1 5053 136 PHARMACOLOGY OF PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION: AN OVERVIEW OF CURRENT AND EMERGING THERAPIES. PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IS A RARE AND DEVASTATING DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY AN ABNORMAL CHRONIC INCREASE IN PULMONARY ARTERIAL PRESSURE ABOVE 20 MMHG AT REST, WITH A POOR PROGNOSIS IF NOT TREATED. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NOT A SINGLE FULLY EFFECTIVE THERAPY, EVEN THOUGH A DOZEN OF DRUGS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE LAST DECADES. PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IS A MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASE, MEANING THAT SEVERAL MOLECULAR MECHANISMS ARE IMPLICATED IN ITS PATHOLOGY. THE MAIN MOLECULAR PATHWAYS REGULATING THE PULMONARY VASOMOTOR TONE-ENDOTHELIN, NITRIC OXIDE, AND PROSTACYCLIN-ARE THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY AND THERAPEUTICALLY EXPLORED TO DATE. HOWEVER, DRUGS TARGETING THESE PATHWAYS HAVE ALREADY FOUND THEIR LIMITATIONS. IN THE LAST YEARS, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE MADE A STRONG EFFORT IN SUGGESTING AND TESTING NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR THIS DISEASE. THESE APPROACHES INVOLVE TARGETING THE MAIN MOLECULAR PATHWAYS WITH NOVEL DRUGS, DRUG REPURPOSING FOR NOVEL TARGETS, AND ALSO USING COMBINATORIAL THERAPIES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE CURRENT STRATEGIES AND DRUGS TARGETING THE ENDOTHELIN, NITRIC OXIDE, AND PROSTACYCLIN PATHWAYS, AS WELL AS, THE EMERGING NEW DRUGS PROPOSED TO COPE WITH VASCULAR REMODELLING, METABOLIC SWITCH, PERIVASCULAR INFLAMMATION, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, ESTROGEN DEREGULATION, SEROTONIN, AND OTHER NEUROHUMORAL MECHANISMS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS DISEASE. NOWADAYS, PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION REMAINS AN INCURABLE DISEASE; HOWEVER, THE INCOMING NEW KNOWLEDGE MAKES US BELIEVE THAT NEW PROMISING THERAPIES ARE COMING TO THE CLINICAL ARENA SOON. 2020 2 6153 26 THE FUNCTION OF THE METALS IN REGULATING EPIGENETICS DURING PARKINSON'S DISEASE. PARKINSON'S MEANS PARKINSON'S DISEASE, A CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASE OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. THE MAIN AREA WHICH IS AFFECTED BY THIS DISEASE IS MOTOR SYSTEM. SINCE IT FIRSTLY FOUNDED BY JAMES PARKINSON IN HIS 1817 PUBLICATION, NOWADAYS, PEOPLE STILL HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS DISEASE. THIS REVIEW MAINLY SUMMARIZES THE EPIGENETICS OF PARKINSON'S. DNA METHYLATION IS ONE OF THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF PARKINSON'S. DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE, GLOBAL HYPOMETHYLATION, AND HYPERMETHYLATION HAPPEN IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF PATIENTS. ANOTHER EPIGENETIC MECHANISM IS HISTONE MODIFICATION. PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SOME METALS CAN INDUCE PARKINSON'S DISEASE BY MODULATING EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIFFERENT METALS AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE. HOWEVER, THE SPECIFIC ROLES OF MOST METALS IN EPIGENETICS ARE STILL UNKNOWN, WHICH NEED FURTHER RESEARCH. 