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Title:
Variability of gene expression profiles in human blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines
Authors:
Min, Josine L.; Barrett, Amy; Watts, Tim; Pettersson, Fredrik H.; Lockstone, Helen E.; Lindgren, Cecilia M.; Taylor, Jennifer M.; Allen, Maxine; Zondervan, Krina T.; McCarthy, Mark I.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Readily accessible samples such as peripheral blood or cell lines are increasingly being used in large cohorts to characterise gene expression differences between a patient group and healthy controls. However, cell and RNA isolation procedures and the variety of cell types that make up whole blood can affect gene expression measurements. We therefore systematically investigated global gene expression profiles in peripheral blood from six individuals collected during two visits by comparing five of the following cell and RNA isolation methods: whole blood (PAXgene), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), CD19 and CD20 specific B-cell subsets. RESULTS: Gene expression measurements were clearly discriminated by isolation method although the reproducibility was high for all methods (range rho = 0.90-1.00). The PAXgene samples showed a decrease in the number of expressed genes (P < 1*10(-16)) with higher variability (P
Published:
February 7, 2010
Title:
A new species of bull from the Early Pleistocene paleoanthropological site of Buia (Eritrea): Parallelism on the dispersal of the genus Bos and the Acheulian culture
Authors:
Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; Rook, Lorenzo; Papini, Mauro; Libsekal, Yosief
Abstract:
The origin of the genus Bos is a debated issue. It has traditionally been linked with that of the genera Leptobos and Bison, two Eurasian forms. The oldest record of Bos, B. primigenius, in Eurasia is at Venosa-Notarchirico, Italy (∼0.5 to 0.6Ma). However, the oldest published evidence of modern Bos is a skull fragment from Asbole, Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia (∼0.6 to 0.8Ma). This paper describes a new species, Bos buiaensis, from Buia, Eritrea (1.0Ma). B. buiaensis shows a combination of primitive characters of the African Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene form Pelorovis sensu stricto and derived characters of B. primigenius. This new finding demonstrates that Bos has been part of the human ecological landscape since the beginning of the genus Homo in the African Late Pliocene.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
A perspective on mammal biodiversity and zoogeography in the Late Pleistocene of México
Authors:
Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquín; Polaco, Oscar J.; Johnson, Eileen; Ferrusquía-Villafranca, Ismael
Abstract:
Analysis of the overall fossil record for specific regions in order to examine paleobiological data requires assembling enormous amounts of information in databases. Geoinformatics involves the management and analysis of such databases. A case in point is the Quaternary Mexican mammal database, currently composed of more than 15,000 records for 12 orders, 43 families, 146 genera, and 274 species. Of those, 197 of 481 mammal species found in México today are recorded. Comparison of past and current zoogeographic ranges discloses different patterns. Many species expanded their distribution to different latitudes or higher/lower altitudes or moved further north/south during the Pleistocene. Both temperate and tropical mammal species tend to move in similar patterns. The current distribution of several groups of mammal species can be explained in part as an effect of Pleistocene glaciations. The particular dynamic mechanism remains largely unknown due to lack of detailed data. Biases in the Quaternary Mexican mammal database need to be considered in assessing the resulting patterns. Future studies undertaken to explain México's high mammalian Quaternary diversity should include testing various biogeographic models against an improved database.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Biochronology of Spanish Quaternary small vertebrate faunas
Authors:
Cuenca-Bescós, Gloria; Rofes, Juan; López-García, Juan Manuel; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; De Marfá, Roger J.; Galindo-Pellicena, Maria A.; Bennásar-Serra, M. Lluc; Melero-Rubio, María; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Carbonell, Eudald
Abstract:
Thousands of fossils of small vertebrates are recorded in one of the most complete stratigraphic sequences of the continental European Pleistocene, in the Sierra de Atapuerca. This sequence, with a few interruptions, spans the last 1.5 million years. The stratigraphic series is recorded in six karstic cavities in the Sierra de Atapuerca. From the oldest record to the most modern one, these are the Sima del Elefante, Gran Dolina, Galería–Zarpazos, Sima de los Huesos, El Portalón and El Mirador. The faunal successions of continental microvertebrates have made it possible to divide the Atapuerca sequence into 7 faunal units (Atapuerca Faunal Units, ATA FUs), which are based on the first and last local appearances of taxa (LO, HO). The Spanish Quaternary small vertebrate faunas are grouped into 5 distinct biozones, from the oldest to the most recent: Allophaiomys pliocaenicus, Allophaiomys lavocati, Allophaiomys chalinei, Iberomys brecciensis and Iberomys cabrerae. These are calibrated with radiometric and palaeomagnetic dating, allowing the proposal of a continental biochronological scale for the Pleistocene of the Iberian Peninsula.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Biogeographic relationships of Pliocene and Pleistocene North-western African mammals
Authors:
Geraads, Denis
Abstract:
North-western Africa, today included in the Palaearctic realm, is well separated from the Ethiopian province by the Sahara, but the distribution of large mammals shows that these biogeographic domains cannot simply be extrapolated to the late Cenozoic. In the latest Miocene and earliest Pliocene, there were close connections with central Africa, but also remarkable similarities with East Africa, in some instances reaching the species level. There is no evidence of northern influence among large mammals, although several small mammals had a wide range in the Mediterranean. East African or pan-African forms are also largely predominant in the well sampled Late Pliocene, their low diversity resulting probably from local environmental conditions. There are but a few immigrants from Eurasia, mostly carnivores. During the Early Pleistocene, limited exchanges occurred with the Middle East, but many more with the rest of Africa. By the Middle Pleistocene similarities with East Africa reached their climax, and it is only with the latest part of this period that some northern immigrants put a Palaearctic stamp on this fauna, the “Ethiopian” character of which decreased by extinction of many of its elements.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Chronological distribution of Pleistocene cold-adapted large mammal faunas in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors:
Álvarez-Lao, Diego J.; García, Nuria
Abstract:
During the coldest episodes of the Late Pleistocene, the cold-adapted large mammal faunas moved southward, reaching southern regions such as the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, during the Late Pleistocene, remains of Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis and Rangifer tarandus were found in Iberia. In addition, four other cold-adapted species (Gulo gulo, Alopex lagopus, Ovibos moschatus and Saiga tatarica) were present, although in very low proportions. All published chronologies from these Iberian findings, as well as new radiocarbon dates, were compiled and subsequently correlated with the published paleoclimatic information for the Iberian Late Pleistocene. These cold-adapted faunas were present in the Iberian Peninsula from at least the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS 6), and several findings, although chronologically imprecise, were dated to the first half of the Late Pleistocene. After about 44ka BP, these faunas became relatively abundant on the Iberian Peninsula. However, there is a chronological gap between 31 and 26ka, in which these faunas were practically absent in Iberia. Subsequently, during MIS 2, the presence of these species was again well documented. The last Iberian occurrences of most of these species have been registered during the LGM, except the reindeer, that survived until the end of the Younger Dryas. The chronology of the Iberian findings of cold-adapted large mammal faunas is consistent with the paleoclimatical evidence provided by other sources.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Climate information from C, N and O stable isotope analyses of mammoth bones from northern Siberia
Authors:
Iacumin, P.; Di Matteo, A.; Nikolaev, V.; Kuznetsova, T. V.
