Who Do We Deploy for Psychological Operations: A Function Profile for TPT Members
2008-01-01
doet onderzoek om de ontwikkeling v’an PSYOPS in Nederland te ondersteunen. Een eerste stap, in het goed voorbereiden en uitvoeren van PSYOPS is het...bezit. De focus van het huidige project ligt op de selectiemethode van mensen die PSYOPS functies gaan vervullen. Naast Nederland zijn er ook andere NAVO...deze interviews kwam naar voren dat verschillende landen kampen met dezelfde problemen als Nederland wat betreft de selectie van het PSYOPS personeel
Inventarisatie telematica-ontwikkelingen Natco (Inventory Telematics Developments Natco)
1998-05-01
telefonie, die binnen afzienbare tijd een bereikbaarheid over nagenoeg de gehele wereldbol kan garanderen. Ook hier is de koppeling van netwerken van...PCS is ’de mogelijkheid voor een gebruiker te communiceren in elke gewenste vorm, op elke tijd , op elke plaats en in verschillende rollen...wat betreft plaats, tijd en tempo van het leren, kan worden gerealiseerd. De toepassing van teleleren kan leiden tot een verbetering van de interne
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stoffelen, Adrianus Cornelis Maria
1996-10-01
Een veelheid aan meteorologische metingen is dagelijks beschikbaar. De meeste van deze waarnemingen bevinden zich echter boven land, en met name windwaarnemingen boven de (Noord Atlantische) oceaan zijn schaars. Bij een westelijke luchtstroming is dit een duidelijke beperking voor de weers- en golfverwachtingen ten behoeve van Nederland. Juist dan is het gevaar voor bijvoorbeeld storm of overstroming het grootst. Ook in het aardse klimaatsysteem speelt de wind aan het oppervlak een grote rol en is de belangrijkste factor voor de aandrijving van de oceaancirculatie. De oceaancirculatie op zijn beurt is cruciaal voor de verschijnselen die samenhangen met bijvoorbeeld El Niño. Dit proefschift gaat over het scatterometer instrument dat vanuit de ruimte, zelfs onder een wolkendek, nauwkeurige en betrouwbare informatie geeft over de wind aan het oceaanoppervlak met een hoge mate van ruimtelijke consistentie. Tijdens de tweede wereldoorlog werden radars aan boord van schepen veelvuldig gebruikt voor de opsporing van vijandige vaartuigen. Hierbij werd vastgesteld dat de detectie slechter werd naarmate de wind aan het zeeoppervlak groter was. Proefondervindelijk was hiermee het principe van een wind scatterometer aangetoond. Al snel ontwikkelde zich dan ook de idee de wind aan het zeeoppervlak te meten met behulp van radar. Vanuit een vliegtuig of een satelliet word dan een microgolfbundel onder een schuine hoek naar het zeeoppervlak gestuurd. De microgolfstraling, met gewoonlijk een golflengte van enkele centimeters, wordt verstrooid aan het ruwe oppervlak, en een klein gedeelte van de uitgezonden puls keert terug naar het detectorgedeelte van de scatterometer. Het fysische fenomeen van belang voor de werking van de scatterometer is de aanwezigheid van zogeheten capillaire gavitatiegolven op het zeeoppervlak. Deze golven hebben een golflengte van enkele centimeters en reageren vrijwel instantaan op de sterkte van de wind. De verstrooiing van microgolven is op zijn beurt weer sterk afhankelijk van de amplitude van de capillaire golven. Bovendien blijken de capillaire golfjes over het algemeen gericht in lijn met de windrichting. Aldus bestaat er een verband tussen de hoeveelheid teruggestrooide energie en de windsterkte en -richting op enige hoogte. Een scatterometer instrument wordt zo ontworpen dat uit diverse metingen van het teruggestrooide vermogen, windsterkte en -richting afgeleid kunnen worden. Deze metingen kunnen dan eenvoudig vergeleken worden met bestaande windgegevens van boeien, schepen en weermodellen ter calibratie en validatie.?SAMENVATTING viii Overzicht In de loop der jaren zijn scatterometer instrumenten aan boord van verscheidene satellieten gelanceerd. De scatterometers op de ERS-1 en ERS-2 ("European Remote-sensing Satellite") hebben de langste staat van dienst en zijn sinds 1991 operationeel. Deze scatterometers (die identiek zijn) hebben ieder drie antennes, waarmee het oceaanoppervlak in drie verschillende richtingen bemeten wordt. Een punt op het aardoppervlak wordt eerst door de naar voren gerichte bundel belicht, dan door de naar opzij gerichte bundel, en als laatste door de naar achteren gerichte bundel. De drie metingen, verder kortweg aangeduid als trits, kunnen tegen elkaar worden uitgezet, hetgeen resulteert in een ruimtelijk (3D) plaatje. Door uitgekiende doorsneden te maken van deze ruimte kan de samenhang van de drie metingen kwalitatief worden bestudeerd. De drie metingen blijken dan inderdaad een sterke samenhang te vertonen die verklaard kan worden uit twee geofysische parameters. De drie metingen liggen namelijk in het algemeen dichtbij een hoornvormig (2D) oppervlak. De lengterichting van de hoorn blijkt voornamelijk te corresponderen met een variërende windsterkte (of ruwheid van de zee), en de kortste omtrek van de hoorn met een variërende windrichting (ofwel oriëntatie van de capillaire golfjes). De karakterisatie en modellering van dit oppervlak heeft geleid tot een aanzienlijke verbetering in de interpretatie van de scatterometer, zoals beschreven is in dit proefschrift. Hierboven is een uiterst simplistisch beeld gegeven van de fysica die van belang is bij de interpretatie van de scatterometer. Het eerste hoofdstuk van dit proefschrift beschrijft in meer detail de fysische modellering van belang bij de interpretatie van de scatterometer metingen. Ten eerste, de topografie van het zeeoppervlak is uitermate gecompliceerd en niet nauwkeurig te beschrijven met eenvoudige mathematische vergelijkingen. De capillaire golven hebben een andere fasesnelheid dan de langere golven en beide hebben hiermee een ingewikkelde dynamische interactie. Bij hogere windsnelheid breken de golven en ontstaan er schuimkoppen, hetgeen de fysische beschrijving verder compliceert. Ten tweede, de interactie van een schuin invallende microgolfbundel met dit gecompliceerde oppervlak is evenmin nauwkeurig te beschrijven. Zowel verstrooiing als reflectie kunnen een rol spelen. Ten derde, over de relatie tussen de amplitude van de capillaire golven en de wind op enige hoogte, laten we veronderstellen 10 m, is in de literatuur niet de overeenstemming tot in het gewenste detail. Bij lage windsnelheid zouden de oppervlaktespanning of variaties in de wind variabiliteit een rol kunnen spelen. Gezien de fysische complexiteit, is het niet verwonderlijk dat voor de interpretatie van scatterometer metingen statistische methoden hun opgang gevonden hebben. Dit proefschrift gaat met name in op deze methoden, en geeft, aan de hand van vijf wetenschappelijke publicaties, een tamelijk volledig beeld van de "state-of-the-art", zoals die bereikt is met de?SAMENVATTING ix ERS scatterometers (ERS-1 vanaf 17 juli 1991 en later ERS-2 vanaf 22 november 1995). Het derde hoofdstuk behandelt de visualisatie van de gemeten tritsen in de 3D meetruimte, de bepaling van de spreiding van de metingen rond het hoornvormige oppervlak, en de schatting van de meest waarschijnlijke "werkelijke" (of ruisvrije) trits bij het hoornvormige oppervlak gegeven de metingen en hun nauwkeurigheid (inversie). De perceptie dat de metingen met grote waarschijnlijkheid dichtbij een hoornvormig oppervlak liggen, vormt essentiële a priori informatie van belang voor de inversie. Een inversieprocedure gestoeld op waarschijnlijkheidstheorie is afgeleid. Verder worden aan de hand van de structuur van het hoornvormige oppervlak indicatoren bepaald, van belang voor de kwaliteitscontrole, instrumentbewaking, en de verdere verwerking van de gegevens. In de appendix wordt een methode besproken die beschrijft hoe, aan de hand van geselecteerde windgegevens en een goed wind-microgolf verband, ofwel transfer functie, de scatterometer verstrooiingsmetingen gecalibreerd kunnen worden boven de oceaan. Het blijkt dat deze calibratie, die per antenne wordt uitgevoerd, uiterst nauwkeurig is, en, wanneer toegepast, in de 3D meetruimte de verdeling van gemeten tritsen gemiddeld dichterbij de door de transfer functie gemodelleerde hoorn brengt. Dit levert een verbetert scatterometer wind product op. De methode was met name van groot belang voor de validatie en calibratie van de ERS-2 scatterometer, voordat de instrumentele calibratie was voltooid. Met behulp van een set windgegevens uit een weermodel en hun geschatte nauwkeurigheden, passend in locatie en tijd bij een set van scatterometer metingen en hun geschatte nauwkeurigheden, kan met quasi-lineaire schattingstheorie ("Maximum Likelihood Estimation") de meest waarschijnlijke wind-microgolf transfer functie worden afgeleid. De niet-lineariteit en onnauwkeurige formulering van de transfer functie, een niet-uniforme verdeling van invoergegevens, en een inaccurate formulering van de geschatte nauwkeurigheid kunnen hier een goed resultaat in de weg staan. Een nieuwe functie, genoemd CMOD4, wordt afgeleid in hoofdstuk IV. Een eerste eis die gesteld wordt aan een transfer functie, is dat het in de 3D meetruimte nauwkeurig bij de gemeten tritsen past. Wanneer de "fit" optimaal is zal het gecombineerde effect van meetonnauwkeurigheid en inversiefout kleiner zijn dan 0.5 m s -1 in de wind vector. CMOD4 blijkt binnen deze fout bij de metingen te passen. Een tweede eis is, dat voor een onafhankelijke gegevensset, het verschil tussen de geïnverteerde scatterometer wind en de bijpassende wind van bijvoorbeeld een weermodel zo klein mogelijk is. In de praktijk blijkt dat deze tweede eis impliciet volgt uit de eerste, maar ook dat de onnauwkeurigheid van de scatterometer wind met name wordt bepaald door de associatie van een locatie op de hoorn met een wind vector. De onnauwkeurigheid in de scatterometer wind kan dan ook goed beschreven worden in het wind domein.?SAMENVATTING x In hoofdstuk V wordt dit laatste verder uitgewerkt, en wordt gestreefd naar een gedetailleerde wind calibratie met behulp van in situ gegevens. Windgegevens bevatten doorgaans een relatief grote onnauwkeurigheid. Het wordt aangetoond dat ijking of regressie van zulke gegevens niet mogelijk is in een vergelijking van twee meetsystemen, tenzij de nauwkeurigheid van één van de twee meetsystemen bekend is. In de praktijk is dit meestal niet zo. Voor deze gevallen wordt een methode voorgesteld die uitgaat van de simultane vergelijking van drie meetsystemen. In dit geval kan zowel de ijking als een foutenmodel voor de drie meetsystemen worden opgelost. Toepassing van de methode laat zien dat de scatterometer wind afgeleid met behulp van CMOD4 ruwweg 5 % te laag is, en de oppervlaktewind van het gebruikte weermodel ongeveer 5 % te hoog. Het hoornvormige oppervlak blijkt te bestaan uit twee nauw samenvallende laagjes. Wanneer de wind een component heeft in de kijkrichting van de middelste microgolfbundel wordt de ene hoorn beschreven, en wanneer de wind een component heeft tegengesteld hieraan, de andere. Uit een trits metingen (met ruis) kan dus in het algemeen niet een unieke windvector worden bepaald. Twee ongeveer tegengestelde oplossingen resulteren. Deze dubbelzinnigheid in de windrichting kan in de praktijk worden opgelost door die oplossing te kiezen die het dichtst bij een korte termijn weervoorspelling ligt. Daarna kunnen eisen worden gesteld aan de ruimtelijke consistentie van het gevonden windvector veld. Zoals beschreven in hoofdstuk V levert zo'n methode de goede oplossing in meer dan 99 % van de gevallen. Zo kan een in het algemeen kwalitatief goed windproduct worden afgeleid uit de ERS scatterometermetingen. In het tweede gedeelte van hoofdstuk V wordt ingegaan op de assimilatie van scatterometergegevens in weermodellen. Voor variationele gegevensassimilatie wordt een methode voorgesteld, waarbij de dubbelzinnige scatterometerwinden worden geassimileerd, en niet direct de terugstrooiingsmetingen. Dit vanwege het feit dat de onzekerheid in de interpretatie van de scatterometer, het best is uit te drukken als een fout in de wind. De projectie van deze fout op de microgolfmetingen is niet-lineair, en daarmee tamelijk moeilijk te verwerken binnen de context van meteorologische variationele gegevensassimilatie. Assimilatie van de dubbelzinnige wind daarentegen is tamelijk recht toe recht aan. De scatterometermetingen leiden tot een duidelijk betere analyse en korte-termijn voorspelling van het windveld boven zee. De bedekking is echter zodanig dat andere windwaarnemingen nog lang een zeer welkome aanvulling zullen zijn. Nieuwe Amerikaanse scatterometers met een grotere bedekking zijn in ontwikkeling (met name QuikSCAT en SeaWinds). Vanwege hun andere geometrie en golflengte is echter eerst ontwikkelwerk nodig om tot een gedegen interpretatie te komen. De in dit proefschrift beschreven methodologie kan een belangrijke rol spelen in de interpretatie van de gegevens van deze scatterometers. De volgende generatie Europese scatterometers (ASCAT genoemd) heeft een?SAMENVATTING xi grote bedekking en de microgolflengte en meetgeometrie van de ERS scatterometers. Hiermee zijn we op termijn verzekerd van een goed scatterometer wind product.?SAMENVATTING xii
Schlessinger, Karni; Li, Wenyu; Tan, Yejun; Liu, Franklin; Souza, Sandra C; Tozzo, Effie; Liu, Kevin; Thompson, John R; Wang, Liangsu; Muise, Eric S
2015-09-01
Identify a gene expression signature in white adipose tissue (WAT) that reports on WAT browning and is associated with a healthy phenotype. RNA from several different adipose depots across three species were analyzed by whole transcriptome profiling, including 1) mouse subcutaneous white fat, brown fat, and white fat after in vivo treatment with FGF21; 2) human subcutaneous and omental fat from insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant patients; and 3) rhesus monkey subcutaneous fat from healthy and dysmetabolic individuals. A "browning" signature in mice was identified by cross-referencing the FGF21-induced signature in WAT with the brown adipose tissue (BAT) vs. WAT comparison. In addition, gene expression levels in WAT from insulin-sensitive/healthy vs. insulin-resistant/dysmetabolic humans and rhesus monkeys, respectively, correlated with the gene expression levels in mouse BAT vs. WAT. A subset of 49 genes were identified that were consistently regulated or differentially expressed in the mouse and human data sets that could be used to monitor browning of WAT across species. Gene expression profiles of WATs from healthy insulin-sensitive individuals correlate with those of BAT and FGF21-induced browning of WAT. © 2015 The Obesity Society.
Ke, Shanshan; Fang, Na; Irwin, David M.; Lei, Ming; Zhang, Junpeng; Shi, Huizhen; Zhang, Shuyi; Wang, Zhe
2014-01-01
Background Inducing beige fat from white adipose tissue (WAT) is considered to be a shortcut to weight loss and increasingly becoming a key area in research into treatments for obesity and related diseases. However, currently, animal models of beige fat are restricted to rodents, where subcutaneous adipose tissue (sWAT, benign WAT) is more liable to develop into the beige fat under specific activators than the intra-abdominal adipose tissue (aWAT, malignant WAT) that is the major source of obesity related diseases in humans. Methods Here we induced beige fat by cold exposure in two species of bats, the great roundleaf bat (Hipposideros armiger) and the rickett's big-footed bat (Myotis ricketti), and compared the molecular and morphological changes with those seen in the mouse. Expression of thermogenic genes (Ucp1 and Pgc1a) was measured by RT-qPCR and adipocyte morphology examined by HE staining at three adipose locations, sWAT, aWAT and iBAT (interscapular brown adipose tissue). Results Expression of Ucp1 and Pgc1a was significantly upregulated, by 729 and 23 fold, respectively, in aWAT of the great roundleaf bat after exposure to 10°C for 7 days. Adipocyte diameters of WATs became significantly reduced and the white adipocytes became brown-like in morphology. In mice, similar changes were found in the sWAT, but much lower amounts of changes in aWAT were seen. Interestingly, the rickett's big-footed bat did not show such a tendency in beige fat. Conclusions The great roundleaf bat is potentially a good animal model for human aWAT browning research. Combined with rodent models, this model should be helpful for finding therapies for reducing harmful aWAT in humans. PMID:25393240
Exercise-induced adaptations to white and brown adipose tissue.
Lehnig, Adam C; Stanford, Kristin I
2018-03-07
The beneficial effects of exercise on skeletal muscle and the cardiovascular system have long been known. Recent studies have focused on investigating the effects of exercise on adipose tissue and the effects that these exercise-induced adaptations have on overall metabolic health. Examination of exercise-induced adaptations in both white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) has revealed marked differences in each tissue with exercise. In WAT, there are changes to both subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) and visceral WAT (vWAT), including decreased adipocyte size and lipid content, increased expression of metabolic genes, altered secretion of adipokines and increased mitochondrial activity. Adaptations specific to scWAT include lipidomic remodeling of phospholipids and, in rodents, the beiging of scWAT. The changes to BAT are less clear: studies evaluating the effect of exercise on the BAT of humans and rodents have revealed contradictory data, making this an important area of current investigation. In this Review, we discuss the exercise-induced changes to WAT and BAT that have been reported by different studies and highlight the current questions in this field. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
Endurance exercise training induces fat depot-specific differences in basal autophagic activity
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Tanaka, Goki; Kato, Hisashi; Izawa, Tetsuya, E-mail: tizawa@mail.doshisha.ac.jp
The purpose of this study was to uncover the effect of exercise training on the expression of autophagy marker proteins in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), inguinal WAT (iWAT), and the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) collected from eWAT. Male Wistar rats aged 4–5 weeks were randomly divided into two groups, sedentary control (n = 7) and exercise-trained (n = 7). Rats in the exercise-trained group were exercised on a treadmill set at a 5° incline 5 days/week for 9 weeks. We determined that the expression levels of an autophagosome-associating form of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II and of p62 were significantly highermore » in eWAT from exercise-trained than from control rats, while those of adipose-specific deletion of autophagy-related protein (ATG7) and lysosomal-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP2a) showed no difference between groups. However, in iWAT, the expression levels of LC3-II and ATG7 were significantly higher in exercise-trained than in control rats. The expression of p62 was highly correlated with that of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), a master regulator of adipogenesis and lipid metabolism, in both WAT types (eWAT, r = 0.856, P < 0.05; iWAT, r = 0.762, P < 0.05), whereas LC3-II and PPARγ levels were highly correlated in eWAT (r = 0.765, P < 0.05) but not in iWAT (r = −0.306, ns). In SVF, the expression levels of LC3II, ATG7, and LAMP2a were significantly higher in exercise-trained than in control rats. These results suggest that exercise training suppresses basal autophagy activity in eWAT, but that this activity is enhanced in iWAT and SVF collected from eWAT. Thus, the adaptation of basal autophagic activity following exercise training exhibits fat depot-specific differences. - Highlights: • Autophagy has been associated with obesity and associated diseases. • We examined exercise-associated rat white adipose tissue (WAT) autophagy markers. • Exercise increased autophagosome associated LC3-II in WAT. • Exercise-induced changes in p62 and ATG7 were WAT-type specific. • Exercise-induced basal autophagic activity shows fat depot-specific differences.« less
The Mechanism of Toxicity in HET-S/HET-s Prion Incompatibility
Seuring, Carolin; Greenwald, Jason; Wasmer, Christian; Wepf, Roger; Saupe, Sven J.; Meier, Beat H.; Riek, Roland
2012-01-01
The HET-s protein from the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina is a prion involved in a cell death reaction termed heterokaryon incompatibility. This reaction is observed at the point of contact between two genetically distinct strains when one harbors a HET-s prion (in the form of amyloid aggregates) and the other expresses a soluble HET-S protein (96% identical to HET-s). How the HET-s prion interaction with HET-S brings about cell death remains unknown; however, it was recently shown that this interaction leads to a relocalization of HET-S from the cytoplasm to the cell periphery and that this change is associated with cell death. Here, we present detailed insights into this mechanism in which a non-toxic HET-s prion converts a soluble HET-S protein into an integral membrane protein that destabilizes membranes. We observed liposomal membrane defects of approximately 10 up to 60 nm in size in transmission electron microscopy images of freeze-fractured proteoliposomes that were formed in mixtures of HET-S and HET-s amyloids. In liposome leakage assays, HET-S has an innate ability to associate with and disrupt lipid membranes and that this activity is greatly enhanced when HET-S is exposed to HET-s amyloids. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses revealed that HET-s induces the prion-forming domain of HET-S to adopt the β-solenoid fold (previously observed in HET-s) and this change disrupts the globular HeLo domain. These data indicate that upon interaction with a HET-s prion, the HET-S HeLo domain partially unfolds, thereby exposing a previously buried ∼34-residue N-terminal transmembrane segment. The liberation of this segment targets HET-S to the membrane where it further oligomerizes, leading to a loss of membrane integrity. HET-S thus appears to display features that are reminiscent of pore-forming toxins. PMID:23300377
Luo, Xiao; Jia, Ru; Zhang, Qiangling; Sun, Bo; Yan, Jianqun
2016-05-23
Cold exposure or β₃-adrenoceptor agonist treatment induces the adipose tissues remodeling, relevant for beige adipogenesis within white adipose tissue (WAT). It remains unclear whether this process influences inflammatory adipokines expression in adipose tissues. We determine the temporal profile of cold or β₃-adrenoceptor agonist (CL316,243)-induced changes in the expression of inflammatory adipokines in adipose tissues in mice or primary mice adipocytes. Male C57BL/6J mice at eight weeks old were exposed to 4 °C for 1-5 days. Interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT), inguinal subcutaneous WAT (sWAT) and epididymal WAT (eWAT) were harvested for gene and protein expression analysis. In addition, cultured primary mice brown adipocyte (BA) and white adipocyte (WA) treated with or without CL316,243 were harvested for gene expression analysis. The inflammatory adipokines expressed significantly higher in WAT than BAT at baseline. They were rapidly changed in iBAT, while down-regulated in sWAT and up-regulated in eWAT during the cold acclimation. Upon CL316,243 treatment, detected inflammatory adipokines except Leptin were transiently increased in both BA and WA. Our in vivo and in vitro data demonstrate that the browning process alters the inflammatory adipokines expression in adipose tissues, which is acutely responded to in iBAT, dynamically decreased in sWAT whilst increased in eWAT for compensation.
Benencia, Fabian; Harshman, Stephanie; Duran-Ortiz, Silvana; Lubbers, Ellen R.; List, Edward O.; Householder, Lara; Al-Naeeli, Mawadda; Liang, Xiaoyu; Welch, Lonnie; Kopchick, John J.
2015-01-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) is composed of mature adipocytes and a stromal vascular fraction (SVF), which contains a variety of cells, including immune cells that vary among the different WAT depots. Growth hormone (GH) impacts immune function and adiposity in an adipose depot-specific manner. However, its effects on WAT immune cell populations remain unstudied. Bovine GH transgenic (bGH) mice are commonly used to study the in vivo effects of GH. These giant mice have an excess of GH action, impaired glucose metabolism, decreased adiposity, increased lean mass, and a shortened lifespan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the WAT depot-specific differences in immune cell populations in the presence of excess GH in vivo. Three WAT depots were assessed: inguinal (sc), epididymal (EPI), and mesenteric (MES). Subcutaneous and MES bGH WAT depots showed a significantly higher number of total SVF cells, yet only MES bGH WAT had higher leukocyte counts compared with control samples. By means of flow cytometry analysis of the SVF, we detected greater macrophage and regulatory T-cell infiltration in sc and MES bGH WAT depots compared with controls. However, no differences were observed in the EPI WAT depot. RNA-sequencing confirmed significant alterations in pathways related to T-cell infiltration and activation in the sc depot with fewer significant changes in the EPI bGH WAT depot. These findings collectively point to a previously unrecognized role for GH in influencing the distribution of WAT immune cell populations in a depot-specific manner. PMID:25521584
Benencia, Fabian; Harshman, Stephanie; Duran-Ortiz, Silvana; Lubbers, Ellen R; List, Edward O; Householder, Lara; Al-Naeeli, Mawadda; Liang, Xiaoyu; Welch, Lonnie; Kopchick, John J; Berryman, Darlene E
2015-05-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) is composed of mature adipocytes and a stromal vascular fraction (SVF), which contains a variety of cells, including immune cells that vary among the different WAT depots. Growth hormone (GH) impacts immune function and adiposity in an adipose depot-specific manner. However, its effects on WAT immune cell populations remain unstudied. Bovine GH transgenic (bGH) mice are commonly used to study the in vivo effects of GH. These giant mice have an excess of GH action, impaired glucose metabolism, decreased adiposity, increased lean mass, and a shortened lifespan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize the WAT depot-specific differences in immune cell populations in the presence of excess GH in vivo. Three WAT depots were assessed: inguinal (sc), epididymal (EPI), and mesenteric (MES). Subcutaneous and MES bGH WAT depots showed a significantly higher number of total SVF cells, yet only MES bGH WAT had higher leukocyte counts compared with control samples. By means of flow cytometry analysis of the SVF, we detected greater macrophage and regulatory T-cell infiltration in sc and MES bGH WAT depots compared with controls. However, no differences were observed in the EPI WAT depot. RNA-sequencing confirmed significant alterations in pathways related to T-cell infiltration and activation in the sc depot with fewer significant changes in the EPI bGH WAT depot. These findings collectively point to a previously unrecognized role for GH in influencing the distribution of WAT immune cell populations in a depot-specific manner.
