Higher Risk Of Chronic Disease Research Articles

Test-retest reliability of a self-reported physical activity environment instrument for use in rural settings.

Little is known about how the physical environment impacts physical activity behaviour among rural populations, who are typically less active and at higher risk of chronic disease than urban dwellers. The lack of individual-level instruments to assess the physical environment in rural areas limits advancement of this field. Among rural adults, this study aimed to evaluate (a) the test-retest reliability of a self-reported questionnaire of individual-level perceptions of the physical activity environment, and (b) the stability of a self-reported physical activity questionnaire. Cross-sectional questionnaire repeated twice, 2weeks apart. The questionnaire included 94 items relating to the perceived physical environment (representing nine summary scores), demographic characteristics and physical activity. Rural Australia. Rurally residing adults (≥18years) across three Australian states. Test-retest reliability evaluated by weighted Kappa statistics (individual items) and intra-class correlations (summary scores). A total of 292 participants (20% men) completed both questionnaires, on average 22days apart. Test-retest reliability of individual items ranged from weighted Kappa 0.37-0.85 (median: 0.59). Internal reliability for five summary scores was good to excellent (Cronbach's alpha: 0.81-0.97). Test-retest reliability was good to excellent for six summary scores (intra-class correlations: 0.67-0.77). The findings indicated good to excellent test-retest reliability for most items, particularly "fixed" constructs for this new questionnaire measuring the perceived physical environment in rural populations. This study represents an important step towards improving measurement of physical activity environments in rural populations, potentially leading to better tailored interventions to promote active and healthy living in rural areas.

Food Behaviors, Health, and Bean Nutrition Awareness among Low-Income Men: A Pilot Study

Bean consumption is known to lower blood cholesterol and postprandial blood glucose. With higher chronic disease risk, low-income men could theoretically benefit from increased bean intakes. The study objective was to explore low-income men’s food behaviors, bean health benefit awareness, and bean consumption practices and preferences. Seventy-one low-income men aged 18–65 years (µ 41 ± 12.7; 53% white, 16% black, 31% Hispanic) completed a survey on health risks, food behaviors, bean health knowledge, attitudes toward dry and canned beans, and bean preferences. Eighty-seven percent had one or more health risk factors of physical inactivity, smoking, or obesity. Most men compared food prices, and thought about healthy food choices for their families, but few planned meals or read nutrition facts labels. White men had significantly higher bean health benefit knowledge than black or Hispanic men (p < 0.01). Most men liked the taste of beans, disagreed dry beans took too long to prepare, and 79% ate them at least 2–3 times per month. Forty-nine percent agreed beans caused intestinal gas. Improving men’s awareness of the health benefits of beans as well as leveraging existing positive attitudes may be useful approaches to increase bean consumption among low-income and minority male populations.

Smoking, life expectancy, and chronic disease in South Korea, Singapore, and the United States: A microsimulation model.

The substantial social and economic burden attributable to smoking is well‐known, with heavy smokers at higher risk of chronic disease and premature mortality than light smokers and nonsmokers. In aging societies with high rates of male smoking such as in East Asia, smoking is a leading preventable risk factor for extending lives (including work‐lives) and healthy aging. However, little is known about whether smoking interventions targeted at heavy smokers relative to light smokers lead to disproportionately larger improvements in life expectancy and prevalence of chronic diseases and how the effects vary across populations. Using a microsimulation model, we examined the health effects of smoking reduction by simulating an elimination of smoking among subgroups of smokers in South Korea, Singapore, and the United States. We found that life expectancy would increase by 0.2 to 1.5 years among light smokers and 2.5 to 3.7 years among heavy smokers. Whereas both interventions led to an increased life expectancy and decreased the prevalence of chronic diseases in all three countries, the life‐extension benefits were greatest for those who would otherwise have been heavy smokers. Our findings illustrate how smoking interventions may have significant economic and social benefits, especially for life extension, that vary across countries.

