Salsalate treatment improves glycemia without altering adipose tissue in nondiabetic obese hispanics.

ObjectiveSalsalate treatment has well-known effects on improving glycemia, and the objective of this study was to examine whether the mechanism of this effect was related to changes in adipose tissue.MethodsA randomized double-blind and placebo-controlled trial in obese Hispanics (18-35 years) was conducted. The intervention consisted of 4 g day(-1) of salsalate (n = 11) versus placebo (n = 13) for 4 weeks. Outcome measures included glycemia, adiposity, ectopic fat, and adipose tissue gene expression and inflammation.ResultsIn those receiving salsalate, plasma fasting glucose decreased by 3.4% (P < 0.01), free fatty acids decreased by 42.5% (P = 0.06), and adiponectin increased by 27.7% (P < 0.01). Salsalate increased insulin AUC by 38% (P = 0.01) and HOMA-B by 47.2% (P < 0.01) while estimates of insulin sensitivity/resistance were unaffected. These metabolic improvements occurred without changes in total, abdominal, visceral, or liver fat. Plasma markers of inflammation/immune activation were unchanged following salsalate. Salsalate had no effects on adipose tissue including adipocyte size, presence of crown-like structures, or gene expression of adipokines, immune cell markers, or cytokines downstream of NF-κB with the exception of downregulation of IL-1β (P < 0.01).ConclusionsFindings suggest that metabolic improvements in response to salsalate occurred without alterations in adiposity, ectopic fat, or adipose tissue gene expression and inflammation

Risk of Micronutrient Inadequacy among Hispanic, Lactating Mothers: Preliminary Evidence from the Southern California Mother's Milk Study

Micronutrients are dietary components important for health and physiological function, and inadequate intake of these nutrients can contribute to poor health outcomes. The risk of inadequate micronutrient intake has been shown to be greater among low-income Hispanics and postpartum and lactating women. Therefore, we aimed to determine the risk of nutrient inadequacies based on preliminary evidence among postpartum, Hispanic women. Risk of micronutrient inadequacy for Hispanic women (29&ndash;45 years of age) from the Southern California Mother&rsquo;s Milk Study (n = 188) was assessed using 24 h dietary recalls at 1 and 6 months postpartum and the estimated average requirement (EAR) fixed cut-point approach. Women were considered at risk of inadequate intake for a nutrient if more than 50% of women were consuming below the EAR. The Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) value was also used to assess sodium intake. These women were at risk of inadequate intake for folate and vitamins A, D, and E, with 87.0%, 93.4%, 43.8%, and 95% of women consuming less than the EAR for these nutrients, respectively. Lastly, 71.7% of women consumed excess sodium. Results from this preliminary analysis indicate that Hispanic women are at risk of inadequate intake of important micronutrients for maternal and child health. &nbsp;</p

PNPLA3 Genotype, Arachidonic Acid Intake, and Unsaturated Fat Intake Influences Liver Fibrosis in Hispanic Youth with Obesity

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease impacts 15.2% of Hispanic adolescents and can progress to a build-up of scared tissue called liver fibrosis. If diagnosed early, liver fibrosis may be reversible, so it is necessary to understand risk factors. The aims of this study in 59 Hispanic adolescents with obesity were to: (1) identify potential biological predictors of liver fibrosis and dietary components that influence liver fibrosis, and (2) determine if the association between dietary components and liver fibrosis differs by PNPLA3 genotype, which is highly prevalent in Hispanic adolescents and associated with elevated liver fat. We examined liver fat and fibrosis, genotyped for PNPLA3 gene, and assessed diet via 24-h diet recalls. The prevalence of increased fibrosis was 20.9% greater in males, whereas participants with the GG genotype showed 23.7% greater prevalence. Arachidonic acid was associated with liver fibrosis after accounting for sex, genotype, and liver fat (&beta; = 0.072, p = 0.033). Intakes of several dietary types of unsaturated fat have different associations with liver fibrosis by PNPLA3 genotype after accounting for sex, caloric intake, and liver fat. These included monounsaturated fat (&beta;CC/CG = -0.0007, &beta;GG = 0.03, p-value = 0.004), polyunsaturated fat (&beta;CC/CG = -0.01, &beta;GG = 0.02, p-value = 0.01), and omega-6 (&beta;CC/CG = -0.0102, &beta;GG = 0.028, p-value = 0.01). Results from this study suggest that reduction of arachidonic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake might be important for the prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression, especially among those with PNPLA3 risk alleles. &nbsp;</p

Conjunction of Vocal Production and Perception Regulates Expression of the Immediate Early Gene ZENK in a Novel Cortical Region of Songbirds

