Skeletal muscle PGC-1α1 modulates kynurenine metabolism and mediates resilience to stress-induced depression.

Depression is a debilitating condition with a profound impact on quality of life for millions of people worldwide. Physical exercise is used as a treatment strategy for many patients, but the mechanisms that underlie its beneficial effects remain unknown. Here, we describe a mechanism by which skeletal muscle PGC-1α1 induced by exercise training changes kynurenine metabolism and protects from stress-induced depression. Activation of the PGC-1α1-PPARα/δ pathway increases skeletal muscle expression of kynurenine aminotransferases, thus enhancing the conversion of kynurenine into kynurenic acid, a metabolite unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Reducing plasma kynurenine protects the brain from stress-induced changes associated with depression and renders skeletal muscle-specific PGC-1α1 transgenic mice resistant to depression induced by chronic mild stress or direct kynurenine administration. This study opens therapeutic avenues for the treatment of depression by targeting the PGC-1α1-PPAR axis in skeletal muscle, without the need to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Loss of RAS Mutations in Liquid Biopsies of Patients With Multi-Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Liquid biopsy (LB) is a non-invasive tool to evaluate the heterogeneity of tumors. Since RAS mutations (RAS-mut) play a major role in resistance to antiepidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), serial monitoring of RAS-mut with LB may be useful to guide treatment. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the loss of RAS-mut (NeoRAS-wt) in LB, during the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with mCRC between January 2018 and December 2021. RAS-mut were examined in tissue biopsy, at mCRC diagnosis, and with LB, during treatment. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients with RAS-mut mCRC were studied. LB was performed after a median of 3 lines (0-7) of systemic treatment including anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) Mabs. NeoRAS-wt was detected in 13 patients (33.3%); 9 (69.2%) of them received further treatment with anti-EGFR Mabs with a disease control rate of 44.4%. Median overall survival (OS), from the date of LB testing, was 20 months in the NeoRAS-wt group and 9 months in the persistent RAS-mut group (log-rank 2.985; P = .08), with a 12-month OS of 84.6% and 57.7%, respectively. NeoRAS-wt was identified as a predictor of survival (HR = 0.29; P = .007), with an 11-month improvement in median OS and a 71% decrease in risk of death, in heavily pretreated patients. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, monitoring clonal evolution in mCRC by LB may provide an additional treatment line for patients with NeoRAS-wt in advanced disease.

[Weight gain during menopause: physiology and practical implications]. / Prise de poids pendant la ménopause : physiologie et implications pratiques.

Fluctuations in sex hormones at different stages of reproductive life, such as the menopausal transition, have been suggested as players in weight regulation. Indeed, the transition from a predominantly estrogenic state to an androgenic state characteristic of the menopausal transition contributes to changes in body composition with accumulation of fat and simultaneous loss of lean mass. However, whether these changes contribute to the weight gain remains debatable. Other physiological and psychosocial factors come into play. It is therefore important to offer individualized support with the objective to minimize the risk of weight gain and associated complications.

La fluctuation des hormones sexuelles à différentes étapes de la vie reproductive, telles que la transition ménopausique, a été proposée comme une des composantes de la régulation de poids. Effectivement, le passage d'un état principalement œstrogénique à un état androgénique, caractéristique de la transition ménopausique, contribue à des modifications de la composition corporelle avec une accumulation de graisse et une perte simultanée de masse maigre. Cependant, la question de savoir si ces changements contribuent à une prise de poids reste discutable. L'obésité est une maladie multifactorielle et d'autres facteurs d'ordre physiologique et psychosociaux rentrent en jeu. Il est donc important d'offrir un accompagnement individualisé aux femmes concernées pour les aider à minimiser le risque de prise pondérale et des complications associées.

[The evolution of the perception of obesity: the "weight" of social norms]. / Évolution de la perception de l'obésité : le « poids ¼ des normes sociales.

