Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide increasingly recognized for its role in bonding, socialization, and stress relief. Previous research has demonstrated participants' OT levels increased after interacting with or petting a dog, suggesting OT is at least partially responsible for the calm, relaxing feeling that participants experienced during this intervention. The purpose of our study was to more closely examine changes in oxytocin levels in men and women in response to interaction with their own dog after being separated from the dog while at work all day. This condition was compared with a reading control condition, without the presence of the dog. Because the workplace is a common stressor, participants were examined after work to evaluate how interacting with a pet may help decrease stress, as evidenced by increases in serum oxytocin levels. Ten men and ten women participated in the study. Serum oxytocin levels were obtained before the participants had contact with their dogs and then again after 25 minutes of interaction with their dog. The same protocol was followed for the reading condition except that instead of interacting with their dog, participants read nonfiction materials selected by the researchers. Serum oxytocin levels increased statistically more for women who interacted with their dog when compared with women in the reading condition (p = 0.003). There was no significant increase in oxytocin level in men after interaction with the bonded dog compared with the reading condition; in fact, male oxytocin levels decreased after both the dog and reading conditions. These results suggest that men and women may have different hormonal responses to interaction with their dogs. It is unclear to what degree OT reactivity was affected by hormones, personality traits, or interpersonal relationships; factors which warrant further research.

Adipocytes were identified in human bone marrow more than a century ago, yet until recently little has been known about their origin, development, function or interactions with other cells in the bone marrow. Little functional significance has been attributed to these cells, a paradigm that still persists today. However, we now know that marrow adipose tissue increases with age and in response to a variety of physiologic induction signals. Bone marrow adipocytes have recently been shown to influence other cell populations within the marrow and can affect whole body metabolism by the secretion of a defined set of adipokines. Recent research shows that marrow adipocytes are distinct from white, brown and beige adipocytes, indicating that the bone marrow is a distinct adipose depot. This review will highlight recent data regarding these areas and the interactions of marrow adipose tissue (MAT) with cells within and outside of the bone marrow.

Adipocytes reside in discrete, well-defined depots throughout the body. In addition to mature adipocytes, white adipose tissue depots are composed of many cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and stromal cells, which together are referred to as the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). The SVF also contains adipocyte progenitors that give rise to mature adipocytes in those depots. Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) or marrow fat has long been known to be present in bone marrow (BM) but its origin, development, and function remain largely unknown. Clinically, increased MAT is associated with age, metabolic diseases, drug treatment, and marrow recovery in children receiving radiation and chemotherapy. In contrast to the other depots, MAT is unevenly distributed in the BM of long bones. Conventional quantitation relies on sectioning of the bone to overcome issues with distribution but is time-consuming, resource intensive, inconsistent between laboratories and may be unreliable as it may miss changes in MAT volume. Thus, the inability to quantitate MAT in a rapid, systematic, and reproducible manner has hampered a full understanding of its development and function. In this chapter, we describe a new technique that couples histochemical staining of lipid using osmium tetroxide with microcomputerized tomography to visualize and quantitate MAT within the medullary canal in three dimensions. Imaging of osmium staining provides a high-resolution map of existing and developing MAT in the BM. Because this method is simple, reproducible, and quantitative, we expect it will become a useful tool for the precise characterization of MAT.

No abstract

Increased levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with an improved metabolic profile in male firefighters. Comprehensive cardiovascular disease risk factor management and cardiorespiratory fitness improvement are essential for firefighter health and safety.

Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m)], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood. We analyzed genetic and environmental variation in BMI between men and women from young adulthood to old age from the 1940s to the 2000s and between cultural-geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low (East Asia) prevalence of obesity. We used genetic structural equation modeling to analyze BMI in twins ≥20 y of age from 40 cohorts representing 20 countries (140,379 complete twin pairs). The heritability of BMI decreased from 0.77 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.78) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.75) in men and women 20-29 y of age to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.60) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.65) in men 70-79 y of age and women 80 y of age, respectively. The relative influence of unique environmental factors correspondingly increased. Differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from 20-29 to 60-69 y of age. Mean BMI and variances in BMI increased from the 1940s to the 2000s and were greatest in North America and Australia, followed by Europe and East Asia. However, heritability estimates were largely similar over measurement years and between regions. There was no evidence of environmental factors shared by co-twins affecting BMI. The heritability of BMI decreased and differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from young adulthood to old age. The heritability of BMI was largely similar between cultural-geographic regions and measurement years, despite large differences in mean BMI and variances in BMI. Our results show a strong influence of genetic factors on BMI, especially in early adulthood, regardless of the obesity level in the population.

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Ebf1 is a transcription factor essential for B cell fate specification and function and important for the development of olfactory sensory neurons. We show here that Ebf1 also plays an important role in regulating osteoblast and adipocyte development in vivo. Ebf1 mRNA and protein is expressed in MSCs, in OBs at most stages of differentiation, and in adipocytes. Tibiae and femora from Ebf1−/− mice had a striking increase in all bone formation parameters examined including the number of OBs, osteoid volume, and bone formation rate. Serum osteocalcin, a marker of bone formation, was significantly elevated in mutant mice. The numbers of osteoclasts in bone were normal in younger (4 week-old) Ebf1−/− mice but increased in older (12 week-old) Ebf1−/− mice. This correlated well with in vitro osteoclast development from bone marrow cells. In addition to the increased osteoblastogenesis, there was a dramatic increase in adipocyte numbers in the bone marrow of Ebf1−/− mice. Increased adiposity was also seen histologically in the liver but not in the spleen of these mice, and accompanied by decreased deposition of adipose to subcutaneous sites. Thus Ebf1-deficient mice appear to be a new model of lipodystrophy. Ebf1 is a rare example of a transcription factor that regulates both the osteoblast and adipocyte lineages similarly.