Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in people of Asian Indian origin: outcomes by definitions

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) is high among south Asian Indians. In order to better comprehend the MS, its definition and modifications require region-specific cut-off values and common minimum criteria for people of Indian origin.

METHODS

To define the MS, the criteria as defined in the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP): expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) (ATP III 2001), followed by the modified ATP III of 2005 were used, along with a modified version specific to the people of south Asian origin (ATP III SAS, 2009).

RESULTS

The three definitions showed differences in prevalence of the MS among the adult Asian Indians. According to the criteria of NCEP ATP III 2001, the prevalence was found to be 32.3%. Using the modified ATP III 2005, the prevalence was 48.3%, and for south Asian-specific (SAS) ATP III, it was 31.4%. For all three definitions, females had a considerably higher prevalence of the MS than males. It was also observed that that a large number of individuals were misclassified due to lack of common minimum criteria.

CONCLUSION

In order to curb the growing threat of the MS, and to aid clinical management among people of Indian origin, a more comprehensive definition of the MS is urgently required.

Novel KLK4 and MMP20 mutations discovered by whole-exome sequencing

Non-syndromic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a collection of isolated inherited enamel malformations that follow X-linked, autosomal-dominant, or autosomal-recessive patterns of inheritance. The AI phenotype is also found in syndromes. We hypothesized that whole-exome sequencing of AI probands showing simplex or recessive patterns of inheritance would identify causative mutations among the known candidate genes for AI. DNA samples obtained from 12 unrelated probands with AI were analyzed. Disease-causing mutations were identified in three of the probands: a novel single-nucleotide deletion in both KLK4 alleles (g.6930delG; c.245delG; p.Gly82Alafs*87) that shifted the reading frame, a novel missense transition mutation in both MMP20 alleles (g.15390A>G; c.611A>G; p.His204Arg) that substituted arginine for an invariant histidine known to coordinate a structural zinc ion, and a previously described nonsense transition mutation in a single allele of FAM83H (c.1379G>A; g.5663G>A; p.W460*). Erupted molars and cross-sections from unerupted parts of the mandibular incisors of Mmp20 null mice were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Their enamel malformations closely correlated with the enamel defects displayed by the proband with the MMP20 mutation. We conclude that whole-exome sequencing is an effective means of identifying disease-causing mutations in kindreds with AI, and this technique should prove clinically useful for this purpose.

Measurement of the cross section for electromagnetic dissociation with neutron emission in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of neutron emission in electromagnetic dissociation of ^{208}Pb nuclei at the LHC is presented. The measurement is performed using the neutron zero degree calorimeters of the ALICE experiment, which detect neutral particles close to beam rapidity. The measured cross sections of single and mutual electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV with neutron emission are σ(singleEMD)=187.4 ± 0.2(stat)(-11.2)(+13.2) (syst) b and σ(mutualEMD) = 5.7 ± 0.1(stat) ± 0.4(syst) b, respectively. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from a relativistic electromagnetic dissociation model.

Improving the field emission of carbon nanotubes by lanthanum-hexaboride nano-particles decoration

Field emission of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was remarkably improved by lanthanum-hexaboride (LaB6) nano-particles (NPs) decoration. CNTs were grown on the silicon substrate by chemical vapor deposition. Field emission of bare CNTs and LaB6-NPs decorated CNTs was carried out under same conditions. Physical, morphological, elemental, and graphitic nature changes were ascertained by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and Raman analysis. LaB6-NPs decorated CNTs show significant reduction of turn-on electric-field from 3.0 to 2.1 V/μm. A remarkable improvement of more than six-fold from 2.05 to 13.19 mA/cm2 at a field of 4.6 V/μm was also observed in the current-density.

Production of muons from heavy flavor decays at forward rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy-flavor decays at forward rapidity, 2.5<y<4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76  TeV. The p(t)-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy-flavor decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of p(t) and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6<p(t)<10  GeV/c. The suppression shows no significant p(t) dependence.

J/ψ suppression at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV

The ALICE experiment has measured the inclusive J/ψ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV down to zero transverse momentum in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4. A suppression of the inclusive J/ψ yield in Pb-Pb is observed with respect to the one measured in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, integrated over the 0%-80% most central collisions, is 0.545 ± 0.032(stat) ± 0.083(syst) and does not exhibit a significant dependence on the collision centrality. These features appear significantly different from measurements at lower collision energies. Models including J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase can describe our data.

RP58/ZNF238 directly modulates proneurogenic gene levels and is required for neuronal differentiation and brain expansion

Although neurogenic pathways have been described in the developing neocortex, less is known about mechanisms ensuring correct neuronal differentiation thus also preventing tumor growth. We have shown that RP58 (aka zfp238 or znf238) is highly expressed in differentiating neurons, that its expression is lost or diminished in brain tumors, and that its reintroduction blocks their proliferation. Mice with loss of RP58 die at birth with neocortical defects. Using a novel conditional RP58 allele here we show that its CNS-specific loss yields a novel postnatal phenotype: microencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum and cerebellar hypoplasia that resembles the chr1qter deletion microcephaly syndrome in human. RP58 mutant brains maintain precursor pools but have reduced neuronal and increased glial differentiation. Well-timed downregulation of pax6, ngn2 and neuroD1 depends on RP58 mediated transcriptional repression, ngn2 and neuroD1 being direct targets. Thus, RP58 may act to favor neuronal differentiation and brain growth by coherently repressing multiple proneurogenic genes in a timely manner.

