Farmed foxes prefer a cage with an unobstructed View

We have observed earlier that farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus) and silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) tend to avoid resting at those sites in their cages from which the view to the surroundings is obstmeted. In the present study this hypothesis wastested in a preference test in Which the foxes could choose between a cage with an unobstructed view and a cage with a partially obstructed view. Both blue foxes and silver foxes spent a smaller percentage of their daily active time in the cage with the obstructed view than in the cage with the unobstructed view. They almost exclusively preferred the cage with the unobstructed view as a resting site. Obstructed/unobstrueted View is a key feature of the cage environment that should be taken into consideration when designing housing systems for farmed foxes

Strykniinin ja brusiinin stereokemian kvantitatiivinen selvittäminen NMR -menetelmillä ja heteronukleaarisen Altona-Haasnoot yhtälön laatiminen

Tiivistelmä. Työn tavoitteena oli selvittää eri NMR-menetelmillä yhdisteiden stereokemiallisesta rakenteesta mahdollisimman paljon kvantitatiivista tietoa. Työstä poiketen NMR-menetelmiä käytetään lähinnä stereokemian kvalitatiiviseen analyysiin. Työssä tutkittaviksi yhdisteiksi valikoitui brusiini ja strykniini niiden rakenteen jäykkyyden vuoksi. Työssä Overhauserin efektiin pohjautuvalla NOESY-määrityksellä saatiin selvitettyä protonien välisiä etäisyyksiä ja HMBC-pulssisarjalla saatiin selvitettyä hiilien ja protonien välisiä J-kytkentöjä, joiden avulla saatiin laskettua Karplus-yhtälöitä soveltamalla torsiokulmia. Torsiokulmat eivät vastanneet odotettuja arvoja, joten työn ohella kokeiltiin Altona-Haasnoot yhtälön soveltuvuutta kokeellisilla vakioilla heteronukleaarisen torsiokulman ratkaisemiseksi. Vertailumenetelminä käytettiin GAUSSIAN-laskelmilla saatuja etäisyyksiä, torsiokulmia ja J-kytkentöjä sekä kirjallisuudessa julkaistuja röntgenkristallografialla määritettyjä etäisyyksiä ja torsiokulmia. Protonien väliset etäisyydet määritettiin useamman mittauksen menetelmää käyttämällä, missä mittauksissa saatu intensiteetin ja pulssisarjan sekoitusajan välinen kulmakerroin selvitettiin joka viritykselle. Tuota kulmakerrointa käytettiin vertailuarvona ydinten väliselle etäisyydelle, sillä intensiteetti riippuu etäisyyden kuudennesta potenssista NOESY-määrityksissä sen lineaarisella alueella. Etäisyyden laskemisessa jouduttiin käyttämään vertailuarvona yhtä GAUSSIAN-määrityksessä saatua protonien välistä etäisyyttä, jolla kyettiin laskemaan muut etäisyydet kulmakertoimia käyttämällä. J-kytkennät määritettiin vaihtoehtoisella menetelmällä, jonka tavoitteena oli kokeilla pienten J-kytkentöjen määrittämistä, joita ei saada selville tavallisilla määritysmenetelmillä. Heteronukleaarinen Altona-Haasnoot yhtälö laadittiin GAUSSIAN-menetelmällä määritetyistä arvoista, koska kokeellisia arvoja ei ollut riittävästi yhtälön vakioiden määritystä varten. Torsiokulmat saatiin laadittua kokeellisista tuloksista sekä kirjallisuuden Karplus yhtälöillä että uudella Altona-Haasnoot yhtälöllä. Kaikkia odotettuja protonien välisiä etäisyyksiä ei saatu määritettyä päällekkäin asettuvista signaaleista, menetelmän epäherkkyydestä ja kuvaajien heikon korrelaation johdosta. Suurin osa virityksistä saatiin määritettyä ja tulokset protonien välisten etäisyyksien määrityksessä vastasivat pääosin hyvin GAUSSIAN-laskelmasta saatuja arvoja. Toisaalta osa määritetyistä etäisyyksistä poikkesi huomattavasti GAUSSIAN-laskelmilla saaduista tuloksista, eikä syytä tähän poikkeamaan löydetty. Torsiokulmien määritykseen perustuvat menetelmät olivat vielä etäisyyteen pohjautuvia menetelmiä epätarkempia ja määrityksen ulkopuolelle jouduttiin jättämään suurempi osa tuloksista. Epätarkkuutta aiheuttivat etenkin hiilen isotoopin herkkyys ja torsiokulmien laskemiseen käytettävät yhtälöt. Käytetty määritysmenetelmä ei myöskään tarjonnut tietoa pienistä J-kytkennän arvoista. Uudella Altona-Haasnoot yhtälöllä saatiin laskettua torsiokulmat huomattavasti kirjallisuudessa esitettyjä Karplus yhtälöitä luotettavammin. Laskennallinen GAUSSIAN-määritys ja röntgenkristallografialla tehty määritys antavat todennäköisesti liuoksessakin tarkemman tiedon rakenteesta. Toisaalta määritysmenetelmä voidaan yrittää saada vielä tarkemmaksi useillakin ratkaisuilla. NMR:n avulla saadaankin määritettyä rakenteen ominaisuuksia liuoksessa, missä tietoa ei stereokemiasta saada muilla menetelmillä. NMR:ää käytetäänkin tavallisimmin kvalitatiiviseen analyysiin, missä tarkat arvot eivät ole tärkeitä, vaan tieto atomin orientaatiosta molekyylissä on riittävä

