Stretch-induced compliance mechanism in pregnancy-induced cardiac hypertrophy and the impact of cardiovascular risk factors.

Pressure overload-induced hypertrophy compromises cardiac stretch-induced compliance (SIC) after acute volume overload (AVO). We hypothesized that SIC could be enhanced by physiological hypertrophy induced by pregnancy's chronic volume overload. This study evaluated SIC-cardiac adaptation in pregnant women with or without cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors. Thirty-seven women (1st trimester, 1stT) and a separate group of 31 (3rd trimester, 3rdT) women [healthy or with CVR factors (obesity and/or hypertension and/or with gestational diabetes)] underwent echocardiography determination of left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and E/e' before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 15 min after (T2; SIC) AVO induced by passive leg elevation. Blood samples for NT-proBNP quantification were collected before and after the AVO. Acute leg elevation significantly increased inferior vena cava diameter and stroke volume from T0 to T1 in both 1stT and 3rdT, confirming AVO. LVEDV and E/e' also increased immediately after AVO (T1) in both 1stT and 3rdT. SIC adaptation (T2, 15 min after AVO) significantly decreased E/e' in both trimesters, with additional expansion of LVEDV only in the 1stT. NT-pro-BNP increased slightly after AVO but only in the 1stT. CVR factors, but not parity or age, significantly impacted SIC cardiac adaptation. A distinct functional response to SIC was observed between 1stT and 3rdT, which was influenced by CVR factors. The LV of 3rdT pregnant women was hypertrophied, showing a structural limitation to dilate with AVO, whereas the lower LV filling pressure values suggest increased diastolic compliance.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The sudden increase of volume overload triggers an acute myocardial stretch characterized by an immediate rise in contractility by the Frank-Starling mechanism, followed by a progressive increase known as the slow force response. The present study is the first to characterize echocardiographically the stretch-induced compliance (SIC) mechanism in the context of physiological hypertrophy induced by pregnancy. A distinct functional adaptation to SIC was observed between first and third trimesters, which was influenced by cardiovascular risk factors.

The presence of a deep lateral femoral notch sign in ACL-injured patients is associated with a 2.7° steeper posterior tibial slope and a 19% higher frequency of lateral meniscal injuries.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between the presence of a deep lateral femoral notch sign (DLFNS) in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured patients and a higher posterior lateral tibial slope (LPTS), a reduced meniscal bone angle (MBA), a higher LPTS/MBA ratio and a higher incidence of concomitant injuries in primary ACL tears. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed in patients submitted to primary ACL reconstruction with an available preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Patients with ACL tears and a femoral impactation with a depth ≥2 mm were assorted to the DLFNS group and patients with ACL tear and without a DLFNS to the control group. LPTS and MBA were measured in MRI. The presence of concomitant injuries (meniscal, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, lateral collateral ligament and bone injuries) was assessed in MRI. Quantitative data are presented in the median ± interquartile range (IQR). RESULTS: There were 206 patients included in the study, with 46 patients assorted to the DLFNS group and 160 patients to the control group. In the DLFNS group, the median LPTS was 6.7° (IQR: 4.0-8.2) versus 4.0° in the control group (IQR: 2.2-6.5) (p = 0.003). The LPTS/MBA ratio was significantly higher in the DLFNS group, with a median of 0.32 (IQR: 0.19-0.44), in comparison to the control group, with a median of 0.19 (IQR: 0.11-0.31) (p < 0.001). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the LPTS is an independent risk factor to having a DLFNS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.161; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.042-1.293, p = 0.007). There was a higher incidence of concomitant lateral meniscal injuries in the DLFNS group (67% vs. 48%, p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ACL tears, the presence of a DLFNS is associated with a steeper lateral posterior tibial slope, as well as a higher incidence of concomitant lateral meniscal injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Metabolomics and Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The associations of plasma metabolites with adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes are still underexplored and may be useful in CV risk stratification. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish correlations between blood metabolites and adverse CV outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). Four cohorts were included, involving 83 metabolites and 37 metabolite ratios, measured in 1158 HF patients. Hazard ratios (HR) of 42 metabolites and 3 metabolite ratios, present in at least two studies, were combined through meta-analysis. Higher levels of histidine (HR 0.74, 95% CI [0.64; 0.86]) and tryptophan (HR 0.82 [0.71; 0.96]) seemed protective, whereas higher levels of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) (HR 1.58 [1.30; 1.93]), N-methyl-1-histidine (HR 1.56 [1.27; 1.90]), SDMA/arginine (HR 1.38 [1.14; 1.68]), putrescine (HR 1.31 [1.06; 1.61]), methionine sulfoxide (HR 1.26 [1.03; 1.52]), and 5-hydroxylysine (HR 1.25 [1.05; 1.48]) were associated with a higher risk of CV events. Our findings corroborate important associations between metabolic imbalances and a higher risk of CV events in HF patients. However, the lack of standardization and data reporting hampered the comparison of a higher number of studies. In a future clinical scenario, metabolomics will greatly benefit from harmonizing sample handling, data analysis, reporting, and sharing.

