Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity Is Related to a Surrogate Marker of Endothelial Function in Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND: Evidence from animal studies indicates the importance of an interaction between the sympathetic nervous system and the endothelium for cardiovascular regulation. However the interaction between these two systems remains largely unexplored in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate whether directly recorded sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow is related to a surrogate marker of endothelial function in healthy individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 10 healthy normotensive subjects (3 f/7 m), (age 37+/-11 yrs), (BMI 24+/-3 kg/m(2)) direct recordings of sympathetic action potentials to the muscle vascular bed (MSNA) were performed and endothelial function estimated with the Reactive Hyperaemia- Peripheral Arterial Tonometry (RH-PAT) technique. Blood samples were taken and time spent on leisure-time physical activities was estimated. In all subjects the rate between resting flow and the maximum flow, the Reactive Hyperemic index (RH-PAT index), was within the normal range (1.9-3.3) and MSNA was as expected for age and gender (13-44 burst/minute). RH-PAT index was inversely related to MSNA (r = -0.8, p = 0.005). RH-PAT index and MSNA were reciprocally related to time (h/week) spent on physical activity (p = 0.005 and p = 0.006 respectively) and platelet concentration (PLT) (p = 0.02 and p = 0.004 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that sympathetic nerve activity is related to a surrogate marker of endothelial function in healthy normotensive individuals, indicating that sympathetic outflow may be modulated by changes in endothelial function. In this study time spent on physical activity is identified as a predictor of sympathetic nerve activity and endothelial function in a group of healthy individuals. The results are of importance in understanding mechanisms underlying sympathetic activation in conditions associated with endothelial dysfunction and emphasise the importance of a daily exercise routine for maintenance of cardiovascular health

Genome-wide meta-analysis of 241,258 adults accounting for smoking behaviour identifies novel loci for obesity traits

Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for environmental exposures, like smoking, potentially impacting the overall trait variance when investigating the genetic contribution to obesity-related traits. Here, we use GWAS data from 51,080 current smokers and 190,178 nonsmokers (87% European descent) to identify loci influencing BMI and central adiposity, measured as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio both adjusted for BMI. We identify 23 novel genetic loci, and 9 loci with convincing evidence of gene-smoking interaction (GxSMK) on obesity-related traits. We show consistent direction of effect for all identified loci and significance for 18 novel and for 5 interaction loci in an independent study sample. These loci highlight novel biological functions, including response to oxidative stress, addictive behaviour, and regulatory functions emphasizing the importance of accounting for environment in genetic analyses. Our results suggest that tobacco smoking may alter the genetic susceptibility to overall adiposity and body fat distribution.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity

Instrumentell röstregistrering : En jämförande studie med talfonetogram och VoxLog

Bakgrund Röstproduktionen är föränderlig och påverkas av miljö och situation. Ofördelaktigt röstbeteende kan leda till röststörningar. Vid behandling av röststörningar är det essentiellt att kartlägga ogynnsamma röstbeteenden. Ljudstudioinspelningar har visat sig otillräckliga vid sådana kartläggningar. Ett verktyg med potential att möjliggöra en mer representativ bild av röstanvändandet är röstackumulatorn VoxLog. Syfte Syftet var att utifrån röstparametrarna SPL och F0 jämföra registreringar av talfonetogram och VoxLog i ljudstudiomiljö. Det var även att jämföra de med VoxLog uppmätta värdena för röstparametrarna mellan ljudstudio- och vardag. Samt att jämföra eventuella skillnader mellan ljudstudio- och vardagsregistreringar för de uppmätta röstparametrarna mellan patient- och kontrollgruppen.   Metod I ljudstudioregistreringarna deltog 23 personer. De bar VoxLog och en huvudburen mikrofon där röstparametrarna registrerades i ett talfonetogram. Medelvärden för SPL och F0 jämfördes mellan mätinstrumenten. I vardagsregistreringarna deltog 14 personer, indelade i en patientgrupp och en kontrollgrupp. VoxLogregistreringarna i ljudstudiostudio och vardag jämfördes. Skillnader mellan ljudstudio- och vardagsregistreringar jämfördes mellan patient- och kontrollgruppen.   Resultat Inga signifikanta skillnader mellan värdena för SPL och F0 förekom mellan talfonetogram och VoxLog. VoxLogregistreringarna uppvisade signifikant högre värden för röstparametrarna i vardagen vid jämförelse med ljudstudion. Deskriptivt framkom en större höjning av röstparametrarna för patientgruppen jämfört med kontrollgruppen.   Slutsatser Resultaten från jämförelsen av talfonetogram och VoxLog i ljudstudioregistreringar utgör en grund för vidare forskning. Skillnaden mellan ljudstudio- och vardagsregistreringar stödjer tidigare forskning. För att uppnå en representativ kartläggning av dessa röstparametrar är en ljudstudioregistrering otillräcklig. VoxLog har potential att vara ett instrument som kan utföra en mer ekologiskt valid kartläggning av röstanvändande.

