Association between the Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome with serum levels of miRNA in morbid obesity

Background: The Mediterranean diet (MD) could be involved in the regulation of different miRNAs related to metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: We analyzed the serum level of mir-let7a-5p, mir-21, mir-590, mir-107 and mir-192 in patients with morbid obesity and its association with the MD and MS. Results: There is an association between the adherence to MD and higher serum levels of mir-590. Mir-590 was lower in those patients who consumed >2 commercial pastries/week. Mir-let7a was lower in those who consumed ≥1 sweetened drinks, in those who consumed ≥3 pieces of fruit/day and in those who consumed less red than white meat. A lower mir-590 and mir-let7a, and a higher mir-192 level, were found in patients who met the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) criterion of MS. A higher mir-192 was found in those patients who met the triglyceride criterion of MS and in those with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Conclusions: There is an association between specific serum levels of miRNAs and the amount and kind of food intake related to MD. Mir-590 was positively associated with a healthy metabolic profile and type of diet, while mir-192 was positively associated with a worse metabolic profile. These associations could be suggestive of a possible modulation of these miRNAs by food

TAT-Mediated Transduction of MafA Protein In Utero Results in Enhanced Pancreatic Insulin Expression and Changes in Islet Morphology

Alongside Pdx1 and Beta2/NeuroD, the transcription factor MafA has been shown to be instrumental in the maintenance of the beta cell phenotype. Indeed, a combination of MafA, Pdx1 and Ngn3 (an upstream regulator of Beta2/NeuroD) was recently reported to lead to the effective reprogramming of acinar cells into insulin-producing beta cells. These experiments set the stage for the development of new strategies to address the impairment of glycemic control in diabetic patients. However, the clinical applicability of reprogramming in this context is deemed to be poor due to the need to use viral vehicles for the delivery of the above factors. Here we describe a recombinant transducible version of the MafA protein (TAT-MafA) that penetrates across cell membranes with an efficiency of 100% and binds to the insulin promoter in vitro. When injected in utero into living mouse embryos, TAT-MafA significantly up-regulates target genes and induces enhanced insulin production as well as cytoarchitectural changes consistent with faster islet maturation. As the latest addition to our armamentarium of transducible proteins (which already includes Pdx1 and Ngn3), the purification and characterization of a functional TAT-MafA protein opens the door to prospective therapeutic uses that circumvent the use of viral delivery. To our knowledge, this is also the first report on the use of protein transduction in utero

Tarteso. Nuevas Fronteras (I)

El presente volumen recoge las contribuciones presentadas al II Congreso Internacional sobre Tarteso, Nuevas Fronteras, que tuvo lugar en Mérida entre los días 17 y 19 de noviembre de 2021. Su lectura permite un viaje desde el extremo oriental del Mediterráneo hasta el suroeste de la península ibérica, mostrando las diversas realidades históricas acontecidas en este territorio durante la I Edad del Hierro. El objetivo de esta publicación es mostrar la situación que atravesaba el Mediterráneo durante los años de surgimiento y desarrollo de la cultura tartésica para así comprender mejor la formación y evolución de dicha cultura. El conocimiento de Tarteso ha evolucionado sensiblemente en la última década, desde la celebración y publicación de las actas del I Congreso Internacional, Tarteso. El emporio del metal (Almuzara, 2013). La incorporación de nuevas voces y visiones enfocadas al conocimiento de la protohistoria peninsular, así como de algunos temas nunca antes abordados en el conocimiento de Tarteso, permiten presentar en este volumen una visión renovada, donde destaca la incorporación de unos nuevos límites territoriales para esta cultura.Esta publicación se ha beneficiado de las siguientes ayudas para su financiación: Proyecto de Investigación del Plan Nacional I+D+i: “Construyendo Tarteso 2.0: análisis constructivo, espacial y territorial de un modelo arquitectónico en el valle medio del Guadiana” (PID2019-108180GB- I00), financiado por MCIN AEI/10.13039/501100011033). Subvención global de la Secretaría General de Ciencia, Tecnología, Innovación y Universidad de la Junta de Extremadura al Instituto de Arqueología.Peer reviewe

Cell replacement strategies aimed at reconstitution of the β-cell compartment in type 1 diabetes

Emerging technologies in regenerative medicine have the potential to restore the β-cell compartment in diabetic patients, thereby overcoming the inadequacies of current treatment strategies and organ supply. Novel approaches include: 1) Encapsulation technology that protects islet transplants from host immune surveillance; 2) stem cell therapies and cellular reprogramming, which seek to regenerate the depleted β-cell compartment; and 3) whole-organ bioengineering, which capitalizes on the innate properties of the pancreas extracellular matrix to drive cellular repopulation. Collaborative efforts across these subfields of regenerative medicine seek to ultimately produce a bioengineered pancreas capable of restoring endocrine function in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes

Pancreas tissue slices from organ donors enable in situ analysis of type 1 diabetes pathogenesis.

In type 1 diabetes (T1D), autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells leads to insulin deficiency and loss of glycemic control. However, knowledge about human pancreas pathophysiology in T1D remains incomplete. To address this limitation, we established a pancreas tissue slice platform of donor organs with and without diabetes, facilitating the first live cell studies of human pancreas in T1D pathogenesis to our knowledge. We show that pancreas tissue slices from organ donors allow thorough assessment of processes critical for disease development, including insulin secretion, beta cell physiology, endocrine cell morphology, and immune infiltration within the same donor organ. Using this approach, we compared detailed pathophysiological profiles for 4 pancreata from donors with T1D with 19 nondiabetic control donors. We demonstrate that cell loss, beta cell dysfunction, alterations of beta cell physiology, and islet infiltration contributed differently to individual cases of T1D, allowing insight into pathophysiology and heterogeneity of T1D pathogenesis. Thus, our study demonstrates that organ donor pancreas tissue slices represent a promising and potentially novel approach in the search for successful prevention and reversal strategies of T1D

Cell and organ bioengineering technology as applied to gastrointestinal diseases.

This review illustrates promising regenerative medicine technologies that are being developed for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The main strategies under validation to bioengineer or regenerate liver, pancreas, or parts of the digestive tract are twofold: engineering of progenitor cells and seeding of cells on supporting scaffold material. In the first case, stem cells are initially expanded under standard tissue culture conditions. Thereafter, these cells may either be delivered directly to the tissue or organ of interest, or they may be loaded onto a synthetic or natural three-dimensional scaffold that is capable of enhancing cell viability and function. The new construct harbouring the cells usually undergoes a maturation phase within a bioreactor. Within the bioreactor, cells are conditioned to adopt a phenotype similar to that displayed in the native organ. The specific nature of the scaffold within the bioreactor is critical for the development of this high-function phenotype. Efforts to bioengineer or regenerate gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas have yielded promising results and have demonstrated the immense potential of regenerative medicine. However, a myriad of technical hurdles must be overcome before transplantable, engineered organs become a reality