Relative Adiposity Research Articles

Agreement between Body Composition Estimates using a 2D Imaging System Across different Body Positions and Days

ABSTRACT Relative adiposity (%Fat) was measured using a smartphone-based application in a convenience sample of adults aged 20–52 years (n = 32, 68.7% female, 84.3% White/Caucasian, 26.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2) across different body positions (Anterior versus Posterior) on consecutive days (Day 1 versus Day 2). A reference photo was obtained from the posterior view on Day 1 (POSTDay1), with an additional photo obtained from the anterior view (ANTDay1). A third photo from the posterior view was obtained on Day 2 (POSTDay2). Potential differences were assessed using an adjusted alpha level (p < .025). ANTDay1 (26.44 ± 6.19%Fat) was not different than POSTDay1 (26.84 ± 6.07%Fat, MAPE = 3.63%, p = .04) (ICC = 0.99, SEE = 1.1%Fat, p < .001). In addition, POSTDay2 (26.65 ± 6.17%Fat) was not different than POSTDay1 (MAPE = 3.30%, p = .31) (ICC = 0.99, SEE = 1.0%Fat, p < .001). Both ANTDay1 and POSTDay2 were considered equal to POSTDay1, suggesting %Fat can be consistently measured from a single digital image using a smartphone-based application in healthy young and middle-aged adults.

The MapMe Body Scales: Validity and Reliability of a Biometrically Accurate, Photorealistic Set of Child Body Size Scales.

It is vital to identify children whose weight status means that they may benefit from medical or behavioural support, but adult visual judgements of child weight status are inaccurate, and children are seldom routinely weighed and measured. Consequently, there is a need for validated visual tools for use in training, communication, and interventions relating to child weight. This paper presents validation data for a set of innovative photo-realistic colour body size scales depicting boys and girls aged 4-5 and 10-11. Each age- and gender-specific scale consists of 7 figures based on three-dimensional (3D) scans of 388 children to accurately represent the change in body size caused by changing adiposity. To assess scale validity, 238 adult participants (105 men, 132 women, 1 non-binary individual) undertook two tasks: rating figure adiposity using a visual analogue scale and ranking figures in ascending order of adiposity (OSF Reference: gdp9j). Participants accurately estimated the relative adiposity of each figure, i.e., they were able to tell the difference between figures and correctly rank them by size. This demonstrates scale validity for use in body size tasks. One hundred and fifty-one participants also provided 3-day test-retest data, which demonstrates excellent short-term reliability. Overall, the MapMe child body size scales provide an anthropometrically accurate, valid, reliable, and usable tool for size-related tasks and communication with adults regarding child weight.

Nutrition and Bone Marrow Adiposity in Relation to Bone Health.

Bone remodeling is energetically demanding process. Energy coming from nutrients present in the diet contributes to function of different cell type including osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts in bone marrow participating in bone homeostasis. With aging, obesity and osteoporosis the function of key building blocks, bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), changes towards higher accumulation of bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) and decreased bone mass, which is affected by diet and sex dimorphism. Men and women have unique nutritional needs based on physiological and hormonal changes across the life span. However, the exact molecular mechanisms behind these pathophysiological conditions in bone are not well-known. In this review, we focus on bone and BMAT physiology in men and women and how this approach has been taken by animal studies. Furthermore, we discuss the different diet interventions and impact on bone and BMAT in respect to sex differences. We also discuss the future perspective on precision nutrition with a consideration of sex-based differences which could bring better understanding of the diet intervention in bone health and weight management.

Likely causal effects of insulin resistance and IGF-1 bioaction on childhood and adult adiposity: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundCirculating insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations are positively correlated with adiposity. However, the causal effects of insulin and IGF-1 on adiposity are unclear.MethodsWe performed two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses to estimate the likely causal effects of fasting insulin and IGF-1 on relative childhood adiposity and adult body mass index (BMI). To improve accuracy and biological interpretation, we applied Steiger filtering (to avoid reverse causality) and ‘biological effect’ filtering of fasting insulin and IGF-1 associated variants.ResultsFasting insulin-increasing alleles (35 variants also associated with higher fasting glucose, indicative of insulin resistance) were associated with lower relative childhood adiposity (P = 3.8 × 10−3) and lower adult BMI (P = 1.4 × 10−5). IGF-1-increasing alleles also associated with taller childhood height (351 variants indicative of greater IGF-1 bioaction) showed no association with relative childhood adiposity (P = 0.077) or adult BMI (P = 0.562). Conversely, IGF-1-increasing alleles also associated with shorter childhood height (306 variants indicative of IGF-1 resistance) were associated with lower relative childhood adiposity (P = 6.7 × 10−3), but effects on adult BMI were inconclusive.ConclusionsGenetic causal modelling indicates negative effects of insulin resistance on childhood and adult adiposity, and negative effects of IGF-1 resistance on childhood adiposity. Our findings demonstrate the need to distinguish between bioaction and resistance when modelling variants associated with biomarker concentrations.

