Search

Background: Overweight and obesity prevalence has risen substantially in the last years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are factors that regulate gene expression through binding to a complementary sequence of mRNA. Objective: The objective of this review is to determine the association between the expression of miRNAs with overweight and obesity in children. Methods: A systematic search was carried out in Medline (Ovid), EMBASE, LILACS, and CENTRAL. Clinical trials, cohort studies, cases and controls, and cross-section studies were included. Quasi-experimental, prognostic studies, animal experiments, in silico studies, and studies on the adult population were excluded. Results: Seven studies (684 children) were included in this review. Three hundred and sixty-one children had obesity/overweight and 323 had normal weight. 40.64% (278) of the children were boys. The classification of obesity was inconsistent between the studies with several classifications used. A total of 65 miRNAs were reported to be associated with obesity and overweight; at least two studies reported miR-122, miR-122-5p, miR-15b, miR15b-5p, miR191-5p, miR-222, miR-222-3p, miR 486, miR-486-3p and miR-486-5p. Blood samples were the most common samples used to measure miRNAs, and the approaches to select miRNAs were diverse, with four articles performing high-throughput techniques (sequencing and microarrays) before the validation of the miRNAs associated with obesity. Pathway analysis of the repeated miRNAs showed that they were involved in the regulation of metabolic and signaling pathways, including fatty acid metabolism. Conclusion: miRNAs are potential biomarkers of the development of pathologies, such as obesity. It was found a heterogeneous group of these molecules was associated with obesity in children. miR- 15b-5p, miR-486-5p, and hsa-miR-122-5p were considered as good candidates for obesity biomarkers.

Scope Very few studies have evaluated serum hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes and they have reported conflicting results. In addition, the effect of antidiabetic drugs on circulating hepcidin has not been explored so far. The aims of the study were to evaluate hepcidin concentrations and hepcidin/ferritin ratio in type 2 diabetes subjects and healthy non-diabetic controls and to evaluate the effect of metformin on hepcidin concentrations. Methods and results Study 1: Cross-sectional multivariate study of 239 non-diabetic individuals and 65 people with type 2 diabetes. The multivariate analysis included covariates of chronic inflammation, BMI, pharmacological treatment, menopausal status and insulin resistance. Study 2: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled 4-month trial metformin compared to placebo among 36 type 2 diabetic patients. In both groups diet was controlled by maintaining a hypocaloric intake across the trial. Hepcidin levels were significantly lower in patients with type 2 diabetes than in non-diabetic individuals either in crude or adjusted regression models (P

Few studies have described the association between hepcidin levels and cardiometabolic risk in the general population and more so by considering robust adjustment for confounding factors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between circulating hepcidin and anthropometric, biochemical and vascular variables related to cardiometabolic risk in healthy individuals adjusting for relevant covariates.Two-hundred thirty nine individuals (20-65 years old) were included in this cross-sectional study. Outcome variables were fasting glucose, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and the Framingham risk score. Multivariate linear regression and ANCOVA analyses including covariates of body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, physical inactivity, alcohol intake, insulin resistance, subclinical/chronic inflammation, ferritin and soluble transferrin receptors were used to describe the associations between hepcidin and cardiometabolic risk markers.In adjusted linear regression analyses, there was no significant association in men. In women, a relationship between hepcidin and triglycerides became significant after adjustments (p 0.05). By comparing quartiles of hepcidin levels, systolic blood pressure values in men were significantly higher in the upper quartile of hepcidin vs. the rest of quartiles independently of BMI, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and other iron markers (ANCOVA, p 0.05). There were no significant independent associations with the Framingham risk score (total points).We found a threshold effect of hepcidin levels on systolic blood pressure specifically in men. Further larger studies and experimental research are required to investigate possible mechanisms for the relationship between hepcidin metabolism and vascular function.