2020 3 6392 30 THE ROLE OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: CURRENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. OBJECTIVES: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A POORLY UNDERSTOOD CHRONIC DISEASE. ITS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY IS COMPLEX, DYNAMIC, AND LINKED TO EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND MICROBIOTA INVOLVEMENT. NOWADAYS, CORRELATING SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH THE ENVIRONMENT MAKES SENSE OWING TO ITS MULTIDIMENSIONAL IMPLICATIONS: TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIABILITY. MICROBIOTA INVOLVEMENT AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE FACTORS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ANOTHER DIMENSION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. METHODS: THIS REVIEW SUMMARISES AND DISCUSSES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION, FOCUSSING ON THE MICROBIOTA, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES AIMED AT PERFORMING EXHAUSTIVE ANALYSES OF THE MICROBIOTA, AND PSYCHOTHERAPIES, TO ESTABLISH FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. RESULTS: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MICROBIOTA, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS ALLOWS FOR FORMULATING NEW APPROACHES OBJECTIVELY ORIENTED TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPIES THAT MAY HELP TREAT SCHIZOPHRENIA. CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS REVIEW, THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS WERE CONSIDERED AS KEY REGULATORS, REVEALING A POTENTIAL NEW AETIOLOGY OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. LIKEWISE, CONTINUOUS TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES (E.G. CULTUROMICS), AIMED AT THE MICROBIOTA-GUT-BRAIN AXIS GENERATE NEW EVIDENCE ON THIS CONCEPT. 2018 4 6776 28 [APPROACHING NEW PHARMACOTHERAPY OPTIONS IN PAIN TREATMENT]. THE EVOLUTION OF MEDICINE IS NOTICEABLE IN MOST THERAPEUTIC AREAS, THE WORSE THE CURRENT THERAPEUTIC RESULT, THE MORE QUICK THE IMPROVEMENT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN SUCH AREAS THAT REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL SOCIAL RESOURCES, NAMELY ONCOLOGY, DIABETOLOGY AND CNS DISEASES. PAIN IS NOT A DISEASE, IT IS A SYMPTOM. PAIN IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF HUMAN SUFFERING THUS IT DESERVES SPECIAL ATTENTION. IN RECENT YEARS NEW FORMULATIONS OF OLD MEDICINES WERE INTRODUCED RATHER THAN NEW MEDICINES. MAYBE ZICONITIDE IS THE LAST PAIN KILLER WITH NEW MECHANISM OF ACTION WHICH WAS APPROVED BY FDA IN 2004. HOWEVER, THE NEW INFORMATION AND TECHNIQUES ARE ALSO APPEARING IN THE FIELD OF ANALGESIA. NOWADAYS ONE CAN TALK ABOUT GENETIC/EPIGENETIC TARGETS, RNA THERAPIES, VOLTAGE-GATED CALCIUM CHANNELS, NEW PAIN RECEPTORS (TRPV1, TRPV4, NMDA, NAV RECEPTORS) REGARDING PAIN TREATMENT, INDICATING THAT THE PRACTICE OF THE PHARMACOTHERAPY OF PAIN WILL CHANGE FUNDAMENTALLY IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. THIS PAPER IS INTENDED TO GIVE A SHORT SUMMARY OF THESE NEW OPTIONS. 2017 5 4290 40 MICRORNA LOADED EDIBLE NANOPARTICLES: AN EMERGING PERSONALIZED THERAPEUTIC APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY AND METABOLIC DISORDERS. OBESITY IS A METABOLIC CHRONIC DISEASE WHOSE PREVALENCE IS STRONGLY GROWING IN THE LAST YEARS, REACHING PANDEMIC PROPORTIONS. NOWADAYS WEIGHT LOSS, ACHIEVED THROUGH LIFESTYLE CHANGES, IS THE FIRST LINE THERAPEUTIC OBJECTIVE, ALTHOUGH GREAT INTER-INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITIES INFLUENCE RESPONSE TO TREATMENT, SUGGESTING THE INVOLVEMENT OF EPIGENETIC FACTORS. IN THIS CONTEST, THERE IS INCREASING RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE OF SMALL RNA MOLECULES, PARTICULARLY MICRORNAS IN THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENES INVOLVED IN ADIPOSE TISSUE AND GLUCOSE METABOLISM AND SEVERAL MICRORNAS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE DYSREGULATED IN OBESITY AND METABOLIC DISEASES. