Prenatal Organochlorine Compound Exposure, Rapid Weight Gain, and Overweight in Infancy

Background: Although it has been hypothesized that fetal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may increase obesity risk, empirical data are limited, and it is uncertain how early in life any effects may begin. Objectives: We explored whether prenatal exposure to several organochlorine compounds (OCs) is associated with rapid growth in the first 6 months of life and body mass index (BMI) later in infancy. Methods: Data come from the INMA (Infancia y Medio-Ambiente) Child and Environment birth cohort in Spain, which recruited 657 women in early pregnancy. Rapid growth during the first 6 months was defined as a change in weight-for-age z-scores > 0.67, and elevated BMI at 14 months, as a z-score ≥ the 85th percentile. Generalized linear models were used to estimate the risk of rapid growth or elevated BMI associated with 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene, β-hexachlorohexane, and polychlorinated biphenyls in first-trimester maternal serum. Results: After multivariable adjustment including other OCs, DDE exposure above the first quartile was associated with doubling of the risk of rapid growth among children of normal-weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2), but not overweight, mothers. DDE was also associated with elevated BMI at 14 months (relative risk per unit increase in log DDE = 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–2.03). Other OCs were not associated with rapid growth or elevated BMI after adjustment. Conclusions: In this study we found prenatal DDE exposure to be associated with rapid weight gain in the first 6 months and elevated BMI later in infancy, among infants of normal-weight mothers. More research exploring the potential role of chemical exposures in early-onset obesity is needed.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS-PI041436), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176 and CB06/02/0041), the Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT (Consejo Interdepartamental de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica) (1999SGR 00241), and the Fundació Roger Torne

Child Fitness and Father’s BMI Are Important Factors in Childhood Obesity: A School Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: This study examines obesity and factors associated with obesity in children aged 11-13 years in the UK. METHODS: 1147 children from ten secondary schools participated in a health survey that included blood samples, fitness test and anthropometric measures. Factors associated with obesity were examined using multilevel logistic regression. FINDINGS: Of the children examined (490 male; 657 female) a third were overweight, 1 in 6 had elevated blood pressure, more than 1 in 10 had high cholesterol, 58% consumed more fat than recommended, whilst 37% were classified as unfit. Children in deprived areas had a higher proportion of risk factors; for example, they had higher blood pressure (20% (deprived) compared to 11% (non-deprived), difference: 9.0% (95%CI: 4.7%-13.4%)). Obesity is associated with risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Maintaining fitness is associated with a reduction in the risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure and cholesterol) but not on risk factors for diabetes (insulin levels). In order of importance, the main risk factors for childhood obesity are being unfit, having an obese father, and being large at birth. CONCLUSION: The high proportion of children with risk factors suggests future interventions need to focus on community and policy change to shift the population norm rather than targeting the behaviour of high risk individuals. Interventions need to focus on mothers' lifestyle in pregnancy, fathers' health, as well as promoting fitness among children. Obesity was not associated with deprivation. Therefore, strategies should be adopted in both deprived and non deprived areas

Dietary Modulation of Drosophila Sleep-Wake Behaviour

Background A complex relationship exists between diet and sleep but despite its impact on human health, this relationship remains uncharacterized and poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster is an important model for the study of metabolism and behaviour, however the effect of diet upon Drosophila sleep remains largely unaddressed. Methodology/Principal Findings Using automated behavioural monitoring, a capillary feeding assay and pharmacological treatments, we examined the effect of dietary yeast and sucrose upon Drosophila sleep-wake behaviour for three consecutive days. We found that dietary yeast deconsolidated the sleep-wake behaviour of flies by promoting arousal from sleep in males and shortening periods of locomotor activity in females. We also demonstrate that arousal from nocturnal sleep exhibits a significant ultradian rhythmicity with a periodicity of 85 minutes. Increasing the dietary sucrose concentration from 5% to 35% had no effect on total sucrose ingestion per day nor any affect on arousal, however it did lengthen the time that males and females remained active. Higher dietary sucrose led to reduced total sleep by male but not female flies. Locomotor activity was reduced by feeding flies Metformin, a drug that inhibits oxidative phosphorylation, however Metformin did not affect any aspects of sleep. Conclusions We conclude that arousal from sleep is under ultradian control and regulated in a sex-dependent manner by dietary yeast and that dietary sucrose regulates the length of time that flies sustain periods of wakefulness. These findings highlight Drosophila as an important model with which to understand how diet impacts upon sleep and wakefulness in mammals and humans

