Variations in fat mass contribution to bone mineral density by gender, age, and body mass index: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008-2011.

UNLABELLED: The relationship of body composition and bone mineral density is complex and controversial. When classifying Korean population based on gender, age, and body mass index, fat mass had varying contributions to bone mineral density. INTRODUCTION: The relationship between body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) is complex, and it is uncertain how components of body mass variably affect BMD. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was performed in subjects ≥20 years based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008 to 2011. Among 17,583 subjects, the mean ages were 49.1 ± 16.0 years (M, n = 7495) and 49.3 ± 16.3 years (F, n = 10,088). Subjects were divided into age groups, either <50 or ≥50 years for males, or menopausal state, either premenopausal or postmenopausal, for females. A further classification used BMI, either <25 or ≥25 kg/m(2). Anthropometric and body composition parameters were compared and evaluated to look for correlations with BMD. Further, appendicular lean mass (ALM), fat mass (FM), fat percentage (FP), and waist circumference (WC) were included for multivariate analysis with BMD, controlling for covariates in each age group and BMI subgroup. RESULTS: Anthropometric and body composition parameters significantly correlated with BMD in all age groups for both genders. After adjusting for covariates, ALM strongly affected BMD in all age groups for both genders. FM, FP, and WC significantly affected BMD in both age groups of women and in older men, but they did not affect BMD in younger men. Fat indices positively affected BMD of all sites in all non-obese women and in non-obese older men. However, little contribution was found in obese subgroups of both genders and in non-obese younger men. CONCLUSION: Considering different weights of covariates, ALM strongly contributed to BMD in all gender, age, and BMI groups. On the other hand, fat indices positively affected BMD of both age groups in women and older men with normal BMI, but they showed little contribution to BMD within the same age groups with high BMI or any BMI subgroups of younger men.

Comparing kidney outcomes in type 2 diabetes treated with different sulphonylureas in real-life clinical practice.

AIM: Although several sulphonylureas are widely used in type 2 diabetes (T2D), their differential impacts on long-term major kidney outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the two most commonly prescribed sulphonylureas, glimepiride and gliclazide, on kidney outcomes in patients with T2D. METHODS: A total of 4486 patients treated with either glimepiride or gliclazide for more than 2 years were followed for up to 5.5 years (median: 4.7 years). A propensity score based on baseline characteristics was used to match 1427 patients treated with glimepiride with 1427 gliclazide-treated patients; incidences of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and sustained doubling of creatinine to>132.6 µmol/L (1.5mg/dL) were also compared. RESULTS: In the matched cohort with 12,122 person-years of follow-up, there was no significant difference between groups in risk of ESRD [hazard ratio (HR): 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29-1.12] or doubling of creatinine (HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.44-1.26), although there was a trend towards higher risks in the glimepiride group. Subgroup analyses showed that, compared with glimepiride, gliclazide was associated with a lower risk of doubling of creatinine in patients with preserved renal function (glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), HR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.04-0.99) and good glycaemic control (HbA1c < 7%, HR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14-0.86), and in older subjects (≥ 62 years, HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.99). CONCLUSION: In a real-life setting, there was no significant difference in clinical outcomes of kidney disease for patients treated with glimepiride vs gliclazide. However, gliclazide appeared to protect against renal complication progression in certain populations.

Genetic dissection of the budding yeast Arp2/3 complex: a comparison of the in vivo and structural roles of individual subunits.

In previous work, we identified the yeast Arp2/3 complex, which localizes to cortical actin patches and is required for their motility and integrity in vivo. This complex contains proteins homologous to each subunit of the Acanthamoeba and human Arp2/3 complex except for a 40-kDa subunit (p40), which was missing from the purified yeast complex. Here, we demonstrate by using immunoprecipitation and gel-filtration analysis that Arc40p, the homolog of p40 identified from the yeast genome database, associates with the yeast Arp2/3 complex. We have carried out gene disruptions of each subunit of the yeast Arp2/3 complex to study each subunit's role in the function of the complex. Surprisingly, we find that only ARC40 is fully essential for cell viability. Strains lacking each of the other subunits exhibit varying degrees of defects in cell growth and viability and in assembly and polarization of cortical actin patches. We have also examined each subunit's role in maintaining the structural integrity of the Arp2/3 complex. Arp2p, Arp3p, and Arc40p fall into the monomer pool in Deltaarc19 and Deltaarc35 cells, suggesting that Arc19p and Arc35p are the central scaffolding components of the complex. Arp2p and Arp3p do not have major roles in maintaining complex integrity, and Arc15p is required for association of Arp2p and Arc40p, but not other subunits, with the complex. These results provide evidence that each subunit contributes differently to the assembly and function of the Arp2/3 complex.