Objetivo Determinar los valores por edad y sexo de los lipidos sericos colesterol total (CT), trigliceridos (TG), y colesterol de lipoproteinas de alta densidad (c-HDL) de ninos y adolescentes de 10 a 17 anos de Colombia. Material y metodos Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal en 1.773 ninos y adolescentes. A cada participante se le realizo una medicion en ayunas para cuantificar los niveles de CT, c-HDL y TG utilizando metodos enzimatico-colorimetricos. Se calcularon centiles a partir de la regresion LMS por edad y sexo p5, p25, p50, p75, p90 y p95 con el metodo de los Least Mean squares (LMS, ‘minimos cuadrados’) por curvas centiles que representan la asimetria, la mediana y la variabilidad utilizando el paquete estadistico Growth Analyzer. Resultados En general, los hombres presentan menores valores de CT y TG sericos que las mujeres. El p95 de los TG y CT en los hombres de las edades de 10 a 14 anos fue mayor que en las mujeres, mientras que los niveles de c-HDL fueron similares en ambos sexos y edades. Conclusiones La obtencion de valores centiles ayudara a clasificar los ninos y adolescentes con respecto a otras poblaciones en funcion de este indicador de salud.

Copper and calcium are essential for human growth and development. The present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between calcium and copper levels, as well as their relationship to age and anthropometry in 180 preschool children ages 2-5 years old. Serum copper levels were inversely correlated with age (r = -0.184, P = 0.032) and height (r = -0.175, P = 0.043) in the whole group and with height for age Z score only in male children (r = -0.291, P = 0.016). The correlation with age is not maintained when it is analyzed for gender. Serum calcium values in the total group were inversely correlated with weight (r = -0.153, P = 0.044) and weight for height Z score (r = -0.246, P = 0.001). No differences were found for gender in the levels of both metals. A negative relationship between serum calcium and copper was found only in male children (r = -0.339, P = 0.005). Studies are required in other populations and experimental designs that can explain an inverse relationship between serum calcium and copper levels.

Question Does supervised aerobic exercise during pregnancy improve health-related quality of life in nulliparous women? Design Analysis of secondary outcomes of a randomised trial with concealed allocation, blinded assessors, and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants 64 nulliparous, pregnant women attending for prenatal care at one of three tertiary hospitals. Intervention The experimental group completed a 3-month supervised exercise program, commencing at 16 to 20 weeks of gestation. Each session included walking (10 min), aerobic exercise (30 min), stretching (10 min), and relaxation (10 min). The control group continued usual activities and performed no specific exercise. Outcome measures The primary outcome was health-related quality of life assessed by the Colombian version of the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey at baseline and immediately after the 3-month intervention. Results Fifty women completed the study. After the 3-month intervention, the experimental group had improved their health-related quality of life more than the control group in the physical component summary of the questionnaire by 6 points (95% CI 2 to 11), the physical function domain (7 points, 95% CI 0 to 14), the bodily pain domain (7 points, 95% CI 1 to 13) and the general health domain (5 points, 95% CI 1 to 10). Conclusions A supervised 3-month program of primarily aerobic exercise during pregnancy improves health-related quality of life. Trial registration NCT00741312.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence in adolescents using three different definitions for this age group. The evaluated sample consisted of 718 male and 743 female adolescents. Definitions by Cook et al., de Ferranti et al. and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) for adolescents were used to estimate the prevalence of MetS. The prevalence of MetS was 8.5, 2.5 and 1.2% by de Ferranti et al., Cook et al. and IDF definitions, respectively. High fasting glucose component had the lower prevalence whereas high triglycerides levels component was the most prevalent. In obese adolescents, the prevalence of MetS was higher. MetS classification in adolescents strongly depends on the definition chosen. Further research is required for the evaluation of the current definitions (multicentric studies), and for addition or design of new and useful criteria.