Clinical relevance of the blanking period on late recurrence after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) within the blanking period after catheter ablation (CA) is traditionally classified as a transient and benign event. However, recent findings suggest that early recurrence (ER) is associated with late recurrence (LR), challenging the predefined "blanking period". We aimed to determine the clinical and procedural predictors of ER and LR after CA and establish the risk of LR in patients who experience ER. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective single-centre study including all patients who underwent a first procedure of AF CA between 2017 and 2019. ER was defined as any recurrence of AF, atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia >30 s within 90 days after CA and LR as any recurrence after 90 days of CA. A total of 399 patients were included, 37% women, median age of 58 years [49-66] and 77% had paroxysmal AF. Median follow-up was 33 months (from 13 to 61). ER after CA was present in 14% of the patients, and LR was reported in 32%. Among patients who experienced ER, 84% also had LR (p < .001). Patients with ER had a higher prevalence of moderate/severe valvular heart disease, persistent AF, previous electrical cardioversion, a larger left atrium, higher coronary artery calcium score, and higher rates of intraprocedural electrical cardioversion and cardiac fibrosis on eletroanatomical mapping compared with patients without ER. After covariate adjustment, ER and female sex were defined as independent predictors of LR (hazard ratio [HR] 4.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.99-7.35; p < .001 and HR 2.73; 95% CI, 1.47-5.10; p = .002, respectively). CONCLUSION: The risk of LR after an index procedure of CA was significantly higher in patients with ER (five-fold increased risk). These results support the imperative need to clarify the clinical role of the blanking period.

Interleukin-6, infection and cardiovascular outcomes in acute heart failure: Findings from the EDIFICA registry.

AIMS: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is upregulated in response to infectious and inflammatory triggers and independently predicts all-cause mortality in acute heart failure (AHF). However, the association of IL-6 with cardiovascular outcomes and its interplay with C-reactive protein and infection, a major precipitating factor in AHF, remains poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The association between IL-6 and clinical outcomes (180 days) in AHF was evaluated using a cohort of 164 patients from the EDIFICA registry. Median IL-6 levels at admission were 17.4 pg/mL. Patients in the higher admission IL-6 tertile presented with lower blood pressure and more congestion, were diagnosed more frequently with infection, and had a longer hospital stay. Higher IL-6 levels were associated with increased risk of HF rehospitalization (hazard ratio per log2 3.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-10.8, p =.017) and the composite of HF rehospitalization or cardiovascular death (hazard ratio per log2 3.50; 95% CI 1.28-9.57; p =.014), independently of major AHF prognosticators, including B-type natriuretic peptide and renal function. However, no independent associations were found for all-cause rehospitalization or mortality. Despite a moderate correlation of IL-6 with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (R = .51), the latter were not associated with clinical outcomes in this population. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 levels associate with higher rate of cardiovascular events in AHF, independently of classical prognosticators and evidence of infection, outperforming CRP as an inflammatory outcome biomarker.

