Disposición de profesionales de la salud chilenos hacia la consejería breve anti-tabaco en pacientes hospitalizados de una institución privada / Readiness of chilean healthcare professionals towards brief tobacco cessation counseling in hospitalized smoking patients of a private institution

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la disposición pre y post intervención de profesionales de la salud de una consejería breve antitabaco (CBA) para pacientes fumadores hospitalizados. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo correlacional de corte transversal, con 65 sujetos participantes. RESULTADOS: El 84,6% de los participantes son mujeres, con edad promedio de 33.8 años (DS±9,1). El 52,3% se desempeñaba como técnico en enfermería, seguidos por los enfermeros(as) (18,5%). El 34,9% de los sujetos eran fumadores, de ellos el 21,6% fumaba entre 1 y 5 cigarrillos diarios. Se observó mayor disposición y aceptabilidad hacia la CBA en los proveedores de salud que no fuman versus los fumadores en la medición basal. Post intervención hay diferencias significativas n el grupo de profesionales fumadores, mejorando su disposición y aceptabilidad hacia la CBA. CONCLUSIONES: A mayor consumo de tabaco en los proveedores de salud, menor es la disposición, la aceptabilidad y la conducta habitual de realizar la CBA a los pacientes adultos hospitalizados. Una intervención de CBA dirigida a personal fumador ha demostrado ser efectiva en mejorar su disposición. Si bien el ser fumador constituye una barrera de implementación, es algo que se puede mejorar con capacitación, por lo que se invita a tomar en considerar el nivel de consumo de tabaco de los funcionarios en futuras intervenciones de CBA en pacientes hospitalizados.

OBJECTIVE: To assess readiness among healthcare providers in pre- and post- brief tobacco cessation counseling (BTCC) intervention for hospitalized smoking patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational study, with 65 participants. RESULTS: 84,6% of the participants are women, with an average age of 33,8 years (DS9,1). 52,3% work as nursing technicians, followed by nurses (18,5%). 34,9% of the participants are smokers, of which 21,6% smoke between 1 and 5 cigarettes a day. Greater readiness and acceptability towards BTCC are observed in non-smoking healthcare providers. Significant differences are found in the post BTCC intervention group of smoking healthcare providers, improving their readiness and acceptability towards BTCC. CONCLUSIONS: The greater the tobacco consumption of healthcare providers, the lower readiness, acceptability, and common practice of performing BTCC on hospitalized adult patients. A BTCC intervention aimed at smoking healthcare providers has been shown to be effective in improving their readiness. Although being a smoking healthcare provider has shown to be a barrier to BTCC implementation, it is something that can be overcome with intervention, which is why it is important to consider the level of tobacco consumption of healthcare providers in future implementation of BTCC in hospitalized patients.

"Appagalo" a Customized Mobile Health Intervention (mHealth) for Smoking Cessation in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Almost 30% of Chilean women report cigarette smoking with important repercussions on their health. OBJECTIVE: Design and test a mobile phone intervention for smoking cessation in young women. STUDY DESIGN: A mobile application (app) was created using the best available evidence and consumer input. Its effectiveness was assessed through a randomized clinical trial. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: Women 18 to 44 years old from middle-class neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile. Inclusion criteria were intention to quit cigarette smoking in the following month and having a smartphone cell phone. Women with positive screening for risky alcohol consumption were excluded. INTERVENTION: App with content to support cigarette smoking cessation over 6 months. The control arm included an app that delivered general messages to promote permanence in the study. Telephone follow-up was performed at 6 weeks, and at 3 and 6 months after randomization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: No smoking in the past 7 days at 6 weeks from enrolment. Intention-to-treat analysis was carried out using SPSS 17.0 with a significance level set at .05. RESULTS: 309 women entered the study. Mean number of cigarettes smoked in a day was 8.8. 58.6% of the participants (n = 181) completed the follow-up for the primary outcome. With intention-to-treat analysis, 9.7% of participants in the intervention group reported not having smoked any cigarettes in the last 7 days vs 3.2% in the control group (RR 2.98 CI 95% 1.11-8.0, P = .022). Additionally, 12.3% vs 1.9% of the participants in the intervention group and control group reported continuous abstinence at 6 weeks, respectively (RR 6.29 95% CI 1.9-20.8, P < .001). Continuous abstinence was also significant at 6 months (P-value of .036). CONCLUSIONS: The "Appagalo" app is an effective tool to support smoking cessation in young women. It is a simple mHealth alternative for smoking cessation that can contribute to improving women's health in the Americas and worldwide.

