Socioeconomic characteristics, family structure and trajectories of children's psychosocial problems in a period of social transition

Data from the Czech part of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood offer a unique opportunity to examine a period of changing socioeconomic structure of the country. Our aim was to analyse the association between socioeconomic status, family structure and children’s psychosocial problems at the age of 7, 11, 15 and 18 years in 3,261 subjects and compare our results with findings from western settings. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and its five subscales were used to assess individual problem areas (emotional symptoms, peer problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems) and prosocial behaviour. Socioeconomic status was represented by maternal education and three forms of family structure were identified: nuclear family, new partner family and single parent family. The SDQ subscale score over time was modelled as a quadratic growth curve using a linear mixed-effects model. Maternal university education was associated with a faster decline in problems over time for all five SDQ subscales. Problems in children from nuclear families were found to be significantly lower than in children from single parent families for all SDQ subscales with the exception of peer problems. Compared to nuclear families, children from new partner families scored significantly higher in hyperactivity and conduct problems subscales. The nuclear family structure and higher maternal education have been identified as protective factors for children’s psychosocial problems, in agreement with findings from western settings. Adopting a longitudinal perspective was shown as essential for providing a more complex view of children’s psychosocial problems over time

Association of Picky Eating with Weight and Height—The European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC–CZ)

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate whether preschool children identified as picky eaters showed differences in anthropometric characteristics (weight and height) from their non-picky peers at 15 years of age. DESIGN: This study was performed among the cohort members of the EL- SPAC–CZ study, a longitudinal study of pregnancy and childhood. The analysis included 2068 children (997 girls and 1071 boys) followed between births and 15 years of age. Picky eaters were identified at 1.5, 3, and 5 years of age. Anthropometric characteristics were measured at 15 years of age (15 years). RESULTS: Picky eaters (n = 346; 16.7%) had a lower weight and height than non-picky eaters (n = 1722; 83.3%) at 15 years. This difference in weight and height was maintained after controlling for sex of the child, birth weight, birth length, maternal education, family structure at 15 years, and maternal age at childbirth. The picky children were on average 2.3 kg lighter and 0.8 cm shorter than non- picky children at 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent picky eating in preschool children is related to lower weight and height at 15 years of age in ELSPAC–CZ study

Association between Variants of the Leptin Receptor Gene (LEPR) and Overweight: A Systematic Review and an Analysis of the CoLaus Study

BACKGROUND: Three non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (Q223R, K109R and K656N) of the leptin receptor gene (LEPR) have been tested for association with obesity-related outcomes in multiple studies, showing inconclusive results. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the association of the three LEPR variants with BMI. In addition, we analysed 15 SNPs within the LEPR gene in the CoLaus study, assessing the interaction of the variants with sex. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We searched electronic databases, including population-based studies that investigated the association between LEPR variants Q223R, K109R and K656N and obesity- related phenotypes in healthy, unrelated subjects. We furthermore performed meta-analyses of the genotype and allele frequencies in case-control studies. Results were stratified by SNP and by potential effect modifiers. CoLaus data were analysed by logistic and linear regressions and tested for interaction with sex. The meta-analysis of published data did not show an overall association between any of the tested LEPR variants and overweight. However, the choice of a BMI cut-off value to distinguish cases from controls was crucial to explain heterogeneity in Q223R. Differences in allele frequencies across ethnic groups are compatible with natural selection of derived alleles in Q223R and K109R and of the ancient allele in K656N in Asians. In CoLaus, the rs10128072, rs3790438 and rs3790437 variants showed interaction with sex for their association with overweight, waist circumference and fat mass in linear regressions. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review and analysis of primary data from the CoLaus study did not show an overall association between LEPR SNPs and overweight. Most studies were underpowered to detect small effect sizes. A potential effect modification by sex, population stratification, as well as the role of natural selection should be addressed in future genetic association studies

Vitamin D pathway-related gene polymorphisms and their association with metabolic diseases: a literature review

