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Food, Fitness & Pharma > Publications

Publications

Acknowledgements of UNIK in publications

Follow the links below to read the full text and summaries of the scientific papers published by the UNIK ‘Food, Fitness & Pharma' scientists.

Til toppenGI-Pharma theme 

Original papers

Deficiency of the GPR39 receptor is associated with obesity and altered adipocyte metabolism. Petersen PS, Jin C, Madsen AN, Rasmussen M, Kuhre R, Egerod KL, Nielsen LB, Schwartz TW, Holst B. FASEB J. 2011 Nov
GPR39, a constitutively active 7TM receptor important for glucose-induced insulin secretion and maturation of pancreatic β-cell function, is up-regulated in adipose tissue on abstinence from food and chemically induced diabetes. In the present study, we investigated the effect of GPR39 deficiency on body weight and adipocyte metabolism....

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Studies on the anorectic effect of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylethanolamine in mice. Wellner N, Tsuboi K, Madsen AN, Holst B, Diep TA, Nakao M, Tokumura A, Burns MP, Deutsch DG, Ueda N, Hansen HS. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Sep
N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine is a precursor phospholipid for anandamide, oleoylethanolamide, and other N-acylethanolamines, and it may in itself have biological functions in cell membranes. Recently, N-palmitoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE) has been reported to function as an anorectic hormone secreted from the gut and acting on the brain (Gillum et al., [5]). In the current study, two of our laboratories independently investigated whether NAPE metabolites may be involved in mediating the anorectic action of NAPE i.p. injected in mice....

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2-Oleoyl glycerol is a GPR119 agonist and signals GLP-1 release in humans.
Hansen KB, Rosenkilde MM, Knop FK, Wellner N, Diep TA, Rehfeld JF, Andersen UB, Holst JJ, Hansen HS. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Sep
Dietary fat is thought to stimulate release of incretin hormones via activation of fatty acid receptors in the intestine. However, dietary fat (triacylglycerol) is digested to 2-monoacylglycerol and fatty acids. Activation of G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) stimulates glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) release from the intestinal L-cells. We aimed to investigate if 2-oleoyl glycerol (2OG) can activate GPR119 in vitro and stimulate GLP-1 secretion in vivo....

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Safety, tolerability and sustained weight loss over 2 years with the once-daily human GLP-1 analog, liraglutide. Astrup A, Carraro R, Finer N, Harper A, Kunesova M, Lean ME, Niskanen L, Rasmussen MF, Rissanen A, Rössner S, Savolainen MJ, Van Gaal L. 2011 Aug 16
The paper evaluates safety, tolerability and long-term efficacy of the GLP_1 analog, liraglutide, for sustaining weight loss over 2 years. The study is based in more than 500 adults from 19 European clinical research centers, and concludes that Liraglutide is well tolerated, sustains weight loss over 2 years and improves cardiovascular risk factors....

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Manipulation of the gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice changes glucose tolerance without affecting weight development and gut mucosal immunity. Bech-Nielsen GV, Hansen CH, Hufeldt MR, Nielsen DS, Aasted B, Vogensen FK, Midtvedt T, Hansen AK. Res Vet Sci. 2011 May
Inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) in humans and mice are under the influence of the composition of the gut microbiota (GM). It was previously demonstrated that treating Lep(ob) mice with antibiotics improved glucose tolerance. However, wild type C57BL/6J mice may also exhibit plasma glucose intolerance reminiscent of human T2D. We hypothesized that antibiotic treatment in C57BL/6 mice would have an impact on glucose tolerance without affecting weight and gut immunology....

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Manipulation of the gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice changes glucose tolerance without affecting weight development and gut mucosal immunity. Bech-Nielsen GV, Hansen CH, Hufeldt MR, Nielsen DS, Aasted B, Vogensen FK, Midtvedt T, Hansen AK. Res Vet Sci. 2011 May 2
We hypothesized that antibiotic treatment in C57BL/6 mice would have an impact on glucose tolerance without affecting weight and gut immunology. When compared to mice treated with erythromycin or the controls, treatment for five weeks with ampicillin improved glucose tolerance without significantly affecting the weight or the number of gut mucosal regulatory T cells, tolerogenic dendritic cells or T helper cells type 1....