The perception of obesity and the ideal body image has evolved over time, largely due to social norms that are not always guided by scientific knowledge. The use of social media for health promotion is an emerging area of investigation. Preliminary research suggests that they have the potential to both serve as a platform for combating the stigma of obesity and promoting positive body image. But there is also evidence that supports the contrary. In particular, the dissemination of digitally altered images that convey ideals of the slim female form can be detrimental to physical and psychological health. Further research is needed to determine how best to use social networks and media as a health promotion tool.

La perception de l'obésité et du corps idéal a bien évolué au cours du temps, liée en grande partie à des normes sociales qui ne sont pas toujours guidées par les connaissances scientifiques. L'utilisation des médias sociaux pour la promotion de la santé est un domaine d'investigation émergent. Les recherches préliminaires suggèrent qu'ils ont le potentiel d'être une plateforme permettant à la fois de lutter contre la stigmatisation de l'obésité et de promouvoir une image corporelle positive. Mais il y a également des preuves qui suggèrent le contraire. Notamment, la diffusion d'images retouchées qui véhiculent des idéaux de minceur irréalistes peut nuire à la santé physique et psychologique. Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour déterminer comment utiliser au mieux les réseaux et médias sociaux comme outil de promotion de la santé.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-necrotic effects of lectins from Canavalia ensiformis and Canavalia brasiliensis in experimental acute pancreatitis.

Lectins isolated from Canavalia ensiformis (ConA) and Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) are promising molecules to prevent cell death. Acute pancreatitis, characterized by acinar cell necrosis and inflammation, presents significant morbidity and mortality. This study has investigated the effects of ConA and ConBr in experimental acute pancreatitis and pancreatic acinar cell death induced by bile acid. Pancreatitis was induced by retrograde pancreatic ductal injection of 3% sodium taurocholate (Na-TC) in male Swiss mice. ConA or ConBr (0.1, 1 or 10 mg/kg) were intravenously applied to mice 1 h and 12 h after induction. After 24 h, the severity of pancreatitis was evaluated by serum amylase and lipase, histopathological changes and myeloperoxidase assay. Pancreatic acinar cells were incubated with ConA (200 µg/ml) or ConBr (200 µg/ml) and taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate (TLCS; 500 µM). Necrosis and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔÑ°m) were detected by fluorescence confocal microscopy. Treatment (post-insult) with ConA and ConBr decreased pancreatic damage caused by retrograde injection of Na-TC in mice, reducing pancreatic neutrophil infiltration, edema and necrosis. In addition, ConA and ConBr decreased pancreatic acinar cell necrosis and depolarization of ΔÑ°m caused by TLCS. The inhibition of necrosis was prevented by the lectin domain blockade. In conclusion, ConA and ConBr markedly inhibited in vitro and in vivo damage, effects partly dependent on the interaction with mannose residues on acinar cells. These data support the potential application of these proteins for treatment of acute pancreatitis.

[How to manage obesity in the general practitioner's office ?] / Comment prendre en charge l'obésité au cabinet d'un médecin généraliste ?

The prevalence of obesity continues to increase and only a change in behavior can lead to a reduction in weight and an improvement of the cardio-metabolic profile. The general practitioner plays an important role in preventing excess weight and in identifying patients at risk. He is often on the front line to provide hygiene- dietetic advice and long-term support. The purpose of this article is to give the primary care physician some guidelines from reception at the office to referral to a specialist center if necessary.

La prévalence de l'obésité ne cesse d'augmenter et seul un changement de comportement peut permettre une diminution de poids et une amélioration du profil cardiométabolique. Le médecin généraliste joue un rôle important dans la prévention de l'excès pondéral et dans l'identification des patients à risque. Il est souvent en première ligne pour leur donner des conseils hygiénodiététiques et pour les accompagner sur le long terme. Le but de cet article est de fournir au médecin de premier recours quelques directives dans la prise en charge de l'obésité, de l'accueil au cabinet médical jusqu'à l'orientation vers un centre spécialisé en cas de nécessité.

[Weight-loss promoting dietary supplements : overview of their efficacy and safety]. / Compléments alimentaires pour la perte de poids : revue de leur efficacité et sécurité.

