Prevalence of neck pain in subjects with metabolic syndrome - a cross-sectional population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasingly common. Obesity has been suggested to associate with neck pain but prevalence of neck pain in subjects with MetS has not been studied. Aim of this study was to analyse the association between MetS and neck pain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study population consisted of 1294 middle-aged subjects in Pieksämäki, Finland. A total of 399 males and 500 females participated (69%). The mean age of both males and females was 46 years. Clinical and biochemical measurements were taken. The participants filled out a standard questionnaire. Psychological distress was assessed with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Neck pain was defined as neck pain perceived daily. MetS was defined using National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria. Statistical comparisons between the groups were performed using a bootstrap-type t-test or Chi-Square test. Risk ratios of having neck pain were calculated using generalised linear models with age, smoking, alcohol use, exercise and GHQ-12 score as covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of MetS was 33% in males and 29% in females. Neck pain was present in 11% (N = 42) of males and 19% (N = 93) of females (P < 0.001). The prevalence of neck pain was 7.9% (95% CI, 4.9% to 12%) among male subjects without MetS and 16% (95% CI, 10% to 23%) among those with MetS. The respective proportions among females were 16% (95% CI, 12% to 20%) and 25% (95% CI, 18% to 33%). The multivariate analysis showed an increased risk of neck pain in males with MetS (RR 2.1, 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.7, P = 0.010) and in females with MetS (RR 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.1, P = 0.040).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>MetS was associated with neck pain. This association was stronger in males, but the prevalence of neck pain was higher in females. Prospective studies should explore the potential causal association between neck pain and MetS and the potential common background factors of neck pain and MetS.</p

Microparticles from patients with metabolic syndrome induce vascular hypo-reactivity via Fas/Fas-ligand pathway in mice

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

PARP3 is a sensor of nicked nucleosomes and monoribosylates histone H2B(Glu2).

PARP3 is a member of the ADP-ribosyl transferase superfamily that we show accelerates the repair of chromosomal DNA single-strand breaks in avian DT40 cells. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance experiments reveal that PARP3 employs a conserved DNA-binding interface to detect and stably bind DNA breaks and to accumulate at sites of chromosome damage. PARP3 preferentially binds to and is activated by mononucleosomes containing nicked DNA and which target PARP3 trans-ribosylation activity to a single-histone substrate. Although nicks in naked DNA stimulate PARP3 autoribosylation, nicks in mononucleosomes promote the trans-ribosylation of histone H2B specifically at Glu2. These data identify PARP3 as a molecular sensor of nicked nucleosomes and demonstrate, for the first time, the ribosylation of chromatin at a site-specific DNA single-strand break

Coronary age as a risk factor in the modified Framingham risk score

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines emphasize risk assessment as vital to patient selection for medical primary intervention. However, risk assessment methods are restricted in their ability to predict further coronary events. The most widely accepted tool in the United States is the Framingham risk score. In these equations age is a powerful risk factor. Although the extent of coronary atherosclerosis increases with age, there is large inter-individual variability in the rate of development and progression of this disease. This fact limits the utility of Framingham scoring when applied to individuals. Electron beam tomography (EBT), which measures coronary calcium, provides a non-invasive method for assessing coronary plaque burden, thus offering the possibility of providing a more accurate estimate of an individual's "arterial age" than from chronological age alone. METHODS: In this paper we discuss a new and simple method for incorporating the coronary calcium score (CCS) to modify the Framingham Risk Assessment (FRA). Using this method, a coronary artery calcium (CAC) age equivalent is generated that replaces chronological age in Framingham scoring. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Using a percentile table of CCS scores by age group and sex, individuals are matched to the age group whose calcium score most closely approximates their own individual score. The original 10-year absolute risk score of a 65-year old man with a CCS of 6 based on chronological age is 10%, whereas the modified absolute risk score based on CAC age equivalents is 2%. CONCLUSION: Our approach of replacing chronological age with CAC age equivalents in the Framingham equations possesses simplicity of application combined with precision. Physicians can easily derive adjusted Framingham risk scores and prescribe intervention methods based on patients' ten-year risks. The adjusted ten-year risks are likely to be more accurate than unadjusted risks since they are based on coronary calcium score information. The modified FRA approach not only may increase the predicted risk for some patients, but also may decrease the predicted risk for others, making it a more precise adjustment than other methods

Plant Stanol Esters Lower Serum Triacylglycerol Concentrations via a Reduced Hepatic VLDL-1 Production

Plant stanol esters not only lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol but also have previously been shown to lower serum triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations, especially in subjects with elevated TAG concentrations. To find a possible explanation, we explored changes in serum lipoprotein profiles, as measured with nuclear magnetic resonance. For this, serum samples from two parallel-designed controlled studies were evaluated before and 8 weeks after the consumption of plant stanol esters. In the first study, dyslipidemic metabolic syndrome subjects participated and in the second study normolipidemic subjects. In metabolic syndrome subjects, plant stanol esters lowered concentrations of large (>60 nm) and medium (35–60 nm) VLDL particles as compared to controls. In normolipidemic subjects, the serum concentration of large VLDL-1 particles was also lowered, although less pronounced. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the effect of plant stanol esters on serum TAG concentrations origins from a lowered hepatic production of large TAG-rich VLDL-1 particles

