Succinate Pathway in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Potential as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high rates of mortality and treatment-related morbidity, underscoring the urgent need for innovative and safe treatment strategies and diagnosis practices. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of cancer and can lead to the accumulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, such as succinate, which function as oncometabolites. In addition to its role in cancer development through epigenetic events, succinate is an extracellular signal transducer that modulates immune response, angiogenesis and cell invasion by activating its cognate receptor SUCNR1.

Epigenome-wide association study of COVID-19 severity with respiratory failure.

Background: Patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), exhibit a wide spectrum of disease behaviour. Since DNA methylation has been implicated in the regulation of viral infections and the immune system, we performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to identify candidate loci regulated by this epigenetic mark that could be involved in the onset of COVID-19 in patients without comorbidities.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 407 confirmed COVID-19 patients ≤ 61 years of age and without comorbidities, 194 (47.

Early oseltamivir treatment improves survival in critically ill patients with influenza pneumonia.

Background: The relationship between early oseltamivir treatment (within 48 h of symptom onset) and mortality in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with severe influenza is disputed. This study aimed to investigate the association between early oseltamivir treatment and ICU mortality in critically ill patients with influenza pneumonia.

Methods: This was an observational study of patients with influenza pneumonia admitted to 184 ICUs in Spain during 2009-2018.

Survivin drives tumor-associated macrophage reprogramming: a novel mechanism with potential impact for obesity.

Purpose: Recent studies point to adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) as a link between obesity and cancer. We aimed to determine whether survivin, which is highly secreted by ASCs from subjects with obesity, might drive a pro-tumoral phenotype in macrophages.

Methods: The effect of ASC conditioned medium on the macrophage phenotype was assessed by expression studies.

Validation of bioelectrical impedance analysis for body composition assessment in children with obesity aged 8-14y.

Background & Aims: The aim was to generate a predictive equation to assess body composition (BC) in children with obesity using bioimpedance (BIA), and avoid bias produced by different density levels of fat free mass (FFM) in this population.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional validation study using baseline data from a randomized intervention trial to treat childhood obesity. Participants were 8 to 14y (n = 315), underwent assessments on anthropometry and BC through Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP), Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry and BIA.

Association of Protein Intake during the Second Year of Life with Weight Gain-Related Outcomes in Childhood: A Systematic Review.

There is accumulating evidence that early protein intake is related with weight gain in childhood. However, the evidence is mostly limited to the first year of life, whereas the high-weight-gain-velocity period extends up to about 2 years of age. We aimed to investigate whether protein intake during the second year of life is associated with higher weight gain and obesity risk later in childhood.

Memory complaints and cognitive performance in fibromyalgia and chronic pain: The key role of depression.

To explore the relationship between perceived cognitive problems and cognitive performance in three different samples, taking into account the possible influence of depression, catastrophizing, pain intensity, or medication. Seventy individuals with fibromyalgia, 74 with non-malignant chronic pain and 40 pain-free controls, completed measures of verbal episodic memory, sustained attention, response inhibition, depression, catastrophizing, and pain intensity. Fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients performed worse than controls in verbal memory and sustained attention, but these differences disappeared when depressed participants were excluded from the analyses.

The effect of preoperative chemotherapy on liver regeneration after portal vein embolization/ligation or liver resection in patients with colorectal liver metastasis: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Liver resection (LR) in patients with liver metastasis from colorectal cancer remains the only curative treatment. Perioperative chemotherapy improves prognosis of these patients. However, there are concerns regarding the effect of preoperative chemotherapy on liver regeneration, which is a key event in avoiding liver failure after LR.

Improved postoperative outcomes and reduced transfusion rates after implementation of a Patient Blood Management program in gastric cancer surgery.

Introduction: Gastric cancer patients are often transfused with red blood cells, with negative impact on postoperative course. This multicenter prospective interventional cohort study aimed to determine whether implementation of a Patient Blood Management (PBM) program, was associated with a decrease in transfusion rate and improvements in clinical outcomes in gastric cancer surgery.

Methods: We compared transfusion practices and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing elective gastric cancer resection before and after implementing a PBM program, including strategies to detect and treat anemia and restrictive transfusion practice (2014-2018).

A Machine Learning decision-making tool for extubation in Intensive Care Unit patients.

Background And Objective: To increase the success rate of invasive mechanical ventilation weaning in critically ill patients using Machine Learning models capable of accurately predicting the outcome of programmed extubations.

Methods: The study population was adult patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Target events were programmed extubations, both successful and failed.

Increased Frequencies of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Precede Immunodiscordance in HIV-Infected Subjects.

Background: We have previously observed increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers and Th17 as well as Treg cells, but not other T-cell specific alterations, preceding immunodiscordance of successfully-treated HIV-infected subjects. Our hypothesis is that this could be related with potential alterations in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and/or monocyte subsets.

Methods: We determined the frequencies of MDSCs and monocyte subsets and the expression of several functional markers (CCR2, 7-integrin, IDO, PDL1, CD11b) in HIV-infected subjects before treatment.

Permanent postoperative hypoparathyroidism: an analysis of prevalence and predictive factors for adequacy of control in a cohort of 260 patients.

Background: Recent guidelines for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism emphasize the need for long-term disease control, avoiding symptoms and hypocalcaemia. Our aim has been to analyze the prevalence of poor disease control in a national cohort of patients with hypoparathyroidism, as well as to evaluate predictive variables of inadequate disease control.

Methods: From a nation-wide observational study including a cohort of 1792 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy, we selected 260 subjects [207 women and 53 men, aged (mean ± SD) 47.

High circulating SDF-1and MCP-1 levels and genetic variations in CXCL12, CCL2 and CCR5: Prognostic signature of immune recovery status in treated HIV-positive patients.

Background: The underlying mechanisms of incomplete immune reconstitution in treated HIV-positive patients are very complex and may be multifactorial, but perturbation of chemokine secretion could play a key role in CD4T-cell turnover.

Methods: We evaluated the circulating baseline and 48-week follow-up concentrations of SDF-1/CXCL12, fractalkine/CX3CL1, MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-α/CCL3, MIP-β/CCL4 and RANTES/CCL5, and we estimated their association with CXCL12, CX3CR1, CCR2, CCL5 and CCR5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to investigate multiple chemokine-chemokine receptor signatures associated with immune dysregulation preceding poor immune recovery.

Findings: The circulating concentrations and gene expression patterns of SDF-1/CXCL12 (CXCL12 rs1801157) and MCP-1/CCL2 (CCR2 rs1799864_814) were associated with immune recovery status.

Deregulated Serotonin Pathway in Women with Morbid Obesity and NAFLD.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) extends from simple steatosis (SS) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Peripheral serotonin (5-HT) has become as an important regulator of different metabolic pathways. 5-HT has been related to obesity and lipid accumulation in the liver.

Adipose tissue is a key organ for the beneficial effects of GLP-2 metabolic function.

Background And Purpose: Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a gastrointestinal hormone released in response to nutritional intake that exerts a wide range of effects by activating GLP-2 receptors. In addition to its intestinotrophic effects, GLP-2 also positively influences glucose metabolism under conditions of obesity, but the mechanisms behind this remain unclear. Here, we have investigated the molecular role of the GLP-2/GLP-2 receptor axis in energetic metabolism, focusing on its potential modulatory effects on adipose tissue.

Contemporary management of concomitant gallstones and common bile duct stones: a survey of Spanish surgeons.

Background: Concomitant gallstones and common bile duct stones (CBDS) is a relatively frequent presentation. The optimal treatment remains controversial and the debate persists between two strategies. The one-stage approach: laparoscopic cholecystectomy with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) has been shown to be equally safe and more cost-effective than the more traditional two-stage approach: endoscopic retrograde cholangiography followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ERCP + LC).

Impact of response to treatment in health-related quality of life patient-reported outcomes in elderly patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a recurrent malignancy with a high impact on quality of life. Improved survival relies on the combination of drugs and extended duration of therapy, raising concerns on its toxicity burden in elderly patients. Health-related quality of life measurements attent to capture health aspects relevant to patients other than efficacy.

Circular DNA intermediates in the generation of large human segmental duplications.

Background: Duplications of large genomic segments provide genetic diversity in genome evolution. Despite their importance, how these duplications are generated remains uncertain, particularly for distant duplicated genomic segments.

Results: Here we provide evidence of the participation of circular DNA intermediates in the single generation of some large human segmental duplications.

Microbial Signature in Adipose Tissue of Crohn's Disease Patients.

Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by compromised immune tolerance to the intestinal commensal microbiota, intestinal barrier inflammation, and hyperplasia of creeping fat (CF) and mesenteric adipose tissue (AT), which seems to be directly related to disease activity. Gut microbiota dysbiosis might be a determining factor in CD etiology, manifesting as a low microbial diversity and a high abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria. We tested the hypothesis that CF is a reservoir of bacteria through 16S-rRNA sequencing of several AT depots of patients with active and inactive disease and controls.

A novel approach to assess body composition in children with obesity from density of the fat-free mass.

Background & Aims: Assessment of Fat Mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) using Air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) technique assumes constant density of FFM (D) by age and sex. It has been recently shown that D further varies according to body mass index (BMI), meaning that ADP body composition assessments of children with obesity could be biased if D is assumed to be constant. The aim of this study was to validate the use of the calculations of D (rather than constant density of the FFM) to improve accuracy of body composition assessment in children with obesity.

Quercetin metabolites from Hibiscus sabdariffa contribute to alleviate glucolipotoxicity-induced metabolic stress in vitro.

Polyphenols from Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) alleviate obesity-related metabolic complications but the metabolites responsible for such effects are unknown. We aimed to elucidate which of the potential plasma metabolites from a polyphenol-enriched HS (PEHS) extract contributed for the reversion of glucolipotoxicity-induced metabolic stress using 3T3-L1 adipocyte and INS 832/13 pancreatic β-cell models under glucolipotoxic conditions. PEHS extract, quercetin (Q) and quercetin-3-O-glucuronide (Q3GA) showed stronger capacity to decrease glucolipotoxicity-induced ROS generation than ascorbic acid or chlorogenic acid.

Circulating microRNAs modulating glycolysis as non-invasive prognostic biomarkers of HNSCC.

Background: The identification of prognostic non-invasive biomarkers is a priority for cancer patients' care. Circulating microRNA (miRNAs) have been described in numerous human malignancies as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic cancer biomarkers. The aim of our study was to analyze the expression profile of a set of miRNAs, involved in the modulation of the glycolytic pathway, as prognostic factors in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).

Impaired Succinate Response to a Mixed Meal in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Is Normalized After Metabolic Surgery.

Objective: To explore the meal response of circulating succinate in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes undergoing bariatric surgery and to examine the role of gastrointestinal glucose sensing in succinate dynamics in healthy subjects.

Research Design And Methods: Cohort I comprised 45 patients with morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes (BMI 39.4 ± 1.