12 research outputs found
Nutrition During Pregnancy and the Effect of Carbohydrates on the Offspring’s Metabolic Profile: In Search of the “Perfect Maternal Diet”
Fetal growth and development is primarily dependent upon the nutritional, hormonal and metabolic environment provided by the mother. A wartime famine study in Holland first showed that a low food intake reduces the glucose offered to the fetus and thus produces smaller size infants at birth. Maternal glucose regulation is however affected by numerous factors including physiological changes of pregnancy (e.g. insulin resistance [IR]), pathological conditions (e.g. gestational diabetes mellitus) and maternal nutrition. Maternal glucose is substantially influenced by the type of carbohydrates in the diet through its direct effect on glycemia. The rate at which each carbohydrate raises blood glucose levels after ingestion, can be measured via the dietary glycemic index (GI). Carbohydrate type and the GI of the diet enhance or inhibit abnormal hyperglycemia during pregnancy caused by either pathological conditions or the inability of the mother to cope with the physiological IR of pregnancy. In turn, maternal gestational hyperglycemia may be involved in the pathogenesis of IR, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, the Metabolic Syndrome and subsequent cardiovascular diseases in adult offspring. A low GI maternal diet has been associated with measurable benefits to the offspring. These include a positive effect on altering maternal blood glucose production, insulinemia and reduced adiposity as well as fetal and placental insulin and glucose regulation, fetal growth, birth weight and offspring adiposity. We review the possible links between dietary carbohydrate in health during pregnancy and the effect of maternal carbohydrate ingestion on programming the offspring’s metabolic profile
Preterm Birth and Its Association with Maternal Diet, and Placental and Neonatal Telomere Length
Preterm birth (PTB), a multi-causal syndrome, is one of the global epidemics. Maternal nutrition, but also neonatal and placental telomere length (TL), are among the factors affecting PTB risk. However, the exact relationship between these factors and the PTB outcome, remains obscure. The aim of this review was to investigate the association between PTB, maternal nutrition, and placental-infant TL. Observational studies were sought with the keywords: maternal nutrition, placental TL, newborn, TL, and PTB. No studies were found that included all of the keywords simultaneously, and thus, the keywords were searched in dyads, to reach assumptive conclusions. The findings show that maternal nutrition affects PTB risk, through its influence on maternal TL. On the other hand, maternal TL independently affects PTB risk, and at the same time PTB is a major determinant of offspring TL regulation. The strength of the associations, and the extent of the influence from covariates, remains to be elucidated in future research. Furthermore, the question of whether maternal TL is simply a biomarker of maternal nutritional status and PTB risk, or a causative factor of PTB, to date, remains to be answered
“Is obesity linked to aging?” Adipose tissue and the role of telomeres
Obesity is a condition in which excess or abnormal fat accumulation may
present with adverse effects on health and decreased life expectancy.
Increased body weight and adipose tissue accumulation amplifies the risk
of developing various age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular
disease. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders,
respiratory diseases and certain types of cancer. This imbalance in body
composition and body weight is now recognized as a state of increased
oxidative stress and inflammation for the organism.
Increasing oxidative stress and inflammation affect telomeres. Telomeres
are specialized DNA-protein structures found at the ends of eukaryotic
chromosomes and serve as markers of biological aging rate. They also
play a critical role in maintaining genomic integrity and are involved
in age-related metabolic dysfunction. Erosion of telomeres is hazardous
to healthy cells, as it is a known mechanism of premature cellular
senescence and loss of longevity. The association of telomeres and
oxidative stress is evident in cultured somatic cells in vitro, where
oxidative stress enhances the process of erosion with each cycle of
replication.
Shorter telomeres have been associated with increasing body mass index,
increased adiposity, and more recently with increasing waist to hip
ratio and visceral excess fat accumulation. Furthermore, many of the
metabolic imbalances of obesity (e.g. glycemic, lipidemic, etc.) give
rise to organ dysfunction in a way that resembles the accelerated aging
process.
This article is a non-systematic review of the evidence linking obesity
and accelerated aging processes as they are regulated by telomeres. (C)
2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Knowledge of Blood Transfusion in Medical And Biology Student
Introduction: Blood transfusion (hemotherapy) is a therapeutic
intervention used in treatment strategies of multiple diseases, thus,
proper education is of utmost importance. Since currently there are no
specified educational programs, undergraduate students were evaluated
for the knowledge gained during university courses.
Purpose: To evaluate and compare the level of knowledge of students of
the faculty of Health Science, Department of Medicine (DM), and
Department of Molecular Biology-Genetics (DMB&Gs) on issues related to
the transfusion of blood products.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 123
students from the aforementioned departments of the Democritus
University of Thrace, from the third year to the last year of study. A
questionnaire was used, weighted, and was based on the European
Commission’s Guide to the Preparation, Use and Quality Assurance for
Blood Components. Statistical tests such as chi-square (chi 2), t-test,
analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression were used to
investigate the factors that affect the overall score.
