Are Elevated Aminotransferases and Decreased Bilirubin Additional Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome?

Abnormal liver tests, as well as morphological changes in the liver, are frequent among obese patients. Other frequent disturbances are visceral fat accumulation, insulin resistance, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension; these are a set of aberrations known as the metabolic syndrome. In order to investigate a possible relationship between the metabolic syndrome and impaired liver status we examined associations between liver tests, metabolic variables (insulin, glucose, and triglycerids), body composition and nutrition in 1083 men (BMI 28.8–63.8 kg/m²) and 1367 women (BMI 26.7–68.0 kg/m²) in the ongoing intervention study of Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS). Standard biochemical techniques were used to assess liver status and metabolic variables. Lean body mass (LBM) and masses of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) were estimated by means of computed tomography (CT) calibrated anthropometric equations. In both genders aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were, or tended to be, positively correlated to fasting serum insulin, visceral AT (women), and alcohol intake. In women, the aminotransferases were also correlated with fasting blood glucose. In both genders alkaline phosphatase was, or tended to be, positively associated with visceral AT, insulin (women), and glucose. Bilirubin was negatively correlated to insulin and visceral AT in men and women. Additional multivariate analyses indicated that alcohol had less explanatory power than serum insulin for the examined liver tests, especially among women. These results suggest that pathological liver tests in the obese may represent an expression of the metabolic syndrome.     

A Systematic Review of the Epidemiology of Echinococcosis in Domestic and Wild Animals

Background

Human echinococcosis is a neglected zoonosis caused by parasites of the genus Echinococcus. The most frequent clinical forms of echinococcosis, cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), are responsible for a substantial health and economic burden, particularly to low-income societies. Quantitative epidemiology can provide important information to improve the understanding of parasite transmission and hence is an important part of efforts to control this disease. The purpose of this review is to give an insight on factors associated with echinococcosis in animal hosts by summarising significant results reported from epidemiological studies identified through a systematic search.

Methodology and Principal Findings

The systematic search was conducted mainly in electronic databases but a few additional records were obtained from other sources. Retrieved entries were examined in order to identify available peer-reviewed epidemiological studies that found significant risk factors for infection using associative statistical methods. One hundred studies met the eligibility criteria and were suitable for data extraction. Epidemiological factors associated with increased risk of E. granulosus infection in dogs included feeding with raw viscera, possibility of scavenging dead animals, lack of anthelmintic treatment and owners'' poor health education and indicators of poverty. Key factors associated with E. granulosus infection in intermediate hosts were related to the hosts'' age and the intensity of environmental contamination with parasite eggs. E. multilocularis transmission dynamics in animal hosts depended on the interaction of several ecological factors, such as hosts'' population densities, host-prey interactions, landscape characteristics, climate conditions and human-related activities.

Conclusions/Significance

Results derived from epidemiological studies provide a better understanding of the behavioural, biological and ecological factors involved in the transmission of this parasite and hence can aid in the design of more effective control strategies.     

Long-Term Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Liver Enzymes in the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study

Background and Aim

Obesity is associated with elevated serum transaminase levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and weight loss is a recommended therapeutic strategy. Bariatric surgery is effective in obtaining and maintaining weight loss. Aim of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of bariatric surgery on transaminase levels in obese individuals.

Methods

The Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study is a prospective controlled intervention study designed to compare the long-term effects of bariatric surgery and usual care in obese subjects. A total of 3,570 obese participants with no excess of alcohol consumption at baseline (1,795 and 1,775 in the control and surgery group, respectively) were included in the analyses. Changes in transaminase levels during follow-up were compared in the surgery and control groups.

Results

Compared to usual care, bariatric surgery was associated with lower serum ALT and AST levels at 2- and 10- year follow up. The reduction in ALT levels was proportional to the degree of weight loss. Both the incidence of and the remission from high transaminase levels were more favorable in the surgery group compared to the control group. Similarly, the prevalence of ALT/AST ratio <1 was lower in the surgery compared to the control group at both 2- and 10-year follow up.

Conclusions

Bariatric surgery results in a sustained reduction in transaminase levels and a long-term benefit in obese individuals.     

Multi-test analysis and model-based estimation of the prevalence of Taenia saginata cysticercus infection in naturally infected dairy cows in the absence of a ‘gold standard’ reference test

The diagnostic values of seven serological tests (ELISAs) and of the obligatory European Union-approved routine visual meat inspection for the detection of Taenia saginata cysticercosis were investigated. A total of 793 slaughtered dairy cows were selected in three European Union approved abattoirs in Switzerland, an endemic area (apparent prevalence by enhanced meat inspection up to 4.5%) with typically low parasite burdens. ELISAs based on a somatic larval antigen, isoelectric focused somatic larval antigen, larval excretory/secretory antigens, peptide HP6-2, peptide Ts45S-10, pooled peptide solution and a monoclonal antibody antigen capture assay were initially screened. As there is no perfect diagnostic ‘gold standard’ reference test, the obligatory meat inspection and four selected serological tests were further analysed using Bayesian inference to estimate the “true” prevalence and the diagnostic test sensitivities and specificities. The ELISA for specific antibody detection based on excretory/secretory antigens showed highest sensitivity and specificity with 81.6% (95% credible interval: 70–92) and 96.3% (95% credible interval: 94–99), respectively. The Bayesian model estimated the specificity of the ELISA, based on the synthetic peptide Ts45S-10 as 55.2% (95% credible interval: 46–65) and sensitivity as 84.7% (95% credible interval: 82–88). The sensitivity of the ELISA based on mAbs, detecting circulating antigen, was 14.3% (95% credible interval: 9–23) with a specificity of 93.7% (95% credible interval: 92–96). The diagnostic sensitivity of the obligatory standard European Union meat inspection procedure for the detection of T. saginata cysticercus infection at the abattoir was estimated to be 15.6% (95% credible interval: 10–23). Based on these data, the modelled prevalence of cysticercosis in dairy cows presented at abattoirs in Switzerland was estimated to be 16.5% (95% credible interval: 13–21). These cattle also had a high prevalence of infection with Dicrocoelium dendriticum (60.8%) and Fasciola hepatica (13.5%).     

Conserved intron positions in ancient protein modules

Background  

The timing of the origin of introns is of crucial importance for an understanding of early genome architecture. The Exon theory of genes proposed a role for introns in the formation of multi-exon proteins by exon shuffling and predicts the presence of conserved splice sites in ancient genes. In this study, large-scale analysis of potential conserved splice sites was performed using an intron-exon database (ExInt) derived from GenBank.     

Microsatellite loci for genetic mapping in the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

New microsatellite loci for the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) were developed from two small insert DNA libraries. Polymorphism at these new loci was examined in domestic birds and two resource populations designed for genetic linkage mapping. The majority of loci (152 of 168) was polymorphic in domestic turkeys and informative in two mapping resource populations and thus will be useful for genetic linkage mapping.