Use of waist to hip ratio in the determination of the body composition in preschool children in Latvian population

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2008, the waist to hip ratio (WHR) has been suggested superior to the body mass index (BMI) in predicting the cardiovascular disease risk in adults and adolescents. There have been studies about the WHR in preschool children in the populations of Pakistan, Chile and Mexico; and it is not the WHO which recommended it as a routine method in preschool children.The present study includes 85 children (41 girls and 44 boys), aged 5 to 7 years, without any chronic conditions. Body height, body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, triceps skinfold, abdominal skinfold and subscapular skinfold were measured. The WHR, the BMI, the sum of three skinfolds and the percentage of body fat (%BF) were calculated.It was found that the WHR decreased with age in girls; there were no specific changes found in the WHR with age in boys. The present study found no correlation in boys or girls between the WHR and the BMI; the WHR and the sum of three skinfolds; the WHR and the percentage of BF. There was also no correlation between the Z-scores of the BMI and Z-scores of the WHR.Conclusions. The WHR is a questionable body composition marker in preschool children in the Latvian population and must be evaluated separately from other body composition markers

The distribution of DNA methylation and gene expression breadth.

<p><b>A.</b> Stacked barplot for expressed methylated and non-methylated genes in different tissues. Black: methylated genes; Gray: unmethylated genes. B. Stacked barplot for expressed methylated and non-methylated genes at different development stages.</p

Summary of coverage and mCpGs in the three tissues.

<p>Summary of coverage and mCpGs in the three tissues.</p

Expression profile of an alternatively spliced and differentially methylated gene CGI_10021620 in mantle and male gametes.

<p>(A) The CpG methylation pattern showing the level of methylation for individual CpGs in the two tissues. (B) Gene model of CGI_10021620 showing the two spliced variants for the two tissues. (C) Gene expression in the two tissues.</p

The distribution of DNA methylation among included versus skipped exons in male gametes.

<p>The plots illustrate that exons included in transcription are more highly methylated than those skipped during transcription for the first, internal, and last exons. The methylation level (weighted methylation level) around exons was calculated by dividing the regions +/− 200 bp within the start and end site of either included exons or skipped exons into 20 equal intervals for internal exons. For first and last exons, regions of +/− 150 bp were divided into 15 equal intervals. Solid line: included exons; dotted line: skipped exons.</p

Methylation levels of the three types of exons.

<p>The methylation levels of three different types of exons (first, internal, and last) in the two tissues. (***Wilcoxon rank-sum test <i>P</i> < 0.0001)</p

Exon methylation status is associated with exon length.

<p>Boxplot showing the exon length for methylated and unmethylated exons in male gametes. The plot illustrate that the methylated exons are longer than the unmethylated exons for all three types of exons. (***Wilcoxon rank-sum test <i>P</i> < 0.0001).</p

Schematic representation of signaling cascade involved in hypoxia-inducible ephrin-A1 modulation of angiogenesis in tumor hypoxic microenvironment.

<p>Schematic representation of signaling cascade involved in hypoxia-inducible ephrin-A1 modulation of angiogenesis in tumor hypoxic microenvironment.</p

PI3K/Akt mediated ephrin-A1-induced P-eNOS_Ser1177 in HUVECs.

<p>A: Representative Western blots for P-eNOS_Ser1177 and P-Akt_Ser473 from HUVECs that were starved in 0.1%BSA EBM-2 overnight and stimulated with ephrin-A1-Fc (1 µg/ml) for 30 min alone or together pre-treated with LY294002. B: Quantity analysis of P-Akt_Ser473. C: Quantity analysis of P-eNOS_Ser1177. (*, <i>P</i><0.05, n = 4) (#, <i>P</i>>0.05, n = 4).</p

Fluorescent Liquid Metal As a Transformable Biomimetic Chameleon

Liquid metal (LM) is of core interest for a wide variety of newly emerging areas. However, the functional materials thus made so far by LM only could display a single silver-white appearance. In this study, colorful LM marbles working like a transformable biomimetic robot were proposed for the first time and fabricated from LM droplets through encasing them with fluorescent nanoparticles. We demonstrated that this unique LM marble can be manipulated into various stable magnificent appearances as one desires and then split and merge among different colors. Such multifunctional LM is capable of responding to the outside electric stimulus and realizing shape transformation and discoloration behaviors as well. Furthermore, the electric stimuli has been successfully introduced to trigger the release of nano/microparticles from the LM, and the mechanism lying behind was clarified. The present fluorescent LM was expected to offer important opportunities for diverse applications, especially in a wide range of functional smart material areas