Coronary Artery Disease and Aortic Valve Stenosis: A Urine Proteomics Study.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and the frequently coexisting aortic valve stenosis (AVS) are heart diseases accounting for most cardiac surgeries. These share many risk factors, such as age, diabetes, hypertension, or obesity, and similar pathogenesis, including endothelial disruption, lipid and immune cell infiltration, inflammation, fibrosis, and calcification. Unsuspected CAD and AVS are sometimes detected opportunistically through echocardiography, coronary angiography, and magnetic resonance. Routine biomarkers for early detection of either of these atherosclerotic-rooted conditions would be important to anticipate the diagnosis. With a noninvasive collection, urine is appealing for biomarker assessment. We conducted a shotgun proteomics exploratory analysis of urine from 12 CAD and/or AVS patients and 11 controls to identify putative candidates to differentiate these diseases from healthy subjects. Among the top 20 most dysregulated proteins, TIMP1, MMP2 and vWF stood out, being at least 2.5× increased in patients with CAD/AVS and holding a central position in a network of protein-protein interactions. Moreover, their assessment in an independent cohort (19 CAD/AVS and 10 controls) evidenced strong correlations between urinary TIMP1 and vWF levels and a common cardiovascular risk factor - HDL (r = 0.59, p < 0.05, and r = 0.64, p < 0.01, respectively).

Mining the Biomarker Potential of the Urine Peptidome: From Amino Acids Properties to Proteases.

Native biofluid peptides offer important information about diseases, holding promise as biomarkers. Particularly, the non-invasive nature of urine sampling, and its high peptide concentration, make urine peptidomics a useful strategy to study the pathogenesis of renal conditions. Moreover, the high number of detectable peptides as well as their specificity set the ground for the expansion of urine peptidomics to the identification of surrogate biomarkers for extra-renal diseases. Peptidomics further allows the prediction of proteases (degradomics), frequently dysregulated in disease, providing a complimentary source of information on disease pathogenesis and biomarkers. Then, what does urine peptidomics tell us so far? In this paper, we appraise the value of urine peptidomics in biomarker research through a comprehensive analysis of all datasets available to date. We have mined > 50 papers, addressing > 30 different conditions, comprising > 4700 unique peptides. Bioinformatic tools were used to reanalyze peptide profiles aiming at identifying disease fingerprints, to uncover hidden disease-specific peptides physicochemical properties and to predict the most active proteases associated with their generation. The molecular patterns found in this study may be further validated in the future as disease biomarker not only for kidney diseases but also for extra-renal conditions, as a step forward towards the implementation of a paradigm of predictive, preventive and personalized (3P) medicine.

Early And Midterm Outcomes Following Aortic Valve Replacement With Mechanical Versus Bioprosthetic Valves In Patients Aged 50 To 70 Years.

OBJECTIVES: To compare 7-year survival and freedom from reoperation, as well as early clinical and hemodynamic outcomes, after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with mechanical or bioprosthetic valves in patients aged 50-70 years. METHODS: single-center retrospective cohort study including adults aged 50-70 years who underwent SAVR in 2012 with a mechanical or bioprosthetic valve. Median follow-up was 7 years. Univariable analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-Rank tests for survival and freedom from reoperation analyses. Multivariable time-to-event analyses were conducted using Cox Regression. RESULTS: Of a total of 193 patients, 76 (39.4%) received mechanical valves and 117 (60.6%) received bioprosthetic valves. A trend for better survival was found for mechanical prostheses when adjusting for EuroSCORE II (HR: 0.35; 95%CI: 0.12-1.02, p=0.054), but using a backward stepwise Cox regression prosthesis type was not retained by the model as an independent predictor of survival. Moreover, mechanical prostheses showed trends for higher freedom from reoperation (100% vs. 95.5%, Log-Rank, p=0.076), higher median EuroSCORE II (2.52% vs. 1.95%, p=0.06) and early mortality (7.9% vs. 2.6%, p=0.086). However, after adjusting for EuroSCORE II, there was no significant difference in early mortality (OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 0.5-10.5, p=0.272). Regarding hemodynamic performance at follow-up echocardiogram, there were no differences other than left ventricular mass regression, which was not as pronounced in the mechanical group (-12% vs. -21%, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Mechanical and bioprosthetic aortic valves prostheses showed similar mid-term survival in the 50-70 age group. Further prospective and larger studies are needed to provide evidence-based recommendations on this topic.

