Assessment of the American Heart Association's "Life's simple 7" score in French-speaking adults from Québec.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The "Life's Simple 7" (LS7) metrics were developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) to assess and promote cardiovascular health in the American population. The purpose of this study was to assess the overall cardiovascular health of French-speaking adults from the Province of Quebec using the LS7 score. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 777 age and sex-representative participants of five different administrative regions in the Province of Quebec (387 men and 390 women; mean age ± SEM: 41.9 ± 0.1 years) were included in these analyses. Metrics of the LS7 score (smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting total cholesterol and blood glucose) were analysed to generate a final score ranging from 0 to 7. Only 0.5% of participants met all criteria for ideal cardiovascular health. The diet metric showed the lowest prevalence of "ideal" scores (4.8%) whereas not smoking was the metric with the highest prevalence (88.1%). Women had a higher LS7 score than men, while age and education level (negative and positive association, respectively; p < 0.0001) were also associated with the LS7 score. CONCLUSION: Consistent with studies conducted among other populations, very few French-speaking adults from the Province of Quebec achieve an ideal cardiovascular health. These data indicate that further public health efforts aimed at promoting the LS7 metrics, focusing primarily on diet, are urgently needed. Specific groups, including older adults and those with lower levels of education, should be targeted when developing cardiovascular health promotion interventions.

Sublethal exposure to azamethiphos causes neurotoxicity, altered energy allocation and high mortality during simulated live transport in American lobster.

In the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, sea lice outbreaks in caged salmon are treated with pesticides including Salmosan(®), applied as bath treatments and then released into the surrounding seawater. The effect of chronic exposure to low concentrations of this pesticide on neighboring lobster populations is a concern. Adult male lobsters were exposed to 61 ngL(-1) of azamethiphos (a.i. in Salmosan(®) formulation) continuously for 10 days. In addition to the direct effects of pesticide exposure, effects on the ability to cope with shipping conditions and the persistence of the effects after a 24h depuration period in clean seawater were assessed. Indicators of stress and hypoxia (serum total proteins, hemocyanin and lactate), oxidative damage (protein carbonyls in gills and serum) and altered energy allocation (hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices, hepatopancreas lipids) were assessed in addition to neurotoxicity (chlolinesterase activity in muscle). Directly after exposure, azamethiphos-treated lobsters had inhibition of muscle cholinesterase, reduced gonadosomatic index and enhanced hepatosomatic index and hepatopancreas lipid content. All these responses persisted after 24-h depuration, increasing the risk of cumulative impacts with further exposure to chemical or non-chemical stressors. In both control and treated lobsters exposed to simulated shipment conditions, concentrations of protein and lactate in serum, and protein carbonyls in gills increased. However, mortality rate was higher in azamethiphos-treated lobsters (33 ± 14%) than in controls (2.6 ± 4%). Shipment and azamethiphos had cumulative impacts on serum proteins. Both direct effects on neurological function and energy allocation and indirect effect on ability to cope with shipping stress could have significant impacts on lobster population and/or fisheries.

Associations between self-reported vegetable and fruit intake assessed with a new web-based 24-h dietary recall and serum carotenoids in free-living adults: a relative validation study.

The aim of the present study was to assess the relative validity of a new web-based 24-h dietary recall (R24W) in terms of vegetable and fruit (VF) intake assessment using serum carotenoid concentrations as reference biomarkers. A total of seventy-four women and seventy-three men (mean age 47·5 (sd 13·3) years; mean BMI 25·5 (sd 4·4) kg/m2) completed the R24W four times to assess their VF intake. Serum carotenoids were obtained from 12-h fasted blood samples and measured by HPLC. Raw and de-attenuated partial Spearman's correlations were performed to determine how usual vegetable and/or fruit intake was associated with serum carotenoids. Relevant confounders were selected using a stepwise regression analysis. Finally, cross-classification was used to determine agreement between intake of VF and serum carotenoids. Intake of total dietary carotenoids was significantly associated (r 0·40; P < 0·01) with total serum carotenoids (without lycopene). Total VF intake was also associated with total serum carotenoid concentrations without lycopene (r 0·44; P < 0·01). HDL-cholesterol, waist circumference and age were identified as confounders in the association between total VF intake and total serum carotenoids (without lycopene). De-attenuated partial correlation adjusted for these confounders increased the associations between dietary carotenoids and total serum carotenoids without lycopene (r 0·49; P < 0·01) and between total VF intake and total serum carotenoids without lycopene (r 0·48; P < 0·01). Almost 80 % of respondents were classified in the same or the adjacent quartile for total VF intake and total serum carotenoids without lycopene, while less than 6 % were classified in the opposite quartile. Overall, these observations support the appropriateness of the R24W to assess the dietary intake of VF.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist: A marker of the atherogenic metabolic triad (hyperinsulinemia; hyperapolipoprotein B; small, dense LDL) in men?