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL PERSONALIZED THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES USING MICRORNAS BEARS PROMISE. HOWEVER, THE APPLICATION OF NAKED MICRORNAS HAS BEEN HAMPERED BY THEIR LOW SPECIFICITY AND SENSITIVITY. IN A RECENT ISSUE OF THERANOSTICS, KUMAR ET AL. EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITY OF MICRORNA DELIVERY THROUGH GINGER-DERIVED NANOPARTICLES (GDNPS) AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH FOR OBESITY TREATMENT. THE RESULTS REPORTED BY KUMAR ET AL., ADDRESSING NON-CODING RNAS AND EDIBLE PLANT DERIVED NANOPARTICLES, OPEN NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR THE APPLICATION OF THIS INNOVATIVE AND SAFE DELIVERY SYSTEM IN THE CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY AND OTHER METABOLIC DISORDERS. 2022 6 6042 35 THE COLON REVISITED OR THE KEY TO WELLNESS, HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE HYPOTHESIS BEING ADVANCED IN THIS PAPER IS THAT THERE IS A NEW MEDICAL PARADIGM EMERGING FROM THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN THIS CENTURY, MAINLY DUE TO THE EXPLOSION OF THE SO CALLED "OMICS" AND ASSOCIATED TECHNIQUES. THE MAIN IDEA IS THAT THERE IS A COMMON PATHWAY FROM WELLBEING AND HEALTH TO CHRONIC DISEASE ("CHRONOPATHY") AND EVEN TO DEATH, WHICH COMPRISES FOLLOWING STEPS: 1) UNHEALTHY DIET, SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE AND PERMANENT EXPOSITION TO XENOBIOTICS AND ALL KINDS OF NOXIOUS STIMULI;-->2) INTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS;-->3) ALTERATION OF THE INTESTINAL MUCUS LAYER (ESPECIALLY THAT OF THE COLON);-->4) DISRUPTION OF THE ENDOTHELIAL TIGHT JUNCTIONS;-->5) METABOLIC ENDOTOXEMIA+BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION;-->6) INFLAMMATION;-->7) EXACERBATION OF THE ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ENS) AND CONSEQUENT MALADAPTATION AND MALFUNCTIONING OF THE COLON;-->8) EPIGENETIC MANIFESTATIONS;-->9) "CHRONOPATHY" AND PREMATURE DEATH. THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A GOOD HEALTH OR TO IMPROVE OR EVEN REVERSE CHRONIC DISEASES IN A PERSON, THE MAIN OUTCOME TO LOOK FOR IS A HOMEOSTATIC BALANCE OF THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA (EUBIOSIS), MOST OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE COLON. LYNN MARGULIS WAS ONE OF THE MAIN SCIENTISTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY BACTERIA NOT ONLY IN THE ORIGIN OF ALL BIOLOGICAL SPECIES NOW PRESENT ON EARTH, BUT ALSO ON THEIR ROLE IN GLOBAL HOMEOSTASIS. BACTERIA DO NOT RELY ON OTHER LIVING BEINGS FOR THEIR EXISTENCE, WHILE THE LATTER DEPEND COMPLETELY ON THE FORMER. HUMANS ARE NO EXEMPTION, AND NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES EACH DAY ABOUT THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA IN HUMAN HEALTH, DISEASE AND, IN GENERAL, IN ITS WELLBEING. THE FOLLOWING FACTS ABOUT INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA ARE NOWADAYS GENERALLY ACCEPTED: THERE ARE ABOUT 10 TIMES MORE BACTERIA IN THE GUT THAN HUMAN CELLS IN EVERY HUMAN BEING; THE MICROBIOMA IS ABOUT 100-150 TIMES BIGGER THAT THE HUMAN GENOME, AND THERE IS A CLEAR LINK BETWEEN INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA AND MANY OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES, FROM OBESITY AND DIABETES TO DEPRESSION AND PARKINSON DISEASE AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF CANCER. THE MAIN IMPLICATION OF THIS THEORY IS THAT WE SHOULD BECOME A SORT OF MICROBIOTA FARMERS, THAT IS, WE OUGHT TO BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF OUR INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA, TAKE CARE OF IT AND MONITOR IT PERMANENTLY. THUS, AS PART OF OUR GOOD LIFE HABITS (HEALTHY EATING, PHYSICAL EXERCISE), WE SHOULD PROBABLY UNDERGO PERIODIC SEASONS OF FASTING AND COLON CLEANSING, AS IT WAS COMMON IN OLDER TIMES. 