Modulation of Fatty Acids and Interleukin-6 in Glioma Cells by South American Tea Extracts and their Phenolic Compounds

[EN] Dietary phenolic compounds are plant metabolites with beneficial effects on the central nervous system. Thus, our aim was to identify anti-inflammatory compounds from South American plants on glia, which regulates neuro-immune response. The compounds were extracted from Lantana grisebachii (LG), Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco (AQB), and Ilex paraguariensis (IP) teas and identified by HPLC-DAD-MS. Extracts (0–200 mg/ml) were tested on human T98-G and rat C6 glioma lines. Cellular viability (by the resazurin assay), fatty acid profile (by gas chromatography) and proinflammatory interleukin-6 release (IL-6 by ELISA) were determined. Data were analyzed by partial least-square regression to discriminate bioactive compounds. Twenty-one compounds were determined in LG, mainly iridoids, which were linked to v-3 and v-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but not to IL-6 release. Thirty-one compounds were found in AQB, mostly hydroxybenzoic derivatives, which were positively related to IL-6 release. Twenty-three compounds were identified in IP, including caffeoylquinic derivatives and mainly chlorogenic acid. They increased the v-7 palmitoleic fatty acid, which was related to IL-6 decrease. These results enhances phytochemical knowledge of widely available plants, and suggest the lipid-related anti-inflammatory activity of IP phenolic compounds, which give nutritional relevance to the tea

How cardiologists can manage excess body weight and related cardiovascular risk. An expert opinion

Obesity is an important independent cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and a chronic inflammatory disease related to the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and obstructive sleep apnoea. Body Mass Index (BMI) values >27 kg/m2 are associated with an exponential increase in the risk for Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE). On the other hand, weight reduction can significantly reduce metabolic, CV and oncological risk. Orlistat, bupropion/naltrexone, liraglutide and semaglutide, combined with lifestyle changes, have proven to be effective in weight loss; the last two have been tested in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with CV outcomes only in diabetic patients, and not in obese patients. To fill a fundamental gap of knowledge, the SELECT trial on patients with obesity and CV disease treated with semaglutide is ongoing, aiming at MACE as the primary endpoint. The battle against the social and clinical stigma towards obesity must be counteracted by promoting an awareness that elevates obesity to a complex chronic disease. Several actions should be implemented to improve the management of obesity, and cardiologists have a key role for achieving a global approach to patients with excess weight also through the correct implementation of available treatment strategies

Exploring Response to Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Delta-Radiomics

Delta-radiomics is a branch of radiomics in which features are confronted after time or after introducing an external factor (such as treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy) to extrapolate prognostic data or to monitor a certain condition. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are currently revolutionizing the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, there are still many issues in defining the response to therapy. Contrast-enhanced CT scans of 33 NSCLC patients treated with ICIs were analyzed; altogether, 43 lung lesions were considered. The radiomic features of the lung lesions were extracted from CT scans at baseline and at first reassessment, and their variation (delta, 06) was calculated by means of the absolute difference and relative reduction. This variation was related to the final response of each lesion to evaluate the predictive ability of the variation itself. Twenty-seven delta features have been identified that are able to discriminate radiologic response to ICIs with statistically significant accuracy. Furthermore, the variation of nine features significantly correlates with pseudo-progression

Observación de dinámicas colectivas de transición agroecológica en Francia

En el marco del proyecto de Observatorios de Dinámicas Territoriales (LABINTEX) se participa en 4 dispositivos de investigación participativa sobre diferentes situaciones territoriales con el objetivo de analizar la capacidad de dichos dispositivos de crear redes socio-técnicas con capacidad de agencia. Dos de estos dispositivos (CapVert y ObsTAE) están vinculados a situaciones de grupos de productores implicados en procesos de transición agroecológica. En ambos se realiza una caracterización de diferentes situaciones grupales y se hacen seguimientos de grupos seleccionados. En esta ponencia nos proponemos caracterizar estos dispositivos y mostrar algunos avances de los seguimientos realizados. Dos hipótesis principales guían esta presentación: 1) la pertenencia a un grupo facilita el proceso de transición agroecológica 2) Existe una correlación entre el avance en prácticas agroecológicas y la emergencia de nuevas formas de cooperación entre los productores y actores del territorio. Los primeros trabajos de terreno nos alientan a validar ambas hipótesis.In the framework of the project “Observatories of Territorial Dynamics” (LABINTEX) we participate in 4 devices of participatory research on different territorial situations in order to test the ability of these devices to create socio-technical networks with agency capability. Two of these devices (Capvert and ObsTAE) are linked to situations of farmers groups involved in processes of agroecological transition. In both cases the different group situations are characterized and monitoring of selected groups is made. In this paper we propose to characterize these devices and show some progress in the performed follow-ups. Two main hypotheses guide this presentation: 1) membership to a group facilitates the process of agroecological transition 2) There is a correlation between moving forward to agro-ecological practices and the emergence of new forms of cooperation between producers and actors of the territory. The first field works encourage us to validate both hypotheses.Eje A6: Desarrollo Rural, Movimientos Sociales, Estado y AgroecologíaFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Use of healthy emulsion hydrogels to improve the quality of pork burgers