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Investigations of the human endocannabinoid system in two subcutaneous adipose tissue depots in lean subjects and in obese subjects before and after weight loss. Bennetzen MF, Wellner N, Ahmed SS, Ahmed SM, Diep TA, Hansen HS, Richelsen B, Pedersen SB. Int J Obes (Lond). 2011 Feb 15
Endocannabinoids (ECs) have a role in obesity by affecting appetite and through peripheral effects. Obesity is associated with a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Objective: We aimed to determine the ECS in subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) in obese subject and investigate the influence of diet-induced weight loss on this system....

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Dietary fat decreases intestinal levels of the anorectic lipids through a fat sensor. Diep TA, Madsen AN, Holst B, Kristiansen MM, Wellner N, Hansen SH, Hansen HS. FASEB J. 2011 Feb.
This study was undertaken to investigate the link between dietary fat content and intestinal levels of anorectic N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), including oleoylethanolamide (OEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and linoleoylethanolamide (LEA).... 

 

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International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. LXXIX. Cannabinoid receptors and their ligands: beyond CB₁ and CB₂. Pertwee RG, Howlett AC, Abood ME, Alexander SP, Di Marzo V, Elphick MR, Greasley PJ, Hansen HS, Kunos G, Mackie K, Mechoulam R, Ross RA. Pharmacol Rev. 2010 Dec
This review summarizes current data indicating the extent to which cannabinoid receptor ligands undergo orthosteric or allosteric interactions with non-CB(1), non-CB(2) established GPCRs, deorphanized receptors such as GPR55, ligand-gated ion channels, transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, and other ion channels or peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors....

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Pitfalls in the sample preparation and analysis of N-acylethanolamines. Skonberg C, Artmann A, Cornett C, Hansen SH, Hansen HS. J.Lipid Res. 2010 Oct
N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) are a group of lipid mediators synthesized in response to a number of physiological and pathological stimuli. Because of the low tissue concentrations of NAEs, analyses often include liquid extraction followed by solid-phase extraction and subsequent quantitation by LC/MS or GC/MS. Reported levels of NAEs vary considerably, however, and often no explanation is given for these discrepancies....

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The emerging role of promiscuous 7TM receptors as chemosensors for food intake. Wellendorph P, Johansen LD, Bräuner-Osborne H. Vitam Horm. 2010
In recent years, several highly promiscuous seven transmembrane (7TM) receptors have been cloned and characterized of which many are activated broadly by amino acids, proteolytic degradation products, carbohydrates, or free fatty acids (FFAs) and are expressed in taste tissue, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, endocrine glands, adipose tissue, and/or kidney. This has led to the hypothesis that these receptors may act as sensors of food intake modulating, for example, release of incretin hormones from the gut, insulin/glucagon from the pancreas, and leptin from adipose tissue....

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Dietary fat decreases intestinal levels of the anorectic lipids through a fat sensor. Diep TA, Madsen AN, Holst B, Kristiansen MM, Wellner N, Hansen SH, Hansen HS. 2010 Oct 19.
This study was undertaken to investigate the link between dietary fat content and intestinal levels of anorectic N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), including oleoylethanolamide (OEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and linoleoylethanolamide (LEA). Male rats were fed high-fat diets (HFDs) with variable percentages of fat [20-45% of total energy (E%)] for 1-7 d; afterward, the jejunums were isolated, and jejunal NAE levels were measured by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry....

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The endocannabinoid system and its relevance for nutrition. Maccarrone M, Gasperi V, Catani MV, Diep TA, Dainese E, Hansen HS, Avigliano L. Annu Rev Nutr. 2010 Aug
In this review, the main features of the ECS are summarized in order to put in better focus our current knowledge of the nutritional relevance of endocannabinoid signaling and of its role in obesity, cardiovascular pathologies, and gastrointestinal diseases. The central and peripheral pathways that underlie these effects are discussed, as well as the possible exploitation of ECS components as novel drug targets for therapeutic intervention in eating disorders....

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Palmitoylethanolamide and other anandamide congeners. Proposed role in the diseased brain. Hansen HS. Exp Neurol. 2010 Jul;224(1):48-55.
Acylethanolamides are formed in the brain "on demand" from membrane phospholipids called N-acylated phosphatidylethanolamines. The acylethanolamides are signaling molecules of lipid nature, and this lipofilicity suggests an autocrine function....

