1 6422 125 THE THIN-FAT PHENOTYPE AND GLOBAL METABOLIC DISEASE RISK. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST IN THE THIN-FAT PHENOTYPE EVIDENT IN ASIAN INDIANS AND ITS RISK ASSOCIATIONS IN THE EPIDEMIC OF NONCOMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE CAUSE OF THIS PHENOTYPE IS PROBABLY RELATED TO LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENT; HOWEVER, GENOTYPIC AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN UTERO ALSO HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED. RECENT FINDINGS: THE THIN-FAT PHENOTYPE OCCURS WHEN FAT IS ADDED TO AN ALREADY THIN FRAME. THIS MAY OCCUR WITH RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION, WHEN POSITIVE ENERGY BALANCE OCCURS IN A MIGRATING POPULATION WHO WERE PREDOMINANTLY THIN AND PHYSICALLY ACTIVE TO BEGIN WITH. THE ROLE OF THE PRE-EXISTING SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS AND ITS INTERACTION WITH NEWLY DEPOSITED FAT MUST BE CONSIDERED. THE THIN-FAT PHENOTYPE MAY BE PROGRAMMED DURING FETAL GROWTH, BUT THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS PHENOMENON IS STILL NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR. FINALLY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS INCREASED CHRONIC DISEASE MORBIDITY AT LOWER BMI AND YOUNGER AGE IN SOUTH ASIAN POPULATIONS, BMI-RELATED MORTALITY DOES NOT APPEAR TO FOLLOW THIS TREND. SUMMARY: AT PRESENT, THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE APPEARS TO LINK THE THIN-FAT PHENOTYPE TO AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFESTYLE PHENOMENON OCCURRING IN PREVIOUSLY THIN PEOPLE. THIS IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT IN INDIA, GIVEN THE PACE OF TRANSITION OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES. 2011 2 1749 30 EARLY LIFE INTERVENTIONS CAN SHAPE AGING. IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE DEVELOPING FETUS, INCLUDING AVAILABILITY OF NUTRIENTS AND PRESENCE OF TOXINS, CAN HAVE MAJOR IMPACT ON ADULT PHENOTYPE, AGE-RELATED TRAITS AND RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THERE IS ALSO ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE THAT POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT CAN IMPACT ADULT CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO EVOLUTIONARY FITNESS, HEALTH, AND AGING. TO DETERMINE WHETHER EARLY LIFE HORMONAL INTERVENTIONS CAN ALTER TRAJECTORY OF AGING, WE HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF EARLY LIFE GROWTH HORMONE (GH) REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN PROP1(DF) (AMES DWARF) MICE WHICH ARE GH DEFICIENT AND REMARKABLY LONG LIVED. TWICE-DAILY GH INJECTIONS BETWEEN THE AGES OF TWO AND EIGHT WEEKS COMPLETELY NORMALIZED ("RESCUED") A NUMBER OF ADULT METABOLIC CHARACTERISTICS BELIEVED TO CONTRIBUTE TO EXTENDED LONGEVITY OF THESE MUTANTS. IMPORTANTLY, LONGEVITY OF AMES DWARF MICE WAS REDUCED BY EARLY LIFE GH TREATMENT. THIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HISTONE H3 MODIFICATIONS. WE CONCLUDE THAT THE TRAJECTORY OF MAMMALIAN AGING CAN BE MODIFIED BY EARLY LIFE INTERVENTIONS. MECHANISTIC LINKS AMONG INTERVENTIONS DURING POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT, ADULT METABOLIC CHARACTERISTICS, AGING, AND LONGEVITY, APPARENTLY INVOLVE EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA. 2022 3 4187 43 METABOLIC AND VASCULAR EFFECT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET. SEVERAL STUDIES INDICATED HOW DIETARY PATTERNS THAT WERE OBTAINED FROM NUTRITIONAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS CAN PREDICT DISEASE RISK OR MORTALITY. LOW-GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION REPRESENTS A BACKGROUND PATHOGENETIC MECHANISM LINKING METABOLIC RISK FACTORS TO INCREASED RISK OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. A MEDITERRANEAN DIET (MEDI) STYLE HAS BEEN REPORTED AS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER DEGREE OF INFLAMMATION BIOMARKERS AND WITH A PROTECTIVE ROLE ON CARDIOVASCULAR AND CEREBROVASCULAR EVENTS. THERE IS HETEROGENEITY IN DEFINING THE MEDDIET, AND IT CAN, OWING TO ITS COMPLEXITY, BE CONSIDERED AS AN EXPOSOME WITH THOUSANDS OF NUTRIENTS AND PHYTOCHEMICALS. RECENTLY, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED A NOVEL POSITIVE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BASELINE PLASMA CERAMIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND HOW ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET-STYLE MAY INFLUENCE THE POTENTIAL NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELEVATED PLASMA CERAMIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD). SEVERAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) SHOWED THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF THE MEDI DIET STYLE ON SEVERAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, BLOOD LIPIDS, BLOOD PRESSURE, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND ADHESION