Due to the increase in the prevalence of obesity, the consumption of dietary supplements promoting weight loss has increased in the last few years. Many dietary supplements are available on the market, such as L-carnitine, glucomanan, chitosan, and Hoodia gordonii. The safety and clinical effectiveness of most of these supplements have not been assessed by high-quality trials. The scientific evidence of their benefit remains weak. The risk of adverse effects and drug interactions, most often unknown to patients, exists and must be carefully considered before initiating supplementation, in consultation with a physician, in the same way as other aspects of the treatment of obese patients.

Face à l'augmentation de la prévalence de l'obésité, la consommation de compléments alimentaires promouvant la perte pondérale s'est accrue au cours des dernières années. De nombreux compléments alimentaires sont disponibles sur le marché, tels que la L-carnitine, le glucomannane, le chitosan et la Hoodia gordonii. La sécurité et l'efficacité clinique de la plupart de ces compléments n'ont pas été évaluées par des essais de bonne qualité. L'évidence scientifique de leur bénéfice reste ainsi faible. Le risque d'effets indésirables et d'interactions médicamenteuses, le plus souvent méconnu des patients, existe et doit être pris en considération avant de débuter une supplémentation, en consultation avec un médecin, au même titre que les autres aspects de la prise en charge des patients obèses.

[Evolution and effectiveness of therapeutic patient education for obesity and diabetes]. / Évolution et efficacité de l'éducation thérapeutique du patient pour l'obésité et le diabète.

Therapeutic patient education (TPE) aims to help patients acquire or maintain the skills they need to best manage their lives with a chronic disease. Through a scientometric analysis of the literature, we identified the most influential bibliographic data related to TPE research that have strengthened the field and increased its effectiveness. These were studies from the fields of education, philosophy, psychology, anthropology and medical sociology. We have conducted a meta-analysis that has demonstrated the effectiveness of TPE for the management of obesity and diabetes on biological and psychological parameters. It allowed patients to improve their knowledge, their therapeutic adherence and their sense of self-efficacy.

L'éducation thérapeutique du patient (ETP) vise à aider les patients à acquérir ou maintenir les compétences dont ils ont besoin pour gérer au mieux leur vie avec une maladie chronique. À travers une analyse scientométrique de la littérature, nous avons identifié les données bibliographiques les plus influentes, relatives à la recherche en ETP, qui ont permis de renforcer le domaine et augmenter son efficacité. Ce sont des études issues des sciences de l'éducation, de la philosophie, de la psychologie, de l'anthropologie et de la sociologie médicale. Nous avons mené une méta-analyse qui a permis de démontrer l'efficacité de l'ETP pour la prise en charge de l'obésité et du diabète sur les paramètres biologiques et psychologiques. Elle a permis aux patients d'améliorer leurs connaissances, leur adhérence thérapeutique et le sentiment d'efficacité personnelle.

Telemedicine to deliver diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of telemedicine in the delivery of diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We searched seven databases up to July 2020 for randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of telemedicine in the delivery of diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries. We extracted data on the study characteristics, primary end-points and effect sizes of outcomes. Using random effects analyses, we ran a series of meta-analyses for both biochemical outcomes and related patient properties. FINDINGS: We included 31 interventions in our meta-analysis. We observed significant standardized mean differences of -0.38 for glycated haemoglobin (95% confidence interval, CI: -0.52 to -0.23; I 2 = 86.70%), -0.20 for fasting blood sugar (95% CI: -0.32 to -0.08; I 2 = 64.28%), 0.81 for adherence to treatment (95% CI: 0.19 to 1.42; I 2 = 93.75%), 0.55 for diabetes knowledge (95% CI: -0.10 to 1.20; I 2 = 92.65%) and 1.68 for self-efficacy (95% CI: 1.06 to 2.30; I 2 = 97.15%). We observed no significant treatment effects for other outcomes, with standardized mean differences of -0.04 for body mass index (95% CI: -0.13 to 0.05; I 2 = 35.94%), -0.06 for total cholesterol (95% CI: -0.16 to 0.04; I 2 = 59.93%) and -0.02 for triglycerides (95% CI: -0.12 to 0.09; I 2 = 0%). Interventions via telephone and short message service yielded the highest treatment effects compared with services based on telemetry and smartphone applications. CONCLUSION: Although we determined that telemedicine is effective in improving several diabetes-related outcomes, the certainty of evidence was very low due to substantial heterogeneity and risk of bias.

