Effect of polymorphisms in the PPARGC1A gene on body fat in Asian Indians

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether polymorphisms in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PPARGC1A) gene were related to body fat in Asian Indians. METHODS: Three polymorphisms of PPARGC1A gene, the Thr394Thr, Gly482Ser and +A2962G, were genotyped on 82 type 2 diabetic and 82 normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects randomly chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study using PCR-RFLP, and the nature of the variants were confirmed using direct sequencing. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies using an expectation-maximization algorithm. Visceral, subcutaneous and total abdominal fat were measured using computed tomography, whereas dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure central abdominal and total body fat. RESULTS: None of the three polymorphisms studied were in LD. The genotype (0.59 vs 0.32, P=0.001) and allele (0.30 vs 0.17, P=0.007) frequencies of Thr394Thr polymorphism were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic subjects compared to those in NGT subjects. The odds ratio for diabetes (adjusted for age, sex and body mass index) for the susceptible genotype, XA (GA+AA) of Thr394Thr polymorphism, was 2.53 (95% confidence intervals: 1.30-5.04, P=0.009). Visceral and subcutaneous fat were significantly higher in NGT subjects with XA genotype of the Thr394Thr polymorphism compared to those with GG genotype (visceral fat: XA 148.2+/-46.9 vs GG 106.5+/-51.9 cm(2), P=0.001; subcutaneous fat: XA 271.8+/-167.1 vs GG 181.5+/-78.5 cm(2), P=0.001). Abdominal (XA 4521.9+/-1749.6 vs GG 3445.2+/-1443.4 g, P=0.004), central abdominal (XA 1689.0+/-524.0 vs GG 1228.5+/-438.7 g, P<0.0001) and non-abdominal fat (XA 18763.8+/-8789.4 vs GG 13160.4+/-4255.3 g, P<0.0001) were also significantly higher in the NGT subjects with XA genotype compared to those with GG genotype. The Gly482Ser and +A2962G polymorphisms were not associated with any of the body fat measures. CONCLUSION: Among Asian Indians, the Thr394Thr (G --> A) polymorphism is associated with increased total, visceral and subcutaneous body fat.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) gene polymorphisms and their relationship to Type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians

AIMS: The objective of the present investigation was to examine the relationship of three polymorphisms, Thr394Thr, Gly482Ser and +A2962G, of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1 alpha (PGC-1alpha) gene with Type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians. METHODS: The study group comprised 515 Type 2 diabetic and 882 normal glucose tolerant subjects chosen from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, an ongoing population-based study in southern India. The three polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Haplotype frequencies were estimated using an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Linkage disequilibrium was estimated from the estimates of haplotypic frequencies. RESULTS: The three polymorphisms studied were not in linkage disequilibrium. With respect to the Thr394Thr polymorphism, 20% of the Type 2 diabetic patients (103/515) had the GA genotype compared with 12% of the normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects (108/882) (P = 0.0004). The frequency of the A allele was also higher in Type 2 diabetic subjects (0.11) compared with NGT subjects (0.07) (P = 0.002). Regression analysis revealed the odds ratio for Type 2 diabetes for the susceptible genotype (XA) to be 1.683 (95% confidence intervals: 1.264-2.241, P = 0.0004). Age adjusted glycated haemoglobin (P = 0.003), serum cholesterol (P = 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P = 0.001) levels and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.001) were higher in the NGT subjects with the XA genotype compared with GG genotype. There were no differences in genotype or allelic distribution between the Type 2 diabetic and NGT subjects with respect to the Gly482Ser and +A2962G polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: The A allele of Thr394Thr (G --> A) polymorphism of the PGC-1 gene is associated with Type 2 diabetes in Asian Indian subjects and the XA genotype confers 1.6 times higher risk for Type 2 diabetes compared with the GG genotype in this population.

Visceral and central abdominal fat and anthropometry in relation to diabetes in Asian Indians

