1 4167 175 MEDICINE AND PHLEBOLYMPHOLOGY: TIME TO CHANGE? BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE IS UNDERGOING A REAPPRAISAL OF ITS SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT PROCESS AND OF THE RELATED HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT. PROGRESS IN MEDICINE SHOULD COMBINE IMPROVEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF DIAGNOSTIC/THERAPEUTIC PROCEDURES, WITH ADEQUATE COST-EFFECTIVENESS PROFILES. THIS NARRATIVE REVIEW IS AIMED AT ASSESSING IN MEDICINE, MORE SPECIFICALLY IN PHLEBOLOGY AND LYMPHOLOGY: (A) SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE POSSIBLE BIASES, (B) THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE, COMPREHENSIVENESS, AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MAIN THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS, AND (C) THE POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTION OF INTEGRATIVE AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE. CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH MAY HAVE COGNITIVE BIASES, OR INDUSTRY-TIED INFLUENCES, WHICH IMPACTS CLINICAL PRACTICE. SOME REDUCTIONISM, WITH AN INCREASING USE OF DRUGS AND TECHNOLOGY, OFTEN NEGLECTING THE UNDERSTANDING AND CARE OF THE ROOT CAUSATIVE PATHWAYS OF THE DISEASES, IS AFFECTING BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE AS WELL. AGING BRINGS A RELEVANT BURDEN OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND DISABILITIES, WITH RELEVANT SOCIO-ECONOMIC REPERCUSSIONS; THUS, A MAJOR ATTENTION TO COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND APPROPRIATENESS OF HEALTHCARE IS WARRANTED. IN THIS SCENARIO, COSTLY AND INNOVATIVE BUT RELATIVELY VALIDATED THERAPIES MAY TEND TO BE ADOPTED IN VENOUS AND LYMPHATIC DISEASES, SUCH AS VARICOSE VEINS, LEG VENOUS ULCER, POST-THROMBOTIC SYNDROME, PELVIC CONGESTION SYNDROME, AND LYMPHEDEMA. CONVERSELY, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO THE BASIC PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CHRONIC VENOUS AND LYMPHATIC INSUFFICIENCY AND THE INCLUSION OF PHARMACOECONOMICS ANALYSES WOULD BENEFIT OVERALL PATIENTS' MANAGEMENT. ERRONEOUS LIFESTYLE AND NUTRITION, TOGETHER WITH CHRONIC STRESS-INDUCED SYNDROMES, SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE PHLEBO-LYMPHATIC DISEASES. THE MAIN ACTIVE EPIGENETIC SOCIO-BIOLOGIC FACTORS ARE OBESITY, DYSFUNCTIONS OF MUSCULO-RESPIRATORY-VASCULAR PUMPS, PRO-INFLAMMATORY NUTRITION, HYPERACTIVATION OF STRESS AXIS, AND SEDENTARISM. AN OVERALL CRITICAL VIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND INNOVATIONS IN PHEBOLYMPHOLOGY COULD BE OF HELP TO IMPROVE EFFICACY, SAFETY, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF CURRENT PRACTICE. TRANSLATIONAL AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH. CONVERSELY, REDUCTIONISM, EMINENCE/REIMBURSEMENT-BASED DECISIONAL PROCESSES, PATIENTS' LACK OF EDUCATION, INDUSTRY-INFLUENCED SCIENCE, AND PHYSICIAN'S IMPROVABLE AWARENESS, MAY COMPROMISE EFFICACY, SAFETY, APPROPRIATENESS, AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF FUTURE DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC PATTERNS OF PHLEBOLOGY AND LYMPHOLOGY. 2020 2 6876 31 [PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO ATMOSPHERIC AIR POLLUTION AND MORTALITY FROM RESPIRATORY CAUSES]. DIFFERENT DESIGNS CAN BE USED TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RESPIRATORY MORTALITY AND LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES (COHORT, PREVALENCE STUDY) DEMONSTRATE THE REALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP AND TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES EXPLAIN IT. COHORT STUDIES HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT MANY CONFOUNDING FACTORS AND THUS AVOID BIASES (WHICH IS NOT THE CASE WITH PREVALENCE STUDIES), BUT REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THEY WERE FIRST ADOPTED IN THE US, BUT ARE NOW MORE OFTEN APPLIED IN EUROPE. THE RESULTS ARE RELATIVELY CONSISTENT, AS THEY ALL SHOW A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AN INCREASE IN PARTICULATE POLLUTION AND CARDIOPULMONARY MORTALITY. MORTALITY FROM LUNG CANCER IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH LONG TERM EXPOSITION TO PARTICLES AND SOMETIMES TO OZONE OR NITROGEN OXIDES. CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES AND SUDDEN DEATH OF YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICULATE POLLUTION. THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE POWERFUL FOR LONG TERM THAN SHORT TERM EXPOSURE BUT ARE ALSO LINEAR AND WITHOUT THRESHOLD. IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THESE EFFECTS (TODAY THE CAUSALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP IS CERTAIN) THERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE FACTORS, PARTICULARLY REGARDING PARTICULATE EXPOSURES: AN INCREASE IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK BIOMARKERS (FIBRINOGEN, WHITE BLOOD CELLS, AND PLATELETS), ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION OF LUNG TISSUES INCREASED BY ACUTE EXPOSURE, ETC. MORE AND MORE STUDIES ADDRESS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENE AND ENVIRONMENT AND EVEN EPIGENETIC PHENOMENA WHICH COULD BE RESPONSIBLE OF THESE EFFECTS. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT COULD BE QUANTIFIED. THE EUROPEAN E&H SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM APHEIS, FOR EXAMPLE, ESTIMATED THAT IF PM2.5 LEVELS REMAINED BELOW 15 MICROG/M(3), A 30 YEAR OLD PERSON COULD SEE HIS LIFE EXPECTANCY INCREASED BY 1 MONTH TO 2 YEARS, DEPENDING ON THE STUDIED CITY. FINALLY, MORTALITY IS NOT THE ONLY RELEVANT INDICATOR FOR HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. ISAAC STUDIES ADDRESS ASTHMA, ALLERGIC RHINITIS AND ECZEMA AMONG CHILDREN. 2009 3 3032 35 GENETICS OF TINNITUS: AN EMERGING AREA FOR MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS AND DRUG DEVELOPMENT. SUBJECTIVE TINNITUS IS THE PERCEPTION OF SOUND IN THE ABSENCE OF EXTERNAL OR BODILY-GENERATED SOUNDS. CHRONIC TINNITUS IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT CONDITION AFFECTING OVER 70 MILLION PEOPLE IN EUROPE. A WIDE VARIETY OF COMORBIDITIES, INCLUDING HEARING LOSS, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, AND TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) DYSFUNCTION, HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ONSET OR PROGRESSION OF TINNITUS; HOWEVER, THE PRECISE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF TINNITUS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS REMAINS UNKNOWN. HUMAN GENETIC STUDIES COULD ENABLE THE IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL MOLECULAR THERAPEUTIC TARGETS, POSSIBLY LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL PHARMACEUTICAL THERAPEUTICS. