1 6630 88 UNDERSTANDING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN HEALTH DISPARITIES AND EPIGENOMICS. SOCIAL EPIGENOMICS HAS EMERGED AS AN INTEGRATIVE FIELD OF RESEARCH FOCUSED ON IDENTIFICATION OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, THEIR INFLUENCE ON HUMAN BIOLOGY THROUGH EPIGENOMIC MODIFICATIONS, AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE TO CURRENT HEALTH DISPARITIES. SEVERAL HEALTH DISPARITIES STUDIES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED USING GENETIC-BASED APPROACHES; HOWEVER, INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF MOLECULAR TECHNOLOGIES HAVE ALLOWED FOR AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL FACTORS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS (E.G., DNA METHYLATION, MICRO-RNA EXPRESSION). CURRENTLY, RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS TARGETED EPIGENETIC THERAPIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL/SOCIAL STRATEGIES FOR POTENTIALLY MINIMIZING CERTAIN HEALTH DISPARITIES. HERE, WE WILL REVIEW RECENT FINDINGS IN THIS FIELD PERTAINING TO CONDITIONS AND DISEASES OVER LIFE SPAN ENCOMPASSING PRENATAL TO ADULT STAGES. 2020 2 2932 28 GENES AND EPIGENETIC PROCESSES AS PROSPECTIVE PAIN TARGETS. CHRONIC PAIN AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY ONE IN FIVE ADULTS, RESULTING IN A GREATLY REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING CO-MORBIDITIES SUCH AS DEPRESSION. AVAILABLE TREATMENTS OFTEN PROVIDE INADEQUATE PAIN RELIEF, BUT IT IS HOPED THAT THROUGH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CHRONIC PAIN STATES WE CAN DISCOVER NEW AND IMPROVED THERAPIES. ALTHOUGH GENETIC RESEARCH HAS FLOURISHED OVER THE PAST DECADE AND HAS IDENTIFIED MANY KEY GENES IN PAIN PROCESSING, THE BUDDING FIELD OF EPIGENETICS PROMISES TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS AND A MORE DYNAMIC VIEW OF PAIN REGULATION. THIS REVIEW GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF BASIC MECHANISMS AND CURRENT THERAPIES TO TREAT PAIN, AND DISCUSSES THE CLINICAL AND PRECLINICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTRIBUTION OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS, WITH A FOCUS ON HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN AFFECT DRUG DEVELOPMENT. 2013 3 3169 31 GUIDE FOR CURRENT NUTRIGENETIC, NUTRIGENOMIC, AND NUTRIEPIGENETIC APPROACHES FOR PRECISION NUTRITION INVOLVING THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY. CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING OBESITY, ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN MOST COUNTRIES. THE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF OBESITY AND ASSOCIATED COMORBIDITIES ON HEALTH REMAIN A MAJOR CONCERN DUE TO THE LACK OF EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT. PRECISION NUTRITION IS AN EMERGING THERAPEUTIC APPROACH THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC INFORMATION, AS WELL AS AGE, GENDER, OR PARTICULAR PHYSIOPATHOLOGICAL STATUS. ADVANCES IN GENOMIC SCIENCES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF GENETIC VARIANTS AND EPIGENETIC SIGNATURES AS WELL AS GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIVERSE CHRONIC CONDITIONS, AND HOW THEY MAY MODIFY THERAPEUTIC RESPONSES. THIS KNOWLEDGE HAS LED TO THE SEARCH FOR GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS TO PREDICT THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC DISEASES AND PERSONALIZING THEIR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. ADDITIONALLY, ORIGINAL NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS BASED ON NUTRIENTS AND BIOACTIVE DIETARY COMPOUNDS THAT CAN MODIFY EPIGENETIC MARKS AND GENE EXPRESSION HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED. ALTHOUGH CAUTION MUST BE EXERCISED, THESE SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS ARE PAVING THE WAY FOR THE DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL OF CHRONIC DISEASES ACCOMPANYING OBESITY. THIS DOCUMENT PROVIDES A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES OF THE HUGE POTENTIAL OF UNDERSTANDING NUTRIGENETIC, NUTRIGENOMIC, AND NUTRIEPIGENETIC ROLES IN PRECISION NUTRITION. 