Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Action in Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Obese Exercise-trained Rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of chronic aerobic exercise (swimming, 1h/day, 5 days/week, with an overload of 5% body weight) on glucose metabolism in obese male Wistar rats. Hypothalamic obesity was induced through administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG) at 4 mg/g of body weight every other day from birth to 14 days old. Fourteen weeks after drug administration, the rats were separated into two groups: MSG-S (sedentary) and MSG-T (swimming for 10 weeks). Rats of the same age and strain, receiving saline in place of MSG, were used as control (C), and subdivided into two groups: C-S and C-T. At the end of the experimental period, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed and serum glucose (AG) and insulin (AI) were evaluated. A constant for serum glucose decrease (Kitt) in response to exogenous insulin was calculated. Soleus muscle strips and adipose tissue samples were incubated and insulin stimulated glucose uptake determined. No differences were observed in AG among the 4 groups. MSG-S rats showed higher AI (418%) and lower Kitt (92.3%) than C-S rats. T-rats showed higher glucose uptake by muscle (224.0%) and adipose tissues (94.1%) than S-rats. Among trained rats, glucose uptake by muscle was higher in MSG-T (5.4%) than in C-T. while the opposite was observed in adipose tissue (39% higher in C-T). Chronic aerobic exercise was able to improve glucose tolerance and reduce insulin resistance in MSG-obese rats. These effects were associated to an increase in glucose uptake by muscle and adipose tissue in response to insulin.

Menstrual irregularity: a possible clinical marker of metabolic dysfunction in women with class III obesity

Purpose. To evaluate whether menstrual irregularity in morbidly obese women is indicative of metabolic dysfunction.Patients and Methods. Fifty-seven women with morbid obesity were evaluated. They were divided into two groups: one comprising women without menstrual dysfunctions or hirsutism (Group 1), and another obese women showing menstrual dysfunction with or without hirsutism (Group 2). The following were evaluated: age, colour, childbirth, marital status, profession, socio-economic level, education, age at menarche, body weight, height, body mass index, presence of hirsutism (Ferriman Gallwey Index), abdominal circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, menstrual cycle, blood pressure, presence of acanthosis nigricans, insulin resistance (IR), fasting glycaemia, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, luteinising hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, insulin and the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA test).Results. Clinical and epidemiological aspects did not present statistical differences. Clinical and laboratory parameters did not show statistically significant alterations; however, HOMA test values for Group 2 were significantly higher than those for Group 1.Conclusions. The presence of IR in class III obese women can cause menstrual dysfunctions such as amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea even in the absence of hyperandrogenism, suggesting that IR plays an important role in the ovarian mechanisms involved in the menstrual cycle control.

Backpacks and school children's obesity: challenges for public health and ergonomics

This descriptive study of cross sectional has focused on analyzing the school material weight transported by students associated with children and adolescents overweight in primary and secondary schools. Participants 339 students of both genders, aged 10-19 years. 243 students carrying and average load of 12.65% of his body weight. 53 students were overweight with a BMI of 20,00 to 35,6. 20 overweight students carrying backpacks more than 10% of his body weight. 21% of the students rated complained of back and shoulder pain. This data is very important in the preventive aspects for the individuals studied, as well as others with the same anthropometric characteristics and the same demand.

A weight loss protocol and owners participation in the treatment of canine obesity

O sucesso de um programa de perda de peso para animais de estimação depende da colaboração do proprietário. A adesão deste é fundamental para a correta instituição do manejo alimentar do paciente. Este trabalho teve por objetivo comparar a efetividade de um programa de perda de peso em dois grupos de cães, um mantido sob condições experimentais e outro com seus proprietários. Empregou-se a mesma ração hipocalórica para todos os animais. A quantidade fornecida foi restrita a 60% da necessidade energética de manutenção estimada para o peso corporal meta, definido como o peso autal reduzido em 15%. Os animais foram acompanhados durante 90 dias. Por meio de um questionário padronizado, estudou-se a percepção dos proprietários quanto à obesidade e seu tratamento. Verificou-se que o protocolo e a dieta empregados foram eficazes. Os animais controle apresentaram uma perda de peso média de 1,39% por semana. Os cães de proprietário perderam, em média, 0,75% do peso vivo por semana, resultado estatisticamente menor (P<0,05), o que sugere uma indisponibilidade dos mesmos em cumprir rigorosamente o tratamento. Mesmo com esta perda de peso modesta, foi perceptível a satisfação dos proprietários com os resultados obtidos. O uso de questionários demonstrou ser uma ferramenta importante na investigação das causas e no acompanhamento do tratamento da obesidade canina.

