OBE Groups Research Articles

Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Apigenin in Obesity-Associated Fibrinolytic Dysfunction: Insights From an Animal Study.

Obesity (Obe) is a chronic metabolic disorder usually complicated by impaired fibrinolytic activity. Apigenin (Api) is one of the flavonoids that have anti-adiposity effects. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of Api in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. Twenty-four Wistar adult male rats were randomly allocated into control group, supplemented with a normal pellet diet (NPD); Api group, supplemented with Api (10 mg/kg) for eight weeks; Obe group, obesity was induced byfeeding HFD for eight weeks; and Obe/Api group, obese rats supplemented with Api for eight weeks. Body mass index (BMI), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), total superoxide dismutase(t-SOD) activity, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were measured. Compared to the control group, Obe group exhibited a significant increase in BMI, HOMA-IR, TNF-α, MDA, and PAI-1. These results were also associated with a significant decrease in serum t-SOD activity. Supplementation of Api alleviated the measured deteriorated parameters and ameliorated visceral adiposity in obese rats. This study provides compelling evidence regarding a promising role for Api in ameliorating the impairment of fibrinolytic activity in an Obe animal model. The observed effects are likely mediated through Api's anti-obesity properties, as well as its indirect modulation of PAI-1, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Future clinical studies are recommended that may make benefit of the preclinical therapeutic use of apigenin in obesity-associated fibrinolytic dysfunctions.

Intake of slow-digesting carbohydrates is related to changes in the microbiome and its functional pathways in growing rats with obesity induced by diet.

The main cause of insulin resistance in childhood is obesity, which contributes to future comorbidities as in adults. Although high-calorie diets and lack of exercise contribute to metabolic disease development, food quality rather than the quantity of macronutrients is more important than food density. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of changing the quality of carbohydrates from rapidly to slowly digestible carbohydrates on the composition of the gut microbiota and the profiles of the functional pathways in growing rats with obesity due to a high-fat diet (HFD). During the course of 4 weeks, rats growing on an HFD-containing carbohydrates with different digestive rates were fed either HFD-containing carbohydrates with a rapid digestion rate (OBE group) or HFD-containing carbohydrates with a slow digestion rate (OBE-ISR group). A non-obese group (NOB) was included as a reference, and rats were fed on a rodent standard diet (AIN93G). An analysis of gut microbiota was conducted using 16S rRNA-based metagenomics; a linear mixed-effects model (LMM) was used to determine changes in abundance between baseline and 4 weeks of treatment, and functional pathways were identified. Gut microbiota composition at bacterial diversity and relative abundance, at phylum and genus levels, and functional profiles were analyzed by integrating the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) database. The groups showed comparable gut microbiota at baseline. At the end of the treatment, animals from the ISR group exhibited differences at the phylum levels by decreasing the diversity of Fisher's index and Firmicutes (newly named as Bacillota), and increasing the Pielou's evenness and Bacteroidetes (newly named as Bacteroidota); at the genus level by increasing Alistipes, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Lachnoclostridium, Flavonifractor, Ruminiclostridium 5, and Faecalibaculum and decreasing Muribaculum, Blautia, and Ruminiclostridium 9. Remarkably, relative abundances of genera Tyzzerella and Angelakisella were higher in the OBE group compared to NOB and OBE-ISR groups. In addition, some microbiota carbohydrate metabolism pathways such as glycolysis, glucuronic acid degradation, pentose phosphate pathway, methanogenesis, and fatty acid biosynthesis exhibited increased activity in the OBE-ISR group after the treatment. Higher levels of acetate and propionate were found in the feces of the ISR group compared with the NOB and OBE groups. The results of this study demonstrate that replacing rapidly digestible carbohydrates with slowly digestible carbohydrates within an HFD improve the composition of the gut microbiota. Consequently, metabolic disturbances associated with obesity may be prevented.

Quality More Than Quantity: The Use of Carbohydrates in High-Fat Diets to Tackle Obesity in Growing Rats.

