Dyslipidemia and Food Security in Low-Income US Adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2010.

INTRODUCTION: Low levels of food security are associated with dyslipidemia and chronic disease in adults, particularly in women. There is a gap in knowledge about the relationship between food security among youth and dyslipidemia and chronic disease. We investigated the relationship between food security status and dyslipidemia among low-income adolescents. METHODS: We analyzed data from adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (N = 1,072) from households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between household food security status and the odds of having abnormalities with fasting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio, and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). Models included age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, partnered status in the household, and maternal education, with additional adjustment for adiposity. RESULTS: Household food security status was not associated with elevated TC or LDL-C. Adolescents with marginal food security were more likely than food-secure peers to have elevated TGs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.05), TG/HDL-C ratio (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.11-2.82), and Apo B (OR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.17-3.36). Female adolescents with marginal food security had greater odds than male adolescents of having low HDL-C (OR = 2.69; 95% CI, 1.14-6.37). No elevated odds of dyslipidemia were found for adolescents with low or very low food security. Adjustment for adiposity did not attenuate estimates. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative sample, low-income adolescents living in households with marginal food security had increased odds of having a pattern consistent with atherogenic dyslipidemia, which represents a cardiometabolic burden above their risk from adiposity alone

Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet

Background: The contemporary American diet figures centrally in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic diseases-'diseases of civilization'. We investigated in humans whether a diet similar to that consumed by our preagricultural hunter-gatherer ancestors (that is, a paleolithic type diet) confers health benefits. Methods: We performed an outpatient, metabolically controlled study, in nine nonobese sedentary healthy volunteers, ensuring no weight loss by daily weight. We compared the findings when the participants consumed their usual diet with those when they consumed a paleolithic type diet. The participants consumed their usual diet for 3 days, three ramp-up diets of increasing potassium and fiber for 7 days, then a paleolithic type diet comprising lean meat, fruits, vegetables and nuts, and excluding nonpaleolithic type foods, such as cereal grains, dairy or legumes, for 10 days. Outcomes included arterial blood pressure (BP); 24-h urine sodium and potassium excretion; plasma glucose and insulin areas under the curve (AUC) during a 2 h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); insulin sensitivity; plasma lipid concentrations; and brachial artery reactivity in response to ischemia. Results: Compared with the baseline (usual) diet, we observed (a) significant reductions in BP associated with improved arterial distensibility (À3.1±2.9, P ¼ 0.01 and þ 0.19±0.23, P ¼ 0.05);(b) significant reduction in plasma insulin vs time AUC, during the OGTT (P ¼ 0.006); and (c) large significant reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides (À0.8±0.6 (P ¼ 0.007), À0.7±0.5 (P ¼ 0.003) and À0.3±0.3 (P ¼ 0.01) mmol/l respectively). In all these measured variables, either eight or all nine participants had identical directional responses when switched to paleolithic type diet, that is, near consistently improved status of circulatory, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism/physiology. Conclusions: Even short-term consumption of a paleolithic type diet improves BP and glucose tolerance, decreases insulin secretion, increases insulin sensitivity and improves lipid profiles without weight loss in healthy sedentary humans

Quantification of Daily Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior of Claudicating Patients

