Association of lipid profile and waist circumference as cardiovascular risk factors for overweight and obesity among school children in Qatar

Background: Childhood obesity is a national as well as worldwide problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of overweight and obesity among Qatari children with lipid profile and waist circumference as adverse cardiovascular risk factors in children aged 6-11 years. International Obesity Task Force reference values were used to screen for overweight and obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional study in a randomly selected sample was conducted in 315 Qatari primary school students aged 6-11 years. Anthropometric measurements, including body weight, height, waist circumference, and body mass index were calculated for 151 girls and 164 boys. Weight categories were based on International Obesity Task Force reference values. Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides were measured, and atherogenic index was calculated. Results: In total, 31.71% of boys and 32.78% of girls were overweight or obese. Overweight and obese children screened against International Obesity Task Force reference values had a significantly increased risk of high waist circumference (P < 0.0001), hypertriglyceridemia (P = 0.002), low HDL-C (P = 0.017), and atherogenic index (P = 0.021) compared with children who were not overweight or obese. The partial correlation coefficient for the cardiovascular risk marker of waist circumference indicated a positive significant association with total cholesterol (r = 0.465, P = 0.003), triglycerides (r = 0.563, P < 0.001), and LDL-C (r = 0.267, P = 0.003), and a significant negative association with HDL-C (r = -0.361, P = 0.004). Overweight and obesity significantly increase the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) of cardiovascular risk factors as follows: Hypertriglyceridemia (OR 6.34, CI 2.49-13.44, P < 0.0001); LDL-C (OR 3.18, CI 1.0419.75, P = 0.043); hypercholesterolemia (OR 1.88, CI 1.10-3.19, P = 0.020); and increased waist circumference (OR 1.40, CI 1.29-1.55, P = 0.022). Overweight and obesity significantly increased the risk of atherosclerosis (assessed by atherogenic index) by about two-fold (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.06-3.15, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Overweight and obese children screened by International Obesity Task Force reference values are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood

A pilot study on metabolic syndrome and its associated features among Qatari schoolchildren

Aim: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the individual features of the metabolic syndrome (MeS) and its frequency in Qatari schoolchildren aged 6-12 years. Background: MeS has a strong future risk for development of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Childhood obesity is increasing the likelihood of MeS in children. Methods: The associated features of MeS were assessed in 67 children. They were recruited from the outpatient pediatric clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured and body mass index was calculated for each child. Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) were measured. MeS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-III) which was modified by Cook with adjustment for fasting glucose to ≥ 5.6 mM according to recommendations from the American Diabetes Association. Results: The overall prevalence of MeS according to NCEP-III criteria was 3.0% in children aged 6-12 years. Overweight and obesity was 31.3% in children aged 6-12 years, according to the International Obesity Task Force criteria. The prevalence of MeS was 9.5% in overweight and obese subjects. Increased TG levels represented the most frequent abnormality (28.4%) in metabolic syndrome features in all subjects, followed by HDL-C (19.4%) in all subjects. Conclusion: Increased TG levels and low HDL-C were the most frequent components of this syndrome. This study showed a significant prevalence of MeS and associated features among overweight and obese children. The overall prevalence of MeS in Qatari children is in accordance with data from several other countries. © 2011 Rizk et al.This work was supported by grant #CAS05001 from Qatar University, Qatar

The Relationship Between Leptin and PCOS

Background: The ob gene produces a leptin hormone that works as a satiety signal to the hypothalamus. Leptin may have a role in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) via its role on obesity and insulin resistance. Materials and Methods: A prospective, retrospectives cross- sectional study included 78 females student aged 17-25 years. The retrospective data included clinical, anthropometric and hormonal profile of each subject. Leptin concentration was measured by enzyme absorbent by BioVendor Human Leptin ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 for Windows XP (IBM, USA). Results: leptin found to be significantly higher in those women with PCOS than in women without PCOS (p-value 0.037). Also, Overweight/Obese subjects had higher leptin level (22.85 ng/ml) than non-overweight/non-obese subjects (8.82 ng/ml) with (p-value <0.05). OW/Ob group showed higher frequency of family history of PCOS and diabetes, irregular menstrual cycle (IP) and high Ferriman-Gallwey score. Leptin is significantly correlated with insulin, testosterone, BMI, DHEAS, progesterone, FAI and PCOS. Conclusion: PCOS, overweight and obese subjects exhibit high leptin level

