8 research outputs found
Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome: exercise as medicine?
Background: Metabolic syndrome is defined as a cluster of at least three out of five clinical risk factors: abdominal (visceral) obesity, hypertension, elevated serum triglycerides, low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and insulin resistance. It is estimated to affect over 20% of the global adult population. Abdominal (visceral) obesity is thought to be the predominant risk factor for metabolic syndrome and as predictions estimate that 50% of adults will be classified as obese by 2030 it is likely that metabolic syndrome will be a significant problem for health services and a drain on health economies.Evidence shows that regular and consistent exercise reduces abdominal obesity and results in favourable changes in body composition. It has therefore been suggested that exercise is a medicine in its own right and should be prescribed as such. Purpose of this review: This review provides a summary of the current evidence on the pathophysiology of dysfunctional adipose tissue (adiposopathy). It describes the relationship of adiposopathy to metabolic syndrome and how exercise may mediate these processes, and evaluates current evidence on the clinical efficacy of exercise in the management of abdominal obesity. The review also discusses the type and dose of exercise needed for optimal improvements in health status in relation to the available evidence and considers the difficulty in achieving adherence to exercise programmes. Conclusion: There is moderate evidence supporting the use of programmes of exercise to reverse metabolic syndrome although at present the optimal dose and type of exercise is unknown. The main challenge for health care professionals is how to motivate individuals to participate and adherence to programmes of exercise used prophylactically and as a treatment for metabolic syndrome
Cumulative increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus with increasing triglyceride glucose index in normal-weight people: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study
Density of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a low-income Brazilian urban community where dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses co-circulate
Abstract Background Low-income urban communities in the tropics often lack sanitary infrastructure and are overcrowded, favoring Aedes aegypti proliferation and arboviral transmission. However, as Ae. aegypti density is not spatially homogeneous, understanding the role of specific environmental characteristics in determining vector distribution is critical for planning control interventions. The objectives of this study were to identify the main habitat types for Ae. Aegypti, assess their spatial densities to identify major hotspots of arbovirus transmission over time and investigate underlying factors in a low-income urban community in Salvador, Brazil. We also tested the field-collected mosquitoes for arboviruses. Methods A series of four entomological and socio-environmental surveys was conducted in a random sample of 149 households and their surroundings between September 2019 and April 2021. The surveys included searching for potential breeding sites (water-containing habitats) and for Ae. aegypti immatures in them, capturing adult mosquitoes and installing ovitraps. The spatial distribution of Ae. aegypti density indices were plotted using kernel density-ratio maps, and the spatial autocorrelation was assessed for each index. Visual differences on the spatial distribution of the Ae. aegypti hotspots were compared over time. The association of entomological findings with socio-ecological characteristics was examined. Pools of female Ae. aegypti were tested for dengue, Zika and chikungunya virus infection. Results Overall, 316 potential breeding sites were found within the study households and 186 in the surrounding public spaces. Of these, 18 (5.7%) and 7 (3.7%) harbored a total of 595 and 283 Ae. aegypti immatures, respectively. The most productive breeding sites were water storage containers within the households and puddles and waste materials in public areas. Potential breeding sites without cover, surrounded by vegetation and containing organic matter were significantly associated with the presence of immatures, as were households that had water storage containers. None of the entomological indices, whether based on immatures, eggs or adults, detected a consistent pattern of vector clustering in the same areas over time. All the mosquito pools were negative for the tested arboviruses. Conclusions This low-income community displayed high diversity of Ae. aegypti habitats and a high degree of heterogeneity of vector abundance in both space and time, a scenario that likely reflects other low-income communities. Improving basic sanitation in low-income urban communities through the regular water supply, proper management of solid wastes and drainage may reduce water storage and the formation of puddles, minimizing opportunities for Ae. aegypti proliferation in such settings. Graphical Abstrac
Development of High-Specificity Fluorescent Probes to Enable Cannabinoid Type 2 Receptor Studies in Living Cells
Pharmacological modulation of cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R) holds promise for the treatment of numerous con-ditions, including inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, pain, and cancer. Despite the significance of this re-ceptor, researchers lack reliable tools to address questions concerning the expression and complex mechanism of CB2R signaling, especially in cell-type and tissue-dependent context. Herein, we report for the first time a versatile ligand platform for the modular design of a collection of highly specific CB2R fluorescent probes, used successfully across ap-plications, species and cell types. These include flow cytometry of endogenously expressing cells, real-time confocal microscopy of mouse splenocytes and human macrophages, as well as FRET-based kinetic and equilibrium binding assays. High CB2R specificity was demonstrated by competition experiments in living cells expressing CB2R at native levels. The probes were effectively applied to FACS analysis of microglial cells derived from a mouse model relevant to Alzheimer's disease
Drug Derived Fluorescent Probes for the Specific Visualization of Cannabinoid Type 2 Receptor - A Toolbox Approach
Cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R) is
a fundamental part of the endocannabinoid signaling system (eCB system), and is
known to play an important role in tissue injury, inflammation, cancer and
pain. In stark contrast to its significance, the underlying signaling
mechanisms and tissue expression profiles are poorly understood. Due to its low
expression in healthy tissue and lack of reliable chemical tools, CB2R
visualization in live cells remains uncharted. Here we report the development
of a drug derived toolbox of highly potent, CB2R-selective
fluorescent probes based on reverse design. Extensive validation in several
applications such as CB2R detection in flow cytometry and
time-resolved imaging, and the development of a novel fluorescent-based TR-FRET
assay to generate kinetic and equilibrium binding data demonstrate the high
versatility of our toolbox. These probes are the first to preserve affinity and
efficacy in both human and mouse CB2R, a crucial aspect for
preclinical translatability, and to enable imaging of CB2R internalization in
living cells using confocal microscopy
Highly Specific, Fluorescent Cannabinoid Type 2 Receptor Probes Enable Applications in Microscopy, Flow Cytometry and FRET-based Binding Assays
Pharmacological modulation of cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R) holds promise for the treatment of numerous conditions including inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, pain, and cancer. Despite its significance, researchers lack reliable tools to address questions concerning the complex mechanism of CB2R signaling and its downstream consequences, especially in cell-type and tissue-dependent contexts. Herein, we report highly specific CB2R fluorescent probes and their use in a variety of applications: flow cytometry with overexpressing as well as endogenously expressing cells, real-time confocal microscopy of living cells, and a novel FRET-based, CB2R binding assay amenable to high throughput screening.<br /
Gender and racial/ethnic differences in the associations of urinary phthalate metabolites with markers of diabetes risk: national health and nutrition examination survey 2001–2008
Development of High-Specificity Fluorescent Probes to Enable Cannabinoid Type 2 Receptor Studies in Living Cells
Pharmacological modulation of cannabinoid type 2 receptor
(CB2R) holds promise for the treatment of numerous conditions,
including inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, pain, and cancer.
Despite the significance of this receptor, researchers lack reliable tools to
address questions concerning the expression and complex mechanism of CB2R
signaling, especially in cell-type and tissue-dependent context. Herein, we report
for the first time a versatile ligand platform for the modular design of a
collection of highly specific CB2R fluorescent probes, used successfully
across applications, species and cell types. These include flow
cytometry of endogenously expressing cells, real-time
confocal microscopy of mouse splenocytes and human macrophages, as well as FRET-based
kinetic and equilibrium binding assays. High CB2R specificity was
demonstrated by competition experiments in living cells expressing CB2R
at native levels. The probes were effectively applied to FACS analysis of
microglial cells derived from a mouse model relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and
to the detection of CB2R in human breast cancer cells