Urine Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Metabolomics in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Biofluid biomarkers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are still lacking, and their identification is challenging. Metabolomics is well-suited to address this need, and urine is a valuable accessible biofluid. This study aimed to characterize the urinary metabolomic signatures of patients with different stages of AMD and a control group (>50 years). It was a prospective, cross-sectional study, where subjects from two cohorts were included: 305 from Coimbra, Portugal (AMD patients n = 252; controls n = 53) and 194 from Boston, United States (AMD patients n = 147; controls n = 47). For all participants, we obtained color fundus photographs (for AMD staging) and fasting urine samples, which were analyzed using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Our results revealed that in both cohorts, urinary metabolomic profiles differed mostly between controls and late AMD patients, but important differences were also found between controls and subjects with early AMD. Analysis of the metabolites responsible for these separations revealed that, even though distinct features were observed for each cohort, AMD was in general associated with depletion of excreted citrate and selected amino acids at some stage of the disease, suggesting enhanced energy requirements. In conclusion, NMR metabolomics enabled the identification of urinary signals of AMD and its severity stages, which might represent potential metabolomic biomarkers of the disease.

Reviewing Mechanistic Peptidomics in Body Fluids Focusing on Proteases.

The comprehension of how protease networks sculpt proteomes might help to disclose the functional annotation of the peptidome in health and disease. Envisioning to add new insights on the protease networks involved in the regulation of body fluid peptidomes, the authors apply Proteasix software to predict the proteases involved in the generation of the naturally occurring peptides present in six of the most studied human body fluids. Peptidome data is collected from the databases and from experimental studies. The analysis highlights 132 putative proteases from four families with the predominance of serine proteases and metalloproteases. From these, 49 proteases seem to be common to all fluids and are mostly associated to extracellular matrix organization as well as protein/peptide hormone processing. Data analysis also emphasizes: i) the similarity between plasma and CSF protease profiles; ii) that saliva and tears share proteases involved in the generation of peptides with antimicrobial activity; iii) that urine is the body fluid with the highest number of unique putative proteases, precluding an easy tracing of proteolytic events in this case. Taken together, the analysis emphasizes the intricate modus operandi of proteases, challenged by the interconnected pathways and amplification cascades in which they are involved.

Assessing Exposome Effects on Pregnancy through Urine Metabolomics of a Portuguese (Estarreja) Cohort.

This nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics study compared the influence of two different central Portugal exposomes, one of which comprised an important source of pollutants (the Estarreja Chemical Complex, ECC), on the urinary metabolic trajectory of a cohort of healthy pregnant women (total n = 107). An exposome-independent description of pregnancy metabolism was found to comprise a set of 18 metabolites reflecting expected changes in branched-chain amino acid catabolism and hormone and lipid metabolisms. In addition, a set of small changes in some metabolites was suggested to be exposome-dependent and characteristic of pregnant subjects from the Estarreja region. These results suggested that the Estarreja exposome may impact to a very low extent pregnancy metabolism, inducing slight changes in amino acid metabolism (alanine, glycine, and 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, possibly involved in valine metabolism), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (cis-aconitate), diet, or gut microflora (furoylglycine) as well as allantoin, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, and an unassigned resonance at δ 8.45. Furthermore, the urine of Estarreja subjects was found to generally contain higher levels of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate and lower levels of citrate. However, out of the above metabolites, only glycine and citrate seemed to correlate with the proximity to the ECC, with slightly relative higher levels of these compounds found for subjects living closer to the ECC. This suggested possible small effects of local pollutants on energy metabolism, with the remaining exposome-dependent metabolite changes most probably originating from other aspects of the local exposome such as diet and lifestyle. Despite the limitation of this study regarding the unavailability of objective environmental parameters for the period under study, our results confirm the usefulness of metabolomics of human urine to gauge exposome effects on human health and, particularly, during pregnancy.

Intestinal Microbial and Metabolic Profiling of Mice Fed with High-Glucose and High-Fructose Diets.

