scholarly journals Serum Spexin is Correlated with Lipoprotein(a) and Androgens in Female Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2103
Author(s):  
Flora Bacopoulou ◽  
Despoina Apostolaki ◽  
Aimilia Mantzou ◽  
Artemis Doulgeraki ◽  
Artur Pałasz ◽  
...  

The Spexin gene is considered the most dysregulated in obese human fat. Limited data suggest that the novel peptide spexin may potentially impact food intake, weight regulation and body adiposity. The aim of this case-control study was to compare fasting serum spexin concentrations between normal weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OB/OW) adolescent females and explore the relationship between circulating spexin and anthropometric, bone and fat mass, metabolic and hormonal parameters. Eighty post-menarcheal females (mean age ± SD 16.23 ± 2.26 years); 55 NW (mean BMI ± SD 19.72 ± 2.52 kg/m2) and 25 OB/OW (mean BMI ± SD 29.35 ± 3.89 kg/m2) participated in the study. Circulating spexin levels did not differ significantly (p = 0.378) between NW (median (interquartile range), 0.26 (0.17) ng/mL) and OB/OW (median (interquartile range), 0.28 (0.06) ng/mL) adolescents and did not correlate with BMI (rs = −0.090, p = 0.438), % body fat (rs = −0.173, p = 0.409), glucose or insulin resistance indices derived from fasting and oral glucose tolerance states. In the total study sample, spexin concentrations correlated positively with lipoprotein(a) (rs = 0.402, p = 0.046). In the OB/OW adolescents spexin levels correlated positively with testosterone (rs = 0.727, p = 0.011) and free androgen index (rs = 0.755, p = 0.007). In the NW adolescents, spexin concentrations correlated negatively with dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (rs = −0.445, p = 0.038). Results may suggest potential involvement of spexin in the regulation of lipoprotein(a) and of the reproductive/adrenal axis in post-menarcheal adolescent females.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Su Wang ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Yuzhong Wang ◽  
Yu Yang ◽  
Danyu Zhang ◽  
...  

Background. The prevalence of diabetes and potentially related complications, including stroke, is rapidly increasing in China. The long-term effects of lifestyle may affect glucose metabolism in the general population. Although some studies have shown an association between smoking and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the relationship remains unclear. Furthermore, the relationship between smoking and stroke in patients with T2DM has not been fully elucidated. Objective. We investigated the influence of cigarette smoking on T2DM and stroke in China. Detailed questionnaires about smoking status and anthropometric measurement were completed by participants, and oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), and blood lipids were measured. Results. In total, 8196 adults aged 40 years or older were included. We found a reduced risk of impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and T2DM in male smokers with normal weight (body mass index BMI<25 kg/m2 or waist circumference WC<90 cm) compared with nonsmokers after adjusting for age, alcohol intake, physical activity, educational level, family history of diabetes, SBP, DBP, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C. However, no significant association was detected in male current smokers with overweight/obesity or female smokers. In addition, compared with nonsmokers without T2DM, current smokers with T2DM had a significantly higher risk of stroke (odds ratio: 2.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.25–5.57; P=0.011) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions. Smoking was negatively associated with T2DM in Chinese men of normal body weight, but no significant association was found for men with overweight/obesity or women. In addition, smoking was positively associated with nonfatal stroke, especially in patients with T2DM. Further prospective studies are needed to examine the association between smoking, diabetes, and stroke in different ethnic groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3367
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Jacewicz-Święcka ◽  
Irina Kowalska

