Hypertension is increasingly prevalent among middle-aged adults, but the impacts of physical activity and postures are not fully understood in middle-aged males and females, limiting targeted preventi Show more
Hypertension is increasingly prevalent among middle-aged adults, but the impacts of physical activity and postures are not fully understood in middle-aged males and females, limiting targeted prevention. This study investigated associations between habitual physical activity and postures with hypertension, and whether they differ between sexes at the same age. 4416 participants (age: 46 years) in the 10th sweep of the 1970 British Cohort Study were used. Participants wore an activPAL to measure physical behaviors. Stage 2 hypertension was defined as >140/90 mmHg or antihypertensive medication use. Isotemporal substitution models assessed the theoretical effect of reallocating 30 min of one behavior with another. Males had higher mean body mass index (BMI: 28.5 ± 4.6 kg/m Show less
Sex differences in adipose tissue distribution and function are associated with sex differences in cardiometabolic disease. While many studies have revealed sex differences in adipocyte cell signaling Show more
Sex differences in adipose tissue distribution and function are associated with sex differences in cardiometabolic disease. While many studies have revealed sex differences in adipocyte cell signaling and physiology, there is a relative dearth of information regarding sex differences in transcript abundance and regulation. We investigated sex differences in subcutaneous adipose tissue transcriptional regulation using omic-scale data from ∼3000 geographically and ethnically diverse human samples. We identified 162 genes with robust sex differences in expression. Differentially expressed genes were implicated in oxidative phosphorylation and adipogenesis. We further determined that sex differences in gene expression levels could be related to sex differences in the genetics of gene expression regulation. Our analyses revealed sex-specific genetic associations, and this finding was replicated in a study of 98 inbred mouse strains. The genes under genetic regulation in human and mouse were enriched for oxidative phosphorylation and adipogenesis. Enrichment analysis showed that the associated genetic loci resided within binding motifs for adipogenic transcription factors (e.g., PPARG and EGR1). We demonstrated that sex differences in gene expression could be influenced by sex differences in genetic regulation for six genes (e.g., Show less
Intestinal microbes and their metabolites affect the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Short-chain fatty acids are metabolites generated by intestinal microbes from dietary fiber. We investigate Show more
Intestinal microbes and their metabolites affect the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Short-chain fatty acids are metabolites generated by intestinal microbes from dietary fiber. We investigated the mechanisms by which free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2), a receptor for short-chain fatty acids that can affect the composition of the intestinal microbiome, contributes to the pathogenesis of CRC. We performed studies with Apc Apc Loss of FFAR2 promotes colon tumorigenesis in mice by reducing gut barrier integrity, increasing tumor bacterial load, promoting exhaustion of CD8 Show less