Publications by authors named "Krasimira Aleksandrova"

Human fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP-4), a protein elevated in obesity that promotes colon cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis, may be associated with higher mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer (CRC) and may serve as a mediator of the obesity-mortality association in these individuals. We used a causal diagram to inform covariate selection and applied Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for CRC-specific, non-CRC-specific, and all-cause mortality by FABP-4 levels measured in baseline blood samples from 1371 incident CRC cases from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Competing risk analyses were adapted for CRC and non-CRC deaths.

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Aims: Dicarbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) are present in numerous foods. They are pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative, but their potential role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) development has been scarcely studied. We explored associations between dietary dicarbonyls with fatal and non-fatal CVD.

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Experimental research has uncovered lipocalin 2 (LCN2) as a novel biomarker implicated in the modulation of intestinal inflammation, metabolic homeostasis, and colon carcinogenesis. However, evidence from human research has been scant. We, therefore, explored the association of pre-diagnostic circulating LCN2 concentrations with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) in a nested case-control study within the in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • The introduction highlights the rapid growth of point-of-care (POC) manufacturing for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cells, particularly focusing on anti-CD20 CAR T cells for melanoma patients in a phase I clinical trial.
  • The methods used involved producing CD20 CAR T cells using a second-generation lentiviral vector on the CliniMACS Prodigy® platform, demonstrating high purity and functionality across two production sites.
  • Results confirmed a sufficient expansion and activation capability of the CAR T cells, revealing interindividual differences in their response, thereby supporting the effectiveness of the CliniMACS Prodigy® for decentralized CAR T cell manufacturing.
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  • The study investigated the links between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease (CVD), focusing on conditions like coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in a large group of participants.
  • Results showed that higher levels of saturated fatty acids were linked to increased CVD risks, with specific subtypes having varying effects on CHD and stroke.
  • Conversely, higher concentrations of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (both n-3 and n-6 types) were associated with lower risks of CHD and stroke, suggesting dietary fats play a significant role in cardiovascular health.
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  • The study examines how traditional dietary assessments may fall short in accurately measuring children's intake of sweet and fatty snacks, which can contribute to obesity and health issues in childhood.
  • Researchers analyzed urine samples from children in two different cohorts to identify metabolite biomarkers that correlate with the consumption of snacks like chocolate, candy, and ice cream.
  • A total of 66 metabolites were linked to snack consumption, with associations found for specific types of snacks; however, many metabolites could not be specifically identified.
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Background: A number of biomarkers denoting various pathophysiological pathways have been implicated in the aetiology and risk of age-related diseases. Hence, the combined impact of multiple biomarkers in relation to ageing free of major chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, has not been sufficiently explored.

Methods: We measured concentrations of 13 biomarkers in a random subcohort of 2,500 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Potsdam study.

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  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a widely increasing disease linked to high body mass index (BMI), but the exact biological processes connecting these two factors are not well understood.
  • The study employed Mendelian randomization to explore various biomarkers and lifestyle factors potentially mediating the impact of BMI on CRC risk, focusing on elements like inflammation, insulin levels, and physical activity.
  • The findings indicated that higher genetically predicted BMI correlates with increased CRC risk, with evidence suggesting that the relationship might be partly mediated by plasma IGF1, while smoking and physical activity appear to complicate the association rather than mediate it.
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Resistin is a protein involved in inflammation and angiogenesis processes and may play a role in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, it remains unclear whether resistin is associated with increased mortality after CRC diagnosis. We examined pre-diagnostic serum resistin concentrations in relation to CRC-specific and all-cause mortality among 1343 incident CRC cases from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

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Background: Successful aging (SA) has been coined as a term to describe the multidimensional aspects associated with achieving optimal combination of physical and mental health along with social well-being health, mental and social well-being at older age. In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the role of determinants of SA, such as demographic, biological, behavioral, psychological and social factors. To synthesize the recent evidence, we conducted a systematic review of longitudinal studies on a range of determinants and indicators of SA defined as a multidimensional outcome.