Stadsodling – reflektioner och perspektiv från SLU Alnarp

Det är uppenbart att det mediala intresset för stadsodling har vuxit påtagligt de senaste åren. En sökning i databasen Retriever visar en ökande användning av begreppet ”urban odling” och en starkt ökande användning av ordet “stadsodling”. Olika medier påverkar så klart varandra. Radioprogrammet Odla med stadsgrönt började sändas våren 2009. Medier påverkar politiken som i sin tur påverkar medier. Den förste oktober 2009 lämnades motionen ”Stadsodling viktig i hållbara städer” in till riksdagen. Såväl media som politik påverkar och påverkas av praktiken. Våren 2009 började projektet Barn i stan odla i stadsdelen Seved i Malmö, ett projekt som uppmärksammats flitigt i media. Samma år började organisationen Stadsjord odla i stadsdelen Högsbo i Göteborg, även det flitigt uppmärksammat i media. Den statliga Delegationen för hållbara städer har beviljat bidrag till åtminstone fyra planeringsprojekt med inriktning mot stadsodling: SLU (sökt 2009), Plantagon (två projekt sökta 2010) samt Falun kommun (sökt 2012). Även investeringsprojekt har haft inslag av stadsodling, till exempel Malmö stads ansökan “Hållbar stadsomvandling Malmö, Fokus Rosengård” ( sökt 2010). Stadsodling finns med som ett inslag i flera aktuella stadsförnyelse- och stadsbyggnadsprojekt. Det har fått fungera som en symbol för kombinationen av ekologisk och social hållbarhet. En viktig fråga att reflektera över är därför hur hållbar stadsodling är. Vad kan vi ha för nytta av stadsodling? Hur kan odling ta plats i städerna? Hur kan vi stadsodla på ett hållbart sätt

Individual shedder status and the origin of touch DNA

Due to improved laboratory techniques, touched surfaces and items are increasingly employed as sources of forensic DNA evidence. This has urged a need to better understand the mechanisms of DNA transfer between individuals. Shedder status (i.e. the propensity to leave DNA behind) has been identified as one major factor regulating DNA transfer. It is known that some individuals tend to shed more DNA than others, but the mechanisms behind shedder status are largely unknown. By comparing the amounts of DNA deposited from active hands (i.e. used "as usual") and inactive hands (i.e. not allowed to touch anything), we show that some of the selfDNA deposited from hands is likely to have accumulated on hands from other parts of the body or previously handled items (active hands: 2.1 +/- 2.7 ng, inactive hands: 0.83 +/- 1.1 ng, paired t-test: p = 0.014, n = 27 pairs of hands). Further investigation showed that individual levels of deposited DNA are highly associated with the level of DNA accumulation on the skin of the face (Pearsons correlation: r = 0.90, p < 0.00001 and Spearmans ranked correlation: rs = 0.56, p = 0.0016, n = 29). We hypothesized that individual differences in sebum secretion levels could influence the amount of DNA accumulation in facial areas, but no such correlation was seen (Pearsons correlation: r = - 0.13, p = 0.66, n = 14). Neither was there any correlation between DNA levels on hands or forehead and the time since hand or face wash. We propose that the amount of self-DNA deposited from hands is highly influenced by the individual levels of accumulated facial DNA, and that cells/DNA is often transferred to hands by touching or rubbing ones face

Simple correlation matrix showing associations between Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity (MSNA), Reactive Hyperemic Index (RHI), Platelet concentration (PLT), Epidermal growth factor (EGF), Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF)-I, and physical activity (PA) for the study group.

<p><i>P</i>-values are indicated as: *<i>p</i>≤0.05; **<i>p</i>≤0.01; ***<i>p</i>≤0.005.</p

Basic characteristics of the 10 (7 M/3 F) subjects shown in mean, SD and range.

<p>Basic characteristics of the 10 (7 M/3 F) subjects shown in mean, SD and range.</p

Physical activity expressed as hours per week and a) muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) expressed as burst frequency (bursts/minute) and b) reactive hyperaemic index (%) in 10 healthy controls, (r = −0.79, p = 0.006 and r = 0.83, p = 0.004, respectively).

<p>Physical activity expressed as hours per week and a) muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) expressed as burst frequency (bursts/minute) and b) reactive hyperaemic index (%) in 10 healthy controls, (r = −0.79, p = 0.006 and r = 0.83, p = 0.004, respectively).</p