Association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and physical activity in Polish women

Angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) is the most frequently investigated genetic marker in the context of genetic conditioning of athletic predispositions. However, the knowledge of ACE\u2019s potential modifying effect on changes in selected body traits achieved through a training programme is still limited. Therefore, we have decided to check whether selected body mass, body composition variables, oxygen uptake parameters as well as strength/speed parameters observed in physically active participants will be modulated by the ACE I/D polymorphism. The genotype distribution was examined in a group of 201 young healthy women measured for chosen traits before and after the completion of a 12-week moderate-intensive aerobic training programme. Our results revealed the significant genotype 7 training interactions for VEmax and power of countermovement jump, whereas training improvements were demonstrated for almost all parameters. In addition, main effects of the ACE I/D genotype on TGL, HDL, glucose and 10 m run were observed. A significant increase in VEmax was demonstrated for II and DD genotypes, but not for ID heterozygotes. The greatest gain in power of countermovement jump was observed in II homozygotes, although DD and ID were associated with a significant increase as well. Our study indicated that the polymorphism was associated with changes in VEmax and power of countermovement jump in response to a 12-week aerobic training programme in Caucasian women. However, more experimental studies are needed to establish the ACE gene 7 physical activity interaction

Different Mi-2 Complexes for Various Developmental Functions in Caenorhabditis elegans

Biochemical purifications from mammalian cells and Xenopus oocytes revealed that vertebrate Mi-2 proteins reside in multisubunit NuRD (Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase) complexes. Since all NuRD subunits are highly conserved in the genomes of C. elegans and Drosophila, it was suggested that NuRD complexes also exist in invertebrates. Recently, a novel dMec complex, composed of dMi-2 and dMEP-1 was identified in Drosophila. The genome of C. elegans encodes two highly homologous Mi-2 orthologues, LET-418 and CHD-3. Here we demonstrate that these proteins define at least three different protein complexes, two distinct NuRD complexes and one MEC complex. The two canonical NuRD complexes share the same core subunits HDA-1/HDAC, LIN-53/RbAp and LIN-40/MTA, but differ in their Mi-2 orthologues LET-418 or CHD-3. LET-418 but not CHD-3, interacts with the Krüppel-like protein MEP-1 in a distinct complex, the MEC complex. Based on microarrays analyses, we propose that MEC constitutes an important LET-418 containing regulatory complex during C. elegans embryonic and early larval development. It is required for the repression of germline potential in somatic cells and acts when blastomeres are still dividing and differentiating. The two NuRD complexes may not be important for the early development, but may act later during postembryonic development. Altogether, our data suggest a considerable complexity in the composition, the developmental function and the tissue-specificity of the different C. elegans Mi-2 complexes

Analysis of the impact of sex and age on the variation in the prevalence of antinuclear autoantibodies in Polish population: a nationwide observational, cross-sectional study

The detection of antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) is dependent on many factors and varies between the populations. The aim of the study was first to assess the prevalence of ANA in the Polish adult population depending on age, sex and the cutoff threshold used for the results obtained. Second, we estimated the occurrence of individual types of ANA-staining patterns. We tested 1731 patient samples using commercially available IIFA using two cutoff thresholds of 1:100 and 1:160. We found ANA in 260 participants (15.0%), but the percentage of positive results strongly depended on the cutoff level. For a cutoff threshold 1:100, the positive population was 19.5% and for the 1:160 cutoff threshold, it was 11.7%. The most prevalent ANA-staining pattern was AC-2 Dense Fine speckled (50%), followed by AC-21 Reticular/AMA (14.38%) ANA more common in women (72%); 64% of ANA-positive patients were over 50 years of age. ANA prevalence in the Polish population is at a level observed in other highly developed countries and is more prevalent in women and elderly individuals. To reduce the number of positive results released, we suggest that Polish laboratories should set 1:160 as the cutoff threshold

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Exercise-induced apoptosis in renal tubular cells of the rat

A number of studies have shown that acute physical exercise is associated with the induction of apoptosis not only in skeletal muscle but also in many distant organs. One of the pathogenic agents responsible for exercise-induced damage in many tissues is the generation of oxygen free radicals. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of exercise-induced oxidative stress on the rat kidney. The analysis was performed on the kidneys of rats subjected to treadmill running until exhaustion. Our results demonstrated that acute exercise led to apoptotic damage of the renal distal tubular cells, although this was not a result of oxidative stress

Effects of adaptive exercise on apoptosis in cells of rat renal tubuli.