Increased sugar intake is implicated in Type-2 diabetes and fatty liver disease; however, the mechanisms through which glucose and fructose promote these conditions are unclear. We hypothesize that alterations in intestinal metabolite and microbiota profiles specific to each monosaccharide are involved. Two groups of six adult C57BL/6 mice were fed for 10-weeks with diets with glucose (G) or fructose (F) as sole carbohydrates, and a third group was fed with a normal chow carbohydrate mixture (N). Fecal metabolites were profiled by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and microbial composition by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Although N, G and F mice exhibited similar weight gains (with slight slower gains for F) and glucose tolerance, multivariate analysis of NMR data indicated that F mice were separated from N and G, with decreased butyrate and glutamate and increased fructose, succinate, taurine, tyrosine, and xylose. The different sugar diets also resulted in distinct intestinal microbiota profiles. That associated with fructose seemed to hold more potential to induce host metabolic disturbances compared to glucose, mainly by promoting bile acid deconjugation and taurine release and compromising intestinal barrier integrity. This may reflect the noted nonquantitative intestinal fructose absorption hence increasing its availability for microbial metabolism, a subject for further investigation.

Newborn Urinary Metabolic Signatures of Prematurity and Other Disorders: A Case Control Study.

This work assesses the urinary metabolite signature of prematurity in newborns by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, while establishing the role of possible confounders and signature specificity, through comparison to other disorders. Gender and delivery mode are shown to impact importantly on newborn urine composition, their analysis pointing out at specific metabolite variations requiring consideration in unmatched subject groups. Premature newborns are, however, characterized by a stronger signature of varying metabolites, suggestive of disturbances in nucleotide metabolism, lung surfactants biosynthesis and renal function, along with enhancement of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity, fatty acids oxidation, and oxidative stress. Comparison with other abnormal conditions (respiratory depression episode, large for gestational age, malformations, jaundice and premature rupture of membranes) reveals that such signature seems to be largely specific of preterm newborns, showing that NMR metabolomics can retrieve particular disorder effects, as well as general stress effects. These results provide valuable novel information on the metabolic impact of prematurity, contributing to the better understanding of its effects on the newborn's state of health.

Characterization of 2,3-diarylxanthones by electrospray mass spectrometry: gas-phase chemistry versus known antioxidant activity properties.

RATIONALE: Xanthones (XH) are a class of heterocyclic compounds widely distributed in nature that hold numerous noteworthy biological and antioxidant activities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to achieve relevant detailed structural information to understand and assist prediction of their biological properties. The potential relationship between radical-mediated xanthone chemistry in the gas phase and their promising antioxidant activities has not been previously explored. METHODS: Protonated xanthones XH1-9 were generated in the gas phase by electrospray ionization (ESI) and the main fragmentation pathways of the protonated XH1-9 formed due to collision-induced dissociation (CID) were investigated. RESULTS: In the CID-MS/MS spectra of [M+H](+) ions of XH1, XH2 and XH4 the product ions formed due to H2 O elimination corresponding to the base peak of the spectra. For the remaining six xanthones (XH3, XH5-9), showing the most promising biological profile, the product ion produced with the highest relative abundance (RA) corresponded to the one formed through concomitant loss of H2 O plus CO. Indicative of an inexistent or lower biological activity is the combined loss of CO plus O unique to the CID-MS/MS spectra of XH1, XH2, XH4, and XH5. The product ion formed by loss of 64 Da (concomitant loss of two molecules of H2 O plus CO) is only observed for xanthones containing a catechol unit (XH3 and XH6-9). This product ion has the highest RA for the most potent scavenger of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species XH9 that contains two of these catechol moieties. CONCLUSIONS: A strong relationship between some of the biological activities of the studied 2,3-diarylxanthones and their ESI-MS/MS fragmentation spectra was found. The multivariate statistical analysis results suggest that the selected MS features are related to the important biological features. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Following healthy pregnancy by NMR metabolomics of plasma and correlation to urine.