2016-01-01
Background Wearable activity trackers (WATs) are emerging consumer electronic devices designed to support physical activities (PAs), which are based on successful behavior change techniques focusing on goal-setting and frequent behavioral feedbacks. Despite their utility, data from both recent academic and market research have indicated high attrition rates of WAT users. Concurrently, evidence shows that social support (SS), delivered/obtained via social network services or sites (SNS), could increase adherence and engagement of PA intervention programs. To date, relatively few studies have looked at how WATs and SS may interact and affect PAs. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore how these two Internet and mobile technologies, WATs and SNS, could work together to foster sustainable PA behavior changes and habits among middle-aged adults (40-60 years old) in Taiwan. Methods We used purposive sampling of Executive MBA Students from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology to participate in our qualitative research. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 15 participants, including 9 WAT users and 6 nonusers. Analysis of the collected materials was done inductively using the thematic approach with no preset categories. Two authors from different professional backgrounds independently annotated and coded the transcripts, and then discussed and debated until consensus was reached on the final themes. Results The thematic analysis revealed six themes: (1) WATs provided more awareness than motivation in PA with goal-setting and progress monitoring, (2) SS, delivered/obtained via SNS, increased users’ adherence and engagement with WATs and vice versa, (3) a broad spectrum of configurations would be needed to deliver WATs with appropriately integrated SS functions, (4) WAT design, style, and appearance mattered even more than those of smartphones, as they are body-worn devices, (5) the user interfaces of WATs left a great deal to be desired, and (6) privacy concerns must be addressed before more mainstream consumers would consider adopting WATs. Conclusions Participants perceived WATs as an awareness tool to understand one’s PA level. It is evident from our study that SS, derived from SNS and other pertinent vehicles such as the LINE social messaging application (similar to WhatsApp and WeChat), will increase the engagement and adherence of WAT usage. Combining WATs and SNS enables cost-effective, scalable PA intervention programs with end-to-end services and data analytics capabilities, to elevate WATs from one-size-fits-all consumer electronics to personalized PA assistants. PMID:27380798
Chang, Rebecca Cherng-Shiow; Lu, Hsi-Peng; Yang, Peishan; Luarn, Pin
2016-07-05
Wearable activity trackers (WATs) are emerging consumer electronic devices designed to support physical activities (PAs), which are based on successful behavior change techniques focusing on goal-setting and frequent behavioral feedbacks. Despite their utility, data from both recent academic and market research have indicated high attrition rates of WAT users. Concurrently, evidence shows that social support (SS), delivered/obtained via social network services or sites (SNS), could increase adherence and engagement of PA intervention programs. To date, relatively few studies have looked at how WATs and SS may interact and affect PAs. The purpose of this study was to explore how these two Internet and mobile technologies, WATs and SNS, could work together to foster sustainable PA behavior changes and habits among middle-aged adults (40-60 years old) in Taiwan. We used purposive sampling of Executive MBA Students from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology to participate in our qualitative research. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 15 participants, including 9 WAT users and 6 nonusers. Analysis of the collected materials was done inductively using the thematic approach with no preset categories. Two authors from different professional backgrounds independently annotated and coded the transcripts, and then discussed and debated until consensus was reached on the final themes. The thematic analysis revealed six themes: (1) WATs provided more awareness than motivation in PA with goal-setting and progress monitoring, (2) SS, delivered/obtained via SNS, increased users' adherence and engagement with WATs and vice versa, (3) a broad spectrum of configurations would be needed to deliver WATs with appropriately integrated SS functions, (4) WAT design, style, and appearance mattered even more than those of smartphones, as they are body-worn devices, (5) the user interfaces of WATs left a great deal to be desired, and (6) privacy concerns must be addressed before more mainstream consumers would consider adopting WATs. Participants perceived WATs as an awareness tool to understand one's PA level. It is evident from our study that SS, derived from SNS and other pertinent vehicles such as the LINE social messaging application (similar to WhatsApp and WeChat), will increase the engagement and adherence of WAT usage. Combining WATs and SNS enables cost-effective, scalable PA intervention programs with end-to-end services and data analytics capabilities, to elevate WATs from one-size-fits-all consumer electronics to personalized PA assistants.
Chen, Hsuan-Ju; Ihara, Tsubasa; Yoshioka, Hidetugu; Itoyama, Erina; Kitamura, Shoko; Nagase, Hiroshi; Murakami, Hiroaki; Hoshino, Yoichiro; Murakami, Masaru; Tomonaga, Shozo; Matsui, Tohru; Funaba, Masayuki
2018-06-15
Brown/beige adipocytes dissipate energy as heat. We previously showed that brown/beige adipocytes are present in white adipose tissue (WAT) of fattening cattle. The present study examined the effect of vitamin A restriction on mRNA expression of brown/beige adipocyte-related genes. In Japan, fattening cattle are conventionally fed a vitamin A-restricted diet to improve beef marbling. Twelve Japanese Black steers aged 10 months were fed control feed (n=6) or vitamin A-restricted feed (n=6) for 20 months. Subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) and mesenteric WAT (mesWAT) were collected, and mRNA expression levels of molecules related to function of brown/beige adipocytes (Ucp1, Cidea, Dio2, Cox7a and Cox8b) as well as transcriptional regulators related to brown/beige adipogenesis (Zfp516, Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α) were evaluated. The vitamin A restriction significantly increased or tended to increase expression levels of Cidea and Pgc-1α in scWAT, and Cidea, Dio2, and Nfia in mesWAT. Previous studies revealed that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway was responsible for commitment of mesenchymal stem cells to brown/beige adipocyte-lineage cells. The vitamin A restriction increased expression of Bmp7 and some Bmp receptors in WAT. The interrelationship between gene expression levels indicated that expression levels of Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α were closely related to those of genes related to function of brown/beige adipocytes in scWAT. Also, expression levels of Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α were highly correlated with those of Alk3 in scWAT. In summary, the present results suggest that the vitamin A restriction increases the number or activity of brown/beige adipocytes through regulatory expression of transcriptional regulators to induce brown/beige adipogenesis especially in scWAT of fattening cattle, which may be governed by the Bmp pathway.
Characterization of the central neural projections to brown, white, and beige adipose tissue.
Wiedmann, Nicole M; Stefanidis, Aneta; Oldfield, Brian J
2017-11-01
The functional recruitment of classic brown adipose tissue (BAT) and inducible brown-like or beige fat is, to a large extent, dependent on intact sympathetic neural input. Whereas the central neural circuits directed specifically to BAT or white adipose tissue (WAT) are well established, there is only a developing insight into the nature of neural inputs common to both fat types. Moreover, there is no clear view of the specific central and peripheral innervation of the browned component of WAT: beige fat. The objective of the present study is to examine the neural input to both BAT and WAT in the same animal and, by exposing different cohorts of rats to either thermoneutral or cold conditions, define changes in central neural organization that will ensure that beige fat is appropriately recruited and modulated after browning of inguinal WAT (iWAT). At thermoneutrality, injection of the neurotropic (pseudorabies) viruses into BAT and WAT demonstrates that there are dedicated axonal projections, as well as collateral axonal branches of command neurons projecting to both types of fat. After cold exposure, central neural circuits directed to iWAT showed evidence of reorganization with a greater representation of command neurons projecting to both brown and beiged WAT in hypothalamic (paraventricular nucleus and lateral hypothalamus) and brainstem (raphe pallidus and locus coeruleus) sites. This shift was driven by a greater number of supraspinal neurons projecting to iWAT under cold conditions. These data provide evidence for a reorganization of the nervous system at the level of neural connectivity following browning of WAT.-Wiedmann, N. M., Stefanidis, A., Oldfield, B. J. Characterization of the central neural projections to brown, white, and beige adipose tissue. © FASEB.
Lackey, Denise E.; Lynch, Christopher J.; Olson, Kristine C.; Mostaedi, Rouzbeh; Ali, Mohamed; Smith, William H.; Karpe, Fredrik; Humphreys, Sandy; Bedinger, Daniel H.; Dunn, Tamara N.; Thomas, Anthony P.; Oort, Pieter J.; Kieffer, Dorothy A.; Amin, Rajesh; Bettaieb, Ahmed; Haj, Fawaz G.; Permana, Paska; Anthony, Tracy G.
2013-01-01
Elevated blood branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are often associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which might result from a reduced cellular utilization and/or incomplete BCAA oxidation. White adipose tissue (WAT) has become appreciated as a potential player in whole body BCAA metabolism. We tested if expression of the mitochondrial BCAA oxidation checkpoint, branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKD) complex, is reduced in obese WAT and regulated by metabolic signals. WAT BCKD protein (E1α subunit) was significantly reduced by 35–50% in various obesity models (fa/fa rats, db/db mice, diet-induced obese mice), and BCKD component transcripts significantly lower in subcutaneous (SC) adipocytes from obese vs. lean Pima Indians. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes or mice with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists increased WAT BCAA catabolism enzyme mRNAs, whereas the nonmetabolizable glucose analog 2-deoxy-d-glucose had the opposite effect. The results support the hypothesis that suboptimal insulin action and/or perturbed metabolic signals in WAT, as would be seen with insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, could impair WAT BCAA utilization. However, cross-tissue flux studies comparing lean vs. insulin-sensitive or insulin-resistant obese subjects revealed an unexpected negligible uptake of BCAA from human abdominal SC WAT. This suggests that SC WAT may not be an important contributor to blood BCAA phenotypes associated with insulin resistance in the overnight-fasted state. mRNA abundances for BCAA catabolic enzymes were markedly reduced in omental (but not SC) WAT of obese persons with metabolic syndrome compared with weight-matched healthy obese subjects, raising the possibility that visceral WAT contributes to the BCAA metabolic phenotype of metabolically compromised individuals. PMID:23512805
Mulder, Petra; Morrison, Martine C; Verschuren, Lars; Liang, Wen; van Bockel, J Hajo; Kooistra, Teake; Wielinga, Peter Y; Kleemann, Robert
2016-08-22
Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation that drives the development of metabolic diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We recently showed that white adipose tissue (WAT) constitutes an important source of inflammatory factors. Hence, interventions that attenuate WAT inflammation may reduce NAFLD development. Male LDLr-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 9 weeks followed by 7 weeks of HFD with or without rosiglitazone. Effects on WAT inflammation and NAFLD development were analyzed using biochemical and (immuno)histochemical techniques, combined with gene expression analyses. Nine weeks of HFD feeding induced obesity and WAT inflammation, which progressed gradually until the end of the study. Rosiglitazone fully blocked progression of WAT inflammation and activated PPARγ significantly in WAT. Rosiglitazone intervention did not activate PPARγ in liver, but improved liver histology and counteracted the expression of genes associated with severe NAFLD in humans. Rosiglitazone reduced expression of pro-inflammatory factors in WAT (TNF-α, leptin) and increased expression of adiponectin, which was reflected in plasma. Furthermore, rosiglitazone lowered circulating levels of pro-inflammatory saturated fatty acids. Together, these observations provide a rationale for the observed indirect hepatoprotective effects and suggest that WAT represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity-associated NAFLD.
Application of Item Response Theory to Tests of Substance-related Associative Memory
Shono, Yusuke; Grenard, Jerry L.; Ames, Susan L.; Stacy, Alan W.
2015-01-01
A substance-related word association test (WAT) is one of the commonly used indirect tests of substance-related implicit associative memory and has been shown to predict substance use. This study applied an item response theory (IRT) modeling approach to evaluate psychometric properties of the alcohol- and marijuana-related WATs and their items among 775 ethnically diverse at-risk adolescents. After examining the IRT assumptions, item fit, and differential item functioning (DIF) across gender and age groups, the original 18 WAT items were reduced to 14- and 15-items in the alcohol- and marijuana-related WAT, respectively. Thereafter, unidimensional one- and two-parameter logistic models (1PL and 2PL models) were fitted to the revised WAT items. The results demonstrated that both alcohol- and marijuana-related WATs have good psychometric properties. These results were discussed in light of the framework of a unified concept of construct validity (Messick, 1975, 1989, 1995). PMID:25134051
Signal Transduction by a Fungal NOD-Like Receptor Based on Propagation of a Prion Amyloid Fold
Daskalov, Asen; Habenstein, Birgit; Martinez, Denis; Debets, Alfons J. M.; Sabaté, Raimon; Loquet, Antoine; Saupe, Sven J.
2015-01-01
In the fungus Podospora anserina, the [Het-s] prion induces programmed cell death by activating the HET-S pore-forming protein. The HET-s β-solenoid prion fold serves as a template for converting the HET-S prion-forming domain into the same fold. This conversion, in turn, activates the HET-S pore-forming domain. The gene immediately adjacent to het-S encodes NWD2, a Nod-like receptor (NLR) with an N-terminal motif similar to the elementary repeat unit of the β-solenoid fold. NLRs are immune receptors controlling cell death and host defense processes in animals, plants and fungi. We have proposed that, analogously to [Het-s], NWD2 can activate the HET-S pore-forming protein by converting its prion-forming region into the β-solenoid fold. Here, we analyze the ability of NWD2 to induce formation of the β-solenoid prion fold. We show that artificial NWD2 variants induce formation of the [Het-s] prion, specifically in presence of their cognate ligands. The N-terminal motif is responsible for this prion induction, and mutations predicted to affect the β-solenoid fold abolish templating activity. In vitro, the N-terminal motif assembles into infectious prion amyloids that display a structure resembling the β-solenoid fold. In vivo, the assembled form of the NWD2 N-terminal region activates the HET-S pore-forming protein. This study documenting the role of the β-solenoid fold in fungal NLR function further highlights the general importance of amyloid and prion-like signaling in immunity-related cell fate pathways. PMID:25671553
Shimizu, H; Obayashi, E; Gomi, Y; Arakawa, H; Park, S Y; Nakamura, H; Adachi, S; Shoun, H; Shiro, Y
2000-02-18
Fungal nitric-oxide reductase (NOR) is a heme enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of NO to N(2)O through its ferric-NO complex, the first intermediate of the catalysis. Crystal structures of the ferric-NO forms of wild type (WT) fungal NOR, and of the Ser(286) --> Val and Ser(286) --> Thr mutant enzymes were determined to 1.7-A resolution at cryogenic temperature (100 K). This shows a slightly tilted and bent NO binding to the heme iron, in sharp contrast to the highly bent NO coordination found in ferrous hemoproteins. In the WT structure, a specific hydrogen-bonding network that connects the active site to the solvent was identified, H(2)O(Wat(74))-Ser(286)-H(2)O(Wat(33))-Asp(393)-solvent. Wat(74) is located 3.10 A from the iron-bound NO. Replacement of Ser(286) with Val or Thr scarcely alters the NO coordination structure but expels the water molecules, Wat(74) from the active site. The Asp(393) mutation does not influence the position of Wat(74), but disrupts the hydrogen-bonding network at Wat(33), as evidenced by enzymatic, kinetic, and spectroscopic (resonance Raman and IR) results. The structural changes observed upon the Ser(286) or the Asp(393) mutation are consistent with the dramatic loss of the enzymatic activity for the NO reduction of fungal NOR. We have conclusively identified the water molecule, Wat(74), adjacent to the iron-bound NO as a proton donor to the Fe-NO moiety. In addition, we find the hydrogen-bonding network, H(2)O(Wat(74))-Ser(286)-H(2)O(Wat(33))-Asp(393), as a proton delivery pathway in the NO reduction reaction by fungal NOR.
Girousse, Amandine; Tavernier, Geneviève; Valle, Carine; Moro, Cedric; Mejhert, Niklas; Dinel, Anne-Laure; Houssier, Marianne; Roussel, Balbine; Besse-Patin, Aurèle; Combes, Marion; Mir, Lucile; Monbrun, Laurent; Bézaire, Véronic; Prunet-Marcassus, Bénédicte; Waget, Aurélie; Vila, Isabelle; Caspar-Bauguil, Sylvie; Louche, Katie; Marques, Marie-Adeline; Mairal, Aline; Renoud, Marie-Laure; Galitzky, Jean; Holm, Cecilia; Mouisel, Etienne; Thalamas, Claire; Viguerie, Nathalie; Sulpice, Thierry; Burcelin, Rémy; Arner, Peter; Langin, Dominique
2013-01-01
When energy is needed, white adipose tissue (WAT) provides fatty acids (FAs) for use in peripheral tissues via stimulation of fat cell lipolysis. FAs have been postulated to play a critical role in the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance, a major risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, whether and how chronic inhibition of fat mobilization from WAT modulates insulin sensitivity remains elusive. Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) participates in the breakdown of WAT triacylglycerol into FAs. HSL haploinsufficiency and treatment with a HSL inhibitor resulted in improvement of insulin tolerance without impact on body weight, fat mass, and WAT inflammation in high-fat-diet-fed mice. In vivo palmitate turnover analysis revealed that blunted lipolytic capacity is associated with diminution in FA uptake and storage in peripheral tissues of obese HSL haploinsufficient mice. The reduction in FA turnover was accompanied by an improvement of glucose metabolism with a shift in respiratory quotient, increase of glucose uptake in WAT and skeletal muscle, and enhancement of de novo lipogenesis and insulin signalling in liver. In human adipocytes, HSL gene silencing led to improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, resulting in increased de novo lipogenesis and activation of cognate gene expression. In clinical studies, WAT lipolytic rate was positively and negatively correlated with indexes of insulin resistance and WAT de novo lipogenesis gene expression, respectively. In obese individuals, chronic inhibition of lipolysis resulted in induction of WAT de novo lipogenesis gene expression. Thus, reduction in WAT lipolysis reshapes FA fluxes without increase of fat mass and improves glucose metabolism through cell-autonomous induction of fat cell de novo lipogenesis, which contributes to improved insulin sensitivity.
Microarray profiling of human white adipose tissue after exogenous leptin injection.
Taleb, S; Van Haaften, R; Henegar, C; Hukshorn, C; Cancello, R; Pelloux, V; Hanczar, B; Viguerie, N; Langin, D; Evelo, C; Zucker, J; Clément, K; Saris, W H M
2006-03-01
Leptin is a secreted adipocyte hormone that plays a key role in the regulation of body weight homeostasis. The leptin effect on human white adipose tissue (WAT) is still debated. The aim of this study was to assess whether the administration of polyethylene glycol-leptin (PEG-OB) in a single supraphysiological dose has transcriptional effects on genes of WAT and to identify its target genes and functional pathways in WAT. Blood samples and WAT biopsies were obtained from 10 healthy nonobese men before treatment and 72 h after the PEG-OB injection, leading to an approximate 809-fold increase in circulating leptin. The WAT gene expression profile before and after the PEG-OB injection was compared using pangenomic microarrays. Functional gene annotations based on the gene ontology of the PEG-OB regulated genes were performed using both an 'in house' automated procedure and GenMAPP (Gene Microarray Pathway Profiler), designed for viewing and analyzing gene expression data in the context of biological pathways. Statistical analysis of microarray data revealed that PEG-OB had a major down-regulated effect on WAT gene expression, as we obtained 1,822 and 100 down- and up-regulated genes, respectively. Microarray data were validated using reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Functional gene annotations of PEG-OB regulated genes revealed that the functional class related to immunity and inflammation was among the most mobilized PEG-OB pathway in WAT. These genes are mainly expressed in the cell of the stroma vascular fraction in comparison with adipocytes. Our observations support the hypothesis that leptin could act on WAT, particularly on genes related to inflammation and immunity, which may suggest a novel leptin target pathway in human WAT.
Zuriaga, Maria A; Fuster, Jose J; Gokce, Noyan; Walsh, Kenneth
2017-01-01
Visceral adiposity is much more strongly associated with cardiometabolic disease in humans than subcutaneous adiposity. Browning, the appearance of brown-like adipocytes in the white adipose tissue (WAT), has been shown to protect mice against metabolic dysfunction, suggesting the possibility of new therapeutic approaches to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. In mice, subcutaneous WAT depots express higher levels of browning genes when compared with visceral WAT, further suggesting that differences in WAT browning could contribute to the differences in the pathogenicity of the two depots. However, the expression of browning genes in different WAT depots of human has not been characterized. Here, it is shown that the expression of browning genes is higher in visceral than in subcutaneous WAT in humans, a pattern that is opposite to what is observed in mice. These results suggest that caution should be applied in extrapolating the results of murine browning gene expression studies to human pathophysiology.
Yan, Kemin; Chen, Weijie; Zhu, Huijuan; Lin, Guole; Pan, Hui; Li, Naishi; Wang, Linjie; Yang, Hongbo; Liu, Meijuan; Gong, Fengying
2018-01-01
Objective: Ileal transposition (IT) surgery has been reported to improve glucose and lipid metabolism, and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a powerful metabolic regulator. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of IT surgery on metabolism and its possible relationship with the FGF21 signaling pathway in diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. Methods: Ten-week-old male GK rats were subjected to IT surgery with translocation of a 10 cm ileal segment to the proximal jejunum (IT group) or sham surgery without the ileum transposition (Sham-IT group). Rats in the no surgery group did not receive any surgical intervention. Six weeks later, body weight, fat mass, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and serum levels of FGF21 and leptin were measured. The expression of the FGF21 signaling pathway and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning-related genes in the WAT and liver were evaluated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot. Results: IT surgery significantly decreased the body weights and FBG levels and increased the insulin sensitivity of GK rats. The total WAT mass of the IT rats showed a 41.5% reduction compared with the Sham-IT rats, and serum levels of FGF21 and leptin of the IT rats decreased by 26.3 and 61.7%, respectively (all P < 0.05). The mRNA levels of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) and its co-receptor β klotho (KLB) in the perirenal WAT (pWAT) of the IT rats were 1.4- and 2.4-fold that of the Sham-IT rats, respectively, and the FGFR1 protein levels were 1.7-fold of the Sham-IT rats (all P < 0.05). In accordance with the pWAT, the protein levels of FGFR1 and KLB in the epididymal WAT (eWAT) of the IT rats notably increased to 3.0- and 3.9-fold of the Sham-IT rats (P < 0.05). Furthermore, uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) protein levels in the eWAT and pWAT of the IT rats also increased to 2.2- and 2.3-fold of the Sham-IT rats (P < 0.05). However, the protein levels of FGFR1 and KLB in the subcutaneous WAT (sWAT) of the IT rats decreased by 34.4 and 72.1%, respectively, compared with the Sham-IT rats (P < 0.05). In addition, the protein levels of FGF21 and KLB in the livers of IT rats were 3.9- and 2.3-fold of the Sham-IT rats (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: IT surgery significantly decreased fat mass and improved glucose metabolism in diabetic GK rats. These beneficial roles of IT surgery were probably associated with its stimulatory action on the expression of FGFR1 and KLB in both the eWAT and the pWAT, thereby promoting UCP1 expression in these tissues. PMID:29593555
47 CFR 69.113 - Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... 47 Telecommunication 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent... CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Computation of Charges § 69.113 Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services. (a) Charges that are computed in accordance with this section shall be...
47 CFR 69.113 - Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent... CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Computation of Charges § 69.113 Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services. (a) Charges that are computed in accordance with this section shall be...
47 CFR 69.113 - Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... 47 Telecommunication 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent... CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Computation of Charges § 69.113 Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services. (a) Charges that are computed in accordance with this section shall be...
47 CFR 69.113 - Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent... CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Computation of Charges § 69.113 Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services. (a) Charges that are computed in accordance with this section shall be...
47 CFR 69.113 - Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... 47 Telecommunication 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent... CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) ACCESS CHARGES Computation of Charges § 69.113 Non-premium charges for MTS-WATS equivalent services. (a) Charges that are computed in accordance with this section shall be...
Sakurai, Takuya; Ogasawara, Junetsu; Kizaki, Takako; Ishibashi, Yoshinaga; Takahashi, Motoko; Kobayashi, Osamu; Nagasawa, Junichi; Takahashi, Kazuto; Ishida, Hitoshi; Ohno, Hideki
2013-01-01
Obesity is recognized as a risk factor for lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. White adipose tissue (WAT) is not only a static storage site for energy; it is also a dynamic tissue that is actively involved in metabolic reactions and produces humoral factors, such as leptin and adiponectin, which are collectively referred to as adipokines. Additionally, because there is much evidence that obesity-induced inflammatory changes in WAT, which is caused by dysregulated expression of inflammation-related adipokines involving tumor necrosis factor-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, contribute to the development of insulin resistance, WAT has attracted special attention as an organ that causes diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases. Exercise training (TR) not only leads to a decrease in WAT mass but also attenuates obesity-induced dysregulated expression of the inflammation-related adipokines in WAT. Therefore, TR is widely used as a tool for preventing and improving lifestyle-related diseases. This review outlines the impact of TR on the expression and secretory response of adipokines in WAT. PMID:24369466
Gross, Seth A; Smith, Michael S; Kaul, Vivek
2017-01-01
Background Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and esophageal dysplasia (ED) are frequently missed during screening and surveillance esophagoscopy because of sampling error associated with four-quadrant random forceps biopsy (FB). Aim The aim of this article is to determine if wide-area transepithelial sampling with three-dimensional computer-assisted analysis (WATS) used adjunctively with FB can increase the detection of BE and ED. Methods In this multicenter prospective trial, patients screened for suspected BE and those with known BE undergoing surveillance were enrolled. Patients at 25 community-based practices underwent WATS adjunctively to targeted FB and random four-quadrant FB. Results Of 4203 patients, 594 were diagnosed with BE by FB alone, and 493 additional cases were detected by adding WATS, increasing the overall detection of BE by 83% (493/594, 95% CI 74%–93%). Low-grade dysplasia (LGD) was diagnosed in 26 patients by FB alone, and 23 additional cases were detected by adding WATS, increasing the detection of LGD by 88.5% (23/26, 95% CI 48%–160%). Conclusions Adjunctive use of WATS to FB significantly improves the detection of both BE and ED. Sampling error, an inherent limitation associated with screening and surveillance, can be improved with WATS allowing better informed decisions to be made about the management and subsequent treatment of these patients. PMID:29881608
Mardian, Emily B; Bradley, Ryan M; Aristizabal Henao, Juan J; Marvyn, Phillip M; Moes, Katherine A; Bombardier, Eric; Tupling, A Russell; Stark, Ken D; Duncan, Robin E
2017-10-01
Acylglycerophosphate acyltransferase 4 (AGPAT4)/lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase delta catalyzes the formation of phosphatidic acid (PA), a precursor of triacyl-glycerol (TAG). We investigated the effect of Agpat4 gene ablation on white adipose tissue (WAT) after finding consistent expression across depots. Epididymal WAT mass was 40% larger in male Agpat4 -/- mice than wild-type littermates, but unchanged in perirenal, retroperitoneal, and inguinal WAT and subscapular brown adipose tissue. Metabolic changes were identified in epididymal WAT that were not evident in perirenal WAT, which was analyzed for comparison. The total epididymal TAG content doubled, increasing adipocyte cell size without changing markers of differentiation. Enzymes involved in de novo lipogenesis and complex lipid synthesis downstream of phosphatidic acid production were also unchanged. However, total epididymal TAG hydrolase activity was reduced, and there were significant decreases in total ATGL and reduced phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase at the S563 and S660 PKA-activation sites. Analysis of Agpats 1, 2, 3 , and 5 , as well as Gpats 1, 2, 3, and 4, demonstrated compensatory upregulation in perirenal WAT that did not occur in epididymal WAT. Our findings therefore indicate depot-specific differences in the redundancy of Agpat4 and highlight the molecular and metabolic heterogeneity of individual visceral depots. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Osteopontin-deficient progenitor cells display enhanced differentiation to adipocytes.