The present research evaluated the use of oil mixture emulsion hydrogels as animal fat replacers and their effect on the physicochemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics of pork burgers. Three different types of burgers were manufactured: control (samples elaborated with 100% pork fat), T1 and T2 (pork fat totally replaced by emulsion hydrogels of walnut or pistachio oil and algal oil, respectively). Fat replacement increased the moisture and ash contents and colour parameters (L* and b*) of pork burgers. Modified samples turned out to be firmer and chewier than those in the control group. The addition of oil emulsion hydrogels caused a significant decrease in fat and energy contents and the products obtained can be considered “reduced fat content”. Moreover, the content of saturated fatty acids decreased, while mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids increased, constituting an improvement in health indices. Sensory differences were found between the samples and T2 was the most preferred for flavour and overall. However, both modified burgers had good levels of acceptability. To conclude, the use of the proposed oil mixture emulsion hydrogels as pork backfat substitutes represents a promising strategy to obtain healthier pork burgers without negatively affecting technological or sensory properties.The authors thank GAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovación) for supporting this research (grant number IN607A2019/01)

Update on Hemicrania Continua

Hemicrania continua (HC) is a rare primary headache syndrome, characterized by unilateral pain and an absolute response to indometacin. Since the term was first coined in 1984, more than 100 cases have been described worldwide. Most recently, detailed case series that provide more detailed information concerning the sometimes complex clinical presentation of HC have been reported. Functional imaging studies suggest a unique pattern of subcortical involvement in HC: contralateral to the pain posterior hypothalamic region, ipsilateral dorsal pons and ipsilateral ventral midbrain, which, along with the particular effect of indometacin, probably justifies its classification as a unique entity. Increasing the awareness of this primary headache form among clinicians will aid in its diagnosis while further work is being undertaken to characterize the syndrome

Early treatment with ambrisentan of mildly elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure associated with systemic sclerosis: a randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group study (EDITA study)

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, trial was to assess the effect of ambrisentan on mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and mildly elevated pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: Thirty-eight SSc patients with mildly elevated mPAP at rest between 21 and 24 mmHg and/or > 30 mmHg during low-dose exercise were randomly assigned to treatment with either ambrisentan 5-10 mg/day or placebo. Right heart catheterization and further clinical parameters were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. The primary endpoint was the difference of mPAP change at rest between groups. RESULTS: After 6 months, the two groups did not differ in the primary endpoint (ambrisentan mPAP - 1 ± 6.4 mmHg vs. placebo - 0.73 ± 3.59 mmHg at rest, p = 0.884). However, three patients from the placebo group but none of the ambrisentan group progressed to SSc-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. Furthermore, ambrisentan treatment showed significant improvements in the secondary endpoints cardiac index (CI) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at rest (CI 0.36 ± 0.66 l/min/m2 vs. - 0.31 ± 0.71 l/min/m2, p = 0.010; PVR - 0.70 ± 0.78 WU vs. 0.01 ± 0.71 WU, p = 0.012) and during exercise (CI 0.7 ± 0.81 l/min/m2 vs. - 0.45 ± 1.36 l/min/m2, p = 0.015; PVR - 0.84 ± 0.48 WU vs. - 0.0032 ± 0.34 WU, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This is the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study testing the effect of ambrisentan in patients with mildly elevated mPAP and/or exercise PH. The primary endpoint change in mPAP did only tendentially improve in the ambrisentan group, but the significant improvement of other hemodynamic parameters points to a possible benefit of ambrisentan and will be helpful to design future trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, unique identifier NCT: NCT02290613 , registered 14th of November 2014