The cortical nucleus LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium) provides the output of a basal ganglia pathway that is necessary for acquisition of learned vocal behavior during development in songbirds. LMAN is composed of two subregions, a core and a surrounding shell, that give rise to independent pathways that traverse the forebrain in parallel. The LMANshell pathway forms a recurrent loop that includes a cortical region, the dorsal region of the caudolateral nidopallium (dNCL), hitherto unknown to be involved with learned vocal behavior. Here we show that vocal production strongly induces the IEG product ZENK in dNCL of zebra finches. Hearing tutor song while singing is more effective at inducing expression in dNCL of juvenile birds during the auditory–motor integration stage of vocal learning than is hearing conspecific song. In contrast, hearing conspecific song is relatively more effective at inducing expression in adult birds, regardless of whether they are producing song. Furthermore, ZENK+ neurons in dNCL include projection neurons that are part of the LMANshell recurrent loop and a high proportion of dNCL projection neurons express ZENK in singing juvenile birds that hear tutor song. Thus juvenile birds that are actively refining their vocal pattern to imitate a tutor song show high levels of ZENK induction in dNCL neurons when they are singing while hearing the song of their tutor and low levels when they hear a novel conspecific. This pattern indicates that dNCL is a novel brain region involved with vocal learning and that its function is developmentally regulated

A Longitudinal Study of Exposure to Manganese and Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome

The association between manganese (Mn) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unclear, and no prior study has studied this association longitudinally. The aim of this study was to assess longitudinal associations of Mn exposure with MetS and metabolic outcomes. We used data from the San Luis Valley Diabetes Study (SLVDS), a prospective cohort from rural Colorado with data collected from 1984&ndash;1998 (n = 1478). Urinary Mn was measured at baseline (range = 0.20&ndash;42.5 &micro;g/L). We assessed the shape of the cross-sectional association between Mn and MetS accounting for effect modification by other metals at baseline using Bayesian kernel machine regression. We assessed longitudinal associations between baseline quartiles of Mn and incident MetS using Fine and Gray competing risks regression models (competing risk = mortality) and between quartiles of Mn and metabolic outcomes using linear mixed effects models. We did not observe evidence that quartiles of Mn were associated with incident MetS (p-value for trend = 0.52). Quartiles of Mn were significantly associated with lower fasting glucose (p-value for trend &lt; 0.01). Lead was found to be a possible effect modifier of the association between Mn and incident MetS. Mn was associated with lower fasting glucose in this rural population. Our results support a possible beneficial effect of Mn on diabetic markers

Fructose in Breast Milk Is Positively Associated with Infant Body Composition at 6 Months of Age

Dietary sugars have been shown to promote excess adiposity among children and adults; however, no study has examined fructose in human milk and its effects on body composition during infancy. Twenty-five mother–infant dyads attended clinical visits to the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center at 1 and 6 months of infant age. Infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and sugars in breast milk (i.e., fructose, glucose, lactose) were measured by Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and glucose oxidase. Infant body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at 1 and 6 months. Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between breast milk sugars and infant body composition at 6 months of age. Fructose, glucose, and lactose were present in breast milk and stable across visits (means = 6.7 μg/mL, 255.2 μg/mL, and 7.6 g/dL, respectively). Despite its very low concentration, fructose was the only sugar significantly associated with infant body composition. A 1-μg/mL higher breast milk fructose was associated with a 257 g higher body weight (p = 0.02), 170 g higher lean mass (p = 0.01), 131 g higher fat mass (p = 0.05), and 5 g higher bone mineral content (p = 0.03). In conclusion, fructose is detectable in human breast milk and is positively associated with all components of body composition at 6 months of age

County-Level Social Vulnerability Is Positively Associated with Cardiometabolic Disease in Colorado

Cardiometabolic diseases are a group of interrelated diseases that pose greater burden among socially vulnerable communities. The social vulnerability index (SVI) identifies communities vulnerable to emergencies and may also help determine communities at risk of adverse chronic health outcomes. However, no studies have examined the relationship between the SVI and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Colorado or focused on rural settings. The aim of this ecological study was to determine whether the county-level SVI is associated with county-level cardiometabolic health indicators with a particular focus on rurality and racial/ethnic diversity. We obtained 2014 SVI scores from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (scored 0&ndash;1; higher = more vulnerable) and 2013&ndash;2015 cardiometabolic health estimates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The distribution of social determinants of health was spatially evaluated. Bivariate relationships between the SVI and cardiometabolic indicators were estimated using simple linear regression models. The highest SVI scores were observed in rural areas, including the San Luis Valley (mean: 0.78, median: 0.91), Southeast (mean: 0.72, median: 0.73), and Northeast (mean: 0.66, median: 0.76) regions. Across Colorado, the SVI accounted for 41% of the variability in overweight and obesity prevalence (p &lt; 0.001), 17% of the variability in diabetes prevalence (p = 0.001), and 58% of the age-adjusted myocardial infarction hospitalization rate (p &lt; 0.001). SVI values may be useful in determining a community&rsquo;s burden of cardiometabolic diseases