BACKGROUND: The present study tested the hypothesis that simple variables, such as waist circumference and fasting plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations, could be used as screening tools for the identification of men characterized by a metabolic triad of nontraditional risk factors (elevated insulin and apolipoprotein [apo] B and small, dense LDL particles). METHODS AND RESULTS: Results of the metabolic study (study 1) conducted on 185 healthy men indicate that a large proportion (>80%) of men with waist circumference values >/=90 cm and with elevated TG levels (>/=2.0 mmol/L) were characterized by the atherogenic metabolic triad. Validation of the model in an angiographic study (study 2) on a sample of 287 men with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) revealed that only men with both elevated waist and TG levels were at increased risk of CAD (odds ratio of 3.6, P<0.03) compared with men with low waist and TG levels. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the simultaneous measurement and interpretation of waist circumference and fasting TG could be used as inexpensive screening tools to identify men characterized by the atherogenic metabolic triad (hyperinsulinemia, elevated apo B, small, dense LDL) and at high risk for CAD.

Postprandial triglyceride response in visceral obesity in men.

Although metabolic disturbances are often observed in obese patients, increased accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (AT) has been shown to be more closely associated with high fasting triglyceride (TG) and insulin levels as well as with low HDL cholesterol concentrations than with excess body fatness per se. Interestingly, the fasting concentration of plasma TGs has been shown to be an important determinant of the magnitude and duration of the postprandial TG response. Yet little is known about the respective contributions of obesity versus excess visceral AT to the variation in postprandial TG clearance. In the present study, we examined potential differences in postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) responses in subjects characterized by high versus low levels of visceral AT. In a sample of 43 men (mean age: 41.3 +/- 9.6 years), we found that both excess body fat and visceral obesity were associated with increased postprandial TG responses in total TRL (r = 0.33-0.45). We also found a strong relationship between fasting plasma TG levels and postprandial total TRL-TG concentrations (r = 0.79, P < 0.0001). When matched for total body fat mass, individuals with high levels of visceral AT (> or =130 cm2; n = 10) as assessed by computed tomography were characterized by increased medium- and small-TRL-TG responses (P < 0.05) compared with subjects with low visceral AT accumulation (<130 cm2; n = 10). Moreover, this elevated response of small-TRL triglycerides noted in men with high levels of visceral AT was not accompanied by a concomitant increased retinyl palmitate response in this TRL fraction, suggesting that visceral obesity in men is accompanied by higher postprandial VLDL production than is found in obese men with lower levels of visceral AT. Increased postprandial insulin and free fatty acid (FFA) responses were also noted in men with high levels of visceral AT. Finally, postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity was negatively correlated with the total-TRL-TG response in a subsample of 32 individuals (r = -0.37, P < 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that visceral obesity is associated with an impaired postprandial TG clearance. Furthermore, the exaggerated postprandial FFA response observed in subjects with high visceral AT suggests that visceral obesity may contribute to fasting and postprandial hypertriglyceridemia by altering FFA metabolism in the postprandial state.

Effects of endurance exercise training on plasma HDL cholesterol levels depend on levels of triglycerides: evidence from men of the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training and Genetics (HERITAGE) Family Study.

