Association of Serum Irisin with Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Chinese Adults

Irisin, a recently identified novel myokine, drives brown-fat-like conversion of white adipose tissues and has been proposed to mediate beneficial effects of exercise on metabolism. Circulating irisin was significantly reduced in type 2 diabetes patients; however, no evidence is available about its association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and effects of adiposity and muscle mass on circulating irisin have been controversial. Cross-sectional data on socio-demographic, lifestyle, clinical characteristics and serum irisin were collected for 1,115 community-living Chinese adults with central obesity. Associations of serum irisin with MetS (central obesity plus any two of the following four factors (raised blood pressure (BP), raised fasting plasma glucose (FPG), raised triglyceride (TG), and reduced HDL cholesterol) and each component of MetS were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Among the 1,115 obese Chinese adults with a mean age of 53.2(±7.2) years, serum irisin levels (log-transformed) were significantly reduced in subjects with MetS and raised FPG than their control groups (p = 0.034 and 0.041, respectively). After adjustment for potential confounders, serum irisin was significantly associated with reduced risks of MetS and raised FPG, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% CI) per standard deviation of log-transformed irisin of 0.796 (0.505–0.959, p = 0.027) and 0.873 (0.764–0.998, p = 0.046), respectively. Associations of irisin with raised BP, raised TG and reduced HDL were not statistically significant ((ORs) (95% CI): 0.733(0.454–1.182, p = 0.202), 0.954(0.838–1.086, p = 0.478) and 1.130(0.980–1.302, p = 0.092), respectively). Stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis showed that fasting insulin, HbA1c and albumin/globulin ratio were negatively associated with serum irisin level with statistical significance (all p-values <0.05) and waist circumference was negatively associated with serum risin with marginally statistical significance (p = 0.055). These results imply that irisin may play an important role in insulin resistance and MetS and should be confirmed in future prospective studies.     

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Health Parameters in Overweight and Obese Adults

The prevalence of being overweight and of obesity is increasing worldwide, and is associated with a high risk to health. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate whether normal weight, overweight and obese subjects of low, middle or high socioeconomic status (SES) differ with regard to their health behavior, health, quality of life, and the use of medical care. Data from the Austrian Health Interview Survey (ATHIS) 2006/07, comprising 3 groups of 1,077 individuals, each of whom were normal weight, overweight, or obese, respectively, and matched according to their age, sex and SES, were analyzed concerning health outcomes. The results show that subjects with a low SES differ significantly from those of high SES in terms of their health behavior, self-perceived health, levels of impairment, chronic conditions, quality of life, and health care. Additionally, obesity in adults is associated with sub-optimal dietary practices and worse health, poorer quality of life and medical care than normal weight and overweight individuals. A significant interaction between the weight class and SES was found concerning physical exercise, impairment due to health problems and chronic diseases. A low SES has a strong negative impact on health, especially in obese individuals. Therefore a continuous target group-oriented, non-discriminatory public health program is required, prioritizing obese subjects with low SES.     

Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Japanese Children

Objective: To determine the prevalence of and sex differences related to the metabolic syndrome among obese and overweight elementary school children. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 471 overweight or obese Japanese children. Children meeting at least three of the following five criteria qualified as having the metabolic syndrome: abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, low high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and high fasting glucose levels. Fasting insulin levels were also examined. Results: Japanese obese children were found to have a significantly lower prevalence (17.7%) of the metabolic syndrome than U.S. obese adolescents (28.7%, p = 0.0014). However, Japanese overweight children had a similar incidence (8.7%) of the metabolic syndrome compared with U.S. overweight adolescents (6.8%). Hyperinsulinemia in girls and abdominal obesity in boys are characteristic features of individual metabolic syndrome factors in Japanese children. Discussion: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is not lower in preteen Japanese overweight children than in U.S. overweight adolescents, although it is significantly lower in Japanese obese preteen children than in U.S. obese adolescents. Primary and secondary interventions are needed for overweight preteen children in Japan.     