MOLECULES, AND DIABETES AND HOW THESE ADVANTAGES OF THE MEDI ARE MAINTAINED IN COMPARISON OF A LOW-FAT DIET. SOME STUDIES REPORTED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND HEART FAILURE INCIDENCE, WHEREAS SOME RECENT STUDIES, SUCH AS THE PREDIMED STUDY, SHOWED THAT THE INCIDENCE OF MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS WAS LOWER AMONG THOSE ASSIGNED TO MEDI SUPPLEMENTED WITH EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL OR NUTS THAN AMONG THOSE ASSIGNED TO A REDUCED-FAT DIET. NEW STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, WHEREBY THE MEDDIET MAY EXERCISE ITS EFFECTS. HERE, WE PRESENT RECENT ADVANCES IN UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF MEDDIET EFFECTS, MAINLY FOCUSING ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, BUT ALSO DISCUSSING OTHER RELATED DISEASES. WE REVIEW MEDDIET COMPOSITION AND ASSESSMENT AS WELL AS THE LATEST ADVANCES IN THE GENOMIC, EPIGENOMIC (DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, MICRORNAS, AND OTHER EMERGING REGULATORS), TRANSCRIPTOMIC (SELECTED GENES AND WHOLE TRANSCRIPTOME), AND METABOLOMIC AND METAGENOMIC ASPECTS OF THE MEDDIET EFFECTS (AS A WHOLE AND FOR ITS MOST TYPICAL FOOD COMPONENTS). WE ALSO PRESENT A REVIEW OF THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF THIS DIETARY STYLE UNDERLYING THE BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET. OUR PURPOSE IS TO REVIEW THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET IN PARTICULAR ITS BENEFITS ON HUMAN HEALTH, UNDERLING THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTI-OXIDANT AND ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROTIC EFFECTS TO WHICH NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EPIGENETIC AND GUT-MICROBIOTA RELATIONSHIP IS RECENTLY ADDED. 2019 4 4399 23 MODULATION OF GENOMIC AND POSTGENOMIC ALTERATIONS IN NONCANCER DISEASES AND CRITICAL PERIODS OF LIFE. GENOMIC AND POSTGENOMIC CHANGES ARE EXTENSIVELY INVESTIGATED IN CANCER RESEARCH. SIMILAR ALTERATIONS, AFFECTING GENOME, TRANSCRIPTOME, MIRNOME AND/OR PROTEOME END-POINTS, HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN A VARIETY OF OTHER CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, SUCH AS ATHEROSCLEROSIS, DEGENERATIVE HEART DISEASES, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASES, NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, EYE DISEASES, DIABETES, METABOLIC SYNDROME, SKIN AGEING AND ALOPECIA. NO GENERALIZATION CAN BE MADE DUE TO THE MYRIAD OF DIVERSE CLINICAL ENTITIES CLASSIFIED AS CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. MOREOVER, THE DETECTION OF MOLECULAR CHANGES DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY IMPLY THEIR CAUSAL ROLE. NEVERTHELESS, COMMON MECHANISMS, SUCH AS DNA DAMAGE, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, IN ADDITION TO GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, ARE OFTEN INVOLVED IN NONCANCER DISEASES. WE DEBATE HERE IN MORE DETAIL THE SUBJECTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND OF SKIN DISEASES. MOREOVER, WE DISCUSS OUR EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES SUGGESTING THAT GENOMIC AND POSTGENOMIC CHANGES DO ALSO OCCUR DURING CRITICAL PERIODS OF LIFE, INCLUDING THE PRENATAL LIFE, THE PERINATAL PERIOD, AND AGEING. IN ADDITION, WE COMMENT ON THE FINDING THAT STEM-DERIVED CELLS ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO MOLECULAR DAMAGE THAN MORE DIFFERENTIATED CELLS. ALL THESE DATA ARE VIEWED IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE. IN FACT, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE GENOMIC AND POSTGENOMIC ALTERATIONS OCCURRING NOT ONLY IN SEVERAL PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS BUT ALSO IN PARAPHYSIOLOGICAL SITUATIONS THAT AFFECT CRITICAL PERIODS OF LIFE CAN BE MODULATED BY MEANS OF DIETARY AND PHARMACOLOGICAL AGENTS. THE DISCOVERY THAT CHEMOPREVENTIVE AGENTS ARE ALSO ABLE TO ATTENUATE NUCLEOTIDE DAMAGE IN STEM-DERIVED CELLS WARRANTS FURTHER STUDIES IN VIEW OF POSSIBLE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. 2009 5 4198 25 METABOLIC PROFILING DISTINGUISHES THREE SUBTYPES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE CAUSE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IS INCOMPLETELY DEFINED, AND NO TRULY EFFECTIVE THERAPY EXISTS. HOWEVER, MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE IMPLICATED METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE, HORMONAL DEFICIENCIES, AND HYPERHOMOCYSTEINEMIA. OPTIMIZING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY HAS YIELDED COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT, BOTH IN SYMPTOMATIC AND ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS. THEREFORE, EXPANDING THE STANDARD LABORATORY EVALUATION IN PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA MAY BE REVEALING. HERE I REPORT THAT METABOLIC PROFILING REVEALS THREE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SUBTYPES. THE