Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a spectrum of liver alterations that can result in severe disease and even death. Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has been associated with obesity and related comorbidities. However, the link between UPF and NAFLD has not been sufficiently assessed. We aimed to investigate the prospective association between UPF consumption and liver health biomarkers. Methods: We followed for 1 year 5867 older participants with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus trial. A validated 143-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate consumption of UPF at baseline, 6, and 12 months. The degree of processing for foods and beverages (g/day) was established according to the NOVA classification system. The non-invasive fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) were used to evaluate liver health at three points in time. The associations between changes in UPF consumption (percentage of total daily dietary intake (g)) and liver biomarkers were assessed using mixed-effects linear models with repeated measurements. Results: In this cohort, UPF consumption at baseline was 8.19% (SD 6.95%) of total daily dietary intake in grams. In multivariable models, each 10% daily increment in UPF consumption in 1 year was associated with significantly greater FLI (β 1.60 points, 95% CI 1.24;1.96 points) and HSI (0.43, 0.29; 0.57) scores (all p-values < 0.001). These associations persisted statistically significant after adjusting for potential dietary confounders and NAFLD risk factors. Conclusions: A higher UPF consumption was associated with higher levels of NAFLD-related biomarkers in older adults with overweight/obesity and MetS.

Tetracycline was shown to be effective as an adjuvant therapy for pemphigus with low toxicity and safety.

We report a 10-month-old girl who, at 4 months, developed a small, reddish, plaquelike lesion on her tongue. This lesion began to enlarge rapidly, resulting in difficulty in swallowing and breathing. On physical examination, there was a large, red, friable, hard in consistency, irregular tumor over the distal portion of her tongue. The histopathology and immunohistochemical findings were consistent with an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient was assigned clinical stage I, group III, and began treatment according to the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study guidelines, on triple-agent chemotherapy consisting of vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide. She only received four cycles because her parents then refused this treatment. After the tumor size was reduced by chemotherapy, a partial anterior glossectomy was performed. After 30 months of follow-up she has had no recurrences.