Data concerning metabolic consequences in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are delivered mainly by cross-sectional studies. In this research, we re-examined 31 Caucasian PCOS women after a median period of 120.9 months to evaluate the changes in metabolic syndrome components. Clinical examination, oral glucose tolerance test with estimations of glucose and insulin, lipids, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and sex hormones assessments were performed on two occasions. Additionally, the euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp technique was used at the baseline to assess insulin sensitivity (M-clamp value). In the end, the median age of participants was 35. We observed an increase in glucose concentrations, a decrease in insulin concentrations and no changes in insulin resistance markers. Final mean glucose, mean insulin, Matsuda index and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with baseline M-clamp value and SHBG (p < 0.01). During the follow-up, no one in the sample developed diabetes. The annualised incidence rate for conversion from normoglycaemia to prediabetes totalled 4.5%. Baseline BMI, free androgen index, fasting glucose and M-clamp value were identified as prediabetes predictors in young PCOS women (respectively, OR = 1.17, OR = 1.42, OR = 1.2, OR = 0.73, p < 0.05). Prediabetes appeared in 76.47% of the women with a final BMI of ≥ 25 kg/m2 and in 7.14% of the normal-weight women (p = 0.0001). In conclusion, we report a high rate of adverse change in glucose metabolism in overweight and obese participants, a deterioration in β-cell function and strong correlations between metabolic parameters assessed in the third and the fourth decade in PCOS women, emphasising the role of early intervention to prevent cardiometabolic diseases.


Retos ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 125-128
Author(s):  
María José Herlitz ◽  
Jose Rodriguez ◽  
Gonzalo David ◽  
Salustio Carrasco-Lopez ◽  
Rossana Gomez-Campos ◽  
...  

  Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre los indicadores de adiposidad corporal con la coordinación motora (CM) en niños de ambos sexos entre 8 a 11 años de edad. Metodología: Se efectuó un estudio descriptivo (correlacional). Se estudió a 82 escolares (36 niñas y 46 niños) entre 8 a 11 años de edad. Se evaluó el peso, estatura y circunferencia de la cintura. Se calculó el Índice de Masa Corporal IMC. Se evaluó la prueba de coordinación motora CM de Körper koordinations test Für Kinder (KTK). Se determinó tres categorías por IMC (Normopeso, sobrepeso y obesidad). Resultados: Se observó correlaciones negativas entre los valores del cociente del KTK con el IMC y CC. En las niñas (r= -0.24 a -0.28) y en los niños (r= -0.46 a -0.48). Los niños clasificados como normopeso presentaron mayor cociente de KTK (121.4±29.2puntos) que los clasificados con sobrepeso (102.3±26.3puntos) y obesidad (89.2±21.3puntos) (p<0.05). Conclusión: La CM se relacionó inversamente con la adiposidad corporal en niños de ambos sexos. Además, los niños clasificados como normopesos evidenciaron un mejor rendimiento en la CM que los niños con sobrepeso y obesos. Abstract. Objective: To determine the relationship between indicators of body fat and motor coordination (MC) in children of both sexes aged 8 to 11 years old. Methodology: A descriptive (correlational) study was carried out. A total of 82 schoolchildren (36 girls and 46 boys) aged 8 to 11 years old were studied. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were evaluated. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. The Körper koordinations test Für Kinder (KTK) for MC was evaluated. Three BMI categories were determined (normal weight, overweight, and obesity). Results: Negative correlations were observed between the KTK ratio values, BMI, and WC, both in girls (r = -0.24 to -0.28) and in boys (r = -0.46 to -0.48). Children classified as normal weight had higher KTK ratio (121.4 ± 29.2 points) than those classified as overweight (102.3 ± 26.3 points) and obesity (89.2 ± 21.3 points) (p <0.05). Conclusion: MC was inversely related to body fat in children of both sexes. Furthermore, children classified as normal weight showed better performance in MC than overweight and obese children.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Wykowska ◽  
Jairo Pérez-Osorio ◽  
Stefan Kopp

This booklet is a collection of the position statements accepted for the HRI’20 conference workshop “Social Cognition for HRI: Exploring the relationship between mindreading and social attunement in human-robot interaction” (Wykowska, Perez-Osorio &amp; Kopp, 2020). Unfortunately, due to the rapid unfolding of the novel coronavirus at the beginning of the present year, the conference and consequently our workshop, were canceled. On the light of these events, we decided to put together the positions statements accepted for the workshop. The contributions collected in these pages highlight the role of attribution of mental states to artificial agents in human-robot interaction, and precisely the quality and presence of social attunement mechanisms that are known to make human interaction smooth, efficient, and robust. These papers also accentuate the importance of the multidisciplinary approach to advance the understanding of the factors and the consequences of social interactions with artificial agents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1084-1101
Author(s):  
Tingjuan Wu ◽  
Xu Yao ◽  
Guan Wang ◽  
Xiaohe Liu ◽  
Hongfei Chen ◽  
...  