2017 7 5473 33 RESPONSES OF PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS TO METHOTREXATE: A GENOMIC OUTLOOK. INTRODUCTION: JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS (JIA) IS A CHRONIC DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY PERSISTENT JOINT INFLAMMATION. JIA IS THE MOST COMMON PEDIATRIC CHRONIC RHEUMATIC DISEASE AND NO CURATIVE THERAPY IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. METHOTREXATE (MTX) IS AN IMPORTANT TREATMENT FOR JIA EVEN THOUGH A HIGH INTER-INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN RESPONSE IS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS. AMONG THE FACTORS OF THIS VARIABILITY, GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS MIGHT PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. AREAS COVERED: THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF PHARMACOGENETIC AND PHARMACOEPIGENETIC STUDIES REGARDING MTX RESPONSE IN JIA. STUDIES CONSIDERING EPIGENETIC FACTORS IN JIA PATIENTS ARE STILL VERY LIMITED, THEREFORE THIS REVIEW INCLUDES ALSO STUDIES PERFORMED IN ADULT PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. MOREOVER, THE RELEVANCE OF BIOMARKERS MEASURED IN BLOOD OR URINE OF JIA PATIENTS IN RELATION TO MTX TREATMENT IS DISCUSSED. EXPERT OPINION: NOWADAYS, EVEN THOUGH MANY PHARMACOGENOMICS STUDIES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED, A SPECIFIC GENETIC MARKER PREDICTOR OF MTX EFFICACY OR ADVERSE EVENTS HAS NOT YET BEEN IDENTIFIED. ENCOURAGING RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS RELY ON THE STUDY OF EPIGENETICS. FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLINICAL PRACTICE. 2021 8 2881 29 FUTURE PERSPECTIVES OF PERSONALIZED WEIGHT LOSS INTERVENTIONS BASED ON NUTRIGENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND METAGENOMIC DATA. AS OBESITY HAS BECOME A MAJOR GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE, A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE ANALYZED DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AIMED AT INDUCING A NEGATIVE ENERGY BALANCE AND, CONSEQUENTLY, BODY WEIGHT LOSS. HOWEVER, MOST EXISTING WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS ARE GENERALLY UNSUCCESSFUL, SO SEVERAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT TO IDENTIFY PHYSIOLOGIC AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS CONCERNING THIS VARIABILITY IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT MORE PERSONALIZED TREATMENT. NOWADAYS, AN INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH IS BEING PROPOSED THROUGH SO-CALLED PERSONALIZED NUTRITION, WHEREBY NOT ONLY THE PHENOTYPE BUT ALSO THE GENOTYPE IS USED FOR CUSTOMIZED NUTRITION TREATMENT. REGARDING BODY WEIGHT REGULATION, APPROXIMATELY 70 POLYMORPHISMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN OR NEAR GENES RELATED TO ENERGY EXPENDITURE, APPETITE, ADIPOGENESIS, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND LIPID METABOLISM. ALTHOUGH PERSONALIZED NUTRITION REFERS MAINLY TO GENETIC MAKEUP, RECENT ADVANCES IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE EPIGENOME AND THE MICROBIOME OPEN THE DOOR TO IMPLEMENT MORE PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BODY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. IN THIS CONTEXT, RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EXISTENCE OF SEVERAL EPIGENETIC MARKERS THAT MAY MODIFY GENE EXPRESSION AND COULD BE INVOLVED IN THE OUTCOME OF WEIGHT LOSS INTERVENTIONS. MOREOVER, DIFFERENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT DIETARY INTERVENTIONS COULD AFFECT THE COMPOSITION OF GUT MICROBIOTA AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON BODY WEIGHT. THE INTEGRATION OF NUTRIGENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND METAGENOMIC DATA MAY LEAD TO THE DESIGN OF MORE PERSONALIZED DIETARY TREATMENTS TO PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES AND TO OPTIMIZE THE INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSE TO DIETARY INTERVENTIONS. 