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Background: The liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2) is a recently recognized anorectic and glucose-regulating hormone with an unknown role in lactation., Objectives: The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to assess LEAP2 presence in human milk and putative associations with infant body weight and adiposity in the first year of life, 2) to evaluate the impact of maternal weight status on LEAP2 concentration, and 3) to explore the relationship between infant plasma LEAP2 concentration and body weight and adiposity., Methods: This prospective cohort observational study assessed LEAP2 concentration in plasma and milk from lactating women with normal weight (n = 26) or overweight or obesity (OW/OB, n = 26) at 6 mo postpartum and in 6-mo-old infant plasma, examining associations with metabolic and anthropometric variables at 6 mo and 1 y. Maternal plasma and milk leptin and insulin concentrations were also measured. LEAP2 expression in milk fat globules and single-cell-RNA-sequencing datasets was evaluated., Results: LEAP2 was detected in all milk samples assessed (2.08 ± 0.65 ng/mL) and was positively associated with infant triceps (P = 0.022, Cohen f 2 = 1.25) and subscapular (P = 0.008, f 2 = 0.68) skinfolds at 1 y old. Maternal LEAP2 was positively associated with insulin (P = 0.005, f 2 = 0.30) and prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.040, f 2 = 0.17) and negatively associated with gestational weight gain (P = 0.008, f 2 = 0.25) and postpartum weight retention (P = 0.036, f 2 = 0.15). Maternal LEAP2 was higher in plasma (P = 0.039), but not milk of lactating women with OW/OB. Infant plasma LEAP2 (1.98 ± 0.28 ng/mL) was positively associated with weight (P = 0.004, f 2 = 0.63), BMI (P = 0.049, f 2 = 0.37), and weight-for-length (P = 0.024, f 2 = 0.35) z-scores at 1 y old, predominantly in males. No evidence for LEAP2 mRNA expression was found in mammary cells., Conclusions: Milk LEAP2 is a bioactive component that plays a role in infant fat accretion in the first year of life. Although maternal LEAP2 responds to weight change in pregnancy and lactation, infant plasma LEAP2 might be involved in body weight regulation in early life. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05798676., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Nutrition. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Molecular biomarkers of maternal leptin resistance associated with infant weight are needed., Objectives: To evaluate gene expression of leptin receptor (LEPR), suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (SOCS3) and insulin receptor in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of lactating women and their relationship with infant body weight and adiposity., Methods: At day 10 postpartum, maternal gene expression in PBMCs as well as leptin and insulin concentrations in plasma and milk were assessed (n = 68). Infant weight and BMI z-scores, skinfolds and arm circumference were obtained at 10 days and/or at 3 months old., Results: In mothers with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity (OW/OB), LEPR expression was reduced (p = 0.013) whereas plasma and milk leptin and milk insulin concentrations were elevated. LEPR expression was positively related with infant weight z-score (Beta (95% CI): 0.40 (0.17, 0.63), p = 0.001) but not with leptin concentrations. SOCS3 expression was positively related with infant weight z-score (Beta (95% CI): 0.28 (0.04, 0.51), p = 0.024) and arm circumference (Beta (95% CI): 0.57 (0.32, 0.82), p < 0.001). Relationships remained significant after adjusting for maternal and infant confounders., Conclusions: LEPR and SOCS3 gene expression in PBMCs are novel maternal molecular biomarkers that reflect leptin resistance and are associated with infant body weight and adiposity., (© 2023 World Obesity Federation.)

Purpose: The major improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) over the past decades increased the patients' survival rates. Despite this, patients and clinicians still need to address the long-term physical and psychosocial effects over time. This paper aims to prospectively assess CRC patients' HR-QoL psychological distress and sexual functioning and identify clinical, demographic, and psychological predictors., Methods: In total, 55 patients were evaluated from diagnosis to 5-year follow-up with the following instruments: EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-C38 for QoL and sexuality; HADS for psychological distress; and specific questions to detect psychological variables., Results: QoL worsened after diagnosis and returned to baseline values after 5 years. Sexual function significantly deteriorated over time (with no recovery, especially in women), while borderline/severe anxiety and depression decreased. A better HR-QoL at baseline was associated with better physical, social and sexual functioning, positive body image and sexual pleasure after 5 years., Conclusion: HR-QoL allows the early detection of patients at risk, favoring prompt patient-centered interventions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: A virtual reality experience (VRE) could represent a viable non-pharmacological intervention to reduce and better manage the main factors of psychophysical distress related to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer., Aim: The "Patient's Dream" study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial conducted at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute - IRCCS (Rome, Italy) from April 2019 to January 2020 to evaluate VRE impact in patients affected by breast or ovarian cancer. Before starting the first cycle of chemotherapy (CT), patients were randomized to receive the VRE (VRE arm) as "distraction therapy" or to entertain themselves with conventional means (control arm). The primary aims were the assessment of psychological distress, anxiety and quality of life between the two study arms. Secondary endpoints were the perceived time during the first course of CT and the acute and late toxicity., Results: Fourty-four patients were enrolled, 22 patients were randomly assigned to the VRE arm and 22 to the control arm. Collected data underline the absence of prevalent disturbs of anxiety and depression in both groups. Nevertheless, even if the state anxiety values before and after CT decreased in both groups, this reduction was statistically significant over time only in the VRE arm. The duration of therapy perceived by patients undergoing distraction therapy was significantly shorter when compared to the control group. The use of VRE during the first CT cycle appeared to reduce asthenia outcomes., Conclusion: Obtained data suggest that the VRE positively influenced the levels of state anxiety among cancer patients and support the continuous research on VRE as a distraction intervention, with the aim to meet the clinical need for effective nonpharmacologic adjunctive therapies., Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05234996, identifier NCT05234996., Competing Interests: Authors FG, AG and GG are funders of Twiceout. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Fabi, Fotia, Giuseppini, Gaeta, Falcicchio, Giuliani, Savarese, Taraborelli, Rossi, Malaguti, Giannarelli, Pugliese and Cognetti.)