High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations have been shown to increase with regular endurance exercise and, therefore, can contribute to a lower risk of coronary heart disease in physically active individuals compared with sedentary subjects. Although low HDL cholesterol levels are frequently observed in combination with hypertriglyceridemia, some individuals may be characterized by isolated hypoalphalipoproteinemia, ie, low HDL cholesterol levels in the absence of elevated triglyceride (TG) concentrations. The present study compared the responses of numerous lipoprotein-lipid variables to a 20-week endurance exercise training program in men categorized on the basis of baseline TG and HDL cholesterol concentrations: (1) low TG and high HDL cholesterol (normolipidemia), (2) low TG and low HDL cholesterol (isolated low HDL cholesterol), (3) high TG and high HDL cholesterol (isolated high TGs), and (4) high TGs and low HDL cholesterol (high TG/low HDL cholesterol). A series of physical and metabolic variables was measured before and after the training program in a sample of 200 men enrolled in the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training and Genetics (HERITAGE) Family Study. At baseline, men with high TG/low HDL cholesterol had more visceral adipose tissue than did men with isolated low HDL cholesterol and men with normolipidemia. The 0.4% (not significant) exercise-induced increase in HDL cholesterol levels in men with isolated low HDL cholesterol suggests that they did not benefit from the "HDL-raising" effect of exercise. In contrast, men with high TG/low HDL cholesterol showed a significant increase in HDL cholesterol levels (4.9%, P<0.005). Whereas both subgroups of men with elevated TG levels showed reductions in plasma TGs ( approximately -15.0%, P<0.005), only those with high TG/low HDL cholesterol showed significantly reduced apolipoprotein B levels at the end of the study (-6.0%, P<0.005). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the exercise-induced change in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (10.6%, P<0.01) was the only significant correlate of the increase in plasma HDL cholesterol with training in men with high TG/low HDL cholesterol. Results of the present study suggest that regular endurance exercise training may be particularly helpful in men with low HDL cholesterol, elevated TGs, and abdominal obesity.

Total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio vs LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio as indices of ischemic heart disease risk in men: the Quebec Cardiovascular Study.

BACKGROUND: Total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/HDL-C ratios are used to predict ischemic heart disease risk. There is, however, no consensus on which of these 2 indices is superior. The objective of the present study was to present evidence that the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio may underestimate ischemic heart disease risk in overweight hyperinsulinemic patients with high triglyceride (TG)-low HDL-C dyslipidemia. METHODS: A total of 2103 middle-aged men in whom measurements of the metabolic profile were performed in the fasting state were recruited from 7 suburbs of the Quebec metropolitan area. RESULTS: The relationship of LDL-C/HDL-C to TC/HDL-C ratios was examined among men in the Quebec Cardiovascular Study classified into tertiles of fasting TG levels. For any given LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, the TC/HDL-C ratio was higher among men in the top TG tertile (>168 mg/dL [>1.9 mmol/L]) than in men in the first and second TG tertiles. Adjustment of the TC/HDL-C ratio for LDL-C/HDL-C by covariance analysis generated significant differences in average TC/HDL-C ratios among TG tertiles (P<.001). Greater differences in features of the insulin resistance syndrome (insulinemia, apolipoprotein B, and LDL size) were noted across tertiles of the TC/HDL-C ratio than tertiles of the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. CONCLUSION: Variation in the TC/HDL-C ratio may be associated with more substantial alterations in metabolic indices predictive of ischemic heart disease risk and related to the insulin resistance syndrome than variation in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio.

Age-related increase in visceral adipose tissue and body fat and the metabolic risk profile of premenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Age-related differences in body fat and, more specifically, in the accumulation of abdominal visceral adipose tissue (AT) were examined as potential covariates of the age-related difference in the metabolic profile predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk observed in young, as compared with middle-aged, premenopausal women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Body composition, AT distribution, plasma lipoprotein-lipid levels, glucose tolerance, and plasma insulin concentrations were assessed in a sample of 122 young women (27.4+/-7.5 years, mean +/- SD) and compared with a sample of 52 middle-aged premenopausal women (49.5+/-5.3 years) who still had a normal menstrual cycle. RESULTS: Middle-aged women were characterized by elevated levels of total abdominal and visceral AT and greater body fat mass and waist circumference, as well as by higher plasma levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein (apo)B, and LDL-apoB compared with younger women. Furthermore, middle-aged women showed a greater glycemic response to a 75-g oral glucose load than young women (P < 0.01). In both young and middle-aged subjects, visceral AT accumulation was significantly correlated with plasma triglyceride, apoB, and LDL-apoB levels and with the cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio, as well as with plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels measured in the fasting state and after the oral glucose load, and negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol levels (-0.41 < or = r < or = 0.65, P < 0.05). When variables were adjusted for levels of visceral AT and fat mass, age-related differences that were initially found in plasma apoB and LDL-apoB levels, as well as in fasting glycemia and glucose tolerance, were eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study suggest that even before the onset of menopause there is an age-related deterioration in the metabolic risk profile and an increase in visceral AT deposition in middle-aged women compared with young control subjects. Furthermore, our results provide support for the notion that the age-related increase in visceral AT accumulation is a significant factor involved in the deterioration of the CVD risk profile noted in premenopausal women with age.

