Exposure to maternal overnutrition and a high-fat diet during early postnatal development increases susceptibility to renal and metabolic injury later in life

Overnutrition during pre- and postnatal development both confer increased susceptibility to renal and metabolic risks later in life; however, whether they have an additive effect on the severity of renal and metabolic injury remains unknown. The present study tested the hypothesis that a combination of a pre- and postnatal diet high in fat/fructose would exacerbate renal and metabolic injury in male offspring later in life. Male offspring born to high fat/high-fructose-fed mothers and fed a high-fat/high-fructose diet postnatally (HF-HF) had increased urine albumin excretion (450%), glomerulosclerosis (190%), and tubulointerstitial fibrosis (101%) compared with offspring born to mothers fed a standard diet and fed a standard diet postnatally (NF-NF). No changes in blood pressure or glomerular filtration were observed between any of the treatment groups. The HF-HF offspring weighed ～23% more than offspring born to mothers fed a high-fat/high-fructose diet and fed a normal diet postnatally (HF-NF), as well as offspring born to mothers fed a standard diet regardless of their postnatal diet. The HF-HF rats also had increased (and more variable) blood glucose levels over 12 wk of being fed a high-fat/high-fructose diet. A combination of exposure to a high-fat/high-fructose diet in utero and postnatally increased plasma insulin levels by 140% compared with NF-NF offspring. Our data suggest that the combined exposure to overnutrition during fetal development and early postnatal development potentiate the susceptibility to renal and metabolic disturbances later in life.     

Long-term effects of obesity on employment and work limitations among U.S. Adults, 1986 to 1999

Objective: To determine the relationships between BMI and workforce participation and the presence of work limitations in a U.S. working‐age population. Research Methods and Procedures: We used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationwide prospective cohort, to estimate the effect of obesity in 1986 on employment and work limitations in 1999. Individuals were classified into the following weight categories: underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30), and obese (BMI ≥ 30). Using multivariable probit models, we estimated the relationships between obesity and both employment and work disability. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: After adjusting for baseline sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, exercise, and self‐reported health, obesity was associated with reduced employment at follow‐up [men: marginal effect (ME) ?4.8 percentage points (pp); p < 0.05; women: ME ?5.8 pp; p < 0.10]. Among employed women, being either overweight or obese was associated with an increase in self‐reported work limitations when compared with normal‐weight individuals (overweight: ME +3.9 pp; p < 0.01; obese: ME +12.6 pp; p < 0.01). Among men, the relationship between obesity and work limitations was not statistically significant. Discussion: Obesity appears to result in future productivity losses through reduced workforce participation and increased work limitations. These findings have important implications in the U.S., which is currently experiencing a rise in the prevalence of obesity.     

The influence of flow and other environmental factors on benthic invertebrates in the Sacramento River, U.S.A.

We examined how community composition of benthic invertebrates was related to current velocities and other environmental variables within the Sacramento River in California, USA. Invertebrates were collected in 1998 and 1999 from 10 sites over a gradient of 187 river kilometers. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that current velocity was the most important variable explaining community composition. Other predicator variables that influenced community composition included periphyton biomass, altitude, and disturbance. Because of the importance of velocity in structuring benthic communities in this system, alterations of flow caused by changes in river regulation structures should be carefully considered.     

Colonial to modern skeletal change in the U.S.A.

Eighty-two people dating from 1675 to 1879 compared with 182 modern middle-class White and Black skeletons test the myths of radical changes produced by improved diet, less disease, and nineteenth century immigration. Longevity increases and health and growth improvement is clearest in reduced juvenile deaths (census data) and deepening of true pelvis. Stature increase is minimal (though seventeenth century Londoners and modern West Africans are shorter than Colonial to Modern Americans); teeth deteriorate and for cultural reasons fractures increase. Clavicles and forearms elongate. From Old to New World Colonial samples there is a noticeable skull change (and a greater Old World to Modern contrast) but White Colonial to Modern shows strong continuity surprisingly, the key changes being increasing head height, and retraction of face with increasing nose projection, and longer mastoids, resulting from selection and mixture. Blacks change more, possibly from Indian and White mixture. Variabilities are above average. Change is much less than expected, and apparently involves heterosis and selection as well as the obvious health advance and mixtures.     

The timing of the rise in U.S. obesity varies with measure of fatness

There are several ways to measure fatness and obesity, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The primary measure for tracking the prevalence of obesity has historically been body mass index (BMI). This paper compares long-run trends in the prevalence of obesity when obesity is defined using skinfold thickness instead of BMI, using data from the full series of U.S. National Health Examination Surveys. The results indicate that when one uses skinfold thickness rather than BMI to define obesity, the rise in the prevalence of obesity is detectable 10-20 years earlier. This underscores the importance of examining multiple measures of fatness when monitoring or otherwise studying obesity.     

Stream Restoration in the Upper Midwest, U.S.A.