Interpregnancy weight change and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of interpregnancy body mass index (BMI) change on pregnancy outcomes, including large-for-gestational-age babies (LGA), small-for-gestational-age babies (SGA), macrosomia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and caesarean section (CS). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches were performed across Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Global Health and MIDIRS databases. STUDY SELECTION: Observational cohort studies with participants parity from 0 to 1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adjusted ORs (aORs) with 95% CIs were used to evaluate the association between interpregnancy BMI change on five outcomes. RESULTS: 925 065 women with singleton births from parity 0 to 1 were included in the meta-analysis of 11 studies selected from 924 identified studies. A substantial increase in interpregnancy BMI (>3 BMI units) was associated with an increased risk of LGA (aOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.71 to 2.00, p<0.001), GDM (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.97 to 2.63, p<0.001), macrosomia (aOR 1.54, 95% CI 0.939 to 2.505) and CS (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.24, p<0.001) compared with the reference category, and a decreased risk of SGA (aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.99, p=0.044). An interpregnancy BMI decrease was associated with a decreased risk of LGA births (aOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.90, p<0.001) and GDM (aOR 0.80, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.03), and an increased risk of SGA (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.63, p=0.014). Women with a normal BMI (<25kg/m2) at first pregnancy who have a substantial increase in BMI between pregnancies had a higher risk of LGA (aOR 2.10, 95% CI 1.93 to 2.29) and GDM (aOR 3.10, 95% CI 2.74 to 3.50) when compared with a reference than women with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 at first pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Gaining weight between pregnancies increases risk of developing GDM, CS and LGA, and reduces risk of SGA in the subsequent pregnancy. Losing weight between pregnancies reduces risk of GDM and LGA and increases risk of SGA. Weight stability between first and second pregnancy is advised in order to reduce risk of adverse outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016041299

A missense substitution A49T in the steroid 5-alpha-reductase gene (SRD5A2) is not associated with prostate cancer in Finland

Prostatic steroid 5-alpha-reductase gene (SRD5A2) encodes a critical enzyme involved in the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. A germline mis-sense substitution (A49T) leads to a variant SRD5A2 protein, which has a 5-fold higher in vitro V max than the wild-type protein (Ross et al, 1998; Makridakis et al, 1999). The A49T variant was recently associated with 2.5 to 3.28-fold increased risk of prostate cancer (PC) in African-American and Hispanic men (Makridakis et al, 1999). Also, Jaffe et al (2000) reported an association between A49T and more aggressive disease among Caucasian patients. Here, we report that the prevalence of the A49T variant in 449 Finnish PC patients was 6.0%, not significantly different from 6.3% observed in 223 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia or 5.8% in 588 population-based controls (odds ratio for PC 1.04, 95% C.I. 0.62–1.76 P = 0.89). There was no association between A49T and the family history of the patients nor with tumour stage or grade. Our results argue against a prominent role of the A49T variant as a genetic risk factor for prostate cancer development and progression in the Finnish population. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign www.bjcancer.co

Genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 taste receptor and food consumption among Finnish adults

Genetic variation in bitter taste receptors, such as hTAS2R38, may affect food preferences and intake. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between bitter taste receptor haplotypes and the consumption of vegetables, fruits, berries and sweet foods among an adult Finnish population. A cross-sectional design utilizing data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns cohort from 2007, which consisted of 1,903 men and women who were 30-45 years of age from five different regions in Finland, was employed. DNA was extracted from blood samples, and hTAS2R38 polymorphisms were determined based on three SNPs (rs713598, rs1726866 and rs10246939). Food consumption was assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. The prevalence of the bitter taste-sensitive (PAV/PAV) haplotype was 11.3 % and that of the insensitive (AVI/AVI) haplotype was 39.5 % among this Finnish population. PAV homozygotic women consumed fewer vegetables than did the AVI homozygotic women, 269 g/day (SD 131) versus 301 g/day (SD 187), respectively, p = 0.03 (multivariate ANOVA). Furthermore, the intake of sweet foods was higher among the PAV homozygotes of both genders. Fruit and berry consumption did not differ significantly between the haplotypes in either gender. Individuals perceive foods differently, and this may influence their patterns of food consumption. This study showed that the hTAS2R38 taste receptor gene variation was associated with vegetable and sweet food consumption among adults in a Finnish population.Peer reviewe

Complex housing environment for farmed blue foxes (Vulpes lagopus): use of various resources

