Background: Breast and Gynecological cancers are a major public health problem. Smoking is associated with several chronic diseases including cancer. Other lifestyles of public health predispose many people to dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity; risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and are associated with cancer. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to find if those who smoke, and have the metabolic syndrome, are more likely to have breast or gynecological cancers, and to find the distribution by education, having health insurance, race/ethnicity and socio-economic status. Methods: A case-control study of females aged 20 years and above who participated in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2010. Results: Females who have smoked more than hundred cigarettes in life and still smoke; a) have a 42 percent less chance of having a breast cancer diagnosis (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.36 – 0.93, p-value 0.025), and b) are 2.67 times as likely to report a cervical cancer diagnosis as females who have smoked less than hundred cigarettes in life (OR 2.67; 95% CI 1.72 – 4.13, p-value Conclusion: Smoking and metabolic syndrome are very important indicators of reproductive health and needs further study. Smoking cessation interventions should be an integral part of cervical cancer prevention programs especially targeted at younger females and females who live below the federal poverty level.

This thesis evaluated supplementation with two components of flaxseed during exercise training on inflammation in older adults.<P>Experiment 1: This experiment assessed secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) supplementation during aerobic exercise training on inflammation in older adults. Methods: One hundred subjects aged 50y or older were randomized to receive either SDG or placebo before completing a 6-month walking program. Fasting concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-á, glucose, triacylglycerol (TAG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol as well as leukocyte cell count were measured every two months while body composition, resting blood pressure, and a composite Z-score of six metabolic syndrome risk factors were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results: Men on placebo increased metabolic syndrome composite Z-score (p<0.05). TAG increased (p=0.017) in men on placebo relative to men on SDG and men on SDG decreased (p=0.045) DBP relative to men on placebo. Conclusions: SDG had no effect on inflammation while it is effective in attenuating risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in older males but not females.<p>Experiment 2: This experiment evaluated alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) supplementation during strength exercise training on inflammation in older adults. Methods: Fifty-one healthy older adults (65.4±0.8y) were randomized to receive ALA or a placebo before completing a 12 wk strength training program. Subjects were evaluated at baseline and 12 weeks for TNF-á and IL-6, muscle strength, body composition, and muscle thickness. Results: Males supplementing with ALA decreased IL-6 concentration (p=0.003). The female placebo and male ALA group had a significant increase in knee flexor thickness (p<0.05). Chest and leg press strength, lean tissue mass, and muscle thickness significantly increased, while percent fat and total body mass decreased with training (p<0.05), with no difference between ALA and placebo. Conclusions: ALA lowers IL-6 in older men, but has minimal effect on muscle mass and strength during resistance training.<p>General Conclusion: A composite score of metabolic syndrome is attenuated in males supplementing with SDG. ALA reduces IL-6 in older men. Older men, but not older women, derive specific health benefits from increased consumption of components of flaxseed consumed during an exercise program.

<p>The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors such as diabetes type II, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, microalbuminurea and insulin resistance, which in the recent years has increased greatly in many parts of the world. In this thesis decision trees were applied to the BioExpress database, including both clinical data about donors and gene expression data, to investigate nuclear receptors ability to serve as markers for the metabolic syndrome. Decision trees were created and the classification performance for each individual risk factor were then analysed. The rules generated from the risk factor trees were compared in order to search for similarities and dissimilarities. The comparisons of rules were performed in pairs of risk factors, in groups of three and on all risk factors and they resulted in the discovery of a set of genes where the most interesting were the Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor - Alpha, the Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor - Gamma and the Glucocorticoid Receptor. These genes existed in pathways associated with the metabolic syndrome and in the recent scientific literature.</p>