2017 4 2459 18 EPIGENETIC THERAPIES FOR NON-ONCOLOGY INDICATIONS. CHRONIC AND DEGENERATIVE DISORDERS ARE A MAJOR, AND GROWING, HUMAN HEALTH BURDEN, AND CURRENT TREATMENTS ARE IN MANY CASES INADEQUATE OR VERY EXPENSIVE. EPIGENETIC THERAPIES ARE ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS FOR TREATING SUCH DISORDERS BECAUSE THEY MANIPULATE THE PROCESSES THAT MAINTAIN CELLS IN AN ABNORMAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL STATE. THE CHALLENGES LIE IN IDENTIFYING THE MOST APPROPRIATE DISEASES AND THE ENZYMES THAT SHOULD BE TARGETED. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, FOCUSING PARTICULARLY ON CNS DISORDERS (ESPECIALLY MENTAL RETARDATION, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND DRUG ADDICTION), DIABETES AND DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS, AND AUTOIMMUNITY AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 2010 5 4844 31 ONE YEAR IN REVIEW 2019: PATHOGENESIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE INFLUENCED BY BOTH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, PARTICULAR ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO NOVEL GENES AND TO THE CLOSE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC FACTORS AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. RESEARCH HAS ALSO FOCUSED ON THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON DISEASE DEVELOPMENT, AND ON NEW MECHANISMS OF THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT CAN INFLUENCE THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF RA. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE DISEASE THAT NEED FURTHER INVESTIGATION. SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF RA PATHOGENESIS WILL HELP TO IMPROVE THE CURRENT DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND TO IDENTIFY NEW TARGETS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE-MODIFYING THERAPIES. THUS, IN THIS REVIEW WE SUMMARISE THE NEW INSIGHTS IN RA PATHOGENESIS, RESULTING FROM LITERATURE RESEARCH DATA PUBLISHED IN THE LAST YEAR. 2019 6 1867 21 EMERGING GENE-EDITING MODALITIES FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A PATHOLOGICAL DEGENERATIVE CONDITION OF THE JOINTS THAT IS WIDELY PREVALENT WORLDWIDE, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT PAIN, DISABILITY, AND IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE. THE DIVERSE ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS OF OA CAN EXPLAIN THE PAUCITY OF VIABLE PREVENTIVE AND DISEASE-MODIFYING STRATEGIES TO COUNTER IT. ADVANCES IN GENOME-EDITING TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE DISEASE-MODIFYING SOLUTIONS BY ADDRESSING INHERITED PREDISPOSING RISK FACTORS AND THE ACTIVITY OF INFLAMMATORY MODULATORS. RECENT PROGRESS ON TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS CRISPR/CAS9 AND CELL-BASED GENOME-EDITING THERAPIES TARGETING THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERNATIONS IN OA OFFER PROMISING AVENUES FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED THERAPIES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS LITERATURE REVIEW WAS TO CONCISELY SUMMARIZE THE GENOME-EDITING OPTIONS AGAINST CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE JOINT CONDITIONS SUCH AS OA WITH A FOCUS ON THE MORE RECENTLY EMERGING MODALITIES, ESPECIALLY CRISPR/CAS9. FUTURE ADVANCEMENTS IN NOVEL GENOME-EDITING THERAPIES MAY IMPROVE THE EFFICACY OF SUCH TARGETED TREATMENTS. 2020 7 5457 25 RESEARCH AND THE PROMOTION OF CHILD HEALTH: A POSITION PAPER OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY, HEPATOLOGY, AND NUTRITION. CHILDREN COMPRISE ONE-FIFTH OF EUROPE'S POPULATION. PROMOTING CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE FOR SOCIETY AND ITS FUTURE. THIS POSITION PAPER HIGHLIGHTS OPPORTUNITIES OF INVESTING IN GASTROINTESTINAL, LIVER, AND NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH TO PROMOTE CHILD HEALTH AND DELINEATES PRIORITIES FOR RESEARCH. INVESTING IN CHILD HEALTH PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PROMOTION OF POPULATION HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND DISEASE PREVENTION LIFELONG, WITH LARGE HEALTH ECONOMIC BENEFITS. MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSLATIONAL APPLICATION ARISE FROM RECENT SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL CUES INTERACTING WITH