Combined Impact of Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Visceral Adiposity on Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Adults in Korea

Background

Obesity, especially visceral obesity, is known to be an important correlate for cardiovascular disease and increased mortality. On the other hand, high cardiorespiratory fitness is suggested to be an effective contributor for reducing this risk. This study was conducted to determine the combined impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and visceral adiposity, otherwise known as fitness and fatness, on metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese adults.

Methods

A total of 232 overweight and obese individuals were grouped into four subtypes according to their fitness level. This was measured by recovery heart rate from a step test in addition to visceral adiposity defined as the visceral adipose tissue area to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VAT/SAT ratio). Associations of fitness and visceral fatness were analyzed in comparison with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

Results

The high visceral fat and low fitness group had the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome [Odds Ratio (OR) 5.02; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.85–13.61] compared with the reference group, which was the low visceral adiposity and high fitness group, after adjustments for confounding factors. Viscerally lean but unfit subjects were associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than more viscerally obese but fit subjects (OR 3.42; 95% CI 1.27–9.19, and OR 2.70; 95% CI 1.01–7.25, respectively).

Conclusions

Our study shows that visceral obesity and fitness levels are cumulatively associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in healthy overweight and obese adults. This suggests that cardiorespiratory fitness is a significant modifier in the relation of visceral adiposity to adverse metabolic outcomes in overweight and obese individuals.     

Trace Elements in Obese Turkish Children

The quality of the diet of obese children is poor. Eating habits may alter micronutrient status in obese patients. In this study, we determined the serum levels of selenium, zinc, vanadium, molybdenum, iron, copper, beryllium, boron, chromium, manganese, cobalt, silver, barium, aluminum, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and lead in obese Turkish children. Thirty-four obese and 33 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum vanadium and cobalt levels of obese children were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.244 ± 0.0179 vs. 0.261 ± 0.012 μg/l, p < 0.001, and 0.14 ± 0.13 vs. 0.24 ± 0.15 μg/l, p = 0.011, respectively). There was no significant difference between groups regarding the other serum trace element levels. In conclusion, there may be alterations in the serum levels of trace elements in obese children and these alterations may have a role in the pathogenesis of obesity.     

Prevalence of Unhealthy Lifestyle Patterns Among Overweight and Obese Adults

This study determined the prevalence of unhealthy eating, exercise, and coping pattern traits among a large sample of overweight and obese adults. We analyzed responses to a 53‐item lifestyle pattern questionnaire posted on a commercial weight loss program Web site collected from 2004 through 2008. Subjects included 446,608 healthy weight, overweight, and obese adults, 18–65 years old, average age 31.9 (s.d. = 11.8), average BMI 30.5 kg/m² (s.d. = 7.5). Categorically, 25.5% were healthy weight, 29.0% were overweight, 33.7% were class I–II obesity, and 11.8% class III obesity. A stratified random sample was used to estimate the prevalence of the 21 lifestyle patterns (7 eating, 7 exercise, and 7 coping) in the general population, and the prevalence of patterns in the complete dataset was further analyzed by gender, age, and BMI. Finally, we analyzed the odds ratio of the pattern prevalence for each BMI category. We found that unhealthy lifestyle patterns in diet, exercise, and coping were highly prevalent among this population. In general, the prevalence of these patterns rose with increasing BMI and is correlated with advancing age. Gender differences were seen with many of the patterns, most noticeably among the coping patterns. The odds ratio for 18 of the 21 patterns was >1.0 and steadily increased with higher BMI categories. We conclude that unhealthy lifestyle patterns in diet, exercise, and coping are highly prevalent among the overweight and obese population. Pattern recognition represents a new method to analyze the cluster of behaviors, attitudes, and traits seen among this population.     