To evaluate the relationship between nutrients intake in the first trimester of pregnancy and blood levels of lead and cadmium during the first and third trimesters of gestation.A total of 381 pregnant women were enrolled. Blood lead and cadmium were measured using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, and dietary intake was assessed using 24-h recall questionnaire.Lead levels in the first trimester were negatively correlated with cadmium levels in the two trimesters, and levels of both metals correlated positively in the third trimester. Zinc and calcium intakes were negatively associated with blood lead during third trimester. Thiamine and folic acid intakes were negatively and positively associated (respectively) with blood lead at third trimester with marginal significance. Fat, niacin, and vitamin B12 intakes were significantly and positively associated with blood cadmium at first trimester. Folic acid and zinc intakes showed positive and marginally significant associations with blood cadmium without adjustments. At third trimester, blood cadmium was negatively associated to ascorbic acid intake, and positively associated with iron intake with a marginal significance.Possible acute and late effects of nutrients intake in blood lead and cadmium levels could be related with associations exclusively observed in the first and third trimester. This study represents the first exploration of relationships among a wide range of nutrients intake in the first trimester of pregnancy with blood lead and cadmium in first and third trimester of gestation. Further studies are required to confirm the findings mentioned herein.

To evaluate the effect of regular aerobic exercise on the endothelial function and cardiorespiratory fitness in pregnant women.This was a randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial of 64 healthy primigravid women between 16 and 20 weeks' gestation. The experimental group took part in aerobic exercise at an intensity of 50-65% of their maximum heart rate for 60 min, three times a week for 16 weeks. The control group undertook their usual physical activity. The outcomes were the endothelial function evaluated by flow-mediated dilatation and cardiorespiratory fitness evaluated by the maximum indirect oxygen consumption (VO2max) in a 6-min walk test.Initially, no differences were found between the groups in any of the variables. At the end of the intervention, the participants that performed exercise showed a higher cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by the walked distance in the 6-min walk test (P = 0.014) and by the VO2max (P = 0.014). Also, the exercise group showed a lower heart rate at rest and a higher flow-mediated dilatation than the control group (P = 0.02).Regular aerobic exercise improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in pregnancy. This intervention may be an early and effective alternative to strengthen the prevention of disorders associated to endothelial dysfunction.

There is controversy concerning whether exercise during pregnancy may increase preterm delivery risk and type of delivery. The effect of pregnant Latin-American women engaging in vigorous exercise during the second and third trimester was examined regarding type of delivery and gestational age.This was a secondary analysis of data from a controlled randomized trial for determining the influence of physical exercise on pregnant women's endothelial function. The study included 35 nulliparous women, gestational week 16-20 attending prenatal care at three tertiary hospitals in Colombia, who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group engaged in aerobic exercise involving 55 % - 75 % maximum heart rate for 60 min, three times a week for 12 weeks. The control group engaged in their usual physical activity. Maternal weight, height, weight gain, blood pressure and type of delivery were recorded; gender, abdominal and head circumference (cm), weight (g), height (cm), vitality (Apgar score at 1 and 5 min) and gestational age at the time of delivery (in weeks, days) were recorded for the newborn.There was no difference in type of delivery by the end of the 12-week program (p0.05), nor regarding newborn anthropometric variables, Apgar score, or maternal variables concerning weight, height, relative weight gain, blood pressure or weeks of gestation (p0.05).The potential public health benefits of vigorous exercise were enormous. This study supported existing guidelines indicating that Latin-American women may begin or maintain an on-going exercise program during pregnancy.NCT00741312.

