Age at acquisition of Helicobacter pylori in a pediatric Canadian First Nations population

Background. Few data exist regarding the epidem‐iology of Helicobacter pylori infections in aboriginal, including the First Nations (Indian) or Inuit (Eskimo) populations of North America. We have previously found 95% of the adults in Wasagamack, a First Nations community in Northeastern Manitoba, Canada, are seropositive for H. pylori. We aimed to determine the age at acquisition of H. pylori among the children of this community, and if any association existed with stool occult blood or demographic factors. Materials and Methods. We prospectively enrolled children resident in the Wasagamack First Nation in August 1999. A demographic questionnaire was administered. Stool was collected, frozen and batch analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for H. pylori antigen and for the presence of occult blood. Questionnaire data were analyzed and correlated with the presence or absence of H. pylori. Results. 163 (47%) of the estimated 350 children aged 6 weeks to 12 years, resident in the community were enrolled. Stool was positive for H. pylori in 92 (56%). By the second year of life 67% were positive for H. pylori. The youngest to test positive was 6 weeks old. There was no correlation of a positive H. pylori status with gender, presence of pets, serum Hgb, or stool occult blood. Forty‐three percent of H. pylori positive and 24% of H. pylori negative children were < 50th percentile for height (p = 0.024). Positive H. pylori status was associated with the use of indoor pail toileting (86/143) compared with outhouse toileting (6/20) (p = 0.01). Conclusions. In a community with widespread H. pylori infection, overcrowded housing and primitive toileting, H. pylori is acquired as early as 6 weeks of age, and by the second year of life 67% of children test positive for H. pylori.     

Rates of stillbirth by gestational age and cause in Inuit and First Nations populations in Quebec

Background:

Inuit and First Nations populations have higher rates of stillbirth than non-Aboriginal populations in Canada do, but little is known about the timing and cause of stillbirth in Aboriginal populations. We compared gestational age– and cause-specific stillbirth rates in Inuit and First Nations populations with the rates in the non-Aboriginal population in Quebec.

Methods:

Data included singleton stillbirths and live births at 24 or more gestational weeks among Quebec residents from 1981 to 2009. We calculated odds ratios (ORs), rate differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the retrospective cohort of Inuit and First Nations births relative to non-Aboriginal births using fetuses at risk (i.e., ongoing pregnancies) as denominators and adjusting for maternal characteristics. The main outcomes were stillbirth by gestational age (24–27, 28–36, ≥ 37 wk) and cause of death.

Results:

Rates of stillbirth per 1000 births were greater among Inuit (6.8) and First Nations (5.7) than among non-Aboriginal (3.6) residents. Relative to the non-Aboriginal population, the risk of stillbirth was greater at term (≥ 37 wk) than before term for both Inuit (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9 to 4.8) and First Nations (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.1 to 3.3) populations. Causes most strongly associated with stillbirth were poor fetal growth, placental disorders and congenital anomalies among the Inuit, and hypertension and diabetes among the First Nations residents.

Interpretation:

Stillbirth rates in Aboriginal populations were particularly high at term gestation. Poor fetal growth, placental disorders and congenital anomalies were important causes of stillbirth among the Inuit, and diabetic and hypertensive complications were important causes in the First Nations population. Prevention may require improvements in pregnancy and obstetric care.Attention has recently been drawn to the paucity of data on rates and causes of stillbirth, a pregnancy outcome that is largely ignored compared with later deaths.¹ Aboriginal populations in Canada rank at the top of the list of disadvantaged groups with the highest rates of stillbirth in the Western world.¹ First Nations and Inuit, 2 distinct Aboriginal populations in Canada, have stillbirth rates that are 2–3 times that among non-Aboriginal Canadians.^1,2 Although these trends are alarming, little data exist to guide prevention efforts among Aboriginal Canadians. Not much is known about how stillbirth rates in Aboriginal populations vary by gestational age or cause of death, despite evidence that prevention requires knowledge on the timing and cause of stillbirth.³ Opportunities for preventing stillbirth are typically greater after 28 weeks of gestation,⁴ particularly at term, but the absence of gestational age– and cause-specific comparisons between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians is a major impediment to reducing stillbirth rates. To gain a better understanding of the timing and causes of stillbirth in Inuit and First Nations populations, we estimated gestational age– and cause-specific fetal death rates in the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in the province of Quebec, where Inuit and First Nations people can be identified by parental information on birth registration forms.     

