Novel insights and mechanisms of diet-induced obesity: Mid-term versus long-term effects on hepatic transcriptome and antioxidant capacity in Sprague-Dawley rats

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121746Aims The study of molecular mechanisms related to obesity and associated pathologies like type 2-diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease requires animal experimental models in which the type of obesogenic diet and length of the experimental period to induce obesity deeply affect the metabolic alterations. Therefore, this study aimed to test the influence of aging along a rat model of diet-induced obesity in gene expression of the hepatic transcriptome. Main methods A high-fat/high-fructose diet to induce obesity was used. Mid- (13 weeks) and long-term (21 weeks) periods were established. Caloric intake, bodyweight, hepatic fat, fatty acid profile, histological changes, antioxidant activity, and complete transcriptome were analyzed. Key findings Excess bodyweight, hepatic steatosis and altered lipid histology, modifications in liver antioxidant activity, and dysregulated expression of transcripts related to cell structure, glucose & lipid metabolism, antioxidant & detoxifying capacity were found. Modifications in obese and control rats were accounted for by the different lengths of the experimental period studied. Significance Main mechanisms of hepatic fat accumulation were de novo lipogenesis or altered fatty acid catabolism for mid- or long-term study, respectively. Therefore, the choice of obesity-induction length is a key factor in the model of obesity used as a control for each specific experimental design.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the European Union through projects B-AGR-662-UGR20, RTI-2018-100934-B-I00, and the FEDER program, respectivel

Epidemiological trends of HIV/HCV coinfection in Spain, 2015-2019

Altres ajuts: Spanish AIDS Research Network; European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and active HCV infection (HCV-RNA-positive) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Spain in 2019 and compared the results with those of four similar studies performed during 2015-2018. Methods: The study was performed in 41 centres. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 1%. Patients were selected by random sampling with proportional allocation. Results: The reference population comprised 41 973 PLWH, and the sample size was 1325. HCV serostatus was known in 1316 PLWH (99.3%), of whom 376 (28.6%) were HCV antibody (Ab)-positive (78.7% were prior injection drug users); 29 were HCV-RNA-positive (2.2%). Of the 29 HCV-RNA-positive PLWH, infection was chronic in 24, it was acute/recent in one, and it was of unknown duration in four. Cirrhosis was present in 71 (5.4%) PLWH overall, three (10.3%) HCV-RNA-positive patients and 68 (23.4%) of those who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy (p = 0.04). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies decreased steadily from 37.7% in 2015 to 28.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001); the prevalence of active HCV infection decreased from 22.1% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Uptake of anti-HCV treatment increased from 53.9% in 2015 to 95.0% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Spain, the prevalence of active HCV infection among PLWH at the end of 2019 was 2.2%, i.e. 90.0% lower than in 2015. Increased exposure to DAAs was probably the main reason for this sharp reduction. Despite the high coverage of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV-related cirrhosis remains significant in this population

Enseñanza inclusiva de la lingüística general

La UNESCO establece la necesidad de generar desarrollo sostenible, educación en derechos humanos, formación en relaciones pacíficas, prevención de conflictos y consolidación de la paz. A nivel educativo estos preceptos se pueden concretar en el respeto a los derechos humanos y en evitar cualquier tipo de discriminación. Por ello, este proyecto de investigación en docencia universitaria defiende una pedagogía inclusiva que aborde estos temas vinculándolos con la Lingüística. Este se basa en una reflexión crítica de bibliografía, contenidos y actividades propuestas durante la asignatura de Lingüística General I para proponer cambios y mejoras. Para ello profesorado y alumnado eligieron temas de interés sobre los que investigar: diversidad funcional; identidades de género y orientación sexual y diversidad lingüística, étnico y cultural. Entre las mejoras propuestas se destacan las siguientes: actualización de las fuentes bibliográficas para ofrecer referentes diversos; buscar noticias actuales de investigación lingüística protagonizadas por modelos que reflejen la diversidad; tratar temas de interés y de debate social sobre la igualdad y discriminación vinculables a contenidos lingüísticos; hacer recomendaciones de lecturas adicionales sobre dichos temas; proponer de manera explícita la posibilidad de realizar TFG con perspectiva diversa; introducir temas como la lingüística feminista, la raciolingüística, la lingüística Queer, etc

Human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfection in Spain : Prevalence and patient characteristics

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (Abs) and active HCV infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected (HIV+) patients in Spain in 2015. This was a cross-sectional study.Methods. The study was performed in 41 centers in 2015. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 2%, the number of patients from each hospital was determined by proportional allocation, and patients were selected using simple random sampling. The reference population was 35 791 patients, and the sample size was 1867 patients. Hepatitis C virus serostatus was known in 1843 patients (98.7%). Hepatitis C virus-Abs were detected in 695 patients (37.7%), in whom the main route of HIV acquisition was injection drug use (75.4%). Of these 695 patients, 402 had HCV RNA, 170 had had a sustained viral response (SVR) after anti-HCV therapy, and 102 cleared HCV spontaneously. Hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid results were unknown in 21 cases. Genotype distribution (known in 367 patients) was 1a in 143 patients (39.0%), 4 in 90 (24.5%) patients, 1b in 69 (18.8%) patients, 3 in 57 (15.5%) patients, 2 in 5 (1.4%) patients, and mixed in 3 (0.8%) patients. Liver cirrhosis was present in 93 patients (23.1%) with active HCV infection and in 39 (22.9%) patients with SVR after anti-HCV therapy. The prevalence of HCV-Abs and active HCV infection in HIV+ patients in Spain is 37.7% and 22.1%, respectively; these figures are significantly lower than those recorded in 2002 and 2009. The predominant genotypes in patients with active HCV infection were 1a and 4. A high percentage of patients had cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is also common in patients with SVR after anti-HCV therapy

Demographic, clinical, and functional determinants of antithrombotic treatment in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Altres ajuts: Alliance Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer.Background: This study assessed the sociodemographic, functional, and clinical determinants of antithrombotic treatment in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) attended in the internal medicine setting. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in NVAF patients who attended internal medicine departments for either a routine visit (outpatients) or hospitalization (inpatients). Results: A total of 961 patients were evaluated. Their antithrombotic management included: no treatment (4.7%), vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) (59.6%), direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) (21.6%), antiplatelets (6.6%), and antiplatelets plus anticoagulants (7.5%). Permanent NVAF and congestive heart failure were associated with preferential use of oral anticoagulation over antiplatelets, while intermediate-to high-mortality risk according to the PROFUND index was associated with a higher likelihood of using antiplatelet therapy instead of oral anticoagulation. Longer disease duration and institutionalization were identified as determinants of VKA use over DOACs. Female gender, higher education, and having suffered a stroke determined a preferential use of DOACs. Conclusions: This real-world study showed that most elderly NVAF patients received oral anticoagulation, mainly VKAs, while DOACs remained underused. Antiplatelets were still offered to a proportion of patients. Longer duration of NVAF and institutionalization were identified as determinants of VKA use over DOACs. A poor prognosis according to the PROFUND index was identified as a factor preventing the use of oral anticoagulation

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field