Adherence to facemask use in public places during the autumn-winter 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Greece: observational data.

BACKGROUND: Wearing facemasks is of proven efficacy as a public health protective measure against COVID-19. Currently there are no observational data concerning the wearing of facemasks and the adherence to guidelines concerning their handling. METHODS: Registration of the way passers-by were wearing facemasks at 26 different locations of five major cities in Greece. The results were correlated with the rate of COVID-19 deaths in the region. RESULTS: In total, 119,433 passers-by were registered, 57,043 females (47.8%) and 62,390 males (52.2%). From the total sample, 81.1% were wearing the mask properly, 10.8% had their nose out, 6.2% were wearing it under the jaw, and 1.9% had no mask at all . There was a significant difference between males and females concerning any use of mask. Inappropriate use of was correlated with COVID-19 death rate in the studied region. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that under conditions of mandatory wearing and in central locations of major cities, during walking, proper use of masks is suboptimal, but still contributes with some protection. Fear and risk perception seem to be strong factors contributing to adherence to proper mask wearing.

A qualitative meta-synthesis of patients with heart failure perceived needs.

Supportive care may have significant input into the treatment of patients with heart failure (HF). Support, understanding and being treated as a whole and unique person are vital for patients with HF. In order to develop a person-centred program, it is important to know patients' needs from their perspectives. The aim of the current review and meta-synthesis was to explore the needs of patients with HF from their perspective. A qualitative review was conducted using the keywords: ("needs" OR "need") AND ("heart failure") AND ("qualitative") in four databases. Pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. The 'Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies' item checklist was used to assess the research methodologies of the included studies. A "thematic synthesis" methodological approach was used: (1) Line by line coding of the findings from primary studies. (2) The resulting codes were organized into related areas thus building descriptive themes. (3) Analytical themes were developed. Eleven articles were included in the present review. The results from the meta-synthesis extracted five different categories covering patents' needs: Self-management, palliative care, supportive care, social support and continuing person-centred care. The need for continuing empowerment and support to meet those needs was also identified, revealing the core theme: 'Wind beneath my wings'. The meta-synthesis quotations highlighted the necessity for dynamic and interactive continuing person-centred care focusing on the ongoing patients' needs through the HF trajectory. Giving more emphasis to the human dimension and holistic approach of patients with HF, along with cardiology medicine development might be a key factor in improving clinical outcomes and health related quality of life.

Health Promotion and Obesity in the Arab Gulf States: Challenges and Good Practices.

This debate paper focuses on available strategies, policies, and challenges of health promotion for combating obesity in the Arab Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar). The paper focuses on the abovementioned countries due to their similarity on many aspects and because of their alarming obesity rates that are on the rise and keep increasing. The paper argues that there are significant efforts to be made in sectors such as policies, intersectoral work, primary healthcare, health promotion strategies development, and qualified personnel for health promotion and health education. Among the six states, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and to a degree Oman have shown some development with regard to the implementation and evaluation of obesity-related health promotion policies, and thus other Arab Gulf countries could be inspired by existing good practices and move from good intentions to using their available wealth to invest in the implementation and evaluation of published policies and strategies. All Arab Gulf countries are in need of more qualified personnel and the development of infrastructure that can help tackle the growing obesity challenge that such countries are experiencing.

Adherence to Recommended Dietary Guidelines and the Relationships with the Importance of Eating Healthy in Egyptian University Students.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on the food consumption habits and adherence to dietary guidelines among young adults. We examined students' adherence to recommended guidelines, and the associations between importance of eating healthy and guidelines adherence. METHODS: A total of 3271 undergraduates at 11 faculties, Assiut University, Egypt (2009-2010), completed a questionnaire reporting their consumption of 12 food groups; number of servings of fruits/vegetables/day; and how important it is for them to eat healthy. We employed the WHO guidelines for the Eastern Mediterranean region (WHO 2012) to compute students' adherence to dietary guidelines for the different food groups. Chi-square tested the differences for adherence to guidelines by gender, and the associations between the importance of healthy eating and guidelines adherence for the whole sample and by gender. RESULTS: Except for cereal products, no food group had an adherence level >45%. Gender differences were observed (men had better adherence for sweets, cake/cookies, snacks, and raw vegetables but not for fast food/canned food or cooked vegetables, P < 0.001 for each). There was a significant positive trend between the increase of subjective importance of eating healthy and adherence to guidelines (P = 0.012-< 0.001). However, this association was only for some food groups and gender dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Across the majority of food groups we examined, this sample exhibited low adherence levels to International Nutrition Guidelines. Healthier eating educational/intervention efforts should target foods exhibiting low adherence (most food groups, particularly salad/raw vegetables, fresh fruits, dairy/dairy products, meat/sausage products); consider gender differences (females reported lower adherence across most food groups); and note the relation between adherence and subjective importance of eating healthy by food groups and gender.

Obesity Prevention: A Systematic Review of Setting-Based Interventions from Nordic Countries and the Netherlands.

Aim: Effective evidence-based interventions have an important role in obesity prevention. Our aim was to present a qualitative synthesis of setting-based health promotion interventions on obesity, from Nordic countries and the Netherlands. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was completed for studies in the community, schools, and worksite, with BMI as an outcome. A descriptive analysis was completed for all full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Results: Thirty-three articles were identified: 7 whole of community, 3 worksite, and 23 school-based interventions. The studies were largely quasiexperimental in design (21/33), with follow-up from 4 months to 8 years. The explicit use of theory was not featured in many of the studies (20/33). No consistent direction for BMI change could be identified in the whole of community interventions (2/7 positive, 2/7 negative, and 3/7 no effect) and no effect for worksite (3/3 no effect) or many of the school-based interventions (1/23 negative, 4/23 positive, 15/23 no effect, 1/23 BMI significant increase only for control group and 3/23 no data available). Conclusions: There is a need to prioritise interventions with study designs of high quality, theory, and a participatory approach, for optimal implementation and evaluation of obesity prevention interventions.

Lack of facilities rather than sociocultural factors as the primary barrier to physical activity among female Saudi university students.

PURPOSE: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is experiencing a dramatic increase in physical inactivity, with women having higher levels of inactivity than men among all age groups. It is assumed that factors such as dress codes, restrictions on going outdoors, and conservative norms are the main reasons for women's low physical activity. Our aim was to explore the different parameters related to physical activity, including self-efficacy, as well as the perceived barriers to and benefits of physical activity in young Saudi females. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-four first-year female Saudi university students in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, participated in the present study in 2014. The students were from eight bachelor's programs in health and well-being, and each completed a questionnaire with questions divided into five parts as follows: 1) socioeconomic status, 2) physical activity, 3) self-efficacy 4) social factors, and 5) barriers and facilitators related to physical activity. RESULTS: The students exercised at home and alone, and there was low self-efficacy for physical activity (mean score =42±14). Among social factors, attending university was the only factor that hindered physical activity (32%). Physical activity was positively perceived overall (mean score =131±10). Students showed awareness of the benefits of physical activity for health and well-being. The most important barrier was the lack of designated areas available for physical activity. Students disagreed that family or the Islamic community were barriers to physical activity. CONCLUSION: The lack of facilities and lack of encouragement from the university, but not a lack of knowledge (a high level of knowledge is to be expected given their health and well-being studies backgrounds) and/or restrictions from families and society, seem to hinder female students' physical activity, at least young Saudi students.

Eating Habits and Dietary Intake: Is Adherence to Dietary Guidelines Associated with Importance of Healthy Eating among Undergraduate University Students in Finland?

AIM: Poor eating habits among young adults are a public health concern. This survey examined the eating habits of undergraduate university students in Finland. We assessed students' dietary intake of a variety of food groups, their adherence to international dietary guidelines (whole sample and by gender), and the associations between importance of eating healthy and dietary guidelines adherence (whole sample and by gender). METHODS: During the 2013-2014 academic year, 1,189 undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Turku in southwestern Finland completed an online self-administered questionnaire. Students reported their eating habits of 12 food groups, the number of daily servings of fruits/vegetables they consume and how important it is for them to eat healthy. For dietary adherence recommendations, we employed WHO guidelines. Chi-square statistic tested the differences in dietary guidelines adherence between males and females and also the associations between the gradients of importance of healthy eating and the self reported eating habits for each of the food groups, for the whole sample and by gender. RESULTS: We observed high levels of dietary adherence (>70%) for most of the 'unhealthy food' items (cake/cookies, snacks, fast food/canned food, and lemonade/soft drinks), and moderate adherence for most of the 'healthy food' items (>50%) (dairy/dairy products, fruit/vegetables servings/day, fresh fruit, salads/raw vegetables and cereal/cereal products). Fish/seafood, meat/sausage products and cooked vegetables had levels <50% for adherence to the guidelines. Women had better adherence for meat/sausage products, fast food/canned food and for most 'healthy food' items (p≤0.001), whereas men had better adherence for sweets (difference=12.8%, p≤0.001), lemonade/soft drinks (difference=16.7%, p≤0.001) and fish/seafood (difference=6.6%, p=0.040) compared to women. Most students considered important to eat healthy (78.8%). The importance of eating healthy was significantly associated with adherence for all food groups besides sweets and cake/cookies. These associations remained significant for women but some of them not for men (cereal/cereal products, snacks and sweets). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest high adherence to the guidelines mainly for 'unhealthy food' groups, and moderate adherence for healthier food groups. There was also accordance between regarding eating healthy as important and actually eating healthy. However, there are improvements to be considered for specific food groups, as well as gender differences when implementing public health strategies related to food intake.

Eighteen years' experience applying old and current strategies in the pre-participation cardiovascular screening of athletes.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular pre-participation screening (PPS) is recommended for the identification of athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death. However, there is currently no universally accepted screening protocol. METHODS: Two distinct PPS strategies were studied in a large cohort of Greek athletes (5 to 39 years old): PPS I, with routine 12-lead ECG and echo, in addition to personal and family history, and physical examination; and PPS II, without routine echo. PPS I (12,353 athletes) was performed from 1992 to 2002, and PPS II (9852 athletes) from 2003 to 2010. RESULTS: "Abnormal" findings were observed in 49.3% of the athletes (49.6% in PPS I and 48.9% in PPS II, p=0.299). Most of them were age- or exercise-related. Further evaluation was recommended for 8.3% of the athletes. Finally, 39 athletes (22 from PPS I) were excluded from competitive sports. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was found in 7 athletes. Other abnormalities were: dilated cardiomyopathy; complete heart block; coronary artery disease; Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome; and severe hypertension. The ECG played a critical role in the exclusion of 13 athletes, compared to only one for echo. Both PPS methods revealed an almost equal incidence of findings. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the routine use of ECG alone is sufficient for the successful screening of athletes.

Liver abscess in ancient Greek and Greco-Roman texts.

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents liver abscesses, as studied in the ancient Greek and Greco-Roman bibliography. METHODS: Numerous references concerning this entity can be found in the writings of the Hippocratic doctors (5th cent. B.C.), Archigenes of Apamea (1st cent. A.D.), Galen (2nd cent. A.D.), Aretaeus of Cappadocia (2nd cent. A.D), Oribasius (4th cent. A.D.), Theophilus Protospatharius (7th cent. A.D.), and Paulus Nicaeensis (7th-10th cent. A.D.). RESULTS: In most cases the clinical manifestations, the prognosis and the method of treatment are presented. In all ancient writings we studied, the rupture of a liver abscess is also part of the main theme. In specific, the path that the fluid would follow after a rupture was considered to be a main prognostic factor, i.e. if the fluid "coursed into the stomach", the patient would definitely die. CONCLUSIONS: In this work, an attempt is also made to correlate the ancient descriptions to modern medical entities, such as amebic or pyogenic liver abscess.

Dairy product consumption, calcium intakes, and metabolic syndrome-related factors over 5 years in the STANISLAS study.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the associations of total dairy products; milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese; cheese; and calcium with 5-y changes in components of the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Two hundred eighty-eight men and 300 women 28 to 60 y of age from the suivi temporaire annuel non invasif de la santé des lorrains assurés sociaux (STANISLAS) cohort completed at baseline a 3-d dietary record. Statistics were performed using multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: In men, no relation was found between the four dietary indices and components of the metabolic syndrome measured at baseline. Conversely, the consumption of milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese at entry was inversely associated with 5-y changes in glucose levels (P ≤ 0.05, P ≤ 0.01 for sex interaction) and positively with 5-y changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P ≤ 0.05). Higher calcium intakes were significantly related to a lower 5-y increase of the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in men (P ≤ 0.01, P ≤ 0.05 for sex interaction). In addition, changes in diastolic blood pressure were inversely associated with the consumption of milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese only in men with a normal BMI (P ≤ 0.05 for BMI interaction). In women, unlike men, associations were shown for some components measured at baseline: total dairy positively related to BMI and waist circumference; total dairy, milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese, and calcium were positively related to triacylglycerols and negatively to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, no significant association was found for any 5-y-changes. CONCLUSION: In men only, a higher consumption of dairy products was associated with positive changes in the metabolic profile in a 5-y period; a higher calcium consumption was associated with a lower 5-y increase of the BMI and waist circumference.

Relationship between exercise test recovery indices and psychological and quality-of-life status in hemodialysis patients: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to correlate the psychological and health-related quality-of-life status of hemodialysis (HD) patients with recovery indices following maximal and submaximal exercise tests. METHODS: Twenty patients on HD (aged 53.5 ± 12.9 years) and 18 healthy individuals (aged 54.1 ± 10.2 years) underwent a maximal and a submaximal cardiopulmonary test (CPETmax and CPETsubmax). Heart rate recovery (HRrec) 1 minute after exercise and time for VO2 to decrease by half (T1/2VO2) were determined. All subjects also completed 3 questionnaires: (a) the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), (b) Quality of Life Index (QLI)-Spitzer Index and (c) SF-36 physical and mental component summary scales. RESULTS: HRrec after maximal (p=0.029) and submaximal test (p=0.041) was found to be lower in patients compared with healthy individuals. T1/2VO2 was raised by 29% (p=0.003) in patients compared with controls. Moreover, a significantly higher BDI (by 133.7%), lower SF-36 physical (by 47.8%) and mental (by 42.9%) component summary score and lower QLI (by 32.1%) results were found in HD patients compared with controls. BDI (p=0.045), QLI (P=0.011), SF-36 physical (p=0.017) and mental component scales (p=0.021) were independently associated with HRrec in maximal tests in patients. Similar correlations remained for submaximal tests among HRrec and BDI (p=0.004), QLI (p=0.006), SF-36 physical (p=0.048) but not mental scales (p=0.369) in the patients' group. T1/2VO2 also correlated to BDI (p=0.019), QLI (p=0.005) and SF-36 mental scale (p=0.017) in maximal tests in these patients. In contrast, there was a correlation between HRrec and BDI (p=0.004) in the control group for maximal tests only. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, in HD patients, recovery indices following maximal and submaximal exercise tests were shown to provide useful indications of the patients' psychological and quality-of-life profiles.

Alcohol Consumption, Beverage Preference, and Diet in Middle-Aged Men from the STANISLAS Study.

The question about differences in dietary patterns associated with beer, wine, and spirits is still unresolved. We used diet data from 423 middle-aged males of the STANISLAS Study. Using adjusted values for covariates, we observed a negative significant association between increasing alcohol intakes and the consumption of milk, yogurt, and fresh/uncured cheese, sugar and confectionery, vegetables and fruits, and a significant positive relationship with cheese, meat and organs, pork-butcher's meat, and potatoes. In addition, the first dietary pattern identified by factor analysis (characterized a more prudent diet) was inversely related to alcohol intakes. Conversely, when analyzing daily consumption of specific food groups and diet patterns according to beverage preference (wine, beer, and spirits), no significant difference was observed. In conclusion, in this sample of middle-aged French males, there was a linear trend between increasing alcohol intakes and worsening of quality of diet, while no difference was observed according to beverage preference.

Expression of inflammatory molecules and associations with BMI in children.

