Lipidomic Analysis Reveals Alterations in Hepatic FA Profile Associated With MASLD Stage in Patients With Obesity.

CONTEXT: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is characterized by the intracellular lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Excess caloric intake and high-fat diets are considered to significantly contribute to MASLD development. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hepatic and serum fatty acid (FA) composition in patients with different stages of MASLD, and their relationship with FA dietary intake and MASLD-related risk factors. METHODS: This was a case-control study in patients with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery at a university hospital between January 2020 and December 2021. Participants were distributed in 3 groups: no MASLD (n = 26), steatotic liver disease (n = 33), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (n = 32). Hepatic and serum FA levels were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Nutritional status was evaluated using validated food frequency questionnaires. The hepatic expression of genes involved in FA metabolism was analyzed by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The hepatic, but not serum, FA profiles were significantly altered in patients with MASLD compared with those without MASLD. No differences were observed in FA intake between the groups. Levels of C16:0, C18:1, and the C18:1/C18:0 ratio were higher, while C18:0 levels and C18:0/C16:0 ratio were lower in patients with MASLD, being significantly different between the 3 groups. Hepatic FA levels and ratios correlated with histopathological diagnosis and other MASLD-related parameters. The expression of genes involved in the FA metabolism was upregulated in patients with MASLD. CONCLUSION: Alterations in hepatic FA levels in MASLD patients were due to enhancement of de novo lipogenesis in the liver.

Modification of Breakfast Fat Composition Can Modulate Cytokine and Other Inflammatory Mediators in Women: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

Previous trials have demonstrated that modifying dietary fat composition can influence the production of inflammation-related factors. Additionally, it has been suggested that not only the type of fat, but also the timing of fat intake can impact these factors. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of altering breakfast fat composition on inflammatory parameters. A 3-month crossover randomized trial was designed, involving 60 institutionalized women who alternately consumed a breakfast rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (margarine), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (virgin olive oil), or saturated fatty acids (SFA) (butter), based on randomization. The following inflammatory markers were evaluated: epidermal growth factor (EGF), interferon (IFN)-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), and vascular/endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The results showed that the most significant effects were observed with the high-MUFA breakfast, as there was a statistically significant decrease in plasma IL-6 (p = 0.016) and VEGF values (p = 0.035). Other factors, such as IL-1α and CRP, also decreased substantially, but did not reach the statistically significant level. On the other hand, the high-PUFA breakfast induced a significant decrease in EGF levels (p < 0.001), whereas the high-SFA breakfast had no apparent effect on these factors. In conclusion, modifying breakfast fat, particularly by increasing MUFA or PUFA intake, appears to be sufficient for promoting a lower inflammatory marker synthesis profile and may be beneficial in improving cardiovascular complications.

Análisis de la resiliencia y dependencia en deportes de combate y otras modalidades deportivas / Analysis of resilience and dependence in combat sports and other sports modalities

Resumen El ejercicio físico (EF) es una práctica sistematizada y orientada a un objetivo (salud, rendimiento, etc.) de actividad física. Dadas las respuestas a nivel fisiológico y cognitivo que genera, este puede influir en diversos factores psicosociales. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la prevalencia del riesgo de dependencia al EF y de resiliencia por deporte (colectivo, individual o combate) y analizar las diferencias, teniendo en cuenta el sexo, edad, dedicación deportiva y años de experiencia deportiva. Participaron 278 deportistas (194-varones, 84-mujeres). Se administró la Escala de Dependencia del Ejercicio-Revisada y la Escala de Resiliencia. Los resultados mostraron una menor sintomatología de riesgo de dependencia al EF y elevados niveles de resiliencia en deportes de combate frente al resto. En deportes individuales se encuentra una menor resiliencia a medida que van pasando los años de experiencia. En la modalidad colectiva se hallaron diferencias por sexo, mostrando las mujeres mayor resiliencia que los hombres. Los deportes de combate muestran mejores resultados en resiliencia y dependencia al EF.

Abstract Physical exercise (PE) is a systematized and goal-oriented practice (health, performance, etc.) of physical activity. Given the physiological and cognitive responses that it generates, it can influence various psychosocial factors. The aim of this study is to know risk exercise dependence and resilience prevalence in athletes by sport (collective, individual or combat), and analyze the differences, according to sex, age, sports dedication and years of sports experience. 278 athletes were evaluated (194 men and 84 women) using the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised and Resilience Scale inventories in the Spanish version. Results showed an important symptomatology of exercise dependence risk and higher levels of resilience in combat sports in comparison with team sports or individual sports. There was a significant negative correlation between resilience and years of expertise in individual sports athletes. Results from team sports athletes presented significant differences between men and women in resilience, increased in women. Sport combat practice showed better results in resilience and exercise dependence.

Effectiveness of a nutrition education program for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in end-stage renal disease.

