Analysis of ANRIL Isoforms and Key Genes in Patients with Severe Coronary Artery Disease.

ANRIL (Antisense Noncoding RNA in the INK4 Locus), also named CDKN2B-AS1, is a long non-coding RNA with outstanding functions that regulates genes involved in atherosclerosis development. ANRIL genotypes and the expression of linear and circular isoforms have been associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). The CDKN2A and the CDKN2B genes at the CDKN2A/B locus encode the Cyclin-Dependent Kinase inhibitor protein (CDKI) p16INK4a and the p53 regulatory protein p14ARF, which are involved in cell cycle regulation, aging, senescence, and apoptosis. Abnormal ANRIL expression regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene expression, and upregulated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway. Here, we explored associations between determinations of the linear, circular, and linear-to-circular ANRIL gene expression ratio, CDKN2A, VEGF and its receptor kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR) and cardiovascular risk factors and all-cause mortality in high-risk coronary patients before they undergo coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). We found that the expression of ANRIL isoforms may help in the prediction of CAD outcomes. Linear isoforms were correlated with a worse cardiovascular risk profile while the expression of circular isoforms of ANRIL correlated with a decrease in oxidative stress. However, the determination of the linear versus circular ratio of ANRIL did not report additional information to that determined by the evaluation of individual isoforms. Although the expressions of the VEFG and KDR genes correlated with a decrease in oxidative stress, in binary logistic regression analysis it was observed that only the expression of linear isoforms of ANRIL and VEGF significantly contributed to the prediction of the number of surgical revascularizations.

ENDS consumption in students of higher education: Phenomenon on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered transformations in the population's lifestyles, including electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) consumption. The aim of the study was to determine associations between ENDS consumption habits and lifestyles among higher education students in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional analytical design, based on a self-administered online survey, conducted in 2021, among students aged 18-59 years. The sample size was 3985 students. Statistical analysis was done through frequency studies, hypothesis testing and a multivariate-penalized logistic regression model (firthlogit), based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC). RESULTS: A total of 3573 students completed the survey, 61.5% were female, 55.3% were young (aged 18-26 years), and 44.6% were adults (aged 27-59 years). The prevalence of ENDS use during the pandemic was 7.3%. Age was negatively associated with ENDS use, as young people had a higher likelihood of using these devices. The likelihood of ENDS use was negative among females (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.2-0.5). In contrast, it was positive in students with a history of psychoactive substance abuse and/or dependence (OR=3.59; 95% CI: 1.0-12.0), students who had tried conventional cigarettes (OR=5.12; 95% CI: 3.0-8.5), participants who smoked tobacco during the pandemic (OR=3.15; 95% CI: 2.3-4.2), those who studied virtually (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.0-2.3), participants who lived with other ENDS users (OR=3.86; 95% CI: 2.8-5.2) and students with negative perception of impacts on their mental health (OR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: Being male, aged <26 years, having a history of substance use, having tried conventional cigarettes, pandemic tobacco use, and having lived with other ENDS users, were the main factors associated with pandemic ENDS use. Studying the consumption habits of students in response to lifestyle changes, is fundamental for the formulation of strategies to reduce the development of addictive behaviors, especially in young students during the pandemic.

Public stigma profile toward mental disorders across different university degrees in the University of Valencia (Spain).

Background: A large proportion of studies carried out in recent years in different populations have shown that stigma toward mental disorders is highly prevalent. In the present study we conducted a comprehensive assessment of stigma to describe and compare stigma toward mental disorders in students enrolled in five different university degrees. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-five students from the University of Valencia (Spain), attending the second term of their first-degree courses in the faculties of medicine, psychology, teaching, economics, and data science participated in this cross-sectional study. Stigma was measured using: the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS), the Scale of Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI), the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27), and the Knowledge about Mental Illness test (KMI). Results: We found different patterns of stigma according to gender, the fact of knowing or living with a person with mental disorders and the university degree studied. Overall, women show fewer stigmatizing attitudes than men but similar stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders. However, the pattern of results across degrees is more complex. Overall, students of medicine, psychology and teaching showed fewer stigmatizing attitudes than students of economics and data science but differences between degrees were more subtle in stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders. Conclusion: Our study suggests the existence of different profiles of stigma in relation to mental disorders in university students. These profiles varied in relation with the degree being studied, gender and already knowing or living with a person with mental disorders.

RhoB controls endothelial barrier recovery by inhibiting Rac1 trafficking to the cell border.

Endothelial barrier dysfunction underlies chronic inflammatory diseases. In searching for new proteins essential to the human endothelial inflammatory response, we have found that the endosomal GTPase RhoB is up-regulated in response to inflammatory cytokines and expressed in the endothelium of some chronically inflamed tissues. We show that although RhoB and the related RhoA and RhoC play additive and redundant roles in various aspects of endothelial barrier function, RhoB specifically inhibits barrier restoration after acute cell contraction by preventing plasma membrane extension. During barrier restoration, RhoB trafficking is induced between vesicles containing RhoB nanoclusters and plasma membrane protrusions. The Rho GTPase Rac1 controls membrane spreading and stabilizes endothelial barriers. We show that RhoB colocalizes with Rac1 in endosomes and inhibits Rac1 activity and trafficking to the cell border during barrier recovery. Inhibition of endosomal trafficking impairs barrier reformation, whereas induction of Rac1 translocation to the plasma membrane accelerates it. Therefore, RhoB-specific regulation of Rac1 trafficking controls endothelial barrier integrity during inflammation.

