High Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Levels Are Detectable in the Serum of Patients with Lung Cancer and May Be Exploited as Screening Biomarkers.

Objectives: Since early detection improves overall survival in lung cancer, identification of screening biomarkers for patients at risk represents an area of intense investigation. Tumor liberated protein (TLP) has been previously described as a tumor-associated antigen (complex) present in the sera from lung cancer patients. Here, we set out to identify the nature of TLP to develop this as a potential biomarker for lung cancer screening. Materials and Methods: Beginning from the peptide epitope RTNKEASI previously identified from the TLP complex, we produced a rabbit anti-RTNKEASI serum and evaluated it in the lung cancer cell line A549 by means of immunoblot and peptide completion assay (PCA). The TLP sequence identification was conducted by mass spectrometry. The detected protein was, then, analyzed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and benign lung pathologies and healthy donors, by ELISA. Results: The anti-RTNKEASI antiserum detected and immunoprecipitated a 55\u2009kDa protein band in the lysate of A549 cells identified as aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1A1, revealing the molecular nature of at least one component of the previously described TLP complex. Next, we screened blood samples from a non-tumor cohort of 26 patients and 45 NSCLC patients with different disease stages for the presence of ALDH1A1 and global ALDH. This analysis indicated that serum positivity was highly restricted to patients with NSCLC (ALDH p < 0.001; ALDH1A1 p=0.028). Interestingly, the global ALDH test resulted positive in more NSCLC samples compared to the ALDH1A1 test, suggesting that other ALDH isoforms might add to the sensitivity of the assay. Conclusion: Our data indicate that ALDH levels are elevated in the sera of NSCLC patients, even with early stage disease, and may thus be evaluated as part of a marker panel for non-invasive detection of NSCLC

Citizen Science to improve healthy and active living among adolescents in four European countries: a protocol of the cluster randomised controlled trial of the Science Engagement to Empower aDolescentS (SEEDS) project

This is the final version. Available on open access from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this recordINTRODUCTION: Improving healthy lifestyles of adolescents is challenging. Citizen Science is a way to engage them in the design and delivery of interventions, and may also increase their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Science Engagement to Empower aDolescentS (SEEDS) project aims to use an equity-lens, and engage and empower boys and girls from deprived areas by designing and cocreating interventions to promote healthy lifestyles, and to seed interest in STEM. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: SEEDS is a cluster randomised controlled trial in four countries (Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK). Each country will recruit six to eight high schools from lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods. Adolescents aged 13-15 years are the target population. High schools will be randomised into intervention or control group. Each country will select 15 adolescents from intervention schools called ambassadors, who will be involved throughout the project.In each country, focus groups with ambassadors and stakeholders will focus on physical activity, snacking behaviour and STEM. The input from focus groups will be used to shape Makeathon events, cocreation events where adolescents and stakeholders will develop the interventions. The resultant intervention will be implemented in the intervention schools during 6 months. In total, we aim to recruit 720 adolescents who will complete questionnaires related to healthy lifestyles and STEM outcomes at baseline (November 2021) and after the 6 months (June 2022). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The four countries obtained approval from their corresponding Ethics Committees (Greece: Bioethics Committee of Harokopio University; the Netherlands: The Medical Research Ethics Committee of the Erasmus Medical Center; Spain: The Drug Research Ethics Committee of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute; UK: Sport and Health Sciences Ethics Committee of the University of Exeter). Informed consent will be collected from adolescents and their parents in line with General Data Protection Regulation legislation. The findings will be disseminated by conference presentations, publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals and during (local) stakeholders and public events. Lessons learnt and the main results will also be used to provide policy recommendations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05002049.European Union Horizon 202

A school-based physical activity promotion intervention in children: rationale and study protocol for the PREVIENE Project

The lack of physical activity and increasing time spent in sedentary behaviours during childhood place importance on developing low cost, easy-toimplement school-based interventions to increase physical activity among children. The PREVIENE Project will evaluate the effectiveness of five innovative, simple, and feasible interventions (active commuting to/from school, active Physical Education lessons, active school recess, sleep health promotion, and an integrated program incorporating all 4 interventions) to improve physical activity, fitness, anthropometry, sleep health, academic achievement, and health-related quality of life in primary school children. The PREVIENE Project will provide the information about the effectiveness and implementation of different school-based interventions for physical activity promotion in primary school children.The PREVIENE Project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2015-63988-R, MINECO-FEDER). MAG is supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivenes

Prognostic relevance of a non-invasive evaluation of right ventricular function and pulmonary artery pressure in patients with chronic heart failure.

AIM: To determine the prognostic relevance of the echocardiographic evaluation of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction have both been associated with poor prognosis in CHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A complete echocardiographic examination was performed in 658 outpatients with CHF and LVEF <45%. PASP was available in 544 (83%) patients, TAPSE in all patients, and E wave deceleration time (DT) in 643 (98%) patients. During a median follow-up period of 38 months, 125 patients died, 5 underwent urgent heart transplantation, and 5 had an appropriately detected and treated episode of ventricular fibrillation. At Cox survival analysis (composite endpoint was death, urgent heart transplantation, and ventricular fibrillation), patients with PASP ≥40 mmHg plus TAPSE ≤14 mm had a poorer prognosis than those with high PASP but preserved TAPSE; RV dysfunction associated with normal PASP did not carry additional risks. Similar results were obtained when patients were grouped on the basis of DT (restrictive vs. non restrictive) and TAPSE. CONCLUSIONS: A simple echocardiographic evaluation of PASP and RV function with TAPSE may improve risk stratification in patients with CHF. Importantly, if PASP cannot be recorded at echocardiography, a restrictive DT, measurable in the vast majority of patients, may be coupled with TAPSE to stratify patients