12/15-Lipoxygenase-Derived Lipid Metabolites Induce Retinal Endothelial Cell Barrier Dysfunction: Contribution of NADPH Oxidase

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of 12/15- lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) metabolites on retinal endothelial cell (REC) barrier function. FITC-dextran flux across the REC monolayers and electrical cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) were used to evaluate the effect of 12- and 15-hydroxyeicosatetreanoic acids (HETE) on REC permeability and transcellular electrical resistance (TER). Effect of 12- or 15-HETE on the levels of zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO-1), reactive oxygen species (ROS), NOX2, pVEGF-R2 and pSHP1 was examined in the presence or absence of inhibitors of NADPH oxidase. In vivo studies were performed using Ins2Akita mice treated with or without the 12/15-LOX inhibitor baicalein. Levels of HETE and inflammatory mediators were examined by LC/MS and Multiplex Immunoassay respectively. ROS generation and NOX2 expression were also measured in mice retinas. 12- and 15- HETE significantly increased permeability and reduced TER and ZO-1expression in REC. VEGF-R2 inhibitor reduced the permeability effect of 12-HETE. Treatment of REC with HETE also increased ROS generation and expression of NOX2 and pVEGF-R2 and decreased pSHP1 expression. Treatment of diabetic mice with baicalein significantly decreased retinal HETE, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-6, ROS generation, and NOX2 expression. Baicalein also reduced pVEGF-R2 while restored pSHP1 levels in diabetic retina. Our findings suggest that 12/15-LOX contributes to vascular hyperpermeability during DR via NADPH oxidase dependent mechanism which involves suppression of protein tyrosine phosphatase and activation of VEGF-R2 signal pathway.Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP 4 - 1046 - 3 -284), American Heart Association (AHA00104) and Vision Discovery Institute (VDI002010) and Bridge Fund (BFP00018) from the Georgia Health Sciences University.Scopu

Associations of Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphism rs1544410 with Adiposity Phenotypes

Background: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is present on adipocytes, and many studies were performed to investigate the association between polymorphisms in VDR gene with obesity. However, in the Arab Gulf populations, whereas obesity prevalence is increasing dramatically, only a few studies were addressed this relation with obesity based only on body mass index. This study aimed to find the association between three different VDR polymorphisms BsmI (rs1544410), ApaI (rs7975232) and TaqI (rs731236) BsmI, with the adiposity phenotypes (BMI, body fat BF% and waist circumference (WC) as a marker of visceral obesity. Method: In this study, 142 young female subjects from Qatar University were recruited. The study subjects were classified into 88 control subjects (BMI <24.9 kg/m2) with a mean age of 21.65 years and 54 overweight/obese subjects (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) with a mean age of 22.79 years. Blood samples and anthropometric measurements were evaluated. TaqMan assay was used to examine the genotyping of the three SNPs BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI using RT-PCR. In addition, vitamin D and insulin levels were measured using ELISA kits. The adiposity phenotypes were evaluated by anthropometric measurements of body weight, height, waist circumference and BF% were assessed by Body composition analyzer. Results: The results showed that 80.3% of the study subjects were vitamin D insufficient/deficient. The main finding of the current study revealed that the carrier for the minor allele (A) in the BsmI of VDR have significantly higher BMI, WC and BF% values with p-values of 0.009, 0.015 and 0.04, respectively. In addition, it was found that increased WC is associated with lower (suboptimal) vitamin D level with an odds ratio of 3.12 and 95% CI of (1.01-9.63) with a p-value of 0.048. Conclusion: The adiposity phenotype indicators including BMI, WC, and BF% were significantly associated with the minor allele (A) for BsmI (rs1544410); suggesting the possible relation of VDR polymorphism with obesity in Qatar. Vitamin D deficiency could affect the BF% in overweight and obese subjects.Qatar university grant #supported this study QUST-CAS-FALL-15/16-23