Obesity and Lowered Cognitive Performance in a Canadian First Nations Population

The association between obesity, other cardiovascular risk factors, and cognitive function in a Canadian First Nations population was investigated using a cross‐sectional design. Eligible individuals were aged ≥18 years, without a history of stroke, nonpregnant, with First Nations status, and who had undergone cognitive function assessment by the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and Trail Making Test Parts A and B. Parts A and B were combined into an Executive Function Score (TMT‐exec). Hypertension, a previous history of cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and the presence and duration of diabetes were examined in addition to obesity. In the case of TMT‐exec only, obese individuals were at an approximately fourfold increased risk for lowered cognitive performance compared to those who were not obese in multivariable models (odds ratio (OR): 3.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46–9.72) whereas there was no effect for overweight individuals compared to those with a normal weight in unadjusted analysis. Those having an increased waist circumference also had 5 times the risk compared to those without an increased waist circumference (OR: 5.41, 95% CI: 1.83–15.99). Adjusted for age, sex, and insulin resistance, individuals having the metabolic syndrome were at an approximately fourfold increased risk compared to those without the metabolic syndrome (OR: 3.67, 95% CI: 1.34–10.07). No other cardiovascular risk factors were associated. Obesity and metabolic syndrome were associated with lowered cognitive performance. These results highlight the importance of studying the health effects of obesity beyond traditional disease endpoints, even in a relatively youthful population.     

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Canadian adult population

Background:

Metabolic syndrome refers to a constellation of conditions that increases a person’s risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We describe the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in relation to sociodemographic factors in the Canadian adult population.

Methods:

We used data from cycle 1 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the population. We included data for respondents aged 18 years and older for whom fasting blood samples were available; pregnant women were excluded. We calculated weighted estimates of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in relation to age, sex, education level and income.

Results:

The estimated prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 19.1%. Age was the strongest predictor of the syndrome: 17.0% of participants 18–39 years old had metabolic syndrome, as compared with 39.0% of those 70–79 years. Abdominal obesity was the most common component of the syndrome (35.0%) and was more prevalent among women than among men (40.0% v. 29.1%; p = 0.013). Men were more likely than women to have an elevated fasting glucose level (18.9% v. 13.6%; p = 0.025) and hypertriglyceridemia (29.0% v. 20.0%; p = 0.012). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher among people in households with lower education and income levels.

Interpretation:

About one in five Canadian adults had metabolic syndrome. People at increased risk were those in households with lower education and income levels. The burden of abdominal obesity, low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia among young people was especially of concern, because the risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age.Chronic disease contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in the Canadian population.¹ As such, the economic costs are substantial. Metabolic syndrome refers to a constellation of conditions that approximately doubles a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, independently of other risk factors.^2–5 The cause of metabolic syndrome has not been fully elucidated; a summary of the current proposed mechanisms is discussed elsewhere.⁶Several sets of criteria have been established for the detection of metabolic syndrome, many of which have been continually updated.^6–8 The set of criteria most commonly used in the past was published in the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III criteria).⁹ Recently, the International Diabetes Federation, the American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and other organizations collaborated to release a unified set of criteria.¹⁰The Canadian Health Measures Survey, conducted in 2007–2009, was the first cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of Canadians that collected biological samples since the Canadian Heart Health Surveys about 20 years ago.¹¹ We used data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey to describe the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components by age, sex, education level and income adequacy in a sample of the Canadian adult population. Because different studies have used various criteria in the past to define metabolic syndrome, and because there is continuing controversy as to the appropriate criteria, we calculated the prevalence according to several types of criteria to better facilitate comparison to findings from past and future studies.     

Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus in a Canadian Inuit community.

To determine the prevalence of hepatitis A in a Canadian Inuit population, serum from 85% of the 850 inhabitants of Baker Lake, Northwest Territories, was tested by radioimmunoassay for antibody to the hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV). The overall prevalence of anti-HAV in the community was 71%. Exposure to the virus occurred early in life, such that by the age of 6 years 53% of the children had anti-HAV in their serum. The rate approached 100% by the age of 50 years. These findings document the ubiquitous nature of the hepatitis A virus in this northern Inuit settlement and suggest that immunoprophylaxis be considered for individuals taking short-term employment in such places.     