Association between leisure-time physical activity and the risk of chronic diseases

Abstract Background According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases or chronic diseases, account for 71 percent of all deaths globally, affecting individuals of all age groups and countries. Epidemiological studies have shown an association between a lack of physical activity (PA) and the risk of raised blood pressure, increased body mass index and obesity that can lead to chronic diseases. Methods The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between leisure-time PA and the risk of chronic diseases among adult population. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 470 men and 641 women who participated in “The Impact of Sustainable Mobility, Physical Activity and Environmental Factors on Urban Population Health Study (ISMA)” in Lithuania. Leisure-time PA was self-reported and divided into three levels: low, moderate and high. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of chronic diseases according to leisure-time PA. Results More than half (55%) of the study population engaged in a moderate intensity PA and 12% of participants engaged in a high intensity leisure-time PA. Men 1.6 times more often than women reported engaging in a high intensity PA in leisure time (p = 0.004). Adults who engaged in low intensity leisure-time PA had almost 3 times (OR = 2.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62-5.24) higher risk of chronic diseases, whereas those adults who reported moderate intensity leisure-time PA had an OR of 1.63 (95% CI 0.92-2.87) compared to individuals who engaged in a high-level PA. Conclusions Our findings suggest that high levels of leisure-time PA could reduce the risk of chronic diseases and this effect was significantly stronger in men. Key messages Global decline in PA is related to inaction during leisure time and sedentary behaviour at work and at home that has a major health impact worldwide. High levels of leisure-time PA are important factor for chronic disease prevention.

Nutritional Eating; What Do You Know and When Did You Know It? (P04-098-19)

ObjectivesThe World Health Organization (W.H.O.) projects by 2020 chronic disease will account for 73% of deaths worldwide (W.H.O., 2010). In the United States (U.S.) minorities are high risk for chronic diseases. U.S. census projects by 2050 American minorities as the majority (Census, 2000).Purposes of pilot study 1) identify individual knowledge of chronic diseases; 2) when known (time frame); and 3) knowledge implemented to improve health. Important because if projections are correct health of the majority of people worldwide and U.S. society in particular, (Americas’ minority/majority) forecast as: poor health with short healthy life expectancy.Leading chronic diseases causing mortality in America: heart disease, cancer and lower respiratory diseases (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Hispanics are 16% of U.S. population. Leading cause of mortality: cancer. African Americans are 13.6% of U.S. population. Leading cause of mortality: heart disease. Societal challenge: mitigating health issues of a minority/majority. MethodsA convenience sample adults (N = 15) utilized; most minorities. They completed 32 item questionnaire. Some items were Likert scale 5 strongly agree and 1 strongly disagree. ResultsNinety-nine % have family member(s) with health challenges. More than 50% indicate being, “Healthy”. Half indicate being overweight. The majority response to frequency questions: 2–3 weekly. Example, most consume 9 servings of fruits/vegetables (F/V) 2–3 weekly. USDA recommend 9 servings of F/V daily. Time frame questions: ‘when known’. Example, half indicate meat and dairy as a diet necessity. When known, majority indicate over a year ago. Meat/dairy linked with chronic diseases. Majority misidentifies nutrient dense foods. Example, majority indicate white potatoes and iceberg lettuce as nutrient dense. Nutrient dense foods mitigate chronic diseases. Response to Likert type scale items, example, “I work hard to improve my dietary lifestyle”, most indicate ‘agree’. ConclusionsCurrent nutritional information limited. Outdated nutritional information implemented. Nutrient dense diet lacking. The trajectory forecast of a minority/majority with poor health and short healthy life expectancy is on target. Funding SourcesN/A.

