Exonucleases: Degrading DNA to Deal with Genome Damage, Cell Death, Inflammation and Cancer.

Although DNA degradation might seem an unwanted event, it is essential in many cellular processes that are key to maintaining genomic stability and cell and organism homeostasis. The capacity to cut out nucleotides one at a time from the end of a DNA chain is present in enzymes called exonucleases. Exonuclease activity might come from enzymes with multiple other functions or specialized enzymes only dedicated to this function.

Extracellular volume fraction improves risk-stratification for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: To evaluate whether cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based parametric mapping and strain analysis can improve the risk-stratification for ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and sudden death (SD) in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICM).

Methods And Results: Secondary analysis of a prospective single-centre-registry (NCT02326324), including 703 consecutive NICM patients, 618 with extracellular volume (ECV) available. The combined primary endpoint included appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies, sustained ventricular tachycardia, resuscitated cardiac arrest and SD.

Latent Classes for the Treatment Outcomes in Women with Gambling Disorder and Buying/Shopping Disorder.

Background: The risk for behavioral addictions is rising among women within the general population and in clinical settings. However, few studies have assessed treatment effectiveness in females. The aim of this work was to explore latent empirical classes of women with gambling disorder (GD) and buying/shopping disorder (BSD) based on the treatment outcome, as well as to identify predictors of the different empirical groups considering the sociodemographic and clinical profiles at baseline.

Pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity prevalence and relation to maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Objective: To identify the prevalence of pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity in pregnant women and its relationship with socio-demographic factors and to describe the maternal and perinatal outcomes in a Barcelona hospital (Spain).

Method: A descriptive cross-association study, with retrospective data collection, was performed Barcelona Hospital. The data of 5447 pregnant women who delivered at >=23 weeks of gestation were included.

Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Habits Is a Determinant of the Effectiveness of Weight Loss among Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies.

Endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) are promising strategies for the treatment of obesity. However, there is still great variability in its effectiveness in weight loss. Thus, we investigated whether adherence to healthy lifestyle habits is a significant determinant of weight loss effectiveness among patients undergoing EBTs.

Swine as the Animal Model for Testing New Formulations of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Carprofen Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of the Intramuscular Route.

Carprofen (CP) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) frequently used to treat respiratory diseases in numerous small animals, but also in large species. CP is a formidable candidate for further therapeutic research of human inflammatory diseases using the pig as an animal model. However, CP administration in swine is very uncommon and respective pharmacokinetics/bioavailability studies are scarce.

The Effectiveness of Combination Therapy for Treating Methicillin-Susceptible Bacteremia: A Systematic Literature Review and a Meta-Analysis.

Background: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of combination therapy for treating MSSA bacteremia.

Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov for studies including adults with MSSA bacteremia.

Update on Interventional Management of Neuropathic Pain: A Delphi Consensus of the Spanish Pain Society Neuropathic Pain Task Force.

Interventional management of neuropathic pain (NP) is available to the patients who do not obtain satisfactory pain relief with pharmacotherapy. Evidence supporting this is sparse and fragmented. We attempted to summarize and critically appraise the existing data to identify strategies that yield the greatest benefit, guide clinicians, and identify areas that merit further investigation.

Marginal Bone Loss in Internal Conical Connection Implants Placed at the Crestal and Subcrestal Levels before Prosthetic Loading: A Randomized Clinical Study.

Unlabelled: The vertical position concerning the bone in which the implants are placed has been related as one of the factors causing marginal bone loss. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bone loss that occurs before prosthetic loading around tapered internal connection (CIC) implants placed at the crestal (C) and subcrestal (S) levels.

Method: A randomized clinical trial (RCT) was carried out, with a sample size of 62 implants placed in 27 patients who underwent radiological controls on the day of placement, at one month, and at 4 months, and stability was measured by resonance frequency analysis (RFA) on three occasions.

The Effect of Enteral Immunonutrition in the Intensive Care Unit: Does It Impact on Outcomes?

Background: The present research aimed to evaluate the effect on outcomes of immunonutrition (IMN) enteral formulas during the intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was performed. Patient characteristics, disease severity, nutritional status, type of nutritional therapy and outcomes, and laboratory parameters were collected in a database.

The social conception of space of birth narrated by women with negative and traumatic birth experiences.

Background: Many women experience giving birth as a negative or even as a traumatic event. Birth space and its occupants are fundamentally interconnected with negative and traumatic experiences, highlighting the importance of the social space of birth.

Aim: To explore experiences of women who have had a negative or traumatic birth to identify the value, sense and meaning they assign to the social space of birth.

MEK and MCL-1 sequential inhibition synergize to enhance rhabdomyosarcoma treatment.

Targeted agents have emerged as promising molecules for cancer treatment, but most of them fail to achieve complete tumor regression or attain durable remissions due to tumor adaptations. We used dynamic BH3 profiling to identify targeted agents effectiveness and anti-apoptotic adaptations upon targeted treatment in rhabdomyosarcoma. We focused on studying the use of BH3 mimetics to specifically inhibit pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins, overwhelm resistance to therapy and prevent relapse.

