Fatty liver, carotid disease and gallstones: A study ofage-related associations

AIM: To evaluate carotid intima-media thickening (IMT)and plaques, gallstone disease (GD) and fatty liver (FL)as a function of age.METHODS: In 449 subjects, FL and carotid diseasewere assessed ultrasonographically. In a subgroup of65/449 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), carotid disease, GD and associated factorswere determined.RESULTS: FL of unspecifi ed etiology was more commonin younger and GD in older individuals. FL subjectshad an increased prevalence of IMT and a decreasedprevalence of plaques and manifested carotid diseaseearlier. Plaques were more common in subjects with GD.Age was an independent predictor of carotid diseaseoutcome and FL was a protective factor for plaques. InNAFLD, there was an inverse correlation between bodyweight and age and the latter independently predictedcarotid fi ndings.CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular risk in patients with FLand NAFLD needs to be assessed as a function of ageand body weight

Short-term multidisciplinary non-pharmacological intervention is effective in reducing liver fat content assessed non-invasively in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

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Thymus Imaging Detection and Size Is Inversely Associated With Metabolic Syndrome and Frailty in People With HIV

People with HIV (PWH) may experience accentuating aging in relation to immuno-activation. Little is known regarding thymus (THY) involution in this process. We sought to investigate the relationship between THY imaging detection/size and clinically relevant aging outcomes such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), multimorbidity (MM), and frailty in PWH

Hydrogel-in-hydrogel live bioprinting for guidance and control of organoids and organotypic cultures

Three-dimensional hydrogel-based organ-like cultures can be applied to study development, regeneration, and disease in vitro. However, the control of engineered hydrogel composition, mechanical properties and geometrical constraints tends to be restricted to the initial time of fabrication. Modulation of hydrogel characteristics over time and according to culture evolution is often not possible. Here, we overcome these limitations by developing a hydrogel-in-hydrogel live bioprinting approach that enables the dynamic fabrication of instructive hydrogel elements within pre-existing hydrogel-based organ-like cultures. This can be achieved by crosslinking photosensitive hydrogels via two-photon absorption at any time during culture. We show that instructive hydrogels guide neural axon directionality in growing organotypic spinal cords, and that hydrogel geometry and mechanical properties control differential cell migration in developing cancer organoids. Finally, we show that hydrogel constraints promote cell polarity in liver organoids, guide small intestinal organoid morphogenesis and control lung tip bifurcation according to the hydrogel composition and shape

Assessment of functional outcomes of temporalis muscle transfers for patients with longstanding facial paralysis

Background. Usually, clinical evaluation of facial reanimation provides accurate information about contraction of the mimetic muscles and phonation but fails to identify smile recovery and to quantify the motility of the lower third of the face during a smile. The purpose of this study was to verify that, in longstanding facial palsy, the modified temporalis muscle transfer (MTMT) can result in the ability to smile, not only voluntarily with chewing, but also spontaneously with a sudden emotional stimulus, and to confirm that a symmetric smile can be obtained. Methods. Ten patients of the treated group (group T; 4 women and 6 men) were randomly selected from a population of 24 patients with longstanding facial palsy treated by MTMT. Five normal subjects of the control group (group C; 3 women and 2 men) were enrolled as the control population. Functional outcomes after transposed temporalis muscle were examined and measured through clinical assessment by using a scored smile symmetry grading system, video recording, and surface electromyography (sEMG). In addition, the voluntary smile test (VST) and the not-voluntary smile test (NVST) were performed to study voluntary and spontaneous smiling. Results. Subjects in the VST group (group T) were able to smile voluntarily and the expression was characterized by symmetry. In the NVST group, they were able to smile spontaneously and the symmetry of the smile was maintained for 8 subjects and only partially for 2 subjects. During both tests, the temporalis muscle of the treated side and the orbicularis oris muscle of the not-treated side were activated during smiling, indicating spontaneous activity of the transposed temporalis muscle with an emotional stimulus. For the control group, smiles during VST and NVST were symmetric and the temporalis muscles were not activated during smiling, whereas the orbicularis oris muscles were. Conclusion. Our study shows that the Morrison MTMT is able to restore the voluntary smile ability. Particularly, this technique allows for recovery of the spontaneous smile with symmetry. This assessment would seem to suggest that the transposed temporalis muscle might adapt from a chewing to a mimetic muscle

Ectopic fat is a surrogate marker of CVD in patients with HIV.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between general adiposity and ectopic fat measurements; Epicardial adipose tissue with prevalent cardiovascular disease defined as prior myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, stroke, peripheral vascular disease in male patients with HIV infection with or without klipodystrophy

Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume is an Independent Risk Factor of CVD in HIV-infected Patients

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume is increased in HIV-infected patients. EAT may contribute to coronary artery atherosclerosis via paracrine secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, playing a role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the study was to evaluate EAT-associated factors and the relationship between EAT and occult CVD and predictors of EAT change over time

Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients Are ‘Spared’ from the Metabolic Syndrome but Not from Insulin Resistance. A Comparative Study of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatitis C Virus-Related Steatosis

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C feature steatosis and insulin resistance (IR), conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome (MS)