Mejora de la docencia en Bioquímica Aplicada y Clínica: desarrollo de una revista digital sobre investigación en Medicina Molecular elaborado por los alumnos y puesta en marcha de la metodología didáctica mediante clases invertidas

Sección Deptal. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (Farmacia)Fac. de FarmaciaFALSEsubmitte

Clinical Relevance of Telomere Status and Telomerase Activity in Colorectal Cancer

The role of telomeres and telomerase in colorectal cancer (CRC) is well established as the major driving force in generating chromosomal instability. However, their potential as prognostic markers remains unclear. We investigated the outcome implications of telomeres and telomerase in this tumour type. We considered telomere length (TL), ratio of telomere length in cancer to non-cancer tissue (T/N ratio), telomerase activity and TERT levels; their relation with clinical variables and their role as prognostic markers. We analyzed 132 CRCs and paired non-cancer tissues. Kaplan-Meier curves for disease-free survival were calculated for TL, T/N ratio, telomerase activity and TERT levels. Overall, tumours had shorter telomeres than non-tumour tissues (P < 0.001) and more than 80% of CRCs displayed telomerase activity. Telomere lengths of non-tumour tissues and CRCs were positively correlated (P < 0.001). Considering telomere status and clinical variables, the lowest degree of telomere shortening was shown by tumours located in the rectum (P = 0.021). Regarding prognosis studies, patients with tumours showing a mean TL < 6.35 Kb experienced a significantly better clinical evolution (P < 0.001) and none of them with the highest degree of tumour telomere shortening relapsed during the follow-up period (P = 0.043). The mean TL in CRCs emerged as an independent prognostic factor in the Cox analysis (P = 0.017). Telomerase-positive activity was identified as a marker that confers a trend toward a poor prognosis. In CRC, our results support the use of telomere status as an independent prognostic factor. Telomere status may contribute to explaining the different molecular identities of this tumour type.Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua MadrileñaBanco SantanderUniversidad Complutense de MadridDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularFac. de FarmaciaTRUEpu

Expression Analysis of hsa-miR-181a-5p, hsa-miR-143-3p, hsa-miR-132-3p and hsa-miR-23a-3p as Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer—Relationship to the Body Mass Index

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main tumor pathologies in our society considering its incidence and mortality. Various authors have linked the development of CRC with overweight and obesity. However, no molecular markers have been defined to connect both pathologies and that can be assessed in serum for diagnostic and/or prognostic purposes. The main objective of this work is to analyze and correlate the expression levels of four miRNAs previously associated with cancer and/or obesity in patients affected by CRC, as well as in a control group without cancer, considering the body mass index (BMI) of subjects. The main novelty of this study consists in the variety of samples investigated: adipose tissues, omental and subcutaneous; serum; and tumor and non-tumor tissues in the case of CRC patients. Results conclude about the utility mainly of hsa-miR-143-3p and hsa-miR-181a-5p in the clinical management of CRC.Carlos III Institute of Health (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), SpainEuropean Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) ‘A way to make Europe’Depto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularDepto. de MedicinaDepto. de CirugíaFac. de FarmaciaFac. de MedicinaTRUEpu

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 3 (PARP3), a potential repressor of telomerase activity

Background Considering previous result in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), we investigated in human cancer cells the role of PARP3 in the regulation of telomerase activity. Methods We selected A549 (lung adenocarcinoma cell line) and Saos-2 (osteosarcoma cell line), with high and low telomerase activity levels, respectively. The first one was transfected using a plasmid construction containing a PARP3 sequence, whereas the Saos-2 cells were submitted to shRNA transfection to get PARP3 depletion. PARP3 expression on both cell systems was evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR and PARP3 protein levels, by Western-blot. Telomerase activity was determined by TRAP assay. Results In A549 cells, after PARP3 transient transfection, data obtained indicated that twenty-four hours after transfection, up to 100-fold increased gene expression levels were found in the transfected cells with pcDNA/GW-53/PARP3 in comparison to transfected cells with the empty vector. Moreover, 48 hours post-transfection, telomerase activity decreased around 33%, and around 27%, 96 hours post-transfection. Telomerase activity average ratio was 0.67 ± 0.05, and 0.73 ± 0.06, respectively, with significant differences. In Saos-2 cells, after shRNA-mediated PARP3 silencing, a 2.3-fold increase in telomerase activity was detected in relation to the control. Conclusion Our data indicated that, at least in some cancer cells, repression of PARP3 could be responsible for an increased telomerase activity, this fact contributing to telomere maintenance and, therefore, avoiding genome instability.Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua MadrileñaNeumomadridBanco SantanderUniversidad Complutense de MadridRed Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en CáncerDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularFac. de FarmaciaTRUEpu