Abstract:
Nineteen Late Pleistocene samples of fossil mammoth and four of horse and bison from the Leptev Sea area were studied for their C, N and O stable isotope composition. The majority of the samples have interstadial (MIS 3) ages and only two have late-glacial ages. The carbon and nitrogen isotope values are in good agreement with those previously measured on other mammoths from the same area. They seem to indicate, for the interstadial period, a stability of the climate conditions characterised by low and constant rainfall with only few oscillations. Only after the LGM are more humid conditions apparent. The calculated oxygen isotope composition of water are several per mill more positive than those of modern meteoric water in the area. They do not seem to correlate with well-established Late Pleistocene temperature changes but rather with aridity. The temporal pattern indicates a rapid increase of dry conditions after around 34ka BP. Only the two samples dated after the LGM might indicate an effective increase in temperature.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Dispersal of the Canini (Mammalia, Canidae: Caninae) across Eurasia during the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene
Authors:
Sotnikova, M.; Rook, L.
Abstract:
An analysis of the taxonomy and distribution of the Mio–Pliocene and Pleistocene Eucyon-like and Canis-like canids of the tribe Canini of Eurasia was performed, with a description of several fossils from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene of Asia. The changes in the assemblages of the Canini generally coincided with the most significant Eurasian faunal turnovers, but the European and Asian diversities of the Canini peaked asynchronously. In the Late Miocene, a wide expansion of the genus Eucyon to the Old World took place, being designated here as the “Eucyon event”. The diversity of Eucyon-like Canini peaked at the beginning of the Early Pliocene in Asia and at the end of the Early Pliocene in Europe. The wolf-sized species of the Canis group made their first appearance in Eurasia in the Middle Pliocene, (the “Canis event”). The peak of their diversity occurred in the Late Pliocene in Asia and at the beginning of the Early Pleistocene in Europe. At the end of the Pliocene, Eucyon and Eucyon-like canids completely went extinct in Eurasia. The diversity of the Canis group appreciably decreased by the end of the Early to Middle Pleistocene being limited by the occurrence of small wolves of the Canis mosbachensis–Canis variabilis group and large hypercarnivorous Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides in Eurasia. The true gray wolves made their appearance at the end of the Middle Pleistocene at about 0.5–0.3Ma.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Dispersion of the genus Procapreolus and the relationships between Procapreolus cusanus and the roe deer (Capreolus)
Authors:
Valli, Andrea M. F.
Abstract:
Procapreolus is a Eurasian genus included 10 species spanning to Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene. The immigration of this and other taxa from the East to Central Europe marks a new step in evolution in European deer. Procapreolus will be replaced by Capreolus, the roe deer, considered a descendant of the former. Procapreolus cusanus, the younger European taxon (lacking the plesiomorph features of the genus), is shown to own a character in the skull typical of telemetacarpal deer, as modern roe deer and all its relatives do. This result strengthens the relationships between the two taxa and points out the necessity of a better definition of the genus Procapreolus.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
ESR dating of pleistocene mammal teeth and its implications for the biostratigraphy and geological evolution of the coastal plain, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil
Authors:
Lopes, Renato Pereira; Oliveira, Luiz Carlos; Figueiredo, Ana Maria Graciano; Kinoshita, Angela; Baffa, Oswaldo; Buchmann, Francisco Sekiguchi
Abstract:
The fossiliferous deposits in the coastal plain of the Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil, have been known since the late XIX century; however, the biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic context is still poorly understood. The present work describes the results of electron spin resonance (ESR) dating in eleven fossil teeth of three extinct taxa (Toxodon platensis, Stegomastodon waringi and Hippidion principale) collected along Chuí Creek and nearshore continental shelf, in an attempt to assess more accurately the ages of the fossils and its deposits. This method is based upon the analysis of paramagnetic defects found in biominerals, produced by ionizing radiation emitted by radioactive elements present in the surrounding sediment and by cosmic rays. Three fossils from Chuí Creek, collected from the same stratigraphic horizon, exhibit ages between (42±3) Ka and (34±7) Ka, using the Combination Uptake model for radioisotopes uptake, while a incisor of Toxodon platensis collected from a stratigraphic level below is much older. Fossils from the shelf have ages ranging from (7±1) 105 Ka to (18±3) Ka, indicating the mixing of fossils of different epochs. The origin of the submarine fossiliferous deposits seems to be the result of multiple reworking and redeposition cycles by sea-level changes caused by the glacial–interglacial cycles during the Quaternary. The ages indicate that the fossiliferous outcrops at Chuí Creek are much younger than previously thought, and that the fossiliferous deposits from the continental shelf encompass Ensenadan to late Lujanian ages (middle to late Pleistocene).
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of the carnivore community in Europe during the last 3 million years
Authors:
Croitor, Roman; Brugal, Jean-Philippe
Abstract:
The ecological structure of the carnivore community remained stable during the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene period and does not reveal the influence of climate change over the community structure. Important structural changes started during the transition between Early and Middle Pleistocene, marked by extinction of solitary hypercarnivores and increasing of collective hunters' importance with broad range of diet specialization and omnivorous species. There is no clear evidence for coevolution between herbivore and carnivore communities during the Plio-Pleistocene period. Ubiquitous carnivores and herbivores strongly attached to biomes had different eco-physiological strategies and evolutionary constraints that defined their independent evolution. Starting from the Middle Pleistocene, the community of carnivores was dominated by large social predators (Panthera leo, Crocuta crocuta, Canis lupus) that were perfectly adapted to open landscapes and large-sized herbivores. The dispersal of Homo in Eurasia coincided with the absence of omnivorous carnivores in the boreal fauna. The relatively low predator/prey ratio of Middle and Late Pleistocene European fauna and the social habits enabled Homo to join the group of collective predators.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Geometric morphometrics of vole (Microtus californicus) dentition as a new paleoclimate proxy: Shape change along geographic and climatic clines
Authors:
McGuire, J. L.