Effects of topological constraints on the alignment and maturation of multinucleated myotubes.

Microfluidic-based technologies enable the development of cell culture systems that provide tailored microenvironmental inputs to mammalian cells. Primary myoblasts can be induced to differentiate into multinucleated skeletal muscle cells, myotubes, which are a relevant model system for investigating skeletal muscle metabolism and physiology in vitro. However, it remains challenging to differentiate primary myoblasts into mature myotubes in microfluidics devices. Here we investigated the effects of integrating continuous (solid) and intermittent (dashed) walls in microfluidic channels as topological constraints in devices designed to promote the alignment and maturation of primary myoblast-derived myotubes. The topological constraints caused alignment of the differentiated myotubes, mimicking the native anisotropic organization of skeletal muscle cells. Interestingly, dashed walls facilitated the maturation of skeletal muscle cells, as measured by quantifying myotube cell area and the number of nuclei per myotube. Together, our results suggest that integrating dashed walls as topographic constraints in microfluidic devices supports the alignment and maturation of primary myoblast-derived myotubes.

Implementation of Digital Monitoring Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Patients With Chronic Diseases: Design Science Approach.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is straining health systems and disrupting the delivery of health care services, in particular, for older adults and people with chronic conditions, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project was to support primary health care provision with a digital health platform that will allow primary care physicians and nurses to remotely manage the care of patients with chronic diseases or COVID-19 infections. METHODS: For the rapid design and implementation of a digital platform to support primary health care services, we followed the Design Science implementation framework: (1) problem identification and motivation, (2) definition of the objectives aligned with goal-oriented care, (3) artefact design and development based on Scrum, (4) solution demonstration, (5) evaluation, and (6) communication. RESULTS: The digital platform was developed for the specific objectives of the project and successfully piloted in 3 primary health care centers in the Lisbon Health Region. Health professionals (n=53) were able to remotely manage their first patients safely and thoroughly, with high degrees of satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Although still in the first steps of implementation, its positive uptake, by both health care providers and patients, is a promising result. There were several limitations including the low number of participating health care units. Further research is planned to deploy the platform to many more primary health care centers and evaluate the impact on patient's health related outcomes.

[A double pandemic : the impact of anti-Covid measures on obesity]. / Double pandémie : impact des mesures anti-Covid-19 sur l'obésité.

To deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, several restrictive measures have been put in place that cause significant disruption to lifestyle habits. We conducted a review of the literature to study the impact of these changes on the body weight of populations. We observed changes in eating habits (increase in the number of snacks and consumption of sugary products), a decrease in physical activity and an increase in stress that can exacerbate eating disorders. Increased efforts must be made to support patients during this difficult time, including public health measures to counteract these behaviours in order to prevent health complications.

Pour faire face à la pandémie de Covid-19, plusieurs mesures restrictives ont été mises en place, qui engendrent des perturbations importantes des habitudes de vie. Nous avons effectué une revue de la littérature pour étudier l'impact de ces changements sur le poids des populations. On observe des changements des habitudes alimentaires (augmentation du nombre de collations et de la consommation de produits sucrés), une baisse de l'activité physique et un accroissement du stress qui peut exacerber de troubles du comportement alimentaire. Des efforts accrus doivent être fournis pour soutenir les patients pendant cette période difficile, y compris des mesures de santé publique pour contrecarrer ces comportements afin de prévenir les complications de santé.

[Efficacy of smartphone applications for weight loss]. / Applications smartphone pour la perte de poids.

