European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2023
ReviewEffects of NAD+ precursors on blood pressure, C-reactive protein concentration and carotid intima-media thickness: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
There are contradictory effects regarding the effect of NAD+ precursor on blood pressure and inflammation. In order to obtain a better viewpoint from them, this study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of NAD+ precursor supplementation on blood pressure, C-reactive protein (CRP) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). ⋯ Overall, these findings suggest that NAD+ precursor supplementation might have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors such as BP, CRP concentration and CIMT.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2023
Correlation of ex vivo cytokine secretion profiles with scoring indices in ulcerative colitis.
In ulcerative colitis, the complexity of mucosal cytokine secretion profiles and how they correlate with endoscopic and clinical scores is still unclear. ⋯ Our findings suggest that choosing biopsies from donors with MES = 2-3 and UCEIS = 2-6 from areas with no bleeding and no superficial and/or deep ulcers could enable a deeper insight into the cytokine profile of the inflamed tissue and represent a better tool for studying potential therapeutic targets and evaluation of novel therapies.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2023
Review Meta AnalysisCaveolin-1 protein expression as a prognostic biomarker of gastrointestinal tumours: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers remain a major threat worldwide, accounting for over 30% of cancer deaths. The identification of novel prognostic biomarkers remains a challenge despite significant advances in the field. The CAV1 gene, encoding the caveolin-1 protein, remains enigmatic in cancer and carcinogenesis, as it has been proposed to act as both a tumour promoter and a tumour suppressor. ⋯ The data suggest that caveolin-1 expression in the tumour cells of oesophageal, pancreatic cancer and HCC and in the stroma of colorectal cancer may be an important novel predictive biomarker for the clinical management of these diseases in a curative setting. However, the main conclusion of our analysis is that caveolin-1 expression should always be assessed separately in stroma and tumour cells.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2023
ReviewCOVID-19 illness: Different comorbidities may require different immunological therapeutic targets.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to more than 6,870.000 deaths worldwide. Despite recent therapeutic advances, deaths in Intensive Care Units still range between 34 and 72%, comprising substantial unmet need as we move to an endemic phase. The general agreement is that in the first few days of infection, antiviral drugs and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies should be adopted. When the patient is hospitalized and develops severe pneumonia, progressing to a systemic disease, immune modifying therapy with corticosteroids is indicated. Such interventions, however, are less effective in the context of comorbidities (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, obesity and central nervous system-CNS diseases) which are by themselves associated with poor outcomes. Such comorbidities comprise common and some distinct underlying inflammatory pathobiology regulated by differential cytokine taxonomy. ⋯ Herein, we discuss the biological background associated with distinct comorbidities which might impact the SARS-CoV-2 infection course and how these should to be addressed to improve the current therapeutic outcome.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2023
ELOVL2-methylation and renal and cardiovascular event in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Methylation of the Elongation Of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids-Like 2 (ELOVL2) gene promoter may predict premature ageing and cardiovascular risk. ⋯ ELOVL2-hypermethylation showed a strong association with age, but was not independently associated with cardiovascular risk factors or with future renal or cardiovascular events in patients with CKD. ELOVL2 gene methylation is not likely to be itself a cause for ageing or illnesses, but it could be rather influenced by other upstream processes that deserve investigation.