Childhood Socioeconomic Position and Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Women and Men: The Moderating Role of Parenthood Onset.

Objectives: Based on a life-course approach, the purpose of this study is to analyze how the age at the birth of a first child moderates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) incidence in old age, separately for women and men. Methods: We used a rich and representative life history survey of people aged from 65 to 75 living in Santiago, Chile (n = 802), and weighted multivariate statistical models. Data collection process involved the use of face-to-face life history calendars, administered by well-trained interviewers. Results: Early motherhood increases the risk of suffering CVD among older women with a disadvantaged childhood SEP, while late motherhood decreases it. By contrast, early fatherhood decreases CVD risk among older men with an adverse childhood SEP, while late fatherhood increases it. Conclusion: Our findings about the moderating role of parenthood onset on CVD risk among older women and men with a disadvantaged childhood SEP contributes to public health reflections on unexplored cardiovascular risk factors, which lead to substantial changes in women's and men's life courses, and might optimize cardiovascular prevention strategies.

Associations between cumulative social risk, psychosocial risk, and ideal cardiovascular health: Insights from the HeartSCORE study.

Background: Limited studies have assessed the effects of psychosocial risk factors on achievement of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH). Methods: Using the Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (HeartSCORE) cohort, we examined the cross-sectional associations of cumulative social risk (CSR) and three psychosocial factors (depression, stress, perceived discrimination) with ideal CVH. CSR was calculated by assigning one point for each of: low family income, low education level, minority race (Black), and single-living status. Ideal CVH was calculated by assigning one point for ideal levels of each factor in American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7. Ideal CVH was dichotomized into fewer versus higher by combining participants achieving <3 versus ≥3 factors. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of having fewer ideal CVH factors. Psychosocial factors were assessed as mediators of the association between CSR and ideal CVH. Results: We included 2000 participants (mean age 59.1 [7.5] years, 34.6% male, 42.7% Black, and 29.1% with low income), among whom 60.6% had <3 ideal CVH factors. The odds of having fewer ideal CVH factors increased significantly with increasing CSR scores from 1 to 2, to ≥3 compared to individuals with CSR score of zero, after adjusting for age and sex (OR [95% CIs]: 1.77 [1.41 - 2.22]; 2.09 [1.62 - 2.69] 2.67 [1.97 - 3.62], respectively). Taking the components of ideal CVH separately, higher CSR was directly associated with odds of being in 'non-ideal' category for six of the seven factors, but was inversely associated with probability of being in 'non-ideal' category for cholesterol. The association was modestly attenuated after adjusting for depression, stress, and perceived discrimination (corresponding OR [95% CI]: 1.69 [1.34 - 2.12], 1.96 [1.51 - 2.55], 2.34 [1.71 - 3.20]). The psychosocial factors appeared to mediate between 10% and 20% of relationship between CSR and ideal CVH. Conclusions: Increased CSR was associated with lower probability of achieving ideal CVH factors. A modest amount of the effect of CSR on ideal CVH appeared to be mediated by depression, stress and perceived discrimination. Public health strategies aimed at improving ideal cardiovascular health may benefit from including interventions targeting social and psychosocial risk factors.

Association between Lifetime Tobacco Use and Alcohol Consumption Trajectories and Cardiovascular and Chronic Respiratory Diseases among Older People.

Background: We identify representative types of simultaneous tobacco use and alcohol consumption trajectories across the life course and estimate their association with cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases (CVDs and CRDs) among older people in Chile. Methods: We used data from a population-representative, face-to-face and longitudinal-retrospective survey focused on people aged 65-75 (N = 802). To reconstruct trajectory types, we employed weighted multichannel sequence analysis. Then, we estimated their associations with CVDs and CRDs through weighted logistic regression models. Results: Long-term exposure to tobacco use and alcohol consumption across life are associated with the highest CVD and CRD risks. Long-term nonsmokers and nondrinkers do not necessarily show the lowest CVDs and CRDs risks if these patterns are accompanied by health risk factors such as obesity or social disadvantages such as lower educational levels. Additionally, trajectories showing regular consumption in one domain but only in specific periods of life, whether early or late, while maintaining little or no consumption across life in the other domain, lead to lower CVDs or CRDs risks than trajectories indicating permanent consumption in both domains. Conclusions: A policy approach that considers CVDs and CRDs as conditions that strongly depend on previous individual experiences in diverse life domains can contribute to the improved design and evaluation of preventive strategies of tobacco use and alcohol consumption across the life course.