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Postprandial diabetic glucose tolerance is normalized by gastric bypass feeding as opposed to gastric feeding and is associated with exaggerated GLP-1 secretion: a case report. Dirksen C et al. Diabetes Care. 2010 Feb;33(2): 375-7.
OBJECTIVE: To examine after gastric bypass the effect of peroral versus gastroduodenal feeding on glucose metabolism.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A type 2 diabetic patient was examined on 2 consecutive days 5 weeks after gastric bypass. A standard liquid meal was given on the first day into the bypassed gastric remnant and on the second day perorally. Plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, incretin hormones, peptide YY, and free fatty acids were measured....

 

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Reviews 

Effect of sibutramine on cardiovascular outcomes in over-weight and obese subjects. James WP et al. N Engl J Med. 2010 Sep 2;363(10):905-17.[Astrup and colleagues]
The long-term effects of sibutramine treatment on the rates of cardiovascular events and cardiovascular death among subjects at high cardiovascular risk have not been established. We enrolled in our study 10,744 overweight or obese subjects, 55 years of age or older, with preexisting cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or both to assess the cardiovascular consequences of weight management with and without sibutramine in subjects at high risk for cardiovascular events....

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The endocannabinoid system and its relevance for nutrition. Maccarrone M, Gasperi V, Catani MV, Diep TA, Dainese E, Hansen HS, Avigliano L. Annu Rev Nutr. 2010 Aug 21;30:423-40.
Endocannabinoids bind to cannabinoid, vanilloid, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. The biological actions of these polyunsaturated lipids are controlled by key agents responsible for their synthesis, transport and degradation, which together form an endocannabinoid system (ECS). In the past few years, evidence has been accumulated for a role of the ECS in regulating food intake and energy balance, both centrally and peripherally....

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Preproglucagon derived peptides GLP-1, GLP-2 and oxyntomodulin in the CNS: Role of peripherally secreted and centrally produced peptides. Vrang N, Larsen PJ. Prog Neurobiol. 2010 Jul 16. PMID: 20638440.
The scientific understanding of preproglucagon derived peptides has provided people with type 2 diabetes with two novel classes of glucose lowering agents, the dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists. For the scientists, the novel GLP-1 agonists, and DPP-IV inhibitors have evolved as useful tools to understand the role of the preproglucagon derived peptides in normal physiology and disease....

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Glucagon and glucagon-like peptides 1 and 2. Holst JJ; Results Probl Cell Differ. 2010;50:121-35.
The glucagon gene is expressed not only in the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets but also in the endocrine cells of the intestinal epithelium (so-called L-cells), and in certain neurons of the brain stem....

 

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An enteroendocrine full package solution. Schwartz TW, Holst B.;Cell Metab. 2010 Jun 9;11(6):532-42.(see figure below)
The regulatory repertoire of the enteroendocrine L cell is now supplemented by Cox et al. (2010) with a two-way paracrine loop to the neighboring enterocytes. A picture of a close local interplay in the intestine between lipid and peptide messenger systems, both exploiting paracrine, endocrine, and neuronal pathways, is emerging....

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Til toppenFitness and Muscle theme

Original papers

Role of PGC-1α in exercise and fasting-induced adaptations in mouse liver.
Haase TN, Ringholm S, Leick L, Biensø¸ RS, Kiilerich K, Johansen S, Nielsen MM, Wojtaszewski JF, Hidalgo J, Pedersen PA, Pilegaard H. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2011 Nov.
The transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α plays a role in regulation of several metabolic pathways. By use of whole body PGC-1α knockout (KO) mice, we investigated the role of PGC-1α in fasting, acute exercise and exercise training-induced regulation of key proteins in gluconeogenesis and metabolism in the liver....

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Insulin Resistance after a 72 hour Fast is Associated with Impaired AS160 Phosphorylation and Accumulation of Lipid and Glycogen in Human Skeletal Muscle. Vendelbo MH, Clasen BF, Treebak JT, Møller L, Krusenstjerna-Hafstrøm T, Madsen M, Nielsen TS, Stødkilde-Jørgensen H, Pedersen SB, Jørgensen JO, Goodyear LJ, Wojtaszewski JF, Møller N, Jessen N. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Oct 25.
During fasting human skeletal muscle depends on lipid oxidation for its energy substrate metabolism. This is associated with the development of insulin resistance and a subsequent reduction of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The underlying mechanisms controlling insulin action on skeletal muscle under these conditions are unresolved. In a randomized design, we investigated 8 healthy subjects after a 72 hour fast as compared to a 10 hour overnight fast....