Maternal α-casein deficiency extends the lifespan of offspring and programmes their body composition.

Early nutrition has significant effects on physiological outcomes during adult life. We have analysed the effect of maternal α-casein (CSN1S1) deficiency on the physiological fate of dams and their offspring. α-casein deficiency reduces maternal milk protein concentration by more than 50% and attenuates the growth of pups to 27% (p < 0.001) of controls at the point of weaning. This is associated with a permanent reduction in adult body weight (- 31% at 25weeks). Offspring nursed by α-casein deficient dams showed a significantly increased lifespan (+ 20%, χ2: 10.6; p = 0.001). Liver transcriptome analysis of offspring nursed by α-casein deficient dams at weaning revealed gene expression patterns similar to those found in dwarf mice (reduced expression of somatotropic axis signalling genes, increased expression of xenobiotic metabolism genes). In adult mice, the expression of somatotropic axis genes returned to control levels. This demonstrates that, in contrast to dwarf mice, attenuation of the GH-IGF signalling axis in offspring nursed by α-casein deficient dams is transient, while the changes in body size and lifespan are permanent. Offspring nursed by α-casein deficient dams showed permanent changes in body composition. Absolute and relative adipose tissue weights (p < 0.05), the percentage of body fat (p < 0.001) as well as adipocyte size in epididymal white adipose tissue are all reduced. Serum leptin levels were 25% of those found in control mice (p < 0.001). Liver lipid content and lipid composition were significantly altered in response to postnatal nutrition. This demonstrates the nutrition in early life programmes adult lipid metabolism, body composition and lifespan.

The role of brown adipose tissue in mediating healthful longevity.

There are two major subtypes of adipose tissue, i.e., white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). It has been known for a long time that WAT mediates obesity and impairs healthful longevity. More recently, interest has focused on BAT, which, unlike WAT, actually augments healthful aging. The goal of this review is to examine the role of BAT in mediating healthful longevity. A major role for BAT and its related beige adipose tissue is thermogenesis, as a mechanism to maintain body temperature by producing heat through uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) or through UCP1-independent thermogenic pathways. Our hypothesis is that healthful longevity is, in part, mediated by BAT. BAT protects against the major causes of impaired healthful longevity, i.e., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, reduced exercise tolerance, and impaired blood flow. Several genetically engineered mouse models have shown that BAT enhances healthful aging and that their BAT is more potent than wild-type (WT) BAT. For example, when BAT, which increases longevity and exercise performance in mice with disruption of the regulator of G protein signaling 14 (RGS14), is transplanted to WT mice, their exercise capacity is enhanced at 3 days after BAT transplantation, whereas BAT transplantation from WT to WT mice also resulted in increased exercise performance, but only at 8 weeks after transplantation. In view of the ability of BAT to mediate healthful longevity, it is likely that a pharmaceutical analog of BAT will become a novel therapeutic modality.

Abstract 3434: Effect modification by levels of sex hormones in the association between adiposity and cancer incidence in the UK Biobank