[Seasonal variation of acute myocardial infarction deaths in Chile]. / Variación estacional de las defunciones por infarto agudo del miocardio en Chile.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization and deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), have a peak in frequency during winter. AIM: To assess the existence of seasonal variation in deaths due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of death report databases available at the website of the Chilean Ministry of Health. The seasonality of deaths due to AMI (codes ICD-10 I21, I22, I23) occuring in Chile between 2001-2016 were analyzed using a geometric model assuming a sinusoidal cyclic pattern. RESULTS: During the period 2001-2016, a total of 94,788 deaths due to AMI were registered, corresponding to 93,349 corrected deaths. Of the latter, 29.2% occurred in winter, 24.9% in spring, 24.0% in autumn and 21.8% in summer. The geometric model showed a marked sinusoidal pattern for the aggregated data. The peak-to-low ratio of deaths was 1.41 (95% CI 1.38-1.44). The peak of deaths occurred during July in 14 out of 16 years analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: In Chile, deaths due to AMI have a marked seasonal pattern, characterized by a higher number of deaths in winter and a lower number in summer.

Variación estacional de las defunciones por infarto agudo del miocardio en Chile / Seasonal variation of acute myocardial infarction deaths in Chile

Background: Hospitalization and deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), have a peak in frequency during winter. Aim: To assess the existence of seasonal variation in deaths due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Chile. Material and Methods: Analysis of death report databases available at the website of the Chilean Ministry of Health. The seasonality of deaths due to AMI (codes ICD-10 I21, I22, I23) occuring in Chile between 2001-2016 were analyzed using a geometric model assuming a sinusoidal cyclic pattern. Results: During the period 2001-2016, a total of 94,788 deaths due to AMI were registered, corresponding to 93,349 corrected deaths. Of the latter, 29.2% occurred in winter, 24.9% in spring, 24.0% in autumn and 21.8% in summer. The geometric model showed a marked sinusoidal pattern for the aggregated data. The peak-to-low ratio of deaths was 1.41 (95% CI 1.38-1.44). The peak of deaths occurred during July in 14 out of 16 years analyzed. Conclusions: In Chile, deaths due to AMI have a marked seasonal pattern, characterized by a higher number of deaths in winter and a lower number in summer.

Lifetime employment, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption trajectories and cardiovascular diseases in old age.

Despite the great advances of life course epidemiology studies during the last decade in understanding the general health effects of employment trajectories, research has yet to evaluate the effects of employment trajectories along with other major risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)-the main cause of deaths worldwide. This is highly relevant, since health advantages in one domain (e.g., being a permanent formal full-time worker) may offset health disadvantages in other domains (e.g., being a regular smoker or alcohol consumer); conversely, disadvantages in both domains may interact, leading to even greater health risks. Considering these knowledge gaps, this research has two main objectives: (1) to reconstruct simultaneous employment, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption trajectories over the life course (from birth to old age) and (2) to measure the association between these trajectories and CVD in old age. Drawing on a rich and comprehensive life history dataset and using multichannel sequence and regression analyses, we analyzed a cohort of individuals aged 65-75 in Chile, a Latin American country with high social inequalities and scarce research on this matter. Our study shows that following a trajectory of formal employment together with no tobacco and alcohol use reduces CVD risk by 36 percentage points relative to a similar employment trajectory but with regular tobacco and alcohol use. Even with an employment trajectory characterized by constant informal employment or permanent inactivity, a life course free of regular tobacco and alcohol use shows protective effects against CVD. This study stresses the importance of health policies that consider CVD as a condition that strongly depends on individual experiences in multiple life domains and across different life stages.

Usefulness of the American Heart Association's Ideal Cardiovascular Health Measure to Predict Long-term Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (From the Heart SCORE Study).