Baseline data for physical condition are not available for adolescents in Cali, Colombia.This study aimed to develop representative age- and sex- specific percentile baseline data for physical condition (mL.kg-1.min-¹) for urban adolescents aged 10-16 years. Materials and methods. The sample (n=1,773) consisted of 865 males and 908 females from the cross-sectional population survey, the IFRECNTEC Study (Identification of Risk Factors of Non-Transmissible Adult Chronic Diseases in School-age Populations in the City of de Cali), for whom the data for physical condition were recorded. Smoothed age- and sex- specific 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th centile values where derived using least mean squares regression analysis.Percentile-based reference data for physical condition were presented for adolescent Colombian boys and girls for the first time. In males, the p50 of the PWC-170 (VO2max) ranged 49-43, and in females 52-40. A decreasing trend (~10%) in the p50 was seen in both sexes over 16 years of age. In general, more heterogeneity was present among males than females in terms of physical aptitude through VO2max test.The results established a baseline level of physical condition in adolescents that can be interpreted as an indicator of future cardiovascular health. They also recommend that the physical condition of Colombian adolescents must be improved to protect against cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

Background Preeclampsia (PE) is a common maternal disease that complicates 5 to 10% of pregnancies and remains as the major cause of maternal and neonatal mortality. Cost-effective interventions aimed at preventing the development of preeclampsia are urgently needed. However, the pathogenesis of PE is not well known. Multiple mechanisms such as oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance may contribute to its development. Regular aerobic exercise recovers endothelial function; improves insulin resistance and decreases oxidative stress. Therefore the purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of regular aerobic exercise on endothelial function, on insulin resistance and on pregnancy outcome. Methods and design 64 pregnant women will be included in a blind, randomized clinical trial, and parallel assignment. The exercise group will do regular aerobic physical exercise: walking (10 minutes), aerobic exercise (30 minutes), stretching (10 minutes) and relaxation exercise (10 minutes) in three sessions per week. Control group will do the activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, and walking) without counselling from a physical therapist. Trial registration NCT00741312.

Similar to other countries in America, Colombia and the Department of Valle present changes in their population structure and mortality suggesting an advanced epidemiological transition status. Grouped, chronic diseases represent the principal cause of death in municipalities with high urban concentration. To identify associated factors of chronic conditions later in life, school children stratified by age, socio-economic level and gender were studied. By random sampling of 14 schools 2.807 children were examined to measure: anthropometry, work capacity, food intake, sexual maturation, blood pressure, and blood levels of glucose and lipids. Weight and height for all ages and gender were lower than international reference but higher than in previous studies. On the contrary body mass indicators were higher. Work capacity adjusted for body weight was higher in low income children. Mean age of menarche was 11,9 years. The relative peak of growth was 11 years for girls and 14 for boys. Maturity was reached at 12 years in women and 17 in men. Blood lipids were considered high and borderline high in a large proportion of the students, while 19.5% had systolic blood pressureor = 120 mm. and 24% diastolicor = 70. Intake of protein and energy was adequate, but diet was high in fat and sugar. There was not deficiency in macro nutrients but dietary intake of some minerals was low, specially iron and calcium. The findings indicate a population with unbalanced diet and disturbing high body mass and lipid concentration that could represent in the future an increase in the already high prevalence of chronic diseases.

Postprandial lipemia has been associated with atherogenesis and other non infectious chronic diseases. A descriptive, non aleatory study of 51 healthy young adults (23.8 +/- 4 years) of different ethnic background was carried out to identify possible personal or life style factors associated with the response of plasma lipids after a mixed carbohydrate and lipid load. Personal, family, life styles including use of drugs and activity and ethnic background were recorded. Anthropometrical measurements, a short insulin and postprandial lipemia tests were done. From these observations body mass index (BMI) and area under the curve (AUC) for lipids and glucose were calculated. High mean values were observed in AUC for glucose, triacylglycerol and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). Postprandial glucose with differences by age (p=0.05 Bonferroni) but no ethnic, gender, BMI or insulin sensitivity related significant differences were found. Mestizos (40%) showed two, and Negroes three (27%) postprandial triglyceridemia peaks. Noteworthy, subjects presenting four peaks had elevated BMI. Higher triglyceridemia values were found in white and mestizos (p0.05), in subjects older than 29 and in males (p0.05). Statistical correlation (r2=0.70) between BMI and triglyceridemia and change in postprandial trigliceridemia was found in white and black subjects. NEFA declined up to the second hour, but at 6-7 hours they reached levels higher than base values. Higher than reported values for UCA and BMI and an abnormal response to fat intake with an early release of NEFA was found. The high correlation between BMI and postprandial trigliceridemia suggests that body mass index could be a good predictor of postprandial trigliceridemia.