The Development of Child and Adult Care Food Program Best-Practice Menu and Training for Native American Head Start Programs: The FRESH Study (P04-026-19)

ObjectivesNew Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns and best-practices were implemented nationally in 2017 to address the need to prevent chronic diseases. Young Native American children have disproportionately higher risk of chronic disease. Some Native American tribes operate early care and education (ECE) programs and have the opportunity to participate in the CACFP. The purpose of this paper is to describe a CACFP best-practice menu and training developed and implemented as part of the Food Resource Equity and Sustainability for Health (FRESH) study. MethodsFRESH is a community-based participatory research (CBPR) intervention implemented within ECE programs in the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. Site managers and cooks from each of the nine ECE programs attended meetings and provided feedback to investigators which shaped the best-practice menu and training. Each site participated in a three-hour training in January 2018 to discuss the best-practice menu and ways to overcome implementation barriers. Goals of the menu aimed to increase intake of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and reduce pre-fried and processed foods without increasing cook burden. Training included application activities individually and in small and large groups. ResultsThough the project is still underway, lessons learned have emerged including the need for technical assistance, improved communication between ECE program staff and food supply vendors, and infrastructure barriers (e.g., limited space, lack of supplies) that challenge work-flow. ConclusionsEfforts to improve menus in rural and low-income ECE programs must consider these issues in developing feasible intervention strategies. Collaboration with the site manager and cook is essential to fully understand perceived and actual barriers to provide training that can provide necessary background rationale for nutrition recommendations as well as beneficial and productive activities and hands-on training to effect change outside the training. Funding SourcesThis study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01MD011266). The funding agency did not participate in the study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study (OR17-07-19)

ObjectivesStudies regarding whether light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have generated mixed results. Further, few studies have comprehensively examined the potential impact of alcohol consumption on diverse disease outcomes. The current study aimed to prospectively investigate dose-response association between alcohol consumption and risk of developing major chronic diseases, including CVD, cancers and mortality. MethodsThe study consisted of 83,732 Chinese adults (aged 18–96 y) without history of CVD and cancer from the Kailuan Study, 2006–2007. Participants were categorized into 6 groups based on self-report alcohol consumption (grams of pure ethanol per week): 0, 1–25, 26–150, 151–350, 351–750, and >750 g/wk. Incident cases of CVD (including stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure andatrial fibrillation), cancers (total and site-specific), and mortality were confirmed by review of medical records. Major chronic disease was defined as the initial occurrence of CVD, cancer, or death during follow-up. ResultsDuring a median follow up of 10.0 years (interquartile range 9.7–10.2 years), there were 6411 incidences of CVDs, 2947 incidences of cancers and 6646 deaths. Compared to zero intake of alcohol, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67, 0.78) for consuming 1–25 g/wk, 0.83 (95%CI: 0.76, 0.90) for 26–150 g/wk, and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.81, 0.95) for 151–350 g/wk, after adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle (eg, smoking and obesity), social economic status, blood glucose concentration and medication use. A trend was identified between >750 g ethanol/wk and higher chronic disease risk (adjusted HR = 1.13; 95%CI: 0.95, 1.36), which reached significance for cancer (adjusted HR = 1.51; 95%CI: 1.07, 2.11). Similar results were observed in sub-group analyses alcoholic beverage type, occupation, men, >50 years, and never smokers. ConclusionsLight to moderate alcohol consumption has an overall beneficial effect for major chronic diseases. Funding SourcesThis research is supported by the start-up grant from the college of health and human development and the department of nutritional sciences, Penn State University and the Institute for CyberScience Seed Grant Program, Penn State University. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs▪

The development of child and adult care food program best-practice menu and training for Native American head start programs: The FRESH study.

New Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns and best practices were implemented nationally in 2017 to address the shift in dietary need from ensuring essential nutrient consumption to chronic disease prevention. Young American Indian (AI) children have disproportionately higher risk of chronic disease. Some AI tribes operate early care and education (ECE) programs and have the opportunity to participate in the CACFP. The purpose of this paper is to describe a CACFP best-practice menu and training developed and implemented as part of the Food Resource Equity and Sustainability for Health (FRESH) study, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) intervention implemented within ECE programs in the Osage Nation of Oklahoma. Site managers and cooks from each of the nine ECE programs attended meetings and provided investigators with feedback that shaped the best-practice menu and training. Each site participated in a three-hour training in January 2018 to discuss the best-practice menu and ways to overcome implementation barriers. Goals of the menu aimed to increase intake of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and reduce pre-fried and processed foods without increasing cook burden. Training included application activities individually and in small and large groups. Though the project is still underway, lessons learned, including the need for technical assistance, improved communication between ECE program staff and food supply vendors, and infrastructure barriers (e.g., limited space, lack of supplies) that challenge workflow, have emerged. Efforts to improve menus in rural and low-income ECE programs must consider these issues in developing feasible intervention strategies.