Leptinemia is not a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in men. Prospective results from the Quebec Cardiovascular Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possibility that leptin levels may be predictive of the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) through the relationship of leptin to body fat. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Quebec Cardiovascular Study cohort consisted of 2,103 French-Canadian men without IHD in 1985 who were followed until 1990, by which time 114 had experienced an IHD event. These 114 men were then individually matched for age, BMI, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake with 114 subjects who were free of IHD at follow-up. After exclusion of diabetic patients and those in whom leptin levels could not be measured, we were able to compare the initial metabolic profiles of 86 men in the IHD group and of 95 control subjects. RESULTS: Plasma leptin concentrations were positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.67, P < 0.0001) and with fasting insulin concentrations (r = 0.46, P < 0.0001) in the overall sample. These significant associations were also observed when men with IHD and the control subjects were examined separately (control subjects: r = 0.68 for BMI and r = 0.45 for insulin; IHD subjects: r = 0.65 for BMI and r = 0.50 for insulin). With the exception of plasma triglyceride (r = 0.25, P < 0.001), no significant association was found between leptin and plasma lipoprotein and lipid concentrations. Furthermore, plasma insulin remained significantly associated with leptin levels even after adjustment for BMI (r = 0.22, P < 0.005). There was no difference in baseline leptin levels among men who developed IHD versus men who remained IHD-free during the 5-year follow-up (5.56 +/- 3.12 vs. 5.36 +/- 2.90 ng/ml, respectively). Thus, although significantly correlated with the BMI and fasting insulin levels, plasma leptin concentration was not a significant predictor of the 5-year incidence of IHD. This lack of a relationship to IHD was noted when leptin levels were analyzed as tertiles and when leptin concentration was analyzed as a continuous variable. CONCLUSIONS: These prospective results suggest that leptinemia, despite being a strong correlate of obesity, does not appear to be an independent risk factor for the development of IHD in men.

Metabolic heterogeneity underlying postprandial lipemia among men with low fasting high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.

The high triglyceride (TG) and low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol dyslipidemia has been associated with increased postprandial lipemia. Although fasting TG is a powerful predictor of postprandial hyperlipidemia, the role of hypoalphalipoproteinemia in postprandial TG metabolism is uncertain. We have studied postprandial lipemia among 63 men with low fasting plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations (<0.9 mmol/L), but with either low (<2.0 mmol/L) or high (>2.0 mmol/L) fasting plasma TG levels. A significant relationship was noted between postprandial TG response and fasting HDL cholesterol concentration (r = -0.43; P: < 0.0005). We also found that men with high TG/low HDL dyslipidemia (high TG and low HDL cholesterol; n = 16) were characterized by abdominal obesity as well as increased visceral adipose tissue accumulation, whereas normolipidemic controls (low TG and high HDL cholesterol; n = 26) and men with isolated low HDL cholesterol concentrations (low TG and low HDL cholesterol; n = 17) were not characterized by features of the insulin resistance syndrome (visceral obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia). Although controls and men with isolated low HDL cholesterol levels had similar postprandial lipemic responses, men with the high TG/low HDL dyslipidemia had a marked increase in their postprandial TG responses to the fat load compared with the other subgroups (P: < 0. 001). Men with the high TG/low HDL dyslipidemia were also characterized by higher concentrations of apolipoprotein (apo) B-48 and B-100 particles (chylomicron remnants and very low density lipoproteins, respectively) before and during the postprandial period compared with the other subjects. These results suggest that low HDL cholesterol concentration is a heterogeneous metabolic phenotype that it is not associated with postprandial hyperlipidemia unless accompanied by other features of the insulin resistance syndrome.