Basal Endothelial Nitric Oxide Release Is Preserved in Overweight and Obese Adults

Objective: Impaired basal nitric oxide release is associated with a number of cardiovascular disorders including hypertension, arterial spasm, and myocardial infarction. We determined whether basal endothelial nitric oxide release is reduced in otherwise healthy overweight and obese adult humans. Research Methods and Procedures: Seventy sedentary adults were studied: 32 normal weight (BMI <25 kg/m²), 24 overweight (BMI ≥ 25 < 30 kg/m²), and 14 obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²). Forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to intra‐arterial infusions of N^g‐monomethyl‐l ‐arginine (5 mg/min), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, were used as an index of basal nitric oxide release. Results: N^g‐monomethyl‐l ‐arginine elicited significant reductions in FBF in the normal weight (from 4.1 ± 0.2 to 2.7 ± 0.2 mL/100 mL tissue/min), overweight (4.1 ± 0.1 to 2.8 ± 0.2 mL/100 mL tissue/min), and obese (3.9 ± 0.3 to 2.7 ± 0.2 mL/100 mL tissue/min) subjects. Importantly, the magnitude of reduction in FBF (～30%) was similar among the groups. Discussion: These results indicate that the capacity of the endothelium to release nitric oxide under basal conditions is not compromised in overweight and obese adults.     

Trace Elements in the Hair of Hemodialysis Patients

Trace element disturbance is often observed in hemodialysis patients. While trace element concentrations have been reported in blood samples from hemodialysis patients, they have not been well investigated in scalp hair. In the present study, 22 trace elemental concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry in the scalp hair of 80 male hemodialysis patients and compared with those of 100 healthy male subjects. In hemodialysis patients, the concentrations of beryllium, arsenic, magnesium, chromium, manganese, iron, selenium, molybdenum, iodine, vanadium, and cobalt were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects, while lead, mercury, copper, germanium, and bromine were significantly lower than those in the former group. No significant differences were observed for lithium, aluminum, cadmium, zinc, boron, or nickel. There were significant positive correlations between the duration of hemodialysis and the magnesium and manganese concentrations. There was a significant negative correlation between cadmium concentration and the duration of hemodialysis. There were significant positive correlations between dialysis efficacy (Kt/V) and magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium concentrations. In conclusion, trace element concentrations of the scalp hair are different between hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects. Essential trace elements, such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium, may be affected by the duration of hemodialysis and Kt/V.     

Chromium, Zinc and Magnesium Concentrations in the Pubic Hair of Obese and Overweight Women

The study addressed chromium, zinc and magnesium concentrations in the pubic hair of obese and overweight women. It was carried out on hair collected from 85 women at the age of 16-80 living in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (southern Poland). The experimental and control groups consisted of 39 and 46 females, respectively. The pubic hair was prepared under a procedure established by the International Atomic Energy Agency, followed by wet digestion in a microwave oven. The concentration of the metals in the pubic hair and reference material was assayed with the flame (Mg, Zn) and flameless (Cr) atomic absorption spectrometry. The pubic hair of overweight and obese women from the experimental group revealed significantly higher chromium and magnesium concentrations and significantly lower concentrations of zinc than in the control group. An increase in BMI brought about an increase in chromium and magnesium concentrations while zinc concentration decreased with increasing BMI. The disturbances in the mineral balance of overweight and obese women were also demonstrated by significantly different ratios of the elements compared with the control group.     

Trace Elements Analysis of Urine and Hair in Tuberculous Pleurisy

In this study, copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and iron of urine and hair were measured in the patients with tuberculous (TB) pleurisy (n = 24) and in the control group (n = 20). Selenium, magnesium, and zinc of hair were found to be significantly lower in TB pleurisy cases than those in the control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and p < 0.01, respectively). On the contrary, selenium and magnesium of urine were found to be significantly elevated in TB pleurisy cases than those in the control group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in the value of manganese and iron between TB pleurisy and the control group (p > 0.05). Copper level were significantly increased in hair and decreased in urine of the patients (p < 0.01). The occurrence of these abnormalities constitutes new information regarding trace elements in TB pleurisy patients. These results may provide an additional disease correlate for assessing TB pleurisy risk.     

