Global Epidemiology of Alcohol-Related Liver Disease, Liver Cancer, and Alcohol Use Disorder, 2000-2021.

Background/aims: Alcohol represents a leading burden of disease worldwide, including alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). We aim to assess the global burden of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer between 2000-2021.

Methods: We registered the global and regional trends of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-related liver cancer using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 Study, the largest and most up-to-date global epidemiology database.

Systematic Review: Efficacy of Medical Therapy on Outcomes Important to Pediatric Patients with X-Linked Hypophosphatemia.

Objective: To examine the evidence addressing the management of X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) in children to inform treatment recommendations.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central up to May 2023. Eligible studies included RCTs and observational studies of individuals less than 18yrs with clinically or genetically confirmed XLH.

Biomarkers.

Background: Chronic exposition to stressor factors has been postulated as a cause of structural changes in the brain in the context of dementia. One of these changes can be the fiber integrity loss, that can be measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We obtained DTI whole brain metrics to relate them with allostatic load in subjects of a chilean cohort of cognitive complaint subjects.

Biomarkers.

Background: Chronic exposure to stress, quantified by allostatic load (AL), has been postulated as a cause of structural brain changes in the context of dementia. White matter hyperintensities (WMH), detected in MRI FLAIR, are a common brain abnormality representing small vessel disease or degenerative changes in the brain. Here, we studied differences in tract-specific WMH volume across three risk levels of AL in Chilean subjects with cognitive complaint, to explore links between chronic stress exposure and prodromal steps of dementia.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum is composed of the stages of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD). The decrease in gray matter volume (GMV) secondary to cortical atrophy, commonly seen in this continuum, is related to cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) impairment. Additionally, White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH), MRI abnormalities frequently observed in older adults and patients with dementia, are also associated with cognitive and ADL performance.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Alzheimer's Disease (AD) continuum is composed of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (ADD). Changes in grey matter volume (GMV), characteristic of the AD continuum, are related to cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) impairments. ADLs are divided into three domains: i) Basic (BADL), ii) Instrumental (IADL), and iii) Advanced (AADL), and their study is critical for understanding the evolution and adequate follow-up of patients.

Biomarkers.

Background: Dementia, encompassing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), poses a substantial public health challenge in Latin America. Barriers such as a shortage of healthcare professionals, limited medical accessibility, and underdiagnosis contribute to the complexity. While biomarkers aligned with the ATN framework (Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration) have revolutionized diagnosis, their cost limits adoption in Latin America.

Biomarkers.

Background: Predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using polygenic risk scores (PRS) for late-onset forms holds promise, but its accuracy might be influenced by social determinants of health (SDOH). This study explores how considering SDOH alongside genes can improve prediction, focusing on potential differences for each disease.

Methods: Employing logistic regression in 677 individuals (287 AD, 102 FTD, and 288 controls) aged 40-80 from the ReDLat study across six Latin American countries, we investigated the potential for SDOH to modify the association between PRS and susceptibility to AD and FTD.

Developing Topics.

Background: Chronic pain (CP) is defined as the persistence of pain beyond the expected recovery period of an injury, or alternatively, with a duration exceeding three months. It has been recognized as a risk factor for dementia in European and North American cohorts. However, in Latin America (LA), there remains a significant gap in understanding CP prevalence, its risk factors, and its association with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Association between demographic, clinical characteristics and severe complications by SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community-based healthcare network in Chile.

Background: Most of the evidence on risk factors for COVID-19 complications comes from North America or Europe with very little research from Latin-America. We aimed to evaluate the association between sociodemographic, clinical factors and the risk of COVID-19 complications among adults in Chile, the fifth Latin-American country with more COVID-19 reported cases since de beginning of the Pandemic.

Methods: A retrospective population-based cohort study using data from electronic health records from a large Primary Care Network, linked to national hospital, immunization, Covid-19 PCR surveillance, mortality and birth records.

Neurogastroenterology and motility disorders in patients with cirrhosis.

Neurogastroenterology and motility disorders are complex gastrointestinal conditions that are prevalent worldwide, particularly affecting women and younger individuals. These conditions significantly impact the quality of life of people suffering from them. There is increasing evidence linking these disorders to cirrhosis, with a higher prevalence compared to the general population.

Safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells mitochondria transplantation as a cell-free therapy for osteoarthritis.

Objective: The inflammatory responses from synovial fibroblasts and macrophages and the mitochondrial dysfunction in chondrocytes lead to oxidative stress, disrupt extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis, and accelerate the deterioration process of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA). In recent years, it has been proposed that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) transfer their functional mitochondria to damaged cells in response to cellular stress, becoming one of the mechanisms underpinning their therapeutic effects. Therefore, we hypothesize that a novel cell-free treatment for OA could involve direct mitochondria transplantation, restoring both cellular and mitochondrial homeostasis.