Abstract Introduction: The association between adiposity and cancer risk differs between sexes for some cancer types. Methods: We prospectively examined adiposity in relation to cancer incidence according to sex hormones in the UK Biobank. Adiposity was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), the latter predicted using determinants of age, height, weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, and race. Serum sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, and estradiol were measured using a biochemistry assay and were classified as high or low based on median levels. Cancer incidence was ascertained using ICD-10 codes through cancer registry linkage. For cancer types showing a sex difference in the association between adiposity and cancer incidence, we assessed multiplicative and additive interaction with sex hormones in men and women separately and corrected for multiple testing using false discovery rate. We used Cox regression to calculate the multivariable hazard ratio (HR) of cancer per increase between the 90th to 10th percentile of adiposity (BMI or predicted VAT). Results: During a median follow-up of 13.1 years, we documented 23,964 and 21,045 incident cancer cases among 217,460 men and 256,163 women, respectively. Adiposity showed a much stronger association with higher risk of colorectal, esophageal, and liver cancers in men than women. In men, BMI was more strongly associated with higher risk of colorectal cancer in low vs. high levels of SHBG (HR (95%CI) of 1.47 (1.31-1.64) vs. 1.12 (0.94-1.33) (adjusted Pinteraction = 0.027). In contrast, BMI showed a stronger association in high vs. low levels of SHBG with esophageal (HR = 2.39 vs. 1.62) and liver cancers (HR = 3.24 vs 1.96) in men (adjusted Pinteraction = 0.038 and 0.027, respectively). Among women, BMI was associated with a higher risk of esophageal cancer in those with low SHBG (HR=1.68) but not in those with high SHBG (HR=0.64) (adjusted Pinteraction = 0.025). Similar patterns were observed for predicted VAT. Men with high SHBG levels and high adiposity (BMI and predicted VAT) had 7.63 (5.08-11.46) and 8.92 (5.72 to 13.90), respectively, times higher risk of liver cancer compared to men with low SHBG levels and low adiposity. No effect modification by estradiol or testosterone was detected for any of the cancers studied. Conclusions: The association between adiposity and colorectal, esophageal, and liver cancer differed by sex. SHBG may be an important factor underlying these differences. Citation Format: LeeAnn Lucas, Yujia Lu, Edward L. Giovannucci, Mingyang Song. Effect modification by levels of sex hormones in the association between adiposity and cancer incidence in the UK Biobank [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3434.

Revisiting the predictability of follicular fluid leptin and related adiposity measures for live birth in women scheduled for ICSI cycles: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundOur research question is could follicular fluid (FF) leptin solely or contemporaneously with other clinical, biochemical, and sonographic adiposity measures predict the probability of having a live birth during ICSI cycles? This is a prospective cohort study that enrolled infertile women without polycystic ovary syndrome scheduled for ICSI. At baseline, women had an assessment of obesity using different metrics: clinical, serum biochemical, and sonographic. Clinical measures encompassed waist circumference and body mass index. Biochemical evaluation comprised an assessment of the homeostasis model for insulin resistance, visceral adiposity index, and lipid accumulation product. Preperitoneal and subcutaneous abdominal fat were measured using ultrasound and body fat index was calculated. On the day of oocyte retrieval, pooled FF was sampled to assess FF leptin. Our primary outcome was live birth after one fresh embryo transfer cycle.ResultsOut of 91 women analyzed in this study, 28 have a live birth (30.8%). No difference in FF leptin concentration was found between women with and without live birth (mean ± SD; 20336 ± 8006 vs 18493 ± 6655 pg/ml; P = 0.2). None of the assessed adiposity markers was a predictor for live birth. Substantially, follicular fluid leptin was positively correlated with insulin resistance in women with and without live birth (r = 0.21, P = 0.04). In logistic regression analysis, the outcome of the prior cycle, the ability to have cryopreserved embryos, and the oocyte maturation index were the predictors for live birth in our study.ConclusionsThe present work could not find evidence that follicular fluid leptin, preperitoneal fat, and other evaluated adiposity measures could impact live births after ICSI cycles.

Histopathological features and metabolic disorders in Tunisian rodent Psammomys obesus fed high-caloric diets

This study aimed at investigating the alteration of lipid serum profile and histopathological damage in Psammomys obesus fed different high calorie diets. Animals were randomly assigned to four groups. P. obesus of the control group were fed with a Low-Calorie natural Diet, the Chenopodicae plant (0.42 kcal/g). The three other groups were fed high calorie diets rich in carbohydrates and protein or rich in carbohydrates and fat (~3.5 - 4.7 kcal/g). Lipid serum profile was assessed bimonthly during seven-month diets. The recorded energy intake was significantly high in the groups fed high calorie diets compared with the control group. Body weight was significantly increased in animal groups fed high calorie diets. All Psammomys obesus fed high-calorie diets developed dyslipidemia with the distinction of different sub-groups developing or not obesity and diabetes. High calorie diets rich in carbohydrates and fat induced a remarkable increase in lipid serum biomarkers indicating a fast induction of dyslipidemia from the first month of the experiment with a significant increase in transaminase activities after two months revealing pronounced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity which were confirmed by a significant increase in liver and kidney relative weight and adiposity index. Severe histological alterations were recorded in obese, diabetic and dyslipidemic Psammomys obesus with a noticeable hypertrophy of the adipocytes, glomeruli and islets of Langerhans, as well as increased hepatic lipid droplet accumulation, apoptosis, necrosis and inflammation. A significant decrease in the thickness of the whole retinal layer was also observed after seven-months diet. Animals fed Low-calorie natural diet don’t show any signs of obesity, dyslipidemia or diabetes. The high calorie diets induced rapid and severe changes in body weight, severe metabolic syndrome and histopathological features causing organ structural and functional injuries. Psammomys obesus seems like an excellent model for studying nutritional pathophysiological-metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and their complications, particularly diabetic retinopathy, comparable to those of human metabolic processes.