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine body fat distribution using computed tomography (CT), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and anthropometry in relation to type 2 diabetes in urban Asian Indians. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a case-control study of 82 type 2 diabetic and 82 age- and sex-matched nondiabetic subjects from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study, an ongoing epidemiological study in southern India. Visceral, subcutaneous, and total abdominal fat were measured using CT, while DEXA was used to measure central abdominal and total body fat. Anthropometric measures included BMI, waist circumference, sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), and waist-to-hip ratio. RESULTS: Visceral and central abdominal fat showed a strong correlation with each other (P <0.0001), and kappa analysis revealed a fairly good agreement between tertiles of visceral and central abdominal fat (kappa=0.44, P <0.0001). Diabetic subjects had significantly higher visceral (P=0.005) and central abdominal (P=0.011) fat compared with nondiabetic subjects. Waist circumference and SAD showed a strong correlation with visceral (P <0.01) and central abdominal (P <0.0001) fat in both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Logistic regression analysis revealed visceral (odds ratio [OR] 1.011, P=0.004) and central abdominal (OR 1.001, P=0.013) fat to be associated with diabetes, even after adjusting for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral and central abdominal fat showed a strong association with type 2 diabetes. Both measures correlated well with each other and with waist circumference and SAD in diabetic and nondiabetic urban Asian Indians.

Caries, gender and socio-economic change in the Xavante Indians from Central Brazil

Background: The oral health conditions of indigenous peoples in Amazonia are closely associated with ecological and dietary changes related to interaction with non-Indians. Aim: The study investigated the incidence of caries in an indigenous community from Central Brazil focusing on gender differences. Subjects and methods: The research was conducted among the Xavante Indians and was based on longitudinal data collected in two surveys (1999 and 2004). The study included 128 individuals, 63 (49.2%) males and 65 (50.8%) females, divided in four age brackets (6-12, 13-19, 20-34, 35-60 years of age). The DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) index and incidences (difference between 1999 and 2004) were calculated for each individual. The proportion of incidence was also calculated. Differences in caries risk between gender and age brackets were compared by parametric and non-parametric tests. Results: There were statistically significant differences in relation to caries incidence between age brackets and gender. The greatest incidence was observed in the 20-34 age bracket, which presented 3.30 new decayed teeth, twice the risk of the 6-12 age bracket (p0.01), chosen as reference. While females in most age groups did not show higher risk for caries when compared to males, there was a 4.04-fold risk in the 20-34 age bracket (p0.01). Conclusion: It is concluded that factors related to the social functions of each sex (gender issues) and differential access to information, health services, and education may help to understand the differences observed in the incidence of caries.

Estudo de reatividade e resolução enantiomérica do (+-)-10-exo-hidróxipentaciclo[6.2.1.1 3,6.0 2,7. 0 5.9] dodecan-4-ona

Neste trabalho, realizou-se a síntese do ceto-álcool pentaciclíco (±)-5, assim como o estudo de reatividade do grupo carbonila do mesmo frente a reações de oximação e redução. Realizou-se também a resolução enantiomérica do composto (±)-5 através de reação de transesterificação com acetato de vinila catalisada pela lipase da Candida rugosa. Altos excessos enantioméricos foram obtidos (>95%, RMN) tanto para o álcool (+)-5 quanto para o éster formado (-)-8. Sugere-se a existência de uma interconversão enantiomérica no composto (+)-5, devido a observação de mistura racêmica, quando o mesmo foi analisado por cromatografia gasosa em coluna quiral. Um mecanismo para tal interconversão, o qual envolve um rearranjo intramolecular, é proposto.

Implantação do processo de acreditação baseado no manual das organizações prestadoras de serviços hospitalares da ONA : um estudo de caso em um hospital de grande porte

Este trabalho aborda a qualidade e acreditação hospitalar através do Manual das Organizações Prestadoras de Serviços Hospitalares, desenvolvido pela Organização Nacional de Acreditação (ONA). O objetivo geral deste trabalho é avaliar o Manual das Organizações Prestadoras de Serviços Hospitalares, identificando dificuldades e benefícios advindos da implantação deste Manual. Após a realização de uma revisão bibliográfica sobre qualidade em hospitais e normas da qualidade aplicáveis a hospitais, é feita uma análise crítica teórica do Manual das Organizações Prestadoras de Serviços Hospitalares. Tal análise crítica inclui um estudo comparativo entre os requisitos do Manual e da norma NBR ISO 9001/2000. A seguir, a análise teórica é complementada através de um estudo de caso contemplando a implantação do Manual junto a um hospital de grande porte. Finalmente, são apresentadas as conclusões, baseadas tanto no estudo teórico como no estudo prático.