Moreno-Viedma, Veronica; Tardelli, Matteo; Zeyda, Maximilian; Sibilia, Maria; Burks, J Deborah; Stulnig, Thomas M
2018-03-06
Osteopontin (OPN, Spp1) is a protein upregulated in white adipose tissue (WAT) of obese subjects. Deletion of OPN protects mice from high-fat diet-induced WAT inflammation and insulin resistance. However, the alterations mediated by loss of OPN in WAT before the obesogenic challenge have not yet been investigated. Therefore, we hypothesised that the lack of OPN might enhance the pro-adipogenic micro environment before obesity driven inflammation. OPN deficiency was tested in visceral (V) and subcutaneous (SC) WAT from WT and Spp1 -/- female mice. Gene expression for hypoxia, inflammation and adipogenesis was checked in WT vs. Spp1 -/- mice (n=15). Adipocytes progenitor cells (APC) were isolated by fluorescence cell sorting and role of OPN deficiency in adipogenesis was investigated by cell images and RT-PCR. We show that Spp1 -/- maintained normal body and fat-pad weights, although hypoxia and inflammation markers were significantly reduced. In contrast, expression of genes involved in adipogenesis was increased in WAT from Spp1 -/- mice. Strikingly, APC from Spp1 -/- were diminished but differentiated more efficiently to adipocytes than those from control mice. APC from SC-WAT of lean OPN-deficient mice display an enhanced capacity for differentiating to adipocytes. These alterations may explain the healthy expansion of WAT in the OPN-deficient model which is associated with reduced inflammation and insulin resistance. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peppler, Willem T; Townsend, Logan K; Knuth, Carly M; Foster, Michelle T; Wright, David C
2018-01-01
Exercise training has robust effects on subcutaneous inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), characterized by a shift to a brown adipose tissue (BAT)-like phenotype. Consistent with this, transplantation of exercise-trained iWAT into sedentary rodents activates thermogenesis and improves glucose homeostasis, suggesting that iWAT metabolism may contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise. However, it is yet to be determined if adaptations in iWAT are necessary for the beneficial systemic effects of exercise. To test this, male C57BL/6 mice were provided access to voluntary wheel running (VWR) or remained as a cage control (SED) for 11 nights after iWAT removal via lipectomy (LIPX) or SHAM surgery. We found that SHAM and LIPX mice with access to VWR ran similar distances and had comparable reductions in body mass, increased food intake, and increased respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Further, VWR improved indexes of glucose homeostasis and insulin tolerance in both SHAM and LIPX mice. The lack of effect of LIPX in the response to VWR was not explained by compensatory increases in markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and thermogenesis in skeletal muscle, epididymal white adipose tissue, or interscapular brown adipose tissue. Together, these data demonstrate that mice with and without iWAT have comparable adaptations to VWR, suggesting that iWAT may be dispensable for the metabolic health benefits of exercise.
Voluntary wheel running improves adipose tissue immunometabolism in ovariectomized low-fit rats.
Zidon, Terese M; Park, Young-Min; Welly, Rebecca J; Woodford, Makenzie L; Scroggins, Rebecca J; Britton, Steven L; Koch, Lauren G; Booth, Frank W; Padilla, Jaume; Kanaley, Jill A; Vieira-Potter, Victoria J
2018-01-02
Loss of ovarian hormones is associated with increased adiposity, white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, and insulin resistance (IR). Previous work demonstrated ovariectomized (OVX) rats bred for high aerobic fitness (HCR) are protected against weight gain and IR compared to rats bred for low aerobic fitness (LCR) yet wheel running prevents OVX-induced IR in LCR rats. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adipose tissue immunometabolic characteristics from female HCR and LCR rats differs before or after OVX, and whether wheel running mitigates OVX-induced adipose tissue immunometabolic changes in LCR rats. Female OVX HCR and LCR rats were all fed a high fat diet (HFD) (n = 7-8/group) and randomized to either a running wheel or remain sedentary for 11 weeks. Ovary-intact rats (n = 7-12/group) were fed a standard chow diet with no wheel. Ovary-intact LCR rats had a greater visceral WAT inflammatory profile compared to HCR. Following OVX, sedentary LCR rats had greater serum leptin (p<0.001) and WAT inflammation (p<0.05) than sedentary HCR. Wheel running normalized the elevated serum leptin and reduced both visceral (p<0.05) and subcutaneous (p<0.03) WAT inflammatory markers in the LCR rats. Paradoxically, wheel running increased some markers of WAT inflammation in OVX HCR rats (p<0.05), which correlated with observed weight gain. Taken together, HCR rats appear to have a healthier WAT immune and metabolic profile compared to LCR, even following OVX. Wheel running improves WAT health in previously sedentary LCR rats. On the other hand, increased WAT inflammation is associated with adiposity gain despite a high volume of wheel running in HCR rats.
Huang, Zhe; Zhong, Ling; Lee, Jimmy Tsz Hang; Zhang, Jialiang; Wu, Donghai; Geng, Leiluo; Wang, Yu; Wong, Chi-Ming; Xu, Aimin
2017-09-05
Type 2 cytokines are important signals triggering biogenesis of thermogenic beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue (WAT) during cold acclimation. However, how cold activates type 2 immunity in WAT remains obscure. Here we show that cold-induced type 2 immune responses and beiging in subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) are abrogated in mice with adipose-selective ablation of FGF21 or its co-receptor β-Klotho, whereas such impairments are reversed by replenishment with chemokine CCL11. Mechanistically, FGF21 acts on adipocytes in an autocrine manner to promote the expression and secretion of CCL11 via activation of ERK1/2, which drives recruitment of eosinophils into scWAT, leading to increases in accumulation of M2 macrophages, and proliferation and commitment of adipocyte precursors into beige adipocytes. These FGF21-elicited type 2 immune responses and beiging are blocked by CCL11 neutralization. Thus, the adipose-derived FGF21-CCL11 axis triggers cold-induced beiging and thermogenesis by coupling sympathetic nervous system to activation of type 2 immunity in scWAT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Role of Physical Exercise to Improve the Browning of White Adipose Tissue via POMC Neurons.
Rodrigues, Kellen C da Cruz; Pereira, Rodrigo M; de Campos, Thaís D P; de Moura, Rodrigo F; da Silva, Adelino S R; Cintra, Dennys E; Ropelle, Eduardo R; Pauli, José R; de Araújo, Michel B; de Moura, Leandro P
2018-01-01
Obesity is a public health issue that affects more than 600 million adults worldwide. The disease is characterized by fat accumulation, mainly in the abdominal area. The human body is mainly composed of two types of adipose tissue: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT); however, the browning process generates a different type of brown fat-like adipocyte in WAT, which similar to BAT has thermogenic capacity by activating UCP-1. The hypothalamic arcuate nucleus plays an important role in WAT browning via POMC neurons, which are influenced by synergistic insulin and leptin signaling. On the other hand, stimulation of AgRP neurons suppresses WAT browning. The hypothalamic inflammatory process that occurs in obesity impairs insulin and leptin signaling in this tissue and, consequently, can decrease WAT browning. In addition, practicing physical exercise may be a great strategy for triggering the browning process since it reduces hypothalamic inflammation and increases POMC neurons gene expression. Moreover, physical exercise stimulates irisin gene expression, which has an important impact on thermogenesis, which in turn culminates in increased gene expression of proteins such as UCP-1 and Cidea, which are related to WAT browning. Furthermore, thermogenetic activation of WAT leads to increased energy expenditure, favoring obesity treatment. Therefore, this mini-review aimed to highlight the most recent studies that link the control of hypothalamic activity with the browning metabolism of adipose tissue in response to physical exercise.
Jankovic, Aleksandra; Golic, Igor; Markelic, Milica; Stancic, Ana; Otasevic, Vesna; Buzadzic, Biljana; Korac, Aleksandra; Korac, Bato
2015-08-01
White to brown adipose tissue conversion and thermogenesis can be ignited by different conditions or agents and its sustainability over the long term is still unclear. Browning of rat retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (rpWAT) during cold acclimation involves two temporally apparent components: (1) a predominant non-selective browning of most adipocytes and an initial sharp but transient induction of uncoupling protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) coactivator-1α, PPARγ and PPARα expression, and (2) the subsistence of relatively few thermogenically competent adipocytes after 45 days of cold acclimation. The different behaviours of two rpWAT beige/brown adipocyte subsets control temporal aspects of the browning process, and thus regulation of both components may influence body weight and the potential successfulness of anti-obesity therapies. Conversion of white into brown adipose tissue may have important implications in obesity resistance and treatment. Several browning agents or conditions ignite thermogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT). To reveal the capacity of WAT to function in a brownish/burning mode over the long term, we investigated the progression of the rat retroperitoneal WAT (rpWAT) browning during 45 days of cold acclimation. During the early stages of cold acclimation, the majority of rpWAT adipocytes underwent multilocularization and thermogenic-profile induction, as demonstrated by the presence of a multitude of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-immunopositive paucilocular adipocytes containing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and PR domain-containing 16 (PRDM16) in their nuclei. After 45 days, all adipocytes remained PRDM16 immunopositive, but only a few multilocular adipocytes rich in mitochondria remained UCP1/PGC-1α immunopositive. Molecular evidence showed that thermogenic recruitment of rpWAT occurred following cold exposure, but returned to starting levels after cold acclimation. Compared with controls (22 ± 1 °C), levels of UCP1 mRNA increased in parallel with PPARγ (PPARα from days 1 to 7 and PGC-1α on day 1). Transcriptional recruitment of rpWAT was followed by an increase in UCP1 protein content (from days 1 to 21). Results clearly showed that most of the adipocytes within rpWAT underwent transient brown-fat-like thermogenic recruitment upon stimulation, but only a minority of cells retained a brown adipose tissue-like phenotype after the attainment of cold acclimation. Therefore, browning of WAT is dependent on both maintaining the thermogenic response and retaining enough brown-like thermogenically competent adipocytes in the long-term. Both aspects of browning could be important for long-term energy homeostasis and body-weight regulation. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.
Effects of exercise on brown and beige adipocytes.
Dewal, Revati S; Stanford, Kristin I
2018-04-21
Physical exercise leads to beneficial effects in numerous tissues and organ systems and offers protection against obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have investigated the role of exercise on brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT), and have indicated marked adaptations to each tissue with exercise. Studies investigating the effects of exercise on BAT have produced conflicting results, with some showing an increase in the thermogenic activity of BAT and some demonstrating a decrease in the thermogenic activity of BAT. Human studies have observed a down-regulation of BAT activity (measured by a reduction in glucose uptake) in response to exercise. In WAT, exercise decreases adipocyte size, alters gene expression, and increases mitochondrial activity. Transplantation of exercise-trained subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) improves whole-body metabolic health. In rodents, exercise also results in a beiging of scWAT. Thus, exercise-induced changes to adipose tissue may be part of the mechanism by which exercise improves metabolic health. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
General theory of skin reinforcement.
Kruglikov, Ilja L; Scherer, Philipp E
2017-01-01
Macroscopic mechanical properties of human skin in vivo cannot be considered independent of adjacent subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT). The layered system skin/sWAT appears as the hierarchical structural composite in which single layers behave as fiber-reinforced structures. Effective macroscopic mechanical properties of such composites are mainly determined either by the properties of the skin or by those of the sWAT, dependent on the conditions of mechanical loading. Mechanical interactions between the skin and the adjacent sWAT associated with a mismatch in the mechanical moduli of these two layers can lead to production of the skin wrinkles. Reinforcement of the composite skin/sWAT can take place in different ways. It can be provided through reorientation of collagen fibers under applied loading, through production of new bonds between existing collagen fibers and through induction of additional collagen structures. Effectiveness of this type of reinforcement is strongly dependent on the type of mechanical loading. Different physical interventions induce the reinforcement of at least one of these two layers, thus increasing the effective macroscopic stiffness of the total composite. At the same time, the standalone reinforcement of the skin appears to be less effective to achieve a delay or a reduction of the apparent signs of skin aging relative to the reinforcement of the sWAT.
Three-Dimensional Magnetic Levitation Culture System Simulating White Adipose Tissue.
Tseng, Hubert; Daquinag, Alexes C; Souza, Glauco R; Kolonin, Mikhail G
2018-01-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) has attracted interest for tissue engineering and cell-based therapies as an abundant source of adipose stem/stromal cells (ASC). However, technical challenges in WAT cell culture have limited its applications in regenerative medicine. Traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models, which are essentially monolayers of cells on glass or plastic substrates, inadequately represent tissue architecture, biochemical concentration gradients, substrate stiffness, and most importantly for WAT research, cell phenotypic heterogeneity. Physiological cell culture platforms for WAT modeling must recapitulate the native diversity of cell types and their coordination within the organ. For this purpose, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) model using magnetic levitation. Here, we describe our protocol that we successfully employed to build adipose tissue organoids (adipospheres) that preserve the heterogeneity of the constituent cell types in vitro. We demonstrate the capacity of assembling adipospheres from multiple cell types, including ASCs, endohtelial cells, and leukocytes that recreate tissue organization. These adipospheres mimicked WAT organogenesis in that they enabled the formation of vessel-like endothelial structures with lumens and differentiation of unilocular adipocytes. Altogether, magnetic levitation is a cell culture platform that recreates tissue structure, function, and heterogeneity in vitro, and serves as a foundation for high-throughput WAT tissue culture and analysis.
Acute and chronic cold exposure differentially affects the browning of porcine white adipose tissue.
Gao, Y; Qimuge, N R; Qin, J; Cai, R; Li, X; Chu, G Y; Pang, W J; Yang, G S
2018-07-01
Piglets are characteristically cold intolerant and thus susceptible to high mortality. However, browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) can induce non-shivering thermogenesis as a potential strategy to facilitate the animal's response to cold. Whether cold exposure can induce browning of subcutaneous WAT (sWAT) in piglets in a similar manner as it can in humans remains largely unknown. In this study, piglets were exposed to acute cold (4°C, 10 h) or chronic cold exposure (8°C, 15 days), and the genes and proteins of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-dependent and independent thermogenesis, mitochondrial biogenesis, lipogenic and lipolytic processes were analysed. Interestingly, acute cold exposure induced browning of porcine sWAT, smaller adipocytes and the upregulated expression of UCP1, PGC1α, PGC1β, C/EBPβ, Cidea, UCP3, CKMT1 and PM20D1. Conversely, chronic cold exposure impaired the browning process, reduced mitochondrial numbers and the expression of browning markers, including UCP1, PGC1α and PRDM16. The present study demonstrated that acute cold exposure (but not chronic cold exposure) induces porcine sWAT browning. Thus, browning of porcine sWAT could be a novel strategy to balance the body temperature of piglets, and thus could be protective against cold exposure.
The effect of a low essential fatty acid diet on hibernation in marmots.
Florant, G L; Hester, L; Ameenuddin, S; Rintoul, D A
1993-04-01
We investigated the effect of an essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient diet on hibernation patterns in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Fatty acid (FA) analysis of white adipose tissue (WAT) from animals maintained for 2 mo on the EFA-deficient diet suggested that little or no EFAs were present in the gonadal or omental fat depots. Hibernation about lengths of the EFA-deficient animals were significantly shorter (P < 0.01) than control animals. Stated another way, these animals aroused twice as frequently compared with control animals and used more energy to survive winter. Analysis of WAT composition and blood samples revealed that animals were highly lipolytic during winter. Furthermore, the release of FAs was not random: linoleate (cis-9,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid; 18:2, a diene EFA) was significantly (P < 0.05) under-represented in venous outflow from the gonadal WAT pad based on the percentage of this species in WAT. The concentration of saturated FAs was higher than that predicted from the WAT-FA composition. We conclude that linoleate is preferentially retained within WAT and that concentrations of this EFA may influence hibernation behavior. Thus EFAs may have a thermoregulatory role in hibernation in addition to their role as essential precursors for physiologically important lipids after hibernation is over.
Lackey, Denise E; Burk, David H; Ali, Mohamed R; Mostaedi, Rouzbeh; Smith, William H; Park, Jiyoung; Scherer, Philipp E; Seay, Shundra A; McCoin, Colin S; Bonaldo, Paolo; Adams, Sean H
2014-02-01
The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in the maintenance of white adipose tissue (WAT) architecture and function, and proper ECM remodeling is critical to support WAT malleability to accommodate changes in energy storage needs. Obesity and adipocyte hypertrophy place a strain on the ECM remodeling machinery, which may promote disordered ECM and altered tissue integrity and could promote proinflammatory and cell stress signals. To explore these questions, new methods were developed to quantify omental and subcutaneous WAT tensile strength and WAT collagen content by three-dimensional confocal imaging, using collagen VI knockout mice as a methods validation tool. These methods, combined with comprehensive measurement of WAT ECM proteolytic enzymes, transcript, and blood analyte analyses, were used to identify unique pathophenotypes of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese women, using multivariate statistical modeling and univariate comparisons with weight-matched healthy obese individuals. In addition to the expected differences in inflammation and glycemic control, approximately 20 ECM-related factors, including omental tensile strength, collagen, and enzyme transcripts, helped discriminate metabolically compromised obesity. This is consistent with the hypothesis that WAT ECM physiology is intimately linked to metabolic health in obese humans, and the studies provide new tools to explore this relationship.
Neyrinck, Audrey M; Bindels, Laure B; Geurts, Lucie; Van Hul, Matthias; Cani, Patrice D; Delzenne, Nathalie M
2017-11-01
Fat browning has emerged as an attractive target for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders. Its activation leads to increased energy expenditure and reduced adiposity, thus contributing to a better energy homeostasis. Green tea extracts (GTEs) were shown to attenuate obesity and low-grade inflammation and to induce the lipolytic pathway in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of mice fed a high-fat diet. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the antiobesity effect of an extract from green tea leaves was associated with the activation of browning in the WAT and/or the inhibition of whitening in the brown adipose tissue (BAT) in HF-diet induced obese mice. Mice were fed a control diet or an HF diet supplemented with or without 0.5% polyphenolic GTE for 8 weeks. GTE supplementation significantly reduced HF-induced adiposity (WAT and BAT) and HF-induced inflammation in WAT. Histological analysis revealed that GTE reduced the adipocyte size in the WAT and the lipid droplet size in the BAT. Markers of browning were induced in the WAT upon GTE treatment, whereas markers of HF-induced whitening were reduced in the BAT. These results suggest that browning activation in the WAT and whitening reduction in the BAT by the GTE could participate to the improvement of metabolic and inflammatory disorders mediated by GTE upon HF diet. Our study emphasizes the importance of using GTE as a nutritional tool to activate browning and to decrease fat storage in all adipose tissues, which attenuate obesity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Henegar, Corneliu; Tordjman, Joan; Achard, Vincent; Lacasa, Danièle; Cremer, Isabelle; Guerre-Millo, Michèle; Poitou, Christine; Basdevant, Arnaud; Stich, Vladimir; Viguerie, Nathalie; Langin, Dominique; Bedossa, Pierre; Zucker, Jean-Daniel; Clement, Karine
2008-01-01
Background Investigations performed in mice and humans have acknowledged obesity as a low-grade inflammatory disease. Several molecular mechanisms have been convincingly shown to be involved in activating inflammatory processes and altering cell composition in white adipose tissue (WAT). However, the overall importance of these alterations, and their long-term impact on the metabolic functions of the WAT and on its morphology, remain unclear. Results Here, we analyzed the transcriptomic signature of the subcutaneous WAT in obese human subjects, in stable weight conditions and after weight loss following bariatric surgery. An original integrative functional genomics approach was applied to quantify relations between relevant structural and functional themes annotating differentially expressed genes in order to construct a comprehensive map of transcriptional interactions defining the obese WAT. These analyses highlighted a significant up-regulation of genes and biological themes related to extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents, including members of the integrin family, and suggested that these elements could play a major mediating role in a chain of interactions that connect local inflammatory phenomena to the alteration of WAT metabolic functions in obese subjects. Tissue and cellular investigations, driven by the analysis of transcriptional interactions, revealed an increased amount of interstitial fibrosis in obese WAT, associated with an infiltration of different types of inflammatory cells, and suggest that phenotypic alterations of human pre-adipocytes, induced by a pro-inflammatory environment, may lead to an excessive synthesis of ECM components. Conclusion This study opens new perspectives in understanding the biology of human WAT and its pathologic changes indicative of tissue deterioration associated with the development of obesity. PMID:18208606
Contador, Israel; Bermejo-Pareja, Félix; Del Ser, Teodoro; Benito-León, Julián
2015-01-01
The influence of education and oral word-reading ability on cognitive performance was examined in a sample of 1510 nondemented elders differing in socioeconomic status (SES) from three Spanish communities. All individuals were enrolled in the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain, a population-based epidemiological study in central Spain. They completed a detailed demographic survey and a short standardized neuropsychological battery assessing psychomotor speed, attention, language, and memory. The Word Accentuation Test (WAT) was used as measure of oral reading ability. The influence of education and oral reading on cognitive performance was determined by multiple linear regression models, first controlling for demographics (age and sex), and subsequently for the WAT score and education. The contribution of socioeconomic conditions was addressed by stratifying the sample into groups of high and low SES. The WAT showed a significant independent effect on cognitive scores, generally greater than that predicted by demographics. The higher predictive power of oral word reading on cognitive scores compared to education was consistent across the three communities. Although the variance explained by WAT was very similar in areas with diverse SES (low vs. high), WAT scores accounted for slightly more variance in naming and memory tasks in low SES areas. In contrast, the variance explained by WAT was higher for verbal fluency and the Trail-Making Test in areas with high SES. Oral word-reading ability predicts cognitive performance better than years of education across individuals with different SES. The influence of WAT may be modulated by SES and cognitive task properties.
WAT-on-a-chip: A physiologically relevant microfluidic system incorporating white adipose tissue
Loskill, Peter; Sezhian, Thiagarajan; Tharp, Kevin; Lee-Montiel, Felipe T.; Jeeawoody, Shaheen; Reese, Willie Mae; Zushin, Pete-James H.; Stahl, Andreas; Healy, Kevin E.
2017-01-01
Organ-on-a-chip systems possess a promising future as drug screening assays and as testbeds for disease modeling in the context of both single-organ systems and multi-organ-chips. Although it comprises approximately one fourth of the body weight of a healthy human, an organ frequently overlooked in this context is white adipose tissue (WAT). WAT-on-a-chip systems are required to create safety profiles of a large number of drugs due to their interactions with adipose tissue and other organs via paracrine signals, fatty acid release, and drug levels through sequestration. We report a WAT-on-a-chip system with a footprint of less than 1 mm2 consisting of a separate media channel and WAT chamber connected via small micropores. Analogous to the in vivo blood circulation, convective transport is thereby confined to the vasculature-like structures and the tissues protected from shear stresses. Numerical and analytical modeling revealed that the flow rates in the WAT chambers are less than 1/100 of the input flow rate. Using optimized injection parameters, we were able to inject pre-adipocytes, which subsequently formed adipose tissue featuring fully functional lipid metabolism. The physiologically relevant microfluidic environment of the WAT-chip supported long term culture of the functional adipose tissue for more than two weeks. Due to its physiological, highly controlled, and computationally predictable character, the system has the potential to be a powerful tool for the study of adipose tissue associated diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. PMID:28418430
Valladares, Ana; Flores, Enrique; Herrero, Antonia
2016-02-01
Many filamentous cyanobacteria respond to the external cue of nitrogen scarcity by the differentiation of heterocysts, cells specialized in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in oxic environments. Heterocysts follow a spatial pattern along the filament of two heterocysts separated by ca. 10-15 vegetative cells performing oxygenic photosynthesis. HetR is a transcriptional regulator that directs heterocyst differentiation. In the model strain Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, the HetR protein was observed in various oligomeric forms in vivo, including a tetramer that peaked with maximal hetR expression during differentiation. Tetramers were not detected in a hetR point mutant incapable of differentiation, but were conspicuous in an over-differentiating strain lacking the PatS inhibitor. In differentiated filaments the HetR tetramer was restricted to heterocysts, being undetectable in vegetative cells. HetR co-purified with RNA polymerase from Anabaena mainly as a tetramer. In vitro, purified recombinant HetR was distributed between monomers, dimers, trimers and tetramers, and it was phosphorylated when incubated with (γ-(32)P)ATP. Phosphorylation and PatS hampered the accumulation of HetR tetramers and impaired HetR binding to DNA. In summary, tetrameric HetR appears to represent a functionally relevant form of HetR, whose abundance in the Anabaena filament could be negatively regulated by phosphorylation and by PatS. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Muro-Pastor, Alicia M.; Valladares, Ana; Flores, Enrique; Herrero, Antonia
1999-01-01
The heterocyst is the site of nitrogen fixation in aerobically grown cultures of some filamentous cyanobacteria. Heterocyst development in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 is dependent on the global nitrogen regulator NtcA and requires, among others, the products of the hetR and hetC genes. Expression of hetC, tested by RNA- DNA hybridization, was impaired in an ntcA mutant. A nitrogen-regulated, NtcA-dependent putative transcription start point was localized at nucleotide −571 with respect to the hetC translational start. Sequences upstream from this transcription start point exhibit the structure of the canonical cyanobacterial promoter activated by NtcA, and purified NtcA protein specifically bound to a DNA fragment containing this promoter. Activation of expression of hetC during heterocyst development appears thus to be directly operated by NtcA. NtcA-mediated activation of hetR expression was not impaired in a hetC mutant, indicating that HetC is not an NtcA-dependent element required for hetR induction. PMID:10542167
Physiological regulation and metabolic role of browning in white adipose tissue.
Jankovic, Aleksandra; Otasevic, Vesna; Stancic, Ana; Buzadzic, Biljana; Korac, Aleksandra; Korac, Bato
2017-09-01
Great progress has been made in our understanding of the browning process in white adipose tissue (WAT) in rodents. The recognition that i) adult humans have physiologically inducible brown adipose tissue (BAT) that may facilitate resistance to obesity and ii) that adult human BAT molecularly and functionally resembles beige adipose tissue in rodents, reignited optimism that obesity and obesity-related diabetes type 2 can be battled by controlling the browning of WAT. In this review the main cellular mechanisms and molecular mediators of browning of WAT in different physiological states are summarized. The relevance of browning of WAT in metabolic health is considered primarily through a modulation of biological role of fat tissue in overall metabolic homeostasis.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Houlahan, Kathleen E.; Prokopec, Stephenie D.; Sun, Ren X.
Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins are environmental contaminants commonly produced as a by-product of industrial processes. The most potent of these, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin (TCDD), is highly lipophilic, leading to bioaccumulation. White adipose tissue (WAT) is a major site for energy storage, and is one of the organs in which TCDD accumulates. In laboratory animals, exposure to TCDD causes numerous metabolic abnormalities, including a wasting syndrome. We therefore investigated the molecular effects of TCDD exposure on WAT by profiling the transcriptomic response of WAT to 100 μg/kg of TCDD at 1 or 4 days in TCDD-sensitive Long-Evans (Turku/AB; L-E) rats. A comparative analysis was conductedmore » simultaneously in identically treated TCDD-resistant Han/Wistar (Kuopio; H/W) rats one day after exposure to the same dose. We sought to identify transcriptomic changes coinciding with the onset of toxicity, while gaining additional insight into later responses. More transcriptional responses to TCDD were observed at 4 days than at 1 day post-exposure, suggesting WAT shows mostly secondary responses. Two classic AHR-regulated genes, Cyp1a1 and Nqo1, were significantly induced by TCDD in both strains, while several genes involved in the immune response, including Ms4a7 and F13a1 were altered in L-E rats alone. We compared genes affected by TCDD in rat WAT and human adipose cells, and observed little overlap. Interestingly, very few genes involved in lipid metabolism exhibited altered expression levels despite the pronounced lipid mobilization from peripheral fat pads by TCDD in L-E rats. Of these genes, the lipolysis-associated Lpin1 was induced slightly over 2-fold in L-E rat WAT on day 4. - Highlights: • Exposure to TCDD causes wasting syndrome in L-E rats but not in H/W rats. • We examined the transcriptome of TCDD-treated L-E and H/W rat white adipose tissue. • L-E WAT demonstrated altered abundance of several genes involved in immune response. • Few genes had altered abundance in both L-E rat WAT and human adipocytes (hMADS). • Pmepa1 was induced in both L-E WAT and differentiated hMADS cells.« less
Enhancement of Adipocyte Browning by Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockade.
Tsukuda, Kana; Mogi, Masaki; Iwanami, Jun; Kanno, Harumi; Nakaoka, Hirotomo; Wang, Xiao-Li; Bai, Hui-Yu; Shan, Bao-Shuai; Kukida, Masayoshi; Higaki, Akinori; Yamauchi, Toshifumi; Min, Li-Juan; Horiuchi, Masatsugu
2016-01-01
Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has been highlighted as a new possible therapeutic target for obesity, diabetes and lipid metabolic disorders, because WAT browning could increase energy expenditure and reduce adiposity. The new clusters of adipocytes that emerge with WAT browning have been named 'beige' or 'brite' adipocytes. Recent reports have indicated that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a role in various aspects of adipose tissue physiology and dysfunction. The biological effects of angiotensin II, a major component of RAS, are mediated by two receptor subtypes, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and type 2 receptor (AT2R). However, the functional roles of angiotensin II receptor subtypes in WAT browning have not been defined. Therefore, we examined whether deletion of angiotensin II receptor subtypes (AT1aR and AT2R) may affect white-to-beige fat conversion in vivo. AT1a receptor knockout (AT1aKO) mice exhibited increased appearance of multilocular lipid droplets and upregulation of thermogenic gene expression in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) compared to wild-type (WT) mice. AT2 receptor-deleted mice did not show miniaturization of lipid droplets or alteration of thermogenic gene expression levels in iWAT. An in vitro experiment using adipose tissue-derived stem cells showed that deletion of the AT1a receptor resulted in suppression of adipocyte differentiation, with reduction in expression of thermogenic genes. These results indicate that deletion of the AT1a receptor might have some effects on the process of browning of WAT and that blockade of the AT1 receptor could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic disorders.
Short and long sympathetic-sensory feedback loops in white fat
Ryu, Vitaly
2014-01-01
We previously demonstrated white adipose tissue (WAT) innervation using the established WAT retrograde sympathetic nervous system (SNS)-specific transneuronal viral tract tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV152) and showed its role in the control of lipolysis. Conversely, we demonstrated WAT sensory innervation using the established anterograde sensory system (SS)-specific transneuronal viral tracer, the H129 strain of herpes simplex virus-1, with sensory nerves showing responsiveness with increases in WAT SNS drive. Several brain areas were part of the SNS outflow to and SS inflow from WAT between these studies suggesting SNS-SS feedback loops. Therefore, we injected both PRV152 and H129 into inguinal WAT (IWAT) of Siberian hamsters. Animals were perfused on days 5 and 6 postinoculation after H129 and PRV152 injections, respectively, and brains, spinal cords, sympathetic, and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were processed for immunohistochemical detection of each virus across the neuroaxis. The presence of H129+PRV152-colocalized neurons (∼50%) in the spinal segments innervating IWAT suggested short SNS-SS loops with significant coinfections (>60%) in discrete brain regions, signifying long SNS-SS loops. Notably, the most highly populated sites with the double-infected neurons were the medial part of medial preoptic nucleus, medial preoptic area, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, oral part of the pontine reticular nucleus, and the nucleus of the solitary tract. Collectively, these results strongly indicate the neuroanatomical reality of the central SNS-SS feedback loops with short loops in the spinal cord and long loops in the brain, both likely involved in the control of lipolysis or other WAT pad-specific functions. PMID:24717676
Reduced adiposity by compensatory WAT browning upon iBAT removal in mice.
Piao, Zhengyu; Zhai, Baiqiang; Jiang, Xiaoxiao; Dong, Meng; Yan, Changguo; Lin, Jun; Jin, Wanzhu
2018-06-27
The strong effects of classic brown adipose tissue (BAT) and recruited beige adipocytes in treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome have been attracting increasing research interest. Cold treatment is an effective, convenient approach to stimulate BAT activity and induce white adipose tissue (WAT) browning. Here, we utilized prolonged cold exposure (from 2 h to 2 weeks in a 4° cold chamber) to elucidate dynamic changes in BAT and in WAT browning during acute and chronic cold exposure in mice. BAT mass decreased quickly, with reduced lipid droplet sizes within 8 h of cold exposure owing to the utilization of BAT pre-storage triglycerides, and subsequently increased during prolonged cold exposure. These dynamic morphological changes in BAT were confirmed by gene expression changes in ADRB3 and PGC1α, while UCP1 and ELOVL3 expression was continuously up-regulated throughout the entire cold exposure period. Additionally, cold treatment increased BAT secretion of FGF21, which has been reported to activate beige adipocyte formation. Thus, to illustrate potential crosstalk between secreted BAT proteins (so-called BATokines) and beige adipogenesis during cold stress, we performed an interscapular BAT (iBAT) removal experiment in mice. Surprisingly, loss of classic iBAT enhanced WAT browning due to compensatorily increased sympathetic WAT input. Unexpectedly, we observed significantly reduced adiposity in the iBAT removal group compared with the control group. These results further suggest that WAT browning plays an important role in whole-body energy metabolism during cold acclimation, even without iBAT. Furthermore, our data imply that enhanced WAT browning may be an efficient therapeutic tool to combat obesity and related syndromes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Alternatively Activated Macrophages Drive Browning of White Adipose Tissue in Burns.
Abdullahi, Abdikarim; Auger, Christopher; Stanojcic, Mile; Patsouris, David; Parousis, Alexandra; Epelman, Slava; Jeschke, Marc G
2017-08-16
The aim of this study was to uncover the mediators and mechanistic events that facilitate the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) in response to burns. In hypermetabolic patients (eg, burns, cancer), the browning of WAT has presented substantial clinical challenges related to cachexia, atherosclerosis, and poor clinical outcomes. Browning of the adipose tissue has recently been found to induce and sustain hypermetabolism. Although browning appears central in trauma-, burn-, or cancer-induced hypermetabolic catabolism, the mediators are essentially unknown. WAT and blood samples were collected from patients admitted to the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital. Wild type, CCR2 KO, and interleukin (IL)-6 KO male mice were purchased from Jax laboratories and subjected to a 30% total body surface area burn injury. WAT and serum collected were analyzed for browning markers, macrophages, and metabolic state via histology, gene expression, and mitochondrial respiration. In the present study, we show that burn-induced browning is associated with an increased macrophage infiltration, with a greater type 2 macrophage profile in the fat of burn patients. Similar to our clinical findings in burn patients, both an increase in macrophage recruitment and a type 2 macrophage profile were also observed in post burn mice. Genetic loss of the chemokine CCR2 responsible for macrophage migration to the adipose impairs burn-induced browning. Mechanistically, we show that macrophages recruited to burn-stressed subcutaneous WAT (sWAT) undergo alternative activation to induce tyrosine hydroxylase expression and catecholamine production mediated by IL-6, factors required for browning of sWAT. Together, our findings uncover macrophages as the key instigators and missing link in trauma-induced browning.
Monnier, Chloé; Auclair, Martine; Le Cam, Gala; Garcia, Marie-Pauline; Antoine, Bénédicte
2018-04-01
The RORα-deficient staggerer (sg/sg) mouse is lean and resistant to diet-induced obesity. Its thermogenic activity was shown to be increased not only in brown adipose tissue (BAT), but also in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) where UCP1 content was enhanced, however, without Prdm16 coexpression. Our observation of partial multilocular lipid morphology of WAT in sg/sg mice both in the inguinal and perigonadal sites led us to focus on the phenotype of both fat depots. Because RORα is a nuclear factor acting in the clock machinery, we looked at the circadian expression profile of genes involved in thermogenesis and browning in WAT and BAT depots of sg/sg and WT mice, through real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. This 24-h period approach revealed both a rhythmic expression of thermogenic genes in WAT and an increased browning of all the WAT depots tested in sg/sg mice that indeed involved the canonical browning process (through induction of Pgc-1α and Prdm16). This was associated with an enhanced isoproterenol-induced oxygen consumption rate of WAT explants from sg/sg mice, which was reproducible in WT explants by treatment with a RORα inverse agonist SR 3335, that induced a parallel increase in the UCP1 protein. Inhibitors of browning differentiation, such as TLE3 and RIP140, could be new targets of RORα that would be rather implicated in the whitening of adipocytes. Our study showed the pivotal role of RORα as an inhibitor of the thermogenic program in WAT, the role that could be counteracted in vivo with the RORα antagonists currently in development. © 2018 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
Tanaka, Naoki; Takahashi, Shogo; Fang, Zhong-Ze; Matsubara, Tsutomu; Krausz, Kristopher W.; Qu, Aijuan; Gonzalez, Frank J.
2014-01-01
Methionine- and choline-deficient diet (MCD) is a model for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rodents. However, the mechanism of NASH development by dietary methionine/choline deficiency remains undetermined. To elucidate the early metabolic changes associated with MCD-NASH, serum metabolomic analysis was performed using mice treated with MCD and control diet for three days and one week, revealing significant increases in oleic and linoleic acids after MCD treatment. These increases were correlated with reduced body weight and white adipose tissue (WAT) mass, increased phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase, and up-regulation of genes encoding carboxylesterase 3 and β2-adrenergic receptor in WAT, indicating accelerated lipolysis in adipocytes. The changes in serum fatty acids and WAT by MCD treatment were reversed by methionine supplementation, and similar alterations were detected in mice fed a methionine-deficient diet (MD), thus demonstrating that dietary methionine deficiency enhances lipolysis in WAT. MD treatment decreased glucose and increased fibroblast growth factor 21 in serum, thus exhibiting a similar metabolic phenotype as the fasting response. Comparison between MCD and choline-deficient diet (CD) treatments suggested that the addition of MD-induced metabolic alterations, such as WAT lipolysis, to CD-induced hepatic steatosis promotes liver injury. Collectively, these results demonstrate an important role for dietary methionine deficiency and WAT lipolysis in the development of MCD-NASH. PMID:25178843
Taming the Flames: Targeting White Adipose Tissue Browning in Hypermetabolic Conditions.
Abdullahi, Abdikarim; Jeschke, Marc G
2017-12-01
In this era of increased obesity and diabetes prevalence, the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target to induce weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity in this population. The browning process entails a shift in the WAT from primarily storing excess energy to the dissipation of energy as heat. However, this idealistic view of WAT browning being the savior of the metabolic syndrome has been criticized by studies in burn and cancer patients that have shown browning to be detrimental rather than beneficial. In fact, in the context of hypermetabolic states, the browning of WAT has presented with substantial clinical adverse outcomes related to cachexia, hepatic steatosis, and muscle catabolism. Therefore, the previous thought construct of understanding browning as an all-beneficial physiologic event has now been met with skepticism. In this review, we focus on current knowledge of browning of WAT and its adverse metabolic alterations during hypermetabolic states. We also discuss the regulators and signaling pathways involved in the browning process and their potential for being targeted by new or existing drugs to inhibit or alleviate browning, potentially leading to decreased hypermetabolism and improved clinical outcomes. Lastly, the imminent clinical applications of pharmacological agents are explored in the perspective of attenuating WAT browning and its associated adverse side effects reported in burn patients. Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society.
Parkin-mediated mitophagy is downregulated in browning of white adipose tissue.
Taylor, David; Gottlieb, Roberta A
2017-04-01
Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) promotes increased energy expenditure through the action of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and is an attractive target to promote weight loss in obesity. Lowering of mitochondrial membrane potential by UCP1 is uniquely beneficial in this context; in other tissues, reduced membrane potential promotes mitochondrial clearance via mitophagy. It is unknown how parkin-mediated mitophagy is regulated in beige adipocytes. The relationship between parkin expression and WAT browning was investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and parkin-deficient male C57BL/6 mice in response to pharmacological browning stimuli. Rosiglitazone treatment in 3T3-L1 adipocytes promoted mitochondrial biogenesis, UCP1 expression, and mitochondrial uncoupling. Parkin expression was decreased and reduced mitochondrial-associated parkin, and p62 indicated a reduction in mitophagy activity. Parkin overexpression prevented mitochondrial remodeling in response to rosiglitazone. In CL 316,243-treated wild-type mice, decreased parkin expression was observed in subcutaneous inguinal WAT, where UCP1 was strongly induced. CL 316,243 treatment weakly induced UCP1 expression in the gonadal depot, where parkin expression was unchanged. In contrast, parkin-deficient mice exhibited robust UCP1 expression in gonadal WAT following CL 316,243 treatment. WAT browning was associated with a decrease in parkin-mediated mitophagy, and parkin expression antagonized browning of WAT. © 2017 The Obesity Society.
Endocannabinoid regulation in white and brown adipose tissue following thermogenic activation
Krott, Lucia M.; Piscitelli, Fabiana; Heine, Markus; Borrino, Simona; Scheja, Ludger; Silvestri, Cristoforo; Heeren, Joerg; Di Marzo, Vincenzo
2016-01-01
The endocannabinoids and their main receptor, cannabinoid type-1 (CB1), suppress intracellular cyclic AMP levels and have emerged as key players in the control of energy metabolism. CB1 agonists and blockers have been reported to influence the thermogenic function of white and brown adipose tissue (WAT and BAT), affecting body weight through the inhibition and stimulation of energy expenditure, respectively. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the regulation of the endocannabinoid system in WAT and BAT following exposure to either cold or specific agonism of β3-adrenoceptors using CL316,243 (CL), conditions known to cause BAT activation and WAT browning. To address this question, we performed quantitative PCR-based mRNA profiling of genes important for endocannabinoid synthesis, degradation, and signaling, and determined endocannabinoid levels by LC-MS in WAT and BAT of control, cold-exposed, and CL-treated wild-type mice as well as primary brown adipocytes. Treatment with CL and exposure to cold caused an upregulation of endocannabinoid levels and biosynthetic enzymes in WAT. Acute β3-adrenoceptor activation increased endocannabinoids and a subset of genes of biosynthesis in BAT and primary brown adipocytes. We suggest that the cold-mediated increase in endocannabinoid tone is part of autocrine negative feed-back mechanisms controlling β3-adrenoceptor-induced BAT activation and WAT browning. PMID:26768656
Kenoth, Roopa; Zou, Xianqiong; Simanshu, Dhirendra K; Pike, Helen M; Malinina, Lucy; Patel, Dinshaw J; Brown, Rhoderick E; Kamlekar, Ravi Kanth
2018-05-01
HET-C2 is a fungal glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP) that uses an evolutionarily-modified GLTP-fold to achieve more focused transfer specificity for simple neutral glycosphingolipids than mammalian GLTPs. Only one of HET-C2's two Trp residues is topologically identical to the three Trp residues of mammalian GLTP. Here, we provide the first assessment of the functional roles of HET-C2 Trp residues in glycolipid binding and membrane interaction. Point mutants HET-C2 W208F , HET-C2 W208A and HET-C2 F149Y all retained >90% activity and 80-90% intrinsic Trp fluorescence intensity; whereas HET-C2 F149A transfer activity decreased to ~55% but displayed ~120% intrinsic Trp emission intensity. Thus, neither W208 nor F149 is absolutely essential for activity and most Trp emission intensity (~85-90%) originates from Trp109. This conclusion was supported by HET-C2 W109Y/F149Y which displayed ~8% intrinsic Trp intensity and was nearly inactive. Incubation of the HET-C2 mutants with 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine vesicles containing different monoglycosylceramides or presented by lipid ethanol-injection decreased Trp fluorescence intensity and blue-shifted the Trp λ max by differing amounts compared to wtHET-C2. With HET-C2 mutants for Trp208, the emission intensity decreases (~30-40%) and λ max blue-shifts (~12nm) were more dramatic than for wtHET-C2 or F149 mutants and closely resembled human GLTP. When Trp109 was mutated, the glycolipid induced changes in HET-C2 emission intensity and λ max blue-shift were nearly nonexistent. Our findings indicate that the HET-C2 Trp λ max blue-shift is diagnostic for glycolipid binding; whereas the emission intensity decrease reflects higher environmental polarity encountered upon nonspecific interaction with phosphocholine headgroups comprising the membrane interface and specific interaction with the hydrated glycolipid sugar. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Tamucci, Kirstin A; Namwanje, Maria; Fan, Lihong; Qiang, Li
2018-02-01
The induction of brown-like adipocyte development in white adipose tissue (WAT) confers numerous metabolic benefits by decreasing adiposity and increasing energy expenditure. Therefore, WAT browning has gained considerable attention for its potential to reverse obesity and its associated co-morbidities. However, this perspective has been tainted by recent studies identifying the detrimental effects of inducing WAT browning. This review aims to highlight the adverse outcomes of both overactive and underactive browning activity, the harmful side effects of browning agents, as well as the molecular brake-switch system that has been proposed to regulate this process. Developing novel strategies that both sustain the metabolic improvements of WAT browning and attenuate the related adverse side effects is therefore essential for unlocking the therapeutic potential of browning agents in the treatment of metabolic diseases.
Wu, Lingyan; Zhang, Lina; Li, Bohan; Jiang, Haowen; Duan, Yanan; Xie, Zhifu; Shuai, Lin; Li, Jia; Li, Jingya
2018-01-01
Obesity occurs when excess energy accumulates in white adipose tissue (WAT), whereas brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is specialized in dissipating energy through thermogenesis, potently counteracts obesity. White adipocytes can be converted to thermogenic “brown-like” cells (beige cells; WAT browning) under various stimuli, such as cold exposure. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a crucial energy sensor that regulates energy metabolism in multiple tissues. However, the role of AMPK in adipose tissue function, especially in the WAT browning process, is not fully understood. To illuminate the effect of adipocyte AMPK on energy metabolism, we generated Adiponectin-Cre-driven adipose tissue-specific AMPK α1/α2 KO mice (AKO). These AKO mice were cold intolerant and their inguinal WAT displayed impaired mitochondrial integrity and biogenesis, and reduced expression of thermogenic markers upon cold exposure. High-fat-diet (HFD)-fed AKO mice exhibited increased adiposity and exacerbated hepatic steatosis and fibrosis and impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Meanwhile, energy expenditure and oxygen consumption were markedly decreased in the AKO mice both in basal conditions and after stimulation with a β3-adrenergic receptor agonist, CL 316,243. In contrast, we found that in HFD-fed obese mouse model, chronic AMPK activation by A-769662 protected against obesity and related metabolic dysfunction. A-769662 alleviated HFD-induced glucose intolerance and reduced body weight gain and WAT expansion. Notably, A-769662 increased energy expenditure and cold tolerance in HFD-fed mice. A-769662 treatment also induced the browning process in the inguinal fat depot of HFD-fed mice. Likewise, A-769662 enhanced thermogenesis in differentiated inguinal stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells via AMPK signaling pathway. In summary, a lack of adipocyte AMPKα induced thermogenic impairment and obesity in response to cold and nutrient-overload, respectively, whereas chronic AMPK activation by A-769662 promoted WAT browning in inguinal WAT and protected against HFD-induced obesity and related metabolic dysfunction. These findings reveal a vital role for adipocyte AMPK in regulating the browning process in inguinal WAT and in maintaining energy homeostasis, which suggests that the targeted activation of adipocyte AMPK may be a promising strategy for anti-obesity therapy. PMID:29515462
Telomere length, ATM mutation status and cancer risk in Ataxia-Telangiectasia families.
Renault, Anne-Laure; Mebirouk, Noura; Cavaciuti, Eve; Le Gal, Dorothée; Lecarpentier, Julie; d'Enghien, Catherine Dubois; Laugé, Anthony; Dondon, Marie-Gabrielle; Labbé, Martine; Lesca, Gaetan; Leroux, Dominique; Gladieff, Laurence; Adenis, Claude; Faivre, Laurence; Gilbert-Dussardier, Brigitte; Lortholary, Alain; Fricker, Jean-Pierre; Dahan, Karin; Bay, Jacques-Olivier; Longy, Michel; Buecher, Bruno; Janin, Nicolas; Zattara, Hélène; Berthet, Pascaline; Combès, Audrey; Coupier, Isabelle; Hall, Janet; Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique; Andrieu, Nadine; Lesueur, Fabienne
2017-10-01
Recent studies have linked constitutive telomere length (TL) to aging-related diseases including cancer at different sites. ATM participates in the signaling of telomere erosion, and inherited mutations in ATM have been associated with increased risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer. The goal of this study was to investigate whether carriage of an ATM mutation and TL interplay to modify cancer risk in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) families.The study population consisted of 284 heterozygous ATM mutation carriers (HetAT) and 174 non-carriers (non-HetAT) from 103 A-T families. Forty-eight HetAT and 14 non-HetAT individuals had cancer, among them 25 HetAT and 6 non-HetAT were diagnosed after blood sample collection. We measured mean TL using a quantitative PCR assay and genotyped seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) recurrently associated with TL in large population-based studies.HetAT individuals were at increased risk of cancer (OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.2-4.4, P = 0.01), and particularly of breast cancer for women (OR = 2.9, 95%CI = 1.2-7.1, P = 0.02), in comparison to their non-HetAT relatives. HetAT individuals had longer telomeres than non-HetAT individuals (P = 0.0008) but TL was not associated with cancer risk, and no significant interaction was observed between ATM mutation status and TL. Furthermore, rs9257445 (ZNF311) was associated with TL in HetAT subjects and rs6060627 (BCL2L1) modified cancer risk in HetAT and non-HetAT women.Our findings suggest that carriage of an ATM mutation impacts on the age-related TL shortening and that TL per se is not related to cancer risk in ATM carriers. TL measurement alone is not a good marker for predicting cancer risk in A-T families. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.
Martos, Gustavo G; Mamani, Alicia; Filippone, María P; Abate, Pedro O; Katz, Néstor E; Castagnaro, Atilio P; Díaz Ricci, Juan C
2018-02-01
Plant secondary metabolism produces a variety of tannins that have a wide range of biological activities, including activation of plant defenses and antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumoral effects. The ellagitannin HeT (1- O -galloyl-2,3;4,6-bis-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-β-d-glucopyranose) from strawberry leaves elicits a strong plant defense response, and exhibits antimicrobial activity associated to the inhibition of the oxygen consumption, but its mechanism of action is unknown. In this paper we investigate the influence of HeT on bacterial cell membrane integrity and its effect on respiration. A β-galactosidase unmasking experiment showed that HeT does not disrupt membrane integrity. Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that HeT strongly interacts with the cell membrane. Spectrochemical analysis indicated that HeT is oxidized in contact with bacterial cell membranes, and functional studies showed that HeT inhibits oxygen consumption, NADH and MTT reduction. These results provide evidence that HeT inhibits the respiratory chain.
Paton, Madeline M.; Cox, Stewart S.
2016-01-01
Sterile inflammation occurs when inflammatory proteins are increased in blood and tissues by nonpathogenic states and is a double-edged sword depending on its cause (stress, injury, or disease), duration (transient versus chronic), and inflammatory milieu. Short-term fasting can exert a host of health benefits through unknown mechanisms. The following experiment tested if a 24 h fast would modulate basal and stress-evoked sterile inflammation in plasma and adipose. Adult male F344 rats were either randomized to ad libitum access to food or fasted for 24 h prior to 0 (control), 10, or 100, 1.5 mA-5 s intermittent, inescapable tail shocks (IS). Glucose, nonesterified free fatty acids (NEFAs), insulin, leptin, and corticosterone were measured in plasma and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-6, and IL-10 in plasma, and subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and visceral compartments of white adipose tissue (WAT). In control rats, a 24 h fast reduced all measured basal cytokines in plasma and visceral WAT, IL-1β and IL-6 in subcutaneous WAT, and IL-6 in intraperitoneal WAT. In stressed rats (IS), fasting reduced visceral WAT TNF-α, subcutaneous WAT IL-1β, and plasma insulin and leptin. Short-term fasting may thus prove to be a useful dietary strategy for reducing peripheral inflammatory states associated with visceral obesity and chronic stress. PMID:28077915
Speaker, Kristin J; Paton, Madeline M; Cox, Stewart S; Fleshner, Monika
2016-01-01
Sterile inflammation occurs when inflammatory proteins are increased in blood and tissues by nonpathogenic states and is a double-edged sword depending on its cause (stress, injury, or disease), duration (transient versus chronic), and inflammatory milieu. Short-term fasting can exert a host of health benefits through unknown mechanisms. The following experiment tested if a 24 h fast would modulate basal and stress-evoked sterile inflammation in plasma and adipose. Adult male F344 rats were either randomized to ad libitum access to food or fasted for 24 h prior to 0 (control), 10, or 100, 1.5 mA-5 s intermittent, inescapable tail shocks (IS). Glucose, nonesterified free fatty acids (NEFAs), insulin, leptin, and corticosterone were measured in plasma and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α , interleukin- (IL-) 1 β , IL-6, and IL-10 in plasma, and subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and visceral compartments of white adipose tissue (WAT). In control rats, a 24 h fast reduced all measured basal cytokines in plasma and visceral WAT, IL-1 β and IL-6 in subcutaneous WAT, and IL-6 in intraperitoneal WAT. In stressed rats (IS), fasting reduced visceral WAT TNF- α , subcutaneous WAT IL-1 β , and plasma insulin and leptin. Short-term fasting may thus prove to be a useful dietary strategy for reducing peripheral inflammatory states associated with visceral obesity and chronic stress.
Nguyen, Nga H; Hadgraft, Nyssa T; Moore, Melissa M; Rosenberg, Dori E; Lynch, Chris; Reeves, Marina M; Lynch, Brigid M
2017-11-01
Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are common amongst breast cancer survivors. These behaviours are associated with an increased risk of comorbidities such as heart disease, diabetes and other cancers. Commercially available, wearable activity trackers (WATs) have potential utility as behavioural interventions to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour within this population. The purpose of the study is to explore the acceptability and usability of consumer WAT amongst postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Fourteen participants tested two to three randomly assigned trackers from six available models (Fitbit One, Jawbone Up 24, Garmin Vivofit 2, Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin Vivoactive and Polar A300). Participants wore each device for 2 weeks, followed by a 1-week washout period before wearing the next device. Four focus groups employing a semi-structured interview guide explored user perceptions and experiences. We used a thematic analysis approach to analyse focus group transcripts. Five themes emerged from our data: (1) trackers' increased self-awareness and motivation, (2) breast cancer survivors' confidence and comfort with wearable technology, (3) preferred and disliked features of WAT, (4) concerns related to the disease and (5) peer support and doctor monitoring were possible strategies for WAT application. WATs are perceived as useful and acceptable interventions by postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Effective WAT interventions may benefit from taking advantage of the simple features of the trackers paired with other behavioural change techniques, such as specialist counselling, doctor monitoring and peer support, along with simple manual instructions.
Inelastic processes in atomic collisions involving ground state and laser-prepared atoms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Planje, Willem Gilles
1999-11-01
In dit proefschrift worden experimenten beschreven waarbij ionen of atomen met een bepaalde snelheid op een ensemble van doelwitatomen worden gericht. Wanneer twee deeltjes elkaar voldoende genaderd hebben, vindt er wissel- werking plaats waarbij allerlei processen kunnen optreden. Deze processen resulteren in specieke eindproducten. Kennis over de interactie tussen twee botsingspartners wordt verkregen door te bekijken welke eindproducten ontstaan, en in welke mate. Een belangrijke grootheid die van invloed is op mogelijke processen is de onderlinge snelheid van de twee kernen, oftewel de botsingssnelheid. Wanneer de botsingssnelheid voldoende klein is dan kunnen de verschillende reactiemechanismen zowel kwalitatief als kwanti- tatief vaak goed voorspeld worden door het systeem te beschouwen als een kort-stondig molecuul, opgebouwd uit de twee botsende deeltjes. De ver- schillende processen die kunnen optreden worden gekwaliceerd afhankelijk van de vorming van bepaalde eindproducten. Ruwweg de volgende indeling kan gemaakt worden: 1. de interne structuur van de eindproducten zijn identiek aan die van de beginproducten. We spreken dan van een elastische botsing. 2. e en van de deeltjes of beiden worden in een aangeslagen toestand ge- bracht (of ge¨oniseerd). Dit zijn processen waarbij de herschikte elek- tronen zich bij de oorspronkelijke kern bevinden. We spreken dan van excitatie of ionisatie. 3. e en of meerdere elektronen bevinden zich bij de andere kern na de botsing (eventueel in aangeslagen toestand). We spreken dan van elek- tronenoverdracht. In het eerste deel van deze dissertatie worden botsingsexperimenten tussen heliumionen en natriumatomen beschreven waarbij het proces van elek- tronenoverdracht wordt onderzocht. Bij dit mechanisme is het buitenste 117?Samenvatting natriumelektron betrokken. Deze kan relatief gemakkelijk `overspringen' naar het heliumion wanneer deze zich dicht in de buurt van het natrium- atoom bevindt. Het elektron kan hierbij een bepaalde (aangeslagen) toe- stand bezetten. Wij meten de bezetting van de heliumtoestanden die onder uitzending van XUV licht ( ? 58 nm) vervallen naar de heliumgrondtoe- stand. Door de lichtintensiteit te meten onderzoeken we de mate van elek- tronenoverdracht naar een selecte groep van singlet helium`eind'toestanden, namelijk He(1s2p), He(1s3s), He(1s3p) en He(1s3d). In een reactie- vergelijking ziet het mechanisme er als volgt uit: He + (1s) + ( Na(3s) Na(3p) e- -! He + Na + -! He(1s 2 ) +h(58 nm) + Na + Het experiment kent een extra dimensie door het feit dat het, in beginsel bol- symmetrische, natriumatoom een bepaalde ruimtelijk uitlijning kan worden meegegeven. Met behulp van laserlicht van een specieke frequentie en po- larisatie, wordt het buitenste natriumelektron in een aangeslagen p toestand gebracht. Het aanslaan naar deze toestand heeft als gevolg dat het valentie- elektron zich op grotere afstand van zijn kern bevindt dan voorheen. Daar- naast kan, afhankelijk van de gebruikte laserpolarisatie, het buitenste elek- tron zich nu rond de natriumkern bewegen volgens een bepaalde anisotrope verdeling, de bolsymmetrie is doorbroken. De eecten van de excitatie en ruimtelijk verdeling van dit natriumelektron op het proces van elektronen- overdracht zijn onderzocht voor botsingsenergie¨en vari¨erend van 0.5 keV tot 6.0 keV. De metingen laten zien dat het eect van laserexcitatie een bezettingstoe- name van de beschouwde singlet heliumtoestanden betekent, ongeacht de uitlijning van het natrium 3p elektron. Dit is simpelweg te begrijpen uit het feit dat het 3p natrium elektron minder sterk gebonden is en elektro- nenoverdracht makkelijker gaat. Daarnaast is de uitlijning van het aanges- lagen elektron van invloed op de elektronenoverdracht. De resultaten zijn vergeleken met berekeningen van S.E. Nielsen en T.H. Rod [13], die de elek- tronoverdracht beschrijven in een model waarbij het betrokken elektron zich beweegt in bepaalde eectieve potentiaalvelden. De goede overeenkomsten van onze metingen met de berekeningen rechtvaardigen de theoretische be- nadering van Nielsen en Rod. 118?Samenvatting In het tweede gedeelte van het proefschrift worden botsingen beschouwd tussen helium- en neonatomen. Hierbij wordt nu niet gekeken naar bots- ingsproducten die zich manifesteren door bepaald licht uit te zenden, maar een elektron emitteren met een bepaalde energie. Verschillende soorten `eind'producten kunnen elektronen uitzenden, waaronder de negatieve ion- toestanden. Het elektronenspectrum, gemeten voor dit botsingssysteem, vertoont twee pieken die het spectrum domineren bij 16.2 eV en 19.4 eV voor verschillende botsingsenergie¨en tussen de 0.35 keV en 6.0 keV. Deze piekstructuren wijzen op de vorming van de kort-levende, negatieve iontoe- standen Ne-(2p 5 3s 2 ) en He-(1s2s 2 ) ten gevolge van de overdracht van e en elektron: He 0 + Ne 0 -! He-(1s2s 2 ) +Ne + (2p 5 ) 3 10- 14 s -! He 0 (1s 2 ) +Ne + + e- (19.37 eV) He 0 + Ne 0 -! He + (1s) +Ne-(2p 5 3s 2 ) 2:5 10- 13 s -! He + (1s) +Ne 0 (2p 6 ) +e- (16.15 eV) De meetresultaten vertonen een fenomeen waarbij de bezettingen van de negatieve iontoestanden een oscillerend gedrag vertonen als functie van de botsingssnelheid. Dit duidt op interferentie tussen de twee bijna-ontaarde moleculaire toestanden [He- + Ne + ] en[He + + Ne-]. Het is echter zeer op- merkelijk dat deze oscillatie wordt waargenomen in een experiment als deze, waarin de uitgezonden elektronen worden gemeten ongeacht de afbuighoek van het heliumatoom. Dit impliceert een speciek aanslagmechanisme van de moleculaire negatieve iontoestanden. Nader beschouwing van het bots- ingssysteem laat zien dat het instantane molecuul twee overgangen moet ondergaan voordat de negatieve iontoestanden gevormd worden. Als gevolg hiervan is de snelheid waarmee het negatieve en positieve ion uit elkaar be- wegen nagenoeg onafhankelijk van de afbuighoek van het helium projectiel en is oscillatie mogelijk waarneembaar. De wisselwerking tussen de twee beschouwde moleculaire toestanden impliceert gecorreleerde overdracht van twee elektronen: He- + Ne + 2e- ! He + + Ne- Door het quasi-resonante systeem als resonant te beschouwen kan het fenomeen kwalitatief goed verklaard worden. 119?Samenvatting Inhet laatstedeelwordt de bevolkingvanauto¨oniserende natriumtoestanden bekeken in He +=0 + Na botsingen. In tegenstelling tot de voorgaande exper- imenten waarin elektronenoverdracht beschouwd werd, betreft het hier een excitatiemechanisme. De beschouwde `eind'producten, i.e. de auto¨oniserende natriumtoestanden, bestaan in het algemeen kort en gaan over naar een stabiele iontoestand onder uitzending van een elektron met een toestands- karakteristieke kinetische energie. Door de elektronenspectra te meten bij verschillende botsingsenergie¨en, wordt de bezetting van de auto¨oniserende toestanden onderzocht. Ook hier wordt het eect van laserexcitatie en laser- polarisatie van het natriumatoom op de vorming van deze toestanden, en de mate waarin, bekeken. De metingen laten zien dat zowel in He + -Na als in He 0 -Na botsingen de invloed van de ruimtelijk uitlijning van het buitenste natriumelektron op de elektronenspectra nihil is. Dit impliceert dat het betrokken 3p elektron hoofdzakelijk een passieve rol speelt in de vorming van auto¨oniserende toe- standen: het blijft hoofdzakelijk de 3p toestand bezetten als een `toeschouwer' zonder een overgang te maken naar een andere toestand. Dit wordt boven- dien bevestigd door het feit dat wanneer een fractie natriumatomen aange- slagen wordt naar de p toestand dit een even grote reductie betekent van onder meer de populatie van de auto¨oniserende toestand Na(2p 5 3s 2 ). De verwachte grote toename van Na(2p 5 3p 2 ) toestanden, in geval van Na(3p) doelwitten, is niet waargenomen. 120?121?122
Prohibitin/annexin 2 interaction regulates fatty acid transport in adipose tissue
Salameh, Ahmad; Daquinag, Alexes C.; Staquicini, Daniela I.; An, Zhiqiang; Pasqualini, Renata; Kolonin, Mikhail G.
2016-01-01
We have previously identified prohibitin (PHB) and annexin A2 (ANX2) as proteins interacting on the surface of vascular endothelial cells in white adipose tissue (WAT) of humans and mice. Here, we demonstrate that ANX2 and PHB also interact in adipocytes. Mice lacking ANX2 have normal WAT vascularization, adipogenesis, and glucose metabolism but display WAT hypotrophy due to reduced fatty acid uptake by WAT endothelium and adipocytes. By using cell culture systems in which ANX2/PHB binding is disrupted either genetically or through treatment with a blocking peptide, we show that fatty acid transport efficiency relies on this protein complex. We also provide evidence that the interaction between ANX2 and PHB mediates fatty acid transport from the endothelium into adipocytes. Moreover, we demonstrate that ANX2 and PHB form a complex with the fatty acid transporter CD36. Finally, we show that the colocalization of PHB and CD36 on adipocyte surface is induced by extracellular fatty acids. Together, our results suggest that an unrecognized biochemical interaction between ANX2 and PHB regulates CD36-mediated fatty acid transport in WAT, thus revealing a new potential pathway for intervention in metabolic diseases. PMID:27468426
Thermogenic profiling using magnetic resonance imaging of dermal and other adipose tissues
Kasza, Ildiko; Hernando, Diego; Roldán-Alzate, Alejandro; Alexander, Caroline M.; Reeder, Scott B.
2016-01-01
Dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) was recently recognized for its potential to modify whole body metabolism. Here, we show that dWAT can be quantified using a high-resolution, fat-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. Noninvasive MRI has been used to describe adipocyte depots for many years; the MRI technique we describe uses an advanced fat-specific method to measure the thickness of dWAT, together with the total volume of WAT and the relative activation/fat depletion of brown adipose tissues (BAT). Since skin-embedded adipocytes may provide natural insulation, they provide an important counterpoint to the activation of thermogenic brown and beige adipose tissues, whereby these distinct depots are functionally interrelated and require simultaneous assay. This method was validated using characterized mouse cohorts of a lipodystrophic, dWAT-deficient strain (syndecan-1 KO) and 2 obese models (diet-induced obese mice and genetically obese animals, ob/ob). Using a preliminary cohort of normal human subjects, we found the thickness of skin-associated fat varied 8-fold, from 0.13–1.10 cm; on average, this depot is calculated to weigh 8.8 kg. PMID:27668285
Intermittent fasting up-regulates Fsp27/Cidec gene expression in white adipose tissue.
Karbowska, Joanna; Kochan, Zdzislaw
2012-03-01
Fat-specific protein of 27 kDa (FSP27) is a novel lipid droplet protein that promotes triacylglycerol storage in white adipose tissue (WAT). The regulation of the Fsp27 gene expression in WAT is largely unknown. We investigated the nutritional regulation of FSP27 in WAT. The effects of intermittent fasting (48 d, eight cycles of 3-d fasting and 3-d refeeding), caloric restriction (48 d), fasting-refeeding (3-d fasting and 3-d refeeding), and fasting (3 d) on mRNA expression of FSP27, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ2), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα), and M isoform of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (a positive control for PPARγ activation) in epididymal WAT and on serum triacylglycerol, insulin, and leptin levels were determined in Wistar rats. We also determined the effects of PPARγ activation by rosiglitazone or pioglitazone on FSP27 mRNA levels in primary rat adipocytes. Long-term intermittent fasting, in contrast to other dietary manipulations, significantly up-regulated Fsp27 gene expression in WAT. Moreover, in rats subjected to intermittent fasting, serum insulin levels were elevated; PPARγ2 and C/EBPα mRNA expression in WAT was increased, and there was a positive correlation of Fsp27 gene expression with PPARγ2 and C/EBPα mRNA levels. FSP27 mRNA expression was also increased in adipocytes treated with PPARγ agonists. Our study demonstrates that the transcription of the Fsp27 gene in adipose tissue may be induced in response to nutritional stimuli. Furthermore, PPARγ2, C/EBPα, and insulin may be involved in the nutritional regulation of FSP27. Thus intermittent fasting, despite lower caloric intake, may promote triacylglycerol deposition in WAT by increasing the expression of genes involved in lipid storage, such as Fsp27. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pereira, Mayara P; Ferreira, Laís A A; da Silva, Flávia H S; Christoffolete, Marcelo A; Metsios, George S; Chaves, Valéria E; de França, Suélem A; Damazo, Amílcar S; Flouris, Andreas D; Kawashita, Nair H
2017-10-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate the browning and origin of fatty acids (FAs) in the maintenance of triacylglycerol (TG) storage and/or as fuel for thermogenesis in perirenal adipose tissue (periWAT) and inguinal adipose tissue (ingWAT) of rats fed a low-protein, high-carbohydrate (LPHC) diet. LPHC (6% protein, 74% carbohydrate) or control (C; 17% protein, 63% carbohydrate) diets were administered to rats for 15 d. The tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histologic analysis. The content of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) was determined by immunofluorescence. Levels of T-box transcription factor (TBX1), PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16), adipose triacylglycerol lipase (ATGL), hormone-sensitive lipase, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), glycerokinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose transporter 4, β 3 -adrenergic receptor (AR), β 1 -AR, protein kinase A (PKA), adenosine-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and phospho-AMPK were determined by immunoblotting. Serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was measured using a commercial kit (Student's t tests, P < 0.05). The LPHC diet increased FGF21 levels by 150-fold. The presence of multilocular adipocytes, combined with the increased contents of UCP1, TBX1, and PRDM16 in periWAT of LPHC-fed rats, suggested the occurrence of browning. The contents of β 1 -AR and LPL were increased in the periWAT. The ingWAT showed higher ATGL and PEPCK levels, phospho-AMPK/AMPK ratio, and reduced β 3 -AR and PKA levels. These findings suggest that browning occurred only in the periWAT and that higher utilization of FAs from blood lipoproteins acted as fuel for thermogenesis. Increased glycerol 3-phosphate generation by glyceroneogenesis increased FAs reesterification from lipolysis, explaining the increased TG storage in the ingWAT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pazos, Patricia; Lima, Luis; Tovar, Sulay; González-Touceda, David; Diéguez, Carlos; García, María C
2015-12-10
Brown and beige adipocytes recruitment in brown (BAT) or white adipose tissue, mainly in the inguinal fat pad (iWAT), meet the need for temperature adaptation in cold-exposure conditions and protect against obesity in face of hypercaloric diets. Using interleukin18 (Il18) and Il18 receptor 1- knockout (Il18r1-KO) mice, this study aimed to investigate the role of IL18 signaling in BAT and iWAT activation and thermogenesis under both stimuli. Il18-KO, extremely dietary obesity-prone as previously described, failed to develop diet-induced thermogenesis as assessed by BAT and iWAT Ucp1 mRNA levels. Overweight when fed standard chow but not HFD, HFD-fed Il18r1-KO mice exhibited increased iWAT Ucp1 gene expression. Energy expenditure was reduced in pre-obese Il18r1-KO mice and restored upon HFD-challenge. Cold exposure lead to similar results; Il18r1-KO mice were protected against acute body temperature drop, displaying a more brown-like structure, alternative macrophage activation and thermogenic gene expression in iWAT than WT controls. Opposite effects were observed in Il18-KO mice. Thus, Il18 and Il18r1 genetic ablation disparate effects on energy homeostasis are likely mediated by divergent BAT responses to thermogenic stimuli as well as iWAT browning. These results suggest that a more complex receptor-signaling system mediates the IL18 adipose-tissue specific effects in energy expenditure.
Pazos, Patricia; Lima, Luis; Tovar, Sulay; González-Touceda, David; Diéguez, Carlos; García, María C.
2015-01-01
Brown and beige adipocytes recruitment in brown (BAT) or white adipose tissue, mainly in the inguinal fat pad (iWAT), meet the need for temperature adaptation in cold-exposure conditions and protect against obesity in face of hypercaloric diets. Using interleukin18 (Il18) and Il18 receptor 1- knockout (Il18r1-KO) mice, this study aimed to investigate the role of IL18 signaling in BAT and iWAT activation and thermogenesis under both stimuli. Il18-KO, extremely dietary obesity-prone as previously described, failed to develop diet-induced thermogenesis as assessed by BAT and iWAT Ucp1 mRNA levels. Overweight when fed standard chow but not HFD, HFD-fed Il18r1-KO mice exhibited increased iWAT Ucp1 gene expression. Energy expenditure was reduced in pre-obese Il18r1-KO mice and restored upon HFD-challenge. Cold exposure lead to similar results; Il18r1-KO mice were protected against acute body temperature drop, displaying a more brown-like structure, alternative macrophage activation and thermogenic gene expression in iWAT than WT controls. Opposite effects were observed in Il18-KO mice. Thus, Il18 and Il18r1 genetic ablation disparate effects on energy homeostasis are likely mediated by divergent BAT responses to thermogenic stimuli as well as iWAT browning. These results suggest that a more complex receptor-signaling system mediates the IL18 adipose-tissue specific effects in energy expenditure. PMID:26656097
Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie
2013-01-01
The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were unique from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. PMID:24054545
Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibition prevents fibrosis in adipose tissue of obese mice.
Marques, Ana Patrícia; Cunha-Santos, Janete; Leal, Helena; Sousa-Ferreira, Lígia; Pereira de Almeida, Luís; Cavadas, Cláudia; Rosmaninho-Salgado, Joana
2018-03-01
During the development of obesity the expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT) leads to a dysregulation and an excessive remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM), leading to fibrosis formation. These ECM changes have high impact on WAT physiology and may change obesity progression. Blocking WAT fibrosis may have beneficial effects on the efficacy of diet regimen or therapeutical approaches in obesity. Since dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors prevent fibrosis in tissues, such as heart, liver and kidney, the objective of this study was to assess whether vildagliptin, a DPP-IV inhibitor, prevents fibrosis in WAT in a mouse model of obesity, and to investigate the mechanisms underlying this effect. We evaluated the inhibitory effect of vildagliptin on fibrosis markers on WAT of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and on 3T3-L1 cell line of mouse adipocytes treated with a fibrosis inducer, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1). Vildagliptin prevents the increase of fibrosis markers in WAT of HFD-fed mice and reduces blood glucose, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and leptin levels. In the in vitro study, the inhibition of DPP-IV with vildagliptin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) treatment and NPY Y 1 receptor activation prevents ECM deposition and fibrosis markers increase induced by TGFβ1 treatment. Vildagliptin prevents fibrosis formation in adipose tissue in obese mice, at least partially through NPY and NPY Y 1 receptor activation. This study highlights the importance of vildagliptin in the treatment of fibrosis that occur in obesity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nguyen, Ngoc Ly T.; Barr, Candace L.; Ryu, Vitaly; Cao, Qiang; Bartness, Timothy J.
2017-01-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) are innervated and regulated by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). It is not clear, however, whether there are shared or separate central SNS outflows to WAT and BAT that regulate their function. We injected two isogenic strains of pseudorabies virus, a retrograde transneuronal viral tract tracer, with unique fluorescent reporters into interscapular BAT (IBAT) and inguinal WAT (IWAT) of the same Siberian hamsters to define SNS pathways to both. To test the functional importance of SNS coordinated control of BAT and WAT, we exposed hamsters with denervated SNS nerves to IBAT to 4°C for 16–24 h and measured core and fat temperatures and norepinephrine turnover (NETO) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in fat tissues. Overall, there were more SNS neurons innervating IBAT than IWAT across the neuroaxis. However, there was a greater percentage of singly labeled IWAT neurons in midbrain reticular nuclei than singly labeled IBAT neurons. The hindbrain had ~30–40% of doubly labeled neurons while the forebrain had ~25% suggesting shared SNS circuitry to BAT and WAT across the brain. The raphe nucleus, a key region in thermoregulation, had ~40% doubly labeled neurons. Hamsters with IBAT SNS denervation maintained core body temperature during acute cold challenge and had increased beige adipocyte formation in IWAT. They also had increased IWAT NETO, temperature, and UCP1 expression compared with intact hamsters. These data provide strong neuroanatomical and functional evidence of WAT and BAT SNS cross talk for thermoregulation and beige adipocyte formation. PMID:27881398
Bissonnette, Simon; Salem, Huda; Wassef, Hanny; Saint-Pierre, Nathalie; Tardif, Annie; Baass, Alexis; Dufour, Robert; Faraj, May
2013-01-01
Delayed clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) by white adipose tissue (WAT) promotes hypertriglyceridemia and elevated apoB-lipoproteins, which are primarily in the form of LDL. This study examines whether LDL promotes delayed clearance of TRL by WAT. Following the ingestion of a 13C-triolein-labeled high-fat meal, obese women with high plasma apoB (> median 0.93 g/l, N = 11, > 98% as IDL/LDL) had delayed clearance of postprandial 13C-triglyceride and 13C-NEFA over 6 h compared with controls. AUC6 h of plasma 13C-triglyceride and 13C-NEFA correlated with plasma apoB but not with LDL diameter or adipocyte area. There was no group difference in 13C-triolein oxidation rate, which suggests lower 13C-NEFA storage in peripheral tissue in women with high apoB. Ex vivo/in vitro plasma apoB correlated negatively with WAT 3H-lipid following a 4 h incubation of women's WAT with synthetic 3H-triolein-TRL. LDL-differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes had lower 3H-TRL hydrolysis and 3H-NEFA storage. Treatment of women's WAT with their own LDL decreased 3H-TRL hydrolysis and 3H-NEFA uptake. Finally, LDL, although not an LPL substrate, reduced LPL-mediated 3H-TRL hydrolysis as did VLDL and HDL. Exposure to LDL decreases TRL clearance by human WAT ex vivo. This may promote production of apoB-lipoproteins and hypertriglyceridemia through a positive-feedback mechanism in vivo. PMID:23417739
Yamashita, Alex Shimura; das Neves, Rodrigo Xavier; Rosa-Neto, José Cesar; Lira, Fábio Dos Santos; Batista, Miguel Luís; Alcantara, Paulo Sérgio; Otoch, José Pinhata; Seelaender, Marília
2017-01-01
Cachexia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cancer. The White adipose tissue (WAT) synthesizes and releases several pro-inflammatory cytokines that play a role in cancer cachexia-related systemic inflammation. IFN-γ is a pleiotropic cytokine that regulates several immune and metabolic functions. To assess whether IFN-γ signalling in different WAT pads is modified along cancer-cachexia progression, we evaluated IFN-γ receptors expression (IFNGR1 and IFNGR2) and IFN-γ protein expression in a rodent model of cachexia (7, 10, and 14days after tumour implantation). IFN-γ protein expression was heterogeneously modulated in WAT, with increases in the mesenteric pad and decreased levels in the retroperitoneal depot along cachexia progression. Ifngr1 was up-regulated 7days after tumour cell injection in mesenteric and epididymal WAT, but the retroperitoneal depot showed reduced Ifngr1 gene expression. Ifngr2 gene expression was increased 7 and 14days after tumour inoculation in mesenteric WAT. The results provide evidence that changes in IFN-γ expression and signalling may be perceived at stages preceding refractory cachexia, and therefore, might be employed as a means to assess the early stage of the syndrome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prostaglandin E2 signals white-to-brown adipogenic differentiation
García-Alonso, Verónica; Clària, Joan
2014-01-01
The formation of new adipocytes from precursor cells is a crucial aspect of normal adipose tissue function. During the adipogenic process, adipocytes differentiated from mesenchymal stem cells give rise to two main types of fat: white adipose tissue (WAT) characterized by the presence of adipocytes containing large unilocular lipid droplets, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) composed by multilocular brown adipocytes packed with mitochondria. WAT is not only important for energy storage but also as an endocrine organ regulating whole body homeostasis by secreting adipokines and other mediators, which directly impact metabolic functions in obesity. By contrast, BAT is specialized in dissipating energy in form of heat and has salutary effects in combating obesity and associated disorders. Unfortunately, WAT is the predominant fat type, whereas BAT is scarce and located in discrete pockets in adult humans. Luckily, another type of brown adipocytes, called beige or brite (brown-in-white) adipocytes, with similar functions to those of “classical” brown adipocytes has recently been identified in WAT. In this review, a close look is given into the role of bioactive lipid mediators in the regulation of adipogenesis, with a special emphasis on the role of the microsomal prostaglandin E (PGE) synthase-1, a terminal enzyme in PGE2 biosynthesis, as a key regulator of white-to-brown adipogenesis in WAT. PMID:26317053
Furuhama, A; Aoki, Y; Shiraishi, H
2012-01-01
To understand the key factor for fish toxicity of 11 α,β-unsaturated carbonyl aldehydes and ketones, we used quantum chemical calculations to investigate their Michael reactions with methanethiol or glutathione. We used two reaction schemes, with and without an explicit water molecule (Scheme-1wat and Scheme-0wat, respectively), to account for the effects of a catalytic water molecule on the reaction pathway. We determined the energies of the reactants, transition states (TS), and products, as well as the activation energies of the reactions. The acute fish toxicities of nine of the carbonyl compounds were evaluated to correlate with their hydrophobicities; no correlation was observed for acrolein and crotonaldehyde. The most toxic compound, acrolein, had the lowest activation energy. The activation energy of the reaction could be estimated with Scheme-1wat but not with Scheme-0wat. The complexity of the reaction pathways of the compounds was reflected in the difficulty of the TS structure searches when Scheme-1wat was used with the polarizable continuum model. The theoretical estimations of activation energies of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with catalytic molecules or groups including hydrogen-bond networks may complement traditional tools for predicting the acute aquatic toxicities of compounds that cannot be easily obtained experimentally.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kawakami, Takashige, E-mail: tkawakami@ph.bunri-u-ac.jp; Hanao, Norihide; Nishiyama, Kaori
Metals and metalloid species are involved in homeostasis in energy systems such as glucose metabolism. Enlarged adipocytes are one of the most important causes of obesity-associated diseases. In this study, we studied the possibility that various metals, namely, CoCl{sub 2}, HgCl{sub 2}, NaAsO{sub 2} and MnCl{sub 2} pose risk to or have beneficial effects on white adipose tissue (WAT). Exposure to the four metals resulted in decreases in WAT weight and the size of enlarged adipocytes in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) without changes in liver weight, suggesting that the size and function of adipocytes are sensitive to metals.more » Repeated administration of CoCl{sub 2} significantly increased serum leptin, adiponectin and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and normalized glucose level and adipose cell size in mice fed HFD. In contrast, HgCl{sub 2} treatment significantly decreased serum leptin level with the down-regulation of leptin mRNA expression in WAT and a reduction in adipocyte size. Next, we tried to investigate possible factors that affect adipocyte size. Repeated exposure to HgCl{sub 2} significantly decreased the expression levels of factors upon the regulation of energy such as the PPARα and PPARγ mRNA expression levels in adipocytes, whereas CoCl{sub 2} had little effect on those genes expressions compared with that in the case of the mice fed HFD with a vehicle. In addition, repeated administration of CoCl{sub 2} enhanced AMPK activation in a dose-dependent manner in the liver, skeletal muscle and WAT; HgCl{sub 2} treatment also enhanced AMPK activation in the liver. Thus, both Co and Hg reduced WAT weight and the size of enlarged adipocytes, possibly mediated by AMKP activation in the mice fed HFD. However, inorganic cobalt may have a preventive role in obesity-related diseases through increased leptin, adiponectin and HDL-cholesterol levels, whereas inorganic mercury may accelerate the development of such diseases. These results may lead to the development of new approaches to establishing the role of metals in adipose tissue of obesity-related diseases. -- Highlights: ► The effects of metals on enlarged white adipose tissue (WAT) were studied. ► As, Hg, Mn and Co ions reduced the size of enlarged adipocytes. ► Co{sup 2+} increased serum leptin and adiponectin levels with AMPK activation in WAT. ► Hg{sup 2+} decreased serum leptin level and leptin mRNA expression in WAT. ► Metal exposure affects the adipocyte size and the function of WAT.« less
Sen, Anindito; Baxa, Ulrich; Simon, Martha N; Wall, Joseph S; Sabate, Raimon; Saupe, Sven J; Steven, Alasdair C
2007-02-23
Fungal prions are infectious filamentous polymers of proteins that are soluble in uninfected cells. In its prion form, the HET-s protein of Podospora anserina participates in a fungal self/non-self recognition phenomenon called heterokaryon incompatibility. Like other prion proteins, HET-s has a so-called "prion domain" (its C-terminal region, HET-s-(218-289)) that is responsible for induction and propagation of the prion in vivo and for fibril formation in vitro. Prion fibrils are thought to have amyloid backbones of polymerized prion domains. A relatively detailed model has been proposed for prion domain fibrils of HET-s based on a variety of experimental constraints (Ritter, C., Maddelein, M. L., Siemer, A. B., Luhrs, T., Ernst, M., Meier, B. H., Saupe, S. J., and Riek, R. (2005) Nature 435, 844-848). To test specific predictions of this model, which envisages axial stacking of beta-solenoids with two coils per subunit, we examined fibrils by electron microscopy. Electron diffraction gave a prominent meridional reflection at (0.47 nm)(-1), indicative of cross-beta structure, as predicted. STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) mass-per-unit-length measurements yielded 1.02 +/- 0.16 subunits per 0.94 nm, in agreement with the model prediction (1 subunit per 0.94 nm). This is half the packing density of approximately 1 subunit per 0.47 nm previously obtained for fibrils of the yeast prion proteins, Ure2p and Sup35p, whence it follows that the respective amyloid architectures are basically different.