Decreased adiposity and enhanced glucose tolerance in Zyflamend treated mice

Obesity is a growing epidemic that presents a major health problem worldwide. Obese individuals are at a higher risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes. Zyflamend is a poly‐herbal supplement derived from the extracts of ten different herbs that effectively activates AMPK in‐vitro in multiple cancer cell lines. When activated, AMPK is instrumental in inhibiting lipogenesis and enhancing catabolic pathways that generate ATP, such as fatty acid oxidation. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Zyflamend on adiposity and glucose homeostasis in vitro and in‐vivo. To that end, we fed mice chow, high fat diet, or high fat diet supplemented with Zyflamend over a period of 24 weeks and we examined alterations in body weight and glucose homeostasis. In addition, we treated human and mouse pre‐adipocytes with Zyflamend and examined changes in adipogenesis and key signaling pathways were determined in vitro. Mice fed High fat diet supplemented with Zyflamend displayed decreased weight gain and resistance to HFD‐induced glucose intolerance. Further, Zyflamend treatment decreased HFD‐induced hepatic dyslipidemia. These findings correlated with decreased adipogenesis of mouse and human adipocytes in‐vitro. Additionally, Zyflamend enhanced adipose insulin signaling as evidenced by increased tyrosyl phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and enhanced downstream signaling.ConclusionThese studies identify Zyflamend as a potential regulator of systemic glucose tolerance, energy balance and adiposity.Support or Funding InformationThe work was supported by NIH R00DK100736 (AB)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

A randomised controlled trial of potential for pharmacologic prevention of new-onset albuminuria, hypertension and diabetes in a remote Aboriginal Australian community, 2008-2013.

IntroductionWe conducted a double-blind randomised controlled trial in a remote-living Australian Aboriginal group at high risk for chronic disease to assess whether pharmacological treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) could delay the onset of albuminuria, hypertension or diabetes in people currently free of those conditions.MethodsEligibility criteria in 2008 were age ≥18yr, blood pressure ≤140/90 mm/Hg, urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) < 3.4 mg/mmol, normal levels of glycosylated haemoglobin, and, in females, infertility. A 2011 amendment allowed enrolment of fertile females using long-term contraception. “Treatment” was the ACEi perindopril arginine, or placebo, and participant events were ACR ≥3.4 mg/mmol and/or blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg and/or haemoglobin A1c >6.5%, and/or cardiovascular events. Results were analysed in 125 randomised participants who commenced treatment.ResultsRecruitment was low, especially of women, and dropout rates high: there were finally 60 and 65 people in the ACEi and placebo groups respectively. In females, there were no events among 10 in the ACEi group, versus 5 events among 17 in the placebo group, and longitudinal ACR, HbA1c and blood pressure levels supported probable benefit of ACEi. There was no benefit of ACEi in males, but a probable benefit on diabetes/hypertension events. With the genders combined, there was probable reduction of diabetes (zero vs 4 events, p = 0.068), and of diabetes or hypertension (zero vs 5 events, p = 0.037).DiscussionIn this high-risk population, ACEi probably delays development of albuminuria, diabetes and hypertension in females, and of non-ACR events overall. Repeat investigation with a larger sample size is warranted.

Charitable food as prevention: Food bank leadership perspectives on food banks as agents in population health

ABSTRACTFood banks (FBs) and their partner agencies play important food access roles in nearly every US community. While FB missions have historically emphasized hunger alleviation, stakeholders are increasingly expressing interest in leveraging these community assets to promote health. We conducted semi-structured interviews with US FB executives (n = 30) to explore their perspectives on the evolving role of FBs in community health, and how these perspectives relate to organizational efforts to distribute healthier foods, including fruits and vegetables (F&V). All but one executive reported actively working to increase F&V distribution; however, fewer executives had implemented nutrition policies. Executives reporting higher F&V distribution more often described health as central to their organization’s mission and perceived charitable food program clients as being at high risk for chronic disease. FB leadership recognition of health and hunger as interrelated community issues may have direct implications for FB strategic planning, distribution practices, and policies related to F&V.