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE BRIEFLY DISCUSS THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE FOR A ROLE OF GENETICS IN TINNITUS AND CONSIDER POTENTIAL HURDLES IN DESIGNING GENETIC STUDIES FOR TINNITUS. SINCE MULTIPLE DISEASES HAVE TINNITUS AS A SYMPTOM AND THE SUPPORTING GENETIC EVIDENCE IS SPARSE, WE PROPOSE VARIOUS STRATEGIES TO INVESTIGATE THE GENETIC UNDERPINNINGS OF TINNITUS, FIRST BY SHOWING EVIDENCE OF HERITABILITY USING CONCORDANCE STUDIES IN TWINS, AND SECOND BY IMPROVING PATIENT SELECTION ACCORDING TO PHENOTYPE AND/OR ETIOLOGY IN ORDER TO CONTROL POTENTIAL BIASES AND OPTIMIZE GENETIC DATA OUTPUT. THE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE RESULTING FROM THIS ENDEAVOR COULD ULTIMATELY IMPROVE THE DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND LEAD TO THE PREVENTIVE OR CURATIVE TREATMENT OF TINNITUS. 2016 4 1050 31 CLINICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED TO REFRACTORY OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER. SOME PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) EXHIBIT AN UNSATISFACTORY REDUCTION IN SYMPTOM SEVERITY DESPITE BEING TREATED WITH ALL THE AVAILABLE THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVES. THE CLINICAL VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT-REFRACTORINESS IN OCD ARE INCONSISTENTLY DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE. METHODS: TO INVESTIGATE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT-REFRACTORINESS OF PATIENTS WITH OCD, WE CONDUCTED A CASE-CONTROL STUDY, COMPARING 23 PATIENTS WITH TREATMENT-REFRACTORY OCD TO 26 PATIENTS WITH TREATMENT-RESPONDING OCD. RESULTS: THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH REFRACTORINESS OF OCD WERE HIGHER SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS SINCE THE ONSET OF OCD (P<0.001), CHRONIC COURSE (P=0.003), LACK OF A PARTNER (P=0.037), UNEMPLOYMENT (P=0.025), LOW ECONOMIC STATUS (P=0.015), PRESENCE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SYMPTOMS OF SEXUAL/RELIGIOUS CONTENT (P=0.043), AND HIGHER SCORES ON FAMILY ACCOMMODATION (P<0.001). ONLY THE THREE LATTER VARIABLES REMAINED SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT-REFRACTORINESS AFTER REGRESSION ANALYSES. LIMITATIONS: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, THE BIASES AND DRAWBACKS INHERENT TO A CASE-CONTROL STUDY, AND THE INCLUSION CRITERIA USED TO DEFINE THE STUDY GROUPS MAY HAVE LIMITED THE GENERALISATION OF THE RESULTS. CONCLUSION: A MAJOR STRENGTH OF THIS STUDY IS THE SYSTEMATIC AND STRUCTURED EVALUATION OF A VAST ARRAY OF VARIABLES RELATED TO THE CLINICAL EXPRESSION OF OCD, INCLUDING EPIGENETIC FACTORS AND RATINGS DERIVED FROM INSTRUMENTS EVALUATING FAMILY ACCOMMODATION. THE PRESENCE OF SEXUAL/RELIGIOUS SYMPTOMS, LOW ECONOMIC STATUS AND HIGH MODIFICATION ON FAMILY FUNCTION DUE TO OCD WERE INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH TREATMENT-REFRACTORINESS. FUTURE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO VERIFY IF THESE VARIABLES REPRESENT PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF TREATMENT NON-RESPONSE. 2006 5 734 40 CANCER HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES. A NEED EXISTS TO EXAMINE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THE HEALTHCARE ARENA AND THE IMPACT ON PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DESPITE ONGOING EFFORTS TO INCREASE EQUITY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE ACCESS, RACIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES PERSIST, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO DISPROPORTIONATE TREATMENT OUTCOMES AND SURVIVORSHIP AMONG MINORITY AND LOW-INCOME PATIENTS. SUCH DISPARITIES HAVE BEEN REVEALED IN TREATMENT COHORTS OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE FORMS OF CANCER, INCLUDING BREAST, CERVICAL, OVARIAN, ENDOMETRIAL, PROSTATE, LUNG, COLORECTAL, GASTROINTESTINAL, AND HEPATOCELLULAR, AND HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO A RANGE OF CO-OCCURRING BEHAVIORAL, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, UNDERLYING GENETIC FACTORS, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT LIMIT THE QUALITY OF INFORMED HEALTHCARE. THESE VARIOUS INTERRELATED FACTORS WIDEN CANCER HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES SYNERGISTICALLY THROUGHOUT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, AND THEIR INFLUENCE HAS BEEN AMPLIFIED BY THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) PANDEMIC. FUNDAMENTALLY, A LACK OF BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH EXISTS THAT FAILS TO ADEQUATELY REFLECT DIVERSITY AND MINORITY INVOLVEMENT IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT. ALTHOUGH OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES RESPONSIBLE FOR CHRONIC TREATMENT DISPARITIES IS A FORMIDABLE TASK, PROMISING MEANS OF ACHIEVING MORE UNIFORM QUALITY HEALTHCARE ARE BECOMING MORE CLEARLY ELUCIDATED. TO REDUCE DISEASE PROGRESSION, INCREASE OVERALL SURVIVAL, AND IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, IT IS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY AND FULLY DISCLOSE ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND ANCESTRAL FACTORS THAT IMPACT THE RISK FOR CANCER; HEAL HISTORICAL FRACTURES WITHIN COMMUNITIES; AND INCREASE PARTICIPATION OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES IN SCREENING EFFORTS AND RESEARCH STUDIES. THIS REQUIRES DEVELOPING A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE AND TRUST BASED ON SPECIFIC, SOLUTION-ORIENTED GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY EFFORTS WORKING IN TANDEM WITH MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL LEADERS. BY FULLY EXPLORING AND PINPOINTING THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES, IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DEFINE STRATEGIES AND INTERVENTIONS MOST LIKELY TO TRANSFORM CANCER CARE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS UNDERSTANDING INDIVIDUAL, CULTURAL, AND BIOLOGICAL VULNERABILITIES, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC LIABILITIES, TO OPTIMIZE CANCER PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT. 2022 6 3630 44 INCLUSION OF SOCIAL AND STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE BIOLOGY OF CHRONIC DISEASE. SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH) CONSIDER SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTH DISPARITIES IN PATIENTS AND POPULATIONS. THE MOST COMMON