Search results for "bioinformatics"
showing 10 items of 1632 documents
Fructose and cardiometabolic disorders: the controversy will, and must, continue
2010
The present review updates the current knowledge on the question of whether high fructose consumption is harmful or not and details new findings which further pushes this old debate. Due to large differences in its metabolic handling when compared to glucose, fructose was indeed suggested to be beneficial for the diet of diabetic patients. However its growing industrial use as a sweetener, especially in soft drinks, has focused attention on its potential harmfulness, possibly leading to dyslipidemia, obesity, insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome and even diabetes. Many new data have been generated over the last years, confirming the lipogenic effect of fructose as well as risks of vascular…
Saliva as a diagnostic fluid. Literature review
2012
There is a growing interest in diagnosis based on the analysis of saliva. This is a simple, non-invasive method of obtaining oral samples which is safe for both the health worker and the patient, not to mention allowing for simple and cost-efficient storage. The majority of studies use general saliva samples in their entirety, complex fluids containing both local and systemic sources and whose composition corresponds to that of the blood. General saliva contains a considerable amount of desquamated epithelial cells, microorganisms and remnants of food and drink; it is essential to cleanse and refine the saliva samples to remove any external elements. Immediate processing of the sample is re…
Beyond Statins: New Lipid Lowering Strategies to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
2014
Statins are the first-line therapy in LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction and its clinical use has contributed to significant prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain at high risk. Recently, a number of new therapies have been developed to further lower LDL-C. These agents may provide clinical benefit on top of statin therapy in patients with high residual risk, severe hypercholesterolemia or as an alternative for patients who are intolerant to statins. We review four novel approaches based on the inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), apolipoprotein-B100 (apoB), Cholesteryl ester transport pro…
A novel component of the metabolic syndrome: The oxidative stress
2009
The metabolic syndrome (MS) represents a cluster of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors associated to CV disease and type 2 diabetes. It is still under debate whether MS is a mere aggregation of risk factors or it represents a clinical entity with visceral obesity as underlying pathophysiological trigger. The publication of several diagnostic criteria of MS by scientific associations or experts panels reflects this uncertainty in understanding the real nature of MS. Besides the metabolic disturbances of MS, as visceral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, hypertension and hyperglycemia, novel mechanisms of arterial damage have been identified. This paper reviews the evidence sho…
The effect of ezetimibe on NAFLD
2015
NAFLD has become the most common liver disorder in countries, where obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are common. The strong association between these conditions and the risk of cardiovascular disease make treatment crucial. Possible interventions for NAFLD target excess body weight, insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress or intestinal lipid absorption. Administration of combination therapy with a statin plus ezetimibe, associated with lifestyle changes, may represent an effective strategy because of the strong reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Combination therapy is often more effective, especially when complementary …
High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Statin Initiation
2014
The assessment of cardiovascular risk and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are major public health issues worldwide. Inflammation is now recognized as a key regulatory process that links multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis. The substantial number of patients having cardiovascular events lack commonly established risk factors. The utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a circulating biomarker related to inflammation, may provide additional information in risk prediction. This review will consider the impact of hsCRP level on initiation of statin therapy.
Functional roles of the sweet taste receptor in oral and extraoral tissues
2014
International audience; Purpose of review: This review summarizes and discusses the current knowledge about the physiological roles of the sweet taste receptor in oral and extraoral tissues. Recent findings: The expression of a functional sweet taste receptor has been reported in numerous extragustatory tissues, including the gut, pancreas, bladder, brain and, more recently, bone and adipose tissues. In the gut, this receptor has been suggested to be involved in luminal glucose sensing, the release of some satiety hormones, the expression of glucose transporters, and the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. More recently, the sweet taste receptor was proposed to regulate adipogenesis and bon…
The Metabolic Syndrome as a Prohypertensive State
2008
describe the ability of MetS to pre-dict the development of hypertension. The conclusions of this interesting study (CRISPS2) support the concept that the MetS, regardless of the criteria used to define it (NCEP-ATPIII or IDF), may be considered, at least in part, as a potentially reversible prohypertensive state.
Virtual reality exposure-based therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a review of its efficacy, the adequacy of the treatment p…
2015
Introduction The essential feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more traumatic events. According to evidence-based intervention guidelines and empirical evidence, one of the most extensively researched and validated treatments for PTSD is prolonged exposure to traumatic events; however, exposure therapy can present some limitations. Virtual reality (VR) can help to improve prolonged exposure because it creates fictitious, safe, and controllable situations that can enhance emotional engagement and acceptance. Objective In addition to carrying out a review to evaluate the efficacy of VR exposure-based thera…
The lyon clinical olfactory test: validation and measurement of hyposmia and anosmia in healthy and diseased populations.
2011
; International audience; The LCOT is a self-administered test designed to assess olfactory deficits. Altogether, 525 subjects contributed to the validation. Elderly participants were well represented in this sample. In a validation study (study 1), 407 healthy and 17 anosmic volunteers between 15 and 91 years of age underwent threshold, supraliminal detection, and identification testing. Cutoff values for normosmia and hyposmia were calculated and applied in a second study in a group of patients with smell complaints and in a group of Alzheimer patients with age-matched controls. Incidence of smell deficit was estimated at 5.6% in the healthy population of study 1, and at 16% in the elder…