Contribution of body fatness and adipose tissue distribution to the age variation in plasma steroid hormone concentrations in men: the HERITAGE Family Study.

Obesity has been associated with alterations in plasma steroid hormone concentrations in men. Older men present an altered steroid hormone profile compared to younger individuals, and an increase in body fatness and changes in adipose tissue (AT) distribution are noted with advancing age. Thus, there is a need to examine the relative importance of increased body fatness and changes in AT distribution with advancing age to plasma steroid hormone and sex hormone-binding globulin levels in men. We, therefore, investigated the relationships among age, body fatness, AT distribution, and the plasma steroid hormone profile in a group of 217 Caucasian men (mean age +/- SD, 36.2 +/- 14.9 yr) who covered a wide age range (17-64 yr). Compared to young adult men, older men were characterized by increased adiposity (P < 0.0001) expressed either as body mass index or total body fat mass assessed by underwater weighing. Differences in AT distribution were also noted with a preferential accumulation of abdominal fat as indicated by a larger waist girth (P < 0.0001) and higher visceral AT accumulation (P < 0.0001), measured by computed tomography, in older subjects. Age was associated with decreases (P < 0.0001) in C19 adrenal steroid levels, namely reduced dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA fatty acid ester, DHEA sulfate, as well as androstenedione levels. Androgens, i.e. dihydrotestosterone and testosterone, were also affected by age, with lower levels of both steroids being found in older individuals (P < 0.0005). When statistical adjustment for body fatness and AT distribution was performed, differences in C19 adrenal steroids between the age groups remained significant, whereas differences in androgens and sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations were no longer significant. The present study suggests that age-related differences in plasma steroid hormone levels, especially androgens, are partly mediated by concomitant variation in adiposity in men.

The small, dense LDL phenotype as a correlate of postprandial lipemia in men.

The atherogenic dyslipidemia of the insulin resistance syndrome is characterized by hypertriglyceridemia (hyperTG), elevated apolipoprotein (apo) B levels, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations and by an increased proportion of small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. Although the hyperTG-low HDL cholesterol dyslipidemia has been associated with an impaired clearance of dietary fat, the contribution of the small, dense LDL phenotype as an independent predictor of postprandial triglyceride (TG) clearance remains uncertain. We have therefore compared the postprandial TG response among three subgroups of men characterized by small, intermediate or large LDL particles in a total sample of 69 men (mean age +/- SD; 45.1 +/- 10.5 years). To identify men with small versus large LDL particles, the first (LDL peak particle diameter < 251.9 A) and the third (> 257.6 A) tertiles of the distribution of LDL particle diameters were used as cutoff points. Men with small, dense LDL particles had the expected fasting dyslipidemic profile (high TG-low HDL cholesterol levels) compared to men with large, buoyant LDL particles. The oral lipid tolerance test revealed that men with small, dense LDL particles had significantly higher total-, large-, and medium-TG-rich lipoprotein (TRL) responses to a fatty meal than men with large LDL particles (P < 0.03). In addition, within a subgroup of normolipidemic men (TG < 2.3 mmol/l and HDL cholesterol > 0.9 mmol/l), those with small, dense LDL particles had higher levels of total-, medium- and small-TRL responses compared to men with large, buoyant LDL particles (P < 0.05). Moreover, normotriglyceridemic men with small, dense LDL had higher levels of small-TRLs measured 8 h after the ingestion of the fat meal (P < 0.05) compared to normolipidemic men with large, buoyant LDL particles. Results of the present study suggest that the dense LDL phenotype may be an additional fasting marker of an exaggerated postprandial TG response and of an impaired clearance of TRLs.

Race differences in the response of postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities to endurance exercise training in men: results from the HERITAGE Family Study.