To further reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and expand prevention efforts, the American Heart Association (AHA) introduced in 2010 the concept of Ideal Cardiovascular Health (ICH), which includes 7 metrics (smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose). Limited data exist on the relation between ICH and long-term CVD risk. The Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (Heart SCORE) study cohort was used to examine the relation between ICH and incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: first occurrence of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, acute ischemic syndrome, or coronary revascularization). The 7 factors of the ICH were scored at study entry on a 0 to 2 scale, resulting in possible range of 0 to 14, with higher scores representing "better" health. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of MACE, along with 95% confidence intervals. Over a median follow-up of 12 years, the study population (n = 1,863, 67% women, 42% Black race, mean age 59 years [range 45 to 75]) had 218 MACE. In unadjusted analysis, the ICH score (per 1 unit) was associated with an estimated 12% lower risk of MACE (HR [95% Confidence Interval]: 0.88 [0.82, 0.93]). Adjusting for demographics, education, and quality of life, ICH score was associated with a 10% lower risk of MACE (HR 0.90 [0.84, 0.96]). In a community-based sample of adults, the AHA ICH construct, which includes 7 modifiable CVD risk factors, appears to be a valid measure for predicting long-term risk of MACE.

Tabaquismo en el adulto mayor: un freno al envejecimiento saludable en la población chilena / Prevalence of smoking among Chilean older people

Background: Smoking is one of the main causes of death among adults worldwide. Aim: To characterize smoking among Chilean older people, according to sociodemographic and clinical variables. Material and Methods: Secondary analysis of data obtained during the National Health Survey 2009-10, selecting individuals aged 60 years and older. Expansion factors were used due to the complex design of the sample. Prevalence and characteristics of smoking were calculated, according to age, sex, educational level, marital status, healthcare insurance system and comorbidities. Results: Nineteen percent of older people were actual smokers, and 85% of these smokers were aged between 60 and 69 years. Forty-five percent were highly dependent to nicotine and 73% reported their intention to quit smoking. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of tobacco smoking among Chilean older people. Prevention measures are needed.

[Prevalence of smoking among Chilean older people]. / Tabaquismo en el adulto mayor: un freno al envejecimiento saludable en la población chilena.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the main causes of death among adults worldwide. AIM: To characterize smoking among Chilean older people, according to sociodemographic and clinical variables. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Secondary analysis of data obtained during the National Health Survey 2009-10, selecting individuals aged 60 years and older. Expansion factors were used due to the complex design of the sample. Prevalence and characteristics of smoking were calculated, according to age, sex, educational level, marital status, healthcare insurance system and comorbidities. RESULTS: Nineteen percent of older people were actual smokers, and 85% of these smokers were aged between 60 and 69 years. Forty-five percent were highly dependent to nicotine and 73% reported their intention to quit smoking. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of tobacco smoking among Chilean older people. Prevention measures are needed.

Science and Health Policies to Tackle Chronic Diseases in Chile.

Chile has experienced rapid epidemiological transitions characterized by decreasing infant mortality, population aging, and a shift towards obesity with an increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Today, tobacco, alcohol, and ultraprocessed foods are the main risk factors for these diseases. Based on Chile's experience in tobacco control, we discuss paths to make progress in population evidence-based strategies to improve overall community health.

Early left atrial dysfunction is associated with suboptimal cardiovascular health.

AIMS: Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography can assess left atrial (LA) function by measuring atrial volumes and deformation parameters (strain, strain rate). This cross-sectional analysis explores the association between ideal CV health (CVH), LA function, and systemic biomarkers in healthy individuals from the Chilean MAUCO Cohort. METHODS: We enrolled 95 MAUCO participants with different levels of CVH (mean age: 51 ± 8 years). We categorized participants into low or high CVH groups: A: 0-2, or B: 3-6 CVH risk factors. 2D echocardiography, glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, proBNP, hsCRP, insulin resistance index (HOMA), and right and left atrial strain (RASs and LASs, respectively) were determined. RESULTS: LASs was lower in Group A, while systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), insulin, HOMA, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LV and RV end-diastolic volume were significantly higher in Group A than Group B (P < .01). Change in LASs was inversely correlated with insulin (P = .040), HOMA (P = .013), total cholesterol (P = .039), glycemia (P = .018), and BMI (P = .0.037). CONCLUSION: LASs during the reservoir phase was diminished in subjects with a lower level of CVH. Higher insulin, HOMA, total cholesterol, glycemia, and BMI values were associated with decreased LA deformation during the reservoir phase. Morphofunctional alterations of the LA were also identified in the group with suboptimal CVH, as well as BP values in the range of hypertension. LA dysfunction in an asymptomatic population, along with metabolic syndrome, could be an early event in the continuum of CV damage.

