| 1. |
- Flexeder, Claudia, et al.
(author)
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Second-hand smoke exposure in adulthood and lower respiratory health during 20 year follow up in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey
- 2019
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In: Respiratory Research. - : BioMed Central. - 1465-9921 .- 1465-993X. ; 20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Early life exposure to tobacco smoke has been extensively studied but the role of second-hand smoke (SHS) for new-onset respiratory symptoms and lung function decline in adulthood has not been widely investigated in longitudinal studies. Our aim is to investigate the associations of exposure to SHS in adults with respiratory symptoms, respiratory conditions and lung function over 20 years. We used information from 3011 adults from 26 centres in 12 countries who participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Surveys I-III and were never or former smokers at all three surveys. Associations of SHS exposure with respiratory health (asthma symptom score, asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD) were analysed using generalised linear mixed-effects models adjusted for confounding factors (including sex, age, smoking status, socioeconomic status and allergic sensitisation). Linear mixed-effects models with additional adjustment for height were used to assess the relationships between SHS exposure and lung function levels and decline. Reported exposure to SHS decreased in all 26 study centres over time. The prevalence of SHS exposure was 38.7% at baseline (1990-1994) and 7.1% after the 20-year follow-up (2008-2011). On average 2.4% of the study participants were not exposed at the first, but were exposed at the third examination. An increase in SHS exposure over time was associated with doctor-diagnosed asthma (odds ratio (OR): 2.7; 95% confidence interval (95%-CI): 1.2-5.9), chronic bronchitis (OR: 4.8; 95%-CI: 1.6-15.0), asthma symptom score (count ratio (CR): 1.9; 95%-CI: 1.2-2.9) and dyspnoea (OR: 2.7; 95%-CI: 1.1-6.7) compared to never exposed to SHS. Associations between increase in SHS exposure and incidence of COPD (OR: 2.0; 95%-CI: 0.6-6.0) or lung function (beta: - 49 ml; 95%-CI: -132, 35 for FEV1 and beta: - 62 ml; 95%-CI: -165, 40 for FVC) were not apparent. Exposure to second-hand smoke may lead to respiratory symptoms, but this is not accompanied by lung function changes.
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| 2. |
- Galvan-Alvarez, Victor, et al.
(author)
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Antioxidant enzymes and Nrf2/Keap1 in human skeletal muscle: Influence of age, sex, adiposity and aerobic fitness
- 2023
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In: Free Radical Biology & Medicine. - : Elsevier Inc.. - 0891-5849 .- 1873-4596. ; 209:Part 2, s. 282-291
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Whether a higher aerobic fitness is associated with increased expression of antioxidant enzymes and their regulatory factors in skeletal muscle remains unknown. Although oestrogens could promote a higher antioxidant capacity in females, it remains unknown whether a sex dimorphism exists in humans regarding the antioxidant capacity of skeletal muscle. Thus, the aim was to determine the protein expression levels of the antioxidant enzymes SOD1, SOD2, catalase and glutathione reductase (GR) and their regulatory factors Nrf2 and Keap1 in 189 volunteers (120 males and 69 females) to establish whether sex differences exist and how age, VO2max and adiposity influence these. For this purpose, vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were obtained in all participants under resting and unstressed conditions. No significant sex differences in Nrf2, Keap1, SOD1, SOD2, catalase and GR protein expression levels were observed after accounting for VO2max, age and adiposity differences. Multiple regression analysis indicates that the VO2max in mL.kg LLM−1.min−1can be predicted from the levels of SOD2, Total Nrf2 and Keap1 (R = 0.58, P < 0.001), with SOD2 being the main predictor explaining 28 % of variance in VO2max, while Nrf2 and Keap1 explained each around 3 % of the variance. SOD1 protein expression increased with ageing in the whole group after accounting for differences in VO2max and body fat percentage. Overweight and obesity were associated with increased pSer40-Nrf2, pSer40-Nrf2/Total Nrf2 ratio and SOD1 protein expression levels after accounting for differences in age and VO2max. Overall, at the population level, higher aerobic fitness is associated with increased basal expression of muscle antioxidant enzymes, which may explain some of the benefits of regular exercise.
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| 3. |
- Lacalle, Estibaliz, et al.