GENES. PERSONALISED APPROACHES TO THERAPY AND PREVENTION SHOULD BE ENHANCED. DECIPHERING THE MICROBIOME AND ITS EFFECTS ON FUNCTIONS CAN HELP IN PROMOTING LONG-TERM HEALTH. EPIGENETIC RESEARCH CAN HELP TO UNDERSTAND HOW EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCE LATER GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATIC HEALTH AND DISEASE. A LINKED NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STRATEGY CAN PROMOTE HEALTH AND PREVENT NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES, INACTIVITY, AND CHRONIC NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES, SUCH AS DIABETES, TO ENSURE OPTIMAL HEALTH AND COGNITION. SPECIAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE DEVOTED TO POPULATIONS WITH LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, MIGRANT BACKGROUND, AND ETHNIC MINORITIES, AND TO CRITICAL LIFE PERIODS, INCLUDING PREGNANCY, LACTATION, INFANCY, AND CHILDHOOD. IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF OPTIMAL NUTRITION AND ON MAINTAINING GUT AND LIVER HOMEOSTASIS THROUGHOUT CHILDHOOD WILL HELP PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES IN LATER LIFE. 2014 8 4716 28 NON-GENETIC RATS MODELS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS RESEARCH: FROM PAST TO PRESENT. ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY, PROGRESSIVE, AND CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT INVOLVES SEVERAL MOLECULAR AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. DESPITE TREATMENT LIMITATIONS, CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES HAVE UNDENIABLY CHANGED RADICALLY IN RECENT DECADES THROUGH BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE DISEASE, WHICH HAS CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED PATIENTS' SURVIVAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SOME OF THESE ADVANCES ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO BASIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR TARGETS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH RODENT MODELS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, THE ACCURACY OF THESE MODELS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. RESEARCH THAT UTILIZES GENETIC RODENT MODELS IS WELL ESTABLISHED, BUT THE USE OF SPECIFIC DIETS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER RISK FACTORS (E.G., HYPERTENSION, HORMONE DEPRIVATION, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TOOLS) IS STILL DEBATABLE. THE PRESENT REVIEW PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON NON-GENETIC RAT MODELS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. 2019 9 3910 28 LIFE COURSE OF ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS A HETEROGENEOUS CHRONIC AIRWAY DISEASE THAT CAN VARY OVER A LIFETIME. ALTHOUGH BROAD CATEGORIES OF ASTHMA BY SEVERITY AND TYPE HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED, THERE REMAINS A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER AN APPROACH TO MANAGING ASTHMA WITH ADDITIONAL FACTORS IN MIND. MANY IN THE FIELD HAVE SUGGESTED AND ARE PURSUING A NOVEL PARADIGM SHIFT IN HOW ASTHMA MIGHT BE BETTER MANAGED, CONSIDERING THE LIFE COURSE OF EXPOSURES, MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, AND PREDICTED TRAJECTORY OF LUNG FUNCTION GROWTH. THIS APPROACH WILL REQUIRE A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF PRENATAL, POSTNATAL, ADOLESCENCE, HORMONAL AND GENDER ASPECTS, AND THE AGING PROCESS. IN ADDITION, THE ENVIRONMENT, EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY, INCLUDING IN ONE'S GENETIC CODE AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ARE FACTORS THAT AFFECT HOW ASTHMA PROGRESSES OR BECOMES MORE STABLE IN INDIVIDUALS. THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON THE VARIOUS INFLUENCES THAT MAY, TO DIFFERING DEGREES, AFFECT PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA, WHICH CAN DEVELOP AT ANY TIME IN THEIR LIVES. SHIFTING THE PARADIGM OF THOUGHT AND STRATEGIES FOR CARE AND ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC POLICIES AND HEALTH DELIVERY THAT FOCUS ON THIS PHILOSOPHY IS PARAMOUNT TO ADVANCE ASTHMA CARE FOR ALL. 2023 10 46 28 A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. IN THE LAST