Cardiovascular Disease Prognostic Models in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular prognostic models guide treatment allocation and support clinical decisions. Whether there are valid models for Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) populations is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to identify and critically appraise cardiovascular prognostic models developed, tested, or recalibrated in LAC populations. METHODS: The systematic review followed the CHARMS (CHecklist for critical Appraisal and data extraction for systematic Reviews of prediction Modelling Studies) framework (PROSPERO [International Prospective Register of Systemic Reviews]: CRD42018096553). Reports were included if they followed a prospective design and presented a multivariable prognostic model; reports were excluded if they studied symptomatic individuals or patients. The following search engines were used: EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, SciELO, and LILACS. Risk of bias assessment was conducted with PROBAST (Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool). No quantitative summary was conducted due to large heterogeneity. RESULTS: From 2,506 search results, 8 studies (N = 130,482 participants) were included for qualitative synthesis. We could not identify any cardiovascular prognostic model developed for LAC populations; reviewed reports evaluated available models or conducted a recalibration analysis. Only 1 study included a Caribbean population (Puerto Rico); 3 studies were retrieved from Chile; 2 from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay; and 1 from Mexico. Four studies included population-based samples, and the other 4 included people affiliated to a health facility (e.g., prevention clinics). Most studied participants were older than 50 years, and there were more women in 5 reports. The Framingham model was assessed 6 times, and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association pooled equation was assessed twice. Across the prognostic models assessed, calibration varied widely from one population to another, showing great overestimation particularly in some subgroups (e.g., highest risk). Discrimination (e.g., C-statistic) was acceptable for most models; for Framingham it ranged from 0.66 to 0.76. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association pooled equation showed the best discrimination (0.78). That there were few outcome events was the most important methodological limitation of the identified studies. CONCLUSIONS: No cardiovascular prognostic models have been developed in LAC, hampering key evidence to inform public health and clinical practice. Validation studies need to improve methodological issues.

Enfermedades cardiovasculares y cáncer: ¿dos entidades mutuamente relacionadas? / Cardiovascular diseases and cancer: ¿mutually related entities?

Resumen: Las enfermedades cardiovasculares y el cáncer son enfermedades crónicas transmisibles culturalmente, y las dos causas principales de mortalidad en el mundo. Además del gran impacto sobre la mortalidad y morbilidad, estas enfermedades han mostrado un alto grado de relación entre ellas debido, entre otras razones, a que comparten factores de riesgo y mecanismos biológicos. La alta incidencia de enfermedad cardiovascular en pacientes con cáncer es un fenómeno conocido que ha orientado el desarrollo del campo interdisciplinario de la cardio-oncología. Sin embargo, en la última década han surgido evidencias que muestran el papel que desempeñan las enfermedades cardiovasculares en el desarrollo de cáncer. Un estudio reciente publicado por Meijers y cols, en agosto de 2018 en Circulation, mostró que la insuficiencia cardiaca post-infarto del miocardio contribuye significativamente al desarrollo del cáncer de colón, apoyando lo obtenido en estudios epidemiológicos anteriores. Este estudio también sugiere que el crecimiento tumoral podría producirse por factores secretados por el corazón insuficiente abriendo un amplio grupo de posibilidades de investigación en lo que sería un nuevo campo de la medicina cuyo propósito sería el desarrollo de nuevas estrategias para el seguimiento y tratamiento del cáncer en pacientes con enfermedades cardiovasculares. El presente artículo revisa los factores de riesgo, y mecanismos celulares y moleculares, que son comunes en las enfermedades cardiovasculares y el cáncer, la contribución del trabajo de Meijers y cols hacia un mayor entendimiento de la interrelación entre estas patologías y las perspectivas futuras con respecto a los nuevos hallazgos.