Background Claudication is the most common manifestation of peripheral artery disease (PAD), producing significant ambulatory compromise. Limited information exists on the routine physical activity of claudicating patients. Our objective was to record the intensity/time profiles of physical activity and the timing and duration of sedentary behavior of a sample of community-dwelling claudicating patients. Methods Forty-four claudicating patients referred to our vascular clinic were recruited. Physical activity was recorded using the ActiGraph GT1M activity monitor. The Actigraph monitor is a lightweight instrument designed to measure human movement through changes in acceleration, measured as counts over 1-minute time periods. Data from 7 consecutive days were used for the calculations. We processed the data using the ActiLife software program. Results The average daily activity of the claudicating patients shows a steady increase beginning approximately 05:30 AM until a peak plateau from approximately 10:00 AM to 01:30 PM followed by a steady decrease until approximately 09:30 PM, when a sustained period of inactivity begins. The average claudicating patient takes 3586 steps per day at an average intensity of 1.77 metabolic equivalents of task (METs, a physiological measure expressing the energy cost of physical activities). Average physical activity intensity and peak intensity fluctuate very little during the day, and they rarely exceed the level of light activity (light = \u3c3 METs maximum effort, such as casual walking or light housework). During awake time, approximately 7 hours are spent in sedentary behaviors (\u3c1.5 METs), and sedentary time is spread throughout the day mostly in short intervals between periods of low-energy activity. Conclusions Our study objectively demonstrates the reduced physical activity of claudicating patients and documents physical activity/duration profiles throughout the day. The intensity of the physical activity of the average claudicating patient fluctuates very little during the day and rarely exceeds a light intensity level. Claudicating patients spend approximately half of their awake time in sedentary behavior and when they walk they do it in short bursts followed by several minutes of rest. We anticipate that changes in routine physical activity/duration profiles of patients with PAD will provide relevant, sensitive, and direct measures of the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions

An improved algorithm for respiration signal extraction from electrocardiogram measured by conductive textile electrodes using instantaneous frequency estimation

In this paper, an improved algorithm for the extraction of respiration signal from the electrocardiogram (ECG) in home healthcare is proposed. The whole system consists of two-lead electrocardiogram acquisition using conductive textile electrodes located in bed, baseline fluctuation elimination, R-wave detection, adjustment of sudden change in R-wave area using moving average, and optimal lead selection. In order to solve the problems of previous algorithms for the ECG-derived respiration (EDR) signal acquisition, we are proposing a method for the optimal lead selection. An optimal EDR signal among the three EDR signals derived from each lead (and arctangent of their ratio) is selected by estimating the instantaneous frequency using the Hilbert transform, and then choosing the signal with minimum variation of the instantaneous frequency. The proposed algorithm was tested on 15 male subjects, and we obtained satisfactory respiration signals that showed high correlation (r2 > 0.8) with the signal acquired from the chest-belt respiration sensor

Cytokine signature of inflammation mediated by autoreactive Th-cells, in calf muscle of claudicating patients with Fontaine stage II peripheral artery disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), a severe atherosclerotic condition primarily of the elderly, afflicts 200 million individuals, worldwide, and is associated with lower extremity myopathy. Circulating markers of inflammation have been linked to risk and severity of PAD but the contribution of local inflammation to myopathy remains unknown. We evaluated, by ELISA, calf muscle of PAD patients (N = 23) and control subjects (N = 18) for local expression of inflammatory cytokines including Granulocyte/Monocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF), Interleukin 17A (IL-17A), Interferon ϒ (IFN-ϒ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and Interleukin 6 (IL-6). One or more of these cytokines were expressed in nineteen patients and 2 controls and coordinated expression of GM-CSF, IL-17A, IFN-ϒ, and TNF-α, a signature of activated, MHC Class II dependent autoreactive Th-cells, was unique to 11 patients. GM-CSF is the central driver of tissue-damaging myeloid macrophages. Patients with this cytokine signature had a shorter (P= 0.017) Claudication Onset Distance (17 m) compared with patients lacking the signature (102 m). Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGFβ1) and Chemokine Ligand 5 (CCL5) were expressed coordinately in all PAD and control muscles, independently of GM-CSF, IL-17A, IFN-ϒ, TNF-α, or IL-6. TGFβ1 and CCL5 and their gene transcripts were increased in PAD muscle, consistent with increased age-associated inflammation in these patients. Serum cytokines were not informative of muscle cytokine expression. We have identified a cytokine profile of autoimmune inflammation in calf muscles of a significant proportion of claudicating PAD patients, in association with decreased limb function, and a second independent profile consistent with increased “inflammaging” in all PAD patients

Effect of Relative Weight Group Change on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Derived Lipoprotein Particle Size and Concentrations among Adolescents

To examine whether longitudinal changes in relative weight category (as indicated by change in BMI classification group) were associated with changes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) derived lipoprotein particles among US youth