Obesity and telomere status in the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer submitted to curative intention surgical treatment

The risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) development has been associated with telomere dysfunction and obesity. However, clinical relevance of these parameters in CRC prognosis is not clear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of obesity and telomere status in the prognosis of patients affected by CRC and submitted to curative surgical treatment. According to published data, this is the first work in which obesity and telomere status are jointly considered in relation to CRC prognosis. A prospective study including 162 patients with CRC submitted to curative surgical treatment was performed. Subjects were classified according to their BMI. Telomere status was established through telomere length and telomerase activity evaluation. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software package version 22. Telomere shortening was inversely associated with BMI in patients with CRC. Notably, among patients with CRC, subjects with obesity exhibited less shortening of tumor telomeres than non‑obese patients (P=0.047). Patients with shorter telomeres, both in the tumor (median telomere length 31.85 kg/m2 showed the worse clinical outcomes compared with subjects with other BMI values. Interestingly, the impact of BMI showed sex dependence, since only the group of men displayed significant differences in CRC prognosis in relation to obesity status (P=0.037). From the results of the present study, based on a multivariate prediction model to establish prognosis, it was concluded that telomere length is a useful biomarker to predict prognosis in patients with CRC. Regardless of BMI values, the improved clinical evolution was associated with shorter telomeres. The impact of BMI seems to be associated with other factors, such as sex.Carlos III Institute of Health (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), SpainEuropean Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) ‘A way to make Europe’Depto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularDepto. de CirugíaDepto. de MedicinaFac. de FarmaciaFac. de MedicinaTRUEpu

Gut Microbiota Signatures with Potential Clinical Usefulness in Colorectal and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers

The application of bacterial metagenomic analysis as a biomarker for cancer detection is emerging. Our aim was to discover gut microbiota signatures with potential utility in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A prospective study was performed on a total of 77 fecal samples from CRC and NSCLC patients and controls. DNA from stool was analyzed for bacterial genomic sequencing using the Ion Torrent™ technology. Bioinformatic analysis was performed using the QIIME2 pipeline. We applied logistic regression to adjust for differences attributable to sex, age, and body mass index, and the diagnostic accuracy of our gut signatures was compared with other previously published results. The feces of patients affected by different tumor types, such as CRC and NSCLC, showed a differential intestinal microbiota profile. After adjusting for confounders, Parvimonas (OR = 53.3), Gemella (OR = 6.01), Eisenbergiella (OR = 5.35), Peptostreptococcus (OR = 9.42), Lactobacillus (OR = 6.72), Salmonella (OR = 5.44), and Fusobacterium (OR = 78.9) remained significantly associated with the risk of CRC. Two genera from the Ruminococcaceae family, DTU089 (OR = 20.1) and an uncharacterized genus (OR = 160.1), were associated with the risk of NSCLC. Our two panels had better diagnostic capacity for CRC (AUC = 0.840) and NSLC (AUC = 0.747) compared to the application of two other published panels to our population. Thus, we propose a gut bacteria panel for each cancer type and show its potential application in cancer diagnosis.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadUnión EuropeaDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularDepto. de CirugíaDepto. de FisiologíaFac. de FarmaciaFac. de MedicinaTRUEpu

Innovación Docente en la enseñanza de la Bioquímica y la Biología Molecular: Revistas digitales, clases invertidas y recursos didácticos para la enseñanza “en línea”