Abstracts: Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are culturally transmitted chronic diseases and the two main causes of death globally. In addition to their high morbidity and mortality, these diseases are closely related, due to their common risk factors and biological mechanisms. The high incidence of cardiovascular diseases in cancer patients is widely known phenomenon, which has oriented the development of the interdisciplinary field of cardio-oncology Nonetheless, there is emerging evidence in the last decade suggesting a potential role for cardiovascular diseases in the onset of cancer. A recent publication by Meijers et al in the scientific cardiovascular journal Circulation showed that heart failure significantly contributes to tumor growth, confirming previous epidemiological findings suggesting this hypothesis. Moreover, this study indicates that tumor growth may be stimulated by the secretion of factors from the failing heart, opening a wide spectrum of research areas in what may be suggested as a new field in medicine that would seek to develop new strategies to treat and prevent cancer in patients with cardiovascular diseases. This article will review shared risk factor and common cellular and molecular pathways in cardiovascular diseases and cancer, the contribution of Meijers et al to a better understanding of the connection of these diseases and future perspectives in light of the new evidence.

Variants in ABCG8 and TRAF3 genes confer risk for gallstone disease in admixed Latinos with Mapuche Native American ancestry.

Latin Americans and Chilean Amerindians have the highest prevalence of gallstone disease (GSD) and gallbladder cancer (GBC) in the world. A handful of loci have been associated with GSD in populations of predominantly European ancestry, however, they only explain a small portion of the genetic component of the disease. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for GSD in 1,095 admixed Chilean Latinos with Mapuche Native American ancestry. Disease status was assessed by cholecystectomy or abdominal ultrasonography. Top-10 candidate variants surpassing the suggestive cutoff of P < 1 × 10-5 in the discovery cohort were genotyped in an independent replication sample composed of 1,643 individuals. Variants with positive replication were further examined in two European GSD populations and a Chilean GBC cohort. We consistently replicated the association of ABCG8 gene with GSD (rs11887534, P = 3.24 × 10-8, OR = 1.74) and identified TRAF3 (rs12882491, P = 1.11 × 10-7, OR = 1.40) as a novel candidate gene for the disease in admixed Chilean Latinos. ABCG8 and TRAF3 variants also conferred risk to GBC. Gene expression analyses indicated that TRAF3 was significantly decreased in gallbladder (P = 0.015) and duodenal mucosa (P = 0.001) of GSD individuals compared to healthy controls, where according to GTEx data in the small intestine, the presence of the risk allele contributes to the observed effect. We conclude that ABCG8 and TRAF3 genes are associated with GSD and GBC in admixed Latinos and that decreased TRAF3 levels could enhance gallbladder inflammation as is observed in GSD and GSD-associated GBC.

Association between ideal cardiovascular health and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) was proposed by the American Heart Association to promote population health. We aimed to characterize the association between ideal CVH and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that ideal CVH is associated with several markers of subclinical CVD. METHODS: We used data from the Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (Heart SCORE) study. We assigned 1 for each of the ideal CVH factors met. Endothelial function, expressed as Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI), was measured using the EndoPAT device. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were quantified using electron beam computed tomography and carotid ultrasonography, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 1933 participants (mean [SD] age: 59 [7.5] years, 34% male, 44% black) were included. The mean number of ideal CVH factors met was 2.3 ± 1.3, with blacks having significantly lower score compared to whites (2.0 ± 1.2 vs 2.5 ± 1.4, respectively; P < 0.001). Seven hundred and eighty-nine participants (41%) achieved ≥3 ideal CVH factors. Participants with ≥3 ideal CVH factors (compared to those with <3 factors) had an average of 107 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 50-165) Agatston units lower CAC, 0.04 (0.01-0.06) mm lower CIMT, and 0.07 (0.02-0.12) units higher fRHI, after adjusting for age, sex, race, income, education, and marital status. Participants with ≥3 ideal CVH factors had 50% lower odds (95% CI: 28%-66%) of having CAC >100 Agatston units. CONCLUSION: In a community-based study with low prevalence of ideal CVH, even achieving three or more ideal CVH factors were associated with lower burden of subclinical CVD, indicating the utility of this construct for disease prevention.

Autophagy and oxidative stress in non-communicable diseases: A matter of the inflammatory state?

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are long-lasting conditions that affect millions of people around the world. Different factors contribute to their genesis and progression; however they share common features, which are critical for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. A persistently altered inflammatory response is typically observed in many NCDs together with redox imbalance. Additionally, dysregulated proteostasis, mainly derived as a consequence of compromised autophagy, is a common feature of several chronic diseases. In this review, we discuss the crosstalk among inflammation, autophagy and oxidative stress, and how they participate in the progression of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and type II diabetes mellitus.