228 research outputs found
Expanding the role of bitter taste receptor in extra oral tissues : TAS2R38 is expressed in human adipocytes
Increasing evidence indicates that taste receptors mediate a variety of functions in extra-oral tissues. The present study investigated the expression of bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 in human adipocytes, the possible link with genetic background and the role of TAS2R38 in cell delipidation and lipid accumulation rate in vitro. Subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissues were collected in 32 obese and 18 lean subjects. The TAS2R38 gene expression and protein content were examined in whole tissues, differentiated adipocytes and stroma-vascular fraction cells (SVF). The P49A SNP of TAS2R38 gene was determined in each collected sample. The effect of two bitter agonists (6-n-propylthiouracil and quinine) was tested. TAS2R38 mRNA was more expressed in SAT and VAT of obese than lean subjects and the expression/protein content was greater in mature adipocytes. The expression levels were not linked to P49A variants. In in vitro differentiated adipocytes, bitter agonists induced a significant delipidation. Incubation with 6-n-propylthiouracil induced an inhibition of lipid accumulation rate together with an increase in TAS2R38 and a decrease in genes involved in adipocyte differentiation. In conclusion, TAS2R38 is more expressed in adipocytes of obese than lean subjects and is involved in differentiation and delipidation processes
Differences in visceral fat and fat bacterial colonization between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. An in vivo and in vitro study
Crohn's disease (CD) is notably characterized by the expansion of visceral fat with small adipocytes expressing a high proportion of anti-inflammatory genes. Conversely, visceral fat depots in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients have never been characterized. Our study aims were a) to compare adipocyte morphology and gene expression profile and bacterial translocation in omental (OM) and mesenteric (MES) adipose tissue of patients with UC and CD, and b) to investigate the effect of bacterial infection on adipocyte proliferation in vitro. Specimens of OM and MES were collected from 11 UC and 11 CD patients, processed and examined by light microscopy. Gene expression profiles were evaluated in adipocytes isolated from visceral adipose tissue using microarray and RTqPCR validations. Bacteria within adipose tissue were immuno-detected by confocal scanning laser microscopy. Adipocytes were incubated with Enterococcus faecalis and cells counted after 24 h. Morphology and molecular profile of OM and MES revealed that UC adipose tissue is less inflamed than CD adipose tissue. Genes linked to inflammation, bacterial response, chemotaxis and angiogenesis were down-regulated in adipocytes from UC compared to CD, whereas genes related to metallothioneins, apoptosis pathways and growth factor binding were up-regulated. A dense perinuclear positivity for Enterococcus faecalis was detected in visceral adipocytes from CD, whereas positivity was weak in UC. In vitro bacterial infection was associated with a five-fold increase in the proliferation rate of OM preadipocytes. Compared to UC, visceral adipose tissue from CD is more inflamed and more colonized by intestinal bacteria, which increase adipocyte proliferation. The influence of bacteria stored within adipocytes on the clinical course of IBD warrants further investigation
Effect of short-term dietary intervention and probiotic mix supplementation on the gut microbiota of elderly obese women
Accumulating literature is providing evidence that the gut microbiota is involved in metabolic disorders, but the question of how to effectively modulate it to restore homeostasis, especially in the elderly, is still under debate. In this study, we profiled the intestinal microbiota of 20 elderly obese women (EO) at the baseline (T0), after 15 days of hypocaloric Mediterranean diet administered as part of a nutritional-metabolic rehabilitation program for obesity (T1), and after a further 15 days of the same diet supplemented with a probiotic mix (T2). Fecal samples were characterized by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The EO microbiota showed the typical alterations found in obesity, namely, an increase in potential pro-inflammatory components (i.e., Collinsella) and a decrease in health-promoting, short-chain fatty acid producers (i.e., Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae members), with a tendency to reduced biodiversity. After 15 days of the rehabilitation program, weight decreased by (2.7 \ub1 1.5)% and the gut microbiota dysbiosis was partially reversed, with a decline of Collinsella and an increase in leanness-related taxa. During the next 15 days of diet and probiotics, weight dropped further by (1.2 \ub1 1.1)%, markers of oxidative stress improved, and Akkermansia, a mucin degrader with beneficial effects on host metabolism, increased significantly. These findings support the relevant role of a correct dietetic approach, even in the short term, to modulate the EO gut microbiota towards a metabolic health-related configuration, counteracting the increased risk of morbidity in these patients
Cardiovascular Risk Factors Associated With the Metabolically Healthy Obese (MHO) Phenotype Compared to the Metabolically Unhealthy Obese (MUO) Phenotype in Children
Background: In pediatric age the prevalence of obesity is high. Obese children who do not have other risk factors than excess weight have been defined as \u201cmetabolically healthy obese\u201d (MHO).
Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate, in a population of obese children, the prevalence of the MHO and \u201cmetabolically unhealthy obese\u201d (MUO) phenotype. Furthermore, we evaluated the distribution of Uric Acid, HOMA index and Waist-Height ratio (W-Hr) in the MHO and MUO sub-groups and the impact of these non-traditional risk factors on the probability to be MUO.
Methods: In 1201 obese children and adolescents [54% males, age (\ub1SD) 11.9 (\ub13.0) years] weight, height, waist circumference, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, pubertal status, glucose, insulin, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and Uric Acid serum values were assessed. MUO phenotype was defined as the presence of at least one of the following risk factors: SBP or DBP 65 90th percentile, glycaemia 65 100 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dl, triglycerides 65100 mg/dl (children <10 years) or 65130 mg/dl (children 6510 years). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between MUO phenotype and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Results: The prevalence of the MUO status was high (61%). MUO subjects were more often male, older and pubertal (p < 0.001). The levels of the three non-traditional risk factors were significantly higher in MUO children compared to MHO children (p < 0.001) and all of them were independent predictors of the fact of being MUO [OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.24\u20131.69); 1.15 (95% CI 1.06\u20131.23) and 1.03 (95% CI1.01\u20131.05) for Uric Acid, HOMA index and W-Hr, respectively]. About 15% of MHO subjects had serum Uric Acid, HOMA index and W-Hr values within the highest quartile of the study population.
Conclusion: The prevalence of MUO subjects in a large pediatric population is high and serum Uric Acid, HOMA index and W-Hr values are independent predictors of the probability of being MUO. A non-negligible percentage of subjects MHO has high values of all three non-traditional risk factors
Salivary cortisol measurement in normal-weight, obese and anorexic women: comparison with plasma cortisol
OBJECTIVE: To compare salivary, plasma and urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurements in patients with anorexia nervosa, in whom an overdrive of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is well established but information on salivary cortisol is lacking, in viscerally obese patients in whom subtle abnormalities of cortisol secretion and metabolism are postulated, and in normal-weight healthy women. PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Measurement of salivary cortisol offers a convenient way to assess the concentrations of free, biologically active cortisol in plasma in different physiopathological settings. Forty-seven drug-free, newly diagnosed women with active restrictive anorexia nervosa, 30 restrictive anorexic women undergoing chronic psychopharmacological treatment, 47 women with mild-to-moderate visceral obesity, 103 women with severe central obesity and 63 normal-weight healthy women entered the study. Salivary and blood samples were collected at 0800 h, 1700 h and 2400 h, together with three consecutive 24-h urine specimens for UFC determination. In controls and patients with anorexia nervosa (n=83), salivary and plasma cortisol were also measured after a 1-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST). In patients with anorexia nervosa, mood was rated by the Hamilton scale for anxiety and depression. RESULTS: Untreated patients with anorexia nervosa showed increased plasma and salivary cortisol and UFC concentrations (all P<0.001 compared with controls), and decreased cortisol suppression after DST in plasma and saliva (P<0.0001 and P<0.005 respectively compared with controls). These alterations were less pronounced, although still statistically significant, in treated patients with anorexia nervosa. Salivary cortisol was highly correlated with paired plasma cortisol in the whole population and after splitting the participants by group (P<0.0001). However, for plasma cortisol values greater than 500 nmol/l (the corticosteroid-binding globulin saturation point), this parallelism was lost. Taking plasma cortisol as a reference, the level of agreement for post-dexamethasone salivary and plasma cortisol was 58.9% among suppressors and 77.8% among non-suppressors (chi2 test: P<0.01). Decreased 0800 h/2400 h cortisol ratios were observed in plasma and saliva in drug-free patients with anorexia nervosa (P<0.005 and P<0.05 respectively compared with controls), and in saliva in severely obese patients (P<0.05 compared with controls). Depression and anxiety scores were unrelated to cortisol concentrations in any compartment. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary cortisol measurement is a valuable and convenient alternative to plasma cortisol measurement. It enables demonstration of the overdrive of the HPA axis in anorexia nervosa and subtle perturbations of the cortisol diurnal rhythm in women with visceral obesity. With the establishment of more specific and widely acceptable cut-off values for dynamic testing, measurement of salivary cortisol could largely replace plasma cortisol measurement
Prevalence of orthorexic traits in type 2 diabetes mellitus: at the crossroads between nutritional counseling and eating disorders.