Bing, Chen; Bao, Yi; Jenkins, John; Sanders, Paul; Manieri, Monia; Cinti, Saverio; Tisdale, Michael J.; Trayhurn, Paul
2004-01-01
Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a 43-kDa protein, is overexpressed in certain human malignant tumors and acts as a lipid-mobilizing factor to stimulate lipolysis in adipocytes leading to cachexia in mice implanted with ZAG-producing tumors. Because white adipose tissue (WAT) is an endocrine organ secreting a wide range of protein factors, including those involved in lipid metabolism, we have investigated whether ZAG is produced locally by adipocytes. ZAG mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the mouse WAT depots examined (epididymal, perirenal, s.c., and mammary gland) and in interscapular brown fat. In WAT, ZAG gene expression was evident in mature adipocytes and in stromal-vascular cells. Using a ZAG Ab, ZAG protein was located in WAT by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Mice bearing the MAC16-tumor displayed substantial losses of body weight and fat mass, which was accompanied by major increases in ZAG mRNA and protein levels in WAT and brown fat. ZAG mRNA was detected in 3T3-L1 cells, before and after the induction of differentiation, with the level increasing progressively after differentiation with a peak at days 8–10. Both dexamethasone and a β3 agonist, BRL 37344, increased ZAG mRNA levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. ZAG gene expression and protein were also detected in human adipose tissue (visceral and s.c.). It is suggested that ZAG is a new adipose tissue protein factor, which may be involved in the modulation of lipolysis in adipocytes. Overexpression in WAT of tumor-bearing mice suggests a local role for adipocyte-derived ZAG in the substantial reduction of adiposity of cancer cachexia. PMID:14983038
Physical training prevents body weight gain but does not modify adipose tissue gene expression
Higa, T.S.; Bergamo, F.C.; Mazzucatto, F.; Fonseca-Alaniz, M.H.; Evangelista, F.S.
2012-01-01
The relationship of body weight (BW) with white adipose tissue (WAT) mass and WAT gene expression pattern was investigated in mice submitted to physical training (PT). Adult male C57BL/6 mice were submitted to two 1.5-h daily swimming sessions (T, N = 18), 5 days/week for 4 weeks or maintained sedentary (S, N = 15). Citrate synthase activity increased significantly in the T group (P < 0.05). S mice had a substantial weight gain compared to T mice (4.06 ± 0.43 vs 0.38 ± 0.28 g, P < 0.01). WAT mass, adipocyte size, and the weights of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, lung, kidney, and adrenal gland were not different. Liver and heart were larger and the spleen was smaller in T compared to S mice (P < 0.05). Food intake was higher in T than S mice (4.7 ± 0.2 vs 4.0 ± 0.3 g/animal, P < 0.05) but oxygen consumption at rest did not differ between groups. T animals showed higher serum leptin concentration compared to S animals (6.37 ± 0.5 vs 3.11 ± 0.12 ng/mL). WAT gene expression pattern obtained by transcription factor adipocyte determination and differentiation-dependent factor 1, fatty acid synthase, malic enzyme, hormone-sensitive lipase, adipocyte lipid binding protein, leptin, and adiponectin did not differ significantly between groups. Collectively, our results showed that PT prevents BW gain and maintains WAT mass due to an increase in food intake and unchanged resting metabolic rate. These responses are closely related to unchanged WAT gene expression patterns. PMID:22666778
Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie
2014-03-01
The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were distinct from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Irisin exerts dual effects on browning and adipogenesis of human white adipocytes.
Zhang, Yuan; Xie, Chao; Wang, Hai; Foss, Robin M; Clare, Morgan; George, Eva Vertes; Li, Shiwu; Katz, Adam; Cheng, Henrique; Ding, Yousong; Tang, Dongqi; Reeves, Westley H; Yang, Li-Jun
2016-08-01
To better understand the role of irisin in humans, we examined the effects of irisin in human primary adipocytes and fresh human subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). Human primary adipocytes derived from 28 female donors' fresh scWAT were used to examine the effects of irisin on browning and mitochondrial respiration, and preadipocytes were used to examine the effects of irisin on adipogenesis and osteogenesis. Cultured fragments of scWAT and perirenal brown fat were used for investigating signal transduction pathways that mediate irisin's browning effect by Western blotting to detect phosphorylated forms of p38, ERK, and STAT3 as well as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Individual responses to irisin in scWAT were correlated with basal expression levels of brown/beige genes. Irisin upregulated the expression of browning-associated genes and UCP1 protein in both cultured primary mature adipocytes and fresh adipose tissues. It also significantly increased thermogenesis at 5 nmol/l by elevating cellular energy metabolism (OCR and ECAR). Treating human scWAT with irisin increased UCP1 expression by activating the ERK and p38 MAPK signaling. Blocking either pathway with specific inhibitors abolished irisin-induced UCP1 upregulation. However, our results showed that UCP1 in human perirenal adipose tissue was insensitive to irisin. Basal levels of brown/beige and FNDC5 genes correlated positively with the browning response of scWAT to irisin. In addition, irisin significantly inhibited adipogenic differentiation but promoted osteogenic differentiation. We conclude that irisin promotes "browning" of mature white adipocytes by increasing cellular thermogenesis, whereas it inhibits adipogenesis and promotes osteogenesis during lineage-specific differentiation. Our findings provide a rationale for further exploring the therapeutic use of irisin in obesity and exercise-associated bone formation.
Abdullahi, Abdikarim; Chen, Peter; Stanojcic, Mile; Sadri, Ali-Reza; Coburn, Natalie; Jeschke, Marc G
2017-01-01
The hypermetabolic stress response after burn contributes to multi-organ failure, sepsis, morbidity, and mortality. The cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been hypothesized to mediate not only white adipose tissue (WAT) browning in burns, but also other hypermetabolic conditions. In addition to its inflammatory effects, IL-6 also acts as a metabolic mediator that affects metabolic tissues. Therefore, we sought to uncover the origin of circulating IL-6 post burn injury that regulates WAT browning. WAT and sera samples were collected from both adult burn patients admitted to the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital and mice subjected to a burn injury. Collected tissues were analyzed for browning markers and metabolic state via histology, gene expression, and resting energy expenditure. Increased WAT browning was observed in burn patients as well as mice subjected to burn injury. Circulating IL-6 levels were significantly elevated post burn injury in mice (<0.05) and in burn patients (<0.05), the latter of which was positively correlated with elevated REE. Genetic loss of whole body IL-6 in mice prevented burn-induced WAT browning. Transplanting IL-6 knockout (KO) mice with bone marrow (BM) from wild-type (WT) mice, recovered the browning phenotype in these mice, as evaluated by increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression (<0.05). Conversely, transplanting irradiated WT mice with BM from IL-6 KO mice impaired burn induced browning with no significant expression of UCP1. Together, our findings implicate BM derived IL-6 as the source controlling browning of WAT post burn injury. Thus, targeting IL-6 is a promising target for hypermetabolism in burns.
Baskaran, Padmamalini; Krishnan, Vivek; Ren, Jun
2016-01-01
Background and Purpose The growing epidemic of obesity and metabolic diseases necessitates the development of novel strategies to prevent and treat such diseases. Current research suggests that browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) promotes energy expenditure to counter obesity. Recent research suggests that activation of the TRPV1 channels counters obesity. However, the mechanism by which activation of TRPV1 channels counters obesity still remains unclear. Experimental Approach We evaluated the effect of dietary capsaicin to induce a browning program in WAT by activating TRPV1 channels to prevent diet‐induced obesity using wild‐type and TRPV1−/− mouse models. We performed experiments using preadipocytes and fat pads from these mice. Key Results Capsaicin stimulated the expression of brown fat‐specific thermogenic uncoupling protein‐1 and bone morphogenetic protein‐8b in WAT. Capsaicin triggered browning of WAT by promoting sirtuin‐1 expression and activity via TRPV1 channel‐dependent elevation of intracellular Ca2 + and phosphorylation of Ca2 +/calmodulin‐activated protein kinase II and AMP‐activated kinase. Capsaicin increased the expression of PPARγ 1 coactivator α and enhanced metabolic and ambulatory activity. Further, capsaicin stimulated sirtuin‐1‐dependent deacetylation of PPARγ and the transcription factor PRDM‐16 and facilitated PPARγ–PRDM‐16 interaction to induce browning of WAT. Dietary capsaicin did not protect TRPV1−/− mice from obesity. Conclusions and Interpretations Our results show for the first time that activation of TRPV1 channels by dietary capsaicin triggers browning of WAT to counteract obesity. Our results suggest that activation of TRPV1 channels is a promising strategy to counter obesity. PMID:27174467
Young, Daniel L; Shen, Jay J; Estocado, Nancy; Landers, Merrill R
2012-04-01
The NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT; Medline Industries, Inc, Mundelein, Illinois), previously called the N.E. One Can Stage, was shown to significantly improve accuracy of pressure ulcer (PrU) staging. Improved PrU staging has many potential benefits, including improved care for the patient and better reimbursement. Medicare has incentivized good care and accurate identification of PrUs in the acute care hospital through an additional payment, the Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG). This article examines the financial impact of NE1 WAT use on the acute care hospital relative to MS-DRG reimbursement. PrU staging accuracy with and without use of the NE1 WAT from previous data was compared with acute care hospital PrU rates obtained from the 2006 National Inpatient Sample. Hill-Rom International Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Survey data were used to estimate the number of MS-DRG-eligible PrUs. There are between 390,000 and 130,000 MS-DRG-eligible PrUs annually. Given current PrU staging accuracy, approximately $209 million in MS-DRG money is being collected. With the improved staging afforded by the NE1 WAT, this figure is approximately $763.9 million. Subtracting the 2 reveals $554.9 million in additional reimbursement that could be generated by using the NE1 WAT. There is a tremendous financial incentive to improve PrU staging. The NE1 WAT has been shown to improve PrU staging accuracy significantly. This improvement has the potential to improve the financial health of acute care hospitals caring for patients with PrUs.
Necroptosis increases with age and is reduced by dietary restriction.
Deepa, Sathyaseelan S; Unnikrishnan, Archana; Matyi, Stephanie; Hadad, Niran; Richardson, Arlan
2018-04-25
Necroptosis is a newly identified programmed cell death pathway that is highly proinflammatory due to the release of cellular components that promote inflammation. To determine whether necroptosis might play a role in inflammaging, we studied the effect of age and dietary restriction (DR) on necroptosis in the epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), a major source of proinflammatory cytokines. Phosphorylated MLKL and RIPK3, markers of necroptosis, were increased 2.7- and 1.9-fold, respectively, in eWAT of old mice compared to adult mice, and DR reduced P-MLKL and P-RIPK3 to levels similar to adult mice. An increase in the expression of RIPK1 (1.6-fold) and MLKL (2.7-fold), not RIPK3, was also observed in eWAT of old mice, which was reduced by DR in old mice. The increase in necroptosis was paralleled by an increase in 14 inflammatory cytokines, including the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 (3.9-fold), TNF-α (4.7-fold), and IL-1β (5.1-fold)], and 11 chemokines in old mice. DR attenuated the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β as well as 85% of the other cytokines/chemokines induced with age. In contrast, inguinal WAT (iWAT), which is less inflammatory, did not show any significant increase with age in the levels of P-MLKL and MLKL or inflammatory cytokines/chemokines. Because the changes in biomarkers of necroptosis in eWAT with age and DR paralleled the changes in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, our data support the possibility that necroptosis might play a role in increased chronic inflammation observed with age. © 2018 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
OMEGACAM and Gravitational Lensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Christen, Fabrice Frédéric Thiébaut
2007-04-01
Het proefschrift van Fabrice Christen gaat over de ontwikkeling van nieuwe methoden voor het corrigeren van (digitale) foto's van melkwegstelsels. Met deze methoden kunnen de beelden uit het heelal beter worden geanalyseerd. Het eerste gedeelte is gewijd aan het werk dat bij ESO is uitgevoerd aan de CCD's van de OmegaCAM camera, het enige instrument van de VST. OmegaCAM is een optische groothoekcamera met een beeldveld van een vierkante graad, opgebouwd uit een mozaiek van 8 bij 4 CCD's. Van elk onderdeel moeten alle kenmerken volledig bekend zijn voordat het in het CCD mozaiek geplaatst kan worden. In het tweede deel van dit proefschrift wordt de ontwikkeling van een nieuwe methode voor het corrigeren van de ``point-spread function'' (PSF) en schatten van de ellipticiteit van de melkwegstelsels besproken. De nieuwe techniek wordt getest en vergeleken met een door sterrenkundigen algemeen gebruikte methode in het veld van zwaartekrachtslenzen, de Kaiser, Squire en Broadhurst (KSB) methode. De nieuwe methode, gebaseerd op shapelet ontleding (vergelijkbaar met wavelet ontleding), gaat verder, en is sneller en theoretisch preciezer dan de KSB methode. Door gebruik te maken van de gecorrigeerde ellipticiteit, kunnen we een statistische analyse uitvoeren om er een kosmisch vervormingssignaal uit te halen. De licht vervormde beelden van de melkwegstelsels bewij zen dat de niet-homogene massaverdeling op megaparsec-schaal voornamelijk bestaat uit grote hoeveelheden donkere materie. Verder vergelijken we de schattingen van de ellipticiteit van de shapelet en KSB methode. Bovendien voeren we ook nog een melkwegstelsel-melkwegstelsel lens analyse uit op de 50 VLT Fors1 afbeeldingen en slagen we erin de belangrijkste eigenschappen van de halo's van de stelsels, die zich op een afstand van een- tot tweeduizend megaparsec (1 parsec = 3,26 lichtjaar = 3,085 x 10^16 meter) bevinden, te bepalen door gebruik te maken van twee modellen van melkwegstelselhalo's. Vergeleken met andere overzichtsmetingen vinden we vergelijkbare resultaten.
Effects of arsenic on adipocyte metabolism: Is arsenic an obesogen?
Ceja-Galicia, Zeltzin A; Daniel, Alberto; Salazar, Ana María; Pánico, Pablo; Ostrosky-Wegman, Patricia; Díaz-Villaseñor, Andrea
2017-09-05
The environmental obesogen model proposes that in addition to a high-calorie diet and diminished physical activity, other factors such as environmental pollutants and chemicals are involved in the development of obesity. Although arsenic has been recognized as a risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes with a specific mechanism, it is still uncertain whether arsenic is also an obesogen. The impairment of white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolism is crucial in the onset of obesity, and distinct studies have evaluated the effects of arsenic on it, however only in some of them for obesity-related purposes. Thus, the known effects of arsenic on WAT/adipocytes were integrated based on the diverse metabolic and physiological processes that occur in WAT and are altered in obesity, specifically: adipocyte growth, adipokine secretion, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism. The currently available information suggests that arsenic can negatively affect WAT metabolism, resulting in arsenic being a potential obesogen. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ondrusova, Katarina; Fatehi, Mohammad; Barr, Amy; Czarnecka, Zofia; Long, Wentong; Suzuki, Kunimasa; Campbell, Scott; Philippaert, Koenraad; Hubert, Matthew; Tredget, Edward; Kwan, Peter; Touret, Nicolas; Wabitsch, Martin; Lee, Kevin Y; Light, Peter E
2017-11-27
Subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) is the major fat depot in humans and is a central player in regulating whole body metabolism. Skin exposure to UV wavelengths from sunlight is required for Vitamin D synthesis and pigmentation, although it is plausible that longer visible wavelengths that penetrate the skin may regulate scWAT function. In this regard, we discovered a novel blue light-sensitive current in human scWAT that is mediated by melanopsin coupled to transient receptor potential canonical cation channels. This pathway is activated at physiological intensities of light that penetrate the skin on a sunny day. Daily exposure of differentiated adipocytes to blue light resulted in decreased lipid droplet size, increased basal lipolytic rate and alterations in adiponectin and leptin secretion. Our results suggest that scWAT function may be directly under the influence of ambient sunlight exposure and may have important implications for our current understanding of adipocyte biology. (150 words).
Structure of transcription factor HetR required for heterocyst differentiation in cyanobacteria
Kim, Youngchang; Joachimiak, Grazyna; Ye, Zi; Binkowski, T. Andrew; Zhang, Rongguang; Gornicki, Piotr; Callahan, Sean M.; Hess, Wolfgang R.; Haselkorn, Robert; Joachimiak, Andrzej
2011-01-01
HetR is an essential regulator of heterocyst development in cyanobacteria. HetR binds to a DNA palindrome upstream of the hetP gene. We report the crystal structure of HetR from Fischerella at 3.0 Å. The protein is a dimer comprised of a central DNA-binding unit containing the N-terminal regions of the two subunits organized with two helix-turn-helix motifs; two globular flaps extending in opposite directions; and a hood over the central core formed from the C-terminal subdomains. The flaps and hood have no structural precedent in the protein database, therefore representing new folds. The structural assignments are supported by site-directed mutagenesis and DNA-binding studies. We suggest that HetR serves as a scaffold for assembly of transcription components critical for heterocyst development. PMID:21628585
Zhang, Xianjie; Liu, Lixin; Wei, Xiaofei; Tan, Yee Sun; Tong, Lana; Chang, Ryan; Ghanamah, Mohammed S.; Reinblatt, Maura; Marti, Guy P.; Harmon, John W.; Semenza, Gregg L.
2014-01-01
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that controls vascular responses to hypoxia and ischemia. In this study, mice that were heterozygous for a null allele at the locus encoding the HIF-1α subunit (HET mice) and their wild type (WT) littermates were subjected to thermal injury involving 10% of body surface area. HIF-1α protein levels were increased in burn wounds of WT but not of HET mice on day 2. Serum levels of stromal-derived factor 1α, which binds to CXCR4, were increased on day 2 in WT but not in HET mice. Circulating angiogenic cells were also increased on day 2 in WT but not in HET mice and included CXCR4+Sca1+ cells. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging demonstrated increased blood flow in burn wounds of WT but not HET mice on day 7. Immunohistochemistry on day 7 revealed a reduced number of CD31+ vessels at the healing margin of burn wounds in HET as compared to WT mice. Vessel maturation was also impaired in wounds of HET mice as determined by the number of α-smooth muscle actin-positive vessels on day 21. The remaining wound area on day 14 was significantly increased in HET mice compared to WT littermates. The percentage of healed wounds on day 14 was significantly decreased in HET mice. These data delineate a signaling pathway by which HIF-1 promotes angiogenesis during burn wound healing. PMID:20163569
Defour, Merel; Dijk, Wieneke; Ruppert, Philip; Nascimento, Emmani B M; Schrauwen, Patrick; Kersten, Sander
2018-04-01
Chronic cold exposure causes white adipose tissue (WAT) to adopt features of brown adipose tissue (BAT), a process known as browning. Previous studies have hinted at a possible role for the transcription factor Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor alpha (PPARα) in cold-induced browning. Here we aimed to investigate the importance of PPARα in driving transcriptional changes during cold-induced browning in mice. Male wildtype and PPARα-/- mice were housed at thermoneutrality (28 °C) or cold (5 °C) for 10 days. Whole genome expression analysis was performed on inguinal WAT. In addition, other analyses were carried out. Whole genome expression data of livers of wildtype and PPARα-/- mice fasted for 24 h served as positive control for PPARα-dependent gene regulation. Cold exposure increased food intake and decreased weight of BAT and WAT to a similar extent in wildtype and PPARα-/- mice. Except for plasma non-esterified fatty acids, none of the cold-induced changes in plasma metabolites were dependent on PPARα genotype. Histological analysis of inguinal WAT showed clear browning upon cold exposure but did not reveal any morphological differences between wildtype and PPARα-/- mice. Transcriptomics analysis of inguinal WAT showed a marked effect of cold on overall gene expression, as revealed by principle component analysis and hierarchical clustering. However, wildtype and PPARα-/- mice clustered together, even after cold exposure, indicating a similar overall gene expression profile in the two genotypes. Pathway analysis revealed that cold upregulated pathways involved in energy usage, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid β-oxidation to a similar extent in wildtype and PPARα-/- mice. Furthermore, cold-mediated induction of genes related to thermogenesis such as Ucp1, Elovl3, Cox7a1, Cox8, and Cidea, as well as many PPAR target genes, was similar in wildtype and PPARα-/- mice. Finally, pharmacological PPARα activation had a minimal effect on expression of cold-induced genes in murine WAT. Cold-induced changes in gene expression in inguinal WAT are unaltered in mice lacking PPARα, indicating that PPARα is dispensable for cold-induced browning. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.
Wan, William; Bian, Wen; McDonald, Michele; ...
2013-08-28
The fungal prion-forming domain HET-s(218–289) forms infectious amyloid fibrils at physiological pH that were shown by solid-state NMR to be assemblies of a two-rung β-solenoid structure. Under acidic conditions, HET-s(218–289) has been shown to form amyloid fibrils that have very low infectivity in vivo, but structural information about these fibrils has been very limited. In this paper, we show by x-ray fiber diffraction that the HET-s(218–289) fibrils formed under acidic conditions have a stacked β-sheet architecture commonly found in short amyloidogenic peptides and denatured protein aggregates. At physiological pH, stacked β-sheet fibrils nucleate the formation of the infectious β-solenoid prionsmore » in a process of heterogeneous seeding, but do so with kinetic profiles distinct from those of spontaneous or homogeneous (seeded with infectious β-solenoid fibrils) fibrillization. Several serial passages of stacked β-sheet-seeded solutions lead to fibrillization kinetics similar to homogeneously seeded solutions. Finally, our results directly show that structural mutation can occur between substantially different amyloid architectures, lending credence to the suggestion that the processes of strain adaptation and crossing species barriers are facilitated by structural mutation.« less
Development and Validation of the Pregnancy and Infant Orientation Questionnaire
Meyer-Bahlburg, Heino F. L.; Dolezal, Curtis; Johnson, Laurel L.; Kessler, Suzanne J.; Schober, Justine M.; Zucker, Kenneth J.