This work presents the first NMR metabolomics study of maternal plasma during pregnancy, including correlation between plasma and urine metabolites. The expected decrease in circulating amino acids early in pregnancy was confirmed with six amino acids being identified as required by the fetus in larger extents. Newly observed changes in citrate, lactate, and dimethyl sulfone suggested early adjustments in energy and gut microflora metabolisms. Alterations in creatine levels were also noted, in addition to creatinine variations reflecting alterations in glomerular filtration rate. Regarding plasma macromolecules, HDL and LDL+VLDL levels were confirmed to increase throughout pregnancy, although at different rates and accompanied by increases in fatty acid chain length and degree of unsaturation. Correlation studies suggested (a) an inverse relationship between lipoproteins (HDL and LDL+VLDL) and albumin, with a possible direct correlation to excreted (unassigned) pregnancy markers resonating at δ 0.55 and δ 0.63, (b) a direct link between LDL+VLDL and N-acetyl-glycoproteins, together with excreted marker at δ 0.55, and (c) correlation of plasma albumin with particular circulating and excreted metabolites. These results have unveiled specific lipoprotein/protein metabolic aspects of pregnancy with impact on the excreted metabolome and, therefore, provide an interesting lead for the further understanding of pregnancy metabolism.

Prediction of Gestational Diabetes through NMR Metabolomics of Maternal Blood.

Metabolic biomarkers of pre- and postdiagnosis gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were sought, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics of maternal plasma and corresponding lipid extracts. Metabolite differences between controls and disease were identified through multivariate analysis of variable selected (1)H NMR spectra. For postdiagnosis GDM, partial least squares regression identified metabolites with higher dependence on normal gestational age evolution. Variable selection of NMR spectra produced good classification models for both pre- and postdiagnostic GDM. Prediagnosis GDM was accompanied by cholesterol increase and minor increases in lipoproteins (plasma), fatty acids, and triglycerides (extracts). Small metabolite changes comprised variations in glucose (up regulated), amino acids, betaine, urea, creatine, and metabolites related to gut microflora. Most changes were enhanced upon GDM diagnosis, in addition to newly observed changes in low-Mw compounds. GDM prediction seems possible exploiting multivariate profile changes rather than a set of univariate changes. Postdiagnosis GDM is successfully classified using a 26-resonance plasma biomarker. Plasma and extracts display comparable classification performance, the former enabling direct and more rapid analysis. Results and putative biochemical hypotheses require further confirmation in larger cohorts of distinct ethnicities.

NMR metabolomics of human lung tumours reveals distinct metabolic signatures for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Lung tumour subtyping, particularly the distinction between adenocarcinoma (AdC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), is a critical diagnostic requirement. In this work, the metabolic signatures of lung carcinomas were investigated through (1)H NMR metabolomics, with a view to provide additional criteria for improved diagnosis and treatment planning. High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to analyse matched tumour and adjacent control tissues from 56 patients undergoing surgical excision of primary lung carcinomas. Multivariate modeling allowed tumour and control tissues to be discriminated with high accuracy (97% classification rate), mainly due to significant differences in the levels of 13 metabolites. Notably, the magnitude of those differences were clearly distinct for AdC and SqCC: major alterations in AdC were related to phospholipid metabolism (increased phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine, together with decreased acetate) and protein catabolism (increased peptide moieties), whereas SqCC had stronger glycolytic and glutaminolytic profiles (negatively correlated variations in glucose and lactate and positively correlated increases in glutamate and alanine). Other tumour metabolic features were increased creatine, glutathione, taurine and uridine nucleotides, the first two being especially prominent in SqCC and the latter in AdC. Furthermore, multivariate analysis of AdC and SqCC profiles allowed their discrimination with a 94% classification rate, thus showing great potential for aiding lung tumours subtyping. Overall, this study has provided new, clear evidence of distinct metabolic signatures for lung AdC and SqCC, which can potentially impact on diagnosis and provide important leads for future research on novel therapeutic targets or imaging tracers.

Lifelong exercise training modulates cardiac mitochondrial phosphoproteome in rats.