2015 9 6803 19 [EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN PHYSIOLOGIC AND PATHOLOGIC PREGNANCIES]. EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE NOWADAYS IN THE FOCUS OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST IN MEDICINE INCLUDING OBSTETRICS. THE ENVIRONMENT IN UTERO AND EARLY NEONATAL LIFE MAY INDUCE A PERMANENT RESPONSE IN THE FETUS AND THE NEWBORN LEADING TO ENHANCED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO LATER DISEASES. THERE IS NOW GROWING EVIDENCE THAT THE EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING MAY ALSO MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN THE NEXT GENERATIONS WITHOUT FURTHER SUBOPTIMAL EXPOSURE. THE SO-CALLED FETAL PROGRAMMING MAY ALSO HIGHLIGHT A TIGHT CONNECTION BETWEEN PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN PREGNANCY, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULTHOOD. INVESTIGATION OF EPIGENETIC FACTORS MAY YIELD NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES AFFECTING A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE POPULATION. 2014 10 1366 22 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 11 6858 21 [NUTRIGENOMICS, OBESITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH]. FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS WILL CHANGE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE IN CLINICAL NUTRITION IN THE FORTHCOMING YEARS. THE POSSIBILITY OF PERFORMING AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENETIC PROFILE (GENETIC VARIATIONS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS) AS WELL AS THE ABILITY OF ITS INTEGRATION IN A COMPLEX NETWORK OF METABOLIC INTERACTIONS REPRESENTS A HUGE CHALLENGE IN HUMAN NUTRITION. THE INFLUENCE OF NUTRIGENOMICS IN TERMS OF PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES, SUCH AS OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN A POPULATION LEVEL REMAINS UNDETERMINED FOR THE MOMENT. THE OPPORTUNITY OF NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION IN CRITICAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE CHANCE OF CHANGING GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASES THROUGH DIET IN A PUBLIC HEALTH BASIS SHOULD LEAD THE FUTURE OF NUTRIGENOMICS BEYOND THE MERE DESIGN OF "PERSONALIZED" FUNCTIONAL FOOD OR DIETS. 2007 12 3169 30 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 13 1934 25 ENVIRONMENTAL ORIGINS OF HYPERTENSION: PHYLOGENY, ONTOGENY AND EPIGENETICS. HYPERTENSION AND RENAL PARENCHYMAL DISEASE ARE INTRICATELY LINKED. PRIMARY RENAL PARENCHYMAL DISEASE CAN IMPACT ON SODIUM AND VOLUME REGULATION AND LEAD TO HYPERTENSION, WHILE ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION CAN INDUCE RENAL PARENCHYMAL INJURY AND PRECIPITATE RENAL DYSFUNCTION. THE EXAMINATION FOR CLUES TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ORIGINS OF RENAL DISEASE AND HYPERTENSION NECESSITATES AN APPROACH THAT INTEGRATES EPIDEMIOLOGY, CLINICAL MEDICINE, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND EPIGENETICS, SUCH THAT THE MANNER IN WHICH GENES AND THE ENVIRONMENT INTERACT CAN BE BETTER UNDERSTOOD TO PAVE THE WAY FOR INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT PARADIGMS WITH REGARDS TO PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE EXTANT LITERATURE AND PROVIDES COGENT ARGUMENTS FOR THE NEED TO EVALUATE CHRONIC ADULT ONSET DISEASE MODELS SUCH AS HYPERTENSION AND RENAL DISEASE FROM THE MODERN PERSPECTIVE THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT PRENATAL EXPOSURES, THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, POSTNATAL GROWTH AND TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS WITH THEIR ATTENDANT FUTURE DISEASE RISK FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE POPULATION LEVEL. 