Effect of 6-month calorie restriction and exercise on serum and liver lipids and markers of liver function

Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its association with insulin resistance are increasingly recognized as major health burdens. The main objectives of this study were to assess the relation between liver lipid content and serum lipids, markers of liver function and inflammation in healthy overweight subjects, and to determine whether caloric restriction (CR) (which improves insulin resistance) reduces liver lipids in association with these same measures. Methods and Procedures: Forty‐six white and black overweight men and women (BMI = 24.7–31.3 kg/m²) were randomized to “control (CO)” = 100% energy requirements; “CR” = 25%; “caloric restriction and increased structured exercise (CR+EX)”= 12.5% CR + 12.5% increase in energy expenditure through exercise; or “low‐calorie diet (LCD)” = 15% weight loss by liquid diet followed by weight‐maintenance, for 6 months. Liver lipid content was assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and computed tomography (CT). Lipid concentrations, markers of liver function (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALK)), and whole‐body inflammation (tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP)) were measured in fasting blood. Results: At baseline, increased liver lipid content (by MRS) correlated (P < 0.05) with elevated fasting triglyceride (r = 0.52), ALT (r = 0.42), and hsCRP (r = 0.33) concentrations after adjusting for sex, race, and alcohol consumption. With CR, liver lipid content was significantly lowered by CR, CR+EX, and LCD (detected by MRS only). The reduction in liver lipid content, however, was not significantly correlated with the reduction in triglycerides (r = 0.26; P = 0.11) or with the changes in ALT, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol, or markers of whole‐body inflammation. Discussion: CR may be beneficial for reducing liver lipid and lowering triglycerides in overweight subjects without known NAFLD.     

Anaemia in acute HIV-1 subtype C infection

Background

The high prevalence of anaemia and the increased morbidity and mortality associated with anaemia during AIDS has been well described yet there has been little information about anaemia and changes in haemoglobin levels during acute and early HIV-1 infection.

Methods

HIV-negative women (n = 245) were enrolled into an observational cohort as part of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) Acute Infection Study. Acute infection was diagnosed following a positive HIV RNA PCR in the absence of antibodies, or detection of HIV-1 antibodies within 3 months of a previously negative antibody test. Haemotologic parameters were assessed before infection and at regular intervals in the first twelve months of HIV infection.

Results

Fifty-seven participants with acute HIV infection were identified at a median of 14.5 days post-infection (range 10–81) and were enrolled in the CAPRISA Acute Infection cohort at a median of 41 days post-infection (range 15–104). Mean haemoglobin prior to HIV-1 infection was 12.7 g/dL, with a mean decline of 0.46 g/dL following infection. The prevalence of anaemia increased from 25.0% prior to HIV-1 infection to 52.6% at 3 months post-infection, 61.1% at 6 months post-infection, and 51.4% at 12 months post-infection.

Conclusions

Haematologic derangements and anaemia with a trend towards iron deficiency are common with acute HIV-1 subtype C infection in this small cohort. The negative impact of anaemia concurrent with established HIV infection upon morbidity and mortality has been well documented but the prognostic potential and long-term effects of anaemia during acute HIV-1 infection remain unknown.     

In vitro cellular adaptations of indicators of longevity in response to treatment with serum collected from humans on calorie restricted diets

Calorie restriction (CR) produces several health benefits and increases lifespan in many species. Studies suggest that alternate-day fasting (ADF) and exercise can also provide these benefits. Whether CR results in lifespan extension in humans is not known and a direct investigation is not feasible. However, phenotypes observed in CR animals when compared to ad libitum fed (AL) animals, including increased stress resistance and changes in protein expression, can be simulated in cells cultured with media supplemented with blood serum from CR and AL animals. Two pilot studies were undertaken to examine the effects of ADF and CR on indicators of health and longevity in humans. In this study, we used sera collected from those studies to culture human hepatoma cells and assessed the effects on growth, stress resistance and gene expression. Cells cultured in serum collected at the end of the dieting period were compared to cells cultured in serum collected at baseline (before the dieting period). Cells cultured in serum from ADF participants, showed a 20% increase in Sirt1 protein which correlated with reduced triglyceride levels. ADF serum also induced a 9% decrease in proliferation and a 25% increase in heat resistance. Cells cultured in serum from CR participants induced an increase in Sirt1 protein levels by 17% and a 30% increase in PGC-1alpha mRNA levels. This first in vitro study utilizing human serum to examine effects on markers of health and longevity in cultured cells resulted in increased stress resistance and an up-regulation of genes proposed to be indicators of increased longevity. The use of this in vitro technique may be helpful for predicting the potential of CR, ADF and other dietary manipulations to affect markers of longevity in humans.     