BACKGROUND: Adipose tissue secrets several adipokines that have been proposed to be enrolled in many inflammatory pathways. Our aim was to investigate the adipokine expression in adipose tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one (17 males and 14 females) healthy children aged 10.9 +/- 1.8 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 19.3 +/- 3.5 kg m(-2) were enrolled. Adipokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6 and leptin) gene expression was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR in adipose tissue and PBMCs from the same children. Their serum levels were also measured. RESULTS: BMI was positively correlated with leptin gene expression in adipose tissue and with leptin serum levels (beta = 0.476, P = 0.006 and beta = 0.576, P = 0.003 respectively). Leptin's serum levels were positively correlated with leptin gene expression in adipose tissue (beta = 0.462, P = 0.02). Adipose tissue gene expression of leptin and TNF-alpha and serum leptin and TNF-alpha serum levels were positively correlated (beta = 0.752, P < 0.001, beta = 0.311 and P = 0.015 respectively). In PBMCs, a positive correlation between TNF-alpha and IL-6 expression was found (beta = 0.526, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated powerful correlations of adipokines gene expression in adipose tissue and PBMCs in children, underlying that these molecules share common pathways related to childhood obesity.

Metabolic syndrome-related composite factors over 5 years in the STANISLAS family study: genetic heritability and common environmental influences.

BACKGROUND: We estimated genetic heritability and common environmental influences for various traits related to metabolic syndrome in young families from France. METHODS: At entrance and after 5 years, nineteen traits related to metabolic syndrome were measured in a sample of families drawn from the STANISLAS study. In addition, 5 aggregates of these traits were identified using factor analysis. RESULTS: At entrance, genetic heritability was high (20 to 44%) for plasma lipids and lipoproteins, uric acid, fasting glucose, and the related clusters "risk lipids" and "protective lipids". Intermediate or low genetic heritability (less than 20%) was shown for triglycerides, adiposity indices, blood pressure, hepatic enzyme activity, inflammatory makers and the related clusters: "liver enzymes", "adiposity/blood pressure" and "inflammation". Moreover, common environmental influences were significant for all the parameters. With regard to 5-year changes, polygenic variance was low and not statistically significant for any of the individual variables or clusters whereas shared environment influence was significant. CONCLUSIONS: In these young families, genetic heritability of metabolic syndrome-related traits was generally lower than previously reported while the common environmental influences were greater. In addition, only shared environment contributed to short-term changes of these traits.

Sex-dependent associations of leptin with metabolic syndrome-related variables: the Stanislas study.

Serum leptin has been reported to be associated in a sex-dependent manner with C-reactive protein (CRP), independently of adiposity. We tested the hypothesis that leptin is associated, independently of anthropometry indexes and in a sex-dependent way, with other inflammatory markers and variables related to metabolic syndrome (MS). In 384 healthy middle-aged adults (192 men and 192 women) total fat mass (FM), waist circumference (WC), serum leptin and 15 MS-related parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, apo AI and B, fasting glucose, uric acid, CRP, orosomucoid and haptoglobin levels and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities) were measured. After adjustment for age, alcohol and cigarette consumption, WC, and total FM, leptin concentration was significantly associated with serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, apo B, uric acid and haptoglobin concentrations and liver enzyme activity only in men, and with apo AI, HDL-cholesterol (only borderline) and CRP only in women. Sex interaction terms were significant for total cholesterol, apo B, HDL cholesterol, uric acid, ALAT and GGT, and borderline significant for triglycerides, apo AI and ASAT. In this healthy population, leptin is significantly associated with various MS factors, independently of WC and total FM, depending on gender. Our study provides further evidence of sex-related differences mediated by leptin in inflammatory mechanisms and other MS-related metabolic pathways.

Adipokine expression in adipose tissue and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in children Correlation with BMI and fatty acid content.