Occurrence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in Brazilian indians from Umutina Reservation, Mato Grosso, Brazil

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

Citologia aspirativa por agulha fina (CAAF), em testículo de onça pintada (Panthera onca), utilizada como ferramenta no diagnóstico de infertilidade

Técnicas de biópsia, caracterizadas pela remoção de segmentos de órgãos e tecidos para análise histopatológica, não são indicadas no auxílio diagnóstico de alterações testiculares para animais ameaçados de extinção, por não serem totalmente isentas de riscos. Neste sentido, é de grande interesse que se desenvolvam técnicas de biópsia testicular cada vez mais seguras e com o mínimo de conseqüências negativas. Com este intuito três onças pintadas (Panthera onca) foram submetidas a exames de Citologia Aspirativa por Agulha Fina (CAAF). Amostras foram obtidas através da punção aspirativa dos testículos, esfregaços foram confeccionados, corados com Panótico e analisados sob Microscopia Óptica. Simultaneamente foram realizadas coletas de sêmen para avaliação do volume, pH, concentração, motilidade, vigor e morfologia espermáticas. Quanto à avaliação espermática, os animais apresentaram valores semelhantes aos encontrados na literatura quanto ao volume, pH, motilidade, vigor e morfologia espermáticas. Quanto a concentração espermática os animais apresentaram valores abaixo dos encontrados na literatura. Nos exames de CAAF, todas as gerações de células germinativas foram identificadas, indicando espermatogênese normal em todos os animais, com exceção das espermátides finais duplas que ainda não foram relatadas como achados em punções testiculares de outras espécies, o que vem confirmar a elevada porcentagem de células teratológicas encontradas nesses animais. Desta forma, podemos concluir que a CAAF testicular é um método diagnóstico auxiliar importante na detecção de alterações testiculares em casos de sub ou infertilidade, podendo ser utilizados na rotina de investigação do trato reprodutivo masculino, quando o exame histopatológico, por ser um método altamente invasivo, é desaconselhável.

Antimalarial use of volatile oil from leaves of Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warb. by Waiapi Amazon Indians

The Amazon Indians Waiapi living in the West of Amapa State of Brazil, treat malaria with an inhalation of vapor obtained from leaves of Viola surinamensis. The essential oil obtained from adult and plantlet leaves was analyzed by GC/MS and 11 monoterpenes, 11 sesquiterpenes and three phenylpropanoids were identified. Plantlet essential oil caused 100% of growth inhibition after 48 h in the development of the young trophozoite to schizont stage and the sesquiterpene nerolidol (100 mu g/ml) was identified as one of the active constituents (100% of growth inhibition was obtained). In addition, examination of [(UC)-C-14]-glucose incorporation showed that activity of nerolidol is related to the inhibition of glycoprotein biosynthesis. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphology and incidence of torus palatinus and mandibularis in Brazilian Indians

The incidence and morphology of torus platinus and mandibularis was verified in 200 Indians, residents of two Brazilian Indian Reserves in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. A low incidence of both types of exostoses was observed, with torus palatinus occurring more frequently than mandibularis. These structures did not occur in individuals less than 10 years of age. Flattened torus palatinus predominated in relation to the other forms.

Feeding patterns in a fish community of Baia da Onça, a floodplain lake of the Aquidauana River, Pantanal, Brazil

The stomach contents of 24 species of fish and unidentified species from four genera in a floodplain lake of the Pantanal were studied. Fish were collected during the dry season when the lake was isolated from the main river. A community food ingestion index (feeding index weighted by consumer biomass, FIWCB, where 0 < FIWCB < 1) was calculated to quantify feeding patterns. Detritus and algae ingested by Curimatidae were responsible for 46.5% of the FIWCB, while that for algae ingested by Loricariidae (armoured catfish) accounted for 13.2%. The importance of detritus in fish diets is discussed as a strategy for shortening food chains, thereby increasing community efficiency, and as a consequence, fish biomass. It was learnt that the main route of energy flow in this perennial lake was through the detritus chain. The floodplain lakes function as a dry season feeding ground for small-sized species of fish, which are potential prey for the more highly valued larger species of fish.

Re-evaluation of antibiotic and mercury resistance in Escherichia coli populations isolated in 1978 from Amazonian rubber tree tappers and Indians

A study was carried out to assess the stability of antimicrobial susceptibility of wild isolates upon long-term storage using fifty-three Escherichia coli strains isolated in 1978 from feces of healthy children from the Amazon region in Brazil, exposed to low levels of antimicrobial agents, and examined for resistance to mercury and four antibiotics. All of the strains were kept in Lignieres medium at room temperature and were transferred to fresh media four times during this period. Thirty-five out of the 53 strains analyzed in 1978 were viable. Upon recovery, antibiotic and mercury resistance was estimated. All of the 35 strains maintained their original phenotype in a stable fashion, except for one multiresistant strain which became susceptible to kanamycin. Fifty-four percent of the strains exhibited a resistance phenotype, among which 47% had conjugative plasmids.