Results: The mean score of the students was 42.55 while the standard
deviation (SD) was 12.27. The difference in the scores between the
students of the DM (M = 44.63, SD = 13.2) and those of the DMB&Gs (mean
= 38.25, SD = 9.05) was statistically significant in the univariable
analysis (t= 3.1, p = 0.0), but in the multivariable analysis, it was
not statistically significant (beta = -4.1, p = 0.1.). The results of
the multiple regression model indicated that the year of study, the
professional status of the father, and the grade in the hematology
course were associated with the total score.
Conclusions: The level of knowledge regarding blood product transfusion
among students of the faculty of Health Science is insufficient
Ageing, longevity, exceptional longevity and related genetic and non genetics markers: panel statement
In May 2012, a group of scientists and clinicians met in Athens (Greece) to consider the relevance of ageing, longevity, exceptional longevity and related genetic and non genetic markers. During this meeting, we firstly reviewed recent epidemiological and clinical studies on ageing, longevity and exceptional longevity, briefly analyzed the ageing theories and discussed successful and unsuccessful ageing also taking into account the evolutionary perspective. Secondly, we considered the three phenotypes based on the definition of ageing, longevity and exceptional longevity and the associated biomarkers. Third, we discussed proposed treatments suitable to counteract or slow down ageing. Finally, this panel produced a consensus statement to highlight the importance of ageing, longevity and exceptional longevity, since this is a rapidly increasing phenotype worldwide. We acknowledge that not all experts in this field may completely agree with this statement
The challenges in moving from ageing to successful longevity
During the last decades survival has significantly improved and centenarians are becoming a fast-growing group of the population. Human life span is mainly dependent on environmental and genetic factors. Favourable modifications of lifestyle factors (e.g. physical activity, diet and not smoking) and healthcare (e.g. effective vascular disease prevention) have also increased human life span. Genetic factors contribute to the variation of human life span by around 25%, which is believed to be more profound after 85 years of age. It is likely that multiple factors influence life span and we need answers to questions such as: 1) What does it take to reach 100?, 2) Do centenarians have better health during their lifespan compared with contemporaries who died at a younger age?, 3) Do centenarians have protective modifications of body composition, fat distribution and energy expenditure, maintain high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities?, 4) Do centenarians have genes which contribute to longevity?, 5) Do centenarians benefit from epigenetic phenomena?, 6) Is it possible to influence the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (epigenetic memory) which leads to longevity?, 7) Is the influence of nutrigenomics important for longevity?, 8) Do centenarians benefit more from drug treatment, particularly in primary prevention?, and, 9) Are there any potential goals for drug research? Many definitions of successful ageing have been proposed, but at present there is no consensus definition. Such definitions may need to differentiate between "Longevity Syndrome" and "Exceptional Longevity"
Ageing, Longevity, Exceptional Longevity and Related Genetic and Non Genetics Markers: Panel Statement
Short Leukocyte Telomere Length Precedes Clinical Expression of Atherosclerosis: The Blood-and-Muscle Model
International audienceRATIONALE:Short telomere length (TL) in leukocytes is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It is unknown whether this relationship stems from having inherently short leukocyte TL (LTL) at birth or a faster LTL attrition thereafter. LTL represents TL in the highly proliferative hematopoietic system, whereas TL in skeletal muscle represents a minimally replicative tissue.OBJECTIVE:We measured LTL and muscle TL (MTL) in the same individuals with a view to obtain comparative metrics for lifelong LTL attrition and learn about the temporal association of LTL with ASCVD.METHODS AND RESULTS:Our Discovery Cohort comprised 259 individuals aged 63±14 years (mean±SD), undergoing surgery with (n=131) or without (n=128) clinical manifestation of ASCVD. In all subjects, MTL adjusted for muscle biopsy site (MTLA) was longer than LTL and the LTL-MTLA gap similarly widened with age in ASCVD patients and controls. Age- and sex-adjusted LTL (P=0.005), but not MTLA (P=0.90), was shorter in patients with ASCVD than controls. The TL gap between leukocytes and muscle (LTL-MTLA) was wider (P=0.0003), and the TL ratio between leukocytes and muscle (LTL/MTLA) was smaller (P=0.0001) in ASCVD than in controls. Findings were replicated in a cohort comprising 143 individuals.CONCLUSIONS:This first study to apply the blood-and-muscle TL model shows more pronounced LTL attrition in ASCVD patients than controls. The difference in LTL attrition was not associated with age during adulthood suggesting that increased attrition in early life is more likely to be a major explanation of the shorter LTL in ASCVD patients.CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02176941.© 2017 The Authors