Abstract:
Quaternary small-mammal fossils are widespread and have served as valuable paleoclimatic proxies through niche-modeling or otherwise relating presence-absence data to climatic data. This paper examines the potential for a new, more resolved type of paleoclimate proxy in the form of Microtus tooth shape, using an abundant California species, Microtus californicus. Geometric morphometrics and partial least squares analyses are used to find geographic signals in the shape of the first lower molar (m1) of this species. M. californicus m1s are relatively straight in the northwest, cooler, moister portion of California and more curved in the southeast, hotter, drier portion of the state. These tooth shape changes may be a result of selection related to different vegetation ultimately controlled by climate, and therefore diet, within the species' range. The pattern in m1 shape persists when phylogeographic hypotheses are taken into account, indicating that the climate signal is significant independent of intraspecific groupings. This method adds an important new tool to the suite of proxies available to reconstruct past climates at fine spatiotemporal scales and reveals a geographic/climatic signal that correlates with morphological variation across the range of M. californicus.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
HIF-1: upstream and downstream of cancer metabolism
Authors:
Semenza, Gregg L
Abstract:
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) plays a key role in the reprogramming of cancer metabolism by activating transcription of genes encoding glucose transporters and glycolytic enzymes, which take up glucose and convert it to lactate; pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1, which shunts pyruvate away from the mitochondria; and BNIP3, which triggers selective mitochondrial autophagy. The shift from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism allows maintenance of redox homeostasis and cell survival under conditions of prolonged hypoxia. Many metabolic abnormalities in cancer cells increase HIF-1 activity. As a result, a feed-forward mechanism can be activated that drives HIF-1 activation and may promote tumor progression.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Last glacial climates, “Refugia”, and faunal change in Southeastern Europe: Mammalian assemblages from Veternica, Velika pećina, and Vindija caves (Croatia)
Authors:
Miracle, Preston T.; Mauch Lenardić, Jadranka; Brajković, Dejana
Abstract:
The large mammal and micromammal assemblages from Paleolithic cave sites in northwestern Croatia (Veternica, Velika pećina, and Vindija) suggest the presence of relatively temperate environments without dramatic oscillations in faunal composition during MIS 3, and possibly also including MIS 2 and 4. Species such as woolly rhinoceros, arctic fox, varying hare, and saiga antelope were not present, and the micromammal assemblages show that all taxa are indicators of a temperate, continental climate characterized by somewhat less forested conditions than those present today. Nonetheless, the region does not appear to have served as a refuge for mammals whose distribution today is north of Croatia. The region appears to have had a fairly diverse and productive mammal fauna, which in turn could have supported significant hominin populations. Faunal composition did not dramatically change across the Middle–Upper Paleolithic transition (ca. 40 000–30 000BP). The apparent stability in mammalian faunas could be owing to several factors: A) a depositional/preservational bias for warmer phases, B) dampered climatic oscillations in the region, C) faunal communities buffered from climatic oscillations owing to microclimate, topography, etc. Resolution of these factors requires further research.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Late Quaternary small mammal turnover in the Cantabrian Region: The extinction of Pliomys lenki (Rodentia, Mammalia)
Authors:
Cuenca-Bescós, G.; Straus, L. G.; García-Pimienta, J. C.; Morales, M. R. González; López-García, J. M.
Abstract:
In addition to the Neanderthals, other mammal species vanished locally or totally in southern Europe during relatively a short period, between about 40 and 10kyr. The late Upper Pleistocene was in general a time of extinction and extirpation in southern Europe, ranging from musk-oxen and reindeer to Nordic voles (extirpations) to Pliomys and Neanderthals (extinctions). The southern regions of Europe have been glacial refugia for several mammalian species (including humans), and when climatic conditions ameliorated, some spread back to the North and East European Plains (reindeer, saiga, the marsh voles and narrow-skull voles, among others), whence they originally had come. Others remained at their refugia in southern France and on the Iberian, Italian and Balkan Peninsulas, and, after periods of survival, eventually became extinct (Homo neanderthalensis, Pliomys lenki). The demise of the Neanderthals is, of course, well known, but that of the extinct vole, P. lenki, is not well known at all. Their long survival in southwestern European regions must be related to the existence of suitable climatic, vegetational and geographic conditions. Did these regions become traps when new competitors arrived?
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Quaternary mammalian faunas of the Pampean Region
Authors:
Prado, José Luis; Alberdi, María Teresa
Abstract:
Knowledge of the fossil mammals from the Pampean Region of Argentina has greatly increased in recent years. To analyze the patterns of change in regional climates and environments through the Quaternary, the fossil record of land-mammals was used. Two principal factors affected mammalian diversity in the Pampean Region during the Pleistocene: glaciations and the climatic, environmental, and sea-level changes associated with them; and the large numbers of North American taxa that immigrated to South America. From the Pliocene, the regional climatic conditions changed from being warm and wet to being colder, drier, and more seasonal. During the Pleistocene, as a consequence of glacial cycles, cold and dry conditions were interrupted by relatively short warmer and wetter periods. Several pulses of expansion and contraction of steppes and subtropical forests are recorded. This change in habitat produced the provincialism that has characterized the mammal faunas from the Pampean Region. Finally, the most notable characteristic of the Quaternary mammal fauna of South America is the almost complete extinction of large mammals during the latest Pleistocene–earliest Holocene. The evidence presented here is most consistent with a model that explains megafaunal extinction through climatic fluctuations, as it appears that only a few species of large mammals survived until the Holocene. Nevertheless, a human presence could have accelerated the process of extinction.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Risk and Epidemiological Time Trends of Gastric Cancer in Lynch Syndrome Carriers in The Netherlands
Authors:
Capelle, Lisette G.; Grieken, Nicole C. T. Van; Lingsma, Hester F.; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Klokman, Willem J.; Bruno, Marco J.; Vasen, Hans F. A.; Kuipers, Ernst J.
Abstract:
Background & Aims
Although gastric cancer forms part of the Lynch syndrome tumor spectrum, the risk of developing gastric cancer in Lynch syndrome families is unknown, resulting in a lack of clear guidelines for surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate incidence trends and risk of developing gastric cancer among Lynch syndrome mutation carriers in a Western population.
Methods
Lynch syndrome mutation carriers were selected from the Dutch Hereditary Cancer Registry. The gastric cancer incidence in Lynch syndrome mutation carriers was compared to the gastric cancer incidence in the Dutch population between 1970 and 2003. Standardized incidence ratios were calculated by a Poisson model. Cumulative risks were calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis.