In recent years, smartphone applications (« apps ¼) for weight loss have emerged on the market. Their potential in the management of overweight or obesity is interesting thanks to their various features discussed in the article. The analyzed studies show that apps allow significant weight reduction, however without showing any difference with other interventions. In the future, functions based on artificial intelligence may be useful tools to improve patients' adherence to weight loss programs. Moreover, these apps present deficiencies in terms of respect of scientific evidence and the contribution of health experts in their design. In the future, interdisciplinary collaboration between developers, researchers and clinicians is necessary before considering the use of these apps in current practice.

Ces dernières années, les applications smartphone (« apps ¼) pour la perte de poids ont émergé sur le marché. Leur potentiel dans la prise en charge des patients en surpoids ou atteints d'obésité peut être intéressant grâce à leurs différentes fonctionnalités qui sont discutées dans l'article. Les études analysées montrent que les apps permettent une diminution significative du poids, sans toutefois montrer de différence avec d'autres interventions. Par ailleurs, elles présentent des lacunes au niveau du respect des évidences scientifiques et de l'apport d'experts de la santé dans leur conception. À l'avenir, une collaboration interdisciplinaire entre les développeurs, chercheurs et cliniciens est nécessaire avant d'envisager l'utilisation de ces apps dans la pratique courante.

[The role of stress in obesity]. / Rôle du stress dans l'obésité.

Stress is known to favour weight gain. This can be explained by various physiopathological and behavioural mechanisms. Specifically, chronic stress induces a dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which favours obesity, and the other way around. Furthermore, stress promotes eating disorders and a decrease in physical activity. Various studies using strategies that act specifically on stress have shown benefits in terms of weight loss. It is therefore important to evaluate stress in any patient suffering from obesity and to propose a treatment adapted to the patient's needs.

Le stress est connu comme un facteur favorisant la prise de poids. Cela s'explique par différents mécanismes physiopathologiques et comportementaux. Concrètement, le stress chronique induit un dysfonctionnement du système nerveux sympathique et de l'axe hypothalamo-hypophyso-surrénalien qui favorise l'obésité, et inversement. De plus, le stress favorise des troubles du comportement alimentaire et une baisse de l'activité physique. Diverses études utilisant des stratégies agissant spécifiquement sur le stress ont montré des bénéfices en termes de perte pondérale. Il est donc important d'évaluer le stress chez tout patient souffrant d'obésité et de proposer un traitement adapté en fonction des besoins du patient.