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Bed rest reduces metabolic protein content and abolishes exercise-induced mRNA responses in human skeletal muscle. Ringholm S, Biensø RS, Kiilerich K, Guadalupe-Grau A, Aachmann-Andersen NJ, Saltin B, Plomgaard P, Lundby C, Wojtaszewski JF, Calbet JA, Pilegaard H. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Oct
The aim was to test the hypothesis that 7 days of bed rest reduces mitochondrial number and expression and activity of oxidative proteins in human skeletal muscle but that exercise-induced intracellular signaling as well as mRNA and microRNA (miR) responses are maintained after bed rest....

 

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Factors regulating fat oxidation in human skeletal muscle. Kiens B, Alsted TJ, Jeppesen J. Obes Rev. 2011 Oct
In modern societies, oversupply of calories leads to obesity and chronic metabolic stress, which may lead to development of disease. Oversupply of calories is often associated with elevated plasma lipid concentrations and accumulation of lipids in skeletal muscle leading to decreased insulin sensitivity. Consequently, enhanced fat oxidation might be beneficial in counteracting lipid accumulation....

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AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) beta1beta2 muscle null mice reveal an essential role for AMPK in maintaining mitochondrial content and glucose uptake during exercise. O'Neill HM, Maarbjerg SJ, Crane JD, Jeppesen J, Jørgensen SB, Schertzer JD, Shyroka O, Kiens B, van Denderen BJ, Tarnopolsky MA, Kemp BE, Richter EA, Steinberg GR. 2011 Sep 20
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) β1 or β2 subunits are required for assembling of AMPK heterotrimers and are important for regulating enzyme activity and cellular localization. In skeletal muscle, α2β2γ3-containing heterotrimers predominate. However, compensatory up-regulation and redundancy of AMPK subunits in whole-body AMPK α2, β2, and γ3 null mice has made it difficult to determine the physiological importance of AMPK in regulating muscle metabolism, because these models have normal mitochondrial content, contraction-stimulated glucose uptake, and insulin sensitivity....

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Molecular mechanism by which AMP-activated protein kinase activation promotes glycogen accumulation in muscle. Hunter RW, Treebak JT, Wojtaszewski JF, Sakamoto K. Diabetes. 2011 Mar
During energy stress, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) promotes glucose transport and glycolysis for ATP production, while it is thought to inhibit anabolic glycogen synthesis by suppressing the activity of glycogen synthase (GS) to maintain the energy balance in muscle. Paradoxically, chronic activation of AMPK causes an increase in glycogen accumulation in skeletal and cardiac muscles, which in some cases is associated with cardiac dysfunction. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which AMPK activation promotes muscle glycogen accumulation....

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Exercise-induced myokines and their role in chronic diseases.
Pedersen BK. Brain Behav Immun. 2011 Feb 25.
Physical inactivity has recently been identified as a major and independent risk factor for the development of dementia and cognitive decline. In addition to the effect of exercise with regard to protection against neurodegenerative diseases, it is well-established that physical inactivity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), colon cancer and postmenopausal breast cancer. These diseases constitute a network of related diseases, also called "the diseasome of physical inactivity"....

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Impaired insulin-induced site-specific phosphorylation of TBC1 domain family, member 4 (TBC1D4) in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetes patients is restored by endurance exercise-training. Vind BF, Pehmøller C, Treebak JT, Birk JB, Hey-Mogensen M, Beck-Nielsen H, Zierath JR, Wojtaszewski JF, Højlund K. Diabetologia. 2011 Jan
Insulin-mediated glucose disposal rates (R(d)) are reduced in type 2 diabetic patients, a process in which intrinsic signalling defects are thought to be involved. Phosphorylation of TBC1 domain family, member 4 (TBC1D4) is at present the most distal insulin receptor signalling event linked to glucose transport. In this study, we examined insulin action on site-specific phosphorylation of TBC1D4 and the effect of exercise training on insulin action and signalling to TBC1D4 in skeletal muscle from type 2 diabetic patients....

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Lipid-induced insulin resistance affects women less than men and is not accompanied by inflammation or impaired proximal insulin signaling. Høeg LD, Sjøberg KA, Jeppesen J, Jensen TE, Frøsig C, Birk JB, Bisiani B, Hiscock N, Pilegaard H, Wojtaszewski JF, Richter EA, Kiens B. Diabetes. 2011 Jan
We have previously shown that overnight fasted women have higher insulin-stimulated whole body and leg glucose uptake despite a higher intramyocellular triacylglycerol concentration than men. Women also express higher muscle mRNA levels of proteins related to lipid metabolism than men. We therefore hypothesized that women would be less prone to lipid-induced insulin resistance....