Restoration activities intended to improve the condition of streams and rivers are widespread throughout the Upper Midwest, U.S.A. As with other regions, however, little information exists regarding types of activities and their effectiveness. We developed a database of 1,345 stream restoration projects implemented from the years 1970 to 2004 for the states of Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin in order to analyze regional trends in goals, presence of monitoring, spatial distribution, size, and cost of river restoration projects. We found that data on individual projects were fragmented across multiple federal, state, and county agencies, as well as nonprofit groups and consulting firms. The most common restoration goals reported for this region were in‐stream habitat improvement, bank stabilization, water‐quality management, and dam removal. The former two were most common in Michigan and Wisconsin, where salmonid fisheries enhancement appeared to be an important concern, whereas water‐quality management was most frequent in Ohio. The most common restoration activities were the use of sand traps and riprap, and other common activities were related to the improvement of fish habitat. The median cost was $12,957 for projects with cost data, and total expenditures since 1990 were estimated at $444 million. Over time, the cost of individual projects has increased, whereas the median size has decreased, suggesting that restoration resources are being spent on smaller, more localized, and more expensive projects. Only 11% of data records indicated that monitoring was performed, and more expensive projects were more likely to be monitored. Standardization of monitoring and record keeping and dissemination of findings are urgently needed to ensure that dollars are well spent and restoration effectiveness is maximized.     

Health-related quality of life and weight loss among overweight and obese U.S. adults, 2001 to 2002

Objective: To examine the prevalence and association of health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) with trying to lose weight and with weight loss practices (eating fewer calories, physical activity, and both) among overweight and obese U.S. adults ≥ 20 years of age. Research Methods and Procedures: This study used data from the 2001 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a continuous annual survey of the civilian non‐institutionalized U.S. population. This analysis included those ≥ 20 years of age with BMI ≥ 25 (n = 2578) who responded to four standard HRQOL measures that assessed general health status and recent physical health, mental health, and activity limitation. Results: Among obese men, but not women, there were significant increasing linear trends in the adjusted prevalence of trying to lose weight as physically unhealthy and activity limitation days increased. Regardless of BMI or HRQOL, reducing calories was a common weight loss practice (66% to 86%). Except for recent activity limitation, respondents with BMI ≥ 35 did not generally differ by HRQOL level in the attainment of recommended physical activity either alone or in combination with reduced calories, whereas those in the BMI 25 to 34.9 groups often differed significantly by HRQOL level. Specifically, increased unhealthy or activity limitation days were associated with reduced prevalence of attained physical activity. Discussion: Our findings indicate an association between trying to lose weight and a greater number of unhealthy days reported by obese men, suggesting that these men may be influenced by traditional clinical weight‐loss counseling that is prompted by weight and comorbidity, whereas women had a high prevalence of trying to lose weight irrespective of weight and HRQOL. Assessment of HRQOL, especially measures that evaluate physical domains, could provide subjective information to assist with weight counseling.     

Piscivore Responses to Enhancement of the Channelized Kissimmee River,Florida, U.S.A.

Evaluation of the success of ecosystem restoration projects requires identification of appropriate ecological metrics. Comparison of reconstructed food webs (or subsets thereof) from restored and non‐restored habitats may be a valuable tool to evaluate restoration success because food webs help identify critical predator–prey relationships, keystone species, relative importance of direct and indirect trophic interactions, and other aspects of ecological function. We compared the diets of apex predatory fishes collected from enhanced and non‐enhanced portions of the channelized Kissimmee River, Florida, USA to determine whether food web structure responded to experimental hydrologic manipulations. Diets were reconstructed for black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), bowfin (Amia calva), chain pickerel (Esox niger), Florida gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) collected from enhanced and non‐enhanced portions of the Kissimmee River. Prey eaten by apex predatory fishes in the enhanced portion of the Kissimmee River were quantitatively and qualitatively different from prey eaten in non‐enhanced portions of the river. Predators in the enhanced portion of the river had fewer empty stomachs, more prey items per individual, more prey types per individual, more fish prey per individual, greater overall richness of prey, and a multivariate suite of prey distinct from predators in non‐enhanced portions of the river. Results from hydrologic manipulations suggest that large‐scale restoration of hydrologic linkages between the main channel and floodplain habitats will positively affect food web structure and ecosystem function in the Kissimmee River.     

Evidence of non-vascular land plants from the early Silurian (Llandoverian) of Virginia,U.S.A.

Evidence is presented for the earliest known occurrences of non-vascular land plants and of higher, septate fungi. Macerates of carbonaceous silstone lenses from the lower Massanutten Sandstone, early Silurian (Llandoverian) of Virginia, have yielded a diverse assemblage of microfossil elements. Parallel aligned, banded tubes with annular to spiral ribbing and rounded to papilliform ends, membranous cellular sheets, cuticles, trilete spores, small spore tetrads, and septate higher filamentous fungi were recovered from the macerates. The banded tubes are probably a significant analogue with supportive or conductive cell types, but are not considered tracheidal. The heterogeneous plant assemblage may represent a thalloid, non-vascular land plant, in part, with a tubular-filamentous (nematophytic) organization associated with a membranous cellular layer and cuticular covering. While no spores were established as nematophytic, the presence of trilete spores adds to the indirect evidence of multiple evolutionary convergence toward land-plant characters. This assemblage is interpreted as of land-plant origin, based on the inferred fluvial depositional model of the fossiliferous rocks. A glacio-eustatic sea-level drop in the late Ordovician is suggested as a stimulus to the advent of land plants in the early Silurian.     