Associations between overweight and obesity and health enhancing behaviours among female nurses in Poland.

The nursing profession entails many negative factors and high risk of chronic diseases, including overweight and obesity. The aim of the study is to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and health enhancing behaviours in Polish female nurses, and associations between overweight and 4 groups of such behaviours, age and shift work. The analysis covered data obtained through cross-sectional survey carried out in a group of 994 nurses with an average age of 43. The analysis covered answers about 29 health-enhancing behaviours divided into 4 categories (subscales): 1) nutrition, 2) physical activity, 3) sleep, rest and behaviours related to mental health, 4) preventive behaviours. They were analysed through the validated Positive Health Behaviours Scale for adults. The analysis also covered answers about avoiding drinking large amounts of alcohol in one go, not smoking, avoiding passive smoking, not abusing unprescribed drugs. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 44%. Of 29 health behaviours concerned with nutrition, physical activity, sleep, rest, and mental health, preventive behaviours, 3 were exhibited always or almost always by over a half of the nurses. Health behaviours were more common in nurses whose BMI was normal than in nurses with BMI ≥ 25.0. Age and low physical activity levels were related to overweight and obesity in nurses. The study revealed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and many deficits in health behaviours. Obesity and health behaviour deficits pose risks to the health of nurses, limit their involvement in prevention and treatment of patient obesity and impact as health educators. It is essential to engage in actions for health promotion among nurses.

Does menopause hormone therapy reduce the risk of chronic diseases?

The hormonal deficit of post menopause is not only linked to the classic hot flashes, but also to a higher risk of chronic diseases. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) adequately treats climacteric symptoms and can prevent some chronic diseases such as osteoporosis. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, which indicated risks of MHT in elderly postmenopausal women, caused a massive withdrawal of this therapy. But, in recent years the results of the WHI have been challenged by methodological problems and by several studies indicating that, if MHT is initiated early and the non-oral route is preferred, the risks could be minimized and it could improve not only the quality of life but also reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of MHT for the prevention of chronic diseases, a position that has been challenged by publications of the North American Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society. This controversy persists so far. We report data that suggest a preventive role of MHT in perimenopausal women.

Parental Support in Taiwan that Promotes Children’s Physical Activity

In Taiwan, children’s physical activity (PA) levels have been declining, which leads to a higher risk for chronic disease in adulthood. Children’s PA habits are formed within environmental and social contexts in which parents play a fundamental role. Most studies that evaluate parental factors are Western and use single or unidimensional measures. There are few Asian studies, especially of young children, on this topic. Hence, we developed a culturally sensitive and multidimensional scale to determine how parents in Taiwan can effectively promote children’s PA. We based our scale on the Activity Support Scale (ACTS) and processed it using a World Health Organization (WHO) protocol. We recruited 428 parents of school-aged children and used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test its content validity. We then distributed the verified scale to a new group of 615 parents for criteria-related validation using multivariate logistic regression. We finally developed a multidimensional scale comprised of three major factors of parental support for children’s PA: (1) modeling, (2) logistic support—the first two are based on the ACTS—and (3) parental regulation, a newly found factor. This scale provides a culturally sensitive measure of parental influence on children’s physical activity.

Biological Age Is Associated with the Active Use of Nutrition Data.