Spondylolysis of the sacrum in Alaskan and Canadian Inuit skeletons

Spondylolysis of the lower back, particularly that involving the isthmus between the superior and inferior articular processes (pars inter-articularis), is generally attributed to stress fracturing caused by movement of the affected vertebra relative to the vertebra below. The finding of isthmic spondylolysis in the first vertebra of a fused sacrum is thus unusual and requires explanation. Although unrepresented in the clinical literature, sacral spondylolysis has been reported for archaeological specimens and appears to be especially prevalent in North American Inuit. A study of 373 Inuit sacra from Alaska and Canada produced 16 examples of spondylolysis (eight from each area). All but one of the affected individuals were male, and nearly all were young adults, many between 18 and 20 years of age. All cases of sacral spondylolysis observed in this study were judged to have resulted from stress fracturing that occurred while S1 was still unfused, and most appear to have been in the process of healing, following fusion of S1 with S2, when death occurred. The high frequency observed in these people is attributed to unusual stresses becoming concentrated in the lower back of adolescent males due to such activities as weight lifting, wrestling, kayak paddling, and harpooning, combined with, and perhaps even contributing to, delayed maturation (S1-S2 fusion) of the sacrum. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Mechanical response to hyperinflation of the two abdominal muscle layers

Abdominal muscle length changes and activity were directly examined in vivo with the use of the techniques of sonomicrometry and electromyography, respectively, in nine supine anesthetized dogs. Expiratory threshold loading was utilized to stimulate recruitment of the abdominal muscles, and lung inflations produced the passive relationships. The internal layer, consisting of the internal oblique and transversus abdominis, shortened more in expiration than the external layer, consisting of the external oblique and rectus abdominis. The internal oblique shortened to approximately 83% of its length at functional residual capacity vs. 98% for the external oblique (P less than 0.05). The results obtained during passive lung inflation indicate these internal muscles are also more influenced by changes in lung volume. The internal oblique lengthened to 115% of its length at functional residual capacity vs. 103% for external oblique at total lung capacity (P less than 0.05). The results suggest that anatomic division of the abdominal muscles into external and internal layers corresponds to functional differences in terms of both passive lengthening and active shortening during ventilation and that these differences imply variable functions of the two layers.     

A comparison of two exercise training programs on cardiac responsiveness to beta-stimulation in obesity

We demonstrated previously that exercise training did not restore normal cardiac beta-adrenergic responsiveness in obese rabbits. This study tested the hypothesis that an increased training volume was required to attenuate obesity-related reductions in isolated heart responsiveness to isoproterenol. Female New Zealand White rabbits were divided into lean control, lean exercise-trained, obese control, and obese exercise-trained groups. For the exercise-trained groups, total treadmill work over 12 weeks was increased 27% when compared with lean and obese animals trained with lower total training volume. After 12 weeks, Langendorff isolated hearts were used to study developed pressure, +dP/dt(max), and -dP/dt(max) responses to isoproterenol (10(-9) - 3 x 10(-7) M). Concentration-response data were fit to a sigmoidal function using a four-parameter logistic equation. Controls were compared with animals trained under the low- and high-training volume programs using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post-hoc test; separate analyses were conducted for lean and obese rabbits. In both lean and obese groups trained under the high-training volume program, EC50 values for +dP/day(tmax) and -dP/dt(max) were higher compared with same-weight controls and animals trained under the low-training volume program, indicating that contractility and relaxation responsiveness to isoproterenol was reduced by the higher training volume. Therefore, these data indicate that increased training volume failed to attenuate obesity-related decrements in isolated heart responsiveness to beta-adrenergic stimulation and caused reduced sensitivity to isoproterenol in both lean and obese animals.     

The incidence of Helicobacter pylori acquisition in children of a Canadian First Nations community and the potential for parent-to-child transmission