2009-01-01
The purpose of this current study was the construction, scaling, and scale validation of a self-report questionnaire assessing biographical information and motivation for pregnancy and infant care in men and women with disorders of sex development or other gender variations of potential clinical relevance. The overall design of the questionnaire and the initial item pool were derived from related clinical and research experience. Collection of pilot data and, where appropriate, scale construction (via principal components analyses) were based on Canadian convenience samples of heterosexual (HET) and non-HET men and women (N=414). A sample of gender-dysphoric (GDYS) men and women (n=45) was added for validity analysis. Validation of the resulting scales was based on the demonstration of expected scale differences between HET men and women, as well as between HET, non-HET, and GDYS men and between HET, non-HET, and GDYS women, and was successful with one exception. This study concludes that this new questionnaire, in addition to its descriptive sections, provides several distinct scales related to desires for child bearing and child rearing and has good psychometric properties. PMID:19998066
Guan, Lili; Gong, Dezheng; Yang, Sirao; Shen, Nana; Zhang, Sai; Li, Yuchen; Wu, Qiong; Yuan, Bo; Sun, Yiping; Dai, Ning; Zhu, Liang; Zou, Yuan
2018-04-01
Genipin is the major active component of Gardeniae fructus and has been shown to ameliorate diabetes and insulin resistance in rat models. In this study, we first investigated the effect of genipin on obesity and the related lipid metabolism mechanisms in diet-induced obese rats. Our results showed that genipin reduced body weight, food intake, and visceral fat mass; ameliorated dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, insulin intolerance, adipocyte hypertrophy, and hepatic steatosis; and reduced serum tumor necrosis factor-α level in diet-induced obese rats. Quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction results further illustrated that genipin promoted lipolysis and β-oxidation of fatty acid by upregulating gene expressions of hormone-sensitive lipase and adipose triglyceride lipase in white adipose tissue (WAT) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α in hepatic tissue. Moreover, genipin promoted browning of WAT by upregulating the mRNA and protein levels of uncoupling protein 1 and PRD1-BF1-RIZ1 homologous domain containing 16 in WAT. Additionally, genipin inhibited gene expressions of activin receptor-like kinase 7, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interlukin-6 in WAT. These results indicated that genipin had a potential therapeutic role in obesity, in which regulation of lipid mobilization and browning of WAT were involved. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The tumor secretory factor ZAG promotes white adipose tissue browning and energy wasting.
Elattar, Sawsan; Dimri, Manali; Satyanarayana, Ande
2018-03-23
Cachexia is a complex tissue-wasting syndrome characterized by inflammation, hypermetabolism, increased energy expenditure, and anorexia. Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) is one of the significant factors that contribute to energy wasting in cachexia. By utilizing a cell implantation model, we demonstrate here that the lipid mobilizing factor zinc-α 2 -glycoprotein (ZAG) induces WAT browning in mice. Increased circulating levels of ZAG not only induced lipolysis in adipose tissues but also caused robust browning in WAT. Stimulating WAT progenitors with ZAG recombinant protein or expression of ZAG in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) strongly enhanced brown-like differentiation. At the molecular level, ZAG stimulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and early B cell factor 2 expression and promoted their recruitment to the PR/SET domain 16 (Prdm16) promoter, leading to enhanced expression of Prdm16, which determines brown cell fate. In brown adipose tissue, ZAG stimulated the expression of PPARγ and PPARγ coactivator 1α and promoted recruitment of PPARγ to the uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) promoter, leading to increased expression of Ucp1. Overall, our results reveal a novel function of ZAG in WAT browning and highlight the targeting of ZAG as a potential therapeutic application in humans with cachexia.-Elattar, S., Dimri, M., Satyanarayana, A. The tumor secretory factor ZAG promotes white adipose tissue browning and energy wasting.
Bertuloso, Bruno D; Podratz, Priscila L; Merlo, Eduardo; de Araújo, Julia F P; Lima, Leandro C F; de Miguel, Emilio C; de Souza, Leticia N; Gava, Agata L; de Oliveira, Miriane; Miranda-Alves, Leandro; Carneiro, Maria T W D; Nogueira, Celia R; Graceli, Jones B
2015-05-19
Tributyltin chloride (TBT) is an environmental contaminant used in antifouling paints of boats. Endocrine disruptor effects of TBT are well established in animal models. However, the adverse effects on metabolism are less well understood. The toxicity of TBT in the white adipose tissue (WAT), liver and pancreas of female rats were assessed. Animals were divided into control and TBT (0.1 μg/kg/day) groups. TBT induced an increase in the body weight of the rats by the 15th day of oral exposure. The weight gain was associated with high parametrial (PR) and retroperitoneal (RP) WAT weights. TBT-treatment increased the adiposity, inflammation and expression of ERα and PPARγ proteins in both RP and PR WAT. In 3T3-L1 cells, estrogen treatment reduced lipid droplets accumulation, however increased the ERα protein expression. In contrast, TBT-treatment increased the lipid accumulation and reduced the ERα expression. WAT metabolic changes led to hepatic inflammation, lipid accumulation, increase of PPARγ and reduction of ERα protein expression. Accordingly, there were increases in the glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity tests with increases in the number of pancreatic islets and insulin levels. These findings suggest that TBT leads to adiposity in WAT specifically, impairing the metabolic functions of the liver and pancreas. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Hofer, Thomas S; Hünenberger, Philippe H
2018-06-14
The absolute intrinsic hydration free energy G H + ,wat ◦ of the proton, the surface electric potential jump χ wat ◦ upon entering bulk water, and the absolute redox potential V H + ,wat ◦ of the reference hydrogen electrode are cornerstone quantities for formulating single-ion thermodynamics on absolute scales. They can be easily calculated from each other but remain fundamentally elusive, i.e., they cannot be determined experimentally without invoking some extra-thermodynamic assumption (ETA). The Born model provides a natural framework to formulate such an assumption (Born ETA), as it automatically factors out the contribution of crossing the water surface from the hydration free energy. However, this model describes the short-range solvation inaccurately and relies on the choice of arbitrary ion-size parameters. In the present study, both shortcomings are alleviated by performing first-principle calculations of the hydration free energies of the sodium (Na + ) and potassium (K + ) ions. The calculations rely on thermodynamic integration based on quantum-mechanical molecular-mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations involving the ion and 2000 water molecules. The ion and its first hydration shell are described using a correlated ab initio method, namely resolution-of-identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (RIMP2). The next hydration shells are described using the extended simple point charge water model (SPC/E). The hydration free energy is first calculated at the MM level and subsequently increased by a quantization term accounting for the transformation to a QM/MM description. It is also corrected for finite-size, approximate-electrostatics, and potential-summation errors, as well as standard-state definition. These computationally intensive simulations provide accurate first-principle estimates for G H + ,wat ◦ , χ wat ◦ , and V H + ,wat ◦ , reported with statistical errors based on a confidence interval of 99%. The values obtained from the independent Na + and K + simulations are in excellent agreement. In particular, the difference between the two hydration free energies, which is not an elusive quantity, is 73.9 ± 5.4 kJ mol -1 (K + minus Na + ), to be compared with the experimental value of 71.7 ± 2.8 kJ mol -1 . The calculated values of G H + ,wat ◦ , χ wat ◦ , and V H + ,wat ◦ (-1096.7 ± 6.1 kJ mol -1 , 0.10 ± 0.10 V, and 4.32 ± 0.06 V, respectively, averaging over the two ions) are also in remarkable agreement with the values recommended by Reif and Hünenberger based on a thorough analysis of the experimental literature (-1100 ± 5 kJ mol -1 , 0.13 ± 0.10 V, and 4.28 ± 0.13 V, respectively). The QM/MM MD simulations are also shown to provide an accurate description of the hydration structure, dynamics, and energetics.
1990-05-01
oporachtnemer verwezen naar de ’Algemone Voorwaarden voor Onderzoeks- opdrachten TNO’. dan wet de betreflende terzake fijasen partlijen gesloten * 11 ...ixvulling van het onderhoudsschema 9 2.4 Invulling van het onderhoudsschema in de praktijk 14 2.5 Gonclusies 16 3 STORINGSANALYSES 18 3.1 ’Failure mode...nnfd- en subgroep (dit is een opdeling van bet systeem naar functioneel sanienhangende delen). Pa gina 9 - Het onderhoudsniveau waar jedere
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in maintenance of white adipose tissue (WAT) architecture and function, and proper ECM remodeling is critical to support WAT malleability to accomodate changes in energy storage needs. Obesity and adipocyte hypertrophy places a strain on the EC...
Varlamov, Oleg; Bishop, Cecily V; Handu, Mithila; Takahashi, Diana; Srinivasan, Sathya; White, Ashley; Roberts, Charles T
2017-09-01
What are the separate and combined effects of mild hyperandrogenemia and consumption of a high-fat Western-style diet (WSD) on white adipose tissue (WAT) morphology and function in young adult female nonhuman primates? Combined exposure to mild hyperandrogenemia and WSD induces visceral omental (OM-WAT) but not subcutaneous (SC-WAT) adipocyte hypertrophy that is associated with increased uptake and reduced mobilization of free fatty acids. Mild hyperandrogenemia in females, principally in the context of polycystic ovary syndrome, is often associated with adipocyte hypertrophy, but the mechanisms of associated WAT dysfunction and depot specificity remain poorly understood. Female rhesus macaques were randomly assigned at 2.5 years of age (near menarche) to receive either cholesterol (C; n = 20) or testosterone (T; n = 20)-containing silastic implants to elevate T levels 5-fold above baseline. Half of each of these groups was then fed either a low-fat monkey chow diet or WSD, resulting in four treatment groups (C, control diet; T alone; WSD alone; T + WSD; n = 10/group) that were maintained until the current analyses were performed at 5.5 years of age (3 years of treatment, young adults). OM and SC-WAT biopsies were collected and analyzed longitudinally for in vivo changes in adipocyte area and blood vessel density, and ex vivo basal and insulin-stimulated fatty acid uptake and basal and isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis. In years 2 and 3 of treatment, the T + WSD group exhibited a significantly greater increase in OM adipocyte size compared to all other groups (P < 0.05), while the size of SC adipocytes measured at the end of the study was not significantly different between groups. In year 3, both WAT depots from the WSD and T + WSD groups displayed a significant reduction in local capillary length and vessel junction density (P < 0.05). In year 3, insulin-stimulated fatty acid uptake in OM-WAT was increased in the T + WSD group compared to year 2 (P < 0.05). In year 3, basal lipolysis was blunted in the T and T + WSD groups in both WAT depots (P < 0.01), while isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis was significantly blunted in the T and T + WSD groups only in SC-WAT (P < 0.01). At this stage of the study, subjects were still relatively young adults, so that the effects of mild hyperandrogenemia and WSD may become more apparent with increasing age. The combination of mild hyperandrogenemia and WSD accelerates the development of WAT dysfunction through T-specific (suppression of lipolytic response by T), WSD-dependent (reduced capillary density) and combined T + WSD (increased fatty acid uptake) mechanisms. These data support the idea that combined hyperandrogenemia and WSD increases the risk of developing obesity in females. Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under award number P50 HD071836 to C.T.R. and award number OD 011092 from the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, for operation of the Oregon National Primate Research Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
Sugiura, Kana; Itoh, Shigeru
2012-08-01
The fluorescence spectrum at 298 and 40 K and the absorption spectrum at 298 K of each cell of the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. was measured by single-cell confocal laser spectroscopy to study the differentiation of cell pigments. The fluorescence spectra of vegetative (veg) and heterocyst (het) cells of Nostoc formed separate groups with low and high PSII to PSI ratios, respectively. The fluorescence spectra of het cells at 40 K still contained typical PSII bands. The PSII/PSI ratio estimated for the veg cells varied between 0.4 and 1.2, while that of het cells varied between 0 and 0.22 even in the same culture. The PSII/PSI ratios of veg cells resembled each other more closely in the same filament. 'pro-het' cells, which started to differentiate into het cells, were identified from the small but specific difference in the PSII/PSI ratio. The allophycocyanin (APC)/PSII ratio was almost constant in both veg and het cells, indicating their tight couplings. Phycocyanin (PC) showed higher fluorescence in most het cells, suggesting the uncoupling from PSII. Veg cells seem to vary their PSI contents to give different PSII/PSI ratios even in the same culture, and to suppress the synthesis of PSII, APC and PC to differentiate into het cells. APC and PC are gradually liberated from membranes in het cells with the uncoupling from PSII. Single-cell spectrometry will be useful to study the differentiation of intrinsic pigments of cells and chloroplasts, and to select microbes from natural environments.
Salomone, Alberto; Pirro, Valentina; Lombardo, Tonia; Di Corcia, Daniele; Pellegrino, Sergio; Vincenti, Marco
2015-05-01
Ethyl glucuronide in hair (HEtG) is the most accredited marker to prove chronic alcohol abuse. In this study, we evaluate the comprehensive results of HEtG determination obtained during four years of activity (2009-2013) in our laboratory (Northwestern Italy) - across a large cohort of subjects (over 20 000 subjects mostly undergoing medical examination for driving re-licensing) - to provide a general perspective on HEtG analysis and dependence on group-level factors (e.g. age, gender, site and period of hair collection) that could bias the analytical results. HEtG was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. About 12% of the subjects presented HEtG concentrations over 30 pg/mg. Upon non-parametric hypothesis tests, distributions of HEtG in independent populations categorized by age proved statistically different, while no differences were found by considering gender, BMI, and site of sampling (head vs. chest hair). A 'seasonality' factor was evaluated by comparing periods of collection approximately representing the hair growth in winter, spring, summer and autumn, and a seasonal trend was observed showing the highest HEtG levels in winter (16.7%) and minimum levels in summer (8.3%). The experimental HEtG distributions confirm that chest hair sampling can be trusted as an alternative to scalp. Furthermore, among biological and external factors, age and season of sampling may significantly influence the measured HEtG concentration, and this potential source of bias should be taken into account when the results are interpreted. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recurrent female adnexal tumor of probably Wolffian origin: A case report.
Qiu, Tian; Teng, Yincheng; Tong, Jianqian; Tao, Wenqi; Xu, Liang
2017-06-01
Wolffian adnexal tumors (WATs) are rare, and metastasis is uncommon. We present the case of a 53-year-old female with a recurrent WAT. The patient presented with abdominal distension, and ultrasound revealed heterogeneous echoes (130 × 93 × 116 mm 3 ) around the uterus and ascites. Her cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and CA19-9 levels were elevated. Hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, and tumor resection were performed. The histopathological diagnosis was a WAT. Two years later, multiple abdominal and pelvic masses were found on ultrasonography and computed tomography. Laparotomy revealed nodules in the omentum, mesentery, and pelvic peritoneum. Resection of the pelvic masses and partial resection of the omentum were performed. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the lesions were inhibin A, calretinin, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, cluster of differentiation 99, and Pax2 positive. Despite postoperative chemotherapy, she developed liver and renal failure 2 months after surgery, and died of the disease. This case further suggests that WATs have malignant potential, and close follow-up is necessary. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Teixeira, Alexandre Abilio de Souza; Lira, Fábio Santos; Pimentel, Gustavo D; Oliveira de Souza, Camila; Batatinha, Helena; Biondo, Luana A; Yamashita, Alex S; Junior, Edson A Lima; Neto, José Cesar Rosa
2016-01-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) is no longer considered a tissue whose main function is the storage of TAG. Since the discovery of leptin in 1994, several studies have elucidated the important role of WAT as an endocrine organ, the source of the adipokines. The low-grade inflammation observed in obese and cancer cachexia patients is explained, at least partially, by the exacerbated release of proinflammatory adipokines. Despite of the recent progress in the characterization of the various adipokines and lipokines produced by WAT, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the secretion of these molecules in different physiological and pathological circumstances. Chronic exercise is a nonpharmacological therapy employed in several chronic diseases and shows an anti-inflammatory effect through the regulation of the cytokine network. In this review, we address the potential mechanisms by which the aerobic physical exercise modulate the production and release of inflammatory adipokines, as well as the inflammation-lipolysis axis in WAT, with special focus in the therapeutic role of exercise in obesity-associated insulin resistance and cancer cachexia.
The Whitening of Brown Fat and Its Implications for Weight Management in Obesity.
Shimizu, Ippei; Walsh, Kenneth
2015-06-01
Systemic inflammation resulting from dysfunction of white adipose tissue (WAT) accelerates the pathologies of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In contrast to WAT, brown adipose tissue (BAT) is abundant in mitochondria that produce heat by uncoupling respiratory chain process of ATP synthesis. Besides BAT's role in thermogenesis, accumulating evidence has shown that it is involved in regulating systemic metabolism. Studies have analyzed the "browning" processes of WAT as a means to combat obesity, whereas few studies have focused on the impact and molecular mechanisms that contribute to obesity-linked BAT dysfunction--a process that is associated with the "whitening" of this tissue. Compared to WAT, a dense vascular network is required to support the high energy consumption of BAT. Recently, vascular rarefaction was shown to be a significant causal factor in the whitening of BAT in mouse models. Vascular insufficiency leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and loss in BAT and contributes to systemic insulin resistance. These data suggest that BAT "whitening," resulting from vascular dysfunction, can impact obesity and obesity-linked diseases. Conversely, agents that promote BAT function could have utility in the treatment of these conditions.
An Overview of the Electron-Proton and High Energy Telescopes for Solar Orbiter
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boden, Sebastian; Kulkarni, Shrinivasrao R.; Tammen, Jan; Steinhagen, Jan; Martin, César; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Böttcher, Stephan I.; Seimetz, Lars; Ravanbakhsh, Ali; Elftmann, Robert; Rodriguez-Pacheco, Javier; Prieto Mateo, Manuel; Gomez Herrero, Rául
2014-05-01
The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of four sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The University of Kiel in Germany is responsible for the design, development, and building of STEP, EPT and HET. This poster will focus on the last two. The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. To separate electrons and protons EPT relies on the magnet/foil-technique. EPT is intended to close the gap between the supra-thermal particles measured by STEP and the high energy range covered by HET. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 to 100 MeV, and heavy ions from ~20 to 200 MeV/nuc. To achieve this performance HET consists of a series of silicon detectors in a telescope configuration with a scintillator calorimeter to stop high energy protons and ions. It uses the dE/dx vs. total E technique . In this way HET covers an energy range which is of interest for studies of the space radiation environment and will perform measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy particle events at the Sun. EPT and HET share a common Electronics Box, there are two EPT-HET sensors on Solar Orbiter to allow rudimentary pitch-angle coverage. Here we present the current development status of EPT-HET units and calibration results of demonstration models as well as plans for future activities.
Optical Fiber Evaluation for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McGouldrick, K.; Maywalt, J.; Engel, L.; Rhoads, B.; Andersen, D. R.; Ramsey, L. W.
1998-12-01
Two major facility instruments on the Hobby-Eberly telescope (HET) are fiber coupled: the high and medium resolution spectrographs. Understanding the behavior of the fibers with the HET is central to understanding the performance of the telescope/spectrograph system. We will describe the Penn State fiber evaluation facility which enables us to measure focal ratio degradation (FRD) and total throughput. We will present some typical data obtained using the HET focal ratio at the fiber input. The HET design has a roving pupil that changes the illumination pattern somewhat during the typical 1 hour tracking time on a target. We will describe our plans to simulate the HET input test the degree to which the varying pupil is scrambled by the fiber.
Adipose tissue lymphocytes: types and roles.
Caspar-Bauguil, S; Cousin, B; Bour, S; Casteilla, L; Castiella, L; Penicaud, L; Carpéné, C
2009-12-01
Besides adipocytes, specialized in lipid handling and involved in energy balance regulation, white adipose tissue (WAT) is mainly composed of other cell types among which lymphocytes represent a non-negligible proportion. Different types of lymphocytes (B, alphabetaT, gammadeltaT, NK and NKT) have been detected in WAT of rodents or humans, and vary in their relative proportion according to the fat pad anatomical location. The lymphocytes found in intra-abdominal, visceral fat pads seem representative of innate immunity, while those present in subcutaneous fat depots are part of adaptive immunity, at least in mice. Both the number and the activity of the different lymphocyte classes, except B lymphocytes, are modified in obesity. Several of these modifications in the relative proportions of the lymphocyte classes depend on the degree of obesity, or on leptin concentration, or even fat depot anatomical location. Recent studies suggest that alterations of lymphocyte number and composition precede the macrophage increase and the enhanced inflammatory state of WAT found in obesity. Lymphocytes express receptors to adipokines while several proinflammatory chemokines are produced in WAT, rendering intricate crosstalk between fat and immune cells. However, the evidences and controversies available so far are in favour of an involvement of lymphocytes in the control of the number of other cells in WAT, either adipocytes or immune cells and of their secretory and metabolic activities. Therefore, immunotherapy deserves to be considered as a promising approach to treat the endocrino-metabolic disorders associated to excessive fat mass development.
Guri, Amir J; Hontecillas, Raquel; Ferrer, Gerardo; Casagran, Oriol; Wankhade, Umesh; Noble, Alexis M; Eizirik, Decio L; Ortis, Fernanda; Cnop, Miriam; Liu, Dongmin; Si, Hongwei; Bassaganya-Riera, Josep
2008-04-01
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a natural phytohormone and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonist that significantly improves insulin sensitivity in db/db mice. Although it has become clear that obesity is associated with macrophage infiltration into white adipose tissue (WAT), the phenotype of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) and the mechanisms by which insulin-sensitizing compounds modulate their infiltration remain unknown. We used a loss-of-function approach to investigate whether ABA ameliorates insulin resistance through a mechanism dependent on immune cell PPARgamma. We characterized two phenotypically distinct ATM subsets in db/db mice based on their surface expression of F4/80. F4/80(hi) ATMs were more abundant and expressed greater concentrations of chemokine receptor (CCR) 2 and CCR5 when compared to F4/80(lo) ATMs. ABA significantly decreased CCR2(+) F4/80(hi) infiltration into WAT and suppressed monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression in WAT and plasma. Furthermore, the deficiency of PPARgamma in immune cells, including macrophages, impaired the ability of ABA to suppress the infiltration of F4/80(hi) ATMs into WAT, to repress WAT MCP-1 expression and to improve glucose tolerance. We provide molecular evidence in vivo demonstrating that ABA improves insulin sensitivity and obesity-related inflammation by inhibiting MCP-1 expression and F4/80(hi) ATM infiltration through a PPARgamma-dependent mechanism.
Characterization of human brown adipose tissue by chemical-shift water-fat MRI.
Hu, Houchun H; Perkins, Thomas G; Chia, Jonathan M; Gilsanz, Vicente
2013-01-01
The purpose of this study was to characterize human brown adipose tissue (BAT) with chemical-shift water-fat MRI and to determine whether trends and differences in fat-signal fractions and T2(*) relaxation times between BAT and white adipose tissue (WAT) are consistently observed postmortem and in vivo in infants, adolescents, and adults. A postmortem body and eight patients were studied. A six-echo spoiled gradient-echo chemical-shift water-fat MRI sequence was performed at 3 T to jointly quantify fat-signal fraction and T2(*) in interscapular-supraclavicular BAT and subcutaneous WAT. To confirm BAT identity, biopsy and histology served as the reference in the postmortem study and PET/CT was used in five of the eight patients who required examination for medical care. Fat-signal fractions and T2(*) times were lower in BAT than in WAT in the postmortem example and in seven of eight patients. With the exception of one case, nominal comparisons between brown and white adipose tissues were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Between subjects, a large range of fat-signal fraction values was observed in BAT but not in WAT. We have shown that fat-signal fractions and T2(*) values jointly derived from chemical-shift water-fat MRI are lower in BAT than in WAT likely because of differences in cellular structures, triglyceride content, and vascularization. The two metrics can serve as complementary biomarkers in the detection of BAT.
Germline ablation of VGF increases lipolysis in white adipose tissue.
Fargali, Samira; Scherer, Thomas; Shin, Andrew C; Sadahiro, Masato; Buettner, Christoph; Salton, Stephen R
2012-11-01
Targeted deletion of VGF, a neuronal and endocrine secreted protein and neuropeptide precursor, produces a lean, hypermetabolic mouse that is resistant to diet-, lesion-, and genetically induced obesity and diabetes. We hypothesized that increased sympathetic nervous system activity in Vgf-/Vgf- knockout mice is responsible for increased energy expenditure and decreased fat storage and that increased β-adrenergic receptor stimulation induces lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) of Vgf-/Vgf- mice. We found that fat mass was markedly reduced in Vgf-/Vgf- mice. Within knockout WAT, phosphorylation of protein kinase A substrate increased in males and females, phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) (ser563) increased in females, and levels of adipose triglyceride lipase, comparative gene identification-58, and phospho-perilipin were higher in male Vgf-/Vgf- WAT compared with wild-type, consistent with increased lipolysis. The phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (Thr172) and levels of the AMPK kinase, transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1, were decreased. This was associated with a decrease in HSL ser565 phosphorylation, the site phosphorylated by AMPK, in both male and female Vgf-/Vgf- WAT. No significant differences in phosphorylation of CREB or the p42/44 MAPK were noted. Despite this evidence supporting increased cAMP signaling and lipolysis, lipogenesis as assessed by fatty acid synthase protein expression and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase was not decreased. Our data suggest that the VGF precursor or selected VGF-derived peptides dampen sympathetic outflow pathway activity to WAT to regulate fat storage and lipolysis.
Foxc2 coordinates inflammation and browning of white adipose by leptin-STAT3-PRDM16 signal in mice.