FIRST IS INFLAMMATORY, IN WHICH MARKERS SUCH AS HS-CRP AND GLOBULIN:ALBUMIN RATIO ARE INCREASED. THE SECOND TYPE IS NON-INFLAMMATORY, IN WHICH THESE MARKERS ARE NOT INCREASED, BUT OTHER METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES ARE PRESENT. THE THIRD TYPE IS A VERY DISTINCTIVE CLINICAL ENTITY THAT AFFECTS RELATIVELY YOUNG INDIVIDUALS, EXTENDS BEYOND THE TYPICAL ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE INITIAL DISTRIBUTION TO AFFECT THE CORTEX WIDELY, IS CHARACTERIZED BY EARLY NON-AMNESTIC FEATURES SUCH AS DYSCALCULIA AND APHASIA, IS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED OR LABELED ATYPICAL ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, TYPICALLY AFFECTS APOE4-NEGATIVE INDIVIDUALS, AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH STRIKING ZINC DEFICIENCY. GIVEN THE INVOLVEMENT OF ZINC IN MULTIPLE ALZHEIMER'S-RELATED METABOLIC PROCESSES, SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, ADAM10 PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY, AND HORMONAL SIGNALING, THIS SYNDROME OF ALZHEIMER'S-PLUS WITH LOW ZINC (APLZ) WARRANTS FURTHER METABOLIC, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC CHARACTERIZATION. 2015 6 6334 20 THE ROLE OF DNA METHYLATION AND HYDROXYMETHYLATION IN IMMUNOSENESCENCE. A HEALTHY FUNCTIONING IMMUNE SYSTEM IS CRITICAL TO STAVE OFF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, BUT AS HUMANS AND OTHER ORGANISMS AGE, THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS DECLINE. AS A RESULT, DISEASES THAT WERE READILY THWARTED IN EARLY LIFE POSE NONTRIVIAL HARM AND CAN EVEN BE DEADLY IN LATE LIFE. IMMUNOSENESCENCE IS DEFINED AS THE GENERAL DETERIORATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH AGE, AND IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS (HSCS) AND SPECIFIC BLOOD CELL TYPES AS WELL AS CHANGES IN LEVELS OF NUMEROUS FACTORS, PARTICULARLY THOSE INVOLVED IN INFLAMMATION. POTENTIAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING IMMUNOSENESCENCE INCLUDE EPIGENETIC CHANGES SUCH AS CHANGES IN DNA METHYLATION (DNAM) AND DNA HYDROXYMETHYLATION (DNAHM) THAT OCCUR WITH AGE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO DESCRIBE WHAT IS CURRENTLY KNOWN ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMMUNOSENESCENCE AND THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES TO DNAM AND DNAHM, AND TO DISCUSS EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES BEST SUITED TO FILL GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING. 2019 7 14 38 3RD COLLEGE OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH LECTURE--THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME.. THE GROWTH TRENDS OF SINGAPORE CHILDREN SPANNING 5 DECADES ARE REVIEWED, BASED ON 8 ANTHROPOMETRIC STUDIES FROM 1957 TILL 2002. THE HEIGHTS OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN AND SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN APPEAR TO HAVE OPTIMISED ACCORDING TO THEIR GENETIC POTENTIAL, BUT THE WEIGHTS AND BODY MASS INDICES OF CHILDREN STILL APPEAR TO BE INCREASING FROM 6 TO 18 YEARS FOR BOTH SEXES, PROBABLY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INCREASING AFFLUENCE. THIS TREND IS REFLECTED IN THE INCREASING OBESITY PREVALENCE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, AND THE CONCOMITANT INCREASED MORBIDITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE METABOLIC SYNDROME, NECESSITATES FURTHER RESEARCH INTO THE CAUSES OF OBESITY. BARKER'S HYPOTHESIS FIRST SUGGESTED THAT CHANGES IN THE INTRA-UTERINE ENVIRONMENT CAN CAUSE FETAL ADAPTATIONS WHICH PERSIST INTO ADULTHOOD, AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE. MORE RECENTLY, INTENSE RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF EPIGENETICS SUGGESTS THAT THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALSO INFLUENCE THE PHENOTYPE THROUGH GENE EXPRESSION, THROUGH MODIFICATION OF DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONES WHICH, IN TURN, INFLUENCES GENE EXPRESSION. THE CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE IS TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE CLEAR EPIGENETIC CHANGES, WHICH ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INCREASED PREVALENCE OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT OBESITY, AND WHETHER THESE CHANGES ARE TRANSMITTED THROUGH GENERATIONS. UNRAVELLING THESE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY BE THE KEY TO THE PREVENTION OF OBESITY AND THE METABOLIC SYNDROME. 