Fad diets for non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients: Can "the miracle diet" be a threat?

In the pursuit of an effortless "miracle cure", there has been a significant increase in the proliferation of fad diets. These diets generally exclude a food group or macronutrients and may also restrict energy intake; they become popular quickly but often lack substantial scientific evidence to support their efficacy and safety. They only show short-term results rather than promoting a lifestyle change.

Effects of dietary compounds on nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) modulation in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review of clinical trials.

Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important transcription factor that activates antioxidant genes and increases detoxifying enzymes. Studies have shown that dietary compounds can activate the Nrf2 expression and improve the antioxidant response in patients with exacerbated oxidative stress, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nutritional interventions on Nrf2 expression and phase II antioxidant enzymes in clinical trials in CKD.

Automated Insulin Delivery System: A Solution for Moderate to High-Risk Ramadan Fasting in People Living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Background investigated whether Ramadan, a yearly religious fasting lasting for 1 month, could challenge the metabolic control obtained under a hybrid closed-loop (HCL) therapy in patients living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This real-life prospective study involved 20 patients with T1D and moderate to high-risk score of adverse events at baseline. We compared continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) parameters under HCL therapy 1 month before and during the Ramadan fasting month.

Is the enteric nervous system a lost piece of the gut-kidney axis puzzle linked to chronic kidney disease?

The enteric nervous system (ENS) regulates numerous functional and immunological attributes of the gastrointestinal tract. Alterations in ENS cell function have been linked to intestinal outcomes in various metabolic, intestinal, and neurological disorders. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a challenging intestinal environment due to gut dysbiosis, which further affects patient quality of life.

Editor's Choice - Vascular Registries Contributing to VASCUNET Collaborative Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Outcome Projects: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Vascular surgery registries report on procedures and outcomes to promote patient safety and drive quality improvement. International registries have contributed significantly to the VASCUNET collaborative abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) outcome projects. This scoping review aimed to outline the national registries in vascular surgery that currently participate in the VASCUNET collaborative AAA projects.

Strategies to target the central nervous system HIV reservoir.

Purpose Of The Review: The central nervous system (CNS) is an hotspot for HIV persistence and may be a major obstacle to overcome for curative strategies. The peculiar anatomical, tissular and cellular characteristics of the HIV reservoir in the CNS may need to be specifically addressed to achieve a long-term HIV control without ART. In this review, we will discuss the critical challenges that currently explored curative strategies may face in crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB), targeting latent HIV in brain-resident myeloid reservoirs, and eliminating the virus without eliciting dangerous neurological adverse events.

Ventilator-associated events in adults: A secondary analysis assessing the impact of monitoring ventilator settings on outcomes.

Background: Ventilator-associated events (VAE) is a tier implemented for surveillance by the CDC in the USA. Implementation usefulness for clinical decisions is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis from a prospective, multicentre, international study, to assess the impact on outcomes of using tiers with shorter follow-up (VAE24), lower oxygenation requirements (light-VAE) or both (light VAE24).

There is a need for a paradigm shift in laparoscopic surgical training: results of a nationwide survey among teaching hospitals in Switzerland.

Background: Surgical training curricula have changed little over the past decades. Current advances in surgical techniques, especially in minimally invasive surgery, as well as the rapidly changing socioeconomic environment pose a major challenge for the training of young surgeons. The aim of this survey was to provide a representative overview of the surgical training landscape in Switzerland focusing on laparoscopic surgical training: How do department chairs of teaching hospitals deal with the above challenges, and what should a future training curriculum look like?

Methods: This is a prospective, questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study among the heads of departments of all certified surgical teaching hospitals in Switzerland.

Vitamin E and conflicting understandings in noncommunicable diseases: Is it worth supplementing?

Vitamin E is a lipid-soluble nutrient found mainly in vegetable oils and oilseeds. It is divided into eight homologous compounds; however, only α-tocopherol exhibits vitamin activity. Many advantages are related to these compounds, including cellular protection through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and improving lipid metabolism.

Using the concept of food as medicine to mitigate inflammation in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

The most common kidney replacement therapy (KRT) worldwide is hemodialysis (HD), and only 5%-10% of patients are prescribed peritoneal dialysis (PD) as KRT. Despite PD being a different method, these patients also present particular complications, such as oxidative stress, gut dysbiosis, premature aging, and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to an inflammation process and high cardiovascular mortality risk. Although recent studies have reported nutritional strategies in patients undergoing HD with attempts to mitigate these complications, more information must be needed for PD patients.

Alterations in glutamate, arginine, and energy metabolism characterize cerebrospinal fluid and plasma metabolome of persons with HIV-associated dementia.

Objectives: HIV-associated dementia (HAD) is the most severe clinical expression of HIV-mediated neuropathology, and the processes underlying its development remain poorly understood. We aimed to exploit high-dimensional metabolic profiling to gain insights into the pathological mechanisms associated to HAD.

