Executive functions profile in extreme eating/weight conditions: from anorexia nervosa to obesity.

Background: Extreme weight conditions (EWC) groups along a continuum may share some biological risk factors and intermediate neurocognitive phenotypes. A core cognitive trait in EWC appears to be executive dysfunction, with a focus on decision making, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Differences between individuals in these areas are likely to contribute to the differences in vulnerability to EWC.

Effects of rs7903146 variation in the Tcf7l2 gene in the lipid metabolism of three different populations.

Background: TCF7L2 rs7903146 is an important genetic factor predicting type 2 diabetes (T2DM) which has also been linked to higher cardiovascular risk. To date, there is little information about the additional impact of this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) beyond glucose metabolism.

Methodology/principal Findings: We studied whether rs7903146 influenced postprandial lipid metabolism in three different populations (healthy young men, metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients and elderly persons).

Metabolic syndrome and vascular risk estimation in a Mediterranean non-diabetic population without cardiovascular disease.

Aims: Vascular risk equations are tools used to help prevent cardiovascular events. Our aim was to compare the REGICOR and SCORE equations in a general population and in persons with the metabolic syndrome (MS) according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation.

Methods And Results: We calculated the cardiovascular risk with both equations in a random sample of 838 non-diabetic persons aged 40-65years without a history of cardiovascular disease, of whom 251 had the MS.

Alterations of specific biomarkers of metabolic pathways in vascular tree from patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The aims of this study were to check whether different biomarkers of inflammatory, apoptotic, immunological or lipid pathways had altered their expression in the occluded popliteal artery (OPA) compared with the internal mammary artery (IMA) and femoral vein (FV) and to examine whether glycemic control influenced the expression of these genes. The study included 20 patients with advanced atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus, 15 of whom had peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), from whom samples of OPA and FV were collected. PAOD patients were classified based on their HbA1c as well (HbA1c ≤ 6.

Cellular and plasma oxidative stress biomarkers are raised in adults with bronchiectasis.

Background & Aims: Oxidative stress is believed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the oxidative stress status in bronchiectasis patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 90 clinically stable adults with bronchiectasis of any aetiology (36 with cystic fibrosis [CF] and 54 without CF) plus 50 healthy controls.

The gut microbiota profile is associated with insulin action in humans.

The role of the gut microbiota in the induction of metabolic diseases has now been increasingly recognized worldwide. Indeed, a specific gut microbiota has been shown to characterize lean versus obese phenotypes both in humans and mice. We have also recently demonstrated that a precise gut microbiota is associated with the host's responsiveness to a high-fat diet.

Hemoglobin A1c versus oral glucose tolerance test in postpartum diabetes screening.

Objective: To determine the usefulness of measuring hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C), alone or combined with the fasting glucose test, compared with the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for the reassessment of the carbohydrate metabolism status in postpartum women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Research Design And Methods: We evaluated the status of carbohydrate metabolism by performing the OGTT and fasting glucose and A1C tests in 231 postpartum women with prior GDM 1 year after delivery.

Results: The prevalence of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism was 45.

TNF-α inhibits PPARβ/δ activity and SIRT1 expression through NF-κB in human adipocytes.

The mechanisms linking low-grade chronic inflammation with obesity-induced insulin resistance have only been partially elucidated. PPARβ/δ and SIRT1 might play a role in this association. In visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from obese insulin-resistant patients we observed enhanced p65 nuclear translocation and elevated expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 compared to control subjects.

Resveratrol induces antioxidant defence via transcription factor Yap1p.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol suggested to play a protective role against ageing and age-related diseases. We demonstrate that administering low-doses of resveratrol causes ROS accumulation and transcriptional changes in yeast cells and human adipocytes. These changes in gene expression depend on the oxidative transcription factor Yap1p.

Breast cancer 1 (BrCa1) may be behind decreased lipogenesis in adipose tissue from obese subjects.

Context: Expression and activity of the main lipogenic enzymes is paradoxically decreased in obesity, but the mechanisms behind these findings are poorly known. Breast Cancer 1 (BrCa1) interacts with acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) reducing the rate of fatty acid biosynthesis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate BrCa1 in human adipose tissue according to obesity and insulin resistance, and in vitro cultured adipocytes.

Thymus fat as an attractive source of angiogenic factors in elderly subjects with myocardial ischemia.

Aging negatively affects angiogenesis which is found to be linked to declined vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production. Adult human thymus degenerates into fat tissue (thymus adipose tissue (TAT)). Recently, we described that TAT from cardiomyopathy ischemic subjects has angiogenic properties.

Influence of red wine polyphenols and ethanol on the gut microbiota ecology and biochemical biomarkers.

Background: Few studies have investigated the effect of dietary polyphenols on the complex human gut microbiota, and they focused mainly on single polyphenol molecules and select bacterial populations.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effect of a moderate intake of red wine polyphenols on select gut microbial groups implicated in host health benefits.

Design: Ten healthy male volunteers underwent a randomized, crossover, controlled intervention study.

Obesity-associated insulin resistance is correlated to adipose tissue vascular endothelial growth factors and metalloproteinase levels.