IMUNOMETABOLISMO TECIDUAL HEPÁTICO E MUSCULAR ESQUELÉTICO DE RATOS TREINADOS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Physical exercise can be an alternative for preventing and treating the harmful effects of obesity, mainly inflammatory effects on skeletal muscle and liver tissues. However, no consensus exists regarding this purpose's best physical training model. Objective: Evaluate morphological, metabolic, and inflammatory alterations in rats’ skeletal and hepatic muscle tissues caused by aerobic and resistance training. Methods: 24 Wistar rats were divided into sedentary (S), aerobic (AE), and resistance training (R) groups. Blood glucose, total cholesterol, and serum triglycerides were measured periodically. After euthanasia, body mass was measured to calculate the total mass gain during the experiment. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) was measured. Adipose tissue was extracted to calculate its percentage relative to body mass and the liver, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles for morphological analyses and concentrations of glycogen, lipids, and Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α). The Kruskall-Wallis test and Dunn's post-test were performed for statistical analysis, adopting p&lt;0.05. Results: Both training models reduced the percentage of adipose tissue, body mass gain, and hepatic TNF-α concentration (p&lt;0.05). AE increased serum HDL, gastrocnemius fiber diameter and reduced the fractal dimension in the soleus (p&lt;0.05). R reduced blood glucose and serum and liver lipids, increased liver and soleus glycogen concentrations, increased gastrocnemius fiber diameter, and decreased TNF-α (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Both training models reduced body mass, relative visceral adipose tissue, serum total cholesterol concentration, and liver inflammation. However, resistance training was more effective in promoting metabolic effects in the liver and skeletal muscle and reducing muscle inflammation in rats. Level of Evidence V; Expert Opinion.

Association of sex-specific abdominal adipose tissue with WHO/ISUP grade in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

ObjectivesTo explore the association between computed tomography (CT)-measured sex-specific abdominal adipose tissue and the pathological grade of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).MethodsThis retrospective study comprised 560 patients (394 males and 166 females) with pathologically proven ccRCC (467 low- and 93 high-grade). Abdominal CT images were used to assess the adipose tissue in the subcutaneous, visceral, and intermuscular regions. Subcutaneous fat index (SFI), visceral fat index (VFI), intermuscular fat index (IFI), total fat index (TFI), and relative visceral adipose tissue (rVAT) were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed according to sex to identify the associations between fat-related parameters and pathological grade.ResultsIFI was significantly higher in high-grade ccRCC patients than in low-grade patients for both men and women. For male patients with high-grade tumors, the SFI, VFI, TFI, and rVAT were significantly lower, but not for female patients. In both univariate and multivariate studies, the IFI continued to be a reliable and independent predictor of high-grade ccRCC, regardless of sex.ConclusionsIntermuscular fat index proved to be a valuable biomarker for the pathological grade of ccRCC and could be used as a reliable independent predictor of high-grade ccRCC for both males and females.Critical relevance statementSex-specific fat adipose tissue can be used as a new biomarker to provide a new dimension for renal tumor-related research and may provide new perspectives for personalized tumor management decision-making approaches.Key points• There are sex differences in distribution of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.• The SFI, VFI, TFI, and rVAT were significantly lower in high-grade ccRCC male patients, but not for female patients.• Intermuscular fat index can be used as a reliable independent predictor of high-grade ccRCC for both males and females.Graphical

Abstract 15206: Prevalence of Myocardial Adipose Tissue in Non-Ischemic and Ischemic Victims of Sudden Cardiac Death

