Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Liver Int 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

NAFLD is closely related with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Liver fat associates with postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, potentially contributing to triglyceride-enrichment of high-density-lipoproteins (HDL-TG), and subsequent HDL-dysfunction. We assessed liver fat by MR-spectroscopy, and its association with HDL physiochemical properties, and endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilation (FMD), before and following 3 consecutive meals, in 36 men with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), with the MetS, and controls. Read More

Physiol Rep 2020 Jul;8(13):e14440

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.

The burden of hypertension in the United States is increasing and yields significant morbidity and mortality, and sex differences in hypertension are widely recognized. Reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and increased oxidative stress are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertensive renal injury, and but their contributions to sex differences in injury progression of are undefined. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that male hypertensive rats have accelerated renal injury compared to females and to determine the contributions of the nitric oxide pathway and oxidative stress in these differences. Read More

Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

VA Medical Center, Mather, California.

Aims: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an inflammatory disorder associated with an increased risk for diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Studies in patients and animal models of obesity and diabetes have shown increased NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLPR3) inflammasome activity. However, there is scanty data on the activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome in patients with nascent MetS. Read More

Liver Int 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Clinical Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), Nuthetal, 14558, Germany.

Background And Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming increasingly prevalent and nutrition intervention remains the most important therapeutic approach for NAFLD. Our aim was to investigate whether low- (LP) or high-protein (HP) diets are more effective in reducing liver fat and reversing NAFLD and which mechanisms are involved.

Methods: 19 participants with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery were randomized into two hypocaloric (1500-1600 kcal/day) diet groups, a low protein (10E% protein) and a high protein (30E% protein), for three weeks prior to surgery. Read More

FASEB J 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Public Health, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.

Sorafenib represents the current standard of care for patients with advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, acquired drug resistance occurs frequently during therapy and is accompanied by rapid tumor regrowth after sorafenib therapy termination. To identify the mechanism of this therapy-limiting growth resumption, we established robust sorafenib resistance HCC cell models that exhibited mitochondrial dysfunction and chemotherapeutic crossresistance. Read More

FASEB J 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, The MRC - Versus Arthritis Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Lactation-induced bone loss occurs due to high calcium requirements for fetal growth but skeletal recovery is normally achieved promptly postweaning. Dietary protein is vital for fetus and mother but the effects of protein undernutrition on the maternal skeleton and skeletal muscles are largely unknown. We used mouse dams fed with normal (N, 20%) or low (L, 8%) protein diet during gestation and lactation and maintained on the same diets (NN, LL) or switched from low to normal (LN) during a 28 d skeletal restoration period post lactation. Read More

Diabetes Metab Syndr 2020 Jul 3;14(5):1085-1086. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, Chirag Enclave, New Delhi, India; National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC), New Delhi, India; Diabetes Foundation (India), New Delhi, India.

J Reprod Immunol 2020 Jun 28;141:103173. Epub 2020 Jun 28.

Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Member of QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address:

A steady decline in the fertility rate has been observed in Qatar during the past fifty years. Therefore, infertility is considered a national priority in Qatar, a pronatalist society. This review article summarises the potential causes of infertility that are particularly prevalent in the Qatari population. Read More

Drug Discov Today 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmazentrum Frankfurt/ZAFES, University Hospital of Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch Translational Medicine & Pharmacology TMP, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

In contrast to other drug-metabolizing cytochrome P (CYP) oxygenases, CYP2J2 shows considerable extrahepatic activity and is responsible for the olefin epoxidation of several polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) precursors. The resulting epoxylipids act as signaling mediators and show a remarkable variety of biological functions. Recent studies suggest a role of selected CYP2J2-derived epoxylipids and their metabolites in chronic pain, as well as angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, metabolic disorders, and tumor growth. Read More

J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod 2020 Jul 8:101861. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Integrated Surgical and Diagnostic Sciences (DISC), University of Genova, Genova, Italy; Academic Unit of Pathology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.