DECADES, THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) HAVE EMERGED AS A VIGOROUS FIELD COMBINING EXPERIMENTAL, CLINICAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH. ITS GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW EVENTS IN EARLY LIFE SHAPE LATER MORBIDITY RISK, ESPECIALLY OF NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES. AS THESE DISEASES BECOME THE MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE, RESEARCH ARISING FROM DOHAD IS LIKELY TO GAIN SIGNIFICANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT ACTION MAY BE HINDERED BY THE LACK OF A FIRM MECHANISTIC EXPLANATION AND OF A CONCEPTUAL BASIS, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE PROVIDE A SUCCINCT HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND LATER DISEASE, CONSIDER THE EVOLUTIONARY AND DEVELOPMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE AND DISCUSS THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON. DOHAD SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A PART OF A BROADER BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF PLASTICITY BY WHICH ORGANISMS, IN RESPONSE TO CUES SUCH AS NUTRITION OR HORMONES, ADAPT THEIR PHENOTYPE TO ENVIRONMENT. THESE RESPONSES MAY BE DIVIDED INTO THOSE FOR IMMEDIATE BENEFIT AND THOSE AIMED AT PREDICTION OF A FUTURE ENVIRONMENT: DISEASE OCCURS IN THE MISMATCH BETWEEN PREDICTED AND REALIZED FUTURE. THE LIKELY MECHANISMS THAT ENABLE PLASTICITY INVOLVE EPIGENETIC PROCESSES, AFFECTING THE EXPRESSION OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH REGULATORY PATHWAYS. THERE IS NOW EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC MARKS MAY BE INHERITED AND SO CONTRIBUTE TO NON-GENOMIC HERITABLE DISEASE RISK. WE END BY DISCUSSING THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DOHAD PHENOMENON AND ITS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PURPOSES. 2010 11 5161 34 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 12 5163 24 PRECISION/PERSONALIZED MEDICINE IN ALLERGIC DISEASES AND ASTHMA. LIKE MANY OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES, EVERY ALLERGIC PATIENT HAS DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON CLINICAL COURSE, TREATMENT RESPONSIVENESS AND DISEASE OUTCOMES, WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND ENVIRONMENT. THIS VARIABILITY NECESSITATES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PATIENT-TAILORED AND PRECISION APPROACHES IN HANDLING ALLERGIC DISORDERS. BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGIC DISORDERS WILL PROVIDE MORE RATIONALE STRATEGIES BASED ON INDIVIDUAL CASES IN CONTROLLING AND TREATING THESE DISORDERS. ENDOTYPING, PHENOTYPING, GENOTYPING AND THERATYPING, AND BIOMARKERS ARE KEYWORDS IN THIS AREA AND HAVE BEEN GAINING LOTS OF ATTENTION IN THE FIELD OF PRECISION MEDICINE, WHICH AIMS TO REVOLUTIONIZE PATIENT CARE AND DEVELOP BETTER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES. IN ADDITION, PRECISION HEALTH IS A NEW CONCEPT THAT BRINGS PRECISE APPROACHES TO THE SCENE FOR BEING HEALTHY AND PREVENTION OF ALLERGIC DISEASE AND ASTHMA. THE SPECIALTY OF ALLERGY HAS A LEADING ROLE IN THE FIELD, BECAUSE ALLERGEN-SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY STARTED 105 YEARS AGO, AND IS HISTORICALLY A LEADING PERSONALIZED/PRECISION MEDICINE APPROACH IN ALL MEDICINE DISCIPLINES PROVIDING THE POSSIBILITY OF CURE IN AN INDIVIDUALIZED MANNER INSTEAD OF CONVENTIONAL SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENTS. 2018 13 1246 26 CURRENT EPIGENETIC ASPECTS THE CLINICAL KIDNEY RESEARCHER SHOULD EMBRACE. CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD), AFFECTING 10-12% OF THE WORLD'S ADULT POPULATION, IS ASSOCIATED WITH A CONSIDERABLY ELEVATED RISK OF SERIOUS COMORBIDITIES, IN PARTICULAR, PREMATURE VASCULAR DISEASE AND DEATH. ALTHOUGH A WIDE SPECTRUM OF CAUSATIVE FACTORS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AND/OR SUGGESTED, THERE IS STILL A LARGE GAP OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CKD PHENOTYPE. EPIGENETIC FACTORS, WHICH CALIBRATE THE GENETIC CODE, ARE EMERGING AS IMPORTANT PLAYERS IN THE CKD-ASSOCIATED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE REVIEW SOME OF THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND ASPECTS ON THEIR ROLE IN THE PERTURBED URAEMIC MILIEU, AS WELL AS THE PROSPECT OF APPLYING EPIGENOTYPE-BASED DIAGNOSTICS AND PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC TOOLS OF CLINICAL RELEVANCE TO CKD PATIENTS. THE PRACTICAL REALIZATION OF SUCH A PARADIGM WILL REQUIRE THAT RESEARCHERS APPLY A HOLISTIC APPROACH, INCLUDING THE FULL SPECTRUM OF THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE AS WELL AS THE VARIABILITY BETWEEN AND WITHIN TISSUES IN THE URAEMIC MILIEU. 