2015 14 5951 32 TARGETING THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN-ALDOSTERONE SYSTEM TO PREVENT HYPERTENSION AND KIDNEY DISEASE OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS. THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN-ALDOSTERONE SYSTEM (RAAS) IS IMPLICATED IN HYPERTENSION AND KIDNEY DISEASE. THE DEVELOPING KIDNEY CAN BE PROGRAMMED BY VARIOUS EARLY-LIFE INSULTS BY SO-CALLED RENAL PROGRAMMING, RESULTING IN HYPERTENSION AND KIDNEY DISEASE IN ADULTHOOD. THIS THEORY IS KNOWN AS DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD). CONVERSELY, EARLY RAAS-BASED INTERVENTIONS COULD REVERSE PROGRAM PROCESSES TO PREVENT A DISEASE FROM OCCURRING BY SO-CALLED REPROGRAMMING. IN THE CURRENT REVIEW, WE MAINLY SUMMARIZE (1) THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE RAAS IMPLICATED IN RENAL PROGRAMMING; (2) CURRENT EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE ABERRANT RAAS AND OTHER MECHANISMS BEHIND RENAL PROGRAMMING, SUCH AS OXIDATIVE STRESS, NITRIC OXIDE DEFICIENCY, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND GUT MICROBIOTA DYSBIOSIS; AND (3) AN OVERVIEW OF HOW RAAS-BASED REPROGRAMMING INTERVENTIONS MAY PREVENT HYPERTENSION AND KIDNEY DISEASE OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS. TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSITION OF RAAS-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PREVENTION OF HYPERTENSION AND KIDNEY DISEASE, AN EXTENDED COMPREHENSION OF THE RAAS IMPLICATED IN RENAL PROGRAMMING IS NEEDED, AS WELL AS A GREATER FOCUS ON FURTHER CLINICAL TRANSLATION. 2021 15 6713 36 VISCERAL ADIPOSITY SYNDROME. THE ASSOCIATION OF ANTHROPOMETRIC (WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE) AND HEMODYNAMIC (BLOOD PRESSURE) CHANGES WITH ABNORMALITIES IN GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM HAS BEEN MOTIVATION FOR A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. NOWADAYS, BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY MASS INDEX/ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE, GLYCEMIA, TRIGLYCERIDEMIA, AND HDL-CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS ARE CONSIDERED IN THE DEFINITION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME, REFERRED AS VISCERAL ADIPOSITY SYNDROME (VAS) IN THE PRESENT REVIEW. HOWEVER, MORE THAN 250 YEARS AGO AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISCERAL AND MEDIASTINAL OBESITY WITH HYPERTENSION, GOUT, AND OBSTRUCTIVE APNEA HAD ALREADY BEEN RECOGNIZED. EXPANSION OF VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE SECONDARY TO CHRONIC OVER-CONSUMPTION OF CALORIES STIMULATES THE RECRUITMENT OF MACROPHAGES, WHICH ASSUME AN INFLAMMATORY PHENOTYPE AND PRODUCE CYTOKINES THAT DIRECTLY INTERFERE WITH INSULIN SIGNALING, RESULTING IN INSULIN RESISTANCE. IN TURN, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) MANIFESTS ITSELF IN VARIOUS TISSUES, CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERALL PHENOTYPE OF VAS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE, IR RESULTS IN LIPOLYSIS, INCREASED FREE FATTY ACIDS RELEASE AND WORSENING OF INFLAMMATION, SINCE FATTY ACIDS CAN BIND TO TOLL-LIKE RECEPTORS. IN THE LIVER, IR RESULTS IN INCREASED HEPATIC GLUCOSE PRODUCTION, CONTRIBUTING TO HYPERGLYCEMIA; IN THE VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM AND KIDNEY, IR RESULTS IN VASOCONSTRICTION, SODIUM RETENTION AND, CONSEQUENTLY, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. OTHER PLAYERS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VAS, SUCH AS GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, EPIGENETIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AN UNFAVOURABLE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT AND THE GUT MICROBIOTA. MORE RECENTLY, EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM PARTICIPATES IN MODULATING VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE. THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IS