2008 8 49 28 A CURRENT GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC VIEW ON HUMAN AGING MECHANISMS. THE PROCESS OF AGING IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX AND INTRIGUING BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENONS. AGING IS A GENETICALLY REGULATED PROCESS IN WHICH THE ORGANISM'S MAXIMUM LIFESPAN POTENTIAL IS PRE-DETERMINED, WHILE THE RATE OF AGING IS INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND LIFESTYLE. CONSIDERING THE COMPLEXITY OF MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF AGING PROCESS, UP TO THIS DATE THERE ISN'T A MAJOR, UNIFYING THEORY WHICH COULD EXPLAIN THEM. AS GENETIC/EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS BOTH INEVITABLY INFLUENCE THE AGING PROCESS, HERE WE PRESENT A REVIEW ON THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF AGING. BASED ON THE STUDIES ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, METABOLISM, GENOME STABILITY, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND CELLULAR SENESCENCE IN ANIMAL MODELS AND HUMANS, WE GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF KEY GENETIC AND MOLECULAR PATHWAYS RELATED TO AGING. AS MOST OF GENETIC MANIPULATIONS WHICH INFLUENCE THE AGING PROCESS ALSO AFFECT REPRODUCTION, WE DISCUSS AGING IN HUMANS AS A POST-REPRODUCTIVE GENETICALLY DETERMINED PROCESS. AFTER THE AGE OF REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS, AGING CONTINOUSLY PROGRESSES WHICH CLINICALLY COINCIDES WITH THE ONSET OF MOST CHRONIC DISEASES, CANCERS AND DEMENTIONS. AS EVOLUTION SHAPES THE GENOMES FOR REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS AND NOT FOR POST-REPRODUCTIVE SURVIVAL, AGING COULD BE DEFINED AS A PROTECTIVE MECHANISM WHICH ENSURES THE PRESERVATION AND PROGRESS OF SPECIES THROUGH THE MODIFICATION, TRASMISSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF GENETIC MATERIAL. 2009 9 650 17 BISPHENOL A AND HUMAN CHRONIC DISEASES: CURRENT EVIDENCES, POSSIBLE MECHANISMS, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. BISPHENOL-A (BPA) IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST VOLUME CHEMICALS PRODUCED WORLDWIDE, WITH OVER 6BILLION POUNDS PRODUCED AND OVER 100T RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE EACH YEAR. RECENT EXTENSIVE LITERATURE HAS RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT ITS POSSIBLE IMPLICATION IN THE ETIOLOGY OF SOME HUMAN CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, OBESITY, REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, BIRTH DEFECTS, CHRONIC RESPIRATORY AND KIDNEY DISEASES AND BREAST CANCER. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PRESENT THE HIGHLIGHTED EVIDENCES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE AND HUMAN CHRONIC DISEASES AND WE DISCUSS ITS EVENTUAL MECHANISMS OF ACTION, ESPECIALLY GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION MECHANISMS WITH THE POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AND CELL SIGNALING. 2014 10 5737 29 SMOKING AND HEALTH: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TELOMERE LENGTH AND FACTORS IMPACTING ON HUMAN DISEASE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND LIFE SPAN IN A LARGE POPULATION-BASED COHORT UNDER THE EFFECT OF SMOKING DURATION. REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) ARE OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE AS THEY CAUSE DAMAGE TO LIPIDS, PROTEINS, AND DNA EITHER ENDOGENOUSLY BY CELLULAR MECHANISM, OR THROUGH EXOGENOUS EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INJURY FACTORS, INCLUDING OXIDATION INSULT FACTORS, SUCH AS TOBACCO SMOKE. CURRENTLY 46.3 MILLION ADULTS (25.7 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION) ARE SMOKERS. THIS INCLUDES 24 MILLION MEN (28.1 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL) AND MORE THAN 22 MILLION WOMEN (23.5 PERCENT). THE PREVALENCE IS HIGHEST AMONG PERSONS 25-44 YEARS OF AGE. CIGARETTE SMOKERS HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING SEVERAL CHRONIC DISORDERS. THESE INCLUDE FATTY BUILDUPS IN ARTERIES, SEVERAL TYPES OF CANCER AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (LUNG PROBLEMS). AS PERIPHERAL LEUKOCYTES HAVE BEEN THE MAIN TARGET OF HUMAN TELOMERE RESEARCH, MOST OF WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT HUMAN TELOMERE DYNAMICS IN VIVO IS BASED ON THESE CELLS. LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH (TL) IS A COMPLEX TRAIT THAT IS SHAPED BY GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE CONSIDER THAT SMOKING MODIFIES LEUKOCYTE TL IN HUMANS AND CONTRIBUTES TO ITS VARIABILITY AMONG INDIVIDUALS, ALTHOUGH THE SMOKING EFFECT ON TL AND ITS RELATION WITH OTHER METABOLIC INDICES MAY ACCELERATE BIOLOGICAL AGING AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMOKING-INDUCED CHRONIC DISEASES IN A LARGE HUMAN POPULATION-BASED COHORTS WITH SMOKING BEHAVIOR. RECENT STUDIES CONFIRMED THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH SHORTER TELOMERES PRESENT A HIGHER PREVALENCE OF ARTERIAL LESIONS AND HIGHER RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE MORTALITY. THIS STUDY ORIGINALLY SUGGESTS THAT EFFICIENT THERAPEUTIC PROTECTION OF TL AND STRUCTURE IN RESPONSE TO STRESSES THAT ARE KNOWN TO REDUCE TL, SUCH AS OXIDATIVE DAMAGE OR INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH TOBACCO SMOKING, WOULD LEAD TO BETTER TELOMERE MAINTENANCE. RECENTLY, WE HAVE DISCOVERED THE POTENTIAL USE OF TELOMERE-RESTORATIVE IMIDAZOLE-CONTAINING DIPEPTIDE (NON-HYDROLIZED CARNOSINE, CARCININE) BASED THERAPY FOR BETTER SURVIVAL OF SMOKERS. WE CONCLUDE THAT A BETTER THERAPEUTIC OR NUTRITIONAL MAINTENANCE OF TL MAY CONFER HEALTHY AGING IN SMOKERS AND EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY IN REGULARLY ROS-EXPOSED HUMAN SURVIVORS. 