Analysis of predictive equations for estimating resting energy expenditure in a large cohort of morbidly obese patients
The treatment of obesity requires creating an energy deficit through caloric restriction and physical activity. Energy needs are estimated assessing the resting energy expenditure (REE) that in the clinical practice is estimated using predictive equations. In the present cross sectional study, we compared, in a large cohort of morbidly obese patients, the accuracy of REE predictive equations recommended by current obesity guidelines [Harris-Benedict, WHO/FAO/ONU and Mifflin-St Jeor (MJ)] and/or developed for obese patients (Muller, Muller BC, Lazzer, Lazzer BC), focusing on the effect of comorbidities on the accuracy of the equations. Data on REE measured by indirect calorimetry and body composition were collected in 4,247 obese patients (69% women, mean age 48 \ub1 19 years, mean BMI 44 \ub1 7 Kg/m2) admitted to the Istituto Auxologico Italiano from 1999 to 2014. The performance of the equations was assessed in the whole cohort, in 4 groups with 0, 1, 2, or = 653 comorbidities and in a subgroup of 1,598 patients with 1 comorbidity (47.1% hypertension, 16.7% psychiatric disorders, 13.3% binge eating disorders, 6.1% endocrine disorders, 6.4% type 2 diabetes, 3.5% sleep apnoea, 3.1% dyslipidemia, 2.5% coronary disease). In the whole cohort of obese patients, as well as in each stratum of comorbidity number, the MJ equation had the highest performance for agreement measures and bias. The MJ equation had the best performance in obese patients with 653 comorbidities (accuracy of 61.1%, bias of -89.87) and in patients with type 2 diabetes and sleep apnoea (accuracy/bias 69%/-19.17 and 66%/-21.67 respectively), who also have the highest levels of measured REE. In conclusion, MJ equation should be preferred to other equations to estimate the energy needs of Caucasian morbidly obese patients when measurement of the REE cannot be performed. As even MJ equation does not precisely predict REE, it should be better to plan the diet intervention by measuring rather than estimating REE. Future studies focusing on the clinical differences that determine the high inter-individual variability of the precision of the REE predictive equations (e.g., on the organ-tissue metabolic rate), could help to develop predictive equations with a better performance
Protein Kinase A Regulatory Subunits in Human Adipose Tissue: Decreased R2B Expression and Activity in Adipocytes From Obese Subjects
OBJECTIVE—In human adipocytes, the cAMP-dependent pathway mediates signals originating from β-adrenergic activation, thus playing a key role in the regulation of important metabolic processes, i.e., lipolysis and thermogenesis. Cyclic AMP effects are mainly mediated by protein kinase A (PKA), whose R2B regulatory isoform is the most expressed in mouse adipose tissue, where it protects against diet-induced obesity and fatty liver development. The aim of the study was to investigate possible differences in R2B expression, PKA activity, and lipolysis in adipose tissues from obese and nonobese subjects
Diagnostic criteria patterns of U.S. children with Metabolic Syndrome: NHANES 1999–2002
© 2007 Kranz et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
Galanin and galanin receptor expression in neuroblastic tumours: correlation with their differentiation status
Neuroblastoma and its benign differentiated counterpart, ganglioneuroma, are paediatric neuroblastic tumours arising in the sympathetic nervous system. Their broad spectrum of clinical virulence is mainly related to heterogeneous biologic background and tumour differentiation. Neuroblastic tumours synthesize various neuropeptides acting as neuromodulators. Previous studies suggested that galanin plays a role in sympathetic tissue where it could be involved in differentiation and development. We investigated the expression and distribution of galanin and its three known receptors (Gal-R1, Gal-R2, Gal-R3) in 19 samples of neuroblastic tumours tissue by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and fluorescent-ligand binding. This study provides clear evidence for galanin and galanin receptor expression in human neuroblastic tumours. The messengers coding for galanin, Gal-R1 and -R3 were highly expressed in neuroblastoma and their amount dramatically decreased in ganglioneuroma. In contrast, Gal-R2 levels remained unchanged. Double labelling studies showed that galanin was mainly co-expressed with its receptors whatever the differentiation stage. In neuroblastic tumours, galanin might promote cell-survival or counteract neuronal differentiation through the different signalling pathways mediated by galanin receptors. Finally, our results suggest that galanin influences neuroblastoma growth and development as an autocrine/paracrine modulator. These findings suggest potential critical implications for galanin in neuroblastic tumours development
- …