Exercise Improves Vascular Dilator Reactivity in Chronically Stressed Rats with Pre-existing Metabolic Syndrome

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Effect of chronic stress on running wheel activity in mice

Acute and chronic stress have been reported to have differing effects on physical activity in rodents, but no study has examined a chronic stress protocol that incorporates stressors often experienced by rodents throughout a day. To examine this, the effects of the Unpredict- able Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS) protocol on voluntary running wheel activity at multiple time points, and/or in response to acute removal of chronic stress was determined. Twenty male Balb/c mice were given access and accustomed to running wheels for 4 weeks, after which they were randomized into 2 groups; exercise (EX, n = 10) and exercise with chronic stress using a modified UCMS protocol for 7 hours/day (8:00 a.m.-3:00p.m.), 5 days/week for 8 weeks (EXS, n = 10). All mice were given access to running wheels from approximately 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. during the weekday, however during weekends mice had full-time access to running wheels (a time period of no stress for the EXS group). Daily wheel running distance and time were recorded. The average running distance, running time, and work each week- day was significantly lower in EXS compared to EX mice, however, the largest effect was seen during week one. Voluntary wheel running deceased in all mice with increasing age; the pattern of decline appeared to be similar between groups. During the weekend (when no stress was applied), EXS maintained higher distance compared to EX, as well as higher daily distance, time, and work compared to their weekday values. These results indicate that mild chronic stress reduces total spontaneous wheel running in mice during the first week of the daily stress induction and maintains this reduced level for up to 8 consecutive weeks. How- ever, following five days of UCMS, voluntary running wheel activity rebounds within 2–3 days

Exercise as a Treatment for Peripheral Vascular Dysfunction Caused by Metabolic Syndrome and Depression

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Exercise Training Prevents the Perivascular Adipose Tissue-induced Aortic Dysfunction with Metabolic Syndrome

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of exercise training on improving the thoracic perivascularadipose tissue (tPVAT) phenotype (inflammation, oxidative stress, and proteasome function) in metabolic syn-drome and its subsequent actions on aortic function.Methods:Lean and obese (model of metabolic syndrome) Zucker rats (n=8/group) underwent 8-weeks ofcontrol conditions or treadmill exercise (70% of max speed, 1 h/day, 5 days/week). At the end of the inter-vention, the tPVAT was removed and conditioned media was made. The cleaned aorta was attached to a forcetransducer to assess endothelium-dependent and independent dilation in the presence or absence of tPVAT-conditioned media. tPVAT gene expression, inflammatory /oxidative phenotype, and proteasome function wereassessed.Results:The mainfindings were that Ex induced: (1) a beige-like, anti-inflammatory tPVAT phenotype; (2) agreater abundance of•NO in tPVAT; (3) a reduction in tPVAT oxidant production; and (4) an improved tPVATproteasome function. Regarding aortic function, endothelium-dependent dilation was greater in exercised leanand obese groups vs. controls (p \u3c 0.05). Lean control tPVAT improved aortic relaxation, whereas obese controltPVAT decreased aortic relaxation. In contrast, the obese Ex-tPVAT increased aortic dilation, whereas the leanEx-tPVAT did not affect aortic dilation.Conclusion:Overall, exercise had the most dramatic impact on the obese tPVAT reflecting a change towards anenvironment with less oxidant load, less inflammation and improved proteasome function. Such beneficialchanges to the tPVAT micro-environment with exercise likely played a significant role in mediating the im-provement in aortic function in metabolic syndrome following 8 weeks of exercise

Efficacy of nutritional interventions to lower circulating ceramides in young adults: FRUVEDomic pilot study

The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends a diet largely composed of fruit and vegetables. Consuming a diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in refined carbohydrates and saturated fat may reduce an individual’s risk for type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, low-grade chronic inflammation, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Several recent studies have implicated the bioactive sphingolipid ceramide as an associative and causative biomarker for the development of these conditions. Considering that the intake of fruit and vegetables is frequently inadequate in young adults, we performed a pilot investigation to assess the efficacy of a free-living fruit and vegetable intervention on overall metabolic health, circulating ceramide supply, and inflammatory status in young adults. We discovered that adoption of the recommended DGA for fruit and vegetable intake for 8 weeks decreased waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and circulating cholesterol. Lipidomics analysis revealed that nutritional intervention can lower circulating ceramides, including C24:0 ceramide, a known inhibitor of insulin signaling. Unexpectedly, we observed an increase in C16:0 ceramide, suggesting that this form of ceramide in circulation is not associated with metabolic disease in humans. We also observed an improved inflammatory status with enhanced fruit and vegetable intake that was correlated with ceramide concentrations. These data suggest that adopting the recommended DGA is associated with a reduction of many, but not all, ceramide species and may help to prevent or mitigate MetS. Future research needs to assess whether the ceramide-lowering ability of nutritional intervention is associated with reduced risk of developing metabolic disease

Educational intervention improves fruit and vegetable intake in young adults with metabolic syndrome components