OBJECTIVE: In end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, malnutrition is mainly addressed from a pharmacological but not educational point of view. Therefore, the objective of this study was to implement a nutritional education program (NEP) and to evaluate and compare its effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of malnutrition with oral supplementation (OS)-the standard treatment in these patients. DESIGN: This study was a longitudinal, 4-month prospective study. SETTINGS: The study was conducted from January to May 2012 in the Hemodialysis Fresenius Medical Care Clinic of Murcia. SUBJECTS: One hundred twenty patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis were randomly assigned to a NEP or to OS. INTERVENTION: Patients assigned to the NEP group followed an educational program for 4 months that aimed to improve general nutritional knowledge and included culinary recommendations and an elaboration of balanced menus. The OS group received a nutritional supplement during the hemodialysis procedure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measure was certain biochemical markers of nutritional and metabolic status. Nutrition knowledge was also evaluated. RESULTS: After 4 months of intervention, nutritional knowledge was increased in all patients (P < .050) after the NEP, which was reflected in a decrease in the prevalence of malnutrition, especially in this group. Creatinine clearance, total protein serum values, and other biochemical parameters improved significantly in both groups (P < .050 in all cases), although other parameters such as C-reactive protein were impaired only in the NEP group. CONCLUSION: The NEP was at least as effective as OS for preventing and even treating malnutrition in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, improving their nutritional status, which may result in a long-term decrease in the mortality and morbidity of these patients.

Influence of menopause on adipose tissue clock gene genotype and its relationship with metabolic syndrome in morbidly obese women.

Menopausal women exhibit a loss of circadian coordination, a process that runs parallel with a redistribution of adipose tissue. However, the specific genetic mechanisms underlying these alterations have not been studied. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether the development of menopause induces an alteration of the genes that control biological rhythms in human subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue, and whether changes in clock gene expression are involved in the increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is frequently associated with menopause. To this end, VAT and SAT biopsies were taken in pre- (n = 7) and postmenopausal (n = 7) women at similar hours in the morning. RNA was extracted, and a microarray analysis was made. Data were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis were also performed. When clock gene expression was compared between both groups of women, data in SAT showed that expression of the core clock gene period3 was significantly higher in postmenopausal women, while casein kinase-1δ, E1A-binding protein and cAMP-responsive element were preferentially expressed in the premenopausal group. In VAT, period2 (PER2) and v-myc myelocytomatosis viral oncogene expressions were significantly higher in the postmenopausal group. Western blot analysis indicated that PER2 and PER3 protein expression was also increased in postmenopausal women. In addition, several genes, including PER2, were differentially expressed depending on whether or not the patient met the MetS criteria. We conclude that menopause transition induces several changes in the genotype of the adipose tissue chronobiological machinery related to an increased risk of developing MetS.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate modifies human fatty acid composition of different adipose tissue depots.

BACKGROUND: Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) has been described as a protector agent against obesity-related pathologies, although the mechanism of action is still unknown. We have shown that DHEA-S acts on adipose tissue (AT), altering the fatty acid (FA) profile in rodents. Thus, we could hypothesize that some of the beneficial effects shown by DHEA-S in humans are related to a modification of the human AT-FA profile. The present study examines this question and whether this effect is tissue-dependent. METHODS: Paired visceral and subcutaneous AT biopsies were obtained from 20 patients who had undergone bariatric surgery. These samples were subjected to primary adipose culture and incubated for 24 h with 1 µM DHEA-S. The FA profile of both control and treated samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. RESULTS: A reduction in total saturated fatty acids (SFA), the n-6 family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was observed after DHEA-S treatment, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) increased. In addition, DHEA-S altered the percentage of several individual FA, decreasing palmitic acid and increasing vaccenic acid in both AT. All estimated desaturase activity ratios slightly increased after DHEA-S treatment, although only the increase of delta-6-desaturase index in both depots reached statistical significance. No depot-specific action of DHEA-S was found between subcutaneous and visceral AT. CONCLUSIONS: In vitro, DHEA-S modifies the AT-FA composition towards a better metabolic profile to a similar extent in the subcutaneous and visceral adipose depots, in both of which a decrease in SFA and increased MUFA are observed after treatment. This effect could help to explain the beneficial effects attributed to DHEA-S. Further studies, however, are required to determine whether the effect of DHEA-S on adipose tissue in vitro is conserved in vivo.

Relationship among adiponectin, adiponectin gene expression and fatty acids composition in morbidly obese patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between adiponectin plasma circulating levels and its gene expression in two abdominal fat depots (subcutaneous and visceral) with the fatty acid composition of plasma and adipose tissue in morbidly obese subjects. METHODS: 20 patients (10 women and 10 men) were selected. All were morbidly obese (BMI > or =40 kg/m2) and admitted for gastric surgery. Plasma samples and adipose tissue from both subcutaneous and visceral regions were obtained. Plasma adiponectin and adipose adiponectin expression were analyzed. RESULTS: Adiponectin mRNA expression in the subcutaneous tissue was significantly higher (P=0.048) than in visceral tissue. Circulating adiponectin values, were positively associated with the proportion of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma (r=0.62, P=0.002). The visceral depot showed greater statistical associations between adiponectin gene expression and fatty acids profile, being saturated fatty acids associated with a decrease (r=-0.68, P=0.015), whereas monounsaturated were related to an increase in this adipose region (r=0.67, P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated significant associations between adipose tissue adiponectin gene expression and fatty acid composition. These associations were more evident in relation to the visceral depot, an adipose tissue region highly implicated in the metabolic syndrome.