Clinical effect of vitamin C supplementation on bone healing: A systematic review.

Background: The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the clinical effect of vitamin C on bone healing after bone fracture or bone reconstruction procedures.

Material And Methods: In October 2020, Cochrane Library, Scopus and PubMed-Medline databases were searched without restrictions to identify animal and human studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Outcome measures were bone healing time, bone gain (mm), bone density and adverse events.

Acceptability and participation predictors for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to test a smoking cessation intervention after discharge from mental health wards.

Background And Aim: Hospitalization is an ideal time to promote smoking cessation, but interventions are limited for supporting cessation maintenance after discharge. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of participating in a trial that tested the efficacy of an intensive telephone-based intervention for smokers after discharge.

Methods: Adult smokers admitted to mental health wards of six hospitals were invited to participate in the trial.

Human Amnion Epithelial Cells: A Potential Cell Source for Pulp Regeneration?

The aim of this study was to analyze the suitability of pluripotent stem cells derived from the amnion (hAECs) as a potential cell source for revitalization in vitro. hAECs were isolated from human placentas, and dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and dentin matrix proteins (eDMPs) were obtained from human teeth. Both hAECs and hDPSCs were cultured with 10% FBS, eDMPs and an osteogenic differentiation medium (StemPro).

Brain Iron Deficiency Changes the Stoichiometry of Adenosine Receptor Subtypes in Cortico-Striatal Terminals: Implications for Restless Legs Syndrome.

Brain iron deficiency (BID) constitutes a primary pathophysiological mechanism in restless legs syndrome (RLS). BID in rodents has been widely used as an animal model of RLS, since it recapitulates key neurochemical changes reported in RLS patients and shows an RLS-like behavioral phenotype. Previous studies with the BID-rodent model of RLS demonstrated increased sensitivity of cortical pyramidal cells to release glutamate from their striatal nerve terminals driving striatal circuits, a correlative finding of the cortical motor hyperexcitability of RLS patients.

Hormone Targets for the Treatment of Sleep Disorders in Postmenopausal Women with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review.

While the early identification of insomnia in patients with schizophrenia is of clinical relevance, the use of specific compounds to treat insomnia has been studied less in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia. We aimed to explore the effects of melatonin, sex hormones, and raloxifene for the treatment of insomnia in these populations. Although melatonin treatment improved the quality and efficiency of the sleep of patients with schizophrenia, few studies have explored its use in postmenopausal women with schizophrenia.

Nationwide COVID-19-EII Study: Incidence, Environmental Risk Factors and Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and COVID-19 of the ENEIDA Registry.

We aim to describe the incidence and source of contagion of COVID-19 in patients with IBD, as well as the risk factors for a severe course and long-term sequelae. This is a prospective observational study of IBD and COVID-19 included in the ENEIDA registry (53,682 from 73 centres) between March-July 2020 followed-up for 12 months. Results were compared with data of the general population (National Centre of Epidemiology and Catalonia).

Loss of microRNA-135b Enhances Bone Metastasis in Prostate Cancer and Predicts Aggressiveness in Human Prostate Samples.

About 70% of advanced-stage prostate cancer (PCa) patients will experience bone metastasis, which severely affects patients' quality of life and progresses to lethal PCa in most cases. Hence, understanding the molecular heterogeneity of PCa cell populations and the signaling pathways associated with bone tropism is crucial. For this purpose, we generated an animal model with high penetrance to metastasize to bone using an intracardiac percutaneous injection of PC3 cells to identify PCa metastasis-promoting factors.

Direct Oral Anticoagulants versus Warfarin in Octogenarians with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been demonstrated to be more effective and safer than vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). This meta-analysis aims to assess the effect of DOACS vs. VKA in patients ≥ 80 and AF.

Age-Related Changes in Lipidome of Rat Frontal Cortex and Cerebellum Are Partially Reversed by Methionine Restriction Applied in Old Age.

Lipids are closely associated with brain structure and function. However, the potential changes in the lipidome induced by aging remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used chromatographic techniques and a mass spectrometry-based approach to evaluate age-associated changes in the lipidome of the frontal cortex and cerebellum obtained from adult male Wistar rats (8 months), aged male Wistar rats (26 months), and aged male Wistar rats submitted to a methionine restriction diet (MetR)-as an anti-aging intervention-for 8 weeks.

Impact of the Innate Inflammatory Response on ICU Admission and Death in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Objective: To describe the capacity of a broad spectrum of cytokines and growth factors to predict ICU admission and/or death in patients with severe COVID-19.

Design: An observational, analytical, retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up.

Setting: Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias (HUPA).

ncRNAs in Therapeutics: Challenges and Limitations in Nucleic Acid-Based Drug Delivery.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging therapeutic tools but there are barriers to their translation to clinical practice. Key issues concern the specificity of the targets, the delivery of the molecules, and their stability, while avoiding "on-target" and "off-target" side effects. In this "ncRNA in therapeutics" issue, we collect several studies of the differential expression of ncRNAs in cardiovascular diseases, bone metabolism-related disorders, neurology, and oncology, and their potential to be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets.