Adenovirus-36 is associated with obesity in children and adults in Sweden as determined by rapid ELISA

Serological data analyses show that adenovirus 36 infection is associated with obesity: a meta-analysis involving 5739 subjects

OBJECTIVE

Serological studies on the relationship between adenovirus 36 (Ad36) and an increased risk of obesity development have shown conflicting results. We reviewed the published studies and carried out a meta-analysis to explore this relationship.

METHODS

PubMed was searched until December 2012 for the relative references with sufficient information to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 11 case-control studies, including 2508 obese subjects and 3005 controls, were selected.

RESULTS

Compared with nonobese controls, Ad36 infection significantly increased the obesity risk by a pooled OR of 1.60 (95% CI = 1.14-2.25; P < 0.01). Meta-regression showed that the types of subject and obesity assessments were potential risk factors. In the subgroup analysis, a significantly increased risk was found in children (OR = 1.95; 95% CI = 1.34-2.85; z = 3.45; P < 0.01) and those with an obesity assessment of BMI ≥ 30 kg/cm2 (OR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.15-3.10; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Ad36 infection is associated with an increased risk of obesity development. To our knowledge, this is the first report to reveal the significant relationship in children with a serological data analysis.

Describing the silent human virome with an emphasis on giant viruses

Viruses are the most abundant obligate intracellular entities in our body. Until recently, they were only considered to be pathogens that caused a broad array of pathologies, ranging from mild disease to deaths in the most severe cases. However, recent advances in unbiased mass sequencing techniques as well as increasing epidemiological evidence have indicated that the human body is home to diverse viral species under non-pathological conditions. Despite these studies, the description of the presumably healthy viral flora, i.e. the normal human virome, is still in its infancy regarding viral composition and dynamics. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the human virome under non-pathological conditions.

Harnessing the beneficial properties of adipogenic microbes for improving human health

Obesity is associated with numerous metabolic comorbidities. Weight loss is an effective measure for alleviating many of these metabolic abnormalities. However, considering the limited success of most medical weight-management approaches in producing a sustained weight loss, approaches that improve obesity-related metabolic abnormalities independent of weight loss would be extremely attractive and of practical benefit. Metabolically healthy obesity supports the notion that a better metabolic profile is possible despite obesity. Moreover, adequate expansion of adipose tissue appears to confer protection from obesity-induced metabolic comorbidities. To this end, the 10th Stock conference examined new approaches to improve metabolic comorbidities independent of weight loss. In particular, human adenovirus 36 (Ad36) and specific gut microbes were examined for their potential to influence lipid and glucose homeostasis in animals and humans. While these microbes possess some undesirable properties, research has identified attributes of adenovirus Ad36 and gut microbes that may be selectively harnessed to improve metabolic profile without the obligatory weight loss. Furthermore, identifying the host signalling pathways that these microbes recruit to improve the metabolic profile may offer new templates and targets, which may facilitate the development of novel treatment strategies for obesity-related metabolic conditions.

Impaired fasting glucose prevalence in two nationwide cohorts of obese children and adolescents

Objective:

Impaired fasting glucose (IFG), a pre-stage to type 2 diabetes in adults, is also present in obese children. A large variation of the occurrence has been recorded, but the true prevalence is unknown due to lack of larger representative cohort studies. This study was implemented to investigate the prevalence of IFG in two nationwide cohorts of obese children and to find factors that affect the risk of IFG.

Design:

A cross-sectional study based on data collected from two nationwide registers of obese children in Germany and Sweden, respectively.

Subjects:

Subjects included were 2–18 years old. 32 907 subjects with fasting glucose were eligible in Germany and 2726 in Sweden. Two cutoff limits for IFG were used: 5.6–6.9 mmol l⁻¹ according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and 6.1–6.9 mmol l⁻¹according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Variables collected were gender, age and degree of obesity. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios.

Results:

The total prevalence of IFG among obese children in the German cohort according to the ADA was 5.7% and according to the WHO it was 1.1%. In Sweden, the corresponding prevalence was 17.1% and 3.9%, respectively. IFG risk was correlated with increasing age, male sex and degree of obesity.

Conclusions:

IFG is highly prevalent among obese children. Age and degree of obesity are positively correlated with the risk of having IFG. There are large regional differences. After adjustments, obese children in Sweden, due to unknown reasons, have a 3.4- to 3.7-fold higher risk of having IFG than obese children in Germany.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of 1179 Czech adolescents evaluated for antibodies to human adenovirus 36

BACKGROUND

Human adenovirus 36 (Adv36) is associated with obesity in children. Most prior studies have been small and the association of Adv36 status with markers of metabolic risks has been inconsistent.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of Adv36 antibodies in different weight categories of adolescents and to evaluate the association of Adv36 infection with anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic health risks.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In 1179 Czech adolescents (85 underweight, 506 normal weight, 160 overweight and 428 obese), the following variables were evaluated: anthropometric (body weight, height, body mass index, circumferences, fat mass), blood pressure, biochemical and hormonal (lipid profile, glucose, insulin, liver enzymes, adiponectin) and Adv36 antibodies (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

RESULTS

Of the total cohort, 26.5% were positive for Adv36 antibodies (underweight: 22.3%; normal weight: 21.5%; overweight: 40.0% and obese: 28.0%). The odds ratio for Adv36 antibody positivity evaluated vs normal weight was 2.61 for overweight (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.77-3.86, P<0.001) and 1.46 for obesity (95% CI: 1.07-1.99, P=0.016). A significantly higher prevalence of Adv36 infection was observed in female subjects (32.5%) in comparison to male subjects (19.7%; P<0.001). Adv36 positivity of the whole cohort was significantly related to body weight (P=0.042), body mass index (P=0.015), hip circumference (P=0.004), body height z-score (P=0.029), and total body fat (P=0.000) and trunk fat (P=0.000). Adv36 antibody-positive girls demonstrated significantly higher body height (167.8 vs 165.0 cm, P=0.01) and waist circumference (77.0 vs 72.0 cm, P=0.01). Infected adolescents exhibited significantly higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), but lower levels of blood glucose. Liver enzymes were significantly increased only in Adv36-positive boys.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrated an association of Adv36 antibodies with obesity and an even greater association with overweight. Adv36 positivity was related to increased fat mass, levels of TC and LDL-C, but to decreased level of blood glucose. No relation to adiponectin levels was revealed.

Long-term lithium treatment in bipolar disorder is associated with longer leukocyte telomeres

Telomere shortening is a hallmark of aging and has been associated with oxidative stress, inflammation and chronic somatic, as well as psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. Additionally, antidepressants have been found to protect against telomere shortening. However, pharmacological telomere studies are lacking in bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore telomere length (TL) in patients with BD in the context of lithium treatment. We determined TL by quantitative real-time PCR using peripheral blood leukocytes. Participants were outpatients diagnosed with BD type 1 or 2 (n=256) and healthy controls (n=139). Retrospective case-control and case-case study designs were applied. Lithium response (LiR) was scored using the Alda-Scale. Lithium-treated BD patients overall, as well as those on lithium monotherapy, had 35% longer telomeres compared with controls (P<0.0005, partial η(2)=0.13). TL correlated positively with lithium treatment duration of >30 months (P=0.031, R(2)=0.13) and was negatively associated with increasing number of depressive episodes (P<0.007). BD patients responding well to lithium treatment had longer telomeres than those not responding well. This is the first study to report a positive effect of long-term lithium treatment on TL. Importantly, longer TL was also associated with a better LiR in BD patients. These data suggest that lithium exerts a protective effect against telomere shortening especially when therapeutically efficacious. We hypothesize that induction of telomerase activity may be involved in LiR in BD.

Adenovirus-36 seropositivity and its relation with obesity and metabolic profile in children

The human adenovirus 36 (Ad-36) is causally and correlatively associated in animals and humans, respectively, with increased adiposity and altered metabolic profile. In previous studies, the relationship between Ad-36 seropositivity with obesity was established in adults and children. We evaluated the association of positive antibodies to Ad-36 with obesity and metabolic profile in Mexican children. Seventy-five children with normal-weight and 82 with obesity were studied in this research. All children had a clinic assessment which included weight, height, body circumferences, and skinfold thickness. Laboratory analyzes included triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and glucose and insulin levels. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the antibodies to Ad-36 in the serum samples. The overall Ad-36 seroprevalence was 73.9%. Ad-36 seropositivity had a higher prevalence in obese children than in normal weight group (58.6 versus 41.4%, P = 0.007). Ad-36 seropositivity was associated with obesity (OR = 2.66, P = 0.01) and high-density lipoprotein <40 mg/dL (OR = 2.85, P = 0.03). The Ad-36 seropositive group had greater risk of 4 metabolic abnormalities compared with those children without none alteration. In summary, Ad-36 seropositivity was associated with obesity and low HDL-c levels in the sample of children studied.