Background: A better characterization of steroid intracrine pathways in endometriosis lesions may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and insights on the mechanism of resistance to medical therapy. The study aims to evaluate the expression of steroid receptors in endometriosis lesions, including for the first-time androgen receptors, both in glandular and stromal tissue, and to describe the differences, in any, in receptor expression in the different subtypes.

Basic Procedures: This is a retrospective analysis of 76 specimens from 51 women, that underwent laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis at a tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2019. Read More

Genomics 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Laboratory of Biochemistry, Division of Basic Sciences, University of Crete Medical School, Heraklion 71003, Greece; Gene Regulation and Epigenetics group, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology of Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece. Electronic address:

The white adipose tissue (WAT) contributes to the metabolic imbalance observed in obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) by mechanisms that are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to monitor changes in the transcriptome of epididymal WAT during the development of MetS. ApoE3L. Read More

Dev Cell 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

School of Molecular Biosciences and Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA. Electronic address:

Dietary lipids impact development, homeostasis, and disease, but links between specific dietary fats and cell fates are poorly understood. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of nonapoptotic cell death associated with oxidized polyunsaturated phospholipids. Here, we show that dietary ingestion of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) dihomogamma-linolenic acid (DGLA; 20:3n-6) can trigger germ-cell ferroptosis and sterility in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Read More

Mol Ther 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are cultured adult stem cells that originally reside in virtually all tissues, and the gain of MSCs by transplantation has become the leading form of cell therapy in various diseases. However, there is limited knowledge on the alteration of its efficacy by factors in recipients. Here, we report that the cardioprotective properties of intravenously injected MSCs in a mouse model of pressure-overload heart failure largely depend on circulating adiponectin, an adipocyte-secreted factor. Read More

J Nutr 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Background: Recent literature suggests that the Western diet's imbalance between high ω-6 (n-6) and low ω-3 (n-3) PUFA intake contributes to fatty liver disease in obese youth.

Objectives: We tested whether 12 wk of a low n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (4:1) normocaloric diet mitigates fatty liver and whether the patatin-like containing domain phospholipase 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 variant affects the response.

Methods: In a single-arm unblinded study, obese youth 9-19 y of age with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were treated with a normocaloric low n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio diet for 12 wk. Read More

J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2020 Jul 13. Epub 2020 Jul 13.

Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.

Objectives The main cause of hyperandrogenism in children is congenital adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal and gonadal tumors, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOs) and Cushing's disease. In the last 20 years several descriptions of girls with hyperandrogenism and venous porto-systemic shunts appeared in literature. Case presentation First case is an eleven and a half-year-old girl, was admitted to Department of Endocrinology because of symptoms of hyperandrogenism. Read More

Curr Drug Metab 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Molecular Microbiology and Drug Discovery Laboratory, Division of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Netaji Subhash University of Technology, New Delhi - 110078. India.

Background: Oxidative stress is among the main causes of metabolic disorders. Hence, there is need to discover potent antioxidants for therapeutic applications.

Objective: The objective of this study has been to investigate the phytoconstituents of the methanolic extract of hard shell of Aegle marmelos fruit and their antioxidant potential. Read More

Reprod Sci 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100853, China.

Endometriosis, as a prevalent gynecological disease, is characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, causing infertility and considerable pain and affecting the quality of life of women. The pathogenic mechanism has not been fully elucidated, and there are no effective biomarkers for endometriosis. In our study, microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling of 10 ectopic endometrial plasma from patients with ovarian endometriosis and 10 normal plasma from healthy controls was analyzed using a microarray. Read More

Acta Neurol Belg 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Neurology Unit, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University Hospitals of Modena, Via P. Giardini, 1355, Modena, Italy.