Purpose: Given that the relationship between vitamin D status and metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unclear, this review will focus on the genetic associations, which are less prone to confounding, between vitamin D-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and metabolic diseases. Methods: A literature search of relevant articles was performed on PubMed up to December 2019. Those articles that had examined the association of vitamin D-related SNPs with obesity and/or T2D were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility for the inclusion criteria and extracted the data. In total, 73 articles were included in this review. Results: There is a lack of research focussing on the association of vitamin D synthesis-related genes with obesity and T2D; however, the limited available research, although inconsistent, is suggestive of a protective effect on T2D risk. While there are several studies that investigated the vitamin D metabolism-related SNPs, the research focussing on vitamin D activation, catabolism and transport genes is limited. Studies on CYP27B1, CYP24A1 and GC genes demonstrated a lack of association with obesity and T2D in Europeans; however, significant associations with T2D were found in South Asians. VDR gene SNPs have been extensively researched; in particular, the focus has been mainly on BsmI (rs1544410), TaqI (rs731236), ApaI (rs7975232) and FokI (rs2228570) SNPs. Even though the association between VDR SNPs and metabolic diseases remain inconsistent, some positive associations showing potential effects on obesity and T2D in specific ethnic groups were identified. Conclusion: Overall, this literature review suggests that ethnic-specific genetic associations are involved. Further research utilizing large studies is necessary to better understand these ethnic-specific genetic associations between vitamin D deficiency and metabolic diseases

Allelic variants in vitamin D receptor gene are associated with adiposity measures in the central-European population

Background: There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that vitamin D is involved in ethiopathogenesis of obesity and therefore the aim of the study was to investigate whether 5 selected SNPs in VDR (vitamin D receptor) gene are associated also with anthropometry in the obese and non-obese Central-European population. Methods: A total of 882 Central European Caucasian individuals of Czech origin were recruited (n = 882, 232 M/650 F) and weight, height, BMI, lean body mass, fat mass, body fat, waist and hip circumference, waist–hip ratio (WHR) and skinfold thickness were measured. Univariate and multivariate models were constructed in order to investigate the relationship between anthropometry and VDR polymorphisms. Results: In the univariate modeling, the CC genotype of FokI SNP was associated with reduced waist circumference (β = −3.48; 95%CI:-7.11;0.15; p = 0.060), sum of skin fold thickness (β = −6.53, 95% CI: -12.96;-0.11; p = 0.046) as well as total % of body fat (β = −3.14, 95% CI: -5.18;-1.09; p = 0.003) compared to TT genotype. The AC genotype of ApaI SNP was associated with reduced waist circumference compared to AA genotype (β = −4.37, 95% CI: -7.54;-1.20; p = 0.007). GG genotype of EcoRV SNP was associated with reduced sum of skin fold thickness compared to AA genotype (β = −7.77, 95% CI: -14.34;-1.21; p = 0.020). In the multivariate modelling, multiple significant associations of VDR with investigated traits were observed, too. Conclusion: Our study suggests that genetic variability in the VDR region may be an important factor influencing anthropometric characteristics associated with obesity

Obesity-induced nucleosome release predicts poor cardio-metabolic health

Objective: While circulating nucleosome levels are high in obese mouse models, it is unknown where these nucleosomes originate from and whether they are a marker of cardio-metabolic health in humans. Here, we aimed to determine whether an association exists between circulating nucleosomes and the risk of developing obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and/or a dysfunctional cardiovascular performance. / Methods: We randomly selected 120 participants of the Kardiovize Brno 2030 study across three BMI strata: BMI 18–25, 25–30, and > 30. We assessed the association between circulating nucleosome levels and the risk of obesity, MetS, and poor cardiovascular health. We then cultured human neutrophils, adipocytes, and hepatoma cells to study nucleosome origins in a fat-rich environment. Results: Circulating nucleosome levels positively correlated with BMI (R = 0.602, p < 0.05), fatty liver index (R = 0.622, p < 0.05), left ventricular mass (R = 0.457, p < 0.05), and associated with MetS (p < 0.001) and poor cardiovascular health (p < 0.001). Incubating neutrophils with 1–10 μM free fatty acids triggered nucleosome production without concomitant cell death. Nucleosomes were not produced during pre-adipocyte differentiation or upon incubation of hepatic cells with palmitic acid. / Conclusions: Neutrophils are a bona fide source of circulating nucleosomes in an obesogenic environment and in overweight/obese patients. High nucleosome levels are associated with MetS and cardiovascular performance, and might represent novel candidate biomarkers for cardio-metabolic health