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Background: The relationship between salivary a-amylase activity (sAAa) and susceptibility to cardiovascular disorders lacks a definitive consensus in available studies. To fill this knowledge gap, the present study endeavors to investigate this association among overweight/obese otherwise healthy Qatari adults. The study specifically categorizes participants based on their sAAa into high and low subgroups, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the potential link between sAAa levels and cardiovascular and inflammation markers in this population. Methods: Plasma samples of 264 Qatari overweight/obese (Ow/Ob) participants were used to quantify the sAAa and to profile the proteins germane to cardiovascular, cardiometabolic, metabolism, and organ damage in low sAAa (LsAAa) and high sAAa (HsAAa) subjects using the Olink technology. Comprehensive statistical tools as well as chemometric and enrichments analyses were used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and their associated signaling pathways and cellular functions. Results: A total of ten DEPs were detected, among them five were upregulated (QPCT, LCN2, PON2, DPP7, CRKL) while five were down regulated in the LsAAa subgroup compared to the HsAAa subgroup (ARG1, CTSH, SERPINB6, OSMR, ALDH3A). Functional enrichment analysis highlighted several relevant signaling pathways and cellular functions enriched in the DEPs, including myocardial dysfunction, disorder of blood pressure, myocardial infraction, apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, hypertension, chronic inflammatory disorder, immunesmediated inflammatory disease, inflammatory response, activation of leukocytes and activation of phagocytes. Conclusion: Our study unveils substantial alterations within numerous canonical pathways and cellular or molecular functions that bear relevance to cardiometabolic disorders among Ow/Ob Qatari adults exhibiting LsAAa and HsAAa in the plasma. A more comprehensive exploration of these proteins and their associated pathways and functions offers the prospect of elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings inherent in the documented relationship between sAAa and metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the outcome of a cohort of infants born at 23-weeks' gestation age after introducing a new resuscitation selection score (The Score of Seven) for infants born at 23 weeks gestation. Methods: This is a population-based, retrospective cohort study using data from Pearl-Peristat Maternal and newborn registry, Vermont Oxford database related to WWRC-THE NICU and patient's chart for infants born since 2016 until mid-2018 of ELBW infants born at 23 weeks gestation age. Infants with significant lethal congenital anomalies were excluded. In February 2018, we introduced a new protocol to streamline the delivery room resuscitation decision making regarding ELBW infants born in 22-24 weeks gestation. This pilot protocol did include a designed score specific to 23 weeks gestation age. The score components were chosen to address the most relevant factors associated with poor outcome at this gestation age. Seven elements were chosen: four antenatal and three immediate postnatal. Each component received a zero, one or two according to its presence or absence at or soon after birth. Using this scoring system a baby would not be resuscitated if the score below 7 and will receive active resuscitation and admitted to the NICU if the score is equal to or above 7. A short satisfaction survey was conducted after six months from the application of the guideline to identify the comprehension, practicality and ethical comfort of the medical staff using this scoring system guideline. Results: Sixty infants delivered from January 2016 until June 2018 were investigated for mortality associated risk assessment. The DR death rate was 23/60 (38.3%). The NICU admission was 37 infants (61.7%). Half of the admitted infants died before two weeks of age. Survival rate to discharge was 37% (13/37). From only 37/60 infants were we able to retrieve the full description of the selected components of the "score of seven," and these were subjected to the analysis. However, infants who died in the DR with a score < 7 were 13/20 (65%) versus 0/17 when the score was = 7. Amongst those infants admitted to the NICU (37), seven infants were admitted with a score less than 7; 2/7 infants survived to discharge (≈29%) while among 17 infants admitted with a score = 7, nine infants survived to discharge 51%. A satisfaction survey was administered to thirty-three neonatal physicians, and thirty-two felt that the score was easy to comprehend, and 26 concluded that it was easy to implement. Thirty physicians found that using the resuscitation provided ethical relief and moral comfort. Conclusions While managing 23 weeks' gestational age at delivery, a decision using resuscitation score (and a score of seven or more) was associated with improved survival rate until discharge. The score was described by the NICU physicians as functional and convenient. It offers ethical reassurance to the dedicated medical staff and provides a practical platform for delivery room resuscitation decision making. Applying the score was not associated with an increase in the number of delivery room deaths and did not differ from that reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymorphisms have been identified in the Xq28 locus as risk loci for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we investigated the association between three polymorphisms in the Xq28 region containing TMEM187 and IRAK1 (rs13397, rs1059703, and rs1059702) in two unstudied populations: Tunisian and French. The rs13397 G and rs1059703 T major alleles were significantly increased in RA patients (n = 408) compared with age-matched controls (n = 471) in both Tunisian and French women. These results were confirmed by a meta-analysis replication study including two independent Greek and Korean cohorts. The rs1059702 C major allele was significantly associated with RA, only with French women. In the French population, the GTC haplotype displayed a protective effect against RA, while the ATC, GCC, and GTT haplotypes conferred significant risk for RA. No association for these haplotypes was found in the Tunisian population. Our results replicated for the first time the association of the three Xq28 polymorphisms with RA risk in Tunisian and French populations and suggested that RA susceptibility is associated with TMEM187-IRAK1 polymorphisms in women. Our data further support the involvement of X chromosome in RA susceptibility and evidence ethnicities differences that might be explained by differences in the frequencies of SE HLA-DRB1 alleles between both populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymorphisms have been identified in the Xq28 locus as risk loci for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we investigated the association between three polymorphisms in the Xq28 region containing TMEM187 and IRAK1 (rs13397, rs1059703, and rs1059702) in two unstudied populations: Tunisian and French. The rs13397 G and rs1059703 T major alleles were significantly increased in RA patients ( n = 408) compared with age-matched controls ( n = 471) in both Tunisian and French women. These results were confirmed by a meta-analysis replication study including two independent Greek and Korean cohorts. The rs1059702 C major allele was significantly associated with RA, only with French women. In the French population, the GTC haplotype displayed a protective effect against RA, while the ATC, GCC, and GTT haplotypes conferred significant risk for RA. No association for these haplotypes was found in the Tunisian population. Our results replicated for the first time the association of the three Xq28 polymorphisms with RA risk in Tunisian and French populations and suggested that RA susceptibility is associated with TMEM187-IRAK1 polymorphisms in women. Our data further support the involvement of X chromosome in RA susceptibility and evidence ethnicities differences that might be explained by differences in the frequencies of SE HLA-DRB1 alleles between both populations., Competing Interests: The authors declaring that they have no competing interests are Olfa Khalifa, Nathalie Balandraud, Nathalie Lambert, Isabelle Auger, Jean Roudier, Audrey Sénéchal, David Geneviève, Christophe Picard, Gérard Lefranc, Hicham Charoute, Isabelle Touitou, Bakridine M'Madi Mrenda, Cécilia Benedito, Etienne Pardoux, Anne-Laure Gagez, Yves-Marie Pers, Christian Jorgensen, Touhami Mahjoub, and Florence Apparailly.