We studied 33 patients affected by juvenile and adult myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). The aim of the study was to assess clinical and laboratory parameters that could predict the requirement of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in DM1. Secondary outcome was to assess the interplay between genetic profile, muscle impairment severity and presence of cardiac comorbidities. Read More

Skeletal Radiol 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Parasitol Res 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Center, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

The field strain of Haemonchus contortus has a long history of anthelmintic resistance. To understand this phenomenon, the benzimidazole resistance profile was characterized from the Malaysian field-resistant strain by integrating phenotypic, genotypic and proteomic approaches. The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) demonstrated that benzimidazole resistance was at a critical level in the studied strain. Read More

Nat Rev Microbiol 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease and is transmitted to vertebrate hosts by Ixodes spp. ticks. The spirochaete relies heavily on its arthropod host for basic metabolic functions and has developed complex interactions with ticks to successfully colonize, persist and, at the optimal time, exit the tick. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jul 10;10(1):11414. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

GOFARR Laboratory for Organ Regenerative Research and Cell Therapeutics in Urology, Division of Urology, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, 4661 Sunset Boulevard MS #35, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA.

Glomerular endothelial cells (GEC) are a crucial component of the glomerular physiology and their damage contributes to the progression of chronic kidney diseases. How GEC affect the pathology of Alport syndrome (AS) however, is unclear. We characterized GEC from wild type (WT) and col4α5 knockout AS mice, a hereditary disorder characterized by progressive renal failure. Read More

Nat Commun 2020 Jul 10;11(1):3416. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Laboratory of Metabolic Signaling, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.

The recent demonstration that primary cells from the liver can be expanded in vitro as organoids holds enormous promise for regenerative medicine and disease modelling. The use of three-dimensional (3D) cultures based on ill-defined and potentially immunogenic matrices, however, hampers the translation of liver organoid technology into real-life applications. We here use chemically defined hydrogels for the efficient derivation of both mouse and human hepatic organoids. Read More

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Neurology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy

Diabetes 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA, USA

A chromosome 1q25 variant (rs10911021) has been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in type 2 diabetes (T2D). In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the risk allele 'C' is associated with lower expression of the adjacent gene encoding glutamine synthase, converting glutamic acid to glutamine. To further investigate the mechanisms through which this locus affects CHD risk, we measured 35 intracellular metabolites involved in glutamic acid metabolism and γ-glutamyl cycle in 62 HUVEC strains carrying different rs10911021 genotypes. Read More

Gut 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Objective: Both the gut microbiome and host genetics are known to play significant roles in the pathogenesis of IBD. However, the interaction between these two factors and its implications in the aetiology of IBD remain underexplored. Here, we report on the influence of host genetics on the gut microbiome in IBD. Read More

J Biol Chem 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

UC San Diego, United States.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), have become a major cause of liver transplant and liver-associated death. However, the pathogenesis of NASH is still unclear. Currently, there is no FDA-approved medication to treat this devastating disease. Read More

Dis Model Mech 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA

Model animals are indispensable for the study of human diseases, and in general, of complex biological processes. The Syrian hamster is an important model animal for infectious diseases, behavioral, and metabolic science for which more experimental tools are becoming available. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of an interleukin-2 receptor subunit gamma () knockout (KO) Syrian hamster strain. Read More

Mol Genet Metab 2020 Jun 24. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Department of Human Neuroscience, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Introduction: 6-Pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase deficiency (PTPSd) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of synthesis of biogenic amines, which is characterized by variable neurological impairment and hyperphenylalaninemia. We aimed to assess the long-term clinical outcome of this disorder and the factors affecting it.

Methods: At total of 28 PTPSd patients (aged 19. Read More

J Clin Densitom 2020 Jun 12. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.

Visceral fat is the pathogenic fat depot associated with diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases. Estimation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) by dual energy-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a newer technique with less radiation exposure, shorter scanning time, and lower cost. In this study, we attempted to look at relationship between cardiometabolic risk factors and VAT, total body fat percent (TBF%) and anthropometry. Read More

J Clin Lipidol 2020 Jun 10. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Fasting free fatty acid (FFA) levels may be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, but research among generally healthy adults, females, and racially/ethnically diverse populations is lacking.

Objective: The primary aim of this project was to investigate prospective associations between fasting FFAs and coronary heart disease (CHD) and CVD incidence and CVD-specific and all-cause mortality in a generally healthy age, sex, and racially/ethnically heterogeneous population.