Background: Recent imaging studies have shown that patients with myocardial infarction scar who have ventricular arrhythmias show more adipose tissue around the scar. Similar changes are seen in ARVC. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of myocardial adipose tissue that co-localize with fibrosis in non-ischemic and ischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD) victims. Methods: The ischemic and non-ischemic subjects were derived from the FinGesture cohort, consisting of autopsy verified consecutive victims of SCD in Northern Finland between years 1998-2017 (n=5,869). Total of 48 non-ischemic, 47 ischemic and 37 accidental/intoxication related death subjects were included in the study. Hematoxylin-eosin-stained slides were digitized and fibrofatty deposits was determined using virtual microscopy software. Results: Myocardial adipose tissue was present in 51% of ischemic cases, 29% of non-ischemic cases and 14% of controls (p&lt; 0.001). In ischemic cases, BMI seems to be associated with the presence of myocardial adipose tissue. Mean BMI was higher in subjects with myocardial adipose tissue versus subjects without (29.2 vs 24.9. p=0.022). Conclusions: The findings suggest that adipose tissue might have an influence in creation of fatal arrhythmias in SCD as it does in scar related ventricular arrhythmias. In addition, it seems that obesity is associated with ischemic scar related adipose tissue metaplasia.

Associations between anthropometric parameters and immune-phenotypical characteristics of circulating Tregs and serum cytokines

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations between several anthropometric parameters and regulatory T cells (Tregs) and circulating cytokines in a population-based cohort.MethodsBetween 2018 and 2021, a total of 238 participants were examined up to three times within the scope of the MEGA study in Augsburg, Germany. Tregs were analyzed using flow cytometry and the serum concentrations of 52 cytokines were determined. Anthropometric parameters were measured, using also bioelectrical impedance analysis: body mass index (BMI), relative total body fat, relative visceral adipose tissue (rVAT), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body fat distribution. Associations were analyzed using linear mixed models with random intercept (Tregs) and conventional linear regression models (cytokines).ResultsWC and WHR were inversely associated with the general Treg subset. Four parameters (BMI, rVAT, WC, and WHR) were inversely associated with the conventional Treg population. Three cytokines showed a particularly strong association with several anthropometric parameters: the cutaneous T-cell attracting chemokine was inversely associated with anthropometric parameters, while hepatocyte growth factor and interleukine-18 showed positive associations.ConclusionsAnthropometric measures are associated with Tregs and serum cytokine concentrations revealing new important interconnections between obesity and the adaptive immune system.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Promotes state-dependent Effects on Neuroinflammatory and Behavioral Parameters in rats Chronically Exposed to Stress and a Hyper-Palatable Diet.

Chronic stress is a common condition affecting health, often associated with unhealthy eating habits. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed to address these issues. Thus, this research investigated the effects of tDCS on biometric, behavioral, and neurochemical parameters in chronically stressed rats fed a hyper-palatable cafeteria diet (CAFD). The study lasted 8 weeks, with CAFD exposure and/or chronic restraint stress model (CRS - 1h/day, 5 days/week, for 7 weeks) started concurrently. tDCS or sham sessions were applied between days 42 and 49 (0.5mA, 20min/day). CAFD increased body weight, caloric consumption, adiposity, and liver weight. It also altered central parameters, reducing anxiety and cortical levels of IL-10 and BDNF. In turn, the CRS resulted in increased adrenals in rats with standard diet (SD), and anxiety-like and anhedonic behaviors in rats with CAFD. tDCS provided neurochemical shifts in CAFD-fed stressed rats increasing central levels of TNF-α and IL-10, while in stressed rats SD-fed induced a decrease in the adrenals weight, relative visceral adiposity, and serum NPY levels. These data demonstrated the anxiolytic effect of CAFD and anxiogenic effect of stress in CAFD-fed animals. In addition, tDCS promoted state-dependent effects on neuroinflammatory and behavioral parameters in rats chronically exposed to stress and a hyper-palatable diet. These findings provide primary evidence for additional mechanistic and preclinical studies of the tDCS technique for stress-related eating disorders, envisioning clinical applicability.

(m-CF3-PhSe)2 counteracts metabolic disturbances and hypothalamic inflammation in a lifestyle rodent model.