Endurance exercise training is known to produce favorable changes in the metabolic profile including reduced plasma triglyceride (TG) and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations. These metabolic improvements are likely to contribute to the reduced coronary heart disease (CHD) risk often observed in physically active individuals. However, the physiological mechanisms responsible for such improvements in TG and HDL cholesterol concentrations with endurance exercise are not fully understood. The effect of a 20-week endurance exercise training program on plasma lipoproteins as well as on post-heparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (PH-LPL) and hepatic lipase (PH-HL) activities were therefore examined in a sample of 200 White and 69 Black men who were part of the HERITAGE Family Study. As expected, there were decreases in adiposity and in abdominal fat accumulation following training in both White and Black men. We also found that exercise training was associated with decreases in plasma cholesterol, TG and apolipoprotein B levels, as well as with an increase in HDL cholesterol concentrations in White men. In contrast, Black men showed an increase only in HDL(2) cholesterol over the 20-week period. Higher PH-LPL and lower PH-HL activities were noted in both ethnic groups at follow-up. Whereas in White men improvement of the lipoprotein-lipid profile was related to increased PH-LPL activity, no association between PH-LPL (or PH-HL) and lipoprotein-lipid variables was observed in Black men. Results of the present study suggest that in Whites, the increase in PH-LPL activity in response to endurance exercise training is associated with a better lipoprotein-lipid profile, therefore reducing CHD risk. However, the generally better metabolic profile of Black individuals may minimize further improvement of lipoprotein-lipid concentrations by exercise training.

Post-heparin lipolytic enzyme activities, sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in men and women: The HERITAGE Family Study.

We tested the hypothesis that androgen, estrogen, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels would be significantly related to post-heparin hepatic lipase (HL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities in a sample of Caucasian men (n = 233) and women (n = 235) aged 17-64 years from the HERITAGE Family Study. Body composition (hydrostatic weighing), abdominal adipose tissue distribution (computed tomography), plasma lipid-lipoprotein and hormone levels, and post-heparin lipases activities were measured. HL activity was significantly higher in males, whereas LPL activity was higher in women (P < 0.005). In women only, HL activity was positively associated with body fat mass (r = 0.17, P < 0.05) and intra-abdominal adipose tissue area (r = 0.18, P < 0.05). Significant associations were also found between fasting insulin and LPL activity (r = -0.16, P < 0.05 and r = -0.18, P < 0.005) as well as HL activity (r = 0.22, P < 0.005, and r = 0.27, P < 0.0001) in men and women, respectively. A positive association between total testosterone and HL activity was noted in men (r = 0.13, P = 0.05). In women, plasma SHBG levels were negatively associated with HL activity (r = -0.48, P < 0.0001), and statistical adjustment for body fat mass, visceral adipose tissue area, and fasting insulin did not attenuate this correlation. In multivariate analyses with models including adiposity variables and measurements of the hormonal profile, insulin, and testosterone levels were both independent positive predictors of HL activity in men. In women, hormone use was a significant positive predictor, and SHBG level a strong negative predictor of HL activity, independent of plasma estradiol and testosterone concentrations. Fasting insulin was the only significant predictor of LPL activity in men (negative association), whereas menstrual status, fasting insulin (negative associations), and plasma SHBG levels (positive association) were all independent predictors of LPL activity in women. These results suggest that the postulated sensitivity of lipolytic enzymes to androgens and estrogens is reflected by a strong negative association between SHBG levels and HL, and a lower magnitude positive association of this hormonal parameter to LPL activity in women. These associations appear to be independent from concomitant variation in total adiposity or body fat distribution.

Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol but not apolipoprotein A-I is a good correlate of the visceral obesity-insulin resistance dyslipidemic syndrome.

Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I is a major component of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), and it has been suggested that measurement of apo A-I may provide additional information in the assessment of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. In the present study in a sample of 111 men (age [mean +/- SD], 35.3 +/- 6.6 years), we determined whether a low apo A-I concentration is associated with the cluster of metabolic abnormalities that characterize the visceral obesity-insulin resistance dyslipidemic syndrome. For this purpose, the first and fourth quartiles of apo A-I and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were compared in relation to body fat distribution, glucose tolerance, and plasma insulin and lipoprotein levels. Men in the first quartile (< the 25th percentile) of HDL-C, as compared with men in the fourth quartile (> the 75th percentile), were characterized by an elevated visceral adipose tissue (AT) accumulation (P < .05), as well as by increased plasma levels of triglycerides ([TGs] P < .0001), apo B (P < .0005), and insulin (P < .01). These differences were not found when the first and fourth quartiles of plasma apo A-I concentrations were compared. These results suggest that plasma levels of HDL-C are more closely associated with the various features of the visceral obesity-insulin resistance syndrome than plasma apo A-I.

