Behavioral risk factors for obesity during health transition in Vanuatu,South Pacific

The South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, like many developing countries, is currently experiencing a shift in disease burdens from infectious to chronic diseases with economic development. A rapid increase in obesity prevalence represents one component of this “health transition.” Objective: To identify behaviors associated with measures of obesity in Vanuatu. Design and Methods: Five hundred and thirty four adults from three islands varying in level of economic development were surveyed. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences; triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds; and percent body fat (%BF) by bioelectrical impedance were measured. Diet through 24‐h dietary recall and physical activity patterns using a survey were assessed. We analyzed prevalence of obesity and central obesity based on multiple indicators (body mass index, %BF, waist circumference, and waist‐to‐height ratio), and analyzed differences among islands and associations with behavioral patterns. Results: Obesity prevalence was lowest among rural and highest among suburban participants. Prevalence of central obesity was particularly high among women (up to 73.9%), even in rural areas (ranging from 14.7 to 41.2% depending on the measure used). Heavier reliance on animal protein and incorporation of Western foods in the diet—specifically, tinned fish and instant noodles—was significantly associated with increased obesity risk. Conclusions: Even in rural areas where diets and lifestyles remain largely traditional, modest incorporation of Western foods in the diet can contribute to increased risk of obesity. Early prevention efforts are thus particularly important during health transition. Where public health resources are limited, education about dietary change could be the best target for prevention.     

Genes,ageing and longevity in humans: Problems,advantages and perspectives

Many epidemiological data indicate the presence of a strong familial component of longevity that is largely determined by genetics, and a number of possible associations between longevity and allelic variants of genes have been described. A breakthrough strategy to get insight into the genetics of longevity is the study of centenarians, the best example of successful ageing. We review the main results regarding nuclear genes as well as the mitochondrial genome, focusing on the investigations performed on Italian centenarians, compared to those from other countries. These studies produced interesting results on many putative “longevity genes”. Nevertheless, many discrepancies are reported, likely due to the population-specific interactions between gene pools and environment. New approaches, including large-scale studies using high-throughput techniques, are urgently needed to overcome the limits of traditional association studies performed on a limited number of polymorphisms in order to make substantial progress to disentangle the genetics of a trait as complex as human longevity.     

Nutrigerontology: a key for achieving successful ageing and longevity

During the last two centuries the average lifespan has increased at a rate of approximately 3 months/year in both sexes, hence oldest old people are becoming the population with the fastest growth in Western World. Although the average life expectancy is increasing dramatically, the healthy lifespan is not going at the same pace. This underscores the importance of studies on the prevention of age-related diseases, in order to satisfactorily decrease the medical, economic and social problems associated to advancing age, related to an increased number of individuals not autonomous and affected by invalidating pathologies. In particular, data from experimental studies in model organisms have consistently shown that nutrient signalling pathways are involved in longevity, affecting the prevalence of age-related loss of function, including age-related diseases. Accordingly, nutrigerontology is defined as the scientific discipline that studies the impact of nutrients, foods, macronutrient ratios, and diets on lifespan, ageing process, and age-related diseases. To discuss the potential relevance of this new science in the attainment of successful ageing and longevity, three original studies performed in Sicily with local foods and two reviews have been assembled in this series. Data clearly demonstrate the positive effects of nutraceuticals, functional foods and Mediterranean Diet on several biological parameters. In fact, they could represent a prevention for many age-related diseases, and, although not a solution for this social plague, at least a remedy to alleviate it. Thus, the possibility to create a dietary pattern, based on the combined strategy of the use of both nutraceuticals and functional foods should permit to create a new therapeutic strategy, based not only on a specific bioactive molecule or on a specific food but on a integrated approach that, starting from the local dietary habits, can be led to a “nutrafunctional diet” applicable worldwide.     