Background: Oleanolic Acid (OA) is a ubiquitous product of triterpenoid compounds. Due to its inexpensive availability, unique bioactivities, pharmacological effects and non-toxic properties, OA has attracted tremendous interest in the field of drug design and synthesis. Furthermore, many OA derivatives have been developed for ameliorating the poor water solubility and bioavailability. Objective: Over the past few decades, various modifications of the OA framework structure have led to the observation of enhancement in bioactivity. Herein, we focused on the synthesis and medicinal performance of OA derivatives modified on A-ring. Moreover, we clarified the relationship between structures and activities of OA derivatives with different functional groups in A-ring. The future application of OA in the field of drug design and development also was discussed and inferred. Conclusion: This review concluded the novel achievements that could add paramount information to the further study of OA-based drugs.


Author(s):  
Caroline Franklin

This chapter studies the novels of sensibility in the 1780s. The philosophy of John Locke, Anthony Ashley Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury, Adam Smith, and Francis Hutcheson had influenced the first wave of epistolary novels of sensibility beginning in the 1740s. These explored the interaction between emotion and reason in producing moral actions. Response to stimuli was minutely examined, especially the relationship between the psychological and physiological manifestations of feelings. Later in the century, and, in particular during the late 1780s when the novel enjoyed a surge in popularity, the capacity for fine feeling became increasingly valued for its own sake rather than moralized. Ultimately, sensibility should be seen as a long-lasting literary movement rather than an ephemeral fashion. It put paternal authority and conventional modes of masculinity under question.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Gaskell

‘It's the masters as has wrought this woe; it's the masters as should pay for it.’ Set in Manchester in the 1840s - a period of industrial unrest and extreme deprivation - Mary Barton depicts the effects of economic and physical hardship upon the city's working-class community. Paralleling the novel's treatment of the relationship between masters and men, the suffering of the poor, and the workmen's angry response, is the story of Mary herself: a factory-worker's daughter who attracts the attentions of the mill-owner's son, she becomes caught up in the violence of class conflict when a brutal murder forces her to confront her true feelings and allegiances. Mary Barton was praised by contemporary critics for its vivid realism, its convincing characters and its deep sympathy with the poor, and it still has the power to engage and move readers today. This edition reproduces the last edition of the novel supervised by Elizabeth Gaskell and includes her husband's two lectures on the Lancashire dialect.


Author(s):  
Cristina Vatulescu

This chapter approaches police records as a genre that gains from being considered in its relationships with other genres of writing. In particular, we will follow its long-standing relationship to detective fiction, the novel, and biography. Going further, the chapter emphasizes the intermedia character of police records not just in our time but also throughout their existence, indeed from their very origins. This approach opens to a more inclusive media history of police files. We will start with an analysis of the seminal late nineteenth-century French manuals prescribing the writing of a police file, the famous Bertillon-method manuals. We will then track their influence following their adoption nationally and internationally, with particular attention to the politics of their adoption in the colonies. We will also touch briefly on the relationship of early policing to other disciplines, such as anthropology and statistics, before moving to a closer look at its intersections with photography and literature.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliott Colla

In this essay, Arabic literature specialist and Arabic-English translator Elliott Colla explores the relationship between the novel and the nation, and reviews Bashir Abu-Manneh's ambitious and original contribution to the study of Palestinian literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-231
Author(s):  
Ankhi Mukherjee

Examining the contestation of interpretations around this work, I argue that the proliferation of exegetical material on Sophocles’s Antigone is related to a noncomprehension of the human motives behind her transgressive action. Did she ever love, and is there any suffering in her piety? If she didn’t love (her brother), could she have suffered? I read the play alongside Kamila Shamsie’s postcolonial rewriting of it in Home Fire to elaborate on the relationship between personal loss and collective (and communal) suffering, particularly as it is focalized in the novel by the figure of a young woman who is both a bereaved twin and a vengeful fury.


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