2011 11 705 18 BUILDING RISK-ON-A-CHIP MODELS TO IMPROVE BREAST CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT AND PREVENTION. PREVENTIVE ACTIONS FOR CHRONIC DISEASES HOLD THE PROMISE OF IMPROVING LIVES AND REDUCING HEALTHCARE COSTS. FOR SEVERAL DISEASES, INCLUDING BREAST CANCER, MULTIPLE RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY EPIDEMIOLOGISTS. THE IMPACT OF MOST OF THESE FACTORS HAS YET TO BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD AT THE ORGANISM, TISSUE, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS. IMPORTANTLY, COMBINATIONS OF EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS INVOLVE COOPERATIVITY THUS, SYNERGIZING OR ANTAGONIZING DISEASE ONSET. MODELS ARE NEEDED TO MECHANISTICALLY DECIPHER CANCER RISKS UNDER DEFINED CELLULAR AND MICROENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. HERE, WE BRIEFLY REVIEW BREAST CANCER RISK MODELS BASED ON 3D CELL CULTURE AND PROPOSE TO IMPROVE RISK MODELING WITH LAB-ON-A-CHIP APPROACHES. WE SUGGEST EPITHELIAL TISSUE POLARITY, DNA REPAIR AND EPIGENETIC PROFILES AS ENDPOINTS IN RISK ASSESSMENT MODELS AND DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT OF 'RISKS-ON-CHIPS' INTEGRATING BIOSENSORS OF THESE ENDPOINTS AND OF GENERAL TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS. RISKS-ON-CHIPS WILL HELP IDENTIFY BIOMARKERS OF RISK, SERVE AS SCREENING PLATFORMS FOR CANCER PREVENTIVE AGENTS, AND PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF RISK MECHANISMS, HENCE RESULTING IN NOVEL DEVELOPMENTS IN DISEASE PREVENTION. 2013 12 2616 23 EPIGENOME MODULATION INDUCED BY KETOGENIC DIETS. KETOGENIC DIETS (KD) ARE DIETARY STRATEGIES LOW IN CARBOHYDRATES, NORMAL IN PROTEIN, AND HIGH, NORMAL, OR REDUCED IN FAT WITH OR WITHOUT (VERY LOW-CALORIES KETOGENIC DIET, VLCKD) A REDUCED CALORIC INTAKE. KDS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY, METABOLIC DISEASES AND RELATED DISORDERS, NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES, AND VARIOUS PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS CANCER, NONALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE, AND CHRONIC PAIN. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE INTRACELLULAR METABOLIC PATHWAYS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THESE DIETS. ALTHOUGH EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT DETERMINANTS OF AN ORGANISM'S ABILITY TO ADAPT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES, DATA ON THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DIETARY PATHWAYS ARE STILL LIMITED. THIS REVIEW PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH KDS. 2022 13 6137 26 THE EPIGENETICS OF PSYCHOSIS: A STRUCTURED REVIEW WITH REPRESENTATIVE LOCI. THE EVIDENCE FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT IN CHRONIC PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS IS STRONG AND RESEARCH ON THE EPIGENETIC MANIFESTATIONS OF THESE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS HAS COMMENCED IN EARNEST. IN REVIEWING THIS RESEARCH, THE FOCUS IS ON THREE GENES AS MODELS FOR DIFFERENTIAL METHYLATION, MCHR1, AKT1 AND TDO2, EACH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED FOR GENETIC ASSOCIATION WITH PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS, AND WHICH INTERACT WITH THESE MODEL GENES, ARE EXPLORED IN DEPTH. THE LOCATION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR MOTIFS RELATIVE TO KEY METHYLATION SITES IS EVALUATED FOR PREDICTED GENE EXPRESSION RESULTS, AND FOR OTHER SITES, EVIDENCE IS PRESENTED FOR METHYLATION DIRECTING ALTERNATIVE SPLICING. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FROM KEY STUDIES SHOW DIFFERENTIAL METHYLATION: FOR MCHR1, IN PSYCHOSIS CASES VERSUS CONTROLS; FOR AKT1, AS A PRE-EXISTING METHYLATION PATTERN INFLUENCING BRAIN ACTIVATION FOLLOWING ACUTE ADMINISTRATION OF A PSYCHOSIS-ELICITING ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULUS; AND FOR TDO2, IN A PATTERN ASSOCIATED WITH A DEVELOPMENTAL FACTOR OF RISK FOR PSYCHOSIS, IN ALL CASES THE PREDICTED EXPRESSION IMPACT BEING HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON LOCATION. METHYLATION INDUCED BY SMOKING, A CONFOUNDING VARIABLE, EXHIBITS AN INTRIGUING PATTERN FOR ALL THREE GENES. FINALLY, HOW DIFFERENTIAL METHYLATION MESHES WITH DARWINIAN PRINCIPLES IS EXAMINED, IN PARTICULAR AS IT RELATES TO THE "FLEXIBLE STEM" THEORY OF EVOLUTION. 