基于“双核”新框架的烟台近岸海洋环境健康综合评价

海洋生态环境健康已成为制约海洋经济发展的关键因素,科学评估近岸海洋生态环境整体的健康状况对持续利用海洋资源环境十分紧要。本研究基于新构建的以海洋生态系统自身状态为内核、以人类社会经济学指标为外核的“双核”评价框架和2008—2016年的调查资料,对烟台近岸海洋环境健康状况进行综合评估。结果表明: 烟台近岸海域的内核评级以“优”、“良”为主,总体上沉积物质量最好,水体环境质量稍差,而生物群落则是决定最终评级的核心因素;外核评价方面,以海洋产业产值和海洋保护区面积计算的外核得分为0.98。烟台近海最终的“双核”评价结果为“优/良+0.98”,这表明烟台近岸海域在保持高开发利用程度的情况下,目前海域生态环境健康状况仍然良好,但部分区域已经开始恶化,需在发展海洋产业的同时予以密切关注。“双核”框架的评价结果可为海洋资源开发和环境保护的管理决策提供指导,对实现海洋资源环境的可持续利用具有重要意义。     

The use of tropical forest (Agroecosystems and wild plant harvesting) as a source of food in the bribri and cabecar cultures in the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica

For the Bribri and the Cabecar Indians of Costa Rica the environment is divided in two: the “near”, indigenous space; and the “far”, natural space, which they think does not belong to them. In the former, the following agroecosystems can be distinguished according to biodiversity and intensity of human activity: tropical home garden, rotating slashand-burn agriculture, plantain polyculture, and plantain monoculture. In the “far” space, these two culturally close groups harvest wild plants observing ancestral rules, which have helped ensure a sustainable use of forest resources. Their diet is based on 84 species, of which 24 are harvested in the “far” environment (hombron, semko, platanillo, tacaco, etc.) and 60 are obtained in the “near” environment (maize, bean, cacao, manioc, etc.). Owing to acculturation, exotic species (mainly rice, sugarcane, plantain, cacao and citrus fruit) have become part of their diet and crops.     

Dietary patterns are associated with plasma F2-isoprostanes in an observational cohort study of adults

Associations between individual foods or nutrients and oxidative markers have been reported. Comprehensive measures of food intake may be uniquely informative, given the complexity of oxidative systems and the possibility of antioxidant synergies. We quantified associations over a 20-year history between three food-based dietary patterns (summary measures of whole diet) and a plasma biomarker of lipid peroxidation, F₂-isoprostanes, in a cohort of Americans ages 18–30 at year 0 (1985–1986). We assessed diet at years 0, 7, and 20 through a detailed history of past-month food consumption and supplement use and measured plasma F₂-isoprostanes at years 15 and 20. We created three dietary patterns: (1) a priori (“a priori diet quality score”) based on hypothesized healthfulness of foods, (2) an empirical pattern reflecting high fruit and vegetable intake (“fruit–veg”), and (3) an empirical pattern reflecting high meat intake (“meat”). We used linear regression to estimate associations between each dietary pattern and plasma F₂-isoprostanes cross-sectionally (at year 20, n=2736) and prospectively (year 0/7 average diet and year 15/20 average F₂-isoprostanes, n=2718), adjusting for age, sex, race, total energy intake, education, smoking, body mass index, waist circumference, physical activity, and supplement use. In multivariable-adjusted cross-sectional analysis, the a priori diet quality score and the fruit–veg diet pattern were negatively, and the meat pattern was positively, associated with F₂-isoprostanes (all p values <0.001). These associations remained statistically significant in prospective analysis. Our findings suggest that long-term adherence to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in red meat may decrease lipid peroxidation.     