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Exercise induces a marked increase in plasma follistatin: evidence that follistatin is a contraction-induced hepatokine.
Hansen J, Brandt C, Nielsen AR, Hojman P, Whitham M, Febbraio MA, Pedersen BK, Plomgaard P. Endocrinology. 2011 Jan;152(1):164-71.

Follistatin is a member of the TGF-β super family and inhibits the action of myostatin to regulate skeletal muscle growth. The regulation of follistatin during physical exercise is unclear but may be important because physical activity is a major intervention to prevent age-related sarcopenia. First, healthy subjects performed either bicycle or one-legged knee extensor exercise. Arterial-venous differences were assessed during the one-legged knee extensor experiment....

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Exercise-induced liver CXCL-1 expression is linked to muscle derived IL-6 expression.
Pedersen L, Pilegaard H, Hansen J, Brandt C, Adser H, Hidalgo J, Olesen J, Pedersen BK, Hojman P.J Physiol. 2011 Jan 4.

Background: The chemokine CXC ligand-1 (CXCL-1) is a small cytokine that elicits effects by signalling through the chemokine receptor CXCR2. CXCL-1 has neutrophil chemoattractant activity, is involved in the processes of angiogenesis, inflammation, and wound healing, and may possess neuroprotective effects. The aim of this study was to unravel the mechanisms whereby CXCL-1 is regulated by exercise in mice....

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Exercise-induced TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle. Frøsig C, Pehmøller C, Birk JB, Richter EA, Wojtaszewski JF. J Physiol. 2010 Nov 15;
TBC1D1 is a Rab-GTPase activating protein involved in regulation of GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle. We here evaluated exercise-induced regulation of TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle....

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Lipid induced insulin resistance affects women less than men and is not accompanied by inflammation or impaired proximal insulin signalling. Høeg LD, Sjøberg KA, Jeppesen J, Jensen TE, Frøsig C, Birk JB, Bisiani B, Hiscock N, Pilegaard H, Wojtaszewski JF, Richter EA, Kiens B. Diabetes. 2010 Oct 18.
We have previously shown that overnight fasted women have higher insulin stimulated whole body and leg glucose uptake despite a higher intramyocellular triacylglycerol concentration than men. Women also express higher muscle mRNA levels of proteins related to lipid metabolism than men. We therefore hypothesized that women would be less prone to lipid induced insulin resistance....

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Exercise-induced TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle.
Frøsig C, Pehmøller C, Birk JB, Richter EA, Wojtaszewski JF. J Physiol. 2010 Sep 13.

BC1D1 is a Rab-GTPase activating protein involved in regulation of GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle. We here evaluated exercise-induced regulation of TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle. In separate experiments healthy men performed all-out cycle exercise lasting either 30 sec, 2 min or 20 min....

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Muscle Specific MicroRNAs are regulated by Endurance Exercise in Human Skeletal Muscle. Nielsen S, Scheele C, Yfanti C, Akerstrom TC, Nielsen AR, Pedersen BK, Laye MJ. J Physiol. 2010 Aug 19.
Muscle specific miRNAs, myomiRs, have been shown to control muscle development in vitro and are differentially expressed at rest in diabetic skeletal muscle. Therefore, we investigated the expression of these myomiRs, including miR-1, miR-133a, miR-133b and miR-206 in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis of healthy young males (n=10) in relation to a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp as well as acute endurance exercise before and after 12 weeks of endurance training....

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PGC-1{alpha} Increases PDH Content But Does Not Change Acute PDH Regulation In Mouse Skeletal Muscle. Kiilerich K, Adser H, Jakobsen AH, Pedersen PA, Hardie DG, Wojtaszewski JF, Pilegaard H. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2010 Aug 18.
The aim was to test if the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma coactivator (PGC)1alpha regulates the content of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)-E1alpha and influences PDH activity through regulation of PDK4 expression and subsequently PDH phosphorylation. PGC-1alpha whole body knockout (KO), muscle specific PGC-1alpha overexpressing mice (MCK PGC-1alpha) and littermate wild type (WT) mice underwent two interventions known to affect PDH.... 

