ObjectivesDespite recommendations that central obesity assessment should be employed as a marker of cardiometabolic health, no consensus exists regarding measurement protocol. This study examined a range of anthropometric variables and their relationships with cardiometabolic features and type 2 diabetes in order to ascertain whether measurement site influences discriminatory accuracy. In particular, we compared waist circumference (WC) measured at two sites: (1) immediately below the lowest rib (WC rib) and (2) between the lowest rib and iliac crest (WC midway), which has been recommended by the World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation. Materials and MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study involving a random sample of 2,002 men and women aged 46-73 years. Metabolic profiles and WC, hip circumference, pelvic width and body mass index (BMI) were determined. Correlation, logistic regression and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to evaluate obesity measurement relationships with metabolic risk phenotypes and type 2 diabetes. ResultsWC rib measures displayed the strongest associations with non-optimal lipid and lipoprotein levels, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, impaired fasting glucose, a clustering of metabolic risk features and type 2 diabetes, in both genders. Rib-derived indices improved discrimination of type 2 diabetes by 3-7% compared to BMI and 2-6% compared to WC midway (in men) and 5-7% compared to BMI and 4-6% compared to WC midway (in women). A prediction model including BMI and central obesity displayed a significantly higher area under the curve for WC rib (0.78, P=0.003), Rib/height ratio (0.80, P<0.001), Rib/pelvis ratio (0.79, P<0.001), but not for WC midway (0.75, P=0.127), when compared to one with BMI alone (0.74). Data Availability Statement: The data underlying these findings contain potentially identifying patient information. Further information to access these data can be found on the research centre website, http:// www.hrbchdr.com/projects-and-research or through email to patricia. kearney@ucc.ie." may be included in the published manuscript.Funding: This work was supported by a research grant from the Irish Health Research Board (reference HRC/2007/13). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. ConclusionsWC rib is easier to assess and our data suggest that it is a better method for determining obesity-related cardiometabolic risk than WC midway. The clinical utility of rib-derived indices, or alternative WC measurements, deserves further investigation.

This study was designed to determine qualitatively, the source of gastric vagal nerve fibres in the Agouti. A total of 18 male and female adult agoutis were used for the present investigation. Following anaesthesia, laparotomy was performed and the stomach exteriorized. Multiple intramuscular injections of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) were then made into different areas of the stomach in the experimental animals. The control animals were divided into four groups of two animals each. The first group had intraperitoneal injection of the tracer, the second had intramuscular injection of normal saline, the third group had injection of tracer into the hepatic portal vein and the last group had injection of the tracer into the gastric walls followed immediately by bilateral vagotomy. Following a survival period of five to seven days, the animals were sacrificed by transcardial perfusion, first with normal saline followed by fixative and finally with 20% buffered sucrose. Following perfusion, the brainstem was extracted from the brain, immersed in 20% buffered sucrose and kept refrigerated overnight for cryoprotection. The brainstems were subsequently sectioned serially, processed for WGA-HRP neurohistochemistry and then analysed under light and dark-field illuminations. The analysis of the sections taken from the experimental animals revealed bilateral presence of WGA-HRP labelled neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMNV) and the nucleus ambiguus (nA) of the medulla oblongata. No labelled neurons were seen in any of the sections taken from the control animals. The implications of the findings are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract

Central projections of vagal motoneurons to the heart were studied in diabetic rats using Wheat germ Agglutinin-Horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). Experimental rats were rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in citrate buffer. The diabetic rats were maintained in a stable diabetic state by daily injection of insulin for 24 weeks. Age-matched control rats were injected intraperitoneally with citrate buffer not containing streptozotocin. Control rats were also kept alive for 24 weeks after citrate buffer injection. At the end of 24 weeks the two groups were prepared for injection with WGA-HRP. Following anesthesia with sodium pentobarbitone, thoracotomy was performed on the left aspect of the thorax to expose the heart. The atrial and ventricular walls were then injected with 5% WGA-HRP by multiple intramuscular penetrations. Experimental and control rats were sacrificed 72 h after tracer injection by transcardial perfusion first with normal saline followed by fixative and then buffered sucrose. Transverse serial frozen sections of the brainstem were then taken and processed for WGA-HRP neurohistochemistry and analyzed under light and dark-field microscopy. Analysis of the sections taken from diabetic rats revealed fewer WGA-HRP labeled neurons in the nucleus ambiguus (nA) than sections taken from control rats. Sporadic labeling of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve was observed in control rat but not in the diabetic rats. It was concluded that the depletion of labeled neurons in the diabetic rats compared with the normoglycaemic rats is indicative of impairment of retrograde neuronal transport of WGA-HRP in chronic diabetic state