2022 14 3777 21 INTERACTOME OF OBESITY: OBESIDOME : GENETIC OBESITY, STRESS INDUCED OBESITY, PATHOGENIC OBESITY INTERACTION. OBESITY IS A CHRONIC DISEASE OF INCREASING PREVALENCE REACHING EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS. GENETIC DEFECTS AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC EFFECTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE OBESITY PHENOTYPE. INVESTIGATING GENE (E.G. MC4R DEFECTS)-ENVIRONMENT (BEHAVIOR, INFECTIOUS AGENTS, STRESS) INTERACTIONS IS A RELATIVE NEW FIELD OF GREAT RESEARCH INTEREST. IN THIS STUDY, WE HAVE MADE AN EFFORT TO CREATE AN INTERACTOME (HENCEFORTH REFERRED TO AS "OBESIDOME"), WHERE EXTRINSIC STRESSORS RESPONSE, INTRINSIC PREDISPOSITION, IMMUNITY RESPONSE TO INFLAMMATION AND AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM IMPLICATIONS ARE INTEGRATED. THESE PATHWAYS ARE PRESENTED IN ONE INTERACTOME NETWORK FOR THE FIRST TIME. IN OUR STUDY, OBESITY-RELATED GENES/GENE PRODUCTS WERE FOUND TO FORM A COMPLEX INTERACTIONS NETWORK. 2017 15 2136 34 EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES IN THE OBESITY/COLORECTAL CANCER AXIS: A NOVEL THERAGNOSTIC AVENUE. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) CONSIDERS THAT OBESITY HAS REACHED PROPORTIONS OF PANDEMIC. EXPERTS ALSO INSIST ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSIDERING OBESITY AS A CHRONIC DISEASE AND ONE OF THE MAIN CONTRIBUTORS TO THE WORLDWIDE BURDEN OF OTHER NONTRANSMISSIBLE CHRONIC DISEASES, WHICH HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON HEALTH, LIFESTYLE, AND ECONOMIC COST. ONE OF THE MOST CURRENT CHALLENGES OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE FACES IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN OF THE CHRONIC NONTRANSMISSIBLE DISEASES, SUCH AS OBESITY AND CANCER. THERE IS A LARGE EVIDENCE, BOTH IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES IN HUMANS AND IN ANIMAL MODELS, OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OBESITY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF CANCER INCIDENCE. IN THE LAST YEARS, THE INITIAL DISCOVERY OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS REPRESENTS THE MOST RELEVANT FINDING TO EXPLAIN HOW THE GENOME INTERACTS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THE RIPPLE EFFECTS ON DISEASE PATHOGENESES. SINCE THEN, ALL EPIGENETIC PROCESS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES TO DETERMINE WHICH COMPONENTS ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. DNA/RNA METHYLATION AND MIRNA ARE CLASSIFIED AS TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REPRESENTATIVE CLASSES OF SUCH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND DYSREGULATED ACTIVITY OF SUCH MECHANISM CAN CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO DISEASE PATHOGENESIS AND/OR PROGRESSION ESPECIALLY IN TUMORS. THIS REVIEW ARTICLE SERVES TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACT OF DNA/RNA METHYLATION AND MIRNA-BASED EPIGENETIC MECHANISM ACTIVITIES IN THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN OBESITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF COLORECTAL CANCER. 2019 16 3418 19 HUMAN HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-MODULATED GENE EXPRESSION: POTENTIAL ROLES OF ELF-EMF INDUCED EPIGENETIC VERSUS MUTAGENIC MECHANISMS OF DISEASE. IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IF THERE MIGHT BE BIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH CONSEQUENCES AFTER EXPOSURES TO EXTREMELY-LOW FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (ELF-EMF), EITHER EXPERIMENTALLY OR EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY, MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE POTENTIAL MEANS BY WHICH ANY ENVIRONMENTAL AGENT CAN AFFECT CELLS IN A MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM HAS TO BE REVIEWED. THE GOAL OF THIS LIMITED REVIEW IS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT, WHILE THE PREVAILING PARADIGM OF THE ENVIRONMENTALLY-INDUCED ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISEASES INVOLVES EITHER CELL KILLING (CYTOTOXICITY) OR GENE/CHROMOSOME MUTATIONS (GENOTOXICITY), ALTERATION OF THE EXPRESSION OF GENETIC INFORMATION AT THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL (TURNING GENES "ON" OR "OFF"), TRANSLATIONAL (STABILIZING OR DE-STABILIZING THE GENETIC MESSAGE), OR POSTTRANSLATIONAL (ALTERING THE GENE PRODUCT OR PROTEIN) LEVELS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE TO VARIOUS DISEASES. THIS LATTER MECHANISM, "EPIGENETIC" TOXICITY, UNLIKE THE FORMER TWO WHICH ARE IRREVERSIBLE, IS CHARACTERIZED BY THRESHOLD-LIKE ACTION, MULTIPLE BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS AND CHRONIC, REGULAR EXPOSURES TO BE EFFECTIVE. ULTIMATELY, EPIGENETIC TOXICANTS AFFECT ONE OF FOUR POTENTIAL CELL STATES, NAMELY ALTERATION OF CELL PROLIFERATION, CELL DIFFERENTIATION, PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH (APOPTOSIS) OR ADAPTIVE RESPONSES OF DIFFERENTIATED CELLS. 