Association between siesta (daytime sleep), dietary patterns and the presence of metabolic syndrome in elderly living in Mediterranean area (MEDIS study):The moderating effect of gender

Objectives: Several lifestyle parameters including diet, physical activity and sleep were associated in isolation with the presence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in adults, to date there is a paucity of studies which evaluated their combined role aging populations and especially with respect to gender. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to provide a global consideration of the lifestyle factors associated with MetS among elderly individuals. Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: 21 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece. Participants: during 2005-2015, 2749 older (aged 65-100 years) from were voluntarily enrolled in the study. Measurements: Dietary habits, energy intake, physical activity status, sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle parameters (sleeping and smoking habits) and clinical profile aspects were derived through standard procedures. The presence of MetS was defined using the definition provided by NCEP ATP III (revised) and cluster analysis was used to identify overall dietary habit patterns. Results: The overall prevalence of MetS in the study sample was 36.2%, but occurred more frequently in females (40.0% vs. 31.8%, respectively, p=0.03). Individuals with MetS were more likely to sleep during the day (89.4% vs. 76.8% respectively, p=0.039) and frequent ‘siesta’ was positively linked to the odds of MetS presence in females (Odds Ratio (OR) =3.43, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 1.08-10.9), but not for men (p=0.999). The lower carbohydrate (i.e., 45.2% of total daily energy, 120±16gr/day) dietary cluster was inversely associated with the odds for MetS presence, but only for men (OR=0.094, 95%CI: 0.010-0.883). Conclusions: Lifestyle parameters including sleep and diet quality are strongly associated with the presence of MetS in elderly cohort, but different their level of influence appears to be different, depending on gender. Further research is needed to better consider the role of lifestyle characteristics in the management of MetS in clinical practice

The Adoption of Mediterranean Diet Attenuates the Development of Acute Coronary Syndromes in People with the Metabolic Syndrome

OBJECTIVES: In this work we investigated the effect of the consumption of the Mediterranean diet on coronary risk, in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: During 2000–2002, we randomly selected, from all Greek regions, 848 hospitalised patients (695 males, 58 ± 10 & 153 females, 65 ± 9 years old) with a first event of acute coronary syndrome and 1078 frequency matched, by sex, age, region controls, without any suspicious for cardiovascular disease. Nutritional habits were evaluated through a validated questionnaire, while the metabolic syndrome was defined according to the NCEP ATP III criteria. Mediterranean diet was defined according to the guidelines of the Division of Nutrition/Epidemiology, of Athens Medical School. RESULTS: Of the 1926 participants, 307 (36.2%) of the patients and 198 (18.4%) of the controls (P < 0.001) met the ATP III criteria. This was related with 2fold adjusted coronary risk (odds ratio = 2.35, 95% 1.87 – 2.84) in subjects with the metabolic syndrome as compared with the rest of them. No differences were observed concerning the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and sex of subjects, after adjustment for group of study (P > 0.1). Eighty (26%) of the patients and 70 (35%) of the controls (P < 0.01) with the metabolic syndrome were "closer" to the Mediterranean diet. Multivariate analysis revealed that the adoption of this diet is associated with a 35% (odds ratio = 0.65, 95% 0.44 – 0.95) reduction of the coronary risk in subjects with the metabolic syndrome, after adjusting for age, sex, educational and financial level and the conventional cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSION: Consequently, the adoption of Mediterranean diet seems to attenuate the coronary risk in subjects with the metabolic syndrome

Determination of Pericardial Adipose Tissue Increases the Prognostic Accuracy of Coronary Artery Calcification for Future Cardiovascular Events

Objectives: Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) is associated with coronary artery plaque accumulation and the incidence of coronary heart disease. We evaluated the possible incremental prognostic value of PAT for future cardiovascular events. Methods: 145 patients (94 males, age 60 10 years) with stable coronary artery disease underwent coronary artery calcification (CAC) scanning in a multislice CT scanner, and the volume of pericardial fat was measured. Mean observation time was 5.4 years. Results: 34 patients experienced a severe cardiac event. They had a significantly higher CAC score (1,708 +/- 2,269 vs. 538 +/- 1,150, p 400, 3.5 (1.9-5.4; p = 0.007) for scores > 800 and 5.9 (3.7-7.8; p = 0.005) for scores > 1,600. When additionally a PAT volume > 200 cm(3) was determined, there was a significant increase in the event rate and relative risk. We calculated a relative risk of 2.9 (1.9-4.2; p = 0.01) for scores > 400, 4.0 (2.1-5.0; p = 0.006) for scores > 800 and 7.1 (4.1-10.2; p = 0.005) for scores > 1,600. Conclusions:The additional determination of PAT increases the predictive power of CAC for future cardiovascular events. PAT might therefore be used as a further parameter for risk stratification. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base