The FRUVEDomics study investigates the effect of a diet intervention focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake on the gut microbiome and cardiovascular health of young adults with/at risk for metabolic syndrome(MetS). It was hypothesized that the recommended diet would result in metabolic and gut microbiome changes. The 9-week dietary intervention adhered to the US Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americansand focused on increasing fruit and vegetable intake to equal half of the diet. Seventeen eligible young adults with/or at high risk of MetS consented and completed preintervention and postintervention measurements, including anthropometric, body composition, cardiovascular, complete blood lipid panel, and collection of stool sample for microbial analysis. Participants attended weekly consultations to assess food logs, food receipts, and adherence to the diet. Following intention-to-treat guidelines, all 17 individuals were included in the dietary, clinical, and anthropometric analysis. Fruit and vegetable intake increased from 1.6 to 3.4 cups of fruits and vegetables (P \u3c .001) daily. Total fiber (P = .02) and insoluble fiber (P \u3c .0001) also increased. Clinical laboratory changes included an increase in sodium (P = .0006) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .04). In the fecal microbiome, Erysipelotrichaceae (phylum Firmicutes) decreased (log2 fold change: −1.78, P = .01) and Caulobacteraceae (phylum Proteobacteria) increased (log2 fold change = 1.07, P = .01). Implementing a free-living 9-week diet, with intensive education and accountability, gave young adults at high risk for/or diagnosed with MetS the knowledge, skills, and feedback to improve diet. To yield greater impact, a longer diet intervention may be needed in this population

Stable isotope analysis provides new information on winter habitat use of declining avian migrants that is relevant to their conservation

Winter habitat use and the magnitude of migratory connectivity are important parameters when assessing drivers of the marked declines in avian migrants. Such information is unavailable for most species. We use a stable isotope approach to assess these factors for three declining African-Eurasian migrants whose winter ecology is poorly known: wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, house martin Delichon urbicum and common swift Apus apus. Spatially segregated breeding wood warbler populations (sampled across a 800 km transect), house martins and common swifts (sampled across a 3,500 km transect) exhibited statistically identical intra-specific carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in winter grown feathers. Such patterns are compatible with a high degree of migratory connectivity, but could arise if species use isotopically similar resources at different locations. Wood warbler carbon isotope ratios are more depleted than typical for African-Eurasian migrants and are compatible with use of moist lowland forest. The very limited variance in these ratios indicates specialisation on isotopically restricted resources, which may drive the similarity in wood warbler populations' stable isotope ratios and increase susceptibility to environmental change within its wintering grounds. House martins were previously considered to primarily use moist montane forest during the winter, but this seems unlikely given the enriched nature of their carbon isotope ratios. House martins use a narrower isotopic range of resources than the common swift, indicative of increased specialisation or a relatively limited wintering range; both factors could increase house martins' vulnerability to environmental change. The marked variance in isotope ratios within each common swift population contributes to the lack of population specific signatures and indicates that the species is less vulnerable to environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa than our other focal species. Our findings demonstrate how stable isotope research can contribute to understanding avian migrants' winter ecology and conservation status

Candidate chiral twin bands in the odd-odd nucleus 132 Cs : Exploring the limits of chirality in the mass A ≈ 130 region

High-spin states in the doubly odd $N=77$ nucleus ${}^{132}\mathrm{Cs}$ have been studied. The known positive-parity structures have been extended. \ensuremath{\gamma}-ray linear-polarization and angular-correlation measurements have been performed to establish the spin and parity assignment of these structures. A new chiral partner of the \ensuremath{\pi}{h}_{11/2}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\ensuremath{\nu}{h}_{11/2} band has been proposed. Three-dimensional tilted axis cranking model calculations have been performed and compared with the experimental results

Renal outcome in adults with renal insufficiency and irregular asymmetric kidneys

BACKGROUND: The commonest cause of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) in children and young adults is congenital malformation of the kidney and urinary tract. In this retrospective review, we examine whether progression to ESRF can be predicted and whether treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) can delay or prevent this. METHODS: We reviewed 78 patients with asymmetric irregular kidneys as a consequence of either primary vesico-ureteric reflux or renal dysplasia (Group 1, n = 44), or abnormal bladder function (Group 2, n = 34). Patients (median age 24 years) had an estimated GFR (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2 )with at least 5 years of follow up (median 143 months). 48 patients received ACEI. We explored potential prognostic factors that affect the time to ESRF using Cox-regression analyses. RESULTS: At start, mean (SE) creatinine was 189 (8) μmol/l, mean eGFR 41 (1) ml/min 1.73 m(2), mean proteinuria 144 (14) mg/mmol creatinine (1.7 g/24 hrs). Of 78 patients, 36 (46%) developed ESRF, but none of 19 with proteinuria less than 50 mg/mmol and only two of 18 patients with eGFR above 50 ml/min did so. Renal outcome between Groups 1 and 2 appeared similar with no evidence for a difference. A benefit in favour of treatment with ACEI was observed above an eGFR of 40 ml/min (p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: The similar outcome of the two groups supports the nephrological nature of progressive renal failure in young men born with abnormal bladders. There is a watershed GFR of 40–50 ml/min at which ACEI treatment can be successful at improving renal outcome