Das Equine metabolische Syndrom, das Equine Cushing Syndrom und die häufig daraus resultierende Hufrehe stellen den behandelnden Tierarzt noch immer vor Probleme bezüglich Diagnostik und Therapie. Grund hierfür sind fehlende einheitliche endokrinologische Parameter, die eine Einschätzung des Krankheitszustandes des jeweiligen Tieres ermöglichen. Für Ponys fehlt es gänzlich an statistisch validen Referenzbereichen für die, an den Krankheiten beteiligten Hormonen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Aktivität von Insulin, sowie die Konzentration von Insulinwachstumsfaktor-1 (IGF-1) und adrenocorticotropem Hormon (ACTH) im Blut von 130 klinisch gesunden, erwachsenen Ponys bestimmt. Damit liegen erstmals Ergebnisse vor, welche auf einer für die Erstellung von Referenzwerten ausreichend großen Fallzahl basieren. Die Analyse fand mittels eines immunometrischen Chemielumineszenz-Assays an drei aufeinander folgenden Tagen statt. Anhand einer Dreifachuntersuchung am ersten Untersuchungstag wurde für jedes Hormon der 95 %-Referenzbereich bestimmt. Für Insulin konnte ein Referenzbereich von 2,0 - 34,3 µU/ml ermittelt werden. Damit liegen die Werte unterhalb den für Großpferde veröffentlichen Werten, wobei ein direkter Vergleich nur bedingt möglich ist. Für Insulinwachstumsfaktor-1 wurden für Pferde noch keine Werte erhoben. Somit ist ein Vergleich zwischen Großpferden und Ponys diesbezüglich noch nicht möglich. Für Ponys liegt der hier ermittelte Referenzbereich zwischen 48,3 und 382,6 ng/ml. Für die Konzentration von adrenocorticotropem Hormon gibt es in der Literatur unterschiedliche Angaben sowohl für Ponys als auch für Großpferde. Mit dieser Studie wurde der 95 %-Referenzbereich für Ponys bei 6,5 bis 23,3 pg/ml ermittelt. Es konnte ein Zusammenhang zwischen dem Alter der Tiere und der ACTH-Konzentration nachgewiesen werden. Der Referenzbereich der Gruppe B (13 bis 32 Jahre) reicht von 7,1 pg/ml bis 27,7 pg/ml und unterscheidet sich damit signifikant von dem Referenzbereich der Gruppe A (drei bis 12 Jahre), welcher zwischen 5,9 pg/ml und 22,2 pg/ml ermittelt wurde. Durch die Bestimmung der Hormonkonzentration an drei aufeinander folgenden Tagen konnte die Empfindlichkeit der Hormone gegenüber enzymatischem Abbau überprüft werden. Die Proben wurden an Tag 1 aufgetaut und anschließend bei 4°C gelagert. Lediglich für adrenocorticotropes Hormon konnte eine signifikante Reduzierung (p< 0,001) der Werte um 5,4 % an Tag 3 im Vergleich zu Tag 1 festgestellt werden. Das Chemielumineszens-Assay-Testverfahren mit den Geräten der IMMULITE 2000-Reihe wurde hinsichtlich seiner Präzisionen überprüft, indem der Variationskoeffizient für die Intra-Assay-Untersuchung und die Inter-Assay-Untersuchung berechnet wurde. Für das Verfahren konnte eine ausreichende (Variationskoeffizienten ACTH: 5,2 % bzw. 5,4%), für die Untersuchung von Insulin und IGF-1 sogar eine hervorragende (Variationskoeffizienten Insulin: 3,9 % bzw. 4,7 %; Variationskoeffizienten IGF-1: 2,6 % bzw.2,9 %) Testgenauigkeit nachgewiesen werden.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-132).

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Ο λιπώδης ιστός δεν θεωρείται πλέον αποκλειστικά παθητικός αποταμιευτικός ιστός, αλλά εκκρίνει ποικίλα βιοδραστικά πεπτίδια, γνωστά ως λιποκίνες. Η εμπλοκή των τελευταίων στην παθογένεια του μεταβολικού συνδρόμου και των επιπλοκών του τις καθιστά μόρια-στόχους που δύνανται να συμβάλουν στη θεραπευτική προσέγγιση του μεταβολικού συνδρόμου. / Adipose tissue is no more considered a passive tissue with storage function, but it has proved to be a source of a variety of bioactive peptides, described as adipokines. The implication of adipokines in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and its consequences renders many of them putative target molecules in a new therapeutic approach of this syndrome.