Results
Overall, 2014 Lynch syndrome mutation carriers were identified. Gastric cancer was diagnosed in 32 (1.6%) subjects (male/female: 21/11), 22 (69%) of them had a negative family history of gastric cancer. The standardized incidence ratios of gastric cancer was 3.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.1–5.2) and showed a nonsignificant decline between 1970 and 2003 (P = .30). Absolute risk of developing gastric cancer also showed no significant change over time (P = .51). Lifetime risk of developing gastric cancer was 8.0% in males vs 5.3% in females (P = .02), and 4.8% and 9% for MLH1 and MSH2 carriers, respectively. None of the 378 MSH6 carriers developed gastric cancer (P = .002 vs MLH1 and MSH2 combined lifetime risk).
Conclusions
Lynch syndrome mutation carriers have a substantial risk for gastric cancer, in particular patients with an MLH1 or MSH2 mutation. Family history for gastric cancer is a poor indicator for individual risk. Surveillance gastroscopy for Lynch syndrome patients carrying an MLH1 or MSH2 mutation should therefore be considered.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
The North Eurasian mammal assemblages during the end of MIS 3 (Brianskian–Late Karginian–Denekamp Interstadial)
Authors:
Markova, Anastasia K.; Puzachenko, Andrei Yu.; van Kolfschoten, Thijs
Abstract:
Abundant Northern Eurasian mammal data have been collected from deposits of the final part of MIS 3 (Brianskian–Late Karginian–Denekamp Interstadial). They indicate a period of some warming with respect to climates associated with the encompassing glacial deposits. The unique structure of mammal assemblages of this interval was distinguished during this study. All mammal assemblages of Northern Eurasia related to the end of MIS 3 are characterized by “mixed”, “non-analogue” species composition. The mammals which now inhabit different natural zones (tundra, steppe, forest) occurred together in different combinations over the huge territories of Northern Eurasia. The Northern Eurasian mammalian assemblages correlated with the end of MIS 3 were closer in the species composition to the faunas of cold stages of the Last Glaciation than to interglacial ones. Mathematical methods elucidate the principal and local characteristics of the structure and geographical position of mammal assemblages through most Eurasia between 33 and 24kaBP.
Published:
January 31, 2010
Title:
Lithium plus valproate combination therapy versus monotherapy for relapse prevention in bipolar I disorder (BALANCE): a randomised open-label trial
Authors:
BALANCE investigators and collaborators; Geddes, John R.; Goodwin, Guy M.; Rendell, Jennifer; Azorin, Jean-Michel; Cipriani, Andrea; Ostacher, Michael J.; Morriss, Richard; Alder, Nicola; Juszczak, Ed
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Lithium carbonate and valproate semisodium are both recommended as monotherapy for prevention of relapse in bipolar disorder, but are not individually fully effective in many patients. If combination therapy with both agents is better than monotherapy, many relapses and consequent disability could be avoided. We aimed to establish whether lithium plus valproate was better than monotherapy with either drug alone for relapse prevention in bipolar I disorder. METHODS: 330 patients aged 16 years and older with bipolar I disorder from 41 sites in the UK, France, USA, and Italy were randomly allocated to open-label lithium monotherapy (plasma concentration 0.4-1.0 mmol/L, n=110), valproate monotherapy (750-1250 mg, n=110), or both agents in combination (n=110), after an active run-in of 4-8 weeks on the combination. Randomisation was by computer program, and investigators and participants were informed of treatment allocation. All outcome events were considered by the trial management team, who were masked to treatment assignment. Participants were followed up for up to 24 months. The primary outcome was initiation of new intervention for an emergent mood episode, which was compared between groups by Cox regression. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered, number ISRCTN 55261332. FINDINGS: 59 (54%) of 110 people in the combination therapy group, 65 (59%) of 110 in the lithium group, and 76 (69%) of 110 in the valproate group had a primary outcome event during follow-up. Hazard ratios for the primary outcome were 0.59 (95% CI 0.42-0.83, p=0.0023) for combination therapy versus valproate, 0.82 (0.58-1.17, p=0.27) for combination therapy versus lithium, and 0.71 (0.51-1.00, p=0.0472) for lithium versus valproate. 16 participants had serious adverse events after randomisation: seven receiving valproate monotherapy (three deaths); five lithium monotherapy (two deaths); and four combination therapy (one death). INTERPRETATION: For people with bipolar I disorder, for whom long-term therapy is clinically indicated, both combination therapy with lithium plus valproate and lithium monotherapy are more likely to prevent relapse than is valproate monotherapy. This benefit seems to be irrespective of baseline severity of illness and is maintained for up to 2 years. BALANCE could neither reliably confirm nor refute a benefit of combination therapy compared with lithium monotherapy. FUNDING: Stanley Medical Research Institute; Sanofi-Aventis.
Published:
January 29, 2010
Title:
Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008
Authors:
Flegal, Katherine M.; Carroll, Margaret D.; Ogden, Cynthia L.; Curtin, Lester R.
Abstract:
Context
The prevalence of obesity increased in the United States between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994 and again between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000.Objective
To examine trends in obesity from 1999 through 2008 and the current prevalence of obesity and overweight for 2007-2008.Design, Setting, and Participants
Analysis of height and weight measurements from 5555 adult men and women aged 20 years or older obtained in 2007-2008 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative sample of the US population. Data from the NHANES obtained in 2007-2008 were compared with results obtained from 1999 through 2006.Main Outcome Measure
Estimates of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults. Overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9. Obesity was defined as a BMI of 30.0 or higher.Results
In 2007-2008, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 33.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31.6%-36.0%) overall, 32.2% (95% CI, 29.5%-35.0%) among men, and 35.5% (95% CI, 33.2%-37.7%) among women. The corresponding prevalence estimates for overweight and obesity combined (BMI ≥25) were 68.0% (95% CI, 66.3%-69.8%), 72.3% (95% CI, 70.4%-74.1%), and 64.1% (95% CI, 61.3%-66.9%). Obesity prevalence varied by age group and by racial and ethnic group for both men and women. Over the 10-year period, obesity showed no significant trend among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for 2007-2008 vs 1999-2000, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.89-1.32]). For men, there was a significant linear trend (AOR for 2007-2008 vs 1999-2000, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.12-1.58]); however, the 3 most recent data points did not differ significantly from each other.Conclusions
In 2007-2008, the prevalence of obesity was 32.2% among adult men and 35.5% among adult women. The increases in the prevalence of obesity previously observed do not appear to be continuing at the same rate over the past 10 years, particularly for women and possibly for men.Published online January 13, 2010 (doi:10.1001/jama.2009.2014).Published:
January 19, 2010
Title:
Regulation of Adaptive Immunity by the Innate Immune System
Authors:
Iwasaki, Akiko; Medzhitov, Ruslan
Abstract:
Twenty years after the proposal that pattern recognition receptors detect invasion by microbial pathogens, the field of immunology has witnessed several discoveries that have elucidated receptors and signaling pathways of microbial recognition systems and how they control the generation of T and B lymphocyte–mediated immune responses. However, there are still many fundamental questions that remain poorly understood, even though sometimes the answers are assumed to be known. Here, we discuss some of these questions, including the mechanisms by which pathogen-specific innate immune recognition activates antigen-specific adaptive immune responses and the roles of different types of innate immune recognition in host defense from infection and injury.