2017 14 6860 27 [OBESITY EPIDEMIC: CURRENT EVIDENCE, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS]. THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC IS A PHENOMENON THAT HAS BEEN WIDELY STUDIED IN RECENT DECADES BUT IS STILL INCOMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD, AND ITS CONTROL IS FAR FROM THE DESIRABLE LEVEL IN VIEW OF THE INCREASING PREVALENCE FIGURES OBSERVED WORLDWIDE. THIS PAPER CONDUCTS A NARRATIVE REVIEW WITH THE AIM OF PROVIDING UPDATED EVIDENCE ON THE GLOBAL OBESITY EPIDEMIC, AND PARTICULARLY ON THE SITUATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND ARGENTINA, IDENTIFYING THE MAIN CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR ADDRESSING THIS PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. IT FIRST DESCRIBES THE CURRENT BURDEN AND INCREASING TRENDS IN THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY, IN THE OVERALL POPULATION AND BY POPULATION GROUPS, AND ITS POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION WITH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ASPECTS. IT ALSO SUMMARIZES THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THIS EPIDEMIC, AS WELL AS RECENT STRATEGIES AND INITIATIVES FOCUSED ON OBESITY PREVENTION, WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THOSE REPORTED AS THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT. THIS REVIEW IDENTIFIED SOME PENDING CHALLENGES IN THE REGION, THE INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE DOUBLE BURDEN OF MALNUTRITION AND THE GROWING CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT; AND IT POINTS OUT SOME EMERGING APPROACHES, SUCH AS THE SYNDEMIC APPROACH, AS POTENTIALLY USEFUL TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS THIS COMPLEX PROBLEM IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT. IN CONCLUSION, IT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING RENEWED, MORE EFFICIENT AND EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES TO CONTROL THE GROWING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY, WHICH WOULD ALSO IMPACT ON THE BURDEN OF RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES, AND THUS ON THE ECONOMY AND WELL-BEING OF LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETIES. 2023 15 1366 23 DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE: SHOULD WE FOCUS ON EARLY LIFE? CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) IS BECOMING A GLOBAL BURDEN, DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN MANAGEMENT. CKD CAN BEGIN IN EARLY LIFE BY SO-CALLED "DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING" OR "DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE" (DOHAD). EARLY-LIFE INSULTS CAUSE STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN THE DEVELOPING KIDNEY, WHICH IS CALLED RENAL PROGRAMMING. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE PROPOSITION THAT EARLY-LIFE ADVERSE EVENTS LEAD TO RENAL PROGRAMMING AND MAKE SUBJECTS VULNERABLE TO DEVELOPING CKD AND ITS COMORBIDITIES IN LATER LIFE. IN ADDITION TO LOW NEPHRON ENDOWMENT, SEVERAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR RENAL PROGRAMMING. THE DOHAD CONCEPT OPENS A NEW WINDOW TO OFFSET THE PROGRAMMING PROCESS IN EARLY LIFE TO PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT KIDNEY DISEASE, NAMELY REPROGRAMMING. HERE, WE REVIEW THE KEY THEMES ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF CKD. WE HAVE PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS: EVIDENCE FROM HUMAN STUDIES SUPPORT FETAL PROGRAMMING OF KIDNEY DISEASE; INSIGHT FROM ANIMAL MODELS OF RENAL PROGRAMMING; HYPOTHETICAL MECHANISMS OF RENAL PROGRAMMING; ALTERATIONS OF RENAL TRANSCRIPTOME IN RESPONSE TO EARLY-LIFE INSULTS; AND THE APPLICATION OF REPROGRAMMING INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT THE PROGRAMMING OF KIDNEY DISEASE. 