Angiotensin-2 receptors (AT1-R and AT2-R), new prognostic factors for renal clear-cell carcinoma?

International audienceBackground: The growth factor Angiotensin-2 signals through Angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1-R) in a broad range of cell types and tumours and through the type-2 receptor (AT2-R) in a more restricted group of cell types. Although numerous forms of cancer have been shown to overexpress AT1-R, expression of AT1-R and AT2-R by human renal clear-cell carcinoma (RCCC) is not well understood. In this study, the expression of both angiotensin receptors was quantified in a retrospective series of RCCC and correlated with prognostic factors.Methods: Angiotensin receptor type 1 and AT2-R expressions were quantified on tumour tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT–PCR). IHC results were correlated to Fuhrman's grade and patient progression-free survival (PFS).Results: A total of 84 RCCC were analysed. By IHC, AT1-R and AT2-R were expressed to a greater level in high-grade tumours (AT1-R: P<0.001, AT2-R: P<0.001). Univariate analysis showed a correlation between PFS and AT1-R or AT2-R expression (P=0.001). By multivariate analysis, only AT2-R expression correlated with PFS (HR 1.021, P=0.006) and cancer stage (P<0.001). By western blot, AT1-R and AT1-R were also found to be overexpressed in higher Fuhrman's grade (P<0.01 and P=0.001 respectively). By qRT–PCR, AT1-R but not AT2-R mRNA were downregulated (P=0.001 and P=0.118, respectively).Conclusion: Our results show that AT1-R and AT2-R proteins are overexpressed in the most aggressive forms of RCCC and that AT2-R expression correlates with PFS. AT1-R or AT2-R blockage could, therefore, offer novel directions for anti-RCCC therapy

Association between sleep duration and blood pressure in adolescents

In adults, sleep has an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, in young adolescents, the effect is unclear. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between sleep duration and blood pressure (BP) in subjects of 13 years of age. We evaluated 1771 adolescents as part of a population-based cohort (Epidemiological Health Investigation of Teenagers). Sleep duration was estimated based on the difference between self-reported usual bedtimes and wake-up times, and adolescents were classified into three categories: 8.5 h (reference class), >8.5 h and 8.5 and <9.5 h: OR=1.56, 95% CI 1.07–2.27; 9.5 h: OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.23–2.70). Among males, no significant association was found between sleep duration and BP. Sleep duration was positively associated with BP in both sexes, although after adjustment for potential confounders, this association was significant only for female adolescents

Capital et travail et la réorganisation de la société /

Includes bibliographical references

A comparison of the virulence in the guinea-pig of tubercle bacilli from Thai and British patients*

Recent work carried out at the Tuberculosis Chemotherapy Centre, Madras, and at the Postgraduate Medical School of London has shown that isoniazid-sensitive cultures of tubercle bacilli obtained before the start of chemotherapy from South Indian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis are of lower average virulence than corresponding cultures from British patients. The present paper from the Centre extends these studies to areas outside India by comparing isoniazid-sensitive cultures from 81 Thai patients and 67 British patients for their guinea-pig virulence. As assessed by the amount of disease visible at post-mortem examination six weeks after intramuscular injection of the cultures, by the mortality of the guinea-pigs and by the results of spleen culture, the Thai cultures were less virulent than the British cultures. However, a retrospective comparison with the earlier studies suggests that the Thai cultures were intermediate in their virulence between British and Indian cultures. These findings contribute to the over-all study of the geographical distribution of attenuated tubercle bacilli