Published:
January 14, 2010
Title:
The effect of formulated goats' milk on calcium bioavailability in male growing rats
Authors:
McKinnon, Hilary; Kruger, Marlena; Prosser, Colin; Lowry, Dianne
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: There are two main proteins in milk; whey and casein. Casein contains casein phosphopeptides (CPP), which are released on digestion of the milk. These may increase calcium solubility by binding calcium in the small intestine. Thus increasing casein in the diet may help to stimulate bioavailability of calcium and increase bone density. The present study tested this hypothesis in growing male rats fed diets containing three different concentrations of casein from goat milk. RESULTS: Rats fed the diet containing no casein had significantly lower calcium absorption when compared to rats fed the diets that contained 80% and 57% of goat milk protein as casein; however, no significant difference was observed between rats fed diets with 80% and 57% casein. The varying amounts of casein had no effect on mineral uptake or retention in the femur. Biomechanical testing and mineral analysis of the femurs showed no differences between diet groups. The mechanism to explain this lack of retention remains unclear. CONCLUSION: The diets containing 80% and 57% of goat milk protein as casein delivered increased calcium absorption compared to the diet containing no casein, suggesting a minimum level of casein is needed to optimize calcium absorption from goat milk.
Published:
January 14, 2010
Title:
Comparison of a High-Carbohydrate Diet with a High-Monounsaturated-Fat Diet in Patients with Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
Authors:
Garg, Abhimanyu; Bonanome, Andrea; Grundy, Scott M.; Zhang, Zu-Jun; Unger, Roger H.
Abstract:
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Comparison of a High-Carbohydrate Diet with a High-Monounsaturated-Fat Diet in Patients with Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
Published:
January 13, 2010
Title:
Selective vulnerability of brain regions to oxidative stress in a non-coma model of insulin-induced hypoglycemia
Authors:
Haces, M. L.; Montiel, T.; Massieu, L.
Abstract:
Insulin-induced hypoglycemia causes the death of neurons in particular brain regions including the cerebral cortex, the striatum and the hippocampus, while the cerebellum and the brain stem are more resistant. The mechanisms underlying this selective vulnerability to hypoglycemic damage are unknown. In the present study we have analyzed the presence of lipoperoxidation products and nitrosilated protein residues in different rat brain regions during and after the induction of hypoglycemia. Insulin-injected hypoglycemic rats were sacrificed before the onset of the isoelectric period or infused with glucose to end hypoglycemia, and then sacrificed at different times. Increased lipoperoxidation levels were observed before the onset of the isoelectric period, while 3-nitrotyrosine (NT) residues in proteins and NT-positive cells were only observed after glucose reperfusion. These changes were found only in vulnerable brain regions, while none of them was evident in the cerebellum, suggesting a correlation between oxidative damage and vulnerability to hypoglycemic neuronal death in selective brain regions. Results suggest that a pro-oxidant state is promoted in certain brain regions during hypoglycemia and after the glucose reperfusion phase, which might result from the activation of several oxidative stress pathways and may be related to subsequent cell death.
Published:
January 12, 2010
Title:
A Reorientation on Obesity
Authors:
Pennington, Alfred W.
Abstract:
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — A Reorientation on Obesity
Published:
January 11, 2010
Title:
A role for suppressed incisor cuspal morphogenesis in the evolution of mammalian heterodont dentition
Authors:
Ohazama, Atsushi; Blackburn, James; Porntaveetus, Thantrira; Ota, Masato S.; Choi, Hong Y.; Johnson, Eric B.; Myers, Philip; Oommen, Shelly; Eto, Kazuhiro; Kessler, John A.; Kondo, Takashi; Fraser, Gareth J.; Streelman, Todd; Pardinas, Ulyses F. J.; Tucker, Abigail S.; Ortiz, Pablo E.; Charles, Cyril; Viriot, Laurent; Herz, Joachim; Sharpe, Paul T.
Abstract:
Changes in tooth shape have played a major role in vertebrate evolution with modification of dentition allowing an organism to adapt to new feeding strategies. The current view is that molar teeth evolved from simple conical teeth, similar to canines, by progressive addition of extra "cones" to form progressively complex multicuspid crowns. Mammalian incisors, however, are neither conical nor multicuspid, and their evolution is unclear. We show that hypomorphic mutation of a cell surface receptor, Lrp4, which modulates multiple signaling pathways, produces incisors with grooved enamel surfaces that exhibit the same molecular characteristics as the tips of molar cusps. Mice with a null mutation of Lrp4 develop extra cusps on molars and have incisors that exhibit clear molar-like cusp and root morphologies. Molecular analysis identifies misregulation of Shh and Bmp signaling in the mutant incisors and suggests an uncoupling of the processes of tooth shape determination and morphogenesis. Incisors thus possess a developmentally suppressed, cuspid crown-like morphogenesis program similar to that in molars that is revealed by loss of Lrp4 activity. Several mammalian species naturally possess multicuspid incisors, suggesting that mammals have the capacity to form multicuspid teeth regardless of location in the oral jaw. Localized loss of enamel may thus have been an intermediary step in the evolution of cusps, both of which use Lrp4-mediated signaling.
Published:
January 4, 2010
Title:
Size Counts: Evolutionary Perspectives on Physical Activity and Body Size From Early Hominids to Modern Humans
Authors:
Leonard, William R.
Abstract:
This paper examines the evolutionary origins of human dietary and activity patterns, and their implications for understanding modern health problems. Humans have evolved distinctive nutritional characteristics associated the high metabolic costs of our large brains. The evolution of larger hominid brain size necessitated the adoption of foraging strategies that both provided high quality foods, and required larger ranges and activity budgets. Over time, human subsistence strategies have become ever more efficient in obtaining energy with minimal time and effort. Today, populations of the industrialized world live in environments characterized by low levels of energy expenditure and abundant food supplies contributing to growing rates of obesity. Analyses of trends in dietary intake and body weight in the US over the last 50 years indicate that the dramatic rise in obesity cannot be explained solely by increased energy consumption. Rather, declines in activity are also important. Further, we find that recent recommendations on physical activity have the potential to bring daily energy expenditure levels of industrialized societies surprisingly close to those observed among subsistence-level populations. These findings highlight the importance of physical activity in promoting nutritional health and show the utility of evolutionary approaches for developing public health recommendations.