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We have previously reported that Wasagamack, a Canadian First Nations community has a seroprevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori of 95% and a prevalence rate among children aged 0-12 years as measured by stool antigen testing of 56%. We aimed to determine the rate of infection acquisition and possible modes of transmission of childhood Helicobacter pylori infection in this Canadian First Nations community. METHODS: Children who were previously negative for H. pylori by stool antigen testing in August 1999 were eligible for enrollment in August 2000; 50 (77%) eligible children underwent stool collection. H. pylori stool antigen status was tested using the Premier Platinum HpSA test. Drinking water samples, maternal saliva, breast milk, local berries and flies were tested by three complementary H. pylori-specific PCR assays. Soothers or bottle nipples, collected from 16 children whose H. pylori stool antigen status was determined, were bathed in sterile water and this water was tested by PCR. RESULTS: Stool was positive for H. pylori in 16% (8/ 50) of children retested. Five had no other siblings infected and three had infected siblings. The mothers of all children infected were positive for H. pylori. The median age of newly infected children was 6 years (range 1-13 years). By PCR, 78% (18/23) mothers' saliva samples, 69% (11/16) soother water samples and 9% (1/11) water samples from infected homes tested positive. All of 24 sequenced PCR-produced DNA fragments from samples showed 99% homology with that from ATCC type strain H. pylori. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of childhood H. pylori acquisition was 16% over 1 year, and was not dependent on number of siblings infected. The finding of homologous H. pylori DNA in saliva and in soother water suggests the possibility of human to human transmission, particularly via an oral-oral route. Thus, there is the potential for further investigations in this population and other endemic communities that are directed at prevention of infection transmission via this modality.     

Sagittal clefting of the body and other vertebral developmental errors in Canadian Inuit skeletons

The objective of this study was to determine the expression, distribution in the column, and overall frequency of sagittal clefting of the vertebral body in the skeletons of two Canadian Inuit groups. One group, referred to as Thule-Historic, lived along the coast northwest of Hudson Bay, while the other, known as the Sadlermiut, were limited to Southampton Island and Coats Island north of Hudson Bay. The Thule-Historic people are thought to be the ancestors of the present-day Inuit of this region, whereas the much smaller, relatively isolated Sadlermiut became extinct during the winter of 1902-1903. The sagittal clefting results were also compared with those obtained for two other vertebral developmental problems, segmentation error and spina bifida. Sagittal clefting was found to occur with high frequency in the two Inuit series, especially in the region T6-T10. Segmentation errors were found to occur in approximately the same region of the column, while spina bifida produced a completely different pattern, occurring primarily at T11 and S1. The T11 involvement is limited to females, while S1 involvement occurs primarily in males. Sagittal clefting and spina bifida occur in the same individual more frequently than sagittal clefting and segmentation error. Possibly reflecting the smaller population size and isolated location of the Sadlermiut, sagittal clefting was found with greater frequency and intensity in the skeletons of this group than in those of the Thule-Historic Inuit. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2003.     

Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security among Inuit in the Western Canadian Arctic

This study examined critical impacts of climate change on Inuit diet and nutritional health in four Inuit communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Western Arctic, Canada. The first objective was to combine data from community observation studies and dietary interview studies to determine potential climate change impacts on nutritional quality. The second objective was to address the scale of data collection and/or availability to compare local versus regional trends, and identify implications for adaptation planning. Information was compiled from 5 reports (4 community reports and 1 synthesis report) of climate change observations, impacts and adaptations in 12 Inuit communities (2005–2006), and from a dietary report of food use from 18 Inuit communities (1997–2000). Changing access to, availability of, quality of, and ability to use traditional food resources has implications for quality of diet. Nutritional implications of lower traditional food use include likely reductions in iron, zinc, protein, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids, among others. The vulnerability of each community to changing food security is differentially influenced by a range of factors, including current harvesting trends, levels of reliance on individual species, opportunities for access to other traditional food species, and exposure to climate change hazards. Understanding linkages between climate change and traditional food security provides a basis for strengthening adaptive capacity and determining effective adaptation options to respond to future change.     

Incremental effects of endocrine and metabolic biomarkers and abdominal obesity on cardiovascular mortality prediction

Background

Biomarkers may help clinicians predict cardiovascular risk. We aimed to determine if the addition of endocrine, metabolic, and obesity-associated biomarkers to conventional risk factors improves the prediction of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In a population-based cohort study (the Study of Health in Pomerania) of 3,967 subjects (age 20–80 years) free of cardiovascular disease with a median follow-up of 10.0 years (38,638 person-years), we assessed the predictive value of conventional cardiovascular risk factors and the biomarkers thyrotropin; testosterone (in men only); insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1); hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); creatinine; high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP); fibrinogen; urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio; and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) on cardiovascular and all-cause death.During follow-up, we observed 339 all-cause including 103 cardiovascular deaths. In Cox regression models with conventional risk factors, the following biomarkers were retained as significant predictors of cardiovascular death after backward elimination: HbA1c, IGF-1, and hsCRP. IGF-1 and hsCRP were retained as significant predictors of all-cause death.For cardiovascular death, adding these biomarkers to the conventional risk factors changed the C-statistic from 0.898 to 0.910 (p = 0.02). The net reclassification improvement was 10.6%. For all-cause death, the C-statistic changed from 0.849 to 0.853 (P = 0.09).