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PGC-1alpha-mediated adaptations in skeletal muscle. Olesen J, Kiilerich K, Pilegaard H. Pflugers Arch. 2010 Jun;460(1):153-62.
Lifestyle-related diseases are rapidly increasing at least in part due to less physical activity. The health beneficial effects of regular physical activity include metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle, which are thought to be elicited by cumulative effects of transient gene responses to each single exercise, but how is this regulated? A potential candidate in this is the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1alpha, which has been identified as a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, but also been shown to regulate proteins involved in angiogenesis and the anti-oxidant defence as well as to affect expression of inflammatory markers....

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Differential aetiology and impact of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt signalling in skeletal muscle on in vivo insulin action. Friedrichsen M, Poulsen P, Richter EA, Hansen BF, Birk JB, Ribel-Madsen R, Stender-Petersen K, Nilsson E, Beck-Nielsen H, Vaag A, Wojtaszewski JF. Diabetologia. 2010 Sep;53(9):1998-2007. Epub 2010 May 29.
Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle is a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes and although some studies indicate that this could be partly attributed to reduced content and activity of various proximal and distal insulin signalling molecules, consensus is lacking. We therefore aimed to investigate the regulation of proximal insulin signalling in skeletal muscle and its effect on glucose metabolism in a large non-diabetic population....

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Increased rate of whole body lipolysis before and after 9 days of bed rest in healthy young men born with low birth weight.
Alibegovic AC, Højbjerre L, Sonne MP, van Hall G, Alsted TJ, Kiens B, Stallknecht B, Dela F, Vaag A. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Mar;298(3):E555-64.

Individuals born with low birth weight (LBW) are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), which may be precipitated by physical inactivity. Twenty-two LBW subjects and twenty-three controls were studied before and after bed rest by the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp combined with indirect calorimetry and infusion of stable isotope tracers and preceded by an intravenous glucose tolerance test....

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Til toppenSocial Sciences and Humanities 

Original papers 

Nudge-A new and better way to improve health? Vallgårda S. Health Policy , vol 104, nr. 2, s. 200-203, 2012
Nudging, or libertarian paternalism, is presented as a new and ethically justified way of improving people's health. It has proved influential and is currently taken up by the governments in the US, the UK and France. One may question the claim that the approach is new, in any case it has many similarities with the idea of "making healthy choices easier". Whether the approach is better from an ethical perspective depends on the ethical principles one holds. From a paternalistic perspective there could be no objections, but from a libertarian, there are several. Contrary to what the authors state, libertarian paternalism is an oxymoron.

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Sundhed - et frit valg? Anne Sundby, Mette Hartlev. I "Frit valg. Velfærd i Den Europæiske Union". Sune Troels Poulsen & Stine Jørgensen (red.). Jurist- og Økonomforbundets Forlag. 2011.

 

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The ethnics of prevention. Vallgårda S. Bibl Læger 2011;203:252-74.
In this article ethical dilemmas in public health are discussed, and three approaches to public health ethics are described. The moral theories in focus are liberalism, paternalism and community-orientated theories; the latter divided into a republican and a socialistic variant. The understanding of humans and society and the underlying ethical principles of the three approaches are discussed, as is the criticism raised by other approaches. The presentation is mainly based on scholarly literature from the USA, where public health ethics have been discussed and analysed much more in depth than in Europe. It is concluded that none of the principles are (or should be) consistently followed in public health policy, and that the present Danish health policy is based on a combination of all three positions....

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Why the concept ‘‘lifestyle diseases'' should be avoided. Vallgårda S. Scand J Public Health Sep 2011 39: 773-775.
The concept lifestyle disease is used about a number of different diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer etc. The concept indicates that people's behaviours cause the diseases. This is only partly true. All diseases, both so-called lifestyle diseases and infectious diseases, have multiple causes.

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Attitudes to Publicly Funded Obesity Treatment and Prevention.
Lund TB, Sandøe P, Lassen J. SourceDepartment of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

The aim of this study was to investigate the Danish public's support for publicly funded obesity treatment and prevention. It was also examined whether levels of support could be explained by dislike of obese people and/or the belief that those who are obese are personally responsible for their condition....

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Addressing individual behaviours and living conditions: Four Nordic public health policies. Vallgårda S. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2011;39 (6 suppl.):6-10. 
Aims: To identify characteristics of the public health policies of four Nordic countries concerning how they present the causes of ill health, the best ways to deal with these causes, and where to place responsibility; additionally, to investigate whether there is a common Nordic policy. Methods: Analyses of recent public health programmes in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden....