2017 16 6204 32 THE INFLUENCE OF EPIGENETICS AND INFLAMMATION ON CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS. CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES INCLUDE METABOLIC SYNDROME, OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND HYPERTENSION. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS PARTICIPATE IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES THROUGH SEVERAL PATHWAYS, INCLUDING INFLAMMATION, VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, WHICH ENCOMPASS ALTERATIONS TO GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT MUTATING THE DNA SEQUENCE, HAVE GAINED MUCH ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS, SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN CORRELATED WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND MAY BE TARGETED FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CIGARETTE SMOKING, AND POLLUTION. SOME MODIFICATIONS ARE HERITABLE, INDICATING THAT THE BIOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS MAY BE OBSERVED ACROSS GENERATIONS. MOREOVER, MANY PATIENTS WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES PRESENT WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, WHICH CAN BE INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS. THE INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT WORSENS THE PROGNOSIS OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND FURTHER INDUCES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, PREDISPOSING PATIENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER METABOLISM-ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND COMPLICATIONS. A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES IS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE OUR DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES, PERSONALIZED MEDICINE APPROACHES, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. FURTHER UNDERSTANDING MAY ALSO ASSIST IN PREDICTING DISEASE OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES UNDERLYING CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES, AND FURTHER DISCUSSES ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH FIELD WITH A FOCUS ON SPECIFIC POINTS FOR INTERVENTIONAL THERAPY. 2023 17 421 29 ANIMAL MODELS IN EPIGENETIC RESEARCH: INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE CONSIDERATIONS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. THE RAPID EXPANSION AND EVOLUTION OF EPIGENETICS AS A CORE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE HAVE RAISED NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW ENDOGENOUS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN INFORM THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH BIOLOGICAL FORM AND FUNCTION ARE REGULATED. EXISTING AND PROPOSED ANIMAL MODELS USED FOR EPIGENETIC RESEARCH HAVE TARGETED A MYRIAD OF HEALTH AND DISEASE ENDPOINTS THAT MAY BE ACUTE, CHRONIC, AND TRANSGENERATIONAL IN NATURE. INITIATING EVENTS AND OUTCOMES MAY EXTEND ACROSS THE ENTIRE LIFESPAN TO ELICIT UNANTICIPATED PHENOTYPES THAT ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN TO INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEES (IACUCS). THE DYNAMICS AND PLASTICITY OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PRODUCE EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE MANIFEST DIFFERENTIALLY WITHIN DISCREET SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CONTEXTS, INCLUDING PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT, STEM CELLS, ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, PRODUCTION OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISMS, SENESCENCE, AND OTHERS. MANY DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITIES THROUGH ALTERED EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING. THE ENVIRONMENTAL, CHEMICAL, TOXIC, THERAPEUTIC, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS USED IN ANIMAL STUDIES TO ELICIT EPIGENETIC CHANGES CAN BECOME EXTREME AND SHOULD RAISE IACUC CONCERNS FOR THE WELL-BEING AND PROPER CARE OF ALL RESEARCH ANIMALS INVOLVED. EPIGENETICS RESEARCH IS RAPIDLY BECOMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SEARCH FOR MECHANISMS IN EVERY MAJOR AREA OF BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND WILL FOSTER THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANIMAL MODELS. FROM THE IACUC PERSPECTIVE, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICULAR NEEDS AND CONCERNS CREATED BY SUPERIMPOSITION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OVER DIVERSE FIELDS OF INVESTIGATION TO ENSURE THE PROPER CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS WITHOUT IMPEDING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. 