Modifiable risk factors for overweight and obesity in children and adolescents from São Paulo, Brazil

Background: Brazil is currently experiencing a nutrition transition: the displacement of traditional diets with foods high in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol and an increase in sedentary lifestyles. Despite these trends, our understanding of child obesity in Brazil is limited. Thus, the aims of this study were (1) to investigate the current prevalence of overweight and obesity in a large sample of children and adolescents living in São Paulo, Brazil, and (2) to identify the lifestyle behaviors associated with an increased risk of obesity in young Brazilians.Methods: A total of 3,397 children and adolescents (1,596 male) aged 7-18 years were randomly selected from 22 schools in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese based on international age-and sex-specific body mass index thresholds. Selected sociodemographic, physical activity, and nutrition behaviors were assessed via questionnaire.Results: Overall, 19.4% of boys and 16.1% of girls were overweight while 8.9% and 4.3% were obese. Two-way analysis of variance revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher in boys and in younger children when compared to girls and older children, respectively (P < 0.05 for both). Logistic regression analysis revealed that overweight was associated with more computer usage, parental encouragement to be active, and light soft drink consumption after controlling for differences in sex, age, and parental education (P < 0.05 for all). Conversely, overweight was associated with less active transport to school, eating before sleep, and consumption of breakfast, full-sugar soft drinks, fried food and confectionery (P < 0.05 for all).Conclusions: Our results show that obesity in São Paulo children and adolescents has reached a level equivalent to that seen in many developed countries. We have also identified three key modifiable factors related to obesity that may be appropriate targets for future intervention in Brazilian youth: transport mode to school, computer usage, and breakfast consumption.

Cafeteria diet intake for fourteen weeks can cause obesity and insulin resistance in Wistar rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Food restriction and refeeding induces changes in lipid pathways and fat deposition in the adipose and hepatic tissues in rats with diet-induced obesity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The role of obesity as a modifying factor in patients undergoing non-surgical periodontal therapy

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determination of amfepramone hydrochloride, fenproporex, and diazepam in so-called natural capsules used in the treatment of obesity

A simple and rapid method was developed for the determination of amfepramone hydrochloride, fenprorex, and diazepam in capsules using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. This procedure provided conditions for the separation of the active ingredient from the complex matrices of the dosage forms by extraction in methanol. Isocratic reversed phase chromatography was performed using acetonitrile, methanol, and aqueous 0,1% ammonium carbonate (50:10:40) as a mobile phase, LiChrospher 100 RP 18 column (125 x 5 mm id, 5 mu m), a column temperature of 25 +/- 1 degrees C and detection at 230 nm.The calibration curves were linear over a wide concentration range (20-2000 mu g.mL(-1) to amfepramone hydrochloride, 8-800 mu g.mL(-1) to fenproporex, and 4-200 mu g.mL(-1) to diazepam) and good analytical recovery (87.1 to 107.8%) was obtained. The method is accurate and precise, as well as having advantages such as simplicity and short duration of analysis. Twenty samples of pharmaceutical preparations labelled as natural products were analysed. Anorectics and diazepam, were detected in 40% of the samples.

Investigation of the hypothalamic defensive system in the mouse

The hypothalamus plays especially important roles in various endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses that guarantee the survival of both the individual and the species. In the rat, a distinct hypothalamic defensive circuit has been defined as critical for integrating predatory threats, raising an important question as to whether this concept could be applied to other prey species. To start addressing this matter, in the present study, we investigated, in another prey species (the mouse), the pattern of hypothalamic Fos immunoreactivity in response to exposure to a predator (a rat, using the Rat Exposure Test). During rat exposure, mice remained concealed in the home chamber for a longer period of time and increased freezing and risk assessment activity. We were able to show that the mouse and the rat present a similar pattern of hypothalamic activation in response to a predator. of particular note, similar to what has been described for the rat, we observed in the mouse that predator exposure induces a striking activation in the elements of the medial hypothalamic defensive system, namely, the anterior hypothalamic nucleus, the dorsomedial part of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and the dorsal premammillary nucleus. Moreover, as described for the rat, predator-exposed mice also presented increased Fos levels in the autonomic and parvicellular parts of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, lateral preoptic area and subfornical region of the lateral hypothalamic area. In conclusion, the present data give further support to the concept that a specific hypothalamic defensive circuit should be preserved across different prey species. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hypothalamic supraoptic but not paraventricular nucleus is involved in cardiovascular responses to carbachol microinjected into the bed nucleus of stria terminalis of unanesthetized rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Involvement of L-Type Calcium Channel and SERCA2a in Myocardial Dysfunction Induced by Obesity

Obesity has been shown to impair myocardial performance. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the participation of calcium (Ca2+) handling on cardiac dysfunction in obesity models remain unknown. L-type Ca2+ channels and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a), may contribute to the cardiac dysfunction induced by obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether myocardial dysfunction in obese rats is related to decreased activity and/or expression of L-type Ca2+ channels and SERCA2a. Male 30-day-old Wistar rats were fed standard (C) and alternately four palatable high-fat diets (Ob) for 15 weeks. Obesity was determined by adiposity index and comorbidities were evaluated. Myocardial function was evaluated in isolated left ventricle papillary muscles under basal conditions and after inotropic and lusitropic maneuvers. L-type Ca2+ channels and SERCA2a activity were determined using specific blockers, while changes in the amount of channels were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Phospholamban (PLB) protein expression and the SERCA2a/PLB ratio were also determined. Compared with C rats, the Ob rats had increased body fat, adiposity index and several comorbidities. The Ob muscles developed similar baseline data, but myocardial responsiveness to post-rest contraction stimulus and increased extracellular Ca2+ was compromised. The diltiazem promoted higher inhibition on developed tension in obese rats. In addition, there were no changes in the L-type Ca2+ channel protein content and SERCA2a behavior (activity and expression). In conclusion, the myocardial dysfunction caused by obesity is related to L-type Ca2+ channel activity impairment without significant changes in SERCA2a expression and function as well as L-type Ca2+ protein levels. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 2934-2942, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.