Thyroid Function and Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study in Obese and Overweight Patients

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased risks of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Thyroid dysfunction is also a known cardiovascular risk factor. In obese patients, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels tend to be higher than in lean controls. The objective of this study was to assess potential associations between serum TSH levels and MetS as well as individual components of MetS.Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study of obese and overweight patients seen for initial evaluation at the Boston Medical Center weight-management clinic between February 1, 2013 and February 1, 2014. Demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data including serum TSH, insulin, glucose, hemoglobin A_1c, and lipid levels were obtained from electronic medical records. Associations between serum TSH levels and presence of MetS and its components were assessed.Results: A total of 3,447 patients, 75.6% female and 38% African American, without known thyroid dysfunction, were included. Mean ± SD age was 46.74 ± 15.11 years, and mean ± SD body mass index was 36.06 ± 9.89 kg/m². Among 1,005 patients without missing data, the prevalence of MetS was 71.84%. In patients with MetS, the median serum TSH was 1.41 μIU/mL, compared with 1.36 μIU/mL in patients without MetS (P = .45). In multivariate models, there was no significant association between serum TSH levels and the presence of MetS, adjusting for age, sex, race, education, socioeconomic status, and smoking. There were also no significant associations between serum TSH and individual components of the MetS.Conclusion: Serum TSH level does not appear to be a potentially modifiable risk factor for MetS in obese and overweight individuals.Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index FT₄ = free thyroxine HDL-C = high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol HbA_1c = hemoglobin A_1c MetS = metabolic syndrome SE = standard error TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone     

Trace Elements in Scalp Hair Samples from Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Background

Epidemiological studies have suggested a possible role of trace elements (TE) in the etiology of several neurological diseases including Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Hair analysis provides an easy tool to quantify TE in human subjects, including patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective

To compare TE levels in scalp hair from patients with MS and healthy controls from the same geographic area (Sicily).

Methods

ICP-MS was used to determine the concentrations of 21 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, U, V and Zn) in scalp hair of 48 patients with relapsing–remitting Multiple Sclerosis compared with 51 healthy controls.

Results

MS patients showed a significantly lower hair concentration of aluminum and rubidium (median values: Al = 3.76 μg/g vs. 4.49 μg/g and Rb = 0.007 μg/g vs. 0.01 μg/g;) and higher hair concentration of U (median values U: 0.014 μg/g vs. 0.007 μg/g) compared to healthy controls. The percentages of MS patients showing hair elemental concentrations greater than the 95th percentile of controls were 20% for Ni, 19% for Ba and U, and 15% for Ag, Mo and Se. Conversely, the percentages of MS patients showing hair elemental concentrations lower than the 5th percentile of healthy controls were 27% for Al, 25% for Rb, 22% for Ag, 19% for Fe, and 16% for Pb. No significant association was found between levels of each TE and age, disease duration or Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score. After stratification by gender, healthy subjects did not show any significant difference in trace element levels, while MS patients showed significant differences (p<0.01) for the concentrations of Ag, Cr, Fe, Ni and Sr. No significant differences were also found, at p<0.01, in relation to the use of cigarettes, consume of water, vegetables and place of living.

Conclusion

The different distributions of TE in hair of MS patients compared to controls provides an additional indirect evidence of metabolic imbalance of chemical elements in the pathogenesis of this disease. The increase in U and decrease in Al and Rb levels in MS compared to controls require further assessments as well as the observed different distributions of other elements.     

Analysis of Hair Trace Elements in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Communication Disorders

The primary objective of the present study is analysis of hair trace elements content in children with communication disorder (CD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 99 children from control, CD, and ASD groups (n = 33) were examined. All children were additionally divided into two subgroups according to age. Hair levels of trace elements were assessed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The difference was considered significant at p < 0.01. The obtained data demonstrate that children with CD are characterized by significantly increased hair lithium (Li) (96 %; p = 0.008), selenium (Se) (66 %; p < 0.001), arsenic (As) (96 %; p = 0.005), beryllium (Be) (150 %; p < 0.001), and cadmium (Cd) (72 %; p = 0.007) content, being higher than the respective control values. In the ASD group, hair copper (Cu), iodine (I), and Be levels tended to be lower than the control values. In turn, the scalp hair content of Se significantly exceeded the control values (33 %; p = 0.004), whereas the level of iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) tended to increase. After gradation for age, the most prominent differences in children with CD were detected in the elder group (5–8 years), whereas in the case of ASD—in the younger group (3–4 years old). Taking into account the role of hair as excretory mechanism for certain elements including the toxic ones, it can be proposed that children suffering from ASD are characterized by more profound alteration of metal handling and excretion in comparison to CD.     