Design: In this cross-sectional study, we utilized metabolomics to profile matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples of HAD individuals ( n  = 20) compared with neurologically asymptomatic people with HIV (ASYM, n  = 20) and healthy controls (NEG, n  = 20).

Major revision version 12.0 of the European AIDS Clinical Society guidelines 2023.

Background: The European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) guidelines were revised in 2023 for the 19th time, and all aspects of HIV care were updated.

Key Points Of The Guidelines Update: Version 12.0 of the guidelines recommend the same six first-line treatment options for antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve adults as versions 11.

Teleconsultations for mental health: Recommendations from a Delphi panel.

Introduction: The use of teleconsultations for mental health has drastically increased since 2020 due to the Covid19 pandemic. In the present paper, we aimed to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of teleconsultations for mental health compared to face-to-face consultations, and to provide recommendations in this domain.

Methods: The recommendations were gathered using a Delphi methodology.

Sulforaphane Supplementation Did Not Modulate NRF2 and NF-kB mRNA Expressions in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have reduced expression of erythroid nuclear factor-related factor 2 (NRF2) and increased nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). "Food as medicine" has been proposed as an adjuvant therapeutic alternative in modulating these factors. No studies have investigated the effects of sulforaphane (SFN) in cruciferous vegetables on the expression of these genes in patients with CKD.

Impact of Intensive Glycemic Treatment on Diabetes Complications-A Systematic Review.

Diabetes complications can be related to the long duration of the disease or chronic hyperglycemia. The follow-up of diabetic patients is based on the control of chronic hyperglycemia, although this correction, if obtained rapidly in people living with severe chronic hyperglycemia, can paradoxically interfere with the disease or even induce complications. We reviewed the literature describing the impact of the rapid and intense treatment of hyperglycemia on diabetic complications.

Changes in Inflammatory Markers in Patients Treated for Buruli Ulcer and Their Ability to Predict Paradoxical Reactions.

Mycobacterium ulcerans causes Buruli ulcer, the third most frequent mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy. Transient clinical deteriorations, known as paradoxical reactions (PRs), occur in some patients during or after antibiotic treatment. We investigated the clinical and biological features of PRs in a prospective cohort of 41 patients with Buruli ulcer from Benin.

Effects of resveratrol on inflammation and oxidative stress induced by the uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate in Murine macrophage-like RAW 264.7.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a uremic toxin produced by the gut microbiota that commonly accumulates in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can be harmful. Resveratrol is a polyphenol with properties that attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation. This study aims to evaluate the effect of resveratrol against the damage caused by IS in RAW 264.

Effects of turmeric extract supplementation on the lipid and lipoprotein subfraction profile in hemodialysis patients: A randomised, double-blind, crossover and controlled trial.

Dyslipidemia is common in patients with chronic kidney disease. Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol from Curcuma longa, can improve lipid profile. This study aims to analyze the effects of Curcuma Longa extract supplementation on lipid profile and lipoprotein subfractions in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated With Malaria Among Children 6-59 Months in Burkina Faso.

This study aims to understand the individual and contextual factors associated with malaria among children aged 6-59 months in Burkina Faso. This cross-sectional study used secondary data extracted from the Burkina Faso Malaria Indicator Survey 2017-2018. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse socio-demographic characteristics.

Delayed Diagnosis of Bilateral Neuroarthropathy: Serious Impact on the Development of Charcot's Foot, a Case Report.

Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) is a destructive complication of the joints in patients with diabetes and should be managed from the onset of the first symptoms to avoid joint deformity and the risk of amputating the affected joint. Here, we describe the case of a young 24-year-old patient living with type I diabetes who developed active bilateral CN in both tarsal joints. This case of neuroarthropathy was uncommon due to the bilateral presentation at the same level of the joint.

Post-healing follow-up study of patients in remission for diabetic foot ulcers Pied-REM study.

The rate of recurrence for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is 50% at 2 years Armstrong DG, 2017. International recommendations call for regular monitoring to prevent DFU recurrence. We aim to investigate the relation between post-healing follow-up and recurrence rates.

Impact of the Rapid Normalization of Chronic Hyperglycemia on the Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Ligand and the Osteoprotegerin System in Patients Living with Type 2 Diabetes: RANKL-GLYC Study.

The RANKL-GLYC study aims to explore the impact of the rapid correction of chronic hyperglycemia on the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and its antagonist osteoprotegerin (OPG). RANKL and OPG are considered the main factors in the pathophysiology of Charcot neuroarthropathy, a devastating complication of the joints that remains poorly understood. The study began recruiting patients in September 2021 and ends in June 2022; the final study results are scheduled for January 2023.

Close follow-up is associated with fewer stricture formation and results in earlier detection of histological relapse in the long-term management of eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background And Aims: No recommendations exist regarding optimal follow-up schedule in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) under maintenance treatment.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a long-term surveillance concept at the Swiss EoE clinic, where clinical, endoscopic and histological disease activity is assessed annually regardless of EoE symptoms. Data on 159 adult patients under maintenance steroid treatment with available follow-up were analyzed.