An unhealthy lifestyle is associated with metabolic disorders and neuroinflammation. In this study, the efficacy of m-trifluoromethyl-diphenyl diselenide [(m-CF3-PhSe)2] against lifestyle model-related metabolic disturbances and hypothalamic inflammation in young mice was investigated. From postnatal day 25 (PND25) to 66, male Swiss mice were subjected to a lifestyle model, an energy-dense diet (20:20% lard: corn syrup) and sporadic ethanol (3x/week). Ethanol was administrated intragastrically (i.g., 2g/kg) to mice from PND45 to 60. From PND60 to 66, mice received (m-CF3-PhSe)2 (5mg/kg/day; i. g). (m-CF3-PhSe)2 reduced relative abdominal adipose tissue weight, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia in mice exposed to the lifestyle-induced model. (m-CF3-PhSe)2 normalized hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and the activity of G-6-Pase increased in lifestyle-exposed mice. (m-CF3-PhSe)2 was effective in modulating hepatic glycogen levels, citrate synthase and hexokinase activities, protein levels of GLUT-2, p-IRS/IRS, p-AKT/AKT, redox homeostasis, and inflammatory profile of mice exposed to a lifestyle model. (m-CF3-PhSe)2 counteracted hypothalamic inflammation and the ghrelin receptor levels in mice exposed to the lifestyle model. (m-CF3-PhSe)2 reversed the decreased levels of GLUT-3, p-IRS/IRS, and the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus of lifestyle-exposed mice. In conclusion, (m-CF3-PhSe)2 counteracted metabolic disturbances and hypothalamic inflammation in young mice exposed to a lifestyle model.

Visceral adiposity in cirrhosis: Association with disease severity and impact of liver transplantation.

Changes in adipose tissue distribution in liver cirrhosis are poorly characterized and may affect clinical outcomes. Adult liver transplant (LT) January 2008-August 2017 recipients with abdominal MRI within 6 months pre-LT were retrospectively assessed. Visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle area (cm2) were determined at L3. Visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR) was used to define relative adipose distribution, stratified by sex. Correlation was tested with Pearson. Body composition measures were compared by Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class, before and after LT, and evaluated as predictors of clinical outcomes. A total of 318 patients were studied. Mean age was 56 years, 33.64% were female, and 47.80% had CTP C cirrhosis. CTP C was associated with a 0.42-point increase in VSR compared with CTP A (95% CI = 0.13-0.71, p < 0.01), adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, and HCC. Among the 79 (24.84%) patients with repeat MRI 1-2 years after LT, VSR significantly improved from before LT (1.31 vs. 0.95, p < 0.01). In adjusted analysis, CTP C was associated with a 0.86-point decrease in post-LT VSR compared with pre-LT VSR (95% CI = -1.27 to -0.44, p < 0.01). Body mass index poorly correlated with VSR before and after LT. Elevated pre-LT VSR trended toward an association with a 7.17-point decrease in pre-LT glomerular filtration rate (95% CI = -14.35 to -0.02, p = 0.05), adjusting for CTP C, age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, pre-LT sarcopenia, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Elevated pre-LT VSR did not affect 3-year post-LT mortality (log-rank p = 0.24). Poorly represented by body mass index, visceral adiposity is increased in cirrhosis and is associated with CTP class. However, this adipose redistribution may be modifiable by LT.

Ratio of visceral fat area to body fat mass (VBR) is a superior predictor of coronary heart disease.

Ratio of visceral fat area to body fat mass (VBR) is a superior predictor of coronary heart disease.

Leucine supplementation in maternal high-fat diet alleviated adiposity and glucose intolerance of adult mice offspring fed a postweaning high-fat diet