RELATED TO ADIPOSE TISSUE FUNCTION AND DIFFERENTIATION THROUGH BETA1, BETA2, BETA3, ALPHA1, AND ALPHA2 ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS. THE RELATION IS BIDIRECTIONAL: SYMPATHETIC DENERVATION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE BLOCKS LIPOLYSIS TO A VARIETY OF LIPOLYTIC STIMULI AND ADIPOSE TISSUE SEND INPUTS TO THE BRAIN. AN IMBALANCE OF SYMPATHETIC/PARASYMPATHETIC AND ALPHA2 ADRENERGIC/BETA3 RECEPTOR IS RELATED TO VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE STORAGE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY. THUS, IN ADDITION TO THE WELL-KNOWN FACTORS CLASSICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH VAS, ABNORMAL AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY ALSO EMERGES AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR REGULATING WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS COMPLEX ROLE OF ADIPOSE TISSUE IN THE VAS. 2016 16 6860 28 [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 17 13 47 360-DEGREE PERSPECTIVES ON OBESITY. ALARMING STATISTICS SHOW THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY EXCESSIVE WEIGHT HAS SURPASSED 2 BILLION, REPRESENTING APPROXIMATELY 30% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS, CONSIDERING THAT OBESITY REQUIRES AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ITS COMPLEX ETIOLOGY, INCLUDING GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. ONLY AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE MANY CONTRIBUTORS TO OBESITY AND THE SYNERGY BETWEEN TREATMENT INTERVENTIONS CAN ENSURE SATISFACTORY OUTCOMES IN REDUCING OBESITY. MECHANISMS SUCH AS OXIDATIVE STRESS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, AND DYSBIOSIS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF OBESITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS. COMPOUNDING FACTORS SUCH AS THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF STRESS, THE NOVEL CHALLENGE POSED BY THE OBESOGENIC DIGITAL (FOOD) ENVIRONMENT, AND THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. PRECLINICAL RESEARCH IN ANIMAL MODELS HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ELUCIDATING THESE MECHANISMS, AND TRANSLATION INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE HAS PROVIDED PROMISING THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS, INCLUDING EPIGENETIC APPROACHES, PHARMACOTHERAPY, AND BARIATRIC SURGERY. HOWEVER, MORE STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DISCOVER NEW COMPOUNDS THAT TARGET KEY METABOLIC PATHWAYS, INNOVATIVE WAYS TO DELIVER THE DRUGS, THE OPTIMAL COMBINATIONS OF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS WITH ALLOPATHIC TREATMENTS, AND, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, EMERGING BIOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR EFFECTIVE MONITORING. WITH EACH PASSING DAY, THE OBESITY CRISIS TIGHTENS ITS GRIP, THREATENING NOT ONLY INDIVIDUAL LIVES BUT ALSO BURDENING HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES AT LARGE. IT IS HIGH TIME WE TOOK ACTION AS WE CONFRONT THE URGENT IMPERATIVE TO ADDRESS THIS ESCALATING GLOBAL HEALTH CHALLENGE HEAD-ON. 2023 18 5163 29 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 19 2584 32 EPIGENETICS OF OBESITY. OBESITY IS A METABOLIC DISEASE, WHICH IS BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC HEALTH PROBLEM: IT HAS BEEN RECENTLY DEFINED IN TERMS OF GLOBAL PANDEMIC. OVER THE YEARS, THE APPROACHES THROUGH FAMILY, TWINS AND ADOPTION STUDIES LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SOME CAUSAL GENES IN MONOGENIC FORMS OF OBESITY BUT THE ORIGINS OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED ESSENTIALLY DUE TO GENETIC FACTORS, BECAUSE HUMAN GENOME IS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE IN JUST A FEW YEARS. EPIGENETIC