Published:
December 31, 2009
Title:
Acute metabolic responses to a high-carbohydrate meal in outpatients with type 2 diabetes treated with a low-carbohydrate diet: a crossover meal tolerance study
Authors:
Haimoto, Hajime; Sasakabe, Tae; Umegaki, Hiroyuki; Wakai, Kenji
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: A low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) achieves good glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) compared with a high-carbohydrate diet. With respect to energy metabolism, acute metabolic responses to high-carbohydrate meals (HCMs) have not been determined in LCD patients with T2DM. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 31 subjects with T2DM (mean age: 62 yrs, mean hemoglobin A1c level: 6.9%), of whom 13 were on a strict LCD (26% carbohydrate diet), and 18 a moderate one (44% carbohydrate diet). Two isocaloric meals were administered to all subjects in a randomized crossover design. The carbohydrate:protein:fat ratios of HCMs and low-carbohydrate meals (LCMs) were 59:20:21 and 7:20:73, respectively. Serum beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, free fatty acids (FFAs), triglyceride and insulin, and plasma glucose concentrations were measured for 120 minutes after the intake of each meal. RESULTS: HCMs rapidly decreased postprandial beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and FFA concentrations within 2 hours in all patients in combination with rapid increases in serum insulin and plasma glucose, while LCMs increased or did not change beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and FFAs (P < 0.001 for all). HCMs did not change postprandial triglyceride concentrations over 2 hours, while LCMs gradually increased them (P < 0.001). HCMs sharply and rapidly decreased postprandial beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate concentrations in strict LCD subjects over 2 hours, but only slightly decreased them in moderate LCD subjects (P
Published:
December 28, 2009
Title:
Reduced Pain and Inflammation in Juvenile and Adult Rats Fed a Ketogenic Diet
Authors:
Ruskin, David N.; Jr, Masahito Kawamura; Masino, Susan A.
Abstract:
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that forces ketone-based rather than glucose-based cellular metabolism. Clinically, maintenance on a ketogenic diet has been proven effective in treating pediatric epilepsy and type II diabetes, and recent basic research provides evidence that ketogenic strategies offer promise in reducing brain injury. Cellular mechanisms hypothesized to be mobilized by ketone metabolism and underlying the success of ketogenic diet therapy, such as reduced reactive oxygen species and increased central adenosine, suggest that the ketolytic metabolism induced by the diet could reduce pain and inflammation. To test the effects of a ketone-based metabolism on pain and inflammation directly, we fed juvenile and adult rats a control diet (standard rodent chow) or ketogenic diet (79% fat) ad libitum for 3–4 weeks. We then quantified hindpaw thermal nociception as a pain measure and complete Freund's adjuvant-induced local hindpaw swelling and plasma extravasation (fluid movement from the vasculature) as inflammation measures. Independent of age, maintenance on a ketogenic diet reduced the peripheral inflammatory response significantly as measured by paw swelling and plasma extravasation. The ketogenic diet also induced significant thermal hypoalgesia independent of age, shown by increased hindpaw withdrawal latency in the hotplate nociception test. Anti-inflammatory and hypoalgesic diet effects were generally more robust in juveniles. The ketogenic diet elevated plasma ketones similarly in both age groups, but caused slowed body growth only in juveniles. These data suggest that applying a ketogenic diet or exploiting cellular mechanisms associated with ketone-based metabolism offers new therapeutic opportunities for controlling pain and peripheral inflammation, and that such a metabolic strategy may offer significant benefits for children and adults.
Published:
December 22, 2009
Title:
Reduced Pain and Inflammation in Juvenile and Adult Rats Fed a Ketogenic Diet
Authors:
Ruskin, David N.; Kawamura, Masahito; Masino, Susan A.
Abstract:
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen that forces ketone-based rather than glucose-based cellular metabolism. Clinically, maintenance on a ketogenic diet has been proven effective in treating pediatric epilepsy and type II diabetes, and recent basic research provides evidence that ketogenic strategies offer promise in reducing brain injury. Cellular mechanisms hypothesized to be mobilized by ketone metabolism and underlying the success of ketogenic diet therapy, such as reduced reactive oxygen species and increased central adenosine, suggest that the ketolytic metabolism induced by the diet could reduce pain and inflammation. To test the effects of a ketone-based metabolism on pain and inflammation directly, we fed juvenile and adult rats a control diet (standard rodent chow) or ketogenic diet (79% fat) ad libitum for 3–4 weeks. We then quantified hindpaw thermal nociception as a pain measure and complete Freund's adjuvant-induced local hindpaw swelling and plasma extravasation (fluid movement from the vasculature) as inflammation measures. Independent of age, maintenance on a ketogenic diet reduced the peripheral inflammatory response significantly as measured by paw swelling and plasma extravasation. The ketogenic diet also induced significant thermal hypoalgesia independent of age, shown by increased hindpaw withdrawal latency in the hotplate nociception test. Anti-inflammatory and hypoalgesic diet effects were generally more robust in juveniles. The ketogenic diet elevated plasma ketones similarly in both age groups, but caused slowed body growth only in juveniles. These data suggest that applying a ketogenic diet or exploiting cellular mechanisms associated with ketone-based metabolism offers new therapeutic opportunities for controlling pain and peripheral inflammation, and that such a metabolic strategy may offer significant benefits for children and adults.
Published:
December 22, 2009
Title:
A unifying model for timing of walking onset in humans and other mammals
Authors:
Garwicz, Martin; Christensson, Maria; Psouni, Elia
Abstract:
Author Information Martin Garwicza,1, Maria Christenssona and Elia Psounib,caNeuronano Research Center, BMC F10, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden; bCenter for Psychology, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden; and cDepartment of Psychology, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden Edited by Kristen Hawkes, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and approved October 28, 2009 (received for review May 26, 2009) Footnotes1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: martin.garwicz@med.lu.se Author contributions: M.G., M.C., and E.P. designed research; M.G. and M.C. performed research; M.G. and E.P. analyzed data; and M.G., M.C., and E.P. wrote the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interest. This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0905777106/DCSupplemental.