Methods: This study was conducted in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cohort using baseline (2000-2002) fasting FFAs and outcome data through 2015 (N = 6678). Read More

J Diabetes Complications 2020 Jul 6:107671. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Tulane University Medical Center, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, USA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added an enormous toll to the existing challenge of diabetes care world-wide. A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and/or succumbing to the disease have had diabetes and other chronic conditions as underlying risk factors. In particular, individuals belonging to racial/ethnic minorities in the U. Read More

Perspect Public Health 2020 Jul 10:1757913920926533. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, MSD2090, Malta.

Aim: Obesity is a chronic disease and a global epidemic. The pathophysiology is well-documented; however, different countries are faced with different obesity characteristics. The aim was to establish the adult obesity characteristics of the obesogenic European country of Malta and explore for obesity links. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Jul 8;12(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality largely due to increased cardiovascular disease risk. This study examined the relationships among protein consumption and sources on glycemic control and cardiovascular health in individuals with prediabetes and T2D. Sixty-two overweight or obese participants with prediabetes or T2D, aged 45-75 years were stratified into the following three groups based on protein intake: <0. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Jul 8;12(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.

Malignant diseases can cause tumor-associated cachexia (TAC). Supplementation with prebiotic non-digestible carbohydrates exerts positive metabolic effects in experimental oncologic diseases. The aim of this project was to assess the effect of prebiotic supplementation with OMNi-LOGiC FIBRE on intestinal microbiome, bacterial metabolism, gut permeability, and inflammation in a murine model of neuroblastoma (NB)-associated TAC. Read More

Metabolites 2020 Jul 8;10(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are capable of suppressing excessive immune responses to prevent autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Decreased numbers of Tregs and impaired suppressive function are associated with the progression of atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall and the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, therapeutic strategies to improve Treg number or function could be beneficial to preventing atherosclerotic disease development. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Jul 8;21(14). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Biology, Developmental Biology Research Initiative, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada.

While a plethora of genetic techniques have been developed over the past century, modifying specific sequences of the fruit fly genome has been a difficult, if not impossible task. clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 truly redefined molecular genetics and provided new tools to model human diseases in . This is particularly true for genes whose protein sequences are highly conserved. Read More

Cells 2020 Jul 8;9(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), ToxAlim, UMR1331 Toulouse, France.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health issue worldwide, frequently associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Steatosis is the initial stage of the disease, which is characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, which can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with inflammation and various levels of fibrosis that further increase the risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental factors and involves several biological processes in multiple organs. Read More

J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol 2020 Jun 29;27(S Pt 1):e31-e36. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Co-Editor-in-Chief - Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread around the globe, infecting more than ten million individuals, with more than 500,000 dead; about one half of the infected people have recovered. Despite this fact, a subgroup of individuals affected by COVID-19 is at greater risk of developing worse outcomes and experience a high rate of mortality. Data on the association between obesity and COVID-19 are growing; the available studies, have reported a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients experiencing a severe COVID-19 course, with serious complications requiring hospitalization and admission to intensive care units. Read More

Nutr Res 2020 Jun 6;79:68-76. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai-600025, India. Electronic address:

Tissue-specific metabolism determines their functions that collectively sense and respond to numerous stress cues to achieve systemic homeostasis. Chronic stress skews such metabolic profiles and leads to failure of organs as evidenced by a bias towards lipid synthesis and storage in the aging brain, muscle, and liver under Alzheimer's disease, sarcopenia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, respectively. In contrast, the tissue destined for lipid synthesis and storage, such as adipose, limits its threshold and develops diabetes mellitus. Read More

Bioorg Chem 2020 Jun 30;101:104066. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Sen Research Group, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Arts and Science, Dumlupınar University, Evliya Çelebi Campus, 43100 Kütahya, Turkey. Electronic address:

