Dietary Calcium but Not Elemental Calcium from Supplements Is Associated with Body Composition and Obesity in Chinese Women

We assessed whether dietary calcium intake or calcium supplements associated with body composition and obesity in a Chinese population.A cross-sectional survey was performed in a population of 8940, aged 20 to 74 y. 8127 participants responded (90.9%). Height, weight, fat mass (FM), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference were measured. Obesity definition: body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m(2) (overall obesity); WC ≥85 cm for men or ≥80 cm for women (abdominal obesity І) and waist hip ratio (WHR) ≥0.90 for men or ≥0.85 for women (abdominal obesity П). The data on dietary calcium and calcium supplements were collected using food-frequency questionnaire and self-report questionnaire. Multivariate linear and multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between dietary calcium intake or calcium supplements and body composition and obesity.The average dietary calcium intake of all subjects was 430 mg/d. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, among women only, negative associations were observed between habitual dietary calcium intake and four measures of body composition (β, -0.086, P<0.001 for BMI; β, -0.072, P<0.001 for WC; β, -0.044, P<0.05 for WHR; and β, -0.058, P<0.01 for FM, respectively) and both measures of abdominal obesity (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.86, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.80-0.93; P<0.001, for abdominal obesity I; OR = 0.92, 95% CI, 0.86-0.99; P = 0.026, for abdominal obesity II). These associations were not observed among men (P>0.05). Similarly, among both men and women, we did not observe significant associations between calcium supplements and any measures of body composition or abdominal obesity (P>0.05).Dietary calcium from food rather than elemental calcium from calcium supplements has beneficial effects on the maintenance of body composition and preventing abdominal obesity in Chinese women

A Comparison of Co-methylation Relationships Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Parkinson's Disease

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex autoimmune disease. Recent studies have identified the DNA methylation loci associated with RA and found that DNA methylation was a potential mediator of genetic risk. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. Several studies have indicated that DNA methylation levels are linked to PD, and genes related to the immune system are significantly enriched in PD-related methylation modules. Although recent studies have provided profound insights into the DNA methylation of both RA and PD, no shared co-methylation relationships have been identified to date. Therefore, we sought to identify shared co-methylation relationships linked to RA and PD. Here, we calculated the Pearson's correlation coefficient (PCC) of 225,239,700 gene pairs and determined the differences and similarities between the two diseases. The global co-methylation change between in PD cases and controls was larger than that between RA cases and controls. We found 337 gene pairs with large changes that were shared between RA and PD. This co-methylation relationship study represents a new area of study for both RA and PD and provides new ideas for further study of the shared biological mechanisms of RA and PD

A palavra e as condições da educação escolar

Estudos recentes sobre gestão e resultados escolares apontam a presença do, assim chamado, efeito-professor como um fator associado ao desempenho dos alunos. Desenvolve-se neste texto a premissa de que esses estudos acabam, paradoxalmente, demonstrando a pertinência da reflexão psicanalítica, que aponta para o estatuto da palavra mestre no interior de uma tradição filial professoral como condição necessária à educação escolar

Mangiferin Decreases Plasma Free Fatty Acids through Promoting Its Catabolism in Liver by Activation of AMPK

Mangiferin has been shown to have the effect of improving dyslipidemia. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA) are closely associated with blood lipid metabolism as well as many diseases including metabolic syndrome. This study is to investigate whether mangiferin has effects on FFA metabolism in hyperlipidemic rats. Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet and administered mangiferin simultaneously for 6 weeks. Mangiferin (50, 100, 150 mg/kg BW) decreased dose-dependently FFA and triglycerides (TG) levels in plasma, and their accumulations in liver, but increased the β-hydroxybutyrate levels in both plasma and liver of hyperlipidemic rats. HepG2 cells were treated with oleic acid (OA, 0.2 mmol/L) to simulate the condition of high level of plasma FFA in vitro, and were treated with different concentrations of mangiferin simultaneously for 24 h. We found that mangiferin significantly increased FFA uptake, significantly decreased intracellular FFA and TG accumulations in HepG2 cells. Mangiferin significantly increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and its downstream proteins involved in fatty acid translocase (CD36) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), but significantly decreased acyl-CoA: diacylgycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) expression and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity by increasing its phosphorylation level in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Furthermore, these effects were reversed by Compound C, an AMPK inhibitor in HepG2 cells. For upstream of AMPK, mangiferin increased AMP/ATP ratio, but had no effect on LKB1 phosphorylation. In conclusion, mangiferin decreased plasma FFA levels through promoting FFA uptake and oxidation, inhibiting FFA and TG accumulations by regulating the key enzymes expression in liver through AMPK pathway. Therefore, mangiferin is a possible beneficial natural compound for metabolic syndrome by improving FFA metabolism

Gender differences in the relationships between dietary phytosterols intake and prevalence of obesity in Chinese population