Exposure to air pollutants and the gut microbiota: a potential link between exposure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes

Work has shown that increased exposure to air pollutants independently contributes to obesity and type 2 diabetes risk, yet the exact mechanisms underlying these associations have not been fully characterized. The current review summarizes recent findings regarding the impact of inhaled and ingested air pollutants on the gut microbiota. Animal and human studies provide evidence that air pollutants, such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and ozone, have the potential to alter the gut microbiota. Further, studies suggest that such exposure-induced alterations to the gut microbiota may contribute to increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes through inflammatory pathways. Future work is needed to fully understand the complex interactions between air pollution, the gut microbiome, and human health. Additionally, advanced sequencing methods for gut microbiome research present unique opportunities to study the underlying pathways that link increased air pollution exposure with obesity and type 2 diabetes risk

Associations between human milk oligosaccharides and infant body composition in the first 6 mo of life 1 , 2

BackgroundEvidence linking breastfeeding to reduced risk of developing childhood obesity is inconclusive, yet previous studies have not considered variation in specific components of breast milk that may affect early development.ObjectiveWe examined whether differences in the composition of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) correlate with infant growth and body composition at 1 and 6 mo of age.DesignTwenty-five mother-infant dyads were recruited from the University Hospital at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Infants were breastfed for 6 mo. Breast-milk and infant measures were obtained at 1 and 6 mo of infant age. HMO composition was analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and infant growth (length and weight) and body composition (percentage fat, total fat, lean mass) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Relations between HMOs and infant growth and body composition were examined by using multiple linear regression. A priori covariates included maternal prepregnancy body mass index, pregnancy weight gain, and infant age and sex.ResultsHigher HMO diversity and evenness at 1 mo were associated with lower total and percentage fat mass at 1 mo. At 1 mo, each 1-μg/mL increase in lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP) I was associated with a 0.40-kg lower infant weight (P = 0.03). At 6 mo, each 1-μg/mL increase in LNFPI was associated with a 1.11-kg lower weight (P = 0.03) and a 0.85-g lower lean mass (P = 0.01). At 6 mo, each 1-μg/mL increase in LNFPI was associated with a 0.79-g lower fat mass (P = 0.02), whereas disialyl-lacto-N-tetraose and LNFPII were associated with a 1.92-g (P = 0.02) and 0.42-g (P = 0.02) greater fat mass, respectively. At 6 mo, each 1-μg/mL increase in fucosyl-disialyl-lacto-N-hexaose and lacto-N-neotetraose was associated with 0.04% higher (P = 0.03) and 0.03% lower (P &lt; 0.01) body fat, respectively.ConclusionThese findings support the hypothesis that differences in HMO composition in mother's milk are associated with infant growth and body composition. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02535637

Longitudinal associations of in utero and early life near-roadway air pollution with trajectories of childhood body mass index

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that childhood near-roadway air pollution (NRAP) exposures contribute to increased body mass index (BMI); however, effects of NRAP exposure during the vulnerable periods including in utero and first year of life have yet to be established. In this study, we examined whether exposure to elevated concentrations of NRAP during in utero and/or first year of life increase childhood BMI growth. Methods Participants in the Children’s Health Study enrolled from 2002 to 2003 with annual visits over a four-year period and who changed residences before study entry were included (n = 2318). Annual height and weight were measured and lifetime residential NRAP exposures including in utero and first year of life periods were estimated by nitrogen oxides (NOx) using the California line-source dispersion model. Linear mixed effects models assessed in utero or first year near-road freeway and non-freeway NOx exposures and BMI growth after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, parental education, Spanish questionnaire, and later childhood near-road NOx exposure. Results A two-standard deviation difference in first year of life near-road freeway NOx exposure was associated with a 0.1 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03, 0.2) faster increase in BMI growth per year and a 0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.9) higher attained BMI at age 10 years. Conclusions Higher exposure to early life NRAP increased the rate of change of childhood BMI and resulted in a higher attained BMI at age 10 years that were independent of later childhood exposures. These findings suggest that elevated early life NRAP exposures contribute to increased obesity risk in children