Plasma post-heparin lipase activities in the HERITAGE Family Study: the reproducibility, gender differences, and associations with lipoprotein levels. HEalth, RIsk factors, exercise Training and GEnetics.

OBJECTIVES: Examine the reproducibility of plasma lipid and lipoprotein measurements in the HERITAGE Family Study. DESIGN AND METHODS: In a sample of 379 subjects (191 men and 188 women), reproducibility was determined for lipids, lipoproteins (done on two occasions) and post-heparin lipase assays using an Intracenter Quality Control study by generating split samples from an additional 60 subjects (35 men and 25 women), which were assayed in a blind fashion by the lipid core laboratory. Reproducibility was estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the selected variables. Analytical error (ANER) and coefficient of variation (CV) were also calculated. Day-to-day variation for 10 variables including plasma cholesterol and triglycerides (TG), HDL-cholesterol and its subfractions HDL2-cholesterol and HDL3-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol, as well as apoprotein (apo) A-I, apo B, and LDL-apo B were assessed. RESULTS: In the HERITAGE study, all lipid and lipoprotein variables had ICC above 0.79. Plasma VLDL-cholesterol (31 %) and TG (23%) levels, which are well known to be highly variable from one day to another, had CVs greater than 20%. Other variables had CVs lower than 10% except for HDL2-cholesterol which reached 16%. In the intracenter reliability sub-study, the measurement errors were found to be low except for HDL2-cholesterol. For the lipases, the reproducibility of repeated samples was very high, with ICC over 0.95. The within-assay CV corresponded to 2.1 and 5.3% for hepatic lipase (HL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), respectively, whereas the between-assay CV reached 8-12% for HL and about 15% for LPL. Due to the complexity of these two assays, the results are considered to be quite satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The reproducibility of plasma lipid and lipoprotein measurements, as well as of post-heparin lipase activities, is good in the multicenter HERITAGE Family Study. In addition, the well-documented gender difference in the plasma lipoprotein profile was confirmed in the present study, women having lower fasting triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol levels than men as well as reduced cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol and increased HDL2-cholesterol/ HDL3-cholesterol ratios compared to men. Results of the present study support the notion that the higher LPL and low HL activities found in women compared to men are important factors contributing to explain gender difference in the lipoprotein profile. However, additional factors not examined in the present study are involved beyond the contribution of post-heparin lipase to the sex dimorphism in plasma lipoprotein levels.

[Fat distribution and metabolism]. / Distribution et métabolisme des masses grasses.

It is well known that adipose tissue distribution is an important factor involved in the etiology of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adipose tissue distribution is obviously different between men and women, men being prone to accumulate their excess of energy in the abdominal region, more specifically in the intra-abdominal depot (visceral) whereas women show a selective deposition of adipose tissue in the gluteo-femoral region. Several studies have demonstrated an association between age and adipose tissue distribution and a selective deposition of visceral adipose tissue has been reported with age, in both men and women. In this regard, the menopause transition also appears to be a factor associated with an accelerated accumulation of abdominal adipose tissue. This increase in visceral adipose tissue has been suggested to play a significant role in the etiology of metabolic complications increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, a selective mobilization of visceral adipose tissue in response to a weight loss program has been noted among viscerally obese patients, this reduction in visceral adipose tissue being associated with improvements in the lipoprotein-lipid profile and insulin sensitivity. Thus, the distribution of adipose tissue is an important factor to take into account in the evaluation of the patient. Furthermore, the amount of abdominal adipose tissue should also be considered as an important therapeutic target for the optimal management of cardiovascular disease risk.

Reduction of cytochrome P4501A with age in Atlantic tomcod from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada: relationship with emaciation and possible effect of contamination.