Relationships of blood lead to calcium, iron, and vitamin C intakes in Brazilian pregnant women.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This study aimed to determine the relationship between blood lead concentrations and calcium, iron and vitamin C dietary intakes of pregnant women. METHODS: Included in the study were 55 women admitted to a hospital, for delivery, from June to August 2002. A food frequency questionnaire was applied to determine calcium, iron and vitamin C intakes, and a general questionnaire to obtain data on demographic-socioeconomic condition, obstetric history, smoking habit, and alcohol intake. Blood lead and haemoglobin were determined, respectively, by atomic absorption spectrometry and by the haemoglobinometer HemoCue. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between blood lead and calcium, iron and vitamin C intakes, and haemoglobin levels, controlling for confounders. RESULTS: The final model of the regression analysis detected an inverse relationship between blood lead and age of the women (p=0.011), haemoglobin (p=0.001), vitamin C (p=0.012), and calcium intake (p<0.001) (R(2)=0.952). One hundred percent, 98.2% and 43.6% of the women were below the adequate intake (AI) for calcium, and below the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for iron, and vitamin C, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the small sample size, the results of this study suggest that maternal age, haemoglobin, vitamin C intake, and calcium intake may interfere with blood concentrations of lead.

Método de digestão parcial de feijão cru (Phaseolus vulgaris) por hidrólise ácida para a determinação simultânea de nutrientes inorgânicos por ICP OES: validação e aplicação / A partial digestion method of raw bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) by acid hydrolysis for simultaneously determining inorganic nutrients by means of ICP OES: validation and application

Neste trabalho foi validada a técnica de digestão por via úmida (hidrólise com HCl) de feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris), para efetuar a determinação simultânea dos nutrientes inorgânicos Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P e Zn, por espectrometria de emissão óptica com plasma de argônio indutivamente acoplado (ICP OES). Essa técnica simples, relativamente rápida e com características satisfatórias de desempenho, foi utilizada na preparação de 40 amostras de feijão cru comercializadas no estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Após a determinação das concentrações dos nutrientes inorgânicos por ICP OES, os teores obtidos (emmg/100g de feijão) de Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P e Zn foram, respectivamente, de 12+-20; 0,8+-0,1; 6,0+-0,9; 1370+-80; 170+-10; 1,5+-0,4; 1,4+-0,4; 350+-50; 2,6+-0,3. Esses teores mostraram-se satisfatoriamente concordantes com as informações de seis tabelas de composição de alimentos, com a exceção do teor de sódio que apresentou-se significativamente menor. Os resultados também foram usados para estimar a contribuição do consumo de feijão na Ingestão Diária Recomendada (IDR) dos nutrientes investigados, constatando-se que o feijão pode contribuir significativamente principalmente nas IDRs do Cu, Mg, Mn, P e Fe.

In this investigation a wet digestion technique (HCl hydrolysis) of raw bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was validated in order to perform the simultaneous determination of inorganic nutrients Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Zn by means of inductively coupled argon plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES). This simple, relatively rapid, and with satisfactory performance characteristics technique was employed for analyzing 40 raw bean marketed in São Paulo state (Brazil). After determining inorganic nutrients by emission spectrometry, the obtained concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Zn contents (in mg/100g bean) were 120±20; 0.8±0.1; 6.0±0.9; 1370±80; 170±10; 1.5±0.4; 1.4±0.4; 350±50; and 2.6±0.3, respectively. These inorganic nutrients contents are in agreement with the information from six food composition tables, except of Na that showed a significantly lower value. The results were also used to estimate the bean consumption contribution in Recommended Daily Intakes (RDI) for the investigated nutrients, and it was noted that bean can significantly contribute in Cu, Mg,Mn, P, Fe, and Zn RDIs.

Circulating human monocytes in the acute coronary syndrome express a characteristic proteomic profile.

We examined the proteome of circulating monocytes of patients with acute coronary syndrome at different times in comparison to that of patients with stable coronary artery disease. On admission, the expression of 18 spot proteins was altered, 10 of which were totally absent. This pattern changed progressively, and at 6 months, there were no differences with the monocyte proteome of stable patients.

Comparison of the protein profile of established and regressed hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy.

Established left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) showed a significant alteration in the cardiac protein profile compared with normal heart. The main finding of this work was to identify proteins differently expressed in hypertension-induced LVH and the fact that after regression of LVH (histologically determined), the proteome still maintains a number of expressed proteins characteristic of the hypertrophied heart. These unrecovered proteins play an essential role in the energy production pathway, in cellular stress defense and also in hypertrophy regulation.