Clinical evaluation of the GlucoWatch® biographer: a continual, non-invasive glucose monitor for patients with diabetes

A device providing frequent, automatic, and non-invasive glucose measurements for persons with diabetes has been developed: the GlucoWatch^® biographer. This device extracts glucose through intact skin via reverse iontophoresis where it is detected by an amperometric biosensor. The biographer can provide glucose readings every 20 min for 12 h. The performance of this device was evaluated in two large clinical studies in a controlled clinical environment (n=231), and the home environment (n=124). Accuracy of the biographer was evaluated by comparing the automatic biographer readings to serial finger-stick blood glucose (BG) measurements. Biographer performance was comparable in both environments. Mean difference between biographer and finger-stick measurements was −0.01 and 0.26 mmol l⁻¹ for the clinical and home environments, respectively. The mean absolute value of the relative difference was 1.06 and 1.18 mmol l⁻¹ for the same studies. Correlation coefficient (r) between biographer and finger-stick measurements was 0.85 and 0.80 for the two studies. In both studies, over 94% of the biographer readings were in the clinically acceptable A+B region of the Clarke Error Grid. A slight positive bias is observed for the biographer readings at low BG levels. Biographer accuracy is relatively constant over all rates of BG changes, except when BG decreases more than 10 mmol l⁻¹ h⁻¹, which occurred for only 0.2% of points in the home environment study. Biographer precision, as measured by CV%, is approx. 10%. Skin irritation, characterized by erythema and edema, was either non-existent or mild in >90% of subjects and resolved in virtually all subjects without treatment in several days.     

Refining Hypertension Surveillance to Account for Potentially Misclassified Cases

Administrative health data have been used in hypertension surveillance using the 1H2P method: the International Classification of Disease (ICD) hypertension diagnosis codes were recorded in at least 1 hospitalization or 2 physician claims within 2 year-period. Accumulation of false positive cases over time using the 1H2P method could result in the overestimation of hypertension prevalence. In this study, we developed and validated a new reclassification method to define hypertension cases using regularized logistic regression with the age, sex, hypertension and comorbidities in physician claims, and diagnosis of hypertension in hospital discharge data as independent variables. A Bayesian method was then used to adjust the prevalence estimated from the reclassification method. We evaluated the hypertension prevalence in data from Alberta, Canada using the currently accepted 1H2P method and these newly developed methods. The reclassification method with Bayesian adjustment produced similar prevalence estimates as the 1H2P method. This supports the continued use of the 1H2P method as a simple and practical way to conduct hypertension surveillance using administrative health data.     

新疆昆仑山黄羊岭—木孜塔格一带早二叠世的(竹蜓)

本文报道了新疆昆仑山黄羊岭—木孜塔格地区下二叠统黄羊岭群的分布、层序划分及对比;首次对黄羊岭群所含?类进行了研究和描述。共描述早三叠世?类15属26种,其中4个新种,1个新亚种,2个未定种。 黄羊岭群下亚群和华南的栖霞组大致可以对比,黄羊岭群上亚群和华南茅口组大致可以对比。黄羊岭群的早二叠世?类,属典型的特提斯海暖水?类,生物地理分区上属特提斯大区的华夏-特提斯区。     

黔西南中三叠统 koninckinids 化石

首次描述了贵州西南部中三叠统koninckinids(康尼克贝类)3属6种,根据腕螺的支持构造类型将背内腕螺初带横伸,由腕锁,腕棒支持,与主基连接的类群归Koninckinidae;将腕螺初带横伸,缺失腕锁,螺带主层直接与铰板连接,螺带主层与副层分离,形成双重腕螺的贝体,且与Koninc-kinidae的腕螺支持类型明显不同的,建立新亚科Amphiclininae subfamily nov..腕螺初带向主突起基斜伸,与主突起基部延长部分连接,支持腕螺的类群,暂归扭月贝目根据贝体特征,认为背内具粗大圆锥状腕螺的Koninckina 其腕螺除诱导捕食功能外,可能还有制导贝体着底方向的作用.并对koninckinids产出层位和时代进行了对比和讨论.     

陕西彬县晚中新世猪类化石

本文记述了陕西彬县发现的晚中新世哺乳动物群中的猪类化石,共两属两种.双齿尖河猪 (Dicoryphochoerus binxianensis),为—新种其性质较印度 Chinji 组的 D. chisholmi 进步,而比我国蓝田组的 D. medius 又略显得原始;弓颌猪 (Chleuastochoerus stehlini) 是我国特有的一个属种,是北方三趾马动物群中的成员.