BackgroundCombined maternal and postnatal high-fat (HF) diet intake predisposes offspring to metabolic dysregulation during adulthood. As the inhibitory effects of leucine consumption on obesity and metabolic disorders have been reported, the effects of maternal leucine supplementation on metabolic dysregulation in adult offspring were investigated.MethodsFemale mice were exposed to a control (C) or HF diet, with or without leucine (L) supplementation (1.5%, w/v), 3 weeks before mating, during pregnancy, and during lactation (C, CL, HF, and HFL). Male offspring were exposed to an HF diet for 12 weeks after weaning (C/HF, CL/HF, HF/HF, and HFL/HF). Serum biochemical parameters were determined for both the dams and offspring. Oral glucose tolerance test and qRT-PCR analysis were used to investigate metabolic dysregulation in the offspring.ResultsHFL dams exhibited higher relative adipose tissue weights than HF dams. Body weight, relative adipose tissue weight, and serum glucose levels were lower in the HFL/HF offspring than in the HF/HF offspring. Maternal leucine supplementation tended to alleviate glucose intolerance in the offspring of HF diet-fed dams. Additionally, mRNA levels of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a hepatokine associated with glucose homeostasis, were higher in HFL/HF offspring than in HF/HF offspring and were negatively correlated with adiposity and serum glucose levels. The mRNA levels of genes encoding a FGF21 receptor complex, Fgf receptor 1 and klotho β, and its downstream targets, proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ co‐activator 1α and sirtuin 1, were higher in adipose tissues of the HFL/HF offspring than in those of the HF/HF offspring. Serum lipid peroxide levels were lower in HFL dams than in HF dams and positively correlated with body and adipose tissue weights of offspring.ConclusionsLeucine supplementation in HF diet-fed dams, but not in control diet-fed dams, resulted in an anti-obesity phenotype accompanied by glucose homeostasis in male offspring challenged with postnatal HF feeding. Activation of FGF21 signaling in the adipose tissue of offspring may be responsible for these beneficial effects of leucine.

Intranasal administration of olanzapine has beneficial outcome in a rat activity-based anorexia model

The atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine is prescribed despite clinical studies on olanzapine treatment showing mixed results on treatment efficacy in anorexia nervosa. We investigated the effect of systemic and intranasal administration of olanzapine in the activity-based anorexia (ABA) model. Rats were habituated to a running wheel and exposed to the ABA model while treated with olanzapine. During ABA rats had 1.5 h of daily access to food and ad libitum access to a running wheel for seven consecutive days. Olanzapine was administered via an osmotic minipump (1, 2.75, and 7.5 mg/kg) or intranasally 2 h before dark onset (1 and 2.75 mg/kg). We monitored body weight, food intake, wheel revolutions, body temperature, and adipose tissue.We found 2.75 and 7.5 mg/kg systemic olanzapine decreased wheel revolutions during ABA. Relative adipose tissue mass was increased in the 7.5 mg/kg olanzapine-treated group while body weight, food intake, and body temperature were unaltered by the systemic olanzapine. 1 and 2.75 mg/kg intranasal olanzapine diminished wheel revolutions and body temperature during the first 2 h after administration. The intranasal olanzapine-treated rats had a higher body weight at the end of ABA.We find that olanzapine has beneficial outcomes in the ABA via two administration routes by acting mainly on running wheel activity. Intranasal olanzapine showed a rapid effect in the first hours after administration in reducing locomotor activity. We recommend further exploring intranasal administration of olanzapine in anorectic patients to assist them in coping with restlessness.

Anti-Obesity and Anti-Dyslipidemic Effects of Salicornia arabica Decocted Extract in Tunisian Psammomys obesus Fed a High-Calorie Diet.

Salicornia is a halophyte plant that has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of scurvy, goiter, and hypertension. It is commercialized in Europe and Asia as fresh salads, pickled vegetables, green salt, or tea powder. This work is the first to assess the potential anti-obesity and anti-dyslipidemic effects of Salicornia arabica decocted extract (SADE). SADE was characterized by its significant in vitro radical scavenging activity (using DPPH and ABTS assays). The effect of SADE on food intake, weight loss, serum biochemical parameters, liver and kidney weights, adiposity index and on liver histology was investigated in the Tunisian gerbil Psammomys obesus (P. obesus), which is recognized as a relevant animal model of human obesity and diabetes. P. obesus animals were firstly randomly divided into two groups: the first received a natural low-calorie chow diet (LCD), and the second group received a high-calorie diet (HCD) over 12 weeks. On day 90, animals were divided into four groups receiving or not receiving SADE (LCD, LCD + SADE, HCD, and HCD + SADE). If compared to the HCD group, SADE oral administration (300 mg/kg per day during 4 weeks) in HCD + SADE group showed on day 120 a significant decrease in body weight (-34%), blood glucose (-47.85%), serum levels of total cholesterol (-54.92%), LDL cholesterol (-60%), triglycerides (-48.03%), and of the levels of hepatic enzymes: ASAT (-66.28%) and ALAT (-31.87%). Oral administration of SADE restored the relative liver weight and adiposity index and significantly limited HCD-induced hepatic injury in P. obesus. SADE seems to have promising in vivo anti-obesity and anti-dyslipidemic effects.