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the utilisation of emergency urological services.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the number of patients attending the Urology Emergency Department (ED) of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (CHUP), as well as their demographic characteristics, the reasons for admission, the clinical severity under the Manchester triage system (MTS), and the need for emergency surgery or hospitalisation, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the equivalent period in 2019. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected from patients attending the Urology ED of the CHUP over 3 weeks, from 11 March to 1 April 2020, and from the same period in the previous year (from 11 March to 1 April 2019). RESULTS: During the pandemic, 46.4% fewer patients visited our urological ED (122 vs 263). There was no significant difference in the mean age or the number of old patients (aged ≥65 years) between the two periods. However, significantly fewer female patients sought emergency urological services during the COVID-19 pandemic period (32.7% vs 14.8%, P < 0.05). No significant differences were noted between different clinical severity groups under the MTS. In 2019, significantly less patients required hospitalisation. The most common reasons for admission, during both periods, were haematuria, renal colic and urinary tract infections. The authors recognise that the study has several limitations, namely, those inherent to its retrospective nature. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 significantly influenced people's urological care-seeking behaviour. Understanding the present situation is helpful for predicting future urological needs. Based on the results of this study, we have reason to speculate that people's requirements for urological services might grow explosively in the post-COVID-19 period. There should be further studies about the real state of long-term urological services and the consequences that this pandemic may have in terms of morbimortality not directly related to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Harnessing Telemedicine for the Provision of Health Care: Bibliometric and Scientometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, advances in information technology have given new momentum to telemedicine research. These advances in telemedicine range from individual to population levels, allowing the exchange of patient information for diagnosis and management of health problems, primary care prevention, and education of physicians via distance learning. OBJECTIVE: This scientometric investigation aims to examine collaborative research networks, dominant research themes and disciplines, and seminal research studies that have contributed most to the field of telemedicine. This information is vital for scientists, institutions, and policy stakeholders to evaluate research areas where more infrastructural or scholarly contributions are required. METHODS: For analyses, we used CiteSpace (version 4.0 R5; Drexel University), which is a Java-based software that allows scientometric analysis, especially visualization of collaborative networks and research themes in a specific field. RESULTS: We found that scholarly activity has experienced a significant increase in the last decade. Most important works were conducted by institutions located in high-income countries. A discipline-specific shift from radiology to telestroke, teledermatology, telepsychiatry, and primary care was observed. The most important innovations that yielded a collaborative influence were reported in the following medical disciplines, in descending order: public environmental and occupational health, psychiatry, pediatrics, health policy and services, nursing, rehabilitation, radiology, pharmacology, surgery, respiratory medicine, neurosciences, obstetrics, and geriatrics. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a continuous rise in scholarly activity in telemedicine, we noticed several gaps in the literature. For instance, all the primary and secondary research central to telemedicine was conducted in the context of high-income countries, including the evidence synthesis approaches that pertained to implementation aspects of telemedicine. Furthermore, the research landscape and implementation of telemedicine infrastructure are expected to see exponential progress during and after the COVID-19 era.

[Obesity†: eat less and move more†? Not so easy]. / Obésité†: manger moins et bouger plus†? Pas si simple.

Obesity is a chronic disease that requires a complex treatment. Establishing a balanced diet and regular physical activity is not always simple, especially in the long term. There are multiple factors (biological and psychological) favoring weight gain, often limiting the effectiveness of lifestyle approaches. Pharmacology offers us another therapeutic option with new molecules effective for weight loss. Bariatric surgery is also effective, but it is not without risks, especially if the patients have not been adequately prepared for this procedure. Furthermore, these approaches should always be proposed as complementary to lifestyle changes. This article summarizes the different treatments for obesity and highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary management and proper patient education.

L'obésité est une maladie chronique dont le traitement est complexe. L'instauration d'un équilibre alimentaire et d'une activité physique régulière n'est pas toujours simple, surtout à long terme. Les facteurs favorisant la prise de poids sont multifactoriels (biologiques et psychologiques), limitant souvent l'efficacité des approches hygiéno-diététiques. La pharmacologie nous offre une autre piste thérapeutique avec de nouvelles molécules efficaces pour perdre du poids. La chirurgie bariatrique est efficace, mais elle n'est pas sans risques, surtout si les patients n'ont pas eu une préparation adéquate. Ces traitements doivent toujours être proposés en complément de modifications d'hygiène de vie. Cet article résume les différents traitements de l'obésité et souligne l'importance de la prise en charge multidisciplinaire et de l'éducation thérapeutique du patient.