Associations of Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms with Coronary Artery Diseases

Background: Previous studies have investigated the association of rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236 polymorphisms on vitamin D receptor gene and its impact on diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension in different ethnic backgrounds. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between VDR polymorphisms using three SNP’s and the severity of the significant lesion in coronary arteries among angiographically diagnosed CAD . Methods: 192 CAD patients enrolled from the cardiology department-Heart Hospital, Hammed Medical Corporation (HMC). Medical records, biochemical tests data and DNA samples were obtained from a previous study conducted in 2012. Results: By studying SNP rs7975232 it has been observed that the most frequent genotype in distribution is the AA among the significant stenosis patients, while the heterozygous AC was the frequent genotype in distribution among the non-significant stenosis group. Conclusion: There is a significant association between rs7975232 and the severity of CAD lesion. The carrier of CC genotype in rs7975232 increased the risk of having significant coronary arteries atherosclerotic lesion especially in patients with smoking history

Association between Genetic Variants of GC Gene at 4q13.3 and Vitamin D Concentrations in Adult Females

Background: Vitamin D binding protein, encoded by the GC gene (on 4q13.3), plays an important role in transporting vitamin D. Several Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWASs) have established a significant association between variants of GC gene and circulating vitamin D. Objective: This study aims to determine the association of GC gene polymorphisms with vitamin D concentrations in young healthy Arab females. Methodology: 214 female subjects from Qatar University were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The cut-off value for optimal vitamin D levels was set at 30 ng/mL. The serum vitamin D was measured using ELISA, the genotyping of SNPs (rs2298850, rs3755967, rs2282679, rs7041, rs1155563, and rs17467825) of GC gene was performed by TaqMan assay, and the data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The mean age of 214 participants was found to be 21.97 years. Of these, only 182 subjects were included in this study. The data showed that 14.8% were found to have optimal vitamin D levels and 85.2% with suboptimal levels. All studied SNPs were in HWE except SNPs rs7041 and rs1155563. Using the dominant model for rs2298850, the odds ratio to have low vitamin D is 1.48 (p=0.419). Similarly, rs3755967 has a risk of 1.62 (p=0.294); rs2282679 has an odds ratio of 1.32 (p=0.549); and rs17467825 with a risk of 1.48 (p=0.40). The genotypes for vitamin D levels had no significant difference (p>0.05) for all study subjects. Conclusion: The current data showed no significant association between risk alleles of SNPs (rs2298850, rs3755967, rs2282679, rs7041, rs1155563, and rs17467825) with vitamin D levels. Keywords: Vitamin D deficiency; 25-hydroxyvitamin D; GC gene; Vitamin D binding protein; SNPs Abbreviations: 25-hydroxyvitamin D/calcifediol (25-(OH)D); 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D/calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D); Vitamin D Binding Protein (DBP); Group-specific Component (GC); Ultraviolet radiation B(UVB); Vitamin D Receptor (VDR); Retinoid X Receptor (RXR); Parathyroid Hormone (PTH); DNase Hypersensitivity Site (HSIV); Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP); Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CLIA); Chemiluminescent- Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA); Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC); Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); Body Mass Index (BMI); Overweight and Obese (OWOB); Waist Circumference (WC); Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL); High Density Lipoprotein (HDL); Triglycerides (TG); Interleukin-6 (IL-6); Minor Allele Frequency (MAF); Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE); Confidence Intervals (CI); Analysis of Variance (ANOVA

Elevated serum leptin levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction; correlation with coronary angiographic and echocardiographic findings