Conclusions/Significance

HbA1c, IGF-1, and hsCRP predict cardiovascular death independently of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. These easily assessed endocrine and metabolic biomarkers might improve the ability to predict cardiovascular death.     

New insights regarding tissue Se and Hg interactions on oxidative stress from plasma IsoP and IsoF measures in the Canadian Inuit population

Despite animal and in vitro studies demonstrating pro-oxidative effects of Hg, previous human work showed no relationship between tissue Hg and plasma levels of F₂-isoprostanes (IsoPs), a whole-body oxidative stress marker. We hypothesized that another IsoP species, isofurans (IsoFs), was a more sensitive indicator of Hg-mediated oxidative stress, which can be modified by tissue Se status. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving individuals from a random subset (n = 233) of Inuit adults from a population-based survey (n = 2,595) of 36 Canadian Arctic Inuit communities to assess the relationships of plasma IsoPs to Se and Hg status indicators. F₂-IsoPs were inversely correlated with blood Se (r = −0.186, P = 0.005) and toenail Se (r = −0.146, P = 0.044), but not correlated with Hg. IsoFs were inversely correlated with blood Se (r = −0.164, P = 0.014) and positively correlated with Hg (r = 0.228, P < 0.001) and Hg:Se (r = 0.340, P < 0.001). The strength of the correlations remained unchanged after multivariate adjustments. Multivariate analysis showed that F₂-IsoPs were not positively associated with Hg but with Hg:Se (β = 0.148, P = 0.021). We conclude that Se and Hg status and their interactions are important factors modulating F₂-IsoP and IsoF levels such that the Inuit may be protected from Hg-induced oxidative stress because of their high Se status.     

Learning to Be Smart: An Exploration of the Culture of Intelligence in a Canadian Inuit Community

The understanding of intelligence and cognitive functioning of culturally diverse peoples has long been an interest of social scientists. It has also long been recognized that environmental factors and cultural values affect both perceptual abilities and the display of cognitive functioning. While some scholars have proposed the existence of multiple forms of intelligence, others have argued that the assessment of intelligence requires the application of local definitions of intelligence and intelligent behavior. In the present paper I explore the concept of intelligence in the small Copper Inuit community of Holman. Data collected between 1978 and 1995 are used to examine the manner in which community members define, assess, and develop intelligence. Modernity has created new conditions in which intelligence is nurtured and assessed.
Particular attention is paid to informant efforts to encourage the author to behave intelligently. [Inuit, theories of intelligence, participant-observation]     

A comparison of the radiation response of the epidermis in two strains of pig

The response of the epidermis was compared in two strains of pig, the English Large White and the G?ttinger Miniature, after irradiation with 90Sr beta rays. The effects of two types of anesthesia were also tested in pigs of each strain, a volatile gas mixture of approximately 70% oxygen, approximately 30% nitrous oxide, and 2% halothane, and an intravenously administered narcotic azaperon/etimodat with the animals breathing air. Strain- and anesthetic-related changes were compared on the basis of dose-effect curves for the incidence of moist desquamation from which ED50 values (+/- SE) were determined, i.e., the dose required to produce this effect in 50% of the fields irradiated. For English Large White pigs anesthetized with the volatile gas mixture, an ED50 of 27.32 +/- 0.52 Gy was obtained for moist desquamation. Irradiation with the azaperon/etomidat anesthesia in this strain of pig produced a significantly higher ED50 of 33.36 +/- 0.76 Gy (P less than 0.001). This appeared to be related to the fact that the animals were breathing air, i.e., a lower oxygen concentration (approximately 21%), at the time of irradiation. For the G?ttinger Miniature pig the ED50 values for moist desquamation were 38.93 +/- 3.12 Gy and 43.36 +/- 1.34 Gy while using the gaseous anesthetic mixture and the azaperon/etomidat anesthesia with the animals breathing air, respectively. These ED50 values are 10-11 Gy higher than those obtained for the English Large White pig under identical conditions of anesthesia, which resulted in a strain difference ratio of approximately 1.35. Radiation under the volatile gas mixture anesthesia resulted in a uniform irradiation response over the skin of the flank in both strains of pig. Radiation under azaperon/etomidat anesthesia resulted in a nonuniform skin response over the flank. The ED50 for moist desquamation was significantly higher in dorsal sites on the flank compared with the ventral area of English Large White pigs; a similar trend was seen in G?ttinger Miniature pigs. This difference in the radiosensitivity over the flank skin while the animals are under azaperon/etomidat anesthesia at the time of irradiation was associated with the animals breathing air and is in agreement with findings published previously for animals under halothane anesthesia and breathing air.     