HEALTH-RELATED SDOH EXPOSURES ARE FOOD AND HOUSING INSECURITY, FINANCIAL INSTABILITY, TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, LOW LEVELS OF EDUCATION, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS. THESE DOMAINS DESCRIBE RISKS THAT CAN IMPACT HEALTH OUTCOMES MORE THAN HEALTH CARE. EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THAT SDOH FACTORS REPRESENT EXPOSURES THAT PREDICT HARM AND IMPACT THE HEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS. INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL GUIDELINES URGE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO ADDRESS SDOH IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THE FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, HOWEVER, IS LAGGING. HEREIN, WE CONSIDER A PRECISION HEALTH FRAMEWORK TO DESCRIBE HOW SDOH CONTRIBUTES TO THE EXPOSOME AND EXACERBATES PHYSIOLOGIC PATHWAYS THAT LEAD TO CHRONIC DISEASE. SDOH FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF STRESSORS THAT IMPACT PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES THROUGH EPIGENETIC, INFLAMMATORY, AND REDOX REGULATION. MANY SDOH EXPOSURES MAY ADD TO OR POTENTIATE THE PATHOLOGIC EFFECTS OF ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. THIS OVERVIEW AIMS TO INFORM BASIC LIFE SCIENCE AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCHERS ABOUT SDOH EXPOSURES THAT CAN CONFOUND ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CLASSIC BIOMEDICAL DETERMINANTS OF DISEASE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES. TO ADVANCE THE STUDY OF TOXICOLOGY THROUGH EITHER QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF EXPOSURES TO CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES, A MORE COMPLETE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION SHOULD INCLUDE SDOH EXPOSURES. WE DISCUSS COMMON APPROACHES TO MEASURE SDOH FACTORS AT INDIVIDUAL AND POPULATION LEVELS AND REVIEW THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SDOH RISK FACTORS AND PHYSIOLOGIC MECHANISMS THAT INFLUENCE CHRONIC DISEASE. WE PROVIDE CLINICAL AND POLICY-BASED MOTIVATION TO ENCOURAGE RESEARCHERS TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF SDOH EXPOSURES ON STUDY RESULTS AND DATA INTERPRETATION. WITH VALID MEASURES OF SDOH FACTORS INCORPORATED INTO STUDY DESIGN AND ANALYSES, FUTURE TOXICOLOGICAL RESEARCH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO AN EVIDENCE BASE THAT CAN BETTER INFORM PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OPTIONS, TO IMPROVE EQUITABLE CLINICAL CARE AND POPULATION HEALTH. (C) 2022 WILEY PERIODICALS LLC. 2022 7 5224 43 PRIORITIZED RESEARCH FOR THE PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND REVERSAL OF CHRONIC DISEASE: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE RESEARCH SUMMIT. DECLINING LIFE EXPECTANCY AND INCREASING ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS, SOCIOECOLOGICAL FACTORS, AND PREVENTABLE DISEASE. A GROWING BODY OF BASIC SCIENCE, CLINICAL RESEARCH, AND POPULATION HEALTH EVIDENCE POINTS TO THE BENEFITS OF HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, ENVIRONMENTS AND POLICIES TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND PREVENT, TREAT, AND REVERSE THE ROOT CAUSES OF COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES. SIMILARLY, INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, STANDARDS OF EVIDENCE, EMERGENCE OF UNIQUE STUDY COHORTS, AND BREAKTHROUGHS IN DATA ANALYTICS AND MODELING CREATE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR PRODUCING BIOMEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CLINICAL TRANSLATION. TO UNDERSTAND THESE ADVANCES AND INFORM FUTURE DIRECTIONS RESEARCH, THE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE RESEARCH SUMMIT WAS CONVENED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ON DECEMBER 4-5, 2019. THE SUMMIT'S GOAL WAS TO REVIEW CURRENT STATUS AND DEFINE RESEARCH PRIORITIES IN THE SIX CORE AREAS OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE: PLANT-PREDOMINANT NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SLEEP, STRESS, ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS, AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIAL CONNECTION. FORTY INVITED SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (1) REVIEWED EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND GAPS RELATING LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS TO COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES, MANY CANCERS, INFLAMMATORY- AND IMMUNE-RELATED DISORDERS AND OTHER CONDITIONS; AND (2) DISCUSSED THE POTENTIAL FOR APPLYING CUTTING-EDGE MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, EPIGENETIC AND EMERGING SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODOLOGIES, RESEARCH DESIGNS, AND STUDY COHORTS TO ACCELERATE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS ACROSS ALL SIX DOMAINS OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE. NOTABLY, FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEGUN TO ADOPT "WHOLE-PERSON HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE" MODELS THAT ADDRESS THESE LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ROOT CAUSES OF CHRONIC DISEASE AND ASSOCIATED MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, AND COST. RECOMMENDATIONS STRONGLY SUPPORT LEVERAGING EMERGING RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE EFFECTIVE CLINICAL AND POPULATION SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND REDUCE SOCIETAL COSTS. NEW AND ALTERNATIVE HIERARCHIES OF EVIDENCE ARE ALSO BE NEEDED IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND DEVELOP EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDELINES ON LIFESTYLE MEDICINE. CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIZED GROUPS TO STUDY. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHICH DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASES THAT ARE AMENABLE TO EFFECTIVE LIFESTYLE MEDICINE INTERVENTIONS, MAKES THE SUMMIT'S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH PARTICULARLY TIMELY AND RELEVANT. 