The "lipid accumulation product" performs better than the body mass index for recognizing cardiovascular risk: a population-based comparison

BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) may not be the best marker for estimating the risk of obesity-related disease. Consistent with physiologic observations, an alternative index uses waist circumference (WC) and fasting triglycerides (TG) concentration to describe lipid overaccumulation. METHODS: The WC (estimated population minimum 65 cm for men and 58 cm for women) and TG concentration from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 9,180, statistically weighted to represent 100.05 million US adults) were used to compute a "lipid accumulation product" [LAP = (WC-65) × TG for men and (WC-58) × TG for women] and to describe the population distribution of LAP. LAP and BMI were compared as categorical variables and as log-transformed continuous variables for their ability to identify adverse levels of 11 cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: Nearly half of the represented population was discordant for their quartile assignments to LAP and BMI. When 23.54 million with ordinal LAP quartile > BMI quartile were compared with 25.36 million with ordinal BMI quartile > LAP quartile (regression models adjusted for race-ethnicity and sex) the former had more adverse risk levels than the latter (p < 0.002) for seven lipid variables, uric acid concentration, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Further adjustment for age did not materially alter these comparisons except for blood pressures (p > 0.1). As continuous variables, LAP provided a consistently more adverse beta coefficient (slope) than BMI for nine cardiovascular risk variables (p < 0.01), but not for blood pressures (p > 0.2). CONCLUSION: LAP (describing lipid overaccumulation) performed better than BMI (describing weight overaccumulation) for identifying US adults at cardiovascular risk. Compared to BMI, LAP might better predict the incidence of cardiovascular disease, but this hypothesis needs prospective testing

Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference

Nitrate deposition in northern hardwood forests and the nitrogen metabolism of Acer saccharum marsh

It is generally assumed that plant assimilation constitutes the major sink for anthropogenic Nitrate NO 3 − deposited in temperate forests because plant growth is usually limited by nitrogen (N) availability. Nevertheless, plants are known to vary widely in their capacity for NO 3 − uptake and assimilation, and few studies have directly measured these parameters for overstory trees. Using a combination of field and greenhouse experiments, we studied the N nutrition of Acer saccharum Marsh. in four northern hardwood forests receiving experimental NO 3 − additions equivalent to 30 kg N ha −1 year −1 . We measured leaf and fine-root nitrate reductase activity (NRA) of overstory trees using an in vivo assay and used 15 N to determine the kinetic parameters of NO 3 − uptake by excised fine roots. In two greenhouse experiments, we measured leaf and root NRA in A. saccharum seedlings fertilized with 0–3.5 g NO 3 − −N m −2 and determined the kinetic parameters of NO 3 − and NH 4 + uptake in excised roots of seedlings. In both overstory trees and seedlings, rates of leaf and fine root NRA were substantially lower than previously reported rates for most woody plants and showed no response to NO 3 − fertilization (range = non-detectable to 33 nmol NO 2 − g −1 h −1 ). Maximal rates of NO 3 − uptake in overstory trees also were low, ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 μmol g −1 h −1 . In seedlings, the mean V max for NO 3 − uptake in fine roots (1 μmol g −1 h −1 ) was approximately 30 times lower than the V max for NH 4 + uptake (33 μmol g −1 h −1 ). Our results suggest that A. saccharum satisfies its N demand through rapid NH 4 + uptake and may have a limited capacity to serve as a direct sink for atmospheric additions of NO 3 − .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47695/1/442_2004_Article_BF00334659.pd

ATP release via anion channels

ATP serves not only as an energy source for all cell types but as an ‘extracellular messenger-for autocrine and paracrine signalling. It is released from the cell via several different purinergic signal efflux pathways. ATP and its Mg2+ and/or H+ salts exist in anionic forms at physiological pH and may exit cells via some anion channel if the pore physically permits this. In this review we survey experimental data providing evidence for and against the release of ATP through anion channels. CFTR has long been considered a probable pathway for ATP release in airway epithelium and other types of cells expressing this protein, although non-CFTR ATP currents have also been observed. Volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) chloride channels are found in virtually all cell types and can physically accommodate or even permeate ATP4- in certain experimental conditions. However, pharmacological studies are controversial and argue against the actual involvement of the VSOR channel in significant release of ATP. A large-conductance anion channel whose open probability exhibits a bell-shaped voltage dependence is also ubiquitously expressed and represents a putative pathway for ATP release. This channel, called a maxi-anion channel, has a wide nanoscopic pore suitable for nucleotide transport and possesses an ATP-binding site in the middle of the pore lumen to facilitate the passage of the nucleotide. The maxi-anion channel conducts ATP and displays a pharmacological profile similar to that of ATP release in response to osmotic, ischemic, hypoxic and salt stresses. The relation of some other channels and transporters to the regulated release of ATP is also discussed

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Animal study on surface-modified defibrillator systems:Indications for enhanced infection resistance

One of the most important problems with ICD systems is infection. The aim of this study was an in vivo evaluation of the efficacy of defibrillator systems in terms of infection resistance. The polyurethane leads were coupled with heparin and loaded with the antibiotic gentamicin, while the PGs were modified to release gentamicin, Group I was comprised of 10 pigs implanted with either a standard or a modified system for 2 weeks; group 11 was implanted during 4 weeks. The lead was inserted into the heart wall via the jugular vein. The other end was subcutaneously tunneled to the armpit where the PG was positioned. A cocktail of Staphylococcus aureus and epidermidis was injected at the site of the PG. Evaluation was performed macroscopically, by taking bacterial swabs during explantation and by microscopic processing. The results showed that 3 out of 5 modified defibrillator-systems in group I and 1-2 out of 5 in group II were judged as noninfected, whereas all standard systems were infected. Infection rates of the remaining modified defibrillators showed variances, as found with the standards, from slight to moderate to high, to even high/severe in group 11 (Ix standard and Ix modified), With the modified systems, this may he related to production of humoral factors by an intensified early tissue reaction, as indicated by a swelling at day 6 at the site of the PG, When infected, whether or not modified, usually only Staphylococcus aureus was present. Spreading of infection seemed to occur by inoculation via blood, for example, based on the observation that group II in general showed an increase in infected fibrotic overgrowth in the heart, while infectious problems were low in the jugular vein. It is concluded that the modification at short term shows enhanced infection resistance. An increased infection rate already at 4 weeks, however, indicates that the modification may not hold in the long run. Special attention is needed concerning the more intense early tissue reaction, (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons. Inc