Publications by authors named "D E Levitt"
Hazardous alcohol use and cardiometabolic risk among firefighters.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken)
January 2025
Article Synopsis
- Firefighters who misuse alcohol (high AUDIT-C scores) are at greater risk for various cardiometabolic issues, including higher cholesterol and blood pressure levels compared to those with low alcohol use.
- Mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety may influence this risk, affecting how alcohol misuse relates to blood pressure and lipid levels.
- Overall, understanding these relationships is crucial since they could impact the firefighters' readiness for duty and overall health.
Background And Purpose: The main features of the dynamics of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) have been known for 50 years: 1) in the absence of glucocorticoid (G), the receptor is localized entirely in the cytoplasm; 2) upon G binding, GR is converted into a tightly bound G form and is rapidly imported into the nucleus where it can bind DNA and modulate transcription; 3) nuclear export of GR is very slow; and 4) the nuclear form of GR can recycle through an unbound form, back to the bound transcription modulating form without leaving the nucleus.
Experimental Approach: A kinetic model that captures these features is presented, a set of model parameters for dexamethasone is derived, and the clinical implication for the commonly used glucocorticoids is discussed.
Key Results: At the high concentrations normally used to describe G pharmacodynamics, the model reduces to the standard Michaelis-Menten equation with a that is a function of 4 model parameters.
Bioenergetic pathways uniquely support sarcomere function which, in turn, helps to maintain functional skeletal muscle (SKM) mass. Emerging evidence supports alcohol (EtOH)-induced bioenergetic impairments in SKM and muscle precursor cells. We performed a scoping review to synthesize existing evidence regarding the effects of EtOH on SKM bioenergetics.
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- People with existing health issues, like metabolic problems, face higher risks for severe complications from SARS-CoV-2, and a high fat, high sugar diet (HFSD) and alcohol use may raise virus entry-related factors in cells.
- A study on SIV-infected macaques found that those on an HFSD had significantly higher levels of the ACE2 receptor in lung and pancreatic tissues compared to those on a standard diet, while alcohol consumption did not affect these levels.
- The findings suggest that a poor diet might heighten the risk for infections like COVID-19 by increasing key receptor expressions, highlighting the link between diet quality and virus susceptibility.
Article Synopsis
- Alcohol misuse in people with HIV and chronic binge alcohol in SIV-infected macaques lead to increased physical frailty and impaired muscle function, with specific microRNAs (myomiRs) involved in this impairment.
- Previous research found that myomiRs are expressed differently in muscle from alcohol-administered macaques, impacting the differentiation of muscle stem cells (myoblasts).
- The current study showed that delivering extracellular vesicle (EV)-carried miR-206 improves myoblast differentiation and muscle cell growth, suggesting EVs could be a potential treatment to enhance muscle function in individuals affected by alcohol-related issues.