Electrical-ionic control of gene expression

• 1.1. Changes in turgor, in cell volume, in membrane potential, in intracellular ionic activities and, more recently, in spontaneous electrical activity have been reported to be causally linked to the expression of specific genes.
• 2.2. As a result, it has become clear that changes in membrane properties and/or in the intracellular “ionic environment” can play an important role in generating cell type specific physiological responses which indirectly—or maybe directly—affect gene expression.
• 3.3. Possible targets of the ionic “environment” are: the selective transport across biological membranes; the activity of certain (regulatory) enzymes; the conformation of some (regulatory) proteins; of chromatin; of the cytoskeleton; of the nuclear matrix; the association of the cytoskeleton with plasmamembrane proteins or RNA; the association chromatin-nuclear matrix; protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions etc. All these sites may be instrumental to “fine or coarse” tuning of gene expression.
• 4.4. The exact mechanisms by which changes in intracellular ionic environment are transduced, directly or indirectly, into alterations of the activity of trans-acting factors have not yet been fully uncovered. Changes in the degree of phosphorylation of regulatory proteins and/or of trans -acting factors may provoke fine tuning effects on cell type specific gene expression activity.
• 5.5. The intranuclear ionic environment is difficult to measure in an exact way. It can be influenced in a number of ways. The location of a gene, as determined by the position of the nucleus in the cytoplasm and by the association of chromatin to the nuclear matrix may be especially important in cells which can generate some type of intracellular gradient or in excitable cells.
• 6.6. In some somatic cell types—germinal vesicles may behave differently—the intranuclear inorganic ionic “environment” has been reported to be distinct from the cytoplasmic one. This challenges the widespread assumption that the nuclear envelope is always freely permeable to small molecules and inorganic ions.
• 7.7. It can be expected that the fast progress in the cloning of “electrically” controlled genes, in the identification of trans-acting factors, in their mode of interaction with genes and in the precise localization of genes within the nucleus may soon lead to substantial progress in this domain.

     

Lack of UCP1 stimulates fatty liver but mediates UCP1-independent action of beige fat to improve hyperlipidemia in Apoe knockout mice

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and may protect from hyperlipidemia; however, its beneficial effect appears to depend on the ambient temperature of the environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) deficiency on lipid metabolism, including the pathophysiology of hyperlipidemia, in apolipoprotein E knockout (APOE-KO) mice at a normal (23 °C) and thermoneutral (30 °C) temperature. Unexpectedly, UCP1 deficiency caused improvements in hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, and glucose metabolism, regardless of an increase in hepatic lipid deposition, in Ucp1/Apoe double-knockout (DKO) mice fed a high-fat diet at 23 °C, with BAT hyperplasia and robust browning of inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) observed. Proteomics and gene expression analyses revealed significant increases in many proteins involved in energy metabolism and strong upregulation of brown/beige adipocyte-related genes and fatty acid metabolism-related genes in browned IWAT, suggesting an induction of beige fat formation and stimulation of lipid metabolism in DKO mice at 23 °C. Conversely, mRNA levels of fatty acid oxidation-related genes decreased in the liver of DKO mice. The favorable phenotypic changes were lost at 30 °C, with BAT whitening and disappearance of IWAT browning, while fatty liver further deteriorated in DKO mice compared with that in APOE-KO mice. Finally, longevity analysis revealed a significant lifespan extension of DKO mice compared with that of APOE-KO mice at 23 °C. Irrespective of the fundamental role of UCP1 thermogenesis, our results highlight the importance of beige fat for the improvement of hyperlipidemia and longevity under the atherogenic status at normal room temperature.     

Chronic inflammation in mice exposed to the long-term un-entrainable light–dark cycles

Shift work is indispensable in our modern society; therefore, measures for maintaining the health of shift workers are urgently required. In this prospective study observing the effects of different types of scheduled light–dark shift conditions in wild-type mice, we reared mice for 630 days under two chronic jet lag conditions with distinct programs of light and darkness: an 8-h phase delay every 7 days (delay, n = 14) or an 8-h phase advance every 4 days (advance, n = 34). “Delay” represents a mild condition in which mice are entrained, whereas “Advance” represents a condition of circadian rhythm disorder in which mice are not entrained. Our results showed that the 26.5% (9/34) mice reared under the “Advance” shift condition died or were sacrificed by humane endpoint throughout the experiment, whereas the first death under “Delay” condition occurred on day 611. The mortality rate of the mice reared under “Advance” condition was higher than the mice under “Delay” condition [HR (95% CI) 4.26 (0.54–33.6)]. In “Advance” mice of shorter lifespan, which showed splenomegaly and increased myeloid cells in bone marrow, which indicates that chronic inflammation existed in those mice. Although this study is still preliminary, these findings suggest that prolonged severe circadian rhythm disorder may result in the induction of chronic inflammation and tend to result in a shorter lifespan. Further studies are needed to understand why and how circadian rhythm disorder increases the risk of various dysfunction of physiology and diseases.