This study reports a reduction of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in large-sized, older Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) collected in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Quebec, Canada) and investigates its relationship over a 4-year period to sex, gonadosomatic index (GSI), condition factor (CF) and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) mRNA levels. In addition, the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in a subsample of fish. The reduction of EROD activity with age was observed each year in both sexes and was not related to the GSI. A high proportion of large-sized fish, with a body length greater or equal to 225 mm, were emaciated (CF < or = 0.55). A 6-16-fold reduction of EROD activity and a 2-4-fold reduction of CYP1A mRNA levels were observed in large-sized emaciated females compared to small-sized non-emaciated females. Concentrations of PCBs in liver increased from 1000 to 4000 ng/g lipid weight as the hepatic lipid content and the CF decreased. The inter-annual variation of EROD activity was associated with the variation in CF with lowest EROD activity and CF in 1999. When emaciated fish were excluded from the analyses, EROD activity was still lower (2-5-fold) in large compared to small fish and was no longer related to CF. For similar levels of CYP1A mRNA, EROD activity was lower in large compared to small fish. Thus, there was post-transcriptional inhibition of CYP1A activity in large-sized tomcod, indicative of cellular dysfunction. This response may be related to aging, chronic exposure to toxic contaminants or to selective pressures favoring less responsive individuals. This study demonstrates that fish age, size, and CF are important variables to consider in studies using EROD activity as an indicator of environmental contamination. The main finding was that a large part of the reduction of CYP1A with age in St. Lawrence Estuary tomcod was associated with severe emaciation of a large proportion of large-sized fish. Hepatic concentrations of contaminants covaried with the CF and the effects of these two variables on CYP1A could not be discriminated.

A processing plant survey of external lesions of American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, Canada.

Signs of decreasing landing and recruitment were observed in the last decade in American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from the St. Lawrence River basin, Canada. In order to verify if the declines were associated with high prevalence of diseases among commercial catches, a total of 12243 eels captured in five commercial fishing sites were inspected at two processing plants in 1992. They were all examined for external lesions and palpated to detect vertebral deformities. Eels from Lakes Ontario, Saint-François and Saint-Pierre were mainly resident eels, while those from the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence Estuary at Kamouraska were mainly mature migrating eels. Prevalences of every lesion observed were low (< or = 1%) at every site. Scratches all over the body were found only on eels from Kamouraska. Cutaneous ulcers were observed more frequently in the Richelieu River. Higher prevalences of vertebral deformities were found in mature migrating eels captured in Kamouraska and in the Richelieu River. Vertebral deformities were also observed more frequently among eels captured at the end of the 1992 fishing season in Kamouraska. Higher length, weight and/or age of mature migrating eels may be associated with higher prevalences of vertebral deformities among this group. These results do not indicate that the health of the American eels commercially captured in the St. Lawrence basin is severely impaired. However, the magnitude of diseases among the biological population is probably underestimated by such a survey.

A telephone survey of eel fishermen regarding external lesions and mortalities of American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River basin, Canada.

Signs of decreasing landings and recruitment have been observed during the last decade in American eels (Anguilla rostrata) from the St. Lawrence River basin, Canada. A study was undertaken to examine whether important manifestational diseases among commercial catches could be associated with these declines. During this survey, 56 fishermen from Lakes Ontario, Saint-François and Saint-Pierre, the Richelieu River, the Québec City area and the St. Lawrence Estuary were interviewed. Most fishermen from every area reported decreasing catches since the 1980s. Eel mortalities were reported from 1990 to 1992 in Lake Saint-François, Lake Saint-Pierre and the Québec City area, but in apparently lower magnitude than in the past decades. The lesions observed on dead eels in Lake Saint-François indicated that the cause of the mortalities might be associated with the upstream hydroelectric dam. Eels with 'scratches all over the body' were only observed in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Fishermen from almost every area reported that they had observed eels with 'crooked tail', 'humpback' and 'cut tail' in low frequency in 1992. The questionnaire data were validated by comparing some of the results of the questionnaire survey and a processing plant survey in 1992. The use of questionnaires for assessing fish diseases in commercial species is discussed. The results of this survey do not indicate that the health of the American eels from the St. Lawrence River basin is severely impaired. However, the magnitude of diseases and mortalities was probably underestimated.