Childhood obesity prevention is important to avoid obesity and its comorbidities into adulthood. Although the energy density of food has been considered a main obesogenic factor, a focus on food quality rather that the quantity of the different macronutrients is needed. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of changing the quality of carbohydrates from rapidly to slowly digestible carbohydrates on metabolic abnormalities and its impact on obesity in growing rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Growing rats were fed on HFD containing carbohydrates with different digestion rates: a HFD containing rapid-digesting carbohydrates (OBE group) or slow-digesting carbohydrates (ISR group), for 4 weeks and the effect on the metabolism and signaling pathways were analyzed in different tissues. Animals from OBE group presented an overweight/obese phenotype with a higher body weight gain and greater accumulation of fat in adipose tissue and liver. This state was associated with an increase of HOMA index, serum diacylglycerols and triacylglycerides, insulin, leptin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, the change of carbohydrate profile in the diet to one based on slow digestible prevented the obesity-related adverse effects. In adipose tissue, GLUT4 was increased and UCPs and PPARγ were decreased in ISR group respect to OBE group. In liver, GLUT2, FAS, and SRBP1 were lower in ISR group than OBE group. In muscle, an increase of glycogen, GLUT4, AMPK, and Akt were observed in comparison to OBE group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the replacement of rapidly digestible carbohydrates for slowly digestible carbohydrates within a high-fat diet promoted a protective effect against the development of obesity and its associated comorbidities.

Reduced n-3 and n-6 PUFA (DHA and AA) Concentrations in Breast Milk and Erythrocytes Phospholipids during Pregnancy and Lactation in Women with Obesity.

Obesity during pregnancy is a worrying public health problem worldwide. Maternal diet is critical for fatty acid (FA) placental transport and FA content in breast milk (BM). We evaluated FA composition in erythrocytes phospholipids (EP) and BM in pregnant women with (OBE, n = 30) and without (non-OBE, n = 31) obesity. Sixty-one healthy women were evaluated at their 20–24th gestational week and followed until 6th month of lactation. Diet was evaluated through a food frequency questionnaire. FA composition of EP and BM was assessed by gas-liquid chromatography. The OBE group showed lower diet quality, but total n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), ALA, EPA, and DHA dietary intake was similar between groups. N-3 PUFA, ALA, DHA, and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in EP were lower at the 6th lactation month in the OBE group. In BM, the arachidonic acid (AA) concentration was lower at the end of the lactation, and DHA content showed an earlier and constant decline in the OBE group compared to the non-OBE group. In conclusion, n-3 PUFA and AA and DHA levels were reduced in EP and BM in pregnant women with obesity. Strategies to increase n-3 PUFA are urgently needed during pregnancy and lactation, particularly in women with obesity.

Similar rates of fat oxidation during graded submaximal exercise in women of different body composition.

BackgroundModerate intensity exercise ranging 40–60% of maximum oxygen uptake is advised to promote energy expenditure and fat oxidation in overweight and obese people. Although fat oxidation has been shown to be highly variable among individual, there is still a relative uncertainty regarding exercise prescription for women specifically. This article aimed to determine whether indicators of body composition can be used to narrow the exercise intensity range for exercise prescription in women.MethodsA total of 35 healthy women (age 30.8±9.5 yr) classified according to their BMI in normal weight (NOR; ≤24.9 kg·m2), overweight (OVW; 25–29.9 kg·m2) and obese groups (OBE; ≥30 kg·m2) completed a submaximal graded test (intensities eliciting ~30%, 40%, 50% and 60% of maximum oxygen uptake). Blood lactate, perceived exertion and absolute and relative substrate oxidation for fat (OXFAT) and carbohydrates (OXCHO) were measured at each stage.ResultsPerceived exertion and blood lactate increased as a function of exercise but did not differ across groups. There were no significant changes in absolute and relative OXFAT across groups, or as a function of exercise intensity. Peak OXFAT occurred at the 40%, 50% and 40% stages for NOR, OVW and OBE groups, respectively, with no significant differences across groups.ConclusionWe measured no differences, but considerable inter-individual variation, in fat oxidation in women of different body composition. This result is in agreement with previous research based on exercise performed at constant rate and in independent participant groups. Our findings do not support the fat oxidation hypothesis, and further emphasise the perspective that exercise prescription should be individualised and likely be based on considerations other than substrate oxidation.

