Impact of Adolescent's Obesity in Cardiac Function: An Association of Cardiac Structural and Metabolic Risk Factors with Physical Fitness.

Background Elderly obese results metabolic, cardiac structural and functional derangements. However, such alterations including physical fitness in early age obesity are still controversial. Objective To evaluate physical fitness, cardiac structural, functional and metabolic remodeling and their association with obesity markers in adolescents. Method This cross-sectional comparative study included 90 adolescents with median age -14(2) years were grouped into Normal weight (NW) and Overweight/Obese (OW/OB) based on the BMI percentile for age and sex. International Diabetes Federation criteria for adolescents selected for lipid profiles, fasting sugar, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Echocardiographic standard 2-dimensional measurements for cardiac structures, percent ejection fraction (EF%) were performed with standard procedure. Physical fitness index (PFI) was graded using the modified Harvard step test. The data compared with Mann Whitney U test and Spearman's Rank correlation test used to find association among study variables. Result Compared to normal weight adolescents, overweight/obese individuals exhibited significantly higher cardiac function parameters, including heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Within the realm of cardio-metabolic parameters, it was observed that individuals exhibited diminished levels of high-density lipoproteins and elevated levels of low-density lipoproteins. Notably, these individuals manifested cardiac structural remodeling characterized by augmented left atrial wall and aortal base thickness, and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, concomitant with a markedly decreased percentage of left ventricular ejection fraction. Cardiac structural and functional parameters revealed adverse correlation with obesity markers. Conclusion The onset of obesity in early age has been ascertained to exert profound ramifications, encompassing not solely metabolic and biochemical parameters, but also extending to the structural integrity of the cardiovascular system. These outcomes synergistically contribute to a notable attenuation in overall physical fitness.

Genetic diversity and population structure of a rare flowering tree endemic to Appalachia, Stewartia ovata.

Stewartia ovata (cav.) Weatherby, commonly known as mountain stewartia, is an understory tree native to the southeastern United States (U.S.). This relatively rare species occurs in isolated populations in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. As a species, S. ovata has largely been overlooked, and limited information is available regarding its ecology, which presents obstacles to conservation efforts. Stewartia ovata has vibrant, large white flowers that bloom in summer with a variety of filament colors, suggesting potential horticultural traits prized by ornamental industry. However, S. ovata is relatively slow growing and, due to long seed dormancy, propagation is challenging with limited success rates. This has created a need to assess the present genetic diversity in S. ovata populations to inform potential conservation and restoration of the species. Here, we employ a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to characterize the spatial distribution and genetic diversity of S. ovata in the southern Appalachia region of the eastern United States. A total of 4475 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified across 147 individuals from 11 collection sites. Our results indicate low genetic diversity (He = 0.216), the presence of population structure (K = 2), limited differentiation (F ST = 0.039), and high gene flow (Nm = 6.16) between our subpopulations. Principal component analysis corroborated the findings of STRUCTURE, confirming the presence of two distinct S. ovata subpopulations. One subpopulation mainly contains genotypes from the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, while the other consists of genotypes present in the Great Smoky Mountain ranges in Tennessee, North Carolina, and portions of Nantahala, Chattahoochee-Oconee national forests in Georgia, highlighting that elevation likely plays a major role in its distribution. Our results further suggested low inbreeding coefficient (F IS = 0.070), which is expected with an outcrossing tree species. This research further provides necessary insight into extant subpopulations and has generated valuable resources needed for conservation efforts of S. ovata.