Published:
December 21, 2009
Title:
Soy food intake and breast cancer survival
Authors:
Shu, Xiao Ou; Zheng, Ying; Cai, Hui; Gu, Kai; Chen, Zhi; Zheng, Wei; Lu, Wei
Abstract:
CONTEXT: Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of soy food intake after diagnosis of breast cancer with total mortality and cancer recurrence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based cohort study of 5042 female breast cancer survivors in China. Women aged 20 to 75 years with diagnoses between March 2002 and April 2006 were recruited and followed up through June 2009. Information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, lifestyle exposures after cancer diagnosis, and disease progression was collected at approximately 6 months after cancer diagnosis and was reassessed at 3 follow-up interviews conducted at 18, 36, and 60 months after diagnosis. Annual record linkage with the Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry database was carried out to obtain survival information for participants who were lost to follow-up. Medical charts were reviewed to verify disease and treatment information. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total mortality and breast cancer recurrence or breast cancer-related deaths. Cox regression analysis was carried out with adjustment for known clinical predictors and other lifestyle factors. Soy food intake was treated as a time-dependent variable. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 3.9 years (range, 0.5-6.2 years), 444 deaths and 534 recurrences or breast cancer-related deaths were documented in 5033 surgically treated breast cancer patients. Soy food intake, as measured by either soy protein or soy isoflavone intake, was inversely associated with mortality and recurrence. The hazard ratio associated with the highest quartile of soy protein intake was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.92) for total mortality and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.54-0.87) for recurrence compared with the lowest quartile of intake. The multivariate-adjusted 4-year mortality rates were 10.3% and 7.4%, and the 4-year recurrence rates were 11.2% and 8.0%, respectively, for women in the lowest and highest quartiles of soy protein intake. The inverse association was evident among women with either estrogen receptor-positive or -negative breast cancer and was present in both users and nonusers of tamoxifen. CONCLUSION: Among women with breast cancer, soy food consumption was significantly associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence.
Published:
December 8, 2009
Title:
KABADUL KULA: and the Antiquity of Torres Strait Rock Art
Authors:
McNiven, Ian J.; Brady, Liam M.; Barham, Anthony J.
Abstract:
Excavations directly below a painted panel at Kabadul Kula rock art site on the island of Dauan, northern Torres Strait, revealed buried fragments of ochre pigment to a depth of 59cm. A series of AMS 14C dates indicate that most of the ochres and all pieces of facetted ochre were deposited between 1200 and 1400 years ago. Located in a moist tropical environment where the potential for erosion and bioturbation is high, the stratigraphic integrity of the deposit was tested by micromorphological analysis of sediments. Assessment of vertical changes in the size of stone artefacts and sediment particle sizes suggest strongly that this restricted timeframe for ochre use is reliable and not a taphonomic illusion created by post-depositional disturbance. These in situ ochres are associated with an early phase of painting at the site and represent the oldest dates currently available for Torres Strait rock art.
Published:
November 30, 2009
Title:
Lincoln U. Requires Its Students to Step on the Scale
Authors:
Hoover, Eric
Abstract:
Published:
November 18, 2009
Title:
Long-term Effects of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet and a Low-Fat Diet on Mood and Cognitive Function
Authors:
Brinkworth, Grant D.; Buckley, Jonathan D.; Noakes, Manny; Clifton, Peter M.; Wilson, Carlene J.
Abstract:
Background
Very low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are often used to promote weight loss, but the long-term effects on psychological function remain unknown.
Methods
A total of 106 overweight and obese participants (mean [SE] age, 50.0 [0.8] years; mean [SE] body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 33.7 [0.4]) were randomly assigned either to an energy-restricted (approximately 1433-1672 kcal [to convert to kilojoules, multiply by 4.186]), planned isocaloric, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LC) diet or to a high-carbohydrate, low-fat (LF) diet for 1 year. Changes in body weight, psychological mood and well-being (Profile of Mood States, Beck Depression Inventory, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory scores), and cognitive functioning (working memory and speed of processing) were assessed.
Results
By 1 year, the overall mean (SE) weight loss was 13.7 (1.8) kg, with no significant difference between groups (P = .26). Over the course of the study, there were significant time × diet interactions for Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Profile of Mood States scores for total mood disturbance, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, and depression-dejection (P < .05) as a result of greater improvements in these psychological mood states for the LF diet compared with the LC diet. Working memory improved by 1 year (P < .001 for time), but speed of processing remained largely unchanged, with no effect of diet composition on either cognitive domain.
Conclusions
Over 1 year, there was a favorable effect of an energy-restricted LF diet compared with an isocaloric LC diet on mood state and affect in overweight and obese individuals. Both diets had similar effects on working memory and speed of processing.
Trial Registration
anzctr.org.au Identifier:12606000203550
Published:
November 8, 2009
Title:
DNA methylation differences after exposure to prenatal famine are common and timing- and sex-specific
Authors:
Tobi, Elmar W.; Lumey, L. H.; Talens, Rudolf P.; Kremer, Dennis; Putter, Hein; Stein, Aryeh D.; Slagboom, P. Eline; Heijmans, Bastiaan T.
Abstract:
Prenatal famine in humans has been associated with various later-life consequences, depending on the gestational timing of the insult and the sex of the exposed individual. Epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed to underlie these associations. Indeed, animal studies and our early human data on the imprinted IGF2 locus indicated a link between prenatal nutritional and DNA methylation. However, it remains unclear how common changes in DNA methylation are and whether they are sex- and timing-specific paralleling the later-life consequences of prenatal famine exposure. To this end, we investigated the methylation of 15 loci implicated in growth and metabolic disease in individuals who were prenatally exposed to a war-time famine in 1944-45. Methylation of INSIGF was lower among individuals who were periconceptionally exposed to the famine (n = 60) compared with their unexposed same-sex siblings (P = 2 x 10(-5)), whereas methylation of IL10, LEP, ABCA1, GNASAS and MEG3 was higher (all P
Published:
October 31, 2009
Title:
Diet-Specific Family Support and Glucose Control Among Korean Immigrants With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors:
Choi, Sarah E.