Body composition influences blood pressure during submaximal graded test in women

This study aimed to determine whether body composition affected cardiovascular responses of normal, overweight and obese women by comparing heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) during a graded submaximal treadmill exercise. Thirty five healthy non-smoking, premenopausal women (age 30.8 ± 9.5 yr; height 1.66 ± 0.05 m; weight 73.8 ± 18.9 kg; body fat 36.2 ± 9.5%; maximum oxygen uptake 33.5 ± 8.1 mL·min·kg−1) volunteered for this study, and were classified into three groups based on BMI: normal weight (NOR; ≤24.9 kg·m2), overweight (OVW; 25−29.9 kg·m2) and obese (OBE; ≥30 kg·m2). Participants performed a submaximal graded test at 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, during which HR, systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured. At rest, participants of OBE group had higher BP than NOR and OVW. During the submaximal graded test, HR, SBP and MAP increased as a function of intensity. There were no group differences in HR, but greater SBP, DBP and MAP in OBE compared to NOR and OBW at all intensities except 60%. Overall, our study further contributes to underscore the importance of stress testing specifically to evaluate the increased risks apparently healthy obese women are placed at to developing diseases from the chronic exposure to raised BP, despite normal resting BP and HR responses during exercise.

A randomized trial of transdermal and oral estrogen therapy in adolescent girls with hypogonadism.

BackgroundAdolescent females with ovarian failure require estrogen therapy for induction of puberty and other important physiologic effects. Currently, health care providers have varying practices without evidence-based standards, thus investigating potential differences between oral and transdermal preparations is essential. The purpose of this study was to compare the differential effects of treatment with oral conjugated equine estrogen (OCEE), oral 17β estradiol (OBE), or transdermal 17β estradiol (TBE) on biochemical profiles and feminization in girls with ovarian failure.Study design20 prepubertal adolescent females with ovarian failure, ages 12–18 years, were randomized to OCEE (n = 8), OBE (n = 7), or TBE (n = 5) for 24 months. Estrogen replacement was initiated at a low dose (0.15 mg OCEE, 0.25 mg OBE, or 0.0125 mg TBE) and doubled every 6 months to a maximum dose of 0.625 mg/d OCEE, 1 mg/d OBE, or 0.05 mg/d TBE. At 18 months, micronized progesterone was added to induce menstrual cycles. Biochemical markers including sex hormones, inflammatory markers, liver enzymes, coagulation factors, and lipids were obtained at baseline and 6 month intervals. Differences in levels of treatment parameters between the groups were evaluated with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The effect of progesterone on biochemical markers was evaluated with the paired t-test.ResultsMean (±SE) estradiol levels at maximum estrogen dose (18 months) were higher in the TBE group (53 ± 19 pg/mL) compared to OCEE (14 ± 5 pg/mL) and OBE (12 ± 5 pg/mL) (p ≤ 0.01). The TBE and OBE groups had more effective feminization (100% Tanner 3 breast stage at 18 months). There were no statistical differences in other biochemical markers between treatment groups at 18 months or after the introduction of progesterone.ConclusionsTreatment with transdermal 17β estradiol resulted in higher estradiol levels and more effective feminization compared to oral conjugated equine estrogen but did not result in an otherwise different biochemical profile in this limited number of heterogeneous patients. OBE and TBE provide safe and effective alternatives to OCEE to induce puberty in girls, but larger prospective randomized trials are required.Trial registrationClinical Trials Identifier: NCT01023178.

