Better Body Composition and Lipid Profile Can Be Associated with Vitamin D Status in Spanish Elderly? The PHYSMED Study.

Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk for lipid metabolism disorders, but this relationship has provided inconsistent results in elderly. Thus the aim was to assess the association between body composition and blood lipid profile levels on serum 25-hydrovitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration in Spanish elderly. A cross-sectional multicentre study was carried out in 383 participants (58.2% females) aged of 55-88 years. Fasting blood samples analyzed serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC). Body composition parameters (fat mass, fat free mass) were obtained by bioimpedance, waist circumference (WC), physical activity and vitamin D intake were also evaluated. BMI, fat mass and total fat mass were lower in vitamin D sufficient subjects than vitamin D insufficient and deficient subjects, but this difference was not significant (p>0,05). Those with vitamin D adequate levels also showed lower TC/HDL ratio than those who had inadequate (insufficient or deficient) vitamin D levels (p=0.04). Significant association between 25(OH)D and BMI, waist circumference, total muscle mass, TC/HDL-c ratio, HDL and TG (for all p≤ 0.05) was found after controlling for some confounders. Subjects with inadequate HDL levels (<40mg/dL) showed 1.7 times higher odds than vitamin D deficiency than those with adequate HDL levels (>60mg/dL) (95% CI= 1.10 to 2.85 p= 0.017) and WC was negatively associated with vitamin D status odds ratio of 0.98 (0.96 to 1.00; p= 0.04). Vitamin D concentration was positively correlated with HDL-c and total muscle mass, as well as negatively correlated with WC, LDL-c/HDL-c and TC/HDL-c independently of age, gender and some confounders.

Colour polymorphism in Drosophila mediopunctata: genetic (chromosomal) analysis and nonrandom association with chromosome inversions.

The presence of three dark spots on the abdomen is typical of the tripunctata group of Drosophila, which is the second largest Neotropical group, with 56 species. In some species, such as D. mediopunctata, the colour pattern varies considerably: ranging from flies showing no spots up to flies with three dark spots. In this paper, we present a genetic (chromosomal) analysis of this character showing that this colour polymorphism is genetically determined mainly by the second chromosome. Since this chromosome is the most polymorphic for inversions in this species, we also examined the influence of the inversions on this character. We used strains in which different second chromosomes were placed on the same genetic background and the offspring between them. We found a nonrandom association between the number of spots and the inversions PA0 and PC0. Thus, our results are consistent with the idea that the factors or genes determining a conspicuous polymorphism are likely to be associated, forming a supergene, and this association would be most efficiently accomplished through a chromosome inversion. Moreover, this is the first time that an association between a conspicuous morphological polymorphism and chromosome inversions has been described.

Male-killing selfish cytoplasmic element causes sex-ratio distortion in Drosophila melanogaster.

Sex ratio distortion induced by a male-killing agent has been found to affect Drosophila melanogaster. The trait was discovered accidentally in a collection of flies from markets in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil. Repeated crosses with Canton-S males (for 15 generations to date) and successful transmission using the injection of macerates of sex ratio flies, have shown that the trait is inherited maternally, is cytoplasmic and is infectious. Crosses with strains marked with the visible mutation white and viability experiments at pre-adult stages of development, indicate that the skewed sex ratio results from male mortality before hatching. Males do not transmit the trait to their progeny.