BACKGROUND: To assess the relationship between serial serum leptin levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who received thrombolysis and the degree of coronary atherosclerosis, coronary reperfusion, echocardiographic findings, and clinical outcome. 51 consecutive patients presenting with AMI were studied. Clinical characteristics including age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular risk factors were recorded. Serial serum leptin levels at the time of admission and subsequently at 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, 60 hours afterwards were obtained. Coronary angiography was performed in 34 patients; the relation between serum leptin levels and evidence of coronary reperfusion as well as the extent of coronary atherosclerosis according to the coronary artery surgery study classification (CASS) were evaluated. Echocardiographic evaluation was performed in all patients. 36 matched patients were enrolled as control group who had serum leptin level 9.4 ± 6.5 ng/ml. RESULTS: The patients mean age was 50.5 ± 10.6 years. There were 47 males and 3 females. 37.1% were diabetics, 23.5% were hypertensive, 21.6% were dyslipidemic and 22.7% were obese (BMI ≥ 30). Leptin concentrations (ng/ml) increased and peaked at the 4th sample (36 hrs) after admission (mean ± SD) sample (1) =9.55 ± 7.4, sample (2) =12.9 ± 8.4, sample (3) =13.8 ± 10.4, sample (4) =18.9 ± 18.1, sample (5) =11.4 ± 6.5, sample (6) =10.8 ± 8.9 ng/ml. There was a significant correlation between serum leptin and BMI (r = 0.342; p = 0.03). Leptin levels correlated significantly to creatine kinase level on the second day (r = 0.43, p ≤ 0.01). Significant correlation of mean serum leptin with the ejection fraction (P < 0.05) was found. No difference in timing of peak serum leptin between patients who achieved coronary reperfusion vs. those who did not (p = 0.8). There was a trend for an increase in the mean serum leptin levels with increasing number of diseased vessels. There was no correlation between serum leptin levels and outcome neither during the hospitalization nor at 9 months follow up. CONCLUSION: Serum leptin levels increase after myocardial infarction. Serum leptin level may be a predictor of the left ventricular ejection fraction and the degree of atherosclerosis but not of coronary reperfusion

Prevalence and Predictors of Insulin Resistance in Non-Obese Healthy Young Females in Qatar

The state of Qatar suffers from diabetes epidemic due to obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. However, the prevalence of insulin resistance prior to obesity, which could play an important role in the high prevalence of diabetes, has not yet been described. This study aims to compare the prevalence of insulin resistance in apparently healthy non-obese and obese participants from Qatar and identify the predictors of insulin resistance in different body massindex(BMI)-groups. In this cross-sectional study, 150 young healthy females from Qatar were dichotomized into four groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese) based on their BMI. Anthropometric measures as well as fasting plasma levels of lipids, adipokines, blood glucose and insulin were recorded. The prevalence of insulin resistance as per homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was estimated and differences between insulin sensitive and insulin resistant were compared. Linear models were used to identify predictors of insulin resistance in every BMI group. Prevalence of insulin resistance in non-obese healthy females from Qatar ranges between 7% and 37%and increases with BMI. Overall, predictors of insulin resistance in the Qatari population are triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio and free fat mass but vary according to the BMI group. The main predictors were triglycerides in normal weight, triglycerides/HDL in overweight and triglycerides/HDL and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in obese individuals. The high prevalence of insulin resistance in non-obese Qataris may partially explain diabetes epidemic. Larger studies are warranted to confirm these findings and identify underlying causes for insulin resistance in non-obese individuals in Qatar, aiming at targeted intervention before diabetes onsetThis project was funded by Qatar University (grant number QUST-CAS-FALL-14\15-35). The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library

The Role of Systemic Filtrating Organs in Aging and Their Potential in Rejuvenation Strategies

Advances in aging studies brought about by heterochronic parabiosis suggest that aging might be a reversable process that is affected by changes in the systemic milieu of organs and cells. Given the broadness of such a systemic approach, research to date has mainly questioned the involvement of “shared organs” versus “circulating factors”. However, in the absence of a clear understanding of the chronological development of aging and a unified platform to evaluate the successes claimed by specific rejuvenation methods, current literature on this topic remains scattered. Herein, aging is assessed from an engineering standpoint to isolate possible aging potentiators via a juxtaposition between biological and mechanical systems. Such a simplification provides a general framework for future research in the field and examines the involvement of various factors in aging. Based on this simplified overview, the kidney as a filtration organ is clearly implicated, for the first time, with the aging phenomenon, necessitating a re-evaluation of current rejuvenation studies to untangle the extent of its involvement and its possible role as a potentiator in aging. Based on these findings, the review concludes with potential translatable and long-term therapeutics for aging while offering a critical view of rejuvenation methods proposed to date