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Appeals to autonomy and obedience. Continuity and change in governing technologies in health promotion. Vallgårda S. Medical History. 2011;55/1:27-40.
The increasingly used concept new public health indicates that a fundamental change has occurred in the goals and methods of disease prevention and health promotion. The change is often said to imply less expert-driven governing of citizens. In this article, governing technologies in the field of public health in Denmark and Sweden are analysed to investigate whether substantial changes have taken place in the governing efforts....

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Republicanism as a Paradigm for Public Health - Some Comments
Morten Ebbe Juul Nielsen Public Health Ethics 2011; doi: 10.1093/phe/phr003

Some theorists, worried about liberalism's potential as a foundation for public health ethics, suggest that republicanism provides a better background of justification for public health policies, interventions, etc. In this article, this suggestion is put to the test, and it is argued that (i) contemporary (civic) republicanism and liberalism are not nearly as opposed as it is sometimes suggested, and that (ii) the kind of republicanism which one leading scholar in the field, Bruce Jennings, as an alternative to liberalism, does not reflect the contemporary understanding of republicanism as held by, e.g. Phillip Pettit et al....

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Prioritering og social retfærdighed. I Størup et al (red): Det sunde valg. Sundhedsstyrelsen. Morten EJ Nielsen(2010)

 

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Is the focus on health-related behaviours a new phenomenon? Vallgårda S. Social Studies of Science. 2010:40(4):609-14.
In his article ‘Origins of the Problem of Health-related Behaviours: A Genealogical Study', David Armstrong claims that the idea about ‘changeable behaviour is a relatively recent phenomenon'. In this paper it is argued that this conclusion is not valid....

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Ida spielt ihr eigenes Spiel - "doing gender" im Sportunterricht ', Pfister, Gertrud & With-Nielsen, Ninna (2010), Spectrum der Sportwissenschaften , vol 22, nr. 2, s. 43-63.  

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Social class and body management. A qualitative exploration of differences in perceptions and practices related to health and personal body weight. Smith LH, Holm L. Appetite. Oct. 2010;55:311-8.
To deepen our understanding of the relationship between social class and obesity, the study compares the ways in which conceptions of health and personal body weight are enmeshed in the everyday lives of people with disparate socio-cultural backgrounds and weight status. We ask how perceptions and enactments of health and personal body weight are related to social structures and practices at work, in spare time, and in family life....

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The development of social capital through soccer and running: The experience of a 16 weeks intervention programme for inactive, inexperienced women. Laila Ottesen, R. Jeppesen, B. Krustrup. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. Vol.20. supplement 1, april 2010, p.118-131.
This article examines the development of social capital through the use and dynamics of different types of stories ("I,""we" and "they") as described by Robert D. Putnam. The data come from a research project in which inactive women participated in a 16-week intervention program of physical exercise, either in the form of football or running. The study shows a positive development of social capital in the two different types of physical activity. The I-stories show themselves to be central to bonding within the two groups and bridging outside the groups (developing and/or creating networks). The study also points to the importance of the activity itself for internal bonding illustrated through we- and they-stories. Our data indicate that team sports, such as football, may have an advantage over individual sports in the development of social capital....

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Til toppenGenetic-Epidemiology theme

Original papers 

Increasing Genetic Variance of Body Mass Index during the Swedish Obesity Epidemic. Benjamin Rokholm, Karri Silventoinen, Per Tynelius, Michael Gamborg, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Finn Rasmussen. PLoS One. 2011
There is no doubt that the dramatic worldwide increase in obesity prevalence is due to changes in environmental factors. However, twin and family studies suggest that genetic differences are responsible for the major part of the variation in adiposity within populations. Recent studies show that the genetic effects on body mass index (BMI) may be stronger when combined with presumed risk factors for obesity. We tested the hypothesis that the genetic variance of BMI has increased during the obesity epidemic....

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Increased genetic variance of BMI with a higher prevalence of obesity. Rokholm B, Silventoinen K, Ängquist L, Skytthe A, Kyvik KO, Sørensen TI. PLoS One. 2011 Jun.
There is no doubt that the dramatic worldwide increase in obesity prevalence is due to changes in environmental factors. However, twin studies suggest that genetic differences are responsible for the major part of the variation in body mass index (BMI) and other measures of body fatness within populations. Several recent studies suggest that the genetic effects on adiposity may be stronger when combined with presumed risk factors for obesity. We tested the hypothesis that a higher prevalence of obesity and overweight and a higher BMI mean is associated with a larger genetic variation in BMI....