Background: The expansion of adipose tissue is linked to the development of its vasculature, which appears to have the potential to regulate the onset of obesity. However, at present, there are no studies highlighting the relationship between human adipose tissue angiogenesis and obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR).

Results: Our aim was to analyze and compare angiogenic factor expression levels in both subcutaneous (SC) and omentum (OM) adipose tissues from morbidly obese patients (n = 26) with low (OB/L-IR) (healthy obese) and high (OB/H-IR) degrees of IR, and lean controls (n = 17).

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein gene expression in adipose tissue is related with insulin resistance and lipolytic genes in morbidly obese patients.

Objective: Zinc-α(2) glycoprotein (ZAG) stimulates lipid loss by adipocytes and may be involved in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism. However, to date no studies have been made in the most extreme of obesity. The aims of this study are to analyze ZAG expression levels in adipose tissue from morbidly obese patients, and their relationship with lipogenic and lipolytic genes and with insulin resistance (IR).

Endotoxin increase after fat overload is related to postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in morbidly obese patients.

The low-grade inflammation observed in obesity has been associated with a high-fat diet, though this relation is not fully understood. Bacterial endotoxin, produced by gut microbiota, may be the linking factor. However, this has not been confirmed in obese patients.

De novo lipogenesis in adipose tissue is associated with course of morbid obesity after bariatric surgery.

Objective: De novo lipogenesis is involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and could be involved in the regulation of the triglyceride storage capacity of adipose tissue. However, the association between lipogenic and lipolytic genes and the evolution of morbidly obese subjects after bariatric surgery remains unknown. In this prospective study we analyze the association between the improvement in the morbidly obese patients as a result of bariatric surgery and the basal expression of lipogenic and lipolytic genes.

Lifetime obesity in patients with eating disorders: increasing prevalence, clinical and personality correlates.

Objectives: The aims of our study were to examine the lifetime prevalence of obesity rate in eating disorders (ED) subtypes and to examine whether there have been temporal changes among the last 10 years and to explore clinical differences between ED with and without lifetime obesity.

Methods: Participants were 1383 ED female patients (DSM-IV criteria) consecutively admitted, between 2001 and 2010, to Bellvitge University Hospital. They were assessed by means of the Eating Disorders Inventory-2, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, the Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ-dependent regulation of lipolytic nodes and metabolic flexibility.

Optimal lipid storage and mobilization are essential for efficient adipose tissue. Nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) regulates adipocyte differentiation and lipid deposition, but its role in lipolysis and dysregulation in obesity is not well defined. This investigation aimed to understand the molecular impact of dysfunctional PPARγ on the lipolytic axis and to explore whether these defects are also confirmed in common forms of human obesity.

Zinc alpha-2 glycoprotein is implicated in dyslipidaemia in HIV-1-infected patients treated with antiretroviral drugs.

Objectives: Treated HIV-1-infected patients with lipodystrophy often develop insulin resistance and proatherogenic dyslipidaemia. Zinc alpha-2 glycoprotein (ZAG) is a recently characterized adipokine which has been shown to be involved in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome in uninfected subjects. We assessed the relationship between circulating ZAG levels and metabolic derangements in HIV-1-infected patients receiving antiretroviral drugs.

Reduced levels of anti-MDA LDL antibodies in patients with carbohydrate metabolism disorders.

Background: Diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have a worse prognosis than non-diabetic patients. The anti-oxidized LDL antibodies (anti-LDLox ab) have recently been suggested to be protective against the development of diabetes. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of IgG and IgM anti-oxidized LDL antibodies with reference to the new diagnostic criteria for carbohydrate metabolism disorders after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in hospitalized patients scheduled to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention.

Differential effects of polyphenols and alcohol of red wine on the expression of adhesion molecules and inflammatory cytokines related to atherosclerosis: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Few clinical studies have focused on the alcohol-independent cardiovascular effects of the phenolic compounds of red wine (RW).

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol and phenolic compounds of RW on the expression of inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis in subjects at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Design: Sixty-seven high-risk, male volunteers were included in a randomized, crossover consumption trial.

Postprandial hypertriglyceridemia predicts improvement in insulin resistance in obese patients after bariatric surgery.

Background: Morbidly obese patients have associated diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. Bariatric surgery improves these obesity-related co-morbidities, including insulin resistance. Evidence has shown that patients with morbid obesity have postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and that this type of HTG is related to the degree of insulin resistance.

Postprandial inflammatory response in adipose tissue of patients with metabolic syndrome after the intake of different dietary models.

Scope: Dysfunctional adipose tissue may be an important trigger of molecular inflammatory pathways that cause cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to determine whether the specific quality and quantity of dietary fat produce differential postprandial inflammatory responses in adipose tissue from metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients.

Methods And Results: A randomized, controlled trial conducted within the LIPGENE study assigned MetS patients to 1 of 4 diets: (i) high-saturated fatty acid (HSFA), (ii) high-monounsaturated fatty acid (HMUFA), (iii) low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diet supplemented with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (LFHCC n-3), and (iv) low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diet supplemented with placebo (LFHCC), for 12 wk each.