2000 17 6141 30 THE ETIOLOGY OF PEYRONIE'S DISEASE: PATHOGENESIS AND GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS. INTRODUCTION: PEYRONIE'S DISEASE (PD) IS A CHRONIC FIBROSING CONDITION THAT CONTRIBUTES TO PENILE DEFORMITY, CURVATURE, AND PAIN. INITIAL FAMILIAL STUDIES DEMONSTRATED POTENTIAL GENETIC LINKS TO PD. SINCE THAT TIME, VERY FEW INVESTIGATIONS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCED THE SCIENCE IN THIS AREA. HENCE, THERE IS A LARGE OPPORTUNITY AND SIGNIFICANT NEED TO BETTER STUDY THE UNDERLYING GENOMICS AND PATHOGENESIS OF PD. AIM: TO SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT GENOMIC LITERATURE RELEVANT TO PD. METHODS: A REVIEW WAS PERFORMED OF ALL PUBMED-INDEXED LITERATURE FROM 1970-2018 RELATING TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS OF PD. KEY FINDINGS WERE CATEGORICALLY SUMMARIZED TO INCLUDE EPIDEMIOLOGY, RISK FACTORS, INHERITANCE PATTERNS, CHROMOSOMAL INSTABILITY, GENETIC ASSOCIATIONS, EPIGENETICS, DIFFERENTIAL GENE EXPRESSION, AND PRECLINICAL MODELS OF PD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: SUMMARY OF THE CURRENT LITERATURE ON THE GENETICS OF PD. RESULTS: PD IS A COMMON CONDITION AND HAS SEVERAL KNOWN RISK FACTORS AND COMORBID DISEASE ASSOCIATIONS. ALTHOUGH MEN WITH PD ARE BELIEVED TO BE GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED, THERE ARE LIKELY SEVERAL SUBTYPES OF THE CONDITION, EACH WITH VARIED PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. AVAILABLE DATA SUGGEST THAT PD IS ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERLYING GENETIC INSTABILITY, INCLUDING DYSREGULATION OF GENES RELATING TO FIBROSIS AND CELLULAR DEGRADATION, THUS, RESULTING IN ABNORMAL PLAQUE DEVELOPMENT AND PENILE DEFORMITY. PRECLINICAL MODELS, INCLUDING CELL CULTURES AND RAT MODELS, DEMONSTRATE SEVERAL CONSISTENCIES WITH PD CLINICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS; HOWEVER, AN IDEAL MODEL WITH SPONTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT OF PD IS LACKING. CONCLUSION: BASED ON LIMITED DATA, PD LIKELY REPRESENTS A HETEROGENEOUS CONDITION, WITH BOTH HERITABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-DRIVEN EPIGENETIC FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ITS DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION. HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT GAP IN THE LITERATURE ON THE UNDERLYING CAUSE AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE CONDITION, SUGGESTING A SUBSTANTIAL NEED FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND STUDY. SHARMA KL, ALOM M, TROST L. THE ETIOLOGY OF PEYRONIE'S DISEASE: PATHOGENESIS AND GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS. SEX MED REV 2020;8:314-323. 2020 18 3801 30 INTERPLAY OF VITAMIN D AND SIRT1 IN TISSUE-SPECIFIC METABOLISM-POTENTIAL ROLES IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES INCLUDING CANCER. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, INCLUDING OBESITY, METABOLIC SYNDROME, TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AND CANCER, IS INCREASING AS A REQUIREMENT OF THE AGING POPULATION IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HEALTHCARE. SIMILARLY, THE 2013-2030 ACTION PLAN OF THE WHO FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SEEKS THESE ACHIEVEMENTS. ADEQUATE LIFESTYLE CHANGES, ALONE OR WITH THE NECESSARY TREATMENTS, COULD REDUCE THE RISK OF MORTALITY OR THE DETERIORATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE. IN OUR RECENT WORK, WE SUMMARIZED THE ROLE OF TWO CENTRAL FACTORS, I.E., APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF VITAMIN D AND SIRT1, WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO ADEQUATE LIFESTYLES WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. BOTH OF THESE FACTORS HAVE RECEIVED INCREASED ATTENTION IN RELATION TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AS THEY BOTH TAKE PART IN REGULATION OF THE MAIN METABOLIC PROCESSES, I.E., LIPID/GLUCOSE/ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, REDOX BALANCE, AND CELL FATE, AS WELL AS IN THE HEALTHY REGULATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. VITAMIN D AND SIRT1 HAVE DIRECT AND INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF THE REGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTION AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND ARE RELATED TO CYTOPLASMIC SIGNALING PATHWAYS SUCH AS PLC/DAG/IP3/PKC/MAPK, MEK/ERK, INSULIN/MTOR/CELL GROWTH, PROLIFERATION; LEPTIN/PI3K-AKT-MTORC1, AKT/NFKB/COX-2, NFKB/TNFALPHA, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1BETA, AND AMPK/PGC-1ALPHA/GLUT4, AMONG OTHERS. THROUGH THEIR PROPER REGULATION, THEY MAINTAIN NORMAL BODY WEIGHT, LIPID PROFILE, INSULIN SECRETION AND SENSITIVITY, BALANCE BETWEEN THE PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AND INFECTIONS, MAINTAIN ENDOTHELIAL HEALTH; BALANCE CELL DIFFERENTIATION, PROLIFERATION, AND FATE; AND BALANCE THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF THE CELLULAR METABOLISM. THE ROLE OF THESE TWO MOLECULES IS INTERCONNECTED IN THE MOLECULAR NETWORK, AND THEY REGULATE EACH OTHER IN SEVERAL LAYERS OF THE HOMEOSTASIS OF ENERGY AND THE CELLULAR METABOLISM. BOTH HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY AND BALANCED IMMUNE REGULATION AND REDOX REACTIONS; THEREFORE, THEY COULD CONSTITUTE PROMISING TARGETS EITHER FOR PREVENTION OR AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES TO ACHIEVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE, AT ANY AGE, FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE AND PATIENTS UNDER CHRONIC CONDITIONS. 