Mice (C57BL/6J: B6) exposed to maternal dietary restriction (DR) exhibited fetal growth- restriction and as adults develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. We aimed to determine the impact of DR on fetal hepatic gluconeogenic pathway and insulin sensitivity in late gestation. Second, we aimed to determine whether a postweaning diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids would alter the development of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and obesity in DR male offspring. The reduced rate of fetal glycogen synthesis by DR male offspring and altered hepatic gene expression of enzymes involved in insulin signalling and glucose metabolism suggest abnormal fetal development in response to DR that may contribute to the later development of the metabolic syndrome. The postweaning omega-3 diet improved obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in both DR and control males. These data suggest that nutrition in pregnancy and postnatal life play important roles in determining life-long metabolic health.

Mice (C57BL/6J: B6) exposed to maternal dietary restriction (DR) exhibited fetal growth- restriction and as adults develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. We aimed to determine the impact of DR on fetal hepatic gluconeogenic pathway and insulin sensitivity in late gestation. Second, we aimed to determine whether a postweaning diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids would alter the development of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and obesity in DR male offspring. The reduced rate of fetal glycogen synthesis by DR male offspring and altered hepatic gene expression of enzymes involved in insulin signalling and glucose metabolism suggest abnormal fetal development in response to DR that may contribute to the later development of the metabolic syndrome. The postweaning omega-3 diet improved obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in both DR and control males. These data suggest that nutrition in pregnancy and postnatal life play important roles in determining life-long metabolic health.

Both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the the metabolic syndrome (MetS) have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Inflammation and insulin resistance have each been associated with the development of MetS and the onset of T2D as well as the risk of CVD. Inflammation and insulin resistance are therefore suitable targets for public health initiatives and interventions in persons at risk for or living with CVD. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for CVD as well as MetS and T2D. Conversely, increased physical activity is associated with improved health outcomes for individuals with a high risk for developing CVD. Two possible mechanisms for the deleterious effects of inactivity on health are inflammation and insulin resistance. Researchers have hypothesized that increased adiposity and reduced fitness are partially responsible for the associations between inactivity, inflammation, and insulin resistance. However, these relationships have not been studied extensively in overweight/obese individuals, who are often unfit and sedentary. The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between baseline measures of walking activity and sedentary behavior, and inflammation and insulin resistance in a sample of adults with type 2 diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome. This thesis examined baseline data from participants enrolled in either of two studies of patients with T2D (n = 116) or MetS without T2D (n = 126). Participants included low income men and women (not pregnant or nursing) between the ages of 18 and 70 who either show depressed affect (BDI > 11), and were overweight (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) and had type 2 diabetes or had at least 3 components of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) classification of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Structural equation modeling was used to determine if physical inactivity is associated with inflammation or insulin resistance in these conditions. Possible mediational roles of adiposity and low cardiorespiratory fitness were also examined. Additional analyses were conducted to determine if these relationships can be estimated equally in MetS and T2D conditions. Activity was indirectly related to abdominal adiposity via an indirect, positive association with cardiorespiratory fitness. Abdominal adiposity was positively related to both inflammation and insulin resistance. There were no direct associations between activity and inflammation or insulin resistance in this population. Therefore, walking may be negatively related to cardiovascular risk, insofar as it reduces abdominal adiposity.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Wollongong, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 240-286.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences." Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-127).