STUDIES HAVE OFFERED IN RECENT YEARS VALUABLE TOOLS FOR THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLDWIDE SPREAD OF THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY. THE INVOLVEMENT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS-DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE TAILS, AND MIRNAS MODIFICATIONS-IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY IS MORE AND MORE EVIDENT. IN THE EPIGENETIC LITERATURE, THERE ARE EVIDENCES THAT THE ENTIRE EMBRYO-FETAL AND PERINATAL PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PROGRAMMING OF ALL HUMAN ORGANS AND TISSUES. THEREFORE, THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING REQUIRE A NEW AND GENERAL PATHOGENIC PARADIGM, THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE THEORY, TO EXPLAIN THE CURRENT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRANSITION, THAT IS, THE WORLDWIDE INCREASE OF CHRONIC, DEGENERATIVE, AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS OBESITY, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND CANCER. OBESITY AND ITS RELATED COMPLICATIONS ARE MORE AND MORE ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS (OBESOGENS), GUT MICROBIOTA MODIFICATIONS AND UNBALANCED FOOD INTAKE, WHICH CAN INDUCE, THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WEIGHT GAIN, AND ALTERED METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES. 2016 20 6454 30 THIRD JESUS CULEBRAS LECTURE - MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND CLINICAL NUTRITION; WHERE DO WE STAND AND WHERE DO WE GO? NUTRITION PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH AND THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE, AND SERVES AS THE CROSSROADS FOR MANY DISCIPLINES. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPRESENTS A KEY BRAND OF SCIENCE TO ASCERTAIN THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NUTRIENTS AND OTHER FOOD BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT JESUS M. CULEBRAS LECTURE IS TO CONSIDER THE FUTURE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND CLINICAL NUTRITION AND TO DISCUSS THE USE OF MOLECULAR AND GENETIC TOOLS TO STUDY MOLECULAR RESPONSES TO DIETARY FACTORS AND THE METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES OF FOOD AND TO CONSIDER MAJOR CHALLENGES ON HUMAN NUTRITION SCIENCES IN THE 21(ST) CENTURY. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO THE IDENTIFICATION AND USE OF NOVEL BIOMARKERS IN INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. LIKEWISE, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HUMAN MICROBIOME AND HOW MICROORGANISMS CAN BE SAFELY UTILIZED IN THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF INFECTIOUS AND CHRONIC DISEASES ARE DISCUSSED. MOREOVER, THE KEY ROLE OF NUTRIGENETICS, NUTRIGENOMICS AND EPIGENETICS IN THE NEW ERA OF NUTRITION IS CONSIDERED. NUTRIGENETICS REFERS TO THE ROLE OF DNA SEQUENCE VARIATION IN THE RESPONSES TO NUTRIENTS, WHEREAS NUTRIGENOMICS IS THE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF NUTRIENTS IN GENE EXPRESSION. EPIGENETICS IS THE STUDY OF MITOTICALLY HERITABLE ALTERATIONS IN GENE EXPRESSION POTENTIAL THAT ARE NOT CAUSED BY DNA SEQUENCE ALTERATIONS. IN THE PAST DECADE, IT HAS INCREASINGLY BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT DYSREGULATION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HUMAN DISEASE. INDEED, THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST IN EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PHENOTYPE MODIFICATION MODULATED BY NUTRIENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THOSE AREAS SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO EVALUATE FUNCTIONALITY OF SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN CLINICAL NUTRITION AND ALLOW PERSONALIZED NUTRITIONAL ADVICE. 2013