Relationship of serum bilirubin concentration to kidney function and 24-hour urine protein in Korean adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The relationships among serum bilirubin concentration, kidney function and proteinuria have yet to be fully elucidated, nor have these relationships been investigated in Korean adults.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of Korean adults who were evaluated at Kosin University Gospel Hospital (Busan, Republic of Korea) during a five-year period from January 2005 to December 2009. We evaluated the relationships among serum bilirubin concentration, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 24-hour urinary protein excretion in a sample of 1363 Korean adults aged 18 years or older.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The values of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m²and 24-hour urine albumin ≥150 mg/day were observed in 26.1% (n = 356) and 40.5% (n = 553) of subjects, respectively. Fasting glucose levels ≥126 mg/dL were observed in 44.9% (n = 612) of the total sample. After adjustment for potential confounding factors including demographic characteristics, comorbidities and other laboratory measures, total serum bilirubin was positively associated with eGFR and negatively associated with proteinuria both in the whole cohort and in a subgroup of diabetic individuals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To our knowledge, this is the first hospital-based study specifically aimed at examining the relationships among serum total bilirubin concentration, 24-hour urine protein and kidney function in Korean adults. We demonstrated that serum total bilirubin concentration was negatively correlated with 24-hour urine protein and positively correlated with eGFR in Korean non-diabetic and diabetic adults.</p

Stage Call: Cardiovascular Reactivity to Audition Stress in Musicians

Auditioning is at the very center of educational and professional life in music and is associated with significant psychophysical demands. Knowledge of how these demands affect cardiovascular responses to psychosocial pressure is essential for developing strategies to both manage stress and understand optimal performance states. To this end, we recorded the electrocardiograms (ECGs) of 16 musicians (11 violinists and 5 flutists) before and during performances in both low- and high-stress conditions: with no audience and in front of an audition panel, respectively. The analysis consisted of the detection of R-peaks in the ECGs to extract heart rate variability (HRV) from the notoriously noisy real-world ECGs. Our data analysis approach spanned both standard (temporal and spectral) and advanced (structural complexity) techniques. The complexity science approaches—namely, multiscale sample entropy and multiscale fuzzy entropy—indicated a statistically significant decrease in structural complexity in HRV from the low- to the high-stress condition and an increase in structural complexity from the pre-performance to performance period, thus confirming the complexity loss theory and a loss in degrees of freedom due to stress. Results from the spectral analyses also suggest that the stress responses in the female participants were more parasympathetically driven than those of the male participants. In conclusion, our findings suggest that interventions to manage stress are best targeted at the sensitive pre-performance period, before an audition begins

Advanced Computational Biology Methods Identify Molecular Switches for Malignancy in an EGF Mouse Model of Liver Cancer

The molecular causes by which the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase induces malignant transformation are largely unknown. To better understand EGFs' transforming capacity whole genome scans were applied to a transgenic mouse model of liver cancer and subjected to advanced methods of computational analysis to construct de novo gene regulatory networks based on a combination of sequence analysis and entrained graph-topological algorithms. Here we identified transcription factors, processes, key nodes and molecules to connect as yet unknown interacting partners at the level of protein-DNA interaction. Many of those could be confirmed by electromobility band shift assay at recognition sites of gene specific promoters and by western blotting of nuclear proteins. A novel cellular regulatory circuitry could therefore be proposed that connects cell cycle regulated genes with components of the EGF signaling pathway. Promoter analysis of differentially expressed genes suggested the majority of regulated transcription factors to display specificity to either the pre-tumor or the tumor state. Subsequent search for signal transduction key nodes upstream of the identified transcription factors and their targets suggested the insulin-like growth factor pathway to render the tumor cells independent of EGF receptor activity. Notably, expression of IGF2 in addition to many components of this pathway was highly upregulated in tumors. Together, we propose a switch in autocrine signaling to foster tumor growth that was initially triggered by EGF and demonstrate the knowledge gain form promoter analysis combined with upstream key node identification