Catalina Santiago Dorrego is a Bachelor in Biology, PhD from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Professor of Genetics at Universidad Europea de Madrid.
At Universidad Europea de Madrid, she was a member of the Biomedical and Molecular Biopathology Research Group from 2005 to 2017, where she gained extensive experience in conducting genotype-phenotype association studies and in the genotypic characterization of polymorphisms related to sports and physical performance in athletes, in healthy non-athlete and patient populations, and polymorphisms related to responses to different pharmacological treatments.
In 2017, the Biomedicine Unit, of which she is a member, joined the ESBIDA Research Group (Exercise, Health, and Applied Biomarkers) at Universidad Europea, where she is currently Principal Investigator. Her main research lines are: (1) Study of biological markers applied to health and exercise and (2) Genetics and physical activity.
Associated with these lines, she has participated or participates in more than 45 funded projects, in 8 of them as Principal Investigator, she is author/co-author of more than 90 scientific articles, in 6 book chapters, and in more than 60 presentations at national and international congresses. Likewise, she has supervised 6 doctoral theses.
The role of polymorphism rs9939609 of the FTO gene has been related with fat mass and cardiovascular risk in adults, but it remains unclear in children and adolescents. Hence, the main aim of this study was to determine the FTO polymorphism effects on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), physical activity (PA), inflammatory markers, and cardiovascular risk both in cross-sectional analysis and after two-years of follow-up in children and adolescents.
The potential role of cocoa supplementation in an exercise context remains unclear. We describe the effects of flavanol-rich cocoa supplementation during training on exercise performance and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Hospitalization in older population leads to a decline in physical function, physical condition, and independency. However, a scarce number of studies has addressed the effect of being in good physical condition on the risk of hospitalization and polypharmacy in older people. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between physical condition and other health factors, and the incidence of hospitalization and polypharmacy in Spanish older persons.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that participate in gene expression regulation. It has been observed that circulating levels of miRNAs may fluctuate during exercise, showing numerous cardiac biological and physiological effects such as structural and functional adaptations. We aimed to provide an overview of the currently available information concerning the role of circulating miRNAs in cardiovascular adaptations in response to acute and/or chronic exercise training.
Non-contact muscle injuries (NCMI) account for a large proportion of sport injuries, affecting athletes' performance and career, team results and financial aspects. Recently, genetic factors have been attributed a role in the susceptibility of an athlete to sustain NCMI. However, data in this field are only just starting to emerge. To review available knowledge of genetic variations associated with sport-related NCMI.
Elevated plasma α-klotho (αKl) protects against several ageing phenotypes and has been proposed as a biomarker of a good prognosis for different diseases. The beneficial health effects of elevated plasma levels of soluble αKl (SαKl) have been likened to the positive effects of exercise on ageing and chronic disease progression. The aim of this study is to compare the acute SαKl response to different exercise interventions.
Many epidemiological and experimental studies have established that myopia is caused by a complex interaction between common genetic and environmental factors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the allelic and genotypic frequencies of 6 SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphism) between responder and nonresponder patients who had undergone a two-year treatment with lenses for myopia control.
The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) encompasses a group of chronic inflammatory diseases with common features in terms of clinical presentation and genetic predisposition. SpA is characterized by inflammation of the spine and peripheral joints and is also be associated with extra-articular inflammatory manifestations such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this review is to summarize current findings on the genetics of SpA, some of which might help to study new treatment approaches.
The secreted protein form of the α-klotho gene, S-klotho, is gaining popularity as a predictor of overall morbimortality, and its role in dialysis patients has been recently highlighted. However, physical performance -which can be assessed through practical field-tests- might be a more practical prognostic marker. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between physical performance, plasma S-klotho and all-cause mortality in this population.
Rationale: Only in Europe it can be estimated that more than 20 million of people would be affected by hypothyroidism in some moment of their life. Given that ethanol consumption is so frequent, it would be reasonable to ask what the consequences of ethanol consumption in those individuals affected by hypothyroidism are.
Objectives: To study the interaction between hypothyroidism and ethanol consumption.
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the current study was to analyze the effect of SLC6A4 (5HTT_LPR) and HTR2A-1438G/A genetic polymorphisms on the relation between smoking habits and COPD.