Abstract:
Purpose, The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of diet family support on glucose outcome in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes, taking into consideration patient gender., Methods, A total of 143 Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes were recruited from a West Coast Koreatown. On com- pleting questionnaires (demographic, health history, and the Diabetes Family Behavior Checklist-II [DFBC]), a participant was given a finger stick blood test for glyco-sylated hemoglobin (A1C). Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated after measurements were taken. Analyses assessed the independent associations of diet family support, gender, and diet fam- ily support by gender interactions with glucose outcome., Results, A higher level of diet family support was significantly associated with lower A1C, indicating the beneficial effect of diet family support on glucose control. Although the main effect of gender on A1C was not significant, the effect of the product term of family support and gender was, indicating that the significant beneficial impact of diet family support on A1C depends on gender. The impact is much more pronounced in men (B = -.516) than women (B = -.038)., Conclusions, Family support, specific to diet, is significantly associ- ated with glucose outcomes in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes. That is, more perceived family support was associated with better glucose control. The positive impact of family support on glucose outcome was sig- nificantly stronger in men than in women, even after other factors were taken into consideration
Published:
October 31, 2009
Title:
Efficacy and safety of very-low-calorie diet in Taiwanese: A multicenter randomized, controlled trial
Authors:
Lin, Wen-Yuan; Wu, Chih-Hsing; Chu, Nain-Feng; Chang, Chih-Jen
Abstract:
Objective Very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) are an effective method for weight reduction in Caucasians. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of two different VLCDs (450 or 800kcal/d) in obese Taiwanese. Methods 132 participants with BMI ≥30kg/m2 were randomized to two VLCD groups for body weight reduction for 12 weeks. Each group had 66 participants. Anthropometric and metabolic parameters were measured. Results The intention-to-treat analysis revealed that the percentage change in body weight over the 12-week treatment period was –9.14% in the VLCD-450 group and –8.98% in the VLCD-800 group. A total of 27 (40.9%) participants in the VLCD-450 group and 29 (43.9%) participants in the VLCD-800 group achieved 10% or more weight loss at the end of treatment. The body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, fat mass, blood pressure, triglycerides, and blood glucose were statistically improved from baseline but not between the two groups. The improvement rate of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was 41.5% in the VLCD-450 group and 50.0% in the VLCD-800 group. The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the groups and no serious adverse events were reported in either group. Conclusion Both the VLCD-450 and 800kcal/d can effectively and safely reduce body weight and improve NAFLD in 12 weeks in obese Taiwanese participants. However, there is no additional benefit in prescribing the more restrictive diet intervention in Taiwanese.
Published:
October 31, 2009
Title:
Regular moderate exercise reduces advanced glycation and ameliorates early diabetic nephropathy in obese Zucker rats
Authors:
Boor, Peter; Celec, Peter; Behuliak, Michal; Grančič, Peter; Kebis, Anton; Kukan, Marián; Pronayová, Nadežda; Liptaj, Tibor; Ostendorf, Tammo; Šebeková, Katarína
Abstract:
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications, including the diabetic nephropathy. The renoprotective effects of exercise are well known; however, the mechanisms remain elusive. Here we examined whether a regular moderate exercise in obese Zucker rats (OZR), a model of diabetes- and obesity-associated nephropathy, will affect the development of early renal injury in OZR possibly via alteration of AGEs formation. The OZR were left without exercise (sedentary) or subjected to 10 weeks intermittent treadmill running of moderate intensity. Compared with sedentary OZR, kidneys of running OZR had significantly less glomerular mesangial expansion and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Running OZR had significantly lower plasma AGEs-associated fluorescence and Nɛ-carboxymethyllysine. Correspondingly, renal AGEs and Nɛ-carboxymethyllysine content were lower in running OZR. Systemically, exercise increased aerobic metabolism, as apparent from urinary metabolite profiling. No differences in plasma glucose, insulin, or lipid profile were found between the 2 groups. Apart from lower advanced oxidation protein products (a marker of myeloperoxidase activity), no other marker of inflammation was altered by exercise, either systemically or locally in kidneys. No indication of changed oxidative status was revealed between the groups. Exercise in OZR decreased advanced glycation. This might represent the early event of exercise-induced renoprotection in diabetic nephropathy in OZR. If confirmed in clinical studies, regular moderate exercise could represent an easy and effective nonpharmacologic approach to reduce advanced glycation.
Published:
October 31, 2009
Title:
[Severe Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Infants Breastfed by Vegans]
Authors:
C, Roed; F, Skovby; Am, Lund
Abstract:
Weight loss and reduction of motor skills resulted in paediatric evaluation of a 10-month-old girl and a 12-month-old boy. Both children suffered form anaemia and delayed development due to vitamin B12 deficiency caused by strict maternal vegan diet during pregnancy and nursing. Therapy with cyanoco …
Published:
October 18, 2009
Title:
Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Mortality in Swedish Obese Subjects
Authors:
Sjöström, Lars; Narbro, Kristina; Sjöström, C. David; Karason, Kristjan; Larsson, Bo; Wedel, Hans; Lystig, Ted; Sullivan, Marianne; Bouchard, Claude; Carlsson, Björn; Bengtsson, Calle; Dahlgren, Sven; Gummesson, Anders; Jacobson, Peter; Karlsson, Jan; Lindroos, Anna-Karin; Lönroth, Hans; Näslund, Ingmar; Olbers, Torsten; Stenlöf, Kaj; Torgerson, Jarl; Ågren, Göran; Carlsson, Lena M. S.
Abstract:
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Mortality in Swedish Obese Subjects
Published:
October 8, 2009
Title:
Direct RNA sequencing
Authors:
Ozsolak, Fatih; Platt, Adam R.; Jones, Dan R.; Reifenberger, Jeffrey G.; Sass, Lauryn E.; McInerney, Peter; Thompson, John F.; Bowers, Jayson; Jarosz, Mirna; Milos, Patrice M.
Abstract:
Our understanding of human biology and disease is ultimately dependent on a complete understanding of the genome and its functions. The recent application of microarray and sequencing technologies to transcriptomics has changed the simplistic view of transcriptomes to a more complicated view of genome-wide transcription where a large fraction of transcripts emanates from unannotated parts of genomes, and underlined our limited knowledge of the dynamic state of transcription. Most of this broad body of knowledge was obtained indirectly because current transcriptome analysis methods typically require RNA to be converted to complementary DNA (cDNA) before measurements, even though the cDNA synthesis step introduces multiple biases and artefacts that interfere with both the proper characterization and quantification of transcripts. Furthermore, cDNA synthesis is not particularly suitable for the analysis of short, degraded and/or small quantity RNA samples. Here we report direct single molecule RNA sequencing without prior conversion of RNA to cDNA. We applied this technology to sequence femtomole quantities of poly(A)(+) Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA using a surface coated with poly(dT) oligonucleotides to capture the RNAs at their natural poly(A) tails and initiate sequencing by synthesis. We observed transcript 3' end heterogeneity and polyadenylated small nucleolar RNAs. This study provides a path to high-throughput and low-cost direct RNA sequencing and achieving the ultimate goal of a comprehensive and bias-free understanding of transcriptomes.
Published:
October 7, 2009
Title:
Randomized Trial of Lifestyle Modification and Pharmacotherapy for Obesity
Authors:
Wadden, Thomas A.; Berkowitz, Robert I.; Womble, Leslie G.; Sarwer, David B.; Phelan, Suzanne; Cato, Robert K.; Hesson, Louise A.; Osei, Suzette Y.; Kaplan, Rosalind; Stunkard, Albert J.
Abstract:
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Randomized Trial of Lifestyle Modification and Pharmacotherapy for Obesity
Published:
October 7, 2009
Title:
Poster Presentations Part I (pp. 138-152)
Authors:
Abstract:
Published:
October 1, 2009
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