Epigenetic control of nuclear architecture

The cell nucleus is a highly structured compartment where nuclear components are thought to localize in non-random positions. Correct positioning of large chromatin domains may have a direct impact on the localization of other nuclear components, and can therefore influence the global functionality of the nuclear compartment. DNA methylation of cytosine residues in CpG dinucleotides is a prominent epigenetic modification of the chromatin fiber. DNA methylation, in conjunction with the biochemical modification pattern of histone tails, is known to lock chromatin in a close and transcriptionally inactive conformation. The relationship between DNA methylation and large-scale organization of nuclear architecture, however, is poorly understood. Here we briefly summarize present concepts of nuclear architecture and current data supporting a link between DNA methylation and the maintenance of large-scale nuclear organization

Transitions of cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Americas between 1980 and 2014

Describing the prevalence and trends of cardiometabolic risk factors that are associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is crucial for monitoring progress, planning prevention, and providing evidence to support policy efforts. We aimed to analyse the transition in body-mass index (BMI), obesity, blood pressure, raised blood pressure, and diabetes in the Americas, between 1980 and 2014

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol�which is a marker of cardiovascular risk�changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95 credible interval 3.7 million�4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world. © 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Overweight Among Brazilian Children Younger Than 2 Years [prevalência E Fatores Associados Ao Excesso De Peso Em Crianças Brasileiras Menores De 2 Anos]

Objective: To describe the prevalence of overweight, analyze its progression from 1989 to 2006 and identify factors associated with it among children younger than two years in Brazil. Methods: Data for the Women and Children National Demography and Health Survey (PNDS 2006) were collected using questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. The study sample included 1,735 children aged 0 to 24 months (910 boys; 825 girls). Nutritional status was defined according to the weight-for-height index (W/H; WHO, 2006), and children were classified as overweight if their W/H z score was greater than +2. Results: Prevalence of overweight in Brazil was 6.54%. The highest prevalence of overweight was found in the southern (10.0%) and midwestern (11.1%) regions, among families with a per capita income higher than one minimum wage (11.8%), in social classes with a greater purchasing power (9.7%), among children whose birth weight was greater than 3 kg (8.04%) and whose exclusive breastfeeding lasted less than five months (7.4%). According to a fitted multiple logistic regression model, factors associated with overweight were: birth weight ≥ 3 kg [odds ratio (OR) = 5.2, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 2.56-10.56], per capita income ≥ 1 minimum wage (OR = 2.50, 95%CI 1.20-5.21), residence in midwestern region (OR = 2.40, 95%CI 1.01-5.72). Conclusions: The comparison of the prevalence found in the 2006 survey with the 1989 and 1996 values revealed that overweight among children younger than two years tends to decrease. The risk factors identified suggest that further actions should be conducted to prevent obesity among infants living in the midwestern region of Brazil, whose birth weight was greater than 3 kg and whose families had a per capita income higher than one minimum wage. Copyright © 2012 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.886503508Waterland, R.A., Michels, K.B., Epigenetic epidemiology of the developmental origins hypothesis (2007) Annu Rev Nutr, 27, pp. 363-388Freedman, D.S., Katzmarzyk, P.T., Dietz, W.H., Srinivasan, S.R., Berenson, G.S., Relation of body mass index and skinfold thicknesses to cardiovascular disease risk factors in children: The Bogalusa Heart Study (2009) Am J Clin Nutr, 90, pp. 210-216Baker, J.L., Olsen, L.W., Sørensen, T.I., Childhood body-mass index and the risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood (2007) N Engl J Med, 357, pp. 2329-2337Freedman, D.S., Mei, Z., Srinivasan, S.R., Berenson, G.S., Dietz, W.H., Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents: The Bogalusa Heart Study (2007) J Pediatr, 150, pp. 12-17Biro, F.M., Wien, M., Childhood obesity and adult morbidities (2010) Am J Clin Nutr, 91, pp. 1499S-505SDe Onis, M., Blössner, M., The World Health Organization Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition: Methodology and applications (2003) Int J Epidemiol, 32, pp. 518-526Habicht, J.P., Martorell, R., Yarbrough, C., Malina, R.M., Klein, R.E., Height and weight standards for preschool children. How relevant are ethnic differences in growth potential? (1974) Lancet, 1, pp. 611-614Barros, F.C., Victora, C.G., Scherpbier, R., Gwatkin, D., Socioeconomic inequities in the health and nutrition of children in low/middle income countries (2010) Rev Saude Publica, 44, pp. 1-16Secretaria de Políticas de Saúde. Departamento de Atenção Básica (2002) Saúde da Criança: Acompanhamento Do Crescimento e Desenvolvimento Infantil, p. 100. , Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde(Série Cadernos de Atenção Básican. 11)Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) (1974) Estudo Nacional de Despesa Familiar (ENDEF), , Rio de Janeiro: IBGE;Pesquisa Nacional sobre Saúde e Nutrição (1989) Perfil de Crescimento da População Brasileira de 0 A 25 Anos - PNSN, , Instituto Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição (INAN). Brasília: INAN(1996) Sociedade Civil Bem-Estar Familiar No Brasil, , Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Pesquisa Nacional sobre Demografia e Saúde (PNDS), 1996. Rio de Janeiro: IBGETaddei, J.A., Colugnati, F.B., Rodrigues, E.M., Sigulem, D.M., Lopez, F.A., (2002) Desvios Nutricionais em Menores de 5 Anos, p. 64. , São Paulo: Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp)Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP) (2008) Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006, p. 307. , Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Brasília: Ministério da SaúdeMonteiro, C.A., Conde, W.L., Konno, S.C., Lima, A.L., Silva, A.C., Benicio, M.H., Avaliação antropométrica do estado nutricional de mulheres em idade fértil e crianças menores de 5 anos (2009) Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006: Dimensões Do Processo Reprodutivo e da Saúde da Criança, pp. 213-230. , In: Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP). Brasília: Ministério da SaúdeVictora, C.G., Nutrition in early life: A global priority (2009) Lancet, 374, pp. 1123-1125Johnson, T.P., Wislar, J.S., Response rates and nonresponse errors in surveys (2012) JAMA, 307, pp. 1805-1806Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP) (2010) Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006, , http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/pnds, Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Acesso: 11/11(1995) Physical Status: The Use and Interpretation of Anthropometry, , World Health Organization (WHO). Geneva: World Health Organization(2006) WHO Child Growth Standards: Length/height-for-age, Weight-for-age, Weight-forlength, Weight-for-height and Body Mass Index-for-age: Methods and Development, , WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. Geneva: World Health OrganizationKepple, A.W., Segall-Corrêa, A.M., Conceptualizing and measuring food and nutrition security (2011) Cien Saude Colet, 16, pp. 187-199Critério de classificação econômica do Brasil 2009 (2011) Dados Com Base No Levantamento Sócio-econômico 2006 e 2007 - IBOPe, , www.abep.org, Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa. Acesso: 10/10Batista Filho, M., Rissin, A., Nutritional transition in Brazil: Geographic and temporal trends (2003) Cad Saude Publica, 19, pp. S181-S191Kain, J., Vio, F., Albala, C., Obesity trends and determinant factors in Latin America (2003) Cad Saude Publica, 19, pp. S77-86Balaban, G., Silva, G.A., Efeito protetor do aleitamento materno contra a obesidade infantil (2004) J Pediatr (Rio J), 80, pp. 7-16Wang, Y., Monteiro, C., Popkin, B.M., Trends of obesity and underweight in older children and adolescents in the United States, Brazil, China, and Russia (2002) Am J Clin Nutr, 75, pp. 971-977Rossi, C.E., Albernaz, D.O., Vasconcelos, F.A., Assis, M.A., Pietro, P.F., Television influence on food intake and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review (2010) Rev Nutr, 23, pp. 607-620Ogden, C.L., Flegal, K.M., Carroll, M.D., Johnson, C.L., Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999-2000 (2002) JAMA, 288, pp. 1728-1732Menezes, R.C., Lira, P.I., Oliveira, J.S., Leal, V.S., Santana, S.C., Andrade, S.L., Prevalence and determinants of overweight in preschool children (2011) J Pediatr (Rio J), 87, pp. 231-237Martins, E.B., Carvalho, M.S., Birth weight and overweight in childhood: A systematic review (2006) Cad Saude Publica, 22, pp. 2281-2300Rossi, C.E., Vasconcelos, F.A., Birth weight and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review (2010) Rev Bras Epidemiol, 13, pp. 246-25