OBJECTIVE: Adipose tissue contributes in energy, lipid homeostasis and inflammation, through the adipokines it releases. Our aim was to study the associations between adipose tissue (AT) fatty acid content, adipokines' expression in AT and PBMCs and BMI in children. METHODS: Thirty-one (17 male) healthy children aged 10.9+/-1.8years and of BMI 19.3+/-3.5kg/m(2) were enrolled. Adipokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, leptin and visfatin) expression was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR in AT and PBMCs. Serum levels were measured by ELISA and fatty acids (FA) from AT by gas chromatography. RESULTS: BMI was correlated with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (beta=0.339, p=0.043), arachidonic (AA) (beta=0.576, p< or =0.001) and eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA) (beta=0.404, p=0.004) and negatively with stearic acid (beta=-0.577, p< or =0.001). TNF-alpha and visfatin expression from PBMCs were positively correlated with MUFAs (beta=0.271, p=0.027 and beta=0.214, p=0.020, respectively), n-9 fatty acids (beta=0.313, p=0.010 and beta=0.269 and p=0.024, respectively) and with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (beta=0.429, p=0.004 and beta=0.484, p< or =0.001, respectively), while negatively with the ratio n-6/n-3 (beta=-0.490, p=0.007 and beta=-0.374, p=0.044). CONCLUSIONS: A series of FA molecules were correlated with children's BMI and with TNF-alpha and visfatin expression from PBMCs indicating that AT fatty acid content, might have a role, as a potential regulator of PBMCs inflammatory gene expression.

Drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy subjects: biological variations and importance of pre-analytical steps.

Quantification in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of mRNA of drug metabolizing enzymes or drug targets could give interesting, new information in the field of pharmacogenomics and molecular mechanisms. However, for the interpretation of these data, it is necessary to know mRNA biological variations. In this review, we propose a strategy based on the production and interpretation of clinical chemistry reference values. We discuss the concept of reference values; the necessity to master pre-analytical variations of CYP and ABC transporters; the choice of the analytical methods and of the reference genes; and finally the biological variations themselves. In particular, we focus on the importance of considering homogeneity for age, sex, degree of adiposity, tobacco and alcohol intake, food habits, and drug consumption, including their inductive effects, at the phase of subject recruitment. All this information is useful to define the partition and exclusion factors to obtain mRNA reference limits.

Candidate gene microarray analysis in peripheral blood cells for studying hypertension/obesity.

AIMS: The gene expression of 182 cardiovascular candidate genes was measured in high quality groups of individuals (n = 20) by microarrays to determine whether a subset of genes would discriminate obese and hypertensive individuals, in spite of the existence of a close link between these two cardiovascular risk factors. MATERIALS & METHODS: The results were validated on the 20 subjects used for microarray analysis and on 62 additional individuals by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The first analysis, where patient groups were compared with healthy subjects, revealed 15 out of 182 genes that differed in hypertensive, obese or obesity-related hypertensive individuals. These genes were ALOX5, APOA2, SELL, RGS2, CD14, FPR1, CAMP, DEFA3, DEFA4, CBS, CHRM1, ICAM1, NR1H2, SCNN1B and TGFB1. A second analysis was carried out in which patient groups were compared with each other, demonstrating FPR1 and DEFA3 as being significant genes discriminating patient groups. Furthermore, an analysis stratified by sex revealed that, with the exception of DEFA3, there are no other common genes between men and women. DISCUSSION: We were able to indentify a number of interesting genes that distinguish patient and healthy subject groups as well as patient groups between them. CONCLUSION: In addition, it seems that gender plays an important role, at least for some of the genes we tested. These findings may have important implications in the screening and etiology of hypertension or obesity, and could further help to focus on these specific mRNAs as antisense therapy targets.

Leptin expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) is related with blood pressure variability.

BACKGROUND: Leptin is an adipokine initially considered as a molecule related exclusively to obesity but advances in research revealed its multiple roles in other physio-pathological mechanisms and particularly in the inflammatory ones. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the presence of leptin in human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) and to quantify its mRNA in this type of tissue, closely related to inflammation. METHODS: Leptin mRNA was present in PBMCs of healthy individuals. Its expression was further studied in 83 individuals in relation to constitutional factors, anthropometric variables, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose and markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, lymphocyte count). RESULTS: Expression levels were significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.03) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p = 0.003). Using a multiple regression analysis model, we showed that leptin mRNA levels explained 11% of the variation of SBP (p = 0.007) and of DBP (p = 0.003). These percentages remained at the same magnitude for SBP (9%) and for DBP (10%), after introducing BMI in the model. CONCLUSION: We report here for the first time, leptin expression in human PBMCs of healthy individuals. The associations found with blood pressure suggest a possible role of leptin in blood pressure regulation via PBMCs.