Hysterectomy is associated with postmenopausal body composition characteristics

The impact of hysterectomy without oophorectomy and with no malignant purpose on body composition and postmenopausal weight gain was tested in 184 Viennese females aged between 47 and 57 years (mean 52.9). Hysterectomized women were significantly heavier than those who experienced a spontaneous menopause (controls). The amount of fat tissue, especially in the abdominal region, was significantly higher in hysterectomized women. Furthermore, they were reported to have experienced a significantly higher weight gain since menopause (9.1 versus 6.0 kg). No significant differences in bone mass were found. Psychological stress factors and hormonal changes following hysterectomy are discussed as possible causes of these differences.     

Canadian pediatricians: demographic characteristics,perceptions of training,and continuing medical education.

A nationwide survey of Canadian pediatricians was undertaken to answer questions about demographic and practice characteristics, perceptions of the quantity and quality of residency training in relation to the realities of practice, and the patterns of use and the value of continuing medical education. The findings included a lower average age of pediatricians from that determined 10 years earlier, a higher proportion of women practising pediatrics, and higher proportions of pediatricians entering practice in smaller communities, doing geographic full-time university work and doing mainly consulting work. Pediatrics is still perceived as an attractive discipline, but there is dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of training in adolescent medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, psychosocial pediatrics and orthopedics. The changing patterns of continuing medical education among the most recent certificants suggest a need for journals and professional societies to assess how they can better meet the needs of Canadian pediatricians in this area.     

SNPs in the coding region of bovine MGAT2 gene are associated with body weight and weight gain

Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (MGAT2), as a candidate gene for quantitative traits, relates to dietary fat uptake, lipids synthesis and storage, which plays a major role in the absorption of dietary fat by catalyzing the resynthesis of triacylglycerol in enterocytes. In this study, based on DNA pool sequencing and PCR-RFLP methods, polymorphisms of the MGAT2 gene were detected in 1145 Chinese indigenous cattle. The results revealed two novel mutations located on exon 1 and exon 5 (NM_001099136.1:m.84G>T and 756A>G). Hence, we described the HaeIII forced PCR-RFLP method in exon1 and a MluI PCR-RFLP method in exon5 to detect them. In addition, the associations of these polymorphisms with growth traits were evaluated in Nanyang cattle. The results showed that only HaeIII locus was associated with body weight and average daily gain aged 6 months, and individuals with genotype TT showed significantly higher body weight and average daily gain than those with genotype GG.     

Genetic parameters of body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics in Japanese quail

Heritability, phenotypic and genetic correlations of body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics of Japanese quail males at 8 weeks of age were investigated to obtain basal information on breeding and on genetic monitoring by morphometrical methods. For this study, 221 male progenies were used. Measurements were taken on body weight, muscle weight and four kind of skeletal characteristics (skeletal weight, skeletal length, skeletal width and skeletal height). Heritability estimates were 0.67 for body weight, 0.36 to 0.56 for muscle weight, 0.79 to 0.94 for skeletal weight, 0.35 to 0.77 for skeletal length, 0.17 to 0.32 for skeletal width and 0.41 to 0.84 for skeletal height, respectively. The phenotypic and genetic correlations were found to be highly positive between body weight, muscle weight and skeletal length. A high degree of genetic correlation was observed between femur length, ossa cruris length and ossa metatarsalia length. These results suggest that the body weight, muscle weight and skeletal characteristics can be improved by breeding and that these genetically determined skeletal characteristics might serve for strain identification and genetic monitoring in Japanese quail.     

Caloric restriction induces changes in insulin and body weight measurements that are inversely associated with subsequent weight regain

Background

Successful weight maintenance following weight loss is challenging for many people. Identifying predictors of longer-term success will help target clinical resources more effectively. To date, focus has been predominantly on the identification of predictors of weight loss. The goal of the current study was to determine if changes in anthropometric and clinical parameters during acute weight loss are associated with subsequent weight regain.

Methodology

The study consisted of an 8-week low calorie diet (LCD) followed by a 6-month weight maintenance phase. Anthropometric and clinical parameters were analyzed before and after the LCD in the 285 participants (112 men, 173 women) who regained weight during the weight maintenance phase. Mixed model ANOVA, Spearman correlation, and linear regression were used to study the relationships between clinical measurements and weight regain.

Principal Findings

Gender differences were observed for body weight and several clinical parameters at both baseline and during the LCD-induced weight loss phase. LCD-induced changes in BMI (Spearman’s ρ = 0.22, p = 0.0002) were inversely associated with weight regain in both men and women. LCD-induced changes in fasting insulin (ρ = 0.18, p = 0.0043) and HOMA-IR (ρ = 0.19, p = 0.0023) were also associated independently with weight regain in both genders. The aforementioned associations remained statistically significant in regression models taking account of variables known to independently influence body weight.

