of Patient-Reported Outcomes of Health-Related Quality of Life in an Italian Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a negative impact on patients' physical and psychological well-being, social performance, and working capacity, thereby worsening their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Clinicians should take care of the patients' global health, including the psychological, social, and emotional spheres. We aimed to investigate the reality of patient-reported outcomes of HRQoL in a series of IBD patients.

Serum γ-Glutamyltransferase Concentration Predicts Endothelial Dysfunction in Naïve Hypertensive Patients.

Background: Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CV). Traditional cardiovascular risk factors mediate endothelial dysfunction.

Aim: to evaluate a possible correlation between serum γ-GT and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in naïve hypertensives.

Barriers and Facilitators in Conducting Clinical Trials in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Monocentric Italian Survey.

Background: Clinical therapeutic trials are a fundamental tool for identifying and testing new categories of drugs useful for ensuring clinical benefit in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). A number of difficulties may affect the recruitment process in large clinical trials.

Objectives: In order to increase the involvement of patients within clinical trials in IBD therapy, it is necessary to identify which factors could facilitate or discourage participation.

Immunity, Inflammation and Heart Failure: Their Role on Cardiac Function and Iron Status.

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by subclinical systemic inflammation and immune system activation associated with iron deficiency. No data exist on the various activations of immune-mediated mechanisms of inflammation in heart failure patients with reduced/preserved ejection fraction. We aimed to (1) investigate possible differences in inflammatory parameters and oxidative stress, and (2) detect a different iron status between groups.

Self-Prescribed Dietary Restrictions are Common in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients and Are Associated with Low Bone Mineralization.

Despite the serious concerns of patients about the role of food in triggering or ameliorating their intestinal disease, there are few studies dealing with patients' beliefs and practices regarding diet in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to investigate how the disease affected the dietary habits of patients with IBD, and to assess if patients' food restrictions were responsible for low bone mineralization. For this study, 90 consecutive patients referred for IBD were interviewed regarding their dietary habits.

Ketogenic Diet-Induced Weight Loss is Associated with an Increase in Vitamin D Levels in Obese Adults.

Vitamin D is an important micronutrient involved in several processes. Evidence has shown a strong association between hypovitaminosis D and cardio-metabolic diseases, including obesity. A ketogenic diet has proven to be very effective for weight loss, especially in reducing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome According to the Roma IV Criteria: A Single-Center Italian Survey.

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as assessed by the Rome IV criteria. Consecutive patients referring for IBS were re-evaluated according to the Rome IV criteria. Demographic features and characteristics potentially associated with the use of CAM were collected.

Downregulation of Interleukin- (IL-) 17 through Enhanced Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase (IDO) Induction by Curcumin: A Potential Mechanism of Tolerance towards .

The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of curcumin suggest its use as an anti- () agent, but mechanisms underlying its helpful activity are still not clear. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) promotes the effector T cell apoptosis by catalyzing the rate-limiting first step in tryptophan catabolism, and its high expression in -infected human gastric mucosa attenuates Th1 and Th17 immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of curcumin in modulating the expression of IL-17 and IDO in -infected human gastric mucosa.

Duodenal Sodium/Glucose Cotransporter 1 Expression Under Fasting Conditions Is Associated With Postload Hyperglycemia.

Context: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with a higher intestinal expression of the glucose transporters sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT-1) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT-2). It is currently unsettled whether prediabetes conditions characterized by postprandial hyperglycemia, such as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with 1-hour postload glucose ≥155 mg/dL (8.6 mmol/L) (NGT-1h-high) are associated with increased expression of these glucose carriers in the intestine.

Oleuropein Decreases Cyclooxygenase-2 and Interleukin-17 Expression and Attenuates Inflammatory Damage in Colonic Samples from Ulcerative Colitis Patients.

Oleuropein (OLE) is the major phenolic secoiridoid of olive tree leaves, and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities have been demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo animal models. The aim of this study was to investigate the activity of OLE in the colonic mucosa from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Biopsies obtained during colonoscopy from 14 patients with active UC were immediately placed in an organ culture chamber and challenged with lipopolysaccharide from (EC-LPS) at 1 μg/mL in the presence or absence of 3 mM OLE.