Inbreeding and Gallbladder Cancer Risk: Homozygosity Associations Adjusted for Indigenous American Ancestry, BMI, and Genetic Risk of Gallstone Disease.

Latin Americans have a rich genetic make-up that translates into heterogeneous fractions of the autosomal genome in runs of homozygosity (F) and heterogeneous types and proportions of indigenous American ancestry. While autozygosity has been linked to several human diseases, very little is known about the relationship between inbreeding, genetic ancestry, and cancer risk in Latin Americans. Chile has one of the highest incidences of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in the world, and we investigated the association between inbreeding, GBC, gallstone disease (GSD), and body mass index (BMI) in 4029 genetically admixed Chileans.

[Parenteral nutrition in neonatology and pediatrics: physicochemical stability, risks and precautions. Narrative review].

Parenteral nutrition is a high-risk therapy due to some of its components and the exceptional inclusion of drugs. It can contain more than 50 nutrients, with different characteristics of osmolarity, ionic charge, and pH, which can affect its physicochemical stability. In addition, environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and oxygen must be considered.

[Adrenal tumors in pediatric patients treated with minimally invasive surgery].

Unlabelled: Adrenal tumors in children are frequently neoplastic and malignant, and surgical resection is the first management option. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has proven to be a safe management alternative and is suggested as a preferred alternative approach.

Objective: To report the surgical outcomes of patients with adrenal tumors treated by MIS.

[Screening in Cystic Fibrosis in the Chilean population. Pilot project for screening in newborns].

Unlabelled: Neonatal screening has been implemented internationally with different protocols and has become the routine method in the preclinical stage. Late diagnosis is associated with more severe symptoms with decreased survival and higher treatment costs.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of cystic fibrosis; to evaluate the performance of the screening algorithms Immunoreactive Trypsinogen and Pancreatitis-Associated Protein (IRT/PAP) and the IRTxPAP product; to analyze the cut-off value for IRT, PAP, and IRTxPAP, and to establish a methodology for its ongoing evaluation; finally, to evaluate the quality of IRT and PAP measurements.

[Characteristics of Hospitalized Adults with Severe Hyponatremia: A Comparison of Patients with Severe and Very Severe Hyponatremia in Terms of Etiology, Symptoms, Treatment Response, and Mortality].

Unlabelled: Hyponatremia is the most common hydroelectrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients. It is unclear whether there are differences between severe hyponatremia (<125 mEq/L) and very severe hyponatremia (<115 mEq/L) in terms of etiology, response to therapy, and mortality.

Aim: Describe the etiology, symptoms, response to treatment and mortality of hospitalized adults with severe and very severe hyponatremia.

[Pancreatoduodenectomy in Octogenarian Patients and the Need for Standardized Evaluation].

Unlabelled: Pancreatoduodenectomy represents the only curative alternative in patients with periampullary tumors, currently with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. However, there is little evidence in octogenarian patients.

Aim: To describe the experience of octogenarian patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for tumors of the periampullary area at the Hospital Clínico de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Extracellular vimentin amplifies inflammation: Perspectives for immune injury and therapeutics for periodontitis.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease triggered by microbial biofilms that promote immune dysfunction and tissue destruction of tooth-supporting tissues. The search for soluble mediators that amplify inflammatory responses and matrix degradation in periodontal tissues has implicated extracellular vimentin (ECV) as a signaling ligand and damage-associated molecular pattern in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Intracellular vimentin filaments are essential for the structural integrity of cells and the preservation of matrix homeostasis.

Comprehensive histopathological analysis of gastric cancer in European and Latin America populations reveals differences in PDL1, HER2, p53 and MUC6 expression.

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) burden is currently evolving with regional differences associated with complex behavioural, environmental, and genetic risk factors. The LEGACy study is a Horizon 2020-funded multi-institutional research project conducted prospectively to provide comprehensive data on the tumour biological characteristics of gastroesophageal cancer from European and LATAM countries.

Material And Methods: Treatment-naïve advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma patients were prospectively recruited in seven European and LATAM countries.

Evaluation of two different wrist actigraphy devices in the adult population.

Study Objectives: Actigraphy devices are used in sleep medicine. The Actiwatch 2 (Philips Respironics) was an example of a frequently used device in this field. Nevertheless, the discontinuation of this device has led to an increased necessity for the implementation of other available actigraphy methods capable of providing objective information.

Oxidized phospholipid and transcriptomic signatures of THC-related vaping associated lung injury.

E-cigarette/vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) is strongly associated with vitamin E acetate and often occurs with concomitant tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use. To uncover pathways associated with EVALI, we examined cytokines, transcriptomic signatures, and lipidomic profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from THC-EVALI patients. At a single center, we prospectively enrolled mechanically ventilated patients with EVALI from THC-containing products (N = 4) and patients with non-vaping acute lung injury and airway controls (N = 5).