1,525 research outputs found
Obesity, oxidative DNA damage and vitamin D as predictors of genomic instability in children and adolescents
Background/objectives
Epidemiological evidence indicates obesity in childhood and adolescence to be an independent risk factor for cancer and premature mortality in adulthood. Pathological implications from excess adiposity may begin early in life. Obesity is concurrent with a state of chronic inflammation, a well-known aetiological factor for DNA damage. In addition, obesity has been associated with micro-nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D has attracted attention for its anti-inflammatory properties and role in genomic integrity and stability. The aim of this study was to determine a novel approach for predicting genomic instability via the combined assessment of adiposity, DNA damage, systemic inflammation, and vitamin D status.
Subjects/methods
We carried out a cross-sectional study with 132 participants, aged 10–18, recruited from schools and paediatric obesity clinics in London. Anthropometric assessments included BMI Z-score, waist and hip circumference, and body fat percentage via bioelectrical impedance. Inflammation and vitamin D levels in saliva were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Oxidative DNA damage was determined via quantification of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine in urine. Exfoliated cells from the oral cavity were scored for genomic instability via the buccal cytome assay.
Results
As expected, comparisons between participants with obesity and normal range BMI showed significant differences in anthropometric measures (p < 0.001). Significant differences were also observed in some measures of genomic instability (p < 0.001). When examining relationships between variables for all participants, markers of adiposity positively correlated with acquired oxidative DNA damage (p < 0.01) and genomic instability (p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with vitamin D (p < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses identified obesity (p < 0.001), vitamin D (p < 0.001), and oxidative DNA damage (p < 0.05) as the three significant predictors of genomic instability.
Conclusions
Obesity, oxidative DNA damage, and vitamin D deficiency are significant predictors of genomic instability. Non-invasive biomonitoring and predictive modelling of genomic instability in young patients with obesity may contribute to the prioritisation and severity of clinical intervention measures
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists decrease lipoprotein lipase secretion and glycated LDL uptake by human macrophages
AbstractLipoprotein lipase (LPL) acts independently of its function as triglyceride hydrolase by stimulating macrophage binding and uptake of native, oxidized and glycated LDL. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors expressed in monocyte/macrophages, where they control cholesterol homeostasis. Here we study the role of PPARs in the regulation of LPL expression and activity in human monocytes and macrophages. Incubation of human monocytes or macrophages with PPARα or PPARγ ligands increases LPL mRNA and intracellular protein levels. By contrast, PPAR activators decrease secreted LPL mass and enzyme activity in differentiated macrophages. These actions of PPAR activators are associated with a reduced uptake of glycated LDL and could influence atherosclerosis development associated with diabetes
Developing construction graduates fit for the 4th industrial revolution through fieldwork application of active learning
One-Loop QCD Corrections to the Thermal Wilson Line Model
We calculate the time independent four-point function in high temperature (T)
QCD and obtain the leading momentum dependent terms. Furthermore, we relate
these derivative interactions to derivative terms in a recently proposed finite
T effective action based on the SU(3) Wilson Line and its trace, the Polyakov
Loop. By this procedure we thus obtain a perturbative matching at finite T
between QCD and the effective model. In particular, we calculate the leading
perturbative QCD-correction to the kinetic term for the Polyakov Loop.Comment: Minor changes, one reference adde
Femtosecond pulses at 20 GHz repetition rate through spectral masking of a phase modulated signal and nonlinear pulse compression
Comparative genomic analysis identifies a campylobacter clade deficient in selenium metabolism
Parametric Polyhedra with at least Lattice Points: Their Semigroup Structure and the k-Frobenius Problem
Given an integral matrix , the well-studied affine semigroup
\mbox{ Sg} (A)=\{ b : Ax=b, \ x \in {\mathbb Z}^n, x \geq 0\} can be
stratified by the number of lattice points inside the parametric polyhedra
. Such families of parametric polyhedra appear in
many areas of combinatorics, convex geometry, algebra and number theory. The
key themes of this paper are: (1) A structure theory that characterizes
precisely the subset \mbox{ Sg}_{\geq k}(A) of all vectors b \in \mbox{
Sg}(A) such that has at least solutions. We
demonstrate that this set is finitely generated, it is a union of translated
copies of a semigroup which can be computed explicitly via Hilbert bases
computations. Related results can be derived for those right-hand-side vectors
for which has exactly solutions or fewer
than solutions. (2) A computational complexity theory. We show that, when
, are fixed natural numbers, one can compute in polynomial time an
encoding of \mbox{ Sg}_{\geq k}(A) as a multivariate generating function,
using a short sum of rational functions. As a consequence, one can identify all
right-hand-side vectors of bounded norm that have at least solutions. (3)
Applications and computation for the -Frobenius numbers. Using Generating
functions we prove that for fixed the -Frobenius number can be
computed in polynomial time. This generalizes a well-known result for by
R. Kannan. Using some adaptation of dynamic programming we show some practical
computations of -Frobenius numbers and their relatives
Dragon-kings: mechanisms, statistical methods and empirical evidence
This introductory article presents the special Discussion and Debate volume
"From black swans to dragon-kings, is there life beyond power laws?" published
in Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics in May 2012. We summarize and put in
perspective the contributions into three main themes: (i) mechanisms for
dragon-kings, (ii) detection of dragon-kings and statistical tests and (iii)
empirical evidence in a large variety of natural and social systems. Overall,
we are pleased to witness significant advances both in the introduction and
clarification of underlying mechanisms and in the development of novel
efficient tests that demonstrate clear evidence for the presence of
dragon-kings in many systems. However, this positive view should be balanced by
the fact that this remains a very delicate and difficult field, if only due to
the scarcity of data as well as the extraordinary important implications with
respect to hazard assessment, risk control and predictability.Comment: 20 page
- …