Uso do teste de duplos esforços para avaliação da capacidade aeróbia de ratos obesos induzidos por dieta

INTRODUÇÃO: Há uma grande carência na literatura de estudos aprofundando o conhecimento em relação às ações do lactato e algumas limitações nas investigações com indivíduos saudáveis ou portadores de algum transtorno metabólico. OBJETIVO: Verificar se é possível avaliar a capacidade aeróbia de ratos obesos induzidos por dieta através do teste de duplos esforços. MÉTODOS: Quatorze ratos machos Wistar foram divididos em dois grupos: Controle (Con) e Obeso (Obe). Os animais controles foram alimentados com ração-padrão e água fornecida ad libitum. O grupo de ratos obesos foi alimentado com ração padrão e dieta hiperlipídica. Após 12 semanas do início da dieta foi realizado o teste de tolerância à insulina, de máxima fase estável de lactato (MFEL) e o teste de duplos esforços. RESULTADOS: A dieta foi eficiente para induzir a obesidade nos animais. Os animais obesos apresentaram redução na sensibilidade à insulina de aproximadamente 19% (Con = 2,156 ± 0,1187 UA versus Obe = 1,742 ± 0,1551 UA). No teste de máxima fase estável, a concentração de lactato e velocidade correspondente ao limiar anaeróbio foram 3,780 ± 0,09 mmol/L e 18 m.min-1, para ambos os grupos. A velocidade de limiar estimada pelo teste de duplos esforços foi de 15,59 ± 0,653 m.min-1 para os animais controles e 14,02 ± 0,565 m.min-1 para os animais obesos. O teste de duplos esforços subestimou a capacidade aeróbia dos animais controles em 13% e obesos em 8,7%, contudo, apresentou correlação significativa com a MFEL (r = 0,88; P < 0,0075 Con / r = 0,92; P < 0,0031 Obe). CONCLUSÃO: O teste de duplos esforços pode ser uma alternativa interessante para avaliar a capacidade aeróbia tanto de animais sedentários saudáveis como de animais obesos.

Signs of increased cortical hyperexcitability selectively associated with spontaneous anomalous bodily experiences in a nonclinical population

Introduction.The current study examined the presence of cortical hyperexcitability, in nonclinical hallucinators, reporting different forms of anomalous bodily experiences (ABEs). Groups reporting visual out-of-body experiences and nonvisual sensed-presence experiences were examined. It was hypothesised that only those hallucinators whose experiences contained visual elements would show increased signs of visual cortical hyperexcitability.Methods.One hundred and eighty-two participants completed the “Pattern-glare task” (involving the viewing of striped gratings with spatial frequencies irritable to visual cortex)—a task known to reflect degrees of cortical hyperexcitability associated with hallucinatory/aura experiences in neurological samples. Participants also completed questionnaire measures of anomalous “temporal-lobe experience” and predisposition to anomalous visual experiences.Results.Those reporting increased levels of anomalous bodily experiences provided significantly elevated scores on measures of temporal-lobe experience. Only the visual OBE group reported significantly elevated levels of cortical hyperexcitability as assessed by the pattern-glare task.Conclusions.Collectively, the results are consistent with there being an increased degree of background cortical hyperexcitability in the cortices of individuals predisposed to some ABE-type hallucinations, even in the nonclinical population. The present study also establishes the clinical utility of the pattern-glare task for examining signs of aberrant visual connectivity in relation to visual hallucinations.