ABSTRACT Insulin Dynamic Measures and Weight Change By Noreen Kloc B.S. Computer Information Technology, Purdue University December 7, 2015 INTRODUCTION: Weight gain and obesity are risk factors for insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease; however, there is a complicated interplay between insulin sensitivity (SI), fasting insulin, acute insulin response (AIR), and disposition index (DI) and the relationship of these dynamic measures with weight change is not well understood. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between insulin dynamic measures, SI, fasting insulin, AIR, and DI, with weight change during a 5-years follow-up period in the multi-ethnic cohort of the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). METHODS: Data on 879 men and women of Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and African-American race/ethnicity aged 40-69 years were obtained at baseline (1992-1994) and at 5 year follow-up. Crude associations between the insulin dynamic measures and weight change were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis test and the relationships between log-transformed insulin-related variables were examined using Spearman rank-order analysis. Multivariate regression models evaluated associations of interest adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and diabetes status in a time-dependent manner using mixed models. RESULTS: Insulin sensitivity SI inversely coevolves with weight, i.e. greater weight is predicted by lower SI at any time point. To answer the question whether SI is the cause or a consequence of weight change, we examined the associations with the baseline values and a change in SI. In this model, both the baseline SI and change in SI were inversely correlated with weight gain. A similar approach showed that baseline values and change in fasting insulin were directly associated with weight gain. Weight change over time was associated with AIR, i.e. increases in AIR and greater AIR at baseline predicted weight gain. We did not find strong relationships between DI and weight change. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion can modulate weight in a non-diabetic population.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-13T14:50:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-11-25Bitstream added on 2014-08-13T18:01:07Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000739020.pdf: 876211 bytes, checksum: 9bad2f7fc2c7256615bfb792f07281b1 (MD5) / Este estudo teve como objetivo estimar o número de casos de reações sorológicas não-negativas para doença de Chagas em doadores de sangue do Hemocentro de Botucatu, São Paulo - Brasil de 2003 a 2010 e, relaciona-las com as suas cidades de origem. Quinhentos e setenta e quatro reações sorológicas não-negativas para doença de Chagas foram avaliados. Destes, 371 eram reagentes (64,8%), e 203 inconclusivas (35,4%). Houve, em média, 72 casos/ano, e uma prevalência do sexo masculino foi observada (64,8%). Quarenta e três indivíduos (7,49%) tinham entre 18 e 30 anos, 92 (16,02%) de 31 a 40; 147 (25,61%) 41 a 50, e 292 (50,87%) tinham mais de 50 anos. Observou-se que 29.3% das mulheres com sorologia reagente estavam em idade fértil (18 e 45 anos). A maioria dos doadores eram naturais de cidades das regiões sudoeste e central da cidade de São Paulo, mas os indivíduos de outros estados contribuíram com 20%. A procedência da maioria dos doadores era a cidade de Botucatu/SP, seguido pela cidade de Taquarituba/SP. Portanto, o perfil de doadores de sangue neste hemocentro favorece a ocorrência de um número maior de reações sorológicas não-negativas. Embora tenha havido uma redução significativa no número de casos novos/ano para esta doença, ainda é um problema de saúde pública, e os resultados sugerem a necessidade de novas avaliações epidemiológicas na região estudada / This study aimed at estimating the number of cases of non-negative serological reactions to Chagas disease in blood donors at the Blood Center of Botucatu, São Paulo – Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and at relating them to their cities of origin. Five hundred and seventy-four non-negative results for Chagas disease were evaluated. Of these, 371 (64.8%) were reagent, and 203 (35.4%) were inconclusive. There were, on average, 72 cases/year, and a prevalence of males was observed (64.8%). Forty-three (7.49%) individuals were 18 to 30 years old; 92 (16.02%) were 31 to 40; 147 (25.61) 41 to 50, and 292 (50.87%) were older than 50 years. It was observed that 29.3% of females with reagent serology were at their fertile age (18 and 45 years). The majority of donors were originally from cities in the southwestern and central regions of São Paulo, but individuals from other states contributed with 20%. The provenance of most donors was the city of Botucatu/SP, followed by the city of Taquarituba/SP. Therefore, the profile of donors at this blood center favors the occurrence of a larger number of non-negative serological reactions. Although there has been a significant reduction in the number of new cases/year for this disease, it is still a public-health problem, and results suggest the need for new epidemiological assessments in the studied region

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-13T14:50:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-09-26Bitstream added on 2014-08-13T18:00:43Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000755543.pdf: 2833713 bytes, checksum: 86427bc336469fb69bf043b5b8eb3b70 (MD5) / The skeletal muscle atrophy is a common phenomenon in many chronic systemic diseases such a sepsis, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, AIDS and cancer. These diseases may be accompanied by a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by muscle wasting, denominated cachexia. The molecular pathways responsible for cachexia are not completely understood, however, evidence suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines like Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α and Interferon (INF)-γ have a key role in molecular pathways related to loss of function and muscle mass. The complexity of mechanisms controlling gene expression in this process suggests the involvement of additional regulatory molecules, such as microRNAs; these RNA molecules encoded by the genome regulate the function of skeletal muscle during development and various muscle diseases. MicroRNAs orchestrate common pathways or biological function, this unique feature gives rise as an effective tool for determining the pathways involved in specific diseases or biological processes. The hypothesis of this work is that the muscle atrophy induced by TNF-α and INF-γ has a microRNAs expression profile that allow the identification of regulatory networks and molecular pathways