(author)
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Bicarbonate-Triggered In Vitro Capacitation of Boar Spermatozoa Conveys an Increased Relative Abundance of the Canonical Transient Receptor Potential Cation (TRPC) Channels 3, 4, 6 and 7 and of CatSper-gamma Subunit mRNA Transcripts
- 2022
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In: Animals. - : MDPI. - 2076-2615. ; 12:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple Summary The detection of sub-fertile boars has been a difficult task, and despite their prevalence being low, its impact is very significant because it implies economic drawbacks for artificial insemination (AI) centers and farms. Unfortunately, some crucial reproductive processes fall beyond the routine analysis performed in the porcine model, such as sperm capacitation, which is a necessary event for fertilization. A synergistic action of bicarbonate (HCO3-) with calcium (Ca2+) is needed to achieve capacitation. The transport of Ca2+ is mediated by CatSper channels and Canonical Transient Potential Channels (TRPC). We quantified mRNA transcripts of different subunits of CatSper (beta, gamma and delta) and TRPC (1, 3, 4, 6 and 7) before and after in vitro capacitation by HCO3- ions. Our results showed that in vitro capacitation using HCO3- increases the relative abundance of mRNA transcripts of almost all subunits of Ca2+ channels, except CatSper-delta and TRPC1, which were significantly reduced. More studies are needed to elucidate the specific roles of the TRPC channels at a physiological and functional level. Sperm capacitation is a stepwise complex biochemical process towards fertilization. It includes a crucial early calcium (Ca2+) transport mediated by CatSper channels and Canonical Transient Potential Channels (TRPC). We studied the relative abundance of mRNA transcripts changes of the CatSper beta, gamma and delta subunits and TRPC-channels 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 in pig spermatozoa, after triggering in vitro capacitation by bicarbonate ions at levels present in vivo at the fertilization site. For this purpose, we analyzedfive5 ejaculate pools (from three fertile adult boars) before (control-fresh samples) and after in vitro exposure to capacitation conditions (37 mM NaHCO3, 2.25 mM CaCl2, 2 mM caffeine, 0.5% bovine serum albumin and 310 mM lactose) at 38 degrees C, 5% CO2 for 30 min. In vitro capacitation using bicarbonate elicits an increase in the relative abundance of mRNA transcripts of almost all studied Ca2+ channels, except CatSper-delta and TRPC1 (significantly reduced). These findings open new avenues of research to identify the specific role of each channel in boar sperm capacitation and elucidate the physiological meaning of the changes on sperm mRNA cargo.
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| 4. |
- Lønnebotn, Marianne, et al.
(author)
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Body silhouettes as a tool to reflect obesity in the past
- 2018
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 13:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Life course data on obesity may enrich the quality of epidemiologic studies analysing health consequences of obesity. However, achieving such data may require substantial resources. We investigated the use of body silhouettes in adults as a tool to reflect obesity in the past. We used large population-based samples to analyse to what extent self-reported body silhouettes correlated with the previously measured (9-23 years) body mass index (BMI) from both measured (European Community Respiratory Health Survey, N = 3 041) and selfreported (Respiratory Health In Northern Europe study, N = 3 410) height and weight. We calculated Spearman correlation between BMI and body silhouettes and ROC-curve analyses for identifying obesity (BMI >= 30) at ages 30 and 45 years. Spearman correlations between measured BMI age 30 (+/- 2y) or 45 (+/- 2y) and body silhouettes in women and men were between 0.62-0.66 and correlations for self-reported BMI were between 0.58-0.70. The area under the curve for identification of obesity at age 30 using body silhouettes vs previously measured BMI at age 30 (+/- 2y) was 0.92 (95% CI 0.87, 0.97) and 0.85 (95% CI 0.75, 0.95) in women and men, respectively; for previously self-reported BMI, 0.92 (95% CI 0.88, 0.95) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.85, 0.96). Our study suggests that body silhouettes are a useful epidemiological tool, enabling retrospective differentiation of obesity and non-obesity in adult women and men.
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| 5. |
- Perez-Valera, Mario, et al.
(author)
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Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (SARS-CoV-2 receptor) expression in human skeletal muscle
- 2021
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 31:12, s. 2249-2258
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study aimed to determine the levels of skeletal muscle Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor) protein expression in men and women and assess whether ACE2 expression in skeletal muscle is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity. The level of ACE2 in vastus lateralis muscle biopsies collected in previous studies from 170 men (age:19-65 yrs, weight:56-137 kg, BMI:23-44) and 69 women (age:18-55 yrs, weight:41-126 kg, BMI:22-39) was analysed in duplicate by western blot. VO2max was determined by ergospirometry and body composition by DXA. ACE2 protein expression was 1.8-fold higher in women than men (p=0.001, n=239). This sex difference disappeared after accounting for the percentage of body fat (fat %), VO2max per kg of legs lean mass (VO2max-LLM) and age (p=0.47). Multiple regression analysis showed that the fat % (β=0.47) is the main predictor of the variability in ACE2 protein expression in skeletal muscle, explaining 5.2 % of the variance. VO2max-LLM had also predictive value (β=0.09). There was a significant fat % by VO2max-LLM interaction, such that for subjects with low fat %, VO2max-LLM was positively associated with ACE2 expression while as fat % increased the slope of the positive association between VO2max-LLM and ACE2 was reduced. In conclusion, women express higher amounts of ACE2 in their skeletal muscles than men. This sexual dimorphism is mainly explained by sex differences in fat % and cardiorespiratory fitness. The percentage of body fat is the main predictor of the variability in ACE2 protein expression in human skeletal muscle.
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