Conclusions/Significance

LCD-induced changes in BMI, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR are inversely associated with weight regain in the 6-month period following weight loss.     

Comparative genome analysis with the human genome reveals chicken genes associated with fatness and body weight

The selection of meat-type chickens (broilers) for rapid growth has been accompanied by excessive fat deposition. In this study, we analysed 53 candidate genes that are associated with obesity and obesity-related traits in humans, for which we found chicken orthologues by BLAST searches. We have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with significant differences in allele frequencies between broilers and layers in each of the following six candidate genes: adrenergic, beta-2-, receptor, surface (ADRB2); melanocortin 5 receptor (MC5R); leptin receptor (LEPR), McKusick-Kaufman syndrome (MKKS), milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 protein (MFGE8) and adenylate kinase 1 (AK1). To examine associations with fatness and/or body weight, we used birds of extreme phenotypes in F(2) and backcross populations with varying levels of abdominal fat weight per cent (%AFW) and body weight. We then assessed the level of gene expression by real-time PCR. In two genes, ADRB2 and MFGE8, we found significant association with %AFW. The ADRB2 gene was found to have a significantly higher expression in the liver of lean chickens compared with those of the fat individuals. We believe that this approach can be applied for the identification of other quantitative genes.     

Age-variability in body shape associated with excess weight: the UK National Sizing Survey

Background: The health risks of obesity are disproportionately due to central abdominal adiposity; however, the extent to which age is associated with the body shape of obese adults is not known. Objective: Three‐dimensional (3D) data on body shape from the UK National Sizing Survey were analyzed to investigate age‐associated changes in body shape within the BMI bands <20, 20–24.99, 25–29.99 and ≥30 kg/m². Methods: Measurements of anthropometry (weight and height) and a 3D body scan were obtained in 4,344 men and 5,266 women recruited from eight British cities. Results: The body shape of men showed high consistency within BMI bands between early adulthood and old age. In contrast, the body shape of women altered within each BMI band with increasing age. In obese, overweight, and normal weight women, age was associated with decreased thigh girth, increased waist, and bust girth. Whereas young obese women maintained an hourglass shape, in old age the body shape of obese women converged on that of obese men. Discussion: The association of age with body shape is markedly different between the sexes, with the impact of obesity on shape strongly age‐dependent in women but not in men. The age delay in the association between obesity and high waist girth in women may contribute to the sex‐difference in life expectancy. The relationship between body shape change and cardiovascular risk merits longitudinal investigation within individuals.     

Ghrelin improves body weight loss and skeletal muscle catabolism associated with angiotensin II-induced cachexia in mice

Ghrelin is a gastric peptide that regulates energy homeostasis. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is known to induce body weight loss and skeletal muscle catabolism through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In this study, we investigated the effects of ghrelin on body weight and muscle catabolism in mice treated with Ang II. The continuous subcutaneous administration of Ang II to mice for 6days resulted in cardiac hypertrophy and significant decreases in body weight gain, food intake, food efficiency, lean mass, and fat mass. In the gastrocnemius muscles of Ang II-treated mice, the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were decreased, and the levels of mRNA expression of catabolic factors were increased. Although the repeated subcutaneous injections of ghrelin (1.0mg/kg, twice daily for 5days) did not affect cardiac hypertrophy, they resulted in significant body weight gains and improved food efficiencies and tended to increase both lean and fat mass in Ang II-treated mice. Ghrelin also ameliorated the decreased IGF-1 levels and the increased mRNA expression levels of catabolic factors in the skeletal muscle. IGF-1 mRNA levels in the skeletal muscle significantly decreased 24h after Ang II infusion, and this was reversed by two subcutaneous injections of ghrelin. In C2C12-derived myocytes, the dexamethasone-induced mRNA expression of atrogin-1 was decreased by IGF-1 but not by ghrelin. In conclusion, we demonstrated that ghrelin improved body weight loss and skeletal muscle catabolism in mice treated with Ang II, possibly through the early restoration of IGF-1 mRNA in the skeletal muscle and the amelioration of nutritional status.     

Increase of neuronal histamine in obese rats is associated with decreases in body weight and plasma triglycerides