Health and wealth: The late-20th century obesity epidemic in the U.S.

Obesity is a rapidly growing public health issue. This paper investigates obesity's relationship to individuals' wealth by analyzing data from a large U.S. longitudinal socio-economic survey. The results show a large negative association between BMI and White female's net worth, a smaller negative association for Black women and White males and no relationship for Black males. Weight changes and dieting also appear associated with wealth changes. Individuals who lose small amounts of weight experience little change in net worth, but those who lose large amounts of weight have a dramatically improved financial position, with Whites showing larger changes than Blacks.     

The effect of rising obesity on eligibility to serve in the U.S. public health service commissioned corps

This study investigates how rising obesity has affected eligibility to serve in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), the uniformed service charged with protecting and promoting public health in the U.S. Data are drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Between 1959 and 2010, the percentage of eligible civilians who exceed the weight-for-height and body fat standards of the PHSCC rose from 9.05% to 18.24% among men, and from 6.13% to 23.10% among women. Simulations indicate that a further 1% increase in population body weight will result in an additional 3.42% of men and 5.08% of women exceeding PHSCC accession standards.This study documents an under appreciated consequence of the rise in obesity: fewer Americans eligible to develop and implement a public health response to obesity through the PHSCC. This illustrates how a public health problem can undermine the public health labor force, compromising a response and risking a self-reinforcing trend. These findings are timely as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) calls for a major expansion of the PHSCC.     

Prion gene sequence variation within diverse groups of U.S. sheep,beef cattle,and deer

Prions are proteins that play a central role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in a variety of mammals. Among the most notable prion disorders in ungulates are scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in deer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the sheep prion gene (PRNP) have been correlated with susceptibility to natural scrapie in some populations. Similar correlations have not been reported in cattle or deer; however, characterization of PRNP nucleotide diversity in those species is incomplete. This report describes nucleotide sequence variation and frequency estimates for the PRNP locus within diverse groups of U.S. sheep, U.S. beef cattle, and free-ranging deer (Odocoileus virginianus and O. hemionus from Wyoming). DNA segments corresponding to the complete prion coding sequence and a 596-bp portion of the PRNP promoter region were amplified and sequenced from DNA panels with 90 sheep, 96 cattle, and 94 deer. Each panel was designed to contain the most diverse germplasm available from their respective populations to facilitate polymorphism detection. Sequence comparisons identified a total of 86 polymorphisms. Previously unreported polymorphisms were identified in sheep (9), cattle (13), and deer (32). The number of individuals sampled within each population was sufficient to detect more than 95% of all alleles present at a frequency greater than 0.02. The estimation of PRNP allele and genotype frequencies within these diverse groups of sheep, cattle, and deer provides a framework for designing accurate genotype assays for use in genetic epidemiology, allele management, and disease control.     

Mutation tests in Neurospora crassa: A report of the U.S. environmental protection agency gene-tox program

Many mutation tests have been developed in Neurospora crassa during the almost 40 years of its use in mutation research. These tests detect two major classes of mutation: gene mutation and meiotic nondisjunction. Within the first class, forward- and reverse-mutation tests have been used. The forward-mutation tests include those that detect mutations at many loci and at specific loci. Both kinds of forward-mutation tests have been done in homokaryons (n) and heterokaryons (n + n′). From the publications that were not rejected by our pre-established criteria, data were extracted for 166 chemicals that had been tested for mutagenicity. Only 6 of the 166 chemicals have been tested in one or more gene mutation test and the meiotic nondisjunction test; these 6 chemicals were positive in the first and negative in the second. Of the 102 chemicals tested in one or more gene mutation tests, 94 were positive and 8 were negative. Of the 70 chemicals tested in the meiotic nondisjunction test, 7 were positive and 63 were negative.Two tests, the ad-3) forward-mutation test and the meiotic nondisjunction test, have been used most frequently. These two tests are especially important for hazard evaluation, because each detects a class of mutations that is likely to be deleterious or lethal in the F₁ - disomics by the meiotic nondisjunction test and multilocus deletions by the ad-3 forward-mutation test in heterokaryons. Generally, direct-acting chemicals are mutagenic in the gene mutation tests, but few chemicals that required metabolic activation have been tested. Only 31 of the 166 chemicals tested in N. crassa have been tested for carcinogenicity. Among these chemicals, there is a good association between mutagenicity in gene mutation tests and carcinogenicity but a poorer association between meiotic nondisjunction and carcinogenicity; however, only a small number of chemicals has been tested in the meiotic nondisjunction test. Further use and development of certain mutation tests in N. crassa are desirable.