Purpose Biological age (BA) has recently emerged as a substitute for chronological age (CA), and many subjects seek to optimally control their BA. However, in South Korea, no study has adequately explored factors that affect BA, although individual health management is essential to preventing chronic diseases. In the present study, we focus on the use of health information, in particular nutrition facts, to control BA. Methods We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2010–2015; 26,914 eligible participants) using BA and age differences as outcome variables. We used multiple linear regression to explore the relationship between the use of nutrition data and differences in BA after adjusting for covariates. In addition, we used multiple linear regression to examine subgroup differences in such relationships. Results 12.8% of males and 27.5% of females used nutrition facts when deciding which foods to purchase. The more attention paid to such facts, the lower the BA and BA differences in both males and females (males: β = −2.646, females: β = −2.787, p < 0.05, for BA; males: β = −1.181, females, β = −2.161, p < 0.05, for BA differences). However, BA differences were more significant in subjects with chronic disease, obesity, and/or a family history of chronic disease. Conclusion High-level awareness of and active use of nutrition facts permitted effective self-management in preventing chronic disease and improving BA, particularly in subjects at higher risk for chronic disease. Thus, considering nutrition facts when deciding what to purchase is important.

Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration Is a Safe and Effective Strategy for Elderly Patients.

Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) has been widely used to remove common bile duct (CBD) stones. However, surgery is not considered as the first treatment choice for elderly patients with CBD stones because of the potential risk of postoperative complications. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficiency of LCBDE for elderly patients. From April 2011 to October 2016, 265 consecutive patients underwent LCBDE. We performed a retrospective study and divided these patients into 2 groups. The younger group was younger than 70 years old (n = 179), and the elderly group was 70 years old or older (n = 86). We compared patient demographics, clinical characteristics, intraoperative parameters, postoperative complications, and incidence of recurrent stone between the 2 groups. The elderly patients had higher preoperative morbidity of chronic diseases, such as pulmonary diseases, heart diseases, arterial hypertension, and abdominal operation history ( P < .05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate to open surgery, total cost, overall complications, and incidence of recurrent stone ( P > .05). LCBDE can also be carried out as a safe and effective approach to remove CBD stones in elderly patients, although they have higher risk of chronic diseases.

Intelligent prescription system combined with a national pharmacloud for geriatrics care

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The elderly are high risk for chronic diseases and multiple drug use – two problems that make geriatric medication use more complex; as a result, the possibility of duplicate prescriptions and drug interactions increase, affecting patient safety. The objective of this study was to develop an Intelligent Prescription System Combined with a National PharmaCloud for Geriatrics Care (IPSPcG) that can reduce the occurrence of duplicate prescriptions. Methods: The system was implemented in a teaching hospital in Taiwan. The IPSPcG consists of two major components: (1) the collection module and (2) Intelligent Knowledge-base Module. Data on medication prescription behaviors and medication-blocking rates were gathered from January 2015 to December 2017.Results: Overall, during the study period, the IPSPcG system included 39,678 prescriptions. Antihypertensive medications were included at the highest proportion (8962, 22.6%). The system changed physician’s prescription behavior (p < .001) and decreased potential duplicate prescription times (14%).Conclusion: The results of this study show that integrating appropriate recommendations from drug messages can reduce repeated drug prescriptions. Due to the diversity of diseases, the diversity and accuracy of medical advice must improve. The results of the ‘Comprehensive Prescription Information’ provided by this system can serve as a reference for future research.

Assessment and comparison of nutritional status of government and private school children of Muzaffarnagar city

Background: Malnutrition leads to poor cognitive performance and physical growth in children and is a major component of school health services. Imbalanced nutrition in adolescence can put them at high risk of chronic diseases particularly if combined with adverse lifestyle. Objective: This study was designed to assess and compare the nutritional status of government and private school children of Muzaffarnagar city. Material and Methods: School based, comparative Cross-sectional study. One private and one government school was selected using unistage stratified random sampling. A total of 1960 (980 each from private school and government school) school children of class 6-12 were studied for socio-epidemiological details, dietary habits, and physical activity. Information on education status, occupation, monthly income of their parents was also collected. Required anthropometric measurements were taken. Results: Of 980 children from private school, 90 (9.18%) were underweight,138 (14.08%) were overweight, and 137 (13.97%) were obese. Majority of children from government school were underweight 215 (21.94%) except for 24 (2.45%) overweight children. Conclusion: This study shows the dual nature of nutritional problem, under-nutrition among the lower socioeconomic class of govt. school at one side and worrisome epidemic of obesity among the affluent of private school.