Fractionating the unitary notion of dissociation: disembodied but not embodied dissociative experiences are associated with exocentric perspective-taking

It has been argued that hallucinations which appear to involve shifts in egocentric perspective (e.g., the out-of-body experience, OBE) reflect specific biases in exocentric perspective-taking processes. Via a newly devised perspective-taking task, we examined whether such biases in perspective-taking were present in relation to specific dissociative anomalous body experiences (ABE) – namely the OBE. Participants also completed the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS; Sierra and Berrios, 2000) which provided measures of additional embodied ABE (unreality of self) and measures of derealization (unreality of surroundings). There were no reliable differences in the level of ABE, emotional numbing, and anomalies in sensory recall reported between the OBE and control group as measured by the corresponding CDS subscales. In contrast, the OBE group did provide significantly elevated measures of derealization (“alienation from surroundings” CDS subscale) relative to the control group. At the same time we also found that the OBE group was significantly more efficient at completing all aspects of the perspective-taking task relative to controls. Collectively, the current findings support fractionating the typically unitary notion of dissociation by proposing a distinction between embodied dissociative experiences and disembodied dissociative experiences – with only the latter being associated with exocentric perspective-taking mechanisms. Our findings – obtained with an ecologically valid task and a homogeneous OBE group – also call for a re-evaluation of the relationship between OBEs and perspective-taking in terms of facilitated disembodied experiences.

Objective and subjective binge eating in underweight eating disorders: Associated features and treatment outcome

To define the utility of the DSM-IV-TR definition of binge eating, as it applies to anorexia nervosa (AN) and underweight eating disorder not otherwise specified (ED-NOS). We investigated the psychopathological features associated with bulimic episodes in 105 underweight individuals with eating disorders who reported regular objective bulimic episodes with or without subjective bulimic episodes (OBE group, n = 33), regular subjective bulimic episodes only (SBE group, n = 36) and neither objective nor subjective bulimic episodes (n = 36, no-RBE group). The Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), anxiety, depression, and personality tests were administered before and upon completion of inpatient cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) treatment 6 months later. Compared with the SBE group, OBE subjects had higher body mass index, and more frequent self-induced vomiting, while both OBE and SBE groups had more severe eating disorder psychopathology and lower self-directness than the no-RBE group. Dropout rates and outcomes in response to inpatient CBT were similar in the three groups. Despite a few significant differences at baseline, the similar outcome in response to CBT indicates that categorizing patients with underweight eating disorder on the basis of the type or frequency of bulimic episodes is of limited clinical utility.

Long-Term Infusions of Ghrelin and Obestatin in Early Lactation Dairy Cows

Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor and a potential orexigenic agent in monogastrics and ruminants. Obestatin has been reported to have the opposite (anorexigenic) effect. Fifty one multiparous cows were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 groups (n=17): a control group and 2 groups with cows continuously infused with 0.74μmol/d of ghrelin (GHR group) or obestatin (OBE group) subcutaneously. Infusions began 21 d in milk, and treatments continued for 8wk. Generalized linear models were used to determine the treatment effect on average daily and cumulative milk production and composition, and plasma ghrelin, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, leptin, nonesterified fatty acids, and glucose. Mixed models, with cow included as a repeated effect, were used to determine if treatment effects differed by week postcalving for milk production, body weight, and body condition score (BCS; scale 1 to 10). Parity, breed, week of the year at calving, treatment, week postcalving, and the 2 wk preexperimental average of each measure (covariate) were included as fixed effects. Treatment did not affect dry matter intake. Cows infused with GHR lost more BCS (−0.71 units) over the 8-wk study period than the control (−0.23 BCS units) cows, and on average were thinner than cows in either of the other 2 treatments (0.2 BCS units). Consistent with the extra BCS loss in GHR cows, plasma IGF-1, glucose, and leptin concentrations were reduced and plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were greater in GHR cows. Despite a numerical tendency for GHR cows to produce more milk (1,779kg) than control (1,681kg) or OBE (1,714kg) cows during the 8-wk period, milk production differences were not statistically different. However, the timing of the numerical separation of the lactation curves coincided with the significant changes in BCS, IGF-1, and leptin. Results indicate a positive effect of ghrelin infusion on lipolysis. Further research is required to determine if the numerical increase in milk production, which coincides with the increased negative energy balance, is real.