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the metabolic effects of a specific histamine H₃ receptor antagonist, the cinnamic amide NNC 0038‐0000‐1202 (NNC 38‐1202). Research Methods and Procedures: Effects of NNC 38‐1202 on paraventricular levels of histamine and acute effects on food intake were followed in normal rats, whereas effects on body weight homeostasis and lipid metabolism were studied in a rat model of diet‐induced obesity (DIO). Results: NNC 38‐1202, administered as single oral doses of 15 and 30 mg/kg, significantly (p < 0.01) increased paraventricular histamine by 339 ± 54% and 403 ± 105%, respectively, compared with basal levels. The same doses produced significant (p < 0.01) reductions in food intake. In DIO rats receiving NNC 38‐1202 in a daily dose of 5 mg/kg for 22 days, a decrease in food intake was associated with a significant (p < 0.001) net loss of body weight (?11.0 ± 4.8 grams), compared with rats receiving vehicle, which gained 13.6 ± 3.0 grams. Also, NNC 38‐1202 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced plasma triglycerides by ～42%, in parallel with increases in plasma free fatty acids and β‐hydroxybutyrate levels. Despite reductions in food intake and body weight following administration of NNC 38‐1202, no sign of a decrease in energy expenditure was observed, and whole‐body lipid oxidation was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the period after dosing. Discussion: The present study suggests that antagonistic targeting of the histamine H₃ receptor decreases food intake, body weight, and plasma TG levels and, thus, represents an interesting approach to treatment of obesity and associated hyperlipidemia.     

铜污染对蚯蚓体重的影响与其铜富集特征

将简育湿润淋溶土和有机物料以体积分数1:1混合,加入硫酸铜模拟成Cu2+0～200mg/kg的污染土壤.投入赤子爱胜蚓,以研究铜污染对蚯蚓生长和铜富集特征的影响.结果表明:蚯蚓体重与土壤铜污染浓度呈抛物线关系,低浓度的铜对蚯蚓生长有促进作用,Cu2+浓度>60mg/kg时对其生长有抑制作用,超过100mg/kg后铜污染浓度提高与污染接触时间延长均会加剧抑制程度,严重时出现负增长.蚯蚓表皮及肠道中铜含量与其铜吸收总量都随外源铜浓度的增加与污染暴露时间的延长而增加,且铜在肠道的积累速率大于表皮.土壤中铜浓度增加时肠道铜向表皮脂肪系统的运输增加,各处理肠道中铜含量与表皮的比值都随着土壤中铜浓度的增加呈下降趋势,但随着时间的推移有所提高.蚯蚓对污染土壤铜的有较强的富集能力,在Cu2+200 mg/kg处理培养21d后,蚯蚓肠道的铜浓度是土壤环境铜浓度的2.65倍,铜富集总量达到最高值0.674 毫克每10条.该结果对于探讨蚯蚓在铜污染土壤的适应机理,提高其对污染土壤的修复能力有重要意义.     

Gender differences in predictors of body weight and body weight change in healthy adults

Background: Overweight and obesity are important predictors of a wide variety of health problems. Analysis of naturally occurring changes in body weight can provide valuable insights in improving our understanding of the influence of demographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors on weight gain in middle‐age adults. Objective: To identify gender‐specific predictors of body weight using cross‐sectional and longitudinal analyses. Methods and Procedures: Anthropometric, lifestyle and psychosocial factors were measured at baseline and then quarterly for 1 year in 572 healthy adult volunteers from Central Massachusetts who were recruited between 1994 and 1998. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between body weight and potential predictors, including demographic (e.g., age, educational level), lifestyle (e.g., diet, physical activity, smoking), and psychosocial (e.g., anxiety, depression) factors. Results: Over the 1‐year study period, on average, men gained 0.3 kg and women lost 0.2 kg. Predictors of lower body weight at baseline in both men and women included current cigarette smoking, greater leisure‐time physical activity, and lower depression and anxiety scores. Lower body weights were associated with a lower percentage of caloric intake from protein and greater occupational physical activity levels only among men; and with higher education level only among women. Longitudinal predictors of 1‐year weight gain among women included increased total caloric intake and decreased leisure‐time physical activity, and among men, greater anxiety scores. Discussion: Demographic, lifestyle and psychosocial factors are independently related to naturally occurring changes in body weight and have marked differential gender effects. These effects should be taken into consideration when designing interventions for weight‐loss and maintenance at the individual and population levels.     

A genome-wide association study identifies genomic loci associated with backfat thickness,carcass weight,and body weight in two commercial pig populations

Growth and fatness traits are economically important in the pig industry. To dissect the genetic architecture of these traits in commercial pigs, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for carcass weight, backfat thickness, and body weight in two commercial populations: Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) and Duroc populations. To enhance the detection power, three GWAS approaches including single-trait GWAS, multi-trait GWAS and meta-analysis were used in this study. A total of 13 suggestive loci were identified on nine chromosomes. The most significant locus was detected at 272.05 Mb on SSC1, and it was associated with backfat thickness at the first rib in the DLY population. Three genes at the identified loci (TBC1D1, BAAT and PHLPP1) were highlighted as functionally plausible candidate genes for pig growth and fatness traits. Genome-wide significant locus was not evidenced in this study, indicating that large populations are required to identify QTL with minor effects on growth and fatness traits in commercial pig populations, in which intensively artificial selections have been imposed on these traits and small genetical variances usually retain in these traits.