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Meta-analysis identifies 13 new loci associated with waist-hip ratio and reveals sexual dimorphism in the genetic basis of fat distribution. Heid I et al. et al. Nat Genet. 2010 Oct 10.
Waist-hip ratio (WHR) is a measure of body fat distribution and a predictor of metabolic consequences independent of overall adiposity. WHR is heritable, but few genetic variants influencing this trait have been identified. We conducted a meta-analysis of 32 genome-wide association studies for WHR adjusted for body mass index (comprising up to 77,167 participants), following up 16 loci in an additional 29 studies (comprising up to 113,636 subjects)....

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Resequencing of 200 human exomes identifies an excess of low-frequency non-synonymous coding variants. Li Y et al. Nat Genet. 2010 Oct 3. . [OB Pedersen in LuCamp]
Targeted capture combined with massively parallel exome sequencing is a promising approach to identify genetic variants implicated in human traits. We report exome sequencing of 200 individuals from Denmark with targeted capture of 18,654 coding genes and sequence coverage of each individual exome at an average depth of 12-fold. On average, about 95% of the target regions were covered by at least one read. We identified 121,870 SNPs in the sample population, including 53,081 coding SNPs (cSNPs)....

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Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index. Speliotes EK, et al incl Loos RJ. Nat Genet. 2010 Oct 10.
Obesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between body mass index and ∼2.8 million SNPs in up to 123,865 individuals with targeted follow up of 42 SNPs in up to 125,931 additional individuals. We confirmed 14 known obesity susceptibility loci and identified 18 new loci associated with body mass index (P < 5 × 10(-8)), one of which includes a copy number variant near GPRC5B. Some loci (at MC4R, POMC, SH2B1 and BDNF) map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance, and one of these loci is near GIPR, an incretin receptor. Furthermore, genes in other newly associated loci may provide new insights into human body weight regulation....

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A genome-wide association study in the Japanese population identifies susceptibility loci for type 2 diabetes at UBE2E2 and C2CD4A-C2CD4B. Yamauchi T, et al Nat Genet. 2010 Sep 5.
We conducted a genome-wide association study of type 2 diabetes (T2D) using 459,359 SNPs in a Japanese population with a three-stage study design (stage 1, 4,470 cases and 3,071 controls; stage 2, 2,886 cases and 3,087 controls; stage 3, 3,622 cases and 2,356 controls)....

 

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Twelve type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci identified through large-scale association analysis. Voight BF et al.; Nat Genet. 2010 Jul;42(7):579-89.
By combining genome-wide association data from 8,130 individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and 38,987 controls of European descent and following up previously unidentified meta-analysis signals in a further 34,412 cases and 59,925 controls, we identified 12 new T2D association signals with combined P<5x10(-8)....

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MTNR1B G24E variant associates with BMI and fasting plasma glucose in the general population in studies of 22,142 Europeans. Andersson EA, Holst B, Sparsø T, Grarup N, Banasik K, Holmkvist J, Jørgensen T, Borch-Johnsen K, Egerod KL, Lauritzen T, Sørensen TI, Bonnefond A, Meyre D, Froguel P, Schwartz TW, Pedersen O, Hansen T. Diabetes. 2010 Jun;59(6):1539-48.
Common variants in the melatonin receptor type 1B (MTNR1B) locus have been shown to increase fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the risk of type 2 diabetes. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether nonsynonymous variants in MTNR1B associate with monogenic forms of hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes, or related metabolic traits....

 

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Reviews 

Obesity as a clinical and public health problem: is there a need for a new definition based on lipotoxicity effects? Sørensen TI, Virtue S, Vidal-Puig A.Biochim Biophys Acta. 2010 Mar;1801(3):400-4.
The risk functions for obesity (defined as the quantitative relation between degree of obesity throughout its range and the risk of health problems) have been used to define 'obesity' as an excess storage of fat in the body to such an extent that it causes health problems leading to increased mortality. The lipotoxicity theory implies that the fat stored in droplets of triglycerides in the cells are biologically inert and that the metabolic dysfunctions are primarily due to the increased exposure of the cells to fatty acids....

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