En este Proyecto de Innovación Docente (PID 335/20) se han realizado tres tipos de actividades: 1. Elaboración de revistas digitales 2. Implantación de la metodología de clase invertida 3. Desarrollo de materiales docentes par la implantación de la enseñanza "en línea" y formación del profesorado. En ella han participado 15 profesores del Dpto. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (Sección Farmacia), de 4 asignaturas diferentes: Bioquímica Aplicada y Clínica, Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Genética. Los resultados han sido muy satisfactorios, ya que se ha conseguido la participación de un enorme número de alumnos de todas estas asignaturas, los cuales han quedado muy contentos y satisfechos, ya que ha fomentado su autoaprendizaje, su trabajo en grupo, su conocimiento del método científico y sus habilidades como divulgadores de ciencia

COVID-19 in hospitalized HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients : A matched study

CatedresObjectives: We compared the characteristics and clinical outcomes of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 with [people with HIV (PWH)] and without (non-PWH) HIV co-infection in Spain during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods: This was a retrospective matched cohort study. People with HIV were identified by reviewing clinical records and laboratory registries of 10 922 patients in active-follow-up within the Spanish HIV Research Network (CoRIS) up to 30 June 2020. Each hospitalized PWH was matched with five non-PWH of the same age and sex randomly selected from COVID-19@Spain, a multicentre cohort of 4035 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19. The main outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Results: Forty-five PWH with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 were identified in CoRIS, 21 of whom were hospitalized. A total of 105 age/sex-matched controls were selected from the COVID-19@Spain cohort. The median age in both groups was 53 (Q1-Q3, 46-56) years, and 90.5% were men. In PWH, 19.1% were injecting drug users, 95.2% were on antiretroviral therapy, 94.4% had HIV-RNA < 50 copies/mL, and the median (Q1-Q3) CD4 count was 595 (349-798) cells/μL. No statistically significant differences were found between PWH and non-PWH in number of comorbidities, presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory parameters, radiology findings and severity scores on admission. Corticosteroids were administered to 33.3% and 27.4% of PWH and non-PWH, respectively (P = 0.580). Deaths during admission were documented in two (9.5%) PWH and 12 (11.4%) non-PWH (P = 0.800). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that well-controlled HIV infection does not modify the clinical presentation or worsen clinical outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalization

How do women living with HIV experience menopause? Menopausal symptoms, anxiety and depression according to reproductive age in a multicenter cohort

CatedresBackground: To estimate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression and to assess the differences according to menopausal status among women living with HIV aged 45-60 years from the cohort of Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS). Methods: Women were interviewed by phone between September 2017 and December 2018 to determine whether they had experienced menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression. The Menopause Rating Scale was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of symptoms related to menopause in three subscales: somatic, psychologic and urogenital; and the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire was used for anxiety/depression. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of association between menopausal status, and other potential risk factors, the presence and severity of somatic, psychological and urogenital symptoms and of anxiety/depression. Results: Of 251 women included, 137 (54.6%) were post-, 70 (27.9%) peri- and 44 (17.5%) pre-menopausal, respectively. Median age of onset menopause was 48 years (IQR 45-50). The proportions of pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women who had experienced any menopausal symptoms were 45.5%, 60.0% and 66.4%, respectively. Both peri- and post-menopause were associated with a higher likelihood of having somatic symptoms (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.38-6.55 and 2.63; 1.44-4.81, respectively), while post-menopause increased the likelihood of having psychological (2.16; 1.13-4.14) and urogenital symptoms (2.54; 1.42-4.85). By other hand, post-menopausal women had a statistically significant five-fold increase in the likelihood of presenting severe urogenital symptoms than pre-menopausal women (4.90; 1.74-13.84). No significant differences by menopausal status were found for anxiety/depression. Joint/muscle problems, exhaustion and sleeping disorders were the most commonly reported symptoms among all women. Differences in the prevalences of vaginal dryness (p = 0.002), joint/muscle complaints (p = 0.032), and sweating/flush (p = 0.032) were found among the three groups. Conclusions: Women living with HIV experienced a wide variety of menopausal symptoms, some of them initiated before women had any menstrual irregularity. We found a higher likelihood of somatic symptoms in peri- and post-menopausal women, while a higher likelihood of psychological and urogenital symptoms was found in post-menopausal women. Most somatic symptoms were of low or moderate severity, probably due to the good clinical and immunological situation of these women