Eur J Appl Physiol. 2007 Feb;99(3):217-26. Epub 2006 Nov 11. Effects of adaptive exercise on apoptosis in cells of rat renal tubuli. Podhorska-Okolow M, Dziegiel P, Murawska-Cialowicz E, Saczko J, Kulbacka J, Gomulkiewicz A, Rossini K, Jethon Z, Carraro U, Zabel M. Source Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland. [email protected] Abstract Regular exercise is known to improve physiological and functional capacity of many organs due to adaptive processes. We have previously shown that acute exercise in untrained rats results in apoptosis of renal tubular cells and that the apoptotic process seems to be associated with stimulation of angiotensin II, AT1 and AT2 receptors. In this study, we examined the influence of regular training on apoptosis and the role of angiotensin II receptors and antioxidant enzymes in mediating the adaptive response in renal tubular cells. We measured apoptosis, expression of AT1 and AT2 receptors, level of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and activities of antioxidant enzymes, SOD, GPx and CAT in kidneys of sedentary rats that were exposed to acute exercise and rats that were trained for 8 weeks. In untrained animals, the acute exercise resulted in increased apoptosis and increased expression of AT1 and AT2 receptors in renal tubular cells, while in the rats exposed to the 8-week regular training, there were no changes in apoptosis nor AT1 and AT2 receptor expression as compared to the sedentary animals. The TBARS levels were significantly increased in acutely exercised rats, while in rats pre-exposed to the training they remained unchanged. The acute exercise, as well as regular training, did not change SOD, CAT or GPx activities. These findings suggested that the acute exercise-induced apoptosis in renal tubules could involve action of AT1 and AT2 receptors as well as oxidative stress, while the regular training was shown to prevent apoptosis in renal tubular cells via modulated expression of AT1 and AT2 receptors. PMID: 17102979 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Content of selected minerals in meat derived from broiler chickens subjected to various pre-slaughter handling procedures

Celem przeprowadzonych badań było określenie zawartości: Mg, Ca, Na, K, P, Fe w mięśniach piersiowych kurcząt brojlerów ROSS 308, poddanych w okresie lata 2010 r. różnym wariantom postępowania przedubojowego. W postępowaniu przedubojowym podawano kurczętom w paszy lub w wodzie, przez siedem dni przed ubojem, fitopreparat składający się z: rutwicy lekarskiej (Herb. Galegae), pokrzywy zwyczajnej (Herb. Utricae), melisy lekarskiej (Fol. Melissae) i szałwii lekarskiej (Fol. Salviae), a następnie transportu kurcząt na różne odległości: 100, 200 oraz 300 km. Stwierdzono, że postępowanie przedubojowe wpłynęło na zawartość składników mineralnych w mięśniach piersiowych kurcząt brojlerów. Podawanie kurczętom przez siedem dni przed planowanym obrotem przedubojowym fitopreparatu wraz z paszą wpłynęło nieznacznie na wzrost zawartości składników mineralnych w mięśniach piersiowych w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną i grupą otrzymującą fitopreparat z wodą do picia. Wykazano zbliżony poziom lub zwiększenie zawartości pierwiastków w mięśniach piersiowych kurcząt transportowanych na odległość 100 i 200 km. Natomiast w mięśniach kurcząt transportowanych na odległość 300 km nastąpiło zmniejszenie zawartości pierwiastków w stosunku do grupy nietransportowanej.The objective of the research study performed was to determine the concentrations of Mg, Ca, Na, K, P, and Fe in breast muscles of ROSS 308 broiler chickens subjected to various pre-slaughter handling procedures in summer. The pre-slaughter handling procedures consisted in providing the broilers, during a period of seven days before slaughter, with a herbal extract composed of goat's rue (Herb. Galegae), stinging nettle (Herb. Utricae), lemon balm (Fol. Melissae), and common sage (Fol. Salviae). The supplement was administered in feed or drinking water. After the seven-day period, the chicks were transported 100 km, 200 km, and 300 km. It was found that the pre-slaughter handling procedures applied impacted the mineral content in the breast muscles of broiler chickens. Compared to the control group and to chickens provided with the herbal extract in their drinking water, an insignificant increase was reported in the mineral content in the breast muscles in broilers having received this herbal extract mixed with their feed for seven days prior to slaughter. A similar or an increased level of mineral element concentrations was evidenced in the breast muscles of chickens transported 100 km and 200 km. However, in the muscles of chicks travelling at a distance of 300 km, the content of the mineral elements decreased compared to the not transported group