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Article Synopsis
  • FABP-4 is a lipid-binding protein linked to obesity that may influence tumor growth and insulin resistance, potentially impacting colorectal cancer (CRC) development.
  • A study using pre-diagnostic plasma levels of FABP-4 involved 1,324 CRC cases compared with matched controls, and also used a Mendelian randomization approach with genetic data from over 58,000 CRC cases.
  • Results showed no significant overall association between FABP-4 levels and CRC risk; however, a noteworthy correlation was found in women using the cis-MR approach, suggesting a possible link specifically in that demographic.
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Purpose: Previously reported associations of protein-rich foods with stroke subtypes have prompted interest in the assessment of individual amino acids. We examined the associations of dietary amino acids with risks of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the EPIC study.

Methods: We analysed data from 356,142 participants from seven European countries.

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  • Resistin is a protein that might be linked to inflammation and colorectal cancer, but studies about it have shown mixed results.
  • Researchers used a method called Mendelian randomization to see if there’s a connection between this protein and colorectal cancer risk.
  • They found that there is no evidence that higher levels of resistin in the body are related to a greater chance of getting colorectal cancer.
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  • The Middle Eastern Mediterranean diet (MEMD) is a plant-based diet that is gaining popularity but lacks extensive research in nutrition.
  • A photographic food atlas was created, featuring 1,002 images of 400 foods typical of the MEMD, to aid in dietary assessments.
  • A validation study revealed that while participants accurately estimated portion sizes for some foods, there was greater difficulty with specific items, often leading to under or overestimations based on measurement units used.
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  • Scientists found a link between how processed our food is and the risk of getting certain diseases.
  • They used something called the Nova classification, which sorts foods into four groups based on how much they've been processed.
  • In this study, they looked at nearly half a million people in Europe to see how different cultural backgrounds affected what kind of processed foods they ate and how that related to specific health markers in their bodies.
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Resistin is a polypeptide implicated in inflammatory processes, and as such could be linked to colorectal carcinogenesis. In case-control studies, higher resistin levels have been found in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared to healthy individuals. However, evidence for the association between pre-diagnostic resistin and CRC risk is scarce.

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Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) have been positively correlated with inflammation in adults, while inconsistent evidence is available in children. We evaluated the association between urinary AGEs, measured by fluorescence spectroscopy, and biomarkers of subclinical inflammation in 676 healthy children/adolescents (age 11.8 ± 1.

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The current review aims to summarize published research on nutrition transition patterns (depicting changes in dietary consumption) in European populations over the last three decades (1990-2020), with a focus on East-West regional comparisons. Pubmed and Google-Scholar databases were searched for articles providing information on repeated dietary intakes in populations living in countries across Europe, published between January 1990 and July 2021. From the identified 18,031 articles, 62 were found eligible for review (17 from Eastern and 45 from Western European populations).

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Background: Tobacco exposure causes 8 of 10 lung cancers, and identifying additional risk factors is challenging due to confounding introduced by smoking in traditional observational studies.

Materials And Methods: We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to screen 207 metabolites for their role in lung cancer predisposition using independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of blood metabolite levels (n = 7,824) and lung cancer risk (n = 29,266 cases/56,450 controls). A nested case-control study (656 cases and 1,296 matched controls) was subsequently performed using prediagnostic blood samples to validate MR association with lung cancer incidence data from population-based cohorts (EPIC and NSHDS).

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Background: The role of elevated pre-diagnostic C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations on mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Methods: We investigated the association between pre-diagnostic high-sensitivity CRP concentrations and CRP genetic variation associated with circulating CRP and CRC-specific and all-cause mortality based on data from 1,235 individuals with CRC within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: During a median follow-up of 9.

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Background: Immune cell dysfunction plays a central role in sepsis-associated immune paralysis. The transfusion of healthy donor immune cells, i.e.

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