Gan, L; Liu, Z; Feng, F; Wu, T; Luo, D; Hu, C; Sun, C
2018-02-01
The objective of this study is to characterize the relationship between forkhead box C2 protein (Foxc2) and leptin under adipose inflammatory response. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory model was conducted. Data from wild-type and ob/ob mice were used to compare the alternative role of leptin on Foxc2-mediated inflammation and browning. Transcriptional regulation and protein-protein interaction were analyzed by bioinformatics and proved by chromatin immunoprecipitation and co-immunoprecipitation experiment. Foxc2 and leptin correlated with inflammation and browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) in LPS-treated mice. Moreover, Foxc2-mediated inhibition of inflammation involved downstream activation of leptin signal and promoted WAT browning. We then determined CREB, the potential transcriptional factor of leptin, was required for Foxc2-mediated inflammation in the regulation of WAT browning. Foxc2 alleviated adipocyte inflammation by reducing leptin-mediated Janus-activated kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. Importantly, STAT3 physically interacted with PRDM16 and formed a complex to promote WAT browning. Exogenous Foxc2 overexpression also ameliorated inflammation and promoted adipose browning in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Our results indicated that Foxc2 inhibited inflammation and promoted browning of WAT through positive regulation of leptin signal and the STAT3-PRDM16 complex. These findings identify a new potential means to prevent and treat obese caused metabolic syndrome of mammals.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Wan, William; Stubbs, Gerald
2014-05-01
Amyloids are filamentous protein aggregates that can be formed by many different proteins and are associated with both disease and biological functions. The pathogenicities or biological functions of amyloids are determined by their particular molecular structures, making accurate structural models a requirement for understanding their biological effects. One potential factor that can affect amyloid structures is hydration. Previous studies of simple stacked β-sheet amyloids have suggested that dehydration does not impact structure, but other studies indicated dehydration-related structural changes of a putative water-filled nanotube. Our results show that dehydration significantly affects the molecular structure of the fungal prion-forming domain HET-s(218–289),more » which forms a β-solenoid with no internal solvent-accessible regions. The dehydration-related structural deformation of HET-s(218–289) indicates that water can play a significant role in complex amyloid structures, even when no obvious water-accessible cavities are present.« less
Dugdale, A H A; Curtis, G C; Harris, P A; Argo, C Mc
2011-09-01
Evaluation of equine body fat content is important for nutritional and clinical purposes. However, our understanding of total body fat and its regional distribution in the body is sparse. Currently, body fat evaluation relies on the subjective assessment of body condition score (BCS), which has never been validated against 'gold standard' chemical analysis or dissection measurements in ponies. To define the relationships between subjective (BCS), objective (morphometric) indices of body fat and 'gold standard' measurements of actual body composition. BCS and morphometry offer valid, noninvasive methods for determination of body fat in equids. Seven mature (mean ± s.e. 13 ± 3 years, 212 ± 14 kg, BCS 1.25-7/9), Welsh Mountain pony mares, destined for euthanasia (for nonresearch purposes), were used. For all ponies, body mass (BM), BCS and various morphometric measurements were recorded. Following euthanasia, all ponies were systematically dissected. Discrete white adipose tissue (WAT) depots were independently described. Gross, body chemical composition was determined by proximate analyses. Total somatic soft tissues increased linearly (r(2) = 1.00), whereas body WAT content (1-26% live BM) increased exponentially (r(2) = 0.96), with BCS. WAT was equally distributed between internal and external sites in all animals irrespective of BCS. Nuchal fat was a poor predictor of total WAT (r(2) = 0.66). Periorbital WAT did not alter with BCS (r(2) = 0.01). Heart girth:withers height and ultrasonic retroperitoneal fat depth were closely associated with total, chemically-extracted lipid which comprised 1-29% live BM (r(2) = 0.91 and 0.88, respectively). The exponential relationship between BCS and total body WAT/lipid suggests that BCS is unlikely to be a sensitive index of body fat for animals in moderate-obese states. Morphometric measurements (body girths and retroperitonel fat depth) may be useful to augment subjective BCS systems. © 2011 EVJ Ltd.
Yamaguchi, Masahiko; Matsui, Masakazu; Higa, Ryoko; Yamazaki, Yasuhiro; Ikari, Akira; Miyake, Masaki; Miwa, Masao; Ishii, Satoshi; Sugatani, Junko; Shimizu, Takao
2015-02-15
Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a well-known phospholipid that mediates acute inflammatory responses. In the present study, we investigated whether PAF/PAF receptor signaling contributed to chronic inflammation in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of PAF receptor-knockout (PAFR-KO) mice. Body and epididymal WAT weights were higher in PAFR-KO mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) than in wild-type (WT) mice. TNF-α mRNA expression levels in epididymal WAT and the infiltration of CD11c-positive macrophages into epididymal WAT, which led to chronic inflammation, were also elevated in HFD-fed PAFR-KO mice. HFD-fed PAFR-KO mice had higher levels of fasting serum glucose than HFD-fed WT mice as well as impaired glucose tolerance. Although PAF receptor signaling up-regulated the expression of TNF-α and lipopolysaccharide induced the expression of acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 (LPCAT2) mRNA in bone marrow-derived macrophages, no significant differences were observed in the expression of LPCAT2 mRNA and PAF levels in epididymal WAT between HFD-fed mice and normal diet-fed mice. In addition to our previous finding in which energy expenditure in PAF receptor (PAFR)-deficient mice was low due to impaired brown adipose tissue function, the present study demonstrated that PAF/PAF receptor signaling up-regulated the expression of Ucp1 mRNA, which is essential for cellular thermogenesis, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We concluded that the marked accumulation of abdominal fat due to HFD feeding led to more severe chronic inflammation in WAT, which is associated with glucose metabolism disorders, in PAFR-KO mice than in WT mice, and PAF/PAF receptor signaling may regulate energy expenditure and adiposity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Magliano, D'Angelo C; Penna-de-Carvalho, Aline; Vazquez-Carrera, Manuel; Mandarim-de-Lacerda, Carlos A; Aguila, Marcia B
2015-11-01
High activation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/(angiotensin-II type 1 receptor) AT1r axis is closely linked to pro-inflammatory effects and liver damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the short-term administration of GW501516 on pro-inflammatory markers in white adipose tissue (WAT) and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), lipogenesis and insulin resistance in the liver upon high-fructose diet (HFru)-induced ACE/AT1r axis activation. Three-month-old male C57Bl/6 mice were fed a standard chow diet or a HFru for 8 weeks. Then, the animals were separated randomly into four groups and treated with GW501516 for 3 weeks. Morphological variables, systolic blood pressure, and plasma determinations were analyzed. In the WAT, the ACE/AT1r axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed, and in the liver, the ACE/AT1r axis, HSCs, fatty acid oxidation, insulin resistance, and AMPK activation were evaluated. The HFru group displayed a high activation of the ACE/AT1r axis in both the WAT and liver; consequently, we detected inflammation and liver damage. Although GW501516 abolished the increased activation of the ACE/AT1r axis in the WAT, no differences were found in the liver. GW501516 blunted the inflammatory state in the WAT and reduced HSC activation in the liver. In addition, GW501516 alleviates damage in the liver by increasing the expression of the genes that regulate beta-oxidation and decreasing the expression of the genes and proteins that are involved in lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. We conclude that GW501516 may serve as a therapeutic option for the treatment of a highly activated ACE/AT1r axis in WAT and liver.
Zhang, Fenglin; Ai, Wei; Hu, Xiaoquan; Meng, Yingying; Yuan, Cong; Su, Han; Wang, Lina; Zhu, Xiaotong; Gao, Ping; Shu, Gang; Jiang, Qingyan; Wang, Songbo
2018-04-25
Stimulating the browning of white adipocytes contributes to the restriction of obesity and related metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the browning effects of phytol on mice inguinal subcutaneous white adipose tissue (iWAT) and explore the underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that phytol administration decreased body weight gain and iWAT index, and stimulated the browning of mice iWAT, with the increased expression of brown adipocyte marker genes (UCP1, PRDM16, PGC1α, PDH, and Cyto C). In addition, phytol treatment activated the AMPKα signaling pathway in mice iWAT. In good agreement with the in vivo findings, the in vitro results showed that 100 μM phytol stimulated brown adipogenic differentiation and formation of brown-like adipocytes in the differentiated 3T3-L1 by increasing the mitochondria content and oxygen consumption, and promoting mRNA and/or protein expression of brown adipocyte markers (UCP1, PRDM16, PGC1α, PDH, Cyto C, Cidea and Elovl3) and beige adipocyte markers (CD137 and TMEM26). Meanwhile, phytol activated the AMPKα signaling pathway in the differentiated 3T3-L1. However, the inhibition of AMPKα with Compound C totally abolished phytol-stimulated brown adipogenic differentiation and formation of brown-like adipocytes. In conclusion, these results showed that phytol stimulated the browning of mice iWAT, which was coincident with the increased formation of brown-like adipocytes in the differentiated 3T3-L1, and appeared to be primarily mediated by the AMPKα signaling pathway. These data provided new insight into the role of phytol in regulating the browning of WAT and suggested the potential application of phytol as a nutritional intervention for the restriction of obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Vitamin A supplementation in early life affects later response to an obesogenic diet in rats.
Granados, N; Amengual, J; Ribot, J; Musinovic, H; Ceresi, E; von Lintig, J; Palou, A; Bonet, M L
2013-09-01
To assess the influence of supplementation with a moderate dose of vitamin A in early life on adipose tissue development and the response to an obesogenic diet later in life. During the suckling period, rat pups received a daily oral dose of retinyl palmitate corresponding to three times the vitamin A ingested daily from maternal milk. Control rats received the vehicle (olive oil). Short-term effects of treatment on gene expression and morphology of white adipose tissue (WAT) were analyzed in animals on the day after weaning (day 21). To study long-term effects, control and vitamin A-treated rats were fed, after weaning, a normal fat or a high-fat (HF) diet for 16 weeks. WAT of vitamin A-treated young rats (day 21) was enriched in small adipocytes with a reduced expression of adipogenic markers (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and lipoprotein lipase) and an increased cell proliferation potential as indicated by increased expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Increased retinoic acid (RA)-induced transcriptional responses were present in the tissues of vitamin A-treated young rats (day 21) including WAT. Vitamin A-treated rats developed higher adiposity than control rats on a HF diet as indicated by body composition analysis and increased WAT depot mass, adipocyte diameter, WAT DNA content, leptinemia and adipose leptin gene expression. Excess adiposity gain in vitamin A-treated rats developed in the absence of changes in body weight and was attributable to excess adipocyte hyperplasia. No differences in adiposity were observed between vitamin A-treated rats and control rats on a normal fat diet. Total retinol levels in WAT of vitamin A-treated rats were elevated at weaning (day 21) and normalized by day 135 of age. Vitamin A intake in the early stages of postnatal life favors subsequent HF diet-induced adiposity gain through mechanisms that may relate to changes in adipose tissue development, likely mediated by RA.
Bazhan, Nadezhda M; Baklanov, Alexandr V; Piskunova, Julia V; Kazantseva, Antonina J; Makarova, Elena N
2017-10-01
C57Bl mice exhibit impaired glucose metabolism by the late adult age under standard living conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), and skeletal muscle expression of genes involved in carbohydrate-lipid metabolism at postpubertal stages preceding the late adult age in C57Bl mice. Muscle mRNA levels of uncoupling protein 3 ( Ucp3 ) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 ( Cpt1 ) (indicators of FFA oxidation), WAT mRNA levels of hormone-sensitive lipase ( Lipe ) and lipoprotein lipase ( Lpl ) (indicators of lipolysis and lipogenesis), muscle and WAT mRNA levels of the type 4 glucose transporter Slc2a4 (indicators of insulin-dependent glucose uptake), and BAT mRNA levels of uncoupling protein 1 ( Ucp1 ) (indicator of thermogenesis) were measured in fed and 16 h-fasted mice in three age groups: 10-week-old (young), 15-week-old (early adult), and 30-week-old (late adult). Weight gain from young to early adult age was not accompanied by changes in WAT and BAT indexes and biochemical blood parameters. Weight gain from early to late adult age was accompanied by increased WAT and BAT indexes and decreased glucose tolerance. Muscle Ucp3 and Cpt1 mRNA levels and WAT Lipe and Slc2a4 mRNA levels increased from young to early adult age and then sharply decreased by the late adult age. Moreover, BAT Ucp1 mRNA level decreased in the late adult age. Fasting failed to increase muscle Cpt1 mRNA levels in late adult mice. These transcriptional changes could contribute to impaired glucose metabolism and the onset of obesity in late adult mice during normal development. © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
Zhang, Yue; Li, Jiaojiao; Wen, Xiuying
2017-11-01
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of jueming prescription (JMP) and its ingredients, semen cassiae (SC) and Rhizoma Curcumae Longae (RCL), on lipolysis, and to examine their effect on the phosphorylation of hormone‑sensitive lipase (HSL) in cultured rat white adipose tissue (WAT). Retroperitoneal WAT was aseptically excised from adult male Sprague‑Dawley rats, minced into uniform sections and subjected to ex vivo culture for 24 h. The tissue sections were then distributed into a 24‑well culture plate and treated with normal saline (vehicle), isoproterenol (ISO), JMP, SC and RCL. Non‑esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and glycerol release from the intact WAT explants were determined as a measurement of lipolysis, which were measured using NEFA and glycerol assay kits. The phosphorylation of HSL at Ser563 (P‑HSL S563) and 660 residues (P‑HSL S660) were determined using western blot analysis. The size of the adipocytes was visualized using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. It was found that JMP‑, SC‑ and RCL‑stimulated lipolysis was responsible for increasing the release of NEFAs and glycerol from the intact WAT in vitro. In addition, JMP, SC and RCL increased the levels of P‑HSL Ser563: JMP water (JW) extract, 3.52‑fold; JMP ethanol (JE) extract, 3.38‑fold; SC water (SW) extract, 4.60‑fold; SC ethanol (SE) extract, 4.20‑fold; RCL water (RW) extract, 6.98‑fold; RCL ethanol (RE) extract, 6.60‑fold. JMP, SC and RCL also increased the levels of P‑HSL Ser660: JW extract, 3.16‑fold; JE extract, 2.92‑fold; SW extract, 4.57‑fold; SE extract, 4.13‑fold; RW extract, 5.41‑fold; RE 4.96‑fold) in the WAT. The RW extract had the most marked effect. The HE staining revealed that JMP, SC and RCL reduced the size of adipocytes in the WAT. In conclusion, JMP and its ingredients, SC and RC, stimulated lipolysis and reduced the size of adipocytes, possibly via the phosphorylation of HSL in cultured rat WAT.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kulkarni, S. R.; Boden, S.; Elftmann, R.; Tammen, J.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Boettcher, S. I.; Seimetz, L.; Ravanbakhsh, A.; Mahesh, Y.; Schuster, B.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.
2017-12-01
The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of four sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. The Solar Orbiter EPT electron measurements from 20 - 400 keV will cover the gap with some overlap between suprathermal electrons measured by STEP and high energy electrons measured by HET. The proton measurements from 20 -7000 keV will partially cover the gap between STEP and HET. The Electron and Proton Telescope relies on the magnet/foil-technique. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 -100 MeV, and heavy ions from 20 to 200 MeV/nuc by dE/dx -Total E technique. Thus, HET covers the energy range which is of specific interest for studies of the space environment and will perform the measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy events at the Sun which occasionally accelerate particles to such high energies that they can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and be measured at ground level. Here we present calibration results of EPT-HET which show that EPT-HET will function as planned.
VDR Haploinsufficiency Impacts Body Composition and Skeletal Acquisition in a Gender-Specific Manner
de Paula, Francisco J. A.; Dick-de-Paula, Ingrid; Bornstein, Sheila; Rostama, Bahman; Le, Phuong; Lotinun, Sutada; Baron, Roland; Rosen, Clifford J.
2011-01-01
The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is crucial for virtually all of vitamin D’s actions and is thought to be ubiquitously expressed. We hypothesized that disruption of one allele of the VDR gene would impact bone development and would have metabolic consequences. Body composition and bone mass (BMD) in VDR heterozygous (VDR HET) mice were compared to those obtained in male and female VDR KO and WT mice at 8 weeks of age. Male mice were also evaluated at 16 weeks, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation was evaluated in VDR female mice. Additionally, female VDR HET and WT mice received intermittent PTH treatment or vehicle (VH) for 4 weeks. BMD was determined at baseline and after treatment. MRI was done in vivo at the end of treatment; μCT and bone histomorphometry were performed after killing the animals. VDR HET male mice had normal skeletal development until 16 weeks of age but showed significantly less gain in fat mass than WT mice. In contrast, female VDR HET mice showed decreased total-body BMD at age 8 weeks but ad a normal skeletal response to PTH. MSC differentiation was also impaired in VDR HET female mice. Thus, female VDR HET mice show early impairment in bone acquisition, while male VDR HET mice exhibit a lean phenotype. Our results indicate that the VDR HET mouse is a useful model for studying the metabolic and skeletal impact of decreased vitamin D sensitivity. PMID:21637996
de Paula, Francisco J A; Dick-de-Paula, Ingrid; Bornstein, Sheila; Rostama, Bahman; Le, Phuong; Lotinun, Sutada; Baron, Roland; Rosen, Clifford J
2011-09-01
The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is crucial for virtually all of vitamin D's actions and is thought to be ubiquitously expressed. We hypothesized that disruption of one allele of the VDR gene would impact bone development and would have metabolic consequences. Body composition and bone mass (BMD) in VDR heterozygous (VDR HET) mice were compared to those obtained in male and female VDR KO and WT mice at 8 weeks of age. Male mice were also evaluated at 16 weeks, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation was evaluated in VDR female mice. Additionally, female VDR HET and WT mice received intermittent PTH treatment or vehicle (VH) for 4 weeks. BMD was determined at baseline and after treatment. MRI was done in vivo at the end of treatment; μCT and bone histomorphometry were performed after killing the animals. VDR HET male mice had normal skeletal development until 16 weeks of age but showed significantly less gain in fat mass than WT mice. In contrast, female VDR HET mice showed decreased total-body BMD at age 8 weeks but had a normal skeletal response to PTH. MSC differentiation was also impaired in VDR HET female mice. Thus, female VDR HET mice show early impairment in bone acquisition, while male VDR HET mice exhibit a lean phenotype. Our results indicate that the VDR HET mouse is a useful model for studying the metabolic and skeletal impact of decreased vitamin D sensitivity.
Bone marrow adipocytes resist lipolysis and remodeling in response to β-adrenergic stimulation.
Scheller, Erica L; Khandaker, Shaima; Learman, Brian S; Cawthorn, William P; Anderson, Lindsay M; Pham, H A; Robles, Hero; Wang, Zhaohua; Li, Ziru; Parlee, Sebastian D; Simon, Becky R; Mori, Hiroyuki; Bree, Adam J; Craft, Clarissa S; MacDougald, Ormond A
2018-01-26
Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) is preserved or increased in states of caloric restriction. Similarly, we found that BMAT in the tail vertebrae, but not the red marrow in the tibia, resists loss of neutral lipid with acute, 48-hour fasting in rats. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and its seemingly distinct regulation from peripheral white adipose tissue (WAT) remain unknown. To test the role of β-adrenergic stimulation, a major regulator of adipose tissue lipolysis, we examined the responses of BMAT to β-adrenergic agonists. Relative to inguinal WAT, BMAT had reduced phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) after treatment with pan-β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol. Phosphorylation of HSL in response to β3-adrenergic agonist CL316,243 was decreased by an additional ~90% (distal tibia BMAT) or could not be detected (tail vertebrae). Ex vivo, adrenergic stimulation of lipolysis in purified BMAT adipocytes was also substantially less than iWAT adipocytes and had site-specific properties. Specifically, regulated bone marrow adipocytes (rBMAs) from proximal tibia and femur underwent lipolysis in response to both CL316,243 and forskolin, while constitutive BMAs from the tail responded only to forskolin. This occurred independently of changes in gene expression of β-adrenergic receptors, which were similar between adipocytes from iWAT and BMAT, and could not be explained by defective coupling of β-adrenergic receptors to lipolytic machinery through caveolin 1. Specifically, we found that whereas caveolin 1 was necessary to mediate maximal stimulation of lipolysis in iWAT, overexpression of caveolin 1 was insufficient to rescue impaired BMAT signaling. Lastly, we tested the ability of BMAT to respond to 72-hour treatment with CL316,243 in vivo. This was sufficient to cause beiging of iWAT adipocytes and a decrease in iWAT adipocyte cell size. By contrast, adipocyte size in the tail BMAT and distal tibia remained unchanged. However, within the distal femur, we identified a subpopulation of BMAT adipocytes that underwent lipid droplet remodeling. This response was more pronounced in females than in males and resembled lipolysis-induced lipid partitioning rather than traditional beiging. In summary, BMAT has the capacity to respond to β-adrenergic stimuli, however, its responses are muted and BMAT generally resists lipid hydrolysis and remodeling relative to iWAT. This resistance is more pronounced in distal regions of the skeleton where the BMAT adipocytes are larger with little intervening hematopoiesis, suggesting that there may be a role for both cell-autonomous and microenvironmental determinants. Resistance to β-adrenergic stimuli further separates BMAT from known regulators of energy partitioning and contributes to our understanding of why BMAT is preserved in states of fasting and caloric restriction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
[Manic episode in a patient with Beçhet's disease].
Bozikas, V; Ramnalis, A; Dittopoulos, J; Iakovou, J; Garyfallos, G; Fokas, K
2015-01-01
Beçhet's disease (BD) is a chronic, heterogeneous, multisystem disease that affects young males and females around the Mediterranean region, as well as from Far and Middle East. Its etiology is vague with vasculitis being its main pathological feature. International diagnostic criteria have been established and they require the presence of recurrent oral ulcerations plus two of the following: Recurrent genital ulceration, eye lesions, skin lesions and positive pathergy test. A significant number of patients with Beçhet's disease suffers from symptoms from the central nervous system (CNS), while the most common clinical symptoms are pyramidal signs, mental-behavioral changes, hemiparesis and brain stem syndrome. The existence of mental-behavioral changes seems to be one of the most common findings in patients with Neuro-Beçhet (N-BD). These changes seem to be related with memory and attention deficits, and the process of deterioration continues even in attack-free periods, suggesting a continuously active disease process in the CNS. The prevalence of anxiety, depression and general psychiatric symptoms is higher among patients with BD compared to healthy individuals. However, the association between psychiatric symptoms and BD is not clearly understood. On the other hand, syndromes like psychosis or bipolar disorder appear to be less frequent, especially in attack-free periods. We describe the case of a 52-year old woman with Beçhet's disease who developed a single manic episode 13 years after the onset of Beçhet's disease. A 52-year old woman, suffering from Beçhet's disease since the age of 39, developed manic symptoms, namely elevated mood, pressured speech, flight of ideas, distractibility and decreased need for sleep. The above symptoms developed during a period that no other symptoms of Beçhet's disease were present. Moreover there was no other manifestation from the nervous system. A brain MRI was unremarkable, while a brain SPECT study revealed severe hypoperfusion of the left prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychological examination revealed severe disturbance in attention, working memory and learning ability, while her visuaspatial ability and executive functions were well spared. Her symptoms were well controlled after treated with quetiapine 800 mg. The manic episode developed in the absence of any neurological manifestation (Neuro-Beçhet), or other symptom of Beçhet's disease, and was clearly distinguishable from euphoria, disinhibition or irritability that are common in patients with Beçhet's disease. It looks probable that CNS damage caused by the disease constitutes a biological substrate for the development of manic episodes in patients suffering from Beçhet's disease.
Development of a New Critical Thinking Test Using Item Response Theory
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wagner, Teresa A.; Harvey, Robert J.
2006-01-01
The authors describe the initial development of the Wagner Assessment Test (WAT), an instrument designed to assess critical thinking, using the 5-faceted view popularized by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA; G. B. Watson & E. M. Glaser, 1980). The WAT was designed to reduce the degree of successful guessing relative to the…
Spectroscopic Classification of DLT18w/AT2018bko with SOAR
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pan, Y.-C.; Foley, R. J.
2018-05-01
< p > We report the classification of DLT18w/AT2018bko (ATel #11638) from spectroscopic observation performed on 2018 May 13 UT with the Goodman spectrograph on the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope. The spectrum appears to be blue and shows Balmer absorption lines at z=0, indicating that the transient is Galactic.
White Adipose Tissue Browning: A Double-edged Sword.
Abdullahi, Abdikarim; Jeschke, Marc G
2016-08-01
The study of white adipose tissue (WAT) 'browning' has become a 'hot topic' in various acute and chronic metabolic conditions, based on the idea that WAT browning might be able to facilitate weight loss and improve metabolic health. However, this view cannot be translated into all areas of medicine. Recent studies identified effects of browning associated with adverse outcomes, and as more studies are being conducted, a very different picture has emerged about WAT browning and its detrimental effect in acute and chronic hypermetabolic conditions. Therefore, the notion that browning is supposedly beneficial may be inadequate. In this review we analyze how and why browning in chronic hypermetabolic associated diseases can be detrimental and lead to adverse outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Corrales-Guerrero, Laura; Tal, Asaf; Arbel-Goren, Rinat; Mariscal, Vicente; Flores, Enrique; Herrero, Antonia; Stavans, Joel
2015-04-01
Under nitrogen deprivation, filaments of the cyanobacterium Anabaena undergo a process of development, resulting in a one-dimensional pattern of nitrogen-fixing heterocysts separated by about ten photosynthetic vegetative cells. Many aspects of gene expression before nitrogen deprivation and during the developmental process remain to be elucidated. Furthermore, the coupling of gene expression fluctuations between cells along a multicellular filament is unknown. We studied the statistics of fluctuations of gene expression of HetR, a transcription factor essential for heterocyst differentiation, both under steady-state growth in nitrogen-rich conditions and at different times following nitrogen deprivation, using a chromosomally-encoded translational hetR-gfp fusion. Statistical analysis of fluorescence at the individual cell level in wild-type and mutant filaments demonstrates that expression fluctuations of hetR in nearby cells are coupled, with a characteristic spatial range of circa two to three cells, setting the scale for cellular interactions along a filament. Correlations between cells predominantly arise from intercellular molecular transfer and less from cell division. Fluctuations after nitrogen step-down can build up on those under nitrogen-replete conditions. We found that under nitrogen-rich conditions, basal, steady-state expression of the HetR inhibitor PatS, cell-cell communication influenced by the septal protein SepJ and positive HetR auto-regulation are essential determinants of fluctuations in hetR expression and its distribution along filaments. A comparison between the expression of hetR-gfp under nitrogen-rich and nitrogen-poor conditions highlights the differences between the two HetR inhibitors PatS and HetN, as well as the differences in specificity between the septal proteins SepJ and FraC/FraD. Activation, inhibition and cell-cell communication lie at the heart of developmental processes. Our results show that proteins involved in these basic ingredients combine together in the presence of inevitable stochasticity in gene expression, to control the coupled fluctuations of gene expression that give rise to a one-dimensional developmental pattern in this organism.
Myostatin Attenuation In Vivo Reduces Adiposity, but Activates Adipogenesis
Li, Naisi; Yang, Qiyuan; Walker, Ryan G.; Thompson, Thomas B.; Du, Min
2016-01-01
A potentially novel approach for treating obesity includes attenuating myostatin as this increases muscle mass and decreases fat mass. Notwithstanding, conflicting studies report that myostatin stimulates or inhibits adipogenesis and it is unknown whether reduced adiposity with myostatin attenuation results from changes in fat deposition or adipogenesis. We therefore quantified changes in the stem, transit amplifying and progenitor cell pool in white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) using label-retaining wild-type and mstn−/− (Jekyll) mice. Muscle mass was larger in Jekyll mice, WAT and BAT mass was smaller and label induction was equal in all tissues from both wild-type and Jekyll mice. The number of label-retaining cells, however, dissipated quicker in WAT and BAT of Jekyll mice and was only 25% and 17%, respectively, of wild-type cell counts 1 month after induction. Adipose cell density was significantly higher in Jekyll mice and increased over time concomitant with label-retaining cell disappearance, which is consistent with enhanced expansion and differentiation of the stem, transit amplifying and progenitor pool. Stromal vascular cells from Jekyll WAT and BAT differentiated into mature adