Frailty and prognosis of older patients with chronic heart failure.

Introduction And Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is prevalent in advanced ages. Our objective was to assess the impact of frailty on 1-year mortality in older patients with ambulatory HF.

Methods: Our data come from the FRAGIC study (Spanish acronym for "Study of the impact of frailty and other geriatric syndromes on the clinical management and prognosis of elderly outpatients with heart failure"), a multicenter prospective registry conducted in 16 Spanish hospitals including outpatients ≥ 75 years with HF followed up by cardiology services in Spain.

Ptpn1 deletion protects oval cells against lipoapoptosis by favoring lipid droplet formation and dynamics.

Activation of oval cells (OCs) has been related to hepatocyte injury during chronic liver diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, OCs plasticity can be affected under pathological environments. We previously found protection against hepatocyte cell death by inhibiting protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B).

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 is a new molecular target linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with potential value as non-invasive screening tool.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, being non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) its most clinically relevant form. Given the risks associated with taking a liver biopsy, the design of accurate non-invasive methods to identify NASH patients is of upmost importance. BMP2 plays a key role in metabolic homeostasis; however, little is known about its involvement in NAFLD onset and progression.

Contemporary comparison of infective endocarditis caused by Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis: a cohort study.

Among 1655 consecutive patients with infective endocarditis treated from 1998 to 2020 in three tertiary care centres, 16 were caused by Candida albicans (CAIE, n = 8) and Candida parapsilosis (CPIE, n = 8). Compared to CAIE, CPIE were more frequently community-acquired. Prosthetic valve involvement was remarkably more common among patients with CPIE.

Increased Oxygen Desaturation Time During Sleep Is a Risk Factor for NASH in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Given that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly associated with metabolic disorders, in this prospective study, we sought to determine the prevalence and risk factors for hepatosteatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and advanced liver fibrosis in patients with clinical and polygraphic criteria of OSA ( = 153) and in subjects with normal lung function parameters (NLP, = 43).

Methods: Hepatosteatosis, NASH, and advanced liver fibrosis were determined by blood-based non-invasive tools, such as the fatty liver index and the hepatic steatosis index, a serum lipidomic (OWLiver™) test, and three distinct fibrosis algorithms, respectively. Logistic regression models adjusted by potential confounders were performed to evaluate risk factors.

Resveratrol-Based MTDLs to Stimulate Defensive and Regenerative Pathways and Block Early Events in Neurodegenerative Cascades.

By replacing a phenolic ring of ()-resveratrol with an 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3)-one heterocycle, new resveratrol-based multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs) were obtained. They were evaluated in several assays related to oxidative stress and inflammation (monoamine oxidases, nuclear erythroid 2-related factor, quinone reductase-2, and oxygen radical trapping) and then in experiments of increasing complexity (neurogenic properties and neuroprotection okadaic acid). 5-[()-2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)ethenyl]-3-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3)-one () showed a well-balanced MTDL profile: cellular activation of the NRF2-ARE pathway (CD = 9.

Reassessment of Vegetation Size as a Sole Indication for Surgery in Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Guidelines recommend surgery for left-sided infective endocarditis (LSIE) that is associated with large vegetations. Given that most patients who undergo surgery also have other indications (heart failure and/or uncontrolled infection), it is not settled whether surgery should be routinely recommended in patients with large vegetations but no other predictors of poor outcome.

Methods: A total of 726 patients with definitive LSIE were included in our analysis.

Analyzing artificial intelligence systems for the prediction of atrial fibrillation from sinus-rhythm ECGs including demographics and feature visualization.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm, asymptomatic in many cases, that causes several health problems and mortality in population. This retrospective study evaluates the ability of different AI-based models to predict future episodes of AF from electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded during normal sinus rhythm. Patients are divided into two classes according to AF occurrence or sinus rhythm permanence along their several ECGs registry.

Intracellular calcium and inflammatory markers, mediated by purinergic stimulation, are differentially regulated in monocytes of patients with major depressive disorder.

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is a ligand-gated ion channel that is being recognized as a major player in neuropsychiatric disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). P2X7R activation is triggered by high extracellular ATP concentrations, leading to channel opening and inducing an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca]), that activates the inflammatory pathway. Those receptors are expressed not only in CNS cells but also in peripheral blood cells, where they are activated in response to inflammatory molecules such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Infection.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature heterogeneous myeloid cells that expand in pathologic conditions as cancer, trauma, and infection. Although characterization of MDSCs is continuously revisited, the best feature is their suppressor activity. There are many markers for MDSC identification, it is distinctive that they express inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and arginase 1, which can mediate immune suppression.

Prognostic impact of cardiac surgery in left-sided infective endocarditis according to risk profile.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic impact of urgent cardiac surgery on the prognosis of left-sided infective endocarditis (LSIE) and its relationship to the basal risk of the patient and to the surgical indication.

Methods: 605 patients with LSIE and formal surgical indication were consecutively recruited between 2000 and 2020 among three tertiary centres: 405 underwent surgery during the active phase of the disease and 200 did not despite having indication. The prognostic impact of urgent surgery was evaluated by multivariable analysis and propensity score analysis.

Performance of Bioelectrical Impedance and Anthropometric Predictive Equations for Estimation of Muscle Mass in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are vulnerable to loss of muscle mass due to several metabolic alterations derived from the uremic syndrome. Reference methods for body composition evaluation are usually unfeasible in clinical settings. To evaluate the accuracy of predictive equations based on bioelectrical impedance analyses (BIA) and anthropometry parameters for estimating fat free mass (FFM) and appendicular FFM (AFFM), compared to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), in CKD patients.

Postlaunch evidence-generation studies for medical devices in Spain: the RedETS approach to integrate real-world evidence into decision making.

The Monitoring Studies (MS) program, the approach developed by RedETS to generate postlaunch real-world evidence (RWE), is intended to complement and enhance the conventional health technology assessment process to support health policy decision making in Spain, besides informing other interested stakeholders, including clinicians and patients. The MS program is focused on specific uncertainties about the real effect, safety, costs, and routine use of new and insufficiently assessed relevant medical devices carefully selected to ensure the value of the additional research needed, by means of structured, controlled, participative, and transparent procedures. However, despite a clear political commitment and economic support from national and regional health authorities, several difficulties were identified along the development and implementation of the first wave of MS, delaying its execution and final reporting.

How does neighbourhood socio-economic status affect the interrelationships between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis? A network analysis approach.

The links between psychosis and socio-economic disadvantage have been widely studied. No previous study has analysed the interrelationships and mutual influences between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis (FEP) according to their neighbourhood household income, using a multidimensional and transdiagnostic perspective. 170 patients and 129 controls, participants in an observational study (AGES-CM), comprised the study sample.

The interplay between functioning problems and symptoms in first episode of psychosis: An approach from network analysis.

The relationship between psychotic symptoms and global measures of functioning has been widely studied. No previous study has assessed so far the interplay between specific clinical symptoms and particular areas of functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP) using network analysis methods. A total of 191 patients with FEP (age 24.

Infective endocarditis in patients with aortic grafts.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with a valve-tube ascending aortic graft (AAG) is a rare entity with a challenging diagnosis and treatment. This study describes the clinical features, diagnosis and outcome of these patients.

Methods: Between 1996 and 2019, 1654 episodes of IE were recruited in 3 centres, of which 37 patients (2.

Comparison between dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance for body composition measurements in adults with chronic kidney disease: A cross-sectional, longitudinal, multi-treatment analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for assessment of body composition in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: We performed cross-sectional and prospective analyses by DXA and BIS in whole body (BISWB) and segmental (BISSEG) protocols in CKD non-dialysis-dependent (n = 81), hemodialysis (n = 83), peritoneal dialysis (n = 24), and renal transplantation (n = 80) patients. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were evaluated.