2020 8 4062 37 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES AND AN INTEGRATED, LIFE-CYCLE APPROACH TO THE PREVENTION OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. DESCRIBED AS THE 'INVISIBLE EPIDEMIC', NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) ARE THE WORLD'S LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. MOST ARE CAUSED BY PREVENTABLE FACTORS, INCLUDING POOR DIET, TOBACCO USE, HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL AND PHYSICAL INACTIVITY. DIABETES, CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR 38 MILLION (68%) OF GLOBAL DEATHS IN 2012. SINCE 1990, PROPORTIONATE NCD MORTALITY HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY AS POPULATIONS HAVE AGED AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES DECLINE. THE MAJORITY OF NCD DEATHS, ESPECIALLY PREMATURE NCD DEATHS (<70 YEARS, 82%), OCCUR IN LOW-INCOME AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, AND AMONG POOR COMMUNITIES WITHIN THEM. ADDRESSING NCDS IS RECOGNISED AS CENTRAL TO THE POST-2015 AGENDA; ACCORDINGLY, NCDS HAVE A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE AND TARGET IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. WHILE DEATHS FROM NCDS OCCUR MAINLY IN ADULTHOOD, MANY HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN EARLY LIFE, INCLUDING THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OPERATING BEFORE CONCEPTION. GOOD NUTRITION BEFORE CONCEPTION AND INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT PREVENTING NCDS DURING THE FIRST 1000 DAYS (FROM CONCEPTION TO AGE 2 YEARS), CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE MAY BE MORE COST-EFFECTIVE THAN MANAGING ESTABLISHED NCDS IN LATER LIFE WITH COSTLY TESTS AND DRUGS. FOLLOWING A LIFE-COURSE APPROACH, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, BEFORE DELIVERY AND DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE, CAN PREVENT NCDS AND SHOULD INFLUENCE GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES HOW SUCH AN APPROACH MAY BE PURSUED, INCLUDING THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT OF NON-HEALTH SECTORS. IT ALSO EMPHASISES EVALUATING AND DOCUMENTING RELATED INITIATIVES TO UNDERWRITE SYSTEMATIC AND EVIDENCE-BASED CROSS-SECTORAL ENGAGEMENT ON NCD PREVENTION IN THE FUTURE. 2017 9 2106 27 EPIGENETIC EVOLUTION AND LINEAGE HISTORIES OF CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKAEMIA. GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC INTRA-TUMORAL HETEROGENEITY COOPERATE TO SHAPE THE EVOLUTIONARY COURSE OF CANCER(1). CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKAEMIA (CLL) IS A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE MODEL FOR CANCER EVOLUTION AS IT UNDERGOES SUBSTANTIAL GENETIC DIVERSIFICATION AND EVOLUTION AFTER THERAPY(2,3). THE CLL EPIGENOME IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT DISEASE-DEFINING FEATURE(4,5), AND GROWING POPULATIONS OF CELLS IN CLL DIVERSIFY BY STOCHASTIC CHANGES IN DNA METHYLATION KNOWN AS EPIMUTATIONS(6). HOWEVER, PREVIOUS STUDIES USING BULK SEQUENCING METHODS TO ANALYSE THE PATTERNS OF DNA METHYLATION WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER EPIMUTATIONS AFFECT CLL POPULATIONS HOMOGENEOUSLY. HERE, TO MEASURE THE EPIMUTATION RATE AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION, WE APPLIED MULTIPLEXED SINGLE-CELL REDUCED-REPRESENTATION BISULFITE SEQUENCING TO B CELLS FROM HEALTHY DONORS AND PATIENTS WITH CLL. WE OBSERVED THAT THE COMMON CLONAL ORIGIN OF CLL RESULTS IN A CONSISTENTLY INCREASED EPIMUTATION RATE, WITH LOW VARIABILITY IN THE CELL-TO-CELL EPIMUTATION RATE. BY CONTRAST, VARIABLE EPIMUTATION RATES ACROSS HEALTHY B CELLS REFLECT DIVERSE EVOLUTIONARY AGES ACROSS THE TRAJECTORY OF B CELL DIFFERENTIATION, CONSISTENT WITH EPIMUTATIONS SERVING AS A MOLECULAR CLOCK. HERITABLE EPIMUTATION INFORMATION ALLOWED US TO RECONSTRUCT LINEAGES AT HIGH-RESOLUTION WITH SINGLE-CELL DATA, AND TO APPLY THIS DIRECTLY TO PATIENT SAMPLES. THE CLL LINEAGE TREE SHAPE REVEALED EARLIER BRANCHING AND LONGER BRANCH LENGTHS THAN IN NORMAL B CELLS, REFLECTING RAPID DRIFT AFTER THE INITIAL MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION AND A GREATER PROLIFERATIVE HISTORY. INTEGRATION OF SINGLE-CELL BISULFITE SEQUENCING ANALYSIS WITH SINGLE-CELL TRANSCRIPTOMES AND GENOTYPING CONFIRMED THAT GENETIC SUBCLONES MAPPED TO DISTINCT CLADES, AS INFERRED SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF EPIMUTATION INFORMATION. FINALLY, TO EXAMINE POTENTIAL LINEAGE BIASES DURING THERAPY, WE PROFILED SERIAL SAMPLES DURING IBRUTINIB-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOCYTOSIS, AND IDENTIFIED CLADES OF CELLS THAT WERE PREFERENTIALLY EXPELLED FROM THE LYMPH NODE AFTER TREATMENT, MARKED BY DISTINCT TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILES. THE SINGLE-CELL INTEGRATION OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL INFORMATION THUS CHARTS THE LINEAGE HISTORY OF CLL AND ITS EVOLUTION WITH THERAPY. 2019 10 5025 40 PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS. PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS (CVD), ALSO REFERRED TO AS PERSONALIZED OR PRECISION CARDIOLOGY IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, IS SELECTION OF THE BEST TREATMENT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT. IT INVOLVES THE INTEGRATION OF VARIOUS "OMICS" TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS AS WELL AS OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS AND BIOMARKERS ARE IMPORTANT FOR LINKING DIAGNOSIS WITH THERAPY AND MONITORING THERAPY. BECAUSE CVD INVOLVE PERTURBATIONS OF LARGE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL NETWORKS, A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH TO CVD RISK STRATIFICATION MAY BE USED FOR IMPROVING RISK-ESTIMATING ALGORITHMS, AND MODELING OF PERSONALIZED BENEFIT OF TREATMENT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR GUIDING THE CHOICE OF INTERVENTION. BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS ARE HELPFUL IN ANALYZING AND INTEGRATING LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. PERSONALIZED THERAPY IS CONSIDERED DURING DRUG DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING METHODS OF TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY AND CLINICAL TRIALS. INDIVIDUALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS CONSIDER MULTIPLE FACTORS - GENETIC AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC - FOR PATIENTS' RISK OF HEART DISEASE. EXAMPLES OF PERSONALIZED TREATMENT ARE THOSE OF CHRONIC MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA, HEART FAILURE, AND HYPERTENSION. SIMILAR APPROACHES CAN BE USED FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA, AS WELL AS THE USE OF ANTICOAGULANTS. PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT INCLUDES PHARMACOTHERAPY, SURGERY, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, AND COMBINATIONS THEREOF. FURTHER PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PATHOMECHANISM OF COMPLEX CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND IDENTIFICATION OF CAUSATIVE FACTORS AT THE INDIVIDUAL PATIENT LEVEL WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED CARDIOLOGY. APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE WILL IMPROVE THE CARE OF THE PATIENTS WITH CVD. 2017 11 805 33 CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE DOUBLE BURDEN OF MALNUTRITION IN LATIN AMERICA. NUTRITION IS A KEY FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES (NCCDS), ESPECIALLY CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD) AND THEIR RISK FACTORS. THE "DOUBLE BURDEN OF MALNUTRITION" (DBM) IS THE COEXISTENCE OF UNDERNUTRITION AND OVERNUTRITION IN THE SAME POPULATION ACROSS THE LIFE-COURSE. IN LATIN AMERICA, THE TRANSITION FROM A PREDOMINANTLY UNDERWEIGHT TO AN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE POPULATION HAS INCREASED MORE RAPIDLY THAN IN OTHER REGIONS IN THE WORLD. UNDERNUTRITION AND THE MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES PARTICULARLY IRON, ZINC, AND VITAMINS A AND D, PRESENT HIGH HETEROGENEITY IN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, AND ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDERED IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. IN THIS REGION, NCCDS ACCOUNT FOR 50% OF THE DISABILITY-ADJUSTED LIFE-YEARS, LED BY CVD. THE MOST PREVALENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS ARE OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. BECAUSE OF THE COST OF TREATMENT AND THE POTENTIAL YEARS OF LIFE LOST DUE TO PREMATURE DEATH, CVD IS KNOWN TO AFFECT THE POOREST SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION, AFFECTING COMMUNITIES, AND GOVERNMENTS. MORE THAN 80% OF CVD DEATHS OCCUR IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. THE PERSISTENCE OF DAMAGE IN SOME CELLS DUE TO UNDERNUTRITION MAY EXPLAIN CERTAIN FINDINGS REGARDING THE INCREASE IN NCCD. THESE ASPECTS TOGETHER WITH EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF A LIFELONG APPROACH TO NUTRITIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT. REDUCING DBM REQUIRES MAJOR SOCIETAL INTERVENTIONS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND NUTRITION TO ACHIEVE HOLISTIC CHANGE THAT CAN BE SUSTAINED OVER THE LONG TERM AND SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE STATE POLICIES OF DOUBLE IMPACT ACTIONS SHOULD INFLUENCE BOTH SIDES OF THE BURDEN AND BE CONSIDERED AN URGENT PRIORITY, CONSIDERING COUNTRY-SPECIFIC INEQUALITIES AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN THE LATIN AMERICAN REGION, USING DIVERSE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY STRATEGIES. 2022 12 3786 37 INTERGENERATIONAL INFLUENCES ON CHILD GROWTH AND UNDERNUTRITION. INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS ON LINEAR GROWTH ARE WELL DOCUMENTED. SEVERAL GENERATIONS ARE NECESSARY IN ANIMAL MODELS TO 'WASH OUT' EFFECTS OF UNDERNUTRITION, CONSISTENT WITH THE UNFOLDING OF THE SECULAR TREND IN HEIGHT IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. BIRTHWEIGHT IS CORRELATED ACROSS GENERATIONS AND SHORT MATERNAL STATURE, WHICH REFLECTS INTRAUTERINE AND INFANT GROWTH FAILURE, IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW BIRTHWEIGHT, CHILD STUNTING, DELIVERY COMPLICATIONS AND INCREASED CHILD MORTALITY, EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS. A NUTRITION INTERVENTION IN GUATEMALA REDUCED CHILDHOOD STUNTING; IT ALSO IMPROVED GROWTH OF THE NEXT GENERATION, BUT ONLY IN THE OFFSPRING OF GIRLS. POSSIBLE MECHANISMS EXPLAINING INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS ON LINEAR GROWTH ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE AND INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, SHARED GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS, EPIGENETIC EFFECTS, PROGRAMMING OF METABOLIC CHANGES, AND THE MECHANICS OF A REDUCED SPACE FOR THE FETUS TO GROW. THERE ARE ALSO SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS AT PLAY THAT ARE IMPORTANT SUCH AS THE INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF POVERTY AND THE FEAR OF BIRTHING A LARGE BABY, WHICH LEADS TO 'EATING DOWN' DURING PREGNANCY. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THERE IS AN UPPER LIMIT FOR IMPACT ON INTRAUTERINE AND INFANT LINEAR GROWTH THAT PROGRAMMES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES COULD ACHIEVE THAT IS SET BY EARLY CHILDHOOD MALNUTRITION IN THE MOTHER. SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN LINEAR GROWTH CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH ADOPTION AND MIGRATION, AND IN A FEW SELECTED COUNTRIES, FOLLOWING RAPID ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. IT WOULD SEEM, DESPITE CLEAR DOCUMENTATION OF INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS, THAT NEARLY NORMAL LENGTHS CAN BE ACHIEVED IN CHILDREN BORN TO MOTHERS WHO WERE MALNOURISHED IN CHILDHOOD WHEN PROFOUND IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH, NUTRITION AND THE ENVIRONMENT TAKE PLACE BEFORE CONCEPTION. TO ACHIEVE SIMILAR LEVELS OF IMPACT THROUGH PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMMES ALONE IN POOR COUNTRIES IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY. THE REALITY IN POOR COUNTRIES LIMITS THE SCOPE, QUALITY AND COVERAGE OF PROGRAMMES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AND MODEST IMPACT SHOULD BE EXPECTED INSTEAD. THE LANCET SERIES ON MATERNAL AND CHILD UNDERNUTRITION ESTIMATED THAT IMPLEMENTATION TO SCALE OF PROVEN INTERVENTIONS IN HIGH BURDEN COUNTRIES WOULD REDUCE STUNTING BY ONE-THIRD; THIS IS PERHAPS A REALISTIC UPPER BOUND FOR IMPACT FOR HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMMES, UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY SWEEPING IMPROVEMENTS IN SOCIAL SERVICES AND MARKED REDUCTIONS IN POVERTY. FINALLY, BECAUSE SO MUCH CAN BE ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE GENERATION, INTERGENERATIONAL INFLUENCES ARE UNLIKELY TO BE AN IMPORTANT EXPLANATION FOR LACK OF PROGRAMME IMPACT AIMED AT THE WINDOW OF THE FIRST 1000 DAYS. FAILURE TO PREVENT LINEAR GROWTH FAILURE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR SHORT- AND LONG-TERM HEALTH AS WELL AS FOR THE FORMATION OF HUMAN CAPITAL. THE NUTRITION TRANSITION HAS CREATED A DOUBLE BURDEN BY ADDING OBESITY AND RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENDA OF COUNTRIES STILL STRUGGLING WITH THE 'OLD' PROBLEMS OF MATERNAL AND CHILD UNDERNUTRITION. THE CHALLENGE AHEAD IS TO INCREASE EFFORTS TO PREVENT LINEAR GROWTH FAILURE WHILE KEEPING CHILD OVERWEIGHT AT BAY. 2012 13 4809 28 OBESITY PREVENTION. ONCE CONSIDERED A PROBLEM ONLY IN HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES (HICS), OBESITY HAS BECOME A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE GLOBAL DISEASE BURDEN (FINUCANE AND OTHERS 2011; MISRA AND