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Physical activity and sedentary time during physical education lessons between different physical activity groups of a sample of Finnish 11-year-old students

Problem statement: Insufficient PA is rising concern in modern society. Physical education as a compulsory subject allows all students to engage physical activity. However, the activity levels may vary during the physical education lesson depending on the motivation of students. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of time spent in light physical activity, moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary activity by a sample of Finnish fifth grade students during physical education lessons. Approach: A cohort of 407 Finnish students' (177 boys, 232 girls) participated to study. To determine activity, participants wore GTX3 Actigraphs for seven consecutive days. Participants' activity scores were grouped in quartiles based on their weekly average moderate to vigorous physical activity. Different activity group and gender comparisons were undertaken using MANOVA. Results: Contrasts regarding activity quartiles revealed that in the least active group quartile (Q1) boys had more sedentary time and less MVPA time than in the more active group quartiles (Q3&Q4). Among girls, Q1 girls had less moderate to vigorous physical activity than girls grouped in Q3-Q4, and had more sedentary time than all other quartile groups. Conclusions: Results demonstrated that during PE lessons differences in activity between children with different moderate to vigorous physical activity levels exist. Physical education teachers should consider developing lesson strategies to address the differences identified in ST and MVPA. Programs that foster consistency in student engagement at the moderate to vigorous physical activity level may also support a decrease in levels of sedentary time across the physical education lesson.peerReviewe

Discovery of mitochondrial DNA variants associated with genome-wide blood cell gene expression : a population-based mtDNA sequencing study

The effect of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation on peripheral blood transcriptomics in health and disease is not fully known. Sex-specific mitochondrially controlled gene expression patterns have been shown in Drosophila melanogaster but in humans, evidence is lacking. Functional variation in mtDNA may also have a role in the development of type 2 diabetes and its precursor state, i. e. prediabetes. We examined the associations between mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mtSNPs) and peripheral blood transcriptomics with a focus on sex-and prediabetes-specific effects. The genome-wide blood cell expression data of 19 637 probes, 199 deep-sequenced mtSNPs and nine haplogroups of 955 individuals from a population-based Young Finns Study cohort were used. Significant associations were identified with linear regression and analysis of covariance. The effects of sex and prediabetes on the associations between gene expression and mtSNPs were studied using random-effect meta-analysis. Our analysis identified 53 significant expression probe-mtSNP associations after Bonferroni correction, involving 7 genes and 31 mtSNPs. Eight probe-mtSNP signals remained independent after conditional analysis. In addition, five genes showed differential expression between haplogroups. The meta-analysis did not show any significant differences in linear model effect sizes between males and females but identified the association between the OASL gene and mtSNP C16294T to show prediabetes-specific effects. This study pinpoints new independent mtSNPs associated with peripheral blood transcriptomics and replicates six previously reported associations, providing further evidence of the mitochondrial genetic control of blood cell gene expression. In addition, we present evidence that prediabetes might lead to perturbations in mitochondrial control

Obesity accelerates epigenetic aging in middle-aged but not in elderly individuals

Background: Human aging is associated with profound changes in one of the major epigenetic mechanisms, DNA methylation. Some of these changes occur in a clock-like fashion, i.e., correlating with the calendar age of an individual, thus providing a new aging biomarker. Some reports have identified factors associated with the acceleration of the epigenetic age. However, it is also important to analyze the temporal changes in the epigenetic age, i.e., the duration of the observed acceleration, and the effects of the possible therapeutic and lifestyle modifications.Methods: To address this issue, we determined the epigenetic age for a cohort of 183 healthy individuals using blood samples derived from two time points that were 25 years apart (between 15-24 and 40-49 years of age). Additionally, we also determined the epigenetic ages of 119 individuals in a cohort consisting of 90-year-old participants (nonagenarians). These were determined by using the Horvath algorithm based on the methylation level of 353 CpG sites. The data are indicated as the deviation of the epigenetic age from the calendar age (calendar age minus epigenetic age = delta age, Delta AGE). As obesity is often associated with accelerating aging and degenerative phenotypes, the correlation of the body mass index (BMI) with the Delta AGE was analyzed in the following three age groups: young adults, middle-aged, and nonagenarian.Results: The data showed that BMI is associated with decreased Delta AGE, i.e., increased epigenetic age, in middle-aged individuals. This effect is also seen during the 25-year period from early adulthood to middle age, in which an increase in the BMI is significantly associated with a decrease in the Delta AGE. We also analyzed the association between BMI and epigenetic age in young and elderly individuals, but these associations were not significant.Conclusion: Taken together, the main finding on this report suggests that association between increased BMI and accelerated epigenetic aging in the blood cells of middle-aged individuals can be observed, and this effect is also detectable if the BMI has increased in adulthood. The fact that the association between BMI and epigenetic age can only be observed in the middle-aged group does not exclude the possibility that this association could be present throughout the human lifespan; it might just be masked by confounding factors in young adults and nonagenarian individuals