To investigate the associations between different phytosterols (PSs) intake and subtype of obesity in Chinese. Total 6073 adults aged ≥18 years was enrolled from China. General characteristics were completed by the validated dietary questionnaire. For total phytosterols intake, comparing Q4 with Q1 was inversely associated with the risks of overweight [odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82 (0.69, 0.96), p &lt; .05]. The intake of stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, β-sitostanol and campestanol were associated with the lower risks of obesity, whereas no significant correlationss were found between campesterol intake and any subtype of obesity in the multivariable-adjusted model. Interestingly, the stigmasterol intake was inversely related with the prevalence of central obesity in female, while the β-sitostanol intake was found in male [OR 95% CI in Q3 of 0.78 (0.60–0.99) and 0.71 (0.56–0.91), respectively; p &lt; .05]. The multiple linear regression models showed that fruits, vegetable-oil, nuts and seeds may be important diet sources of PSs. The intake of total PSs, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, β-sitostanol and campestanol were inversely associated with the prevalence of obesity. Moreover, the lower obesity risk for total PSs and PSs subgroups differed for the gender. The firm results deserve to be further verified in cohort studies

Amino Acid and Biogenic Amine Profile Deviations in an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: A Comparison between Healthy and Hyperlipidaemia Individuals Based on Targeted Metabolomics

Hyperlipidemia (HLP) is characterized by a disturbance in lipid metabolism and is a primary risk factor for the development of insulin resistance (IR) and a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. The aim of this work was to investigate the changes in postprandial amino acid and biogenic amine profiles provoked by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in HLP patients using targeted metabolomics. We used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to analyze the serum amino acid and biogenic amine profiles of 35 control and 35 HLP subjects during an OGTT. The amino acid and biogenic amine profiles from 30 HLP subjects were detected as independent samples to validate the changes in the metabolites. There were differences in the amino acid and biogenic amine profiles between the HLP individuals and the healthy controls at baseline and after the OGTT. The per cent changes of 13 metabolites from fasting to the 2 h samples during the OGTT in the HLP patients were significantly different from those of the healthy controls. The lipid parameters were associated with the changes in valine, isoleucine, creatine, creatinine, dimethylglycine, asparagine, serine, and tyrosine (all p &lt; 0.05) during the OGTT in the HLP group. The postprandial changes in isoleucine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) during the OGTT were positively associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; all p &lt; 0.05) in the HLP group. Elevated oxidative stress and disordered energy metabolism during OGTTs are important characteristics of metabolic perturbations in HLP. Our findings offer new insights into the complex physiological regulation of metabolism during the OGTT in HLP

Associations between Dietary Nutrient Intakes and Hepatic Lipid Contents in NAFLD Patients Quantified by 1H-MRS and Dual-Echo MRI

Dietary habits are crucial in the progression of hepatic lipid accumulation and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, there are limited studies using 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and dual-echo in-phase and out-phase magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (dual-echo MRI) to assess the effects of dietary nutrient intakes on hepatic lipid contents. In the present study, we recruited 36 female adults (NAFLD:control = 19:17) to receive questionnaires and medical examinations, including dietary intakes, anthropometric and biochemical measurements, and 1H-MRS and dual-echo MRI examinations. NAFLD patients were found to consume diets higher in energy, protein, fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Total energy intake was positively associated with hepatic fat fraction (HFF) and intrahepatic lipid (IHL) after adjustment for age and body-mass index (BMI) (HFF: β = 0.24, p = 0.02; IHL: β = 0.38, p = 0.02). Total fat intake was positively associated with HFF and IHL after adjustment for age, BMI and total energy intake (HFF: β = 0.36, p = 0.03; IHL: β = 0.42, p = 0.01). SFA intake was positively associated with HFF and IHL after adjustments (HFF: β = 0.45, p = 0.003; IHL: β = 1.16, p = 0.03). In conclusion, hepatic fat content was associated with high energy, high fat and high SFA intakes, quantified by 1H-MRS and dual-echo MRI in our population. Our findings are useful to provide dietary targets to prevent the hepatic lipid accumulation and NAFLD

Metabolomics Reveals Novel Serum Metabolic Signatures in Gastric Cancer by a Mass Spectrometry Platform

Gastric cancer (GAS) is one of the malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal system. Alterations in metabolite composition can reflect pathological processes of GAS and constitute a basis for diagnosis and treatment improvements. In this study, a total of 301 serum samples from 150 GAS patients at different tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stages and 151 healthy controls were collected. Mass spectrometry platforms were performed to investigate the changes in GAS-related metabolites and explore the new potential serum biomarkers and the metabolic dysregulation associated with GAS progression. Twelve differential metabolites (ethyl 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-2-acetate, D-urobilinogen, 14-HDoHE, 13-hydroxy-9-methoxy-10-oxo-11-octadecenoic acid, 5,6-dihydroxyprostaglandin F1a, 9′-carboxy-gamma-tocotrienol, glutaric acid, alanine, tyrosine, C18:2(FFA), adipic acid, and suberic acid) were identified to establish the diagnosis model for GAS. The defined biomarker panel was also statistically significant for GAS progression with different TNM stages. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment revealed the metabolic dysregulation associated with GAS progression. In conclusion, a diagnostic panel was established and validated, which could be used to further stage the early and advanced GAS patients from healthy controls. These findings may provide useful information for explaining the GAS metabolic alterations and try to facilitate the characterization of GAS patients in the early stage