The invertebrate population and response to pesticide treatment of two permanent and two temporary pastures

During 1979 and 1980 the herbage yields of two permanent pastures and two temporary swards were compared. All four swards received 250 kg N/ha per yr. The invertebrate population of all four swards was studied. Pot-worms (Enchytraeidae) and some species with long life cycles, e.g. wireworms (Agriotes spp.) were more numerous in the permanent swards, but aerial species were more numerous in the temporary swards. A range of pesticide treatments was applied. At one temporary sward site, application of the broad-spectrum pesticide aldicarb increased total annual yield of herbage by 16% in 1979 and 33% in 1980. Insecticide application at the same site resulted in no increase in herbage yield in 1979 and 12% yield increase in 1980. At the other three sites no significant increases in total annual yield were recorded in either year, but there were significant responses at one harvest or more at every site.     

Association of interleukin-6 polymorphisms with obesity and metabolic alterations in young Saudi population

Rising levels of obesity are a global problem that is being exported from affluent to developing nations through the gradual “westernization of lifestyle”. Population of Saudi Arabia is going through a nutrition transition where customary and traditional food is being replaced by fast food high in fat, sugar and salt. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a central player in the regulation of inflammation, haematopoiesis, immune response and host defense mechanisms. During the last decade, an accumulating amount of data suggested a pivotal role for IL-6 in metabolic processes, thus fortifying the picture of IL-6 as a multifaceted, pleiotropic cytokine. The Objective is to investigate the relationship between IL-6 (rs1554606) polymorphism and the risk of obesity in young Saudi population. Totally 204 Saudi young obese subjects were involved in this study. Genotyping of IL-6 was performed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction technology, using the Taq Man 5′-allele discrimination assay. IL-6 (rs1554606) AA versus AG (p < 0.01) and AA versus GG (p < 0.01) shows significant difference between Male and female group in genotypic as well as allelic distribution differ significantly, while AG versus GG did not differ significantly (p > 0.5). We have observed significant effects for Genotyping, LDL, CHOL, AST, ALP, BILIT, BMI at 5 % (0.05) significance level in the study population. Our results shown that IL-6 polymorphism have significantly differ in both male and females subjects. We have observed that some evidence of interactions of the IL-6 polymorphism and have shown statistical significant association with elevated BMI, Lipid profile and total bilurubin in the study subjects.     

First nationwide survey of prevalence of overweight, underweight, and abdominal obesity in Iranian adults

Objective: The goal was to estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity, underweight, and abdominal obesity among the adult population of Iran. Research Methods and Procedures: A nationwide cross‐sectional survey was conducted from December 2004 to February 2005. The selection was conducted by stratified probability cluster sampling through household family members in Iran. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) of 89,404 men and women 15 to 65 years of age (mean, 39.2 years) were measured. The criteria for underweight, normal‐weight, overweight, and Class I, II, and III obesity were BMI <18.5, 18.5 to 24.9, 25 to 29.9, 30 to 34.9, 35 to 39.9, and ≥40 (kg/m²), respectively. Abdominal obesity was defined as WC ≥102 cm in men and ≥88 cm in women. Results: The age‐adjusted means for BMI and WC were 24.6 kg/m² in men and 26.5 kg/m² in women and 86.6 cm in men and 89.6 cm in women, respectively. The age‐adjusted prevalence of overweight or obesity (BMI ≥25) was 42.8% in men and 57.0% in women; 11.1% of men and 25.2% of women were obese (BMI ≥30), while 6.3% of men and 5.2% of women were underweight. Age, low physical activity, low educational attainment, marriage, and residence in urban areas were strongly associated with obesity. Abdominal obesity was more common among women than men (54.5% vs. 12.9%) and greater with older age. Discussion: Excess body weight appears to be common in Iran. More women than men present with overweight and abdominal obesity. Prevention and treatment strategies are urgently needed to address the health burden of obesity.