2012 18 6786 23 [CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY ON RESEARCH PROGRESS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION]. VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IS AN ACTIVE AND COMPLEX PATHOLOGICAL PROCESS REGULATED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND OTHER DISEASES, WHICH AFFECTS MULTIPLE ORGANS AND SYSTEMS, THUS AFFECTING PEOPLE'S HEALTH. THEREFORE, MORE AND MORE ATTENTION IS PAID TO VASCULAR CALCIFICATION. AT PRESENT, THE PATHOGENESIS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVED, WHICH MAINLY INCLUDES CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS IMBALANCE THEORY, VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL TRANSDIFFERENTIATION THEORY, BONE HOMEOSTASIS IMBALANCE THEORY, EPIGENETIC REGULATION THEORY, INFLAMMATION THEORY, EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX THEORY, NEW CELL FATE THEORY AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL MANY UNSOLVED PROBLEMS. SINCE THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION AFFECT MULTIPLE ORGANS AND SYSTEMS, THIS EXPERT CONSENSUS GATHERED CLINICIANS AND BASIC RESEARCH EXPERTS ENGAGED IN THE STUDY OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN ORDER TO SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS OF VARIOUS DISCIPLINES RELATED TO VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN RECENT YEARS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONSENSUS IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY SUMMARIZE THE LATEST RESEARCH PROGRESS, TREATMENT CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION FROM THE ASPECTS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, SO AS TO PROVIDE THEORETICAL BASIS AND CLINICAL ENLIGHTENMENT FOR IN-DEPTH RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD. 2022 19 6048 24 THE CONCEPTS OF ASTHMA ENDOTYPES AND PHENOTYPES TO GUIDE CURRENT AND NOVEL TREATMENT STRATEGIES. ASTHMA, A COMMON, NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASE AFFECTS OVER 300 MILLION INDIVIDUALS WORLDWIDE. THE WESTERN WORLD LIFESTYLE IS CLAIMED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS HIGH AND INCREASING PREVALENCE. ASTHMA HAS BEEN DEFINED AS A SYNDROME WITH VARIOUS PHENOTYPES AND ENDOTYPES, ALLERGIC ASTHMA AND TYPE 2 ASTHMA BEING THE MOST FREQUENT. A GREAT INCREASE IN PREVALENCE OF ALLERGIC DISEASES HAS NECESSITATED INTENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS BOTH FOR UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL THERAPY OPTIONS WITH LONG-TERM EFFICACY AND LIMITED SIDE-EFFECTS. ALLERGIC PATIENTS DEMONSTRATE UNIQUE PRESENTATIONS WITH VARIABLE VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS AND DISEASE OUTCOMES DEPENDING ON DIFFERENT MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, RELATED TO INFLUENCE OF GENES AND EPIGENETIC CONTROL BY MICRO- AND MACRO-ENVIRONMENT. AREAS COVERED: THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE DEFINITION OF ASTHMA PHENOTYPES AND POSSIBLE ENDOTYPES, ADVANCES IN ALLERGY-IMMUNOLOGY FIELD AND CONTEMPORARY PERSONALIZED THERAPY OPTIONS FOR ASTHMA. EXPERT COMMENTARY: BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX IMMUNE NETWORK OF ALLERGIC INFLAMMATION AND KEY PLAYERS OF IMMUNITY IS CONTINUOUSLY BEING PROVIDED FOR CLARIFICATION OF ASTHMA SUB-TYPES. SUCCESSFUL THERAPY OF ASTHMA REQUIRES BETTER DEFINITION OF UNDERLYING PATHOGENESIS, WHICH SEQUENTIALLY COULD END UP WITH 'CUSTOM-TAILORED' INDIVIDUALIZED, EVIDENCE-BASED AND MORE PRECISE THERAPY OPTIONS; A NEW ERA TERMED AS 'PRECISION MEDICINE'. ENDOTYPE, PHENOTYPE, THERATYPE AND BIOMARKER TERMS ARISE AS MAJOR KEYWORDS IN PRECISION/PERSONALIZED MEDICINE. 2018 20 264 20 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