Andreev bound states for a superconducting-ferromagnetic box.

Within the microscopic Bogoliubov–de Gennes formalism an exact quantization condition for Andreev bound states of the ferromagnetic-superconducting hybrid systems of box geometry is derived and a semiclassical formula for the density of states is obtained. The semiclassical formula is shown to agree with the exact result, even when the exchange field h is much larger than the superconductor order parameter, provided h is small compared with the Fermi energy

Central blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and wave reflection: New targets of treatment in essential hypertension

Central blood pressure is dependent on the stiffness of large arteries and pulse wave reflection. These parameters are very important in the development of hypertensive target organ disease. Moreover, recent clinical studies have shown their independent predictive value for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, 2007 guidelines for the management of hypertension inserted the evaluation of central arterial stiffness as an important component for assessing total cardiovascular risk. Differences in the way various antihypertensive drugs affect arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics may explain the greater cardio-vascular protection provided by newer drugs (eg, renin-angiotensin system blockers or calcium channel blockers) independent of peripheral blood pressure reduction, as shown by recent clinical studies. However, the predictive value of the attenuation of arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and central blood pressure still needs to be confirmed in prospective, long-term, large-scale therapeutic trials. Thus, whether these measurements should be routinely performed as a diagnostic or therapeutic indicator remains debatable

PLANCK pre-launch status: design and description of the Low Frequency Instrument

Abstract In this paper we present the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI), designed and developed as part of the Planck space mission, the ESA programme dedicated to precision imaging of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)