Public Awareness and Practices Towards Self-Medication with Antibiotics Among Malaysian Population: Questionnaire Development and Pilot Testing

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Relationship between adiposity and admixture in African-American and Hispanic-American women

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate whether differences in admixture in African-American (AFA) and Hispanic-American (HA) adult women are associated with adiposity and adipose distribution.DesignThe proportion of European, sub-Saharan African and Amerindian admixture was estimated for AFA and HA women in the Women's Heath Initiative using 92 ancestry informative markers. Analyses assessed the relationship between admixture and adiposity indices.SubjectsThe subjects included 11 712 AFA and 5088 HA self-identified post-menopausal women.ResultsThere was a significant positive association between body mass index (BMI) and African admixture when BMI was considered as a continuous variable, and age, education, physical activity, parity, family income and smoking were included covariates (P<10(-4)). A dichotomous model (upper and lower BMI quartiles) showed that African admixture was associated with a high odds ratio (OR=3.27 (for 100% admixture compared with 0% admixture), 95% confidence interval 2.08-5.15). For HA, there was no association between BMI and admixture. In contrast, when waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was used as a measure of adipose distribution, there was no significant association between WHR and admixture in AFA but there was a strong association in HA (P<10(-4); OR Amerindian admixture=5.93, confidence interval=3.52-9.97).ConclusionThese studies show that: (1) African admixture is associated with BMI in AFA women; (2) Amerindian admixture is associated with WHR but not BMI in HA women; and (3) it may be important to consider different measurements of adiposity and adipose distribution in different ethnic population groups

Genetic variations in regulatory pathways of fatty acid and glucose metabolism are associated with obesity phenotypes:a population-based cohort study

Background: As nuclear receptors and transcription factors have an important regulatory function in adipocyte differentiation and fat storage, genetic variation in these key regulators and downstream pathways may be involved in the onset of obesity. Objective: To explore associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) in candidate genes from regulatory pathways that control fatty acid and glucose metabolism, and repeated measurements of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in a large Dutch study population. Methods: Data of 327 SNPs across 239 genes were analyzed for 3575 participants of the Doetinchem cohort, who were examined three times during 11 years, using the Illumina Golden Gate assay. Adjusted random coefficient models were used to analyze the relationship between SNPS and obesity phenotypes. False discovery rate q-values were calculated to account for multiple testing. Significance of the associations was defined as a q-value Results: Two SNPs ( in NR1H4 and SMARCA2 in women only) were significantly associated with both BMI and waist circumference. In addition, two SNPs ( in SIRT1 and SCAP in women only) were associated with BMI alone. A functional SNP, in IL6, was strongly associated with waist. Conclusion: In this explorative study among participants of a large population-based cohort, five SNPs, mainly located in transcription mediator genes, were strongly associated with obesity phenotypes. The results from whole genome and candidate gene studies support the potential role of NR1H4, SIRT1, SMARCA2 and IL6 in obesity. Although replication of our findings and further research on the functionality of these SNPs and underlying mechanism is necessary, our data indirectly suggest a role of GATA transcription factors in weight control. International Journal of Obesity ( 2009) 33, 1143-1152; doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.152; published online 4 August 200

Prioritising Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes: Causal Inference through Genetic Approaches

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Causality has been demonstrated for few of the many putative risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D) emerging from observational epidemiology. Genetic approaches are increasingly being used to infer causality, and in this review, we discuss how genetic discoveries have shaped our understanding of the causal role of factors associated with T2D. RECENT FINDINGS: Genetic discoveries have led to the identification of novel potential aetiological factors of T2D, including the protective role of peripheral fat storage capacity and specific metabolic pathways, such as the branched-chain amino acid breakdown. Consideration of specific genetic mechanisms contributing to overall lipid levels has suggested that distinct physiological processes influencing lipid levels may influence diabetes risk differentially. Genetic approaches have also been used to investigate the role of T2D and related metabolic traits as causal risk factors for other disease outcomes, such as cancer, but comprehensive studies are lacking. Genome-wide association studies of T2D and metabolic traits coupled with high-throughput molecular phenotyping and in-depth characterisation and follow-up of individual loci have provided better understanding of aetiological factors contributing to T2D