The interaction of the coordination compounds with biological molecules resulted in the investigation of the drug potential of these molecules. In this study, enzyme inhibition of DSA (1-3) coordination compounds that were previously investigated for their anticancer and antibacterial properties was investigated. Also, DSA (1-3) had K values of 635. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2020 Jul 7:105052. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

University of Milano, Milan, Italy; Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Health Science University of Milano, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension are major cardiovascular risks factors which shares metabolic and haemodynamic abnormalities as well as pathophysiological mechanisms. The simultaneous presence of diabetes and arterial hypertension increases the risk of left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and stroke, as compared to either condition alone. A number of guidelines recommend lifestyle measures such as salt restriction, weight reduction and ideal body weight mainteinance, regular physical activity and smoking cessation, together with moderation of alcohol consumption and high intake of vegetables and fruits, as the basis for reduction of blood pressure and prevention of CV diseases. Read More

Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2020 Jul 7:108310. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland.

Aim: Clinical inertia is a multifactorial phenomenon, with contributing factors from people with diabetes and their healthcare team. It is widely cited that clinical inertia is minimised by participation in clinical trials. We assessed whether trial participation per se improves metabolic parameters in people with diabetes, or a specific focus on glycaemia is required. Read More

Cell Signal 2020 Jul 7:109701. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Kidney Disease Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States. Electronic address:

Systems-based, agnostic approaches focusing on transcriptomics data have been employed to understand the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney diseases (PKD). While multiple signaling pathways, including Wnt, mTOR and G-protein-coupled receptors, have been implicated in late stages of disease, there were few insights into the transcriptional cascade immediately downstream of Pkd1 inactivation. One of the consistent findings has been transcriptional evidence of dysregulated metabolic and cytoskeleton remodeling pathways. Read More

Biochimie 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, F-67000, Strasbourg, France; Member of the scientific council of the Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche en Lipidomique (GERLI), France. Electronic address:

It is becoming obvious that in addition to aging and various hearth pathologies, excess of body weight, especially obesity is a major risk factor for severity of COVID-19 infection. Intriguingly the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is ACE2, a member of the angiotensin receptor family that has a relatively large tissue distribution. This observation likely explains the multitude of symptoms that have been described from human patients. Read More

Zh Vopr Neirokhir Im N N Burdenko 2020 ;84(3):102-112

Burdenko Neurosurgical Center, Moscow, Russia.

Neuroimaging is essential in survey of patients with brain tumors. An important objectives of neuroimaging are highly reliable non-invasive diagnosis, treatment planning and evaluation of treatment outcomes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the modern neuroimaging methods. Read More

J Diabetes Investig 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

The Office of the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes, Tokyo, Japan.

The global diabetes population today is 433 million (9.3% of the population aged 20-79 years), and is expected to grow to 700 million (10.9% of the population aged 20-79) by 2045 without effective countermeasures . Read More

FASEB J 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.

Human riboflavin kinase (HsRFK) catalyzes vitamin B (riboflavin) phosphorylation to flavin mononucleotide (FMN), obligatory step in flavin cofactor synthesis. HsRFK expression is related to protection from oxidative stress, amyloid-β toxicity, and some malignant cancers progression. Its downregulation alters expression profiles of clock-controlled metabolic-genes and destroys flavins protection on stroke treatments, while its activity reduction links to protein-energy malnutrition and thyroid hormones decrease. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Institute of Liver Diseases, Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Aim: We investigated the prevalence of elevated liver aminotrasferases (ALT) and additional comorbidities in a large cohort of Israeli children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Methods: This study included data from medical records of 2 to 18 year old children and adolescents, with body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obesity range (WHO definitions), for whom ALT testing was performed.

Results: Overweight was present in 50418 (10. Read More

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Research Unit & Institute of Biomedicine/Center for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: Determine the minimum dosage of alanyl-glutamine (Ala-Gln) required to improve gut integrity and growth in children at risk of environmental enteropathy (EE).

Methods: This was a double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled dose-response trial. We enrolled 140 children residing in a low-income community in Fortaleza, Brazil. Read More