Interventions targeting hypertension and diabetes mellitus at community and primary healthcare level in low- and middle-income countries:a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Recent evidence on effectiveness of primary care interventions has attracted renewed calls for their implementation. This review aims to synthesize evidence pertaining to primary care interventions on these two diseases, evaluated and tested in LMICs. METHODS: Two reviewers conducted an electronic search of three databases (Pubmed, EMBASE and Web of Science) and screened for eligible articles. Interventions covering health promotion, prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation activities at the PHC or community level were included. Studies published in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, from January 2007 to January 2017, were included. Key extraction variables included the 12 criteria identified by the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and guide. The Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions Framework (ICCCF) was used to guide analysis and reporting of results. RESULTS: 198 articles were analyzed. The strategies focused on healthcare service organization (76.5%), community level (9.7 %), creating a positive policy environment (3.6%) and strategies covering multiple domains (10.2%). Studies included related to the following topics: description or testing of interventions (n=81; 41.3%), implementation or evaluation projects (n=42; 21.4%), quality improvement initiatives (n=15; 7.7%), screening and prevention efforts (n=26; 13.2%), management of HTN or DM (n=13; 6.6%), integrated health services (n=10; 5.1%), knowledge and attitude surveys (n=5; 2.5%), cost-effective lab tests (n=2; 1%) and policy making efforts (n=2; 1%). Most studies reported interventions by non-specialists (n=86; 43.4%) and multidisciplinary teams (n=49; 25.5%). CONCLUSION: Only 198 articles were found over a 10 year period which demonstrates the limited published research on highly prevalent diseases in LMIC. This review shows the variety and complexity of approaches that have been tested to address HTN and DM in LMICs and highlights the elements of interventions needed to be addressed in order to strengthen delivery of care. Most studies reported little information regarding implementation processes to allow replication. Given the need for multi-component complex interventions, study designs and evaluation techniques will need to be adapted by including process evaluations versus simply effectiveness or outcome evaluations.

[Information and communication technologies for weight loss]. / Technologies d'information et de communication pour la perte de poids.

The potential of information and communication technologies has quickly been identified for health and in particular to promote weight loss. Several types of technologies exist with varying degrees of efficiency. These include programs on the Internet, using text messages, smartphone applications or portable devices. All these technologies are based on a set of weight loss strategies known to be effective, such as self-monitoring, feedback and social support. Despite promising results, several important limitations must be addressed such as the quality of the information being disseminated, the risk of promoting eating disorders, the place of these tools in patient follow-up, as well as data confidentiality issues.

Le potentiel des technologies de l'information et de la communication a rapidement été identifié dans le domaine de la santé et en particulier dans la promotion de la perte de poids. Des programmes sur internet, l'utilisation de SMS, des applications sur smartphone ou encore des appareils portables connectés existent, avec des degrés variables d'efficacité. Toutes ces technologies reposent sur un ensemble de stratégies connues pour faciliter la perte de poids telles que l'autosurveillance, le feedback et le soutien social. Malgré des résultats prometteurs, plusieurs questions se posent, sur le plan de la fiabilité de ces outils, la qualité des messages diffusés, le risque de favoriser des troubles du comportement alimentaire, la place de ces outils dans le suivi ou encore les problèmes de confidentialité des données.

CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 display opposite expression profiles in feline mammary metastatic disease, with the exception of HER2-overexpressing tumors.

BACKGROUND: The receptor CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 play crucial roles in breast cancer. Despite the fact that the spontaneous feline mammary carcinoma (FMC) is considered a suitable model for breast cancer studies, the importance of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in FMC is completely unknown. Therefore, this work aims to elucidate the role of CXCR4 and its ligand in the progression of FMC and metastatic disease. METHODS: CXCR4 and CXCL12 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence on primary tumors (PT), regional and distant metastases of female cats with mammary carcinoma and correlated with serum CXCL12 levels, tumor molecular subtypes and clinicopathological features. RESULTS: CXCR4 was more expressed in PT than in metastases (p = 0.0067), whereas CXCL12 was highly expressed in metastatic lesions located in liver and lung (p < 0.0001), as reported for human breast cancer. Moreover, cats with CXCR4 positive PT exhibited significantly lower serum CXCL12 levels than cats with CXCR4 negative mammary carcinomas (p = 0.0324). At metastatic lesions, HER2-overexpressing tumors presented higher CXCR4 expression than the other molecular tumor subtypes (p = 0.012) and significant differences in overall (p = 0.0147) and disease-free survival (p = 0.0279) curves between the cats with CXCL12 positive and CXCL12 negative tumors were found. Indeed, CXCL12 negative PT were associated with unfavorable prognosis in cats with HER2-overexpressing tumors. CONCLUSIONS: This work exposes part of the complex interaction between CXCR4 and CXCL12 in PT, but also in metastases of a breast cancer model. These findings could uncover novel therapeutic tools to be used in cats and humans.