The endocannabinoid system is a novel pharmacological target in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Antagonism of the endocannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) leads to a transient reduction in food intake, a sustained decrease in body weight and an improvement in metabolic parameters in animal models of obesity. Skeletal muscle is the primary tissue involved in glucose uptake in response to insulin, and insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle is vital to the maintenance of whole-body euglycemia. Little is known regarding the effects of CB1R antagonism on skeletal muscle glucose transport activity. The purpose of this dissertation was to test the hypothesis that antagonism of the CB1R activates signaling molecules of the insulin signaling pathway to increase glucose transport activity in normal and insulin-resistant skeletal muscle, thereby improving whole-body glucose tolerance. CB1R antagonism with SR141716 directly enhanced basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in skeletal muscle from lean and obese Zucker while activation of the CB1R with ACEA, decreased glucose transport activity. Key proteins associated with regulation of glucose transport activity were not altered by either CB1R agonism (ACEA) or antagonism (SR141716). Chronic CB1R antagonist treatment (10 mg/kg SR141716 i.p. / 14 days) also enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in skeletal muscle of both lean and obese animals, again with no alteration in relevant signaling factors. Plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) were decreased in chronically-treated lean and obese animals and whole-body insulin sensitivity was improved in obese Zucker rats. The enhanced insulin sensitivity seen in chronically-treated obese animals was associated with a dramatic reduction in insulin secretion following a glucose challenge. Acute CB1R antagonism in obese animals also elicited a reduction in insulin secretion following a glucose challenge; however, with no improvement of whole-body insulin sensitivity. Acute CB1R antagonist treatment did not alter skeletal muscle glucose transport activity or circulating FFAs for any animals. These data suggest that although CB1R antagonism directly enhances basal and insulin stimulated glucose transport in skeletal muscle of lean and obese rats, direct action on the skeletal muscle is not responsible for the improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and whole-body insulin sensitivity seen in chronically-treated obese animals.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of glycemic measures, and changes in identified risk factors (BMI, waist circumference, lipids, blood pressure) on follow-up glycemia, in Pima children at high risk for type two diabetes (type 2 DM).I computed incidence and cumulative incidence of type 2 DM in Pima children 5-19 years of age between 1983 and 2004. Cox proportional hazards rates for development of type 2 DM were calculated by glycemic measure (HbA1C, 20PG, FPG) controlling for confounding factors (age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol). Diabetes was defined by the presence of at least one of four criteria: 1) 20PG of >200 mg/dl, 2) FPG of >126 mg/dl, 3) HbA1C > 8.0%, or 4) hypoglycemic treatment. Linear regression models were computed to identify the impact of changes in risk factors on changes in HbA1C. Only exams performed in non-diabetic children during childhood were included in the regression models.Among 2658 non-diabetic children, 258 cases of diabetes occurred during mean 9.1 years of follow-up (1.5 - 21.7). The age-sex adjusted incident rate of diabetes was 19.0 cases per 1000 person-years, and cumulative incidence was 54% by age 40. Incidence rates increased with increasing baseline values of 20PG, and FPG, but not for HbA1C. For HbA1C the relationship was u-shaped with the lowest and highest quartiles having the highest DM rates. After adjustment for confounding risk factors using Cox proportional hazards analysis, the risk for diabetes increased 2-fold for every 10 mg/dl increase in FPG. Changes in waist circumference best predicted changes in HbA1C (R2 = 0.48, Ï <0.001). However, the ability of waist circumference to predict change is limited due to the powerful effect of regression to the mean, suggesting that these risk factors contribute very little to changes in HbA1C, at least in childhood.Childhood levels of glycemia predict development of type 2 DM later in life. While changes in waist circumference are associated with only moderate changes in HbA1C, this does not refute the significant contribution of adiposity in childhood to the development of type 2 DM.

Purpose/Aims: To explore the relationship between perceived risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes and the health-world view of Samoans with two or more components of metabolic syndrome.1. Describe participant's perceptions of risk for CVD and diabetes.2. Compare participants' actual risk of CVD and diabetes based on presence of components of metabolic syndrome to their perceived risk of CVD and diabetes.3. Describe the relationships among participants' health-world views and perceived risk for CVD and diabetes.Rationale/Background: Diabetes and CVD are leading causes of health disparities in the United States, particularly among Pacific Islanders, whose rates for CVD and diabetes are among the highest in the Nation. Metabolic syndrome significantly increases risks for CVD and diabetes and can be prevented using behavioral approaches. An important concept in behavioral models, perceived risk is influenced by both sociocultural and health-world views; yet is understudied in Pacific Islanders with regard to CVD and diabetes.Methods and Sample: Questionnaires and focus groups were used in this mixed methods study involving 43 adult Samoans at moderately high risk of CVD or diabetes. Culture brokers were used to access potential participants using a non-probabilistic sampling scheme. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis respectively, and points of convergence, complementarity, and/or divergence were identified.Results/Significance: Over 80% of participants perceived themselves as high risk for CVD and diabetes. Converging and complementary data revealed predominately accurate perceptions of risk for CVD and diabetes. Underestimations of risk were influenced by current behavior. Overestimations of risk were influenced by behavior, physical health, and family and personal history. Nine codes supported the category health-world view. Five ways of knowing: personal, aesthetic, sociopolitical, empiric, and unknowing, and several values and beliefs i.e. respect, family, religion, harmony/balance, and personal responsibility, together with two cultural codes influenced perceived risk for CVD and diabetes. These important influences on perceived risk for CVD and diabetes in Samoan participants can be used to develop interventions targeting CVD and diabetes, thereby meeting Healthy People 2010, the National Institute of Nursing Research (2006) guidelines, and the National Patient Safety goals (2008) goals.