KHURANA 2008). EXCESS ADIPOSITY, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE VISCERAL ABDOMINAL REGION, IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM TYPE 2 DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AND SOME CANCERS (DANAEI AND OTHERS 2009; WHITLOCK AND OTHERS 2009; WHO 2009). ALTHOUGH SOME STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED LOWER MORTALITY AMONG OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE PERSONS THAN AMONG HEALTHY-WEIGHT PERSONS (CARNETHON AND OTHERS 2012), THIS OUTCOME HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED IN STUDIES THAT PROPERLY ACCOUNT FOR THE CONFOUNDING EFFECTS OF SMOKING, PREEXISTING CHRONIC CONDITIONS, AND OTHER BIASES (GLOBAL BMI MORTALITY COLLABORATION 2016; TOBIAS, PAN, AND HU 2014). THE COSTS OF OBESITY AND COMORBID CONDITIONS ARE STAGGERING AS MEASURED BY BOTH HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES AND QUALITY OF LIFE, UNDERSCORING THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING OBESITY PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES ON A GLOBAL SCALE. THE CHANGES NEEDED TO REVERSE GLOBAL TRENDS IN OBESITY WILL LIKELY REQUIRE NUMEROUS INTERVENTIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT TARGET DIET, LIFESTYLE, ACCESS TO CARE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. IN THIS CHAPTER, WE SUMMARIZE THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF OBESITY AND THE IMPACT OF A SPECTRUM OF OBESITY RISK FACTORS, RANGING FROM SOCIOPOLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FORCES THAT ARE LARGELY BEYOND AN INDIVIDUAL'S CONTROL TO MODIFIABLE LIFESTYLE FACTORS, AND DISCUSS GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC RISKS. WE ALSO REVIEW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POPULATION-BASED INTERVENTIONS AND POLICIES FOR PREVENTING OBESITY, SOME INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL TREATMENT OPTIONS ACROSS VARIOUS PLATFORMS, AND THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF SELECT INTERVENTIONS. 2017 14 107 30 A REVIEW OF PRE-CLINICAL MODELS FOR GULF WAR ILLNESS. GULF WAR ILLNESS (GWI) IS A CHRONIC MULTISYMPTOMATIC DISORDER THAT AFFLICTS OVER 1/3RD OF THE 1991 GW VETERANS. IT SPANS MULTIPLE BODILY SYSTEMS AND PRESENTS ITSELF AS A SYNDROME EXHIBITING DIVERSE SYMPTOMS INCLUDING FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, MOOD, AND MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION DEFICITS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN AND GASTROINTESTINAL DISTRESS IN GW VETERANS. THE ETIOLOGY OF GWI IS COMPLEX AND MANY FACTORS, INCLUDING CHEMICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS PRESENT IN THE GW ARENA, HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT. IT HAS BEEN OVER 30 YEARS SINCE THE END OF THE GW BUT, GWI HAS BEEN PERSISTENT IN SUFFERING VETERANS WHO ARE ALSO DEALING WITH PAUCITY OF EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS. THE MULTIFACTORIAL ASPECT OF GWI ALONG WITH GENETIC HETEROGENEITY AND LACK OF AVAILABLE DATA SURROUNDING WAR-TIME EXPOSURES HAVE PROVED TO BE CHALLENGING IN DEVELOPING PRE-CLINICAL MODELS OF GWI. DESPITE THIS, OVER A DOZEN GWI ANIMAL MODELS EXIST IN THE LITERATURE. IN THIS ARTICLE, FOLLOWING A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF GW HISTORY, GWI DEFINITIONS, AND PROBABLE CAUSES FOR ITS PATHOGENESIS, WE WILL EXPAND UPON VARIOUS EXPERIMENTAL MODELS USED IN GWI LABORATORY RESEARCH. THESE ANIMAL MODELS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR ATTEMPTS AT MIMICKING GW-RELATED EXPOSURES WITH REGARDS TO THE VARIATIONS IN CHEMICAL COMBINATIONS, DOSES, AND FREQUENCY OF EXPOSURES. WE WILL DISCUSS THEIR ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS IN MODELING GWI FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION OF BEHAVIORAL AND MOLECULAR FINDINGS IN THESE MODELS. THE MECHANISTIC DATA OBTAINED FROM THESE PRECLINICAL STUDIES HAVE OFFERED MULTIPLE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS INCLUDING CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, LIPID DISTURBANCES, CALCIUM HOMEOSTATIC ALTERATIONS, CHANGES IN GUT MICROBIOTA, AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, AMONGST OTHERS FOR EXPLAINING GWI DEVELOPMENT AND ITS PERSISTENCE. FINALLY, THESE FINDINGS HAVE ALSO INFORMED US ON NOVEL DRUGGABLE TARGETS IN GWI. WHILE, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO CONCEIVE A SINGLE PRE-CLINICAL MODEL THAT COULD EXPRESS ALL THE GWI SIGNS AND EXHIBIT BIOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY REFLECTIVE OF THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN GWI, ANIMAL MODELS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL FOR IDENTIFYING MOLECULAR UNDERPINNINGS OF GWI AND EVALUATING TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR GWI. 2021 15 264 32 ADVANCING ASTHMA CARE: THE GLASS IS ONLY HALF FULL! OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT IN THE UNITED STATES TO REDUCE MORBIDITY RELATED TO CHRONIC DISEASE, INCLUDING ASTHMA. ATTENTION WAS INITIALLY DIRECTED TOWARD ASTHMA IN RESPONSE TO THE RECOGNITION THAT ASTHMA MORTALITY WAS INCREASING AND THAT THE BURDEN OF DISEASE WAS SIGNIFICANT. THESE EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ASTHMA MORTALITY LED TO MANY NEW INITIATIVES TO DEVELOP CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, IMPLEMENT THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE, CONDUCT RESEARCH TO FILL THE GAPS IN THE GUIDELINES, AND CONTINUOUSLY REVISE THE ASTHMA GUIDELINES AS MORE INFORMATION BECAME AVAILABLE. AN ASSESSMENT OF OUR PROGRESS SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN RELATION TO REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, WE ARE NOW AT A CROSSROADS IN ASTHMA CARE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE RECOGNIZED SOME REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN REDUCING ASTHMA MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY, THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW TOOLS TO MONITOR DISEASE ACTIVITY, INCLUDING BIOMARKERS AND EPIGENETIC MARKERS, ALONG WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS TO MONITOR ASTHMA CONTROL HOLD SOME PROMISE IN IDENTIFYING GAPS IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT. THESE ADVANCES SHOULD PROMPT THE EVOLUTION OF NEW STRATEGIES AND NEW TREATMENTS TO FURTHER REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN. IT NOW BECOMES IMPERATIVE TO CONTINUE A FOCUS ON WAYS TO FURTHER REDUCE THE BURDEN OF ASTHMA AND PREVENT ITS ONSET. 2011 16 3559 32 IMPACT OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND DEMENTIA IN RURAL WEST TEXAS: A HEALTHY AGING STUDY. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) IS A DEVASTATING ILLNESS IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS, THAT CURRENTLY HAS NO KNOWN CURE. CAUSAL GENETIC FACTORS ONLY ACCOUNT FOR 1-2% OF AD PATIENTS. HOWEVER, OTHER CAUSAL FACTORS ARE STILL UNKNOWN FOR A MAJORITY OF AD PATIENTS. CURRENTLY, MULTIPLE FACTORS ARE IMPLICATED IN LATE-ONSET AD, INCLUDING UNHEALTHY DIET, PHYSICAL INACTIVITY, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, CHRONIC CONDITIONS, EPIGENETIC FACTORS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES. ALTHOUGH CLINICAL SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA ARE COMMON TO ALL RACES AND ETHNIC GROUPS, CONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO DEMENTIA ARE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF LIFESTYLE, GENETIC PROFILE, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. INCREASING EVIDENCE ALSO SUGGESTS THAT SOME ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS AGE WITHOUT COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS IN THEIR 60-90S AS SEEN IN RURAL WEST TEXAS, WHILE SOME INDIVIDUALS PROGRESS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS INTO THEIR 60S. TO UNDERSTAND THESE DISCRIMINATIONS, WE ASSESSED CURRENT LITERATURE ON DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF HEALTH IN RURAL WEST TEXAS. THIS PAPER ALSO OUTLINES OUR INITIATED CLINICAL STUDY WITH A PURPOSE OF UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS THAT ALLOW SOME INDIVIDUALS TO LIVE WITHOUT COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS AT THE AGE OF 60-90 YEARS, WHEREAS OTHERS DEVELOP DEFICITS IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION AROUND OR ABOVE 60 YEARS. OUR ONGOING STUDY HOPES TO DETERMINE THE FACTORS THAT DELAY AGING IN SOME INDIVIDUALS BY INVESTIGATING VARIOUS ASPECTS INCLUDING GENETICS, EPIGENETICS, ETHNICITY, BIOLOGY, CULTURE, AND LIFESTYLE. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY GATHERING INFORMATION ABOUT PARTICIPANTS' ETHNOGRAPHIC PROFILES, COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS, BLOOD-PROFILES, BRAIN SCANS, AND BLOOD-BASED GENOMIC ANALYSES IN RELATION TO LIFESTYLE. THE OUTCOMES OF OUR STUDY WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO HEALTHY AGING IN RURAL WEST TEXAS. 2022 17 4344 29 MINIREVIEW: TRANSLATIONAL ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE: CHALLENGES AND EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES. INCREASING IMPORTANCE IS PLACED ON THE TRANSLATIONAL VALIDITY OF ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE TO DISCERN RISK VS. BENEFIT FOR PREDICTION OF OUTCOMES AFTER THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS AND TO DEVELOP NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE HEALTH. BASIC DISCOVERY RESEARCH CONDUCTED OVER MANY DECADES HAS BUILT AN EXTENSIVE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING REPRODUCTIVE SENESCENCE ACROSS MAMMALIAN SPECIES UPON WHICH TO ADVANCE ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE. MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING ANIMAL MODELS COULD RAPIDLY ADDRESS TRANSLATIONAL GAPS RELEVANT TO CLINICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN MENOPAUSAL HEALTH, WHICH INCLUDE THE IMPACT OF 1) CHRONIC OVARIAN HORMONE DEPRIVATION AND HORMONE THERAPY, 2) CLINICALLY RELEVANT HORMONE THERAPY REGIMENS (CYCLIC VS. CONTINUOUS COMBINED), 3) CLINICALLY RELEVANT HORMONE THERAPY FORMULATIONS, AND 4) WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY AND OPTIMAL DURATION OF INTERVENTIONS. MODIFICATIONS IN EXISTING ANIMAL MODELS TO MORE ACCURATELY REPRESENT HUMAN MENOPAUSE AND CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS COULD RAPIDLY PROVIDE PRECLINICAL TRANSLATIONAL DATA TO PREDICT OUTCOMES REGARDING UNRESOLVED CLINICAL ISSUES RELEVANT TO WOMEN'S MENOPAUSAL HEALTH. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE COULD LEVERAGE ADVANCES IN IDENTIFYING GENOTYPIC VARIATIONS IN ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTORS TO DEVELOP PERSONALIZED MENOPAUSAL CARE AND TO PREDICT OUTCOMES OF INTERVENTIONS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST OR VULNERABILITY TO DISEASE. KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THESE MODELS IS THE CLOSE COUPLING BETWEEN THE TRANSLATIONAL TARGET AND THE RANGE OF PREDICTIVE VALIDITY. PRECLINICAL TRANSLATIONAL ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE NEED TO KEEP PACE WITH CHANGES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. WITH FOCUS ON PREDICTIVE VALIDITY AND STRATEGIC USE OF ADVANCES IN GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC SCIENCE, NEW ANIMAL MODELS OF HUMAN MENOPAUSE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SET NEW DIRECTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL CLINICAL CARE FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE. 2012 18 5179 30 PREGNANCY: AN UNDERUTILIZED WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE LONG-TERM MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH-AN APPEAL FOR CONTINUOUS FAMILY CARE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNICATION. PHYSIOLOGIC ADAPTATIONS DURING PREGNANCY UNMASK A WOMAN'S PREDISPOSITION TO DISEASES. COMPLICATIONS ARE INCREASINGLY PREDICTED BY FIRST-TRIMESTER ALGORITHMS, AMPLIFY A PRE-EXISTING MATERNAL PHENOTYPE AND ACCELERATE RISKS FOR CHRONIC DISEASES IN THE OFFSPRING UP TO ADULTHOOD (BARKER HYPOTHESIS). RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT VICE VERSA, PREGNANCY DISEASES ALSO INDICATE MATERNAL AND EVEN GRANDPARENT'S RISKS FOR CHRONIC DISEASES (REVERSE BARKER HYPOTHESIS). PUB-MED AND EMBASE WERE REVIEWED FOR MESH TERMS "FETAL PROGRAMMING" AND "PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS COMBINED WITH MATERNAL DISEASE" UNTIL JANUARY 2017. STUDIES LINKING PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS TO FUTURE CARDIOVASCULAR, METABOLIC, AND THROMBOTIC RISKS FOR MOTHER AND OFFSPRING WERE REVIEWED. WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF MISCARRIAGE, FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION, PREECLAMPSIA, PRETERM DELIVERY, OBESITY, EXCESSIVE GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN, GESTATIONAL DIABETES, SUBFERTILITY, AND THROMBOPHILIA MORE FREQUENTLY DEMONSTRATE WITH ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ABNORMALITIES, HIGHER FASTING INSULIN, DEVIATING LIPIDS OR CLOTTING FACTORS AND SHOW DEFECTIVE ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. THROMBOPHILIA HINTS TO THROMBOTIC RISKS IN LATER LIFE. PREGNANCY ABNORMALITIES CORRELATE WITH FUTURE CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC COMPLICATIONS AND EARLIER MORTALITY. CONVERSELY, WOMEN WITH A NORMAL PREGNANCY HAVE LOWER RATES OF SUBSEQUENT DISEASES THAN THE GENERAL FEMALE POPULATION CREATING THE TERM: "PREGNANCY AS A WINDOW FOR FUTURE HEALTH." ALTHOUGH THE PLACENTA WORKS AS A GATEKEEPER, MANY PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS MAY LEAD TO SICKNESS AND EARLIER DEATH IN LATER LIFE WHEN THE CHILD BECOMES AN ADULT. THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND THE MISMATCH BETWEEN PRE- AND POSTNATAL LIFE HAVE CREATED THE TERM "FETAL ORIGIN OF ADULT DISEASE." UP TO NOW, THE IMPACT OF CARDIOVASCULAR, METABOLIC, OR THROMBOTIC RISK PROFILES HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED SEPARATELY FOR MOTHER AND CHILD. IN THIS MANUSCRIPT, WE STRIVE TO ILLUSTRATE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR BOTH, FETUS AND MOTHER WITHIN A COHESIVE PERSPECTIVE AND THUS TRY TO DEMONSTRATE THE COMPLEX INTERRELATIONSHIP OF GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH OF SOCIETIES AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALISTS SHOULD HAVE A KEY ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES BY IMPLEMENTING A FRAMEWORK FOR PATIENT CONSULTATION AND INTERDISCIPLINARY NETWORKS. HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS AND POLICY MAKERS SHOULD INCREASINGLY INVEST IN A STRATIFIED PRIMARY PREVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP TO REDUCE THE INCREASING NUMBER OF MANIFEST CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES AND TO PREVENT WASTE OF HEALTH-CARE RESOURCES. 2017 19 5161 46 PRECISION AND PERSONALIZED MEDICINE: HOW GENOMIC APPROACH IMPROVES THE MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE. LIFE EXPECTANCY HAS GRADUALLY GROWN OVER THE LAST CENTURY. THIS HAS DEEPLY AFFECTED HEALTHCARE COSTS, SINCE THE GROWTH OF AN AGING POPULATION IS CORRELATED TO THE INCREASING BURDEN OF CHRONIC DISEASES. THIS REPRESENTS THE INTERESTING CHALLENGE OF HOW TO MANAGE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES IN ORDER TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE BUDGETS. EFFECTIVE PRIMARY PREVENTION COULD REPRESENT A PROMISING ROUTE. TO THIS END, PRECISION, TOGETHER WITH PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, ARE USEFUL INSTRUMENTS IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES BEFORE THE APPEARANCE OF CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND TO GUIDE PHYSICIANS TO CHOOSE A TARGETED THERAPY TO MANAGE THE PATIENT. CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES REPRESENT SUITABLE MODELS FOR TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF PRECISION MEDICINE TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO ALL STAGES OF DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS MADE IN THE FIELD OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL TO UNDERSTAND HOW GENES, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, AGING, NUTRITION, DRUGS, MICROBIOME AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN IMPACT HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT REVIEW IS TO ADDRESS HOW PRECISION AND PERSONALIZED MEDICINE CAN BRING GREATER CLARITY TO THE CLINICAL AND BIOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY OF THESE TYPES OF DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH MORTALITY, INVOLVING TREMENDOUS HEALTH CARE COSTS, BY DESCRIBING IN DETAIL THE METHODS THAT CAN BE APPLIED. THIS MIGHT OFFER PRECIOUS TOOLS FOR PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES AND POSSIBLE CLUES ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE DISEASE AND COULD HELP IN PREDICTING MORBIDITY, MORTALITY AND DETECTING CHRONIC DISEASE INDICATORS MUCH EARLIER IN THE DISEASE COURSE. THIS, OF COURSE, WILL HAVE A MAJOR EFFECT ON BOTH IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF CARE AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PATIENTS AND REDUCING TIME EFFORTS AND HEALTHCARE COSTS. 2020 20 103 34 A REHABILOMICS FRAMEWORK FOR PERSONALIZED AND TRANSLATIONAL REHABILITATION RESEARCH AND CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES: PERSPECTIVES AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPINAL CORD INJURY. DESPITE MANY PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR CLINICAL PRESENTATION, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, AND CLINICAL CARE, OUTCOME CAN DIFFER FOR THOSE SUSTAINING SIGNIFICANT INJURY SUCH AS SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI) AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI). IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND CLINICAL FACTORS, VARIABILITY ALSO MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO INNATE (INCLUDING GENETIC, TRANSCRIPTOMIC PROTEOMIC, EPIGENETIC) BIOLOGICAL VARIATION THAT INDIVIDUALS BRING TO RECOVERY AND THEIR UNIQUE RESPONSE TO THEIR CARE AND ENVIRONMENT. TECHNOLOGIES COLLECTIVELY CALLED "-OMICS" ENABLE SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF BIOMOLECULES THAT CAN CAPTURE MANY POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTORS TO HETEROGENEITY OF INJURY/DISEASE COURSE AND OUTCOME. DUE TO THE NATURE OF INJURY AND COMPLEX DISEASE, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS WITH IMPAIRMENT, DISABILITY, AND RECOVERY, REHABILITATION DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO A SINGULAR "PROTOCOLIZED" PLAN OF THERAPY. YET, BY NATURE AND BY NECESSITY, REHABILITATION MEDICINE OPERATES AS A FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF "PERSONALIZED CARE". THUS, THE CHALLENGE FOR SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS OF TRANSLATIONAL REHABILITATION CARE AND RESEARCH IS TO IDENTIFY VIABLE APPROACHES TO EXAMINE BROAD POPULATIONS, WITH VARIED IMPAIRMENTS AND FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, AND TO IDENTIFY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT RESPONSES THAT INCORPORATE PERSONALIZED PROTOCOLS TO OPTIMIZE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. THE REHABILOMICS FRAMEWORK IS A TRANSLATIONAL MODEL THAT PROVIDES AN "-OMICS" OVERLAY TO THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF REHABILITATION PROCESSES AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL OUTCOMES. REHABILOMICS RESEARCH PROVIDES NOVEL OPPORTUNITIES TO EVALUATE THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF COMPLEX INJURY OR CHRONIC DISEASE AND CAN BE USED TO EXAMINE METHODS AND TREATMENTS FOR PERSON-CENTERED CARE AMONG POPULATIONS WITH DISABILITIES. EXEMPLARS FOR APPLICATION IN SCI AND OTHER NEUROREHABILITATION POPULATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2014