Background Many studies have suggested a relationship between metabolic abnormalities and impaired fetal growth with the development of non-transmissible chronic diseases in the adulthood. Moreover, it has been proposed that maternal factors such as endothelial function and oxidative stress are key mechanisms of both fetal metabolic alterations and subsequent development of non-transmissible chronic diseases. The objective of this project is to evaluate the effect of micronutrient supplementation and regular aerobic exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation maternal and stress oxidative of the newborn. Methods and design 320 pregnant women attending to usual prenatal care in Cali, Colombia will be included in a factorial randomized controlled trial. Women will be assigned to the following intervention groups: 1. Control group: usual prenatal care (PC) and placebo (maltodextrine). 2. Exercise group: PC, placebo and aerobic physical exercise. 3. Micronutrients group: PC and a micronutrients capsule consisting of zinc (30 mg), selenium (70 μg), vitamin A (400 μg), alphatocopherol (30 mg), vitamin C (200 mg), and niacin (100 mg). 4. Combined interventions Group: PC, supplementation of micronutrients, and aerobic physical exercise. Anthropometric measures will be taken at the start and at the end of the interventions. Discussion Since in previous studies has been showed that the maternal endothelial function and oxidative stress are related to oxidative stress of the newborn, this study proposes that complementation with micronutrients during pregnancy and/or regular physical exercise can be an early and innovative alternative to strengthen the prevention of chronic diseases in the population. Trial registration NCT00872365.

Introduction: The metabolic syndrome, a set of metabolic anomalies that include insulin resistance, central obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and inflammation, is an important tool to explore factors associated to cardiometabolic disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the levels of self-reported physical activity and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire items and the metabolic syndrome and the variables related to cardiovascular risk in 89 women. Materials and methods: The short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire was applied to classify participating subjects into three categories: insufficient, sufficient and very active physical activity. The metabolic syndrome was assessed according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Biochemical and anthropometrical parameters were measured. Results: Twenty-two participants (23%) presented metabolic syndrome and 66 women (74.2%) were classified in the insufficient physical activity category. No association was found between insufficient physical activity and metabolic syndrome. Inverse correlations were found among the days and minutes per week of physical activity of moderate-intensity, waist circumference (?=-0.327, and ?=-0.313, p less than 0.005, respectively), and body mass index (?=-0.262, and ?=-0.218, p less than 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: A high prevalence of insufficient physical activity was found in the study participants, but this was not associated with metabolic syndrome. Moderate but not vigorous physical activity items from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire correlated inversely with anthropometrical markers related to cardiovascular risk.

Atherosclerosis is an asymptomatic chronic disease, which begins at early age and is difficult to detect during this stage. Prospective studies suggest a causal relationship between total serum cholesterol levels during childhood and early adolescence and the development of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of early atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta artery of children and its relationship with post-mortem serum cholesterol levels.Post-mortem samples of blood and aorta were taken from 43 subjects aged less than 17 years old. Histopathological analysis (intimal thickening and inflammatory infiltrates) of the thoracic aorta and measurement of total serum cholesterol were performed.The analysis showed thickening of the intima and lymphocyte infiltrates in 93% of children, and macrophage infiltrates in 79.1% of cases. A relationship between the highest terciles of total serum cholesterol levels and the presence of multiple lesions in the aorta wall was found ( P0.05).This group of children had a high prevalence of early inflammatory atherosclerotic lesions positively related with serum cholesterol levels. To our knowledge this study represents the first report of a relationship between post-mortem total serum cholesterol levels and pathological findings of macrophages and lymphocytes infiltrates in the aorta wall.