NAChRs-ERK1/2-Egr-1 signaling participates in the developmental toxicity of nicotine by epigenetically down-regulating placental 11β-HSD2

Impaired placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) activity which inactivates maternal glucocorticoids is associated with poor fetal growth and a higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. This study aimed to elucidate the epigenetically regulatory mechanism of nicotine on placental 11β-HSD2 expression. Pregnant Wistar rats were administered 1.0 mg/kg nicotine subcutaneously twice a day from gestational day 9 to 20. The results showed that prenatal nicotine exposure increased corticosterone levels in the placenta and fetal serum, disrupted placental morphology and endocrine function, and reduced fetal bodyweight. Meanwhile, histone modification abnormalities (decreased acetylation and increased di-methylation of histone 3 Lysine 9) on the HSD11B2 promoter and lower-expression of 11β-HSD2 were observed. Furthermore, the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α4/β2, the phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Ets-like protein-1 (Elk-1), and the expression of early growth response-1 (Egr-1) were increased in the nicotine groups. In human BeWo cells, nicotine decreased 11β-HSD2 expression, increased nAChRα9 expression, and activated ERK1/2/Elk-1/Egr-1 signaling in the concentration (0.1–10 μM)-dependent manner. Antagonism of nAChRs, inhibition of ERK1/2 and Egr-1 knockdown by siRNA were able to block/abrogate the effects of nicotine on histone modification and expression of 11β-HSD2. Taken together, nicotine can impair placental structure and function, and induce fetal developmental toxicity. The underlying mechanism involves histone modifications and down-regulation of 11β-HSD2 through nAChRs/ERK1/2/Elk-1/Egr-1 signaling, which increases active glucocorticoids levels in the placenta and fetus, and eventually inhibits the fetal development.

High-glucose concentrations change DNA methylation levels in human IVM oocytes.

What are the effects of high-glucose concentrations on DNA methylation of human oocytes? High-glucose concentrations altered DNA methylation levels of Peg3 and Adiponectin in human in vitro maturation oocytes. Maternal diabetes has a detrimental influence on oocyte quality including epigenetic modifications, as shown in non-human mammalian species. Immature metaphase I (MI) stage oocytes of good quality were retrieved from patients who had normal ovarian potential and who underwent ICSI in the Reproductive Medicine Center of People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University. MI oocytes were cultured in medium with different glucose concentrations (control, 10 mM and 15 mM) in vitro and 48 h later, oocytes with first polar body extrusion were collected to check the DNA methylation levels. MI oocytes underwent in vitro maturation (IVM) at 37°C with 5% mixed gas for 48 h. Then the mature oocytes were treated with bisulfite buffer. Target sequences were amplified using nested or half-nested PCR and the DNA methylation status was tested using combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) and bisulfite sequencing (BS). High-glucose concentrations significantly decreased the first polar body extrusion rate. Compared to controls, the DNA methylation levels of Peg3 in human IVM oocytes were significantly higher in 10 mM (P < 0.001) and 15 mM (P < 0.001) concentrations of glucose. But the DNA methylation level of H19 was not affected by high-glucose concentrations in human IVM oocytes. We also found that there was a decrease in DNA methylation levels in the promoter of adiponectin in human IVM oocytes between controls and oocytes exposed to 10 mM glucose (P = 0.028). N/A. It is not clear whether the alterations are beneficial or not for the embryo development and offspring health. The effects of high-glucose concentrations on the whole process of oocyte maturation are still not elucidated. Another issue is that the number of oocytes used in this study was limited. This is the first time that the effects of high-glucose concentration on DNA methylation of human oocytes have been elucidated. Our result indicates that in humans, the high risk of chronic diseases in offspring from diabetic mothers may originate from abnormal DNA modifications in oocytes. This work was supported by the fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China (81401198) and Doctor Foundation of Qingdao Agricultural University (1116008).The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.