Moderate physical activity has traditionally been associated with the improvement of cardiac function and, consequently, with the extension of life span. Mitochondria play a key role in the adaptation of heart muscle to exercise-related metabolic demands. In order to disclose the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of lifelong physical activity in cardiac function, we performed label-free quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics of Sprague-Dawley rat heart mitochondrial proteome and phosphoproteome. Our data revealed that 54 weeks of moderate treadmill exercise modulates the abundance of proteins involved in the generation of precursor metabolites and cellular respiration, suggesting an increase in carbohydrate oxidation-based metabolism. Moreover, from the 1335 phosphopeptides identified in this study, 6 phosphosites were exclusively assigned to heart mitochondria from sedentary rats and 17 to exercised animals, corresponding to 6 and 16 proteins, respectively. Most proteins exhibiting significant alterations in specific phosphorylation sites were involved in metabolism. Analysis of the acquired data led to the identification of several kinases potentially modulated by exercise training, which were selected for further validation. Indeed, higher protein abundance levels of RAF and p38 in mitochondria were confirmed to be modulated by sustained exercise. Our work describes the plasticity of heart mitochondria in response to long exercise programs manifested by the reprogramming of phosphoproteome and provides evidence for the kinases involved in the regulation of metabolic pathways and mitochondrial maintenance.

Predicting Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Machine Learning Approach Employing Common Clinical Variables.

Background: Parkinson's Disease significantly impacts health-related quality of life, with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 extensively used for its assessment. However, predicting such outcomes remains a challenge due to the subjective nature and variability in patient experiences. This study develops a machine learning model using accessible clinical data to enable predictions of life-quality outcomes in Parkinson's Disease and utilizes explainable machine learning techniques to identify key influencing factors, offering actionable insights for clinicians. Methods: Data from the Parkinson's Real-world Impact Assessment study (PRISM), involving 861 patients across six European countries, were analyzed. After excluding incomplete data, 627 complete observations were used for the analysis. An ensemble machine learning model was developed with a 90% training and 10% validation split. Results: The model demonstrated a Mean Absolute Error of 4.82, a Root Mean Squared Error of 8.09, and an R2 of 0.75 in the training set, indicating a strong model fit. In the validation set, the model achieved a Mean Absolute Error of 11.22, a Root Mean Squared Error of 13.99, and an R2 of 0.36, showcasing moderate variation. Key predictors such as age at diagnosis, patient's country, dementia, and patient's age were identified, providing insights into the model's decision-making process. Conclusions: This study presents a robust model capable of predicting the impact of Parkinson's Disease on patients' quality of life using common clinical variables. These results demonstrate the potential of machine learning to enhance clinical decision-making and patient care, suggesting directions for future research to improve model generalizability and applicability.

Prognostic association of circulating relaxin-2 in acute heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing interest in the study of the endogenous relaxin system in heart failure (HF), its role as a prognostic marker in acute HF remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association of relaxin-2 circulating levels with 6 months' mortality in acute HF. METHODS: We evaluated relaxin-2 serum levels at admission in a cohort of patients with acute HF (n = 202) using an enzyme immunoassay. The ability of relaxin-2 to predict all-cause death (primary outcome) and HF-specific death (secondary outcome) at 6 months was assessed using Cox-regression analysis. RESULTS: The median age was 79 (70-85) years old, 44% of the patients were male, and 43% had preserved ejection fraction (≥50%). Median serum relaxin-2 level was 25 pg/mL. Patients with higher relaxin-2 levels had more peripheral oedemas, higher sodium retention score, higher pulmonary artery pressures, higher prevalence of right ventricle dysfunction and lower inferior vena cava collapse at inspiration. Conversely, there was no association with left chambers parameters or with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Higher relaxin-2 concentrations were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death [HR 1.15; 95%CI 1.01,1.30; P = 0.030] and HF-specific death [HR 1.21; 95% CI 1.03-1.42; P = 0.018], after adjustment for classical prognostic factors such as age, sex and BNP. CONCLUSIONS: In our acute HF population, relaxin-2 circulating levels were associated with clinical and echocardiographic markers of systemic congestion and with 6-months' mortality, independently of BNP. These results lay the groundwork for future investigations on the potential of relaxin-2 as an auxiliary biomarker in HF.