Particle-yield modification in jetlike azimuthal dihadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-p(t) trigger particles (8<p(t)<15 GeV/c) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jetlike correlation peaks in azimuthal dihadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta p(t)>3 GeV/c on the away side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near side a moderate enhancement of 20%-30% is found.

J/ψ polarization in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has studied J/ψ production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC through its muon pair decay. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons were measured, and results on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ(θ) and λ(φ) were obtained. The study was performed in the kinematic region 2.5<y<4, 2<p(t)<8 GeV/c, in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. In both frames, the polarization parameters are compatible with zero, within uncertainties.

Effect of supplementation of vitamin E, copper and zinc on the in vitro phagocytic activity and lymphocyte proliferation index of peripartum Sahiwal (Bos indicus) cows

To study the effect of vitamin E (VE), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) supplementation on the in vitro phagocytic activity (PA) and lymphocyte proliferation response (LPR) of blood neutrophils and lymphocytes, thirty Sahiwal pregnant cows (six in each group) in their late gestation at 30 days before the expected date of calving were selected from the NDRI experimental herd and supplemented with various micronutrients from 30 days before calving to 45 days after calving. Cows were supplemented individually with VE (1000 IU/cow/day), Cu (20 ppm/cow/day) and Zn (80 ppm/cow/day) and also with a combination of VE, Cu and Zn to study cumulative effect of all micronutrients. One group without any supplementation acted as a control. Blood neutrophils and lymphocytes were isolated and studied for their PA and LPR. Supplementation of micronutrients like VE, Cu, Zn and a combination of all these nutrients significantly (p < 0.01) increased the PA of experimental cows as compared to control (unsupplemented) cows during the pre-partum period. During post-partum, all the micronutrients (VE, Cu, Zn and their combination) showed a significant (p < 0.01) increase in the PA of experimental cows as compared to control cows. Of all the groups, significant (p < 0.01) and maximum PA was observed in the combination group followed by Zn-supplemented group during both the pre- and post-partum period. A significant (p < 0.01) increase in LPR of B lymphocytes was observed in combination-supplemented group during the pre-partum period and during both the pre- and post-partum period in the Cu-supplemented group.

Interaction of physical activity level and metabolic syndrome among the adult Asian Indians living in Calcutta, India

OBJECTIVES

The present community-based cross-sectional study was aimed to study the interaction of physical activity level (PAL) and metabolic syndrome (MS) among the adult Asian Indians.

METHODS

A total of 448 adult (> 30 years) individuals (males and females) inhabiting in and around Calcutta, India participated in the study. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, metabolic profiles and intake of dietary fatty acids were obtained from participants using standard guidelines. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was defined accordingly. The dietary intake (gram/week) of fatty acids namely total fat (TFA); saturated fatty acids (SFA); monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were obtained using nutritive values of Indian foodstuffs. Physical activity level (PAL) was categorized in to three different level: 1) high PAL - who exercised regularly and had physically demanding occupation 2) moderate PAL - who either exercised regularly or had physically demanding occupation, and 3) low PAL - who neither exercised regularly nor had physically demanding occupation.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MS was found to be inversely related with PAL. Individuals with low PAL had higher prevalence of MS as compared to their counterparts. Moreover individuals with low PAL had significantly higher BMI, WC, WHR as well as TFA and SFA than individuals with moderate and high PAL.

CONCLUSION

PAL is playing a vital role in the constellation of risk factors associated with MS. Habitual physical activity may be beneficial to prevent growing incidence of MS phenotypes in people of Asian Indian origin.

Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of the triangular v3, quadrangular v4, and pentagonal v5 charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76  TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow v2 and v3 have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.

Polymer nanocomposites exhibiting magnetically tunable microwave properties

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have been synthesized using Rogers polymer and CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (CFO NPs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms the inverse spinel crystal structure of CFO NPs and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles (10 nm ± 1) into the polymer matrix. Magnetic measurements indicate superparamagnetic response near room temperature for all PNCs. A blocking temperature T(B)~298 K was observed and does not vary for different loading fractions of CFO NPs for the PNCs. The saturation magnetization (M(s)) was found to be 11 emu g⁻¹ for 30 wt% CFO, increasing to 32 emu g⁻¹ for the 80 wt% CFO loaded PNC. A large value of coercivity (H(c) = 19 kOe) is also observed at 10 K and is not affected by varying CFO loading. Microwave measurements show significant absorption in the 80 wt% CFO loading PNC and the quality factor shows a strong enhancement with applied magnetic field.

Centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV is presented. The charged-particle density normalized per participating nucleon pair increases by about a factor of 2 from peripheral (70%-80%) to central (0%-5%) collisions. The centrality dependence is found to be similar to that observed at lower collision energies. The data are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] =2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|η|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2<p t<5.0 GeV/c. The elliptic flow signal v₂, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 ± 0.002(stat) ± 0.003(syst) in the 40%-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v₂ p t reaches a maximum of 0.2 near p t =3 GeV/c. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.

Charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ S NN = 2.76 TeV is presented. For an event sample corresponding to the most central 5% of the hadronic cross section, the pseudorapidity density of primary charged particles at midrapidity is 1584 ± 4(stat) ± 76(syst), which corresponds to 8.3 ± 0.4(syst) per participating nucleon pair. This represents an increase of about a factor 1.9 relative to pp collisions at similar collision energies, and about a factor 2.2 to central Au-Au collisions at √ S NN = 2.76 TeV. This measurement provides the first experimental constraint for models of nucleus-nucleus collisions at LHC energies.