Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Serum Lipid Level Association: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analytic Study.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with unknown etiology. Many metabolic alterations occur during ALS progress and can be used as a method of pre-diagnostic and early diagnosis. Dyslipidemia is one of the physiological changes observed in numerous ALS patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the possible relationship between the rate of disease progression (functional rating scale (ALS-FRS)) and the plasma lipid levels at the early stage of ALS. A systematic review was carried out in July 2022. The search equation was "Triglycerides AND amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" and its variants. Four meta-analyses were performed. Four studies were included in the meta-analysis. No significant differences were observed between the lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol) and the ALS-FRS score at the onset of the disease. Although the number of studies included in this research was low, the results of this meta-analytic study suggest that there is no clear relationship between the symptoms observed in ALS patients and the plasma lipid levels. An increase in research, as well as an expansion of the geographical area, would be of interest.

Metabolic Disturbance of High-Saturated Fatty Acid Diet in Cognitive Preservation.

Aging continues to be the main cause of the development of Alzheimer's, although it has been described that certain chronic inflammatory pathologies can negatively influence the progress of dementia, including obesity and hyperlipidemia. In this sense, previous studies have shown a relationship between low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and the amyloid-beta (Aß) binding activity, one of the main neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). LDLR is involved in several processes, including lipid transport, regulation of inflammatory response and lipid metabolism. From this perspective, LDLR-/- mice are a widely accepted animal model for the study of pathologies associated with alterations in lipid metabolism, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, or early cognitive decline. In this context, we induced hyperlipidemia in LDLR-/- mice after feeding with a high-saturated fatty acid diet (HFD) for 44 weeks. LDLR-/--HFD mice exhibited obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, higher glucose levels, and early hepatic steatosis. In addition, HFD increased plasmatic APOE and ubiquitin 60S levels. These proteins are related to neuronal integrity and health maintenance. In agreement, we detected mild cognitive dysfunctions in mice fed with HFD, whereas LDLR-/--HFD mice showed a more severe and evident affectation. Our data suggest central nervous system dysfunction is associated with a well-established metabolic syndrome. As a late consequence, metabolic syndrome boots many behavioral and pathological alterations recognized in dementia, supporting that the control of metabolic parameters could improve cognitive preservation and prognosis.

Poor Cognitive Agility Conservation in Obese Aging People.

Life expectancy has been boosted in recent decades at expenses of increasing the age-associated diseases. Dementia, for its incidence, stands out among the pathologies associated with aging. The exacerbated cognitive deterioration disables people from carrying out their daily lives autonomously and this incidence increases exponentially after 65 years of age. The etiology of dementia is a miscellaneous combination of risk factors that restrain the quality of life of our elderly. In this sense, it has been established that some metabolic pathologies such as obesity and diabetes act as a risk factor for dementia development. In contrast, a high educational level, as well as moderate physical activity, have been shown to be protective factors against cognitive impairment and the development of dementia. In the present study, we have evaluated the metabolic composition of a population between 60-90 years old, mentally healthy and with high academic degrees. After assessing agility in mental state, we have established relationships between their cognitive abilities and their body composition. Our data support that excess body fat is associated with poorer maintenance of cognition, while higher percentages of muscle mass are associated with the best results in the cognitive tests.

Effects of exercise combined with whole body vibration in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomised-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain is a prevalent condition in the general population, especially in women, and produces functional impairment in patients. Therapeutic exercise is considered an essential part of the conservative management. The use of vibration platforms may help improve strength and function and reduce pain in patients with knee disorders. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effects of adding whole body vibration (vertical, vibration frequency of 40 Hz, with an amplitude from 2 to 4 mm) to an exercise protocol for pain and disability in adults with patellofemoral pain. METHODS: A randomised clinical trial was designed, where 50 subjects were randomly distributed into either an exercise group plus whole body vibration or a control group. Pain, knee function (self-reported questionnaire) and range of motion and lower limb functionality were assessed at baseline and at 4 weeks. The experimental group performed 12 supervised sessions of hip, knee and core strengthening exercises on a vibration platform 3 times per week during 4 weeks. The control group followed the same protocol but without vibration stimuli. Differences in outcome measures were explored using an analysis of the variance of 2 repeated measures. Effect sizes were estimated using Square Eta (η2). Significant level was set al P < 0.05. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found after intervention in favour of the experimental group in the between-groups comparison and in the interaction of the experimental group before and after treatment in terms of pain perception (P = 0.000; η2 = 0.63) and function outcomes scores (P = 0.000; η2 0.39 and 0.51 for lower limb functional scale and Kujala scores respectively). CONCLUSION: A 4-week whole body vibration exercise programme reduces pain level intensity and improves lower limb functionality in patellofemoral pain patients and is more effective than exercise alone in improving pain and function in the short-term. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04031248 ). This study was prospectively registered on the 24th July, 2019.