Cecilia Aguilar-de Plata

Impact of oxidative stress during pregnancy on fetal epigenetic patterns and early origin of vascular diseases

Epidemiological studies have led scientists to postulate the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis for noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and obesity. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development of these diseases are not well understood. In various animal models, it has been observed that oxidative stress during pregnancy is associated with the early development of endothelial dysfunction in offspring. This phenomenon suggests that endothelial dysfunction may initiate in the uterus and could lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Currently, it is known that many of the fetal adaptive responses to environmental factors are mediated by epigenetic changes in the genome, especially by the degree of methylation in cytosines in the promoter regions of genes. These findings suggest that the establishment of a particular epigenetic pattern in the genome may be generated by oxidative stress.

Circulating hepcidin in type 2 diabetes: A multivariate analysis and double blind evaluation of metformin effects.

SCOPE Very few studies have evaluated serum hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes and they have reported conflicting results. In addition, the effect of antidiabetic drugs on circulating hepcidin has not been explored so far. The aims of the study were to evaluate hepcidin concentrations and hepcidin/ferritin ratio in type 2 diabetes subjects and healthy non-diabetic controls and to evaluate the effect of metformin on hepcidin concentrations. METHODS AND RESULTS Study 1: Cross-sectional multivariate study of 239 non-diabetic individuals and 65 people with type 2 diabetes. The multivariate analysis included covariates of chronic inflammation, BMI, pharmacological treatment, menopausal status and insulin resistance. Study 2: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled 4-month trial metformin compared to placebo among 36 type 2 diabetic patients. In both groups diet was controlled by maintaining a hypocaloric intake across the trial. Hepcidin levels were significantly lower in patients with type 2 diabetes than in non-diabetic individuals either in crude or adjusted regression models (P<0.05). Hepcidin decreased in both arms of the trial (Placebo, p = 0.004; metformin, p = 0.022). CONCLUSION Circulating hepcidin was significantly and independently lower in type 2 diabetes. Metformin treatment is not associated with reductions in hepcidin but hypocaloric diet could be involved.

Dietary zinc intake is inversely associated to metabolic syndrome in male but not in female urban adolescents.

To evaluate the relationship of copper and zinc dietary intakes with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents.

Nutrients intake as determinants of blood lead and cadmium levels in Colombian pregnant women

To evaluate the relationship between nutrients intake in the first trimester of pregnancy and blood levels of lead and cadmium during the first and third trimesters of gestation.

Waist:height ratio, waist circumference and metabolic syndrome abnormalities in Colombian schooled adolescents: a multivariate analysis considering located adiposity.

Very few large studies in Latin America have evaluated the association between waist:height ratio (W-HtR) and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. Further, multivariable analyses verifying the independence of located subcutaneous fat have not been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of W-HtR and waist circumference (WC) with metabolic syndrome abnormalities and high LDL-cholesterol levels in schooled adolescents before and after adjusting for trunk skinfolds and BMI. The sample consisted of 831 boys and 841 girls aged 10-17 years. Biochemical, blood pressure and anthropometrical variables were measured. Age- and sex-specific quartiles of W-HtR and WC were used in Poisson regression models to evaluate the associations. High WC values (highest quartile v. quartiles 1-3) were associated with high TAG levels in both sexes (prevalence ratio, boys: 2·57 (95 % CI 1·91, 3·44); girls: 1·92 (95 % CI 1·49, 2·47); P0·05). High W-HtR (highest quartile v. quartiles 1-3) was only independently associated with high TAG in female adolescents (1·99 (95 % CI 1·55, 2·56); P<0·05). In conclusion, WC showed better association with cardiometabolic risk than W-HtR in the children of this study. This observation does not support W-HtR as a relevant adiposity marker for cardiovascular and metabolic risk in adolescence.

Relationship between maternal and newborn endothelial function and oxidative stress

To evaluate the Relationship between maternal and newborn endothelial function and oxidative stress.

Adiposity markers and cardiovascular risk in urban Colombian adolescents: Heterogeneity in association patterns

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of tricipital (TS), abdominal (AS), subscapular (SS), and suprailiac (SIS) skinfolds, Body Mass Index (BMI), and Waist Circumference (WC) with 1) variables related to cardiovascular risk (CVR) and 2) the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) - referenced pediatric cut-off points - in a multivariate analysis. MATERIALS/METHODS The sample was 1672 adolescents. Glucose, lipid profile, blood pressure and anthropometric variables were measured. RESULTS Adjusting for age, gender, and caloric intake, the highest quartile (Q4) of adiposity markers was associated to Q4 of biochemical and blood pressure variables. However, the association was not found for WC, SS and TS with glucose, and for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with TS, SS, and SIS. Triglycerides Q4 was related to Q4 of SS, AS, and SIS after further adjustments, as well as HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) Q1 with Q4 of SS and AS. Glucose Q4 was associated to BMI, AS (Not adjusting for BMI and SIS), and SIS Q4 (Not adjusting for BMI and TS). LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) Q4 was associated to TS and SS Q4. The associations of LDL-C Q4 and HDL-C Q1 with WC Q4 were not significant after further adjustments. All the adiposity markers, except WC and TS, were associated to CVRF clustering in all the adjustments. CONCLUSIONS In the adolescents, subcutaneous fat from the trunk (SS, AS, SIS) was better and independently associated to CVR variables and with CVRF clustering than visceral fat (WC). Further research is required to explain the specificity in the described associations.

Association of Self‐Reported Familial History of Cardiometabolic Disease with Metabolic Syndrome in Apparently Healthy Urban Colombian Men

Evidence about the relationship between familial history (FH) of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Latin American populations is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of FH of CMD and of dyslipidemia and obesity with MetS in healthy men.