Psychological Changes following Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background

Participation in weight loss programs is often associated with improved wellbeing alongside reduced cardio-metabolic risk. In contrast, population-based analyses have found no evidence of psychological benefits of weight loss, but this may be due to inclusion of healthy-weight individuals. We therefore examined cardio-metabolic and psychological changes following weight loss in a cohort of overweight/obese adults.

Methods

Data were from 1,979 overweight and obese adults (BMI ≥25 kg/m²; age ≥50 y), free of long-standing illness or clinical depression at baseline, from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants were grouped according to four-year weight change into those losing ≥5% weight, those gaining ≥5%, and those whose weight was stable within 5%. Logistic regression examined changes in depressed mood (eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression score ≥4), low wellbeing (Satisfaction With Life Scale score <20), hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg or anti-hypertensives), and high triglycerides (≥1.7 mmol/l), controlling for demographic variables, weight loss intention, and baseline characteristics.

Results

The proportion of participants with depressed mood increased more in the weight loss than weight stable or weight gain groups (+289%, +86%, +62% respectively; odds ratio [OR] for weight loss vs. weight stable = 1.78 [95% CI 1.29–2.47]). The proportion with low wellbeing also increased more in the weight loss group (+31%, +22%, −4%), but the difference was not statistically significant (OR = 1.16 [0.81–1.66]). Hypertension and high triglyceride prevalence decreased in weight losers and increased in weight gainers (−28%, 4%, +18%; OR = 0.61 [0.45–0.83]; −47%, −13%, +5%; OR = 0.41 [0.28–0.60]). All effects persisted in analyses adjusting for illness and life stress during the weight loss period.

Conclusions

Weight loss over four years in initially healthy overweight/obese older adults was associated with reduction in cardio-metabolic risk but no psychological benefit, even when changes in health and life stresses were accounted for. These results highlight the need to investigate the emotional consequences of weight loss.     

Screening of Prostate Cancer by Analyzing Trace Elements in Hair and Chemometrics

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous malignancy and second leading cause of cancer mortality in men. The principle goal of this study was explore the feasibility of applying boosting coupled with trace element analysis of hair, for accurately distinguishing prostate cancer from healthy person. A total of 113 subjects containing 55 healthy men and 58 prostate cancers were collected. Based on a special index of variable importance and a forward selection scheme, only nine elements (i.e., Zn, Cr, Mg, Ca, Al, P, Cd, Fe, and Mo) were picked out from 20 candidate elements for modeling the relationship. As a result, an ensemble classifier consisting of only eight decision stumps achieved an overall accuracy of 98.2%, a sensitivity of 100%, and a specificity of 96.4% on the independent test set while all subjects on the training set are classified correctly. It seems that integrating boosting and element analysis of hair can serve as a valuable tool of diagnosing prostate cancer in practice.     

Trace Elements Concentration in Nails and Association with Airway Inflammation in Adolescents

Asthma is a multifactorial disease and its severity varies with the inflammatory status of the patient. It has been hypothesized that deficiency of trace elements has an important role in the etiology of asthma. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of trace elements in nails of adolescents with different degrees of airway inflammation. We assessed the prevalence of active and severe asthma in adolescents (n?=?106) through the ISAAC questionnaire. Subjects were allocated into two different groups according to the value of fraction exhaled nitric oxide (Fe_NO) measured. Also, nail specimens were collected in order to determine the concentration of accumulated trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Se) by ICP-MS. It was performed Student’s t test to evaluate statistical differences between inflammatory groups considering normally distributed data. On the other hand, when data presented non-normal distribution, Mann-Whitney U test was utilized. Spearman coefficients were calculated to investigate correlations between Fe_NO and mineral concentrations. Exhaled NO was increased in male subjects. We found association between active asthma and elevated exhaled NO. There was no significant difference in Cu (4.40 vs. 4.52), Zn (84.66 vs. 79.48), Mn (0.59 vs. 0.76), and Se (0.18 vs. 0.19) concentrations (μg/g) among distinct Fe_NO groups as well as was not observed correlation between exhaled NO levels and any element. Deficiency of trace elements in nails were not associated with increased Fe_NO.