     

The DNA damage checkpoint protein ATM promotes hepatocellular apoptosis and fibrosis in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Steatoapoptosis is a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is an important factor in liver disease progression. We hypothesized that increased reactive oxygen species resulting from excess dietary fat contribute to liver disease by causing DNA damage and apoptotic cell death, and tested this by investigating the effects of feeding mice high fat or standard diets for 8 weeks. High fat diet feeding resulted in increased hepatic H₂O₂, superoxide production, and expression of oxidative stress response genes, confirming that the high fat diet induced hepatic oxidative stress. High fat diet feeding also increased hepatic steatosis, hepatitis and DNA damage as exemplified by an increase in the percentage of 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHG) positive hepatocytes in high fat diet fed mice. Consistent with reports that the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) is activated by oxidative stress, ATM phosphorylation was induced in the livers of wild type mice following high fat diet feeding. We therefore examined the effects of high fat diet feeding in Atm-deficient mice. The prevalence of apoptosis and expression of the pro-apoptotic factor PUMA were significantly reduced in Atm-deficient mice fed the high fat diet when compared with wild type controls. Furthermore, high fat diet fed Atm^−/− mice had significantly less hepatic fibrosis than Atm^+/+ or Atm^+/− mice fed the same diet. Together, these data demonstrate a prominent role for the ATM pathway in the response to hepatic fat accumulation and link ATM activation to fatty liver-induced steatoapoptosis and fibrosis, key features of NAFLD progression.     

Effects of pollen dilution on infection of Nosema ceranae in honey bees

Multiple stressors are currently threatening honey bee health, including pests and pathogens. Among honey bee pathogens, Nosema ceranae is a microsporidian found parasitizing the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) relatively recently. Honey bee colonies are fed pollen or protein substitute during pollen dearth to boost colony growth and immunity against pests and pathogens. Here we hypothesize that N. ceranae intensity and prevalence will be low in bees receiving high pollen diets, and that honey bees on high pollen diets will have higher survival and/or increased longevity. To test this hypothesis we examined the effects of different quantities of pollen on (a) the intensity and prevalence of N. ceranae and (b) longevity and nutritional physiology of bees inoculated with N. ceranae. Significantly higher spore intensities were observed in treatments that received higher pollen quantities (1:0 and 1:1 pollen:cellulose) when compared to treatments that received relatively lower pollen quantities. There were no significant differences in N. ceranae prevalence among different pollen diet treatments. Interestingly, the bees in higher pollen quantity treatments also had significantly higher survival despite higher intensities of N. ceranae. Significantly higher hypopharyngeal gland protein was observed in the control (no Nosema infection, and receiving a diet of 1:0 pollen:cellulose), followed by 1:0 pollen:cellulose treatment that was inoculated with N. ceranae. Here we demonstrate that diet with higher pollen quantity increases N. ceranae intensity, but also enhances the survival or longevity of honey bees. The information from this study could potentially help beekeepers formulate appropriate protein feeding regimens for their colonies to mitigate N. ceranae problems.     

Phylogeny and evolutionary history of birch mice Sicista Griffith, 1827 (Sminthidae,Rodentia): Implications from a multigene study

Phylogeny of birch mice is estimated using sequences of ten nuclear genes and one mitochondrial gene. Based on the results of tree reconstructions and molecular dating, five major lineages are recognized: “tianschanica,” “concolor,” “caudata,” “betulina,” and “caucasica.” It is established that the three latter lineages constitute a clade and that the long‐tailed birch mouse Sicista caudata is the sister group of the “caucasica” lineage. The “tianschanica” lineage is placed as the sister branch to all other species, however, with insufficient support. The cytochrome b tree is generally concordant with the nuclear topology. The molecular clock results suggest that the radiation among the main lineages occurred in the Late Miocene–Early Pliocene (6.0–4.7 Mya). The correspondence between molecular dating and the fossil record is discussed. Based on nuclear data, a high level of divergence between cryptic species in the “tianschanica” lineage is confirmed. Mitochondrial and nuclear data suggest the existence of a potential cryptic species within Sicista strandi.