2023 19 2901 23 GENDER DIFFERENCES IN GERM-CELL MUTAGENESIS AND GENETIC RISK. CURRENT INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR CHEMICAL MUTAGENS ARE HAZARD-BASED RATHER THAN AIMED AT ASSESSING RISKS QUANTITATIVELY. IN THE PAST, GERM-CELL TESTS HAVE BEEN MAINLY PERFORMED WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF SOMATIC CELL MUTAGENS, AND RARELY UNDER CONDITIONS AIMED AT COMPARING GENDER-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MUTAGEN EXPOSURES. THERE ARE PROFOUND DIFFERENCES IN THE GENETIC CONSTITUTION, AND IN HORMONAL, STRUCTURAL, AND FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS OF DIFFERENTIATION AND CONTROL OF GAMETOGENESIS BETWEEN THE SEXES. A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE SUGGESTS THAT THESE DIFFERENCES MAY HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE RELATIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY, STAGE OF HIGHEST SENSITIVITY AND THE RELATIVE RISK FOR THE GENESIS OF GENE MUTATION, AS WELL AS STRUCTURAL AND NUMERICAL CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS IN MALE AND FEMALE GERM CELLS. TRANSMISSION OF GERM-CELL MUTATIONS TO THE OFFSPRING MAY ALSO ENCOUNTER GENDER-SPECIFIC INFLUENCES. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHEMICALLY DERIVED ALTERATIONS IN IMPRINTING PATTERNS MAY POSE A THREAT FOR THE HEALTH OF THE OFFSPRING AND MAY ALSO BE TRANSMITTED TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. RECENT REPORTS ON DIFFERENT GENETIC EFFECTS FROM HIGH ACUTE AND FROM CHRONIC LOW-DOSE EXPOSURES CHALLENGE THE VALIDITY OF CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM STANDARD METHODS OF MUTAGENICITY TESTING. IN CONCLUSION, RESEARCH IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO IDENTIFY GENETIC HAZARDS FOR A LARGER RANGE OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS, INCLUDING THOSE SUSPECTED TO DISTURB PROPER CHROMOSOME SEGREGATION. ALTERATIONS IN EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AND THEIR HEALTH CONSEQUENCES WILL HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED. MORE ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO GENDER-SPECIFIC GENETIC EFFECTS. FINALLY, THE DATABASE FOR GERM-CELL MUTAGENS SHOULD BE ENLARGED USING MOLECULAR METHODOLOGIES, AND GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES SHOULD BE PERFORMED WITH THESE TECHNIQUES TO VERIFY HUMAN GENETIC RISK. 2007 20 5000 29 PERINATAL PROGRAMMING PREVENTION MEASURES. OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS RELATED TO PERINATAL PROGRAMMING AND ITS EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN HEALTH, AND WE CAN ANTICIPATE THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE NEED TO MAKE USE AND APPLY THESE ACHIEVEMENTS TO HUMAN NEURODEVELOPMENT VIA PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS. BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENOME AND AMBIOME, THIS CHAPTER PROPOSES LOW-COST EASY-IMPLEMENTATION PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES FOR MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH INSTITUTIONS.BREASTFEEDING AND HUMAN MILK ADMINISTRATION ARE THE FIRST PREVENTIVE MEASURES, AS HAS BEEN REVIEWED IN THE POLICY STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS. ANOTHER STRATEGY IS THE SAFE AND FAMILY-CENTERED MATERNITY HOSPITALS INITIATIVE THAT PROMOTES AND EMPOWERS THE INCLUSION OF THE FAMILIES AND THE RESPECT FOR THEIR RIGHTS, ESPECIALLY DURING PREGNANCY AND BIRTH. (THIS CHANGE OF PARADIGM WAS APPROVED AND IS RECOMMENDED BY BOTH UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND, UNICEF, AND PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, PAHO.) THEN, THERE IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT EMPHASIS GIVEN TO THE SACRED HOUR-WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACT OF BONDING, ATTACHMENT, AND BREASTFEEDING DURING THE FIRST HOUR OF LIFE-THE PAIN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT IN NEWBORNS, THE CONTROL OF THE "NEW MORBIDITY" REPRESENTED BY LATE PRETERM INFANTS, AND FINALLY, THE IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING INTRAUTERINE AND EXTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION. (HOWEVER, THERE ARE NOT YET CLEAR RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN ORDER TO DIMINISH THE POTENTIAL METABOLIC SYNDROME CONSEQUENCE IN THE ADULT.). 2015