Visceral, subcutaneous abdominal adiposity and liver fat content distribution in normal glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance

Q1Q1Objectives: To examine the specific distribution of liver fat content, visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in normal glucose tolerance (NGT/NGT), isolated impaired fasting glucose (iIFG), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (iIGT) and combined conditions (IFG+IGT), as well as with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (nT2D). Design: Multicenter, international observational study: cross-sectional analysis. Subjects: Two thousand five hundred and fifteen patients (50.0% women, 54.5% non-Caucasian) without previously known diabetes were recruited from 29 countries. Abdominal fat distribution was measured by computed tomography (CT). Liver fat was estimated using the CT-liver mean attenuation. Results: Compared with NGT/NGT patients, increased visceral adiposity was found in iIFG, iIGT, IFG+IGT and nT2D; estimated liver fat progressively increased across these conditions. A one-s.d. increase in visceral adiposity was associated with an increased risk of having iIFG (men: odds ratio (OR) 1.41 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–1.74), women: OR 1.62 (1.29–2.04)), iIGT (men: OR 1.59 (1.15–2.01), women: OR 1.30 (0.96–1.76)), IFG+IGT (men: OR 1.64 (1.27–2.13), women: OR 1.83 (1.36–2.48)) and nT2D (men: OR 1.80 (1.35–2.42), women: OR 1.73 (1.25–2.41)). A one-s.d. increase in estimated liver fat was associated with iIGT (men: OR 1.46 (1.12–1.90), women: OR 1.81 (1.41–2.35)), IFG+IGT (men: OR 1.42 (1.14–1.77), women: OR 1.74 (1.35–2.26)) and nT2D (men: OR 1.77 (1.40–2.27), women: OR 2.38 (1.81–3.18)). Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue showed an inverse relationship with nT2D in women (OR 0.63 (0.45–0.88)). Conclusions: Liver fat was associated with iIGT but not with iIFG, whereas visceral adiposity was associated with both. Liver fat and visceral adiposity were associated with nT2D, whereas subcutaneous adiposity showed an inverse relationship with nT2D in women

GeneChip Resequencing of the Smallpox Virus Genome Can Identify Novel Strains: a Biodefense Application

We developed a set of seven resequencing GeneChips, based on the complete genome sequences of 24 strains of smallpox virus (variola virus), for rapid characterization of this human-pathogenic virus. Each GeneChip was designed to analyze a divergent segment of approximately 30,000 bases of the smallpox virus genome. This study includes the hybridization results of 14 smallpox virus strains. Of the 14 smallpox virus strains hybridized, only 7 had sequence information included in the design of the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChips; similar information for the remaining strains was not tiled as a reference in these GeneChips. By use of variola virus-specific primers and long-range PCR, 22 overlapping amplicons were amplified to cover nearly the complete genome and hybridized with the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChip set. These GeneChips were successful in generating nucleotide sequences for all 14 of the smallpox virus strains hybridized. Analysis of the data indicated that the GeneChip resequencing by hybridization was fast and reproducible and that the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChips could differentiate the 14 smallpox virus strains characterized. This study also suggests that high-density resequencing GeneChips have potential biodefense applications and may be used as an alternate tool for rapid identification of smallpox virus in the future

Smallpox Virus Resequencing GeneChips Can Also Rapidly Ascertain Species Status for Some Zoonotic Non-Variola Orthopoxviruses▿

We recently developed a set of seven resequencing GeneChips for the rapid sequencing of Variola virus strains in the WHO Repository of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, we attempted to hybridize these GeneChips with some known non-Variola orthopoxvirus isolates, including monkeypox, cowpox, and vaccinia viruses, for rapid detection

Evaluation of Affymetrix Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Resequencing GeneChips in Characterization of the Genomes of Two Strains of Coronavirus Infecting Humans

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was discovered during a recent global outbreak of atypical pneumonia. A number of immunologic and molecular studies of the clinical samples led to the conclusion that a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was associated with the outbreak. Later, a SARS resequencing GeneChip was developed by Affymetrix to characterize the complete genome of SARS-CoV on a single GeneChip. The present study was carried out to evaluate the performance of SARS resequencing GeneChips. Two human SARS-CoV strains (CDC#200301157 and Urbani) were resequenced by the SARS GeneChips. Five overlapping PCR amplicons were generated for each strain and hybridized with these GeneChips. The successfully hybridized GeneChips generated nucleotide sequences of nearly complete genomes for the two SARS-CoV strains with an average call rate of 94.6%. Multiple alignments of nucleotide sequences obtained from SARS GeneChips and conventional sequencing revealed full concordance. Furthermore, the GeneChip-based analysis revealed no additional polymorphic sites. The results of this study suggest that GeneChip-based genome characterization is fast and reproducible. Thus, SARS resequencing GeneChips may be employed as an alternate tool to obtain genome sequences of SARS-CoV strains pathogenic for humans in order to further understand the transmission dynamics of these viruses

Usefulness of Measuring Both Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference for the Estimation of Visceral Adiposity and Related Cardiometabolic Risk Profile (from the INSPIRE ME IAA Study)

International audienceDespite its well-documented relation with visceral adiposity (VAT) and cardiometabolic risk (CMR), whether waist circumference (WC) should be measured in addition to body mass index (BMI) remains debated. This study tested the relevance of adding WC to BMI for the estimation of VAT and CMR. In the International Study of Prediction of Infra-abdominal Adiposity and Its Relationship with Cardiometabolic Risk/Intra-abdominal Adiposity, 297 physicians recruited 4,504 patients (29 countries). Both BMI and WC were measured, whereas VAT and liver fat were assessed by computed tomography. A composite CMR score was calculated. From the 4,109 patients included in the present analyses (20 5 BMI < 40 kg/m(2), 47% women), about 30% displayed discordant values for WC and BMI quintiles, despite a strong correlation between the 2 anthropometric variables (r = 0.87 and r = 0.84 for men and women, respectively, p < 0.001). Within each single BMI unit, VAT and WC showed substantial variability between subjects (mean difference between 90th and 10th percentiles: 175 cm(2)/16 cm and 137 cm(2)/18 cm for VAT/WC in men and women, respectively). Within each BMI category, increasing gender-specific WC tertiles were associated with significantly higher VAT, liver fat, and with a more adverse CMR profile. In conclusion, this large international cardiometabolic study highlights the frequent discordance between BMI and WC, driven by the substantial variability in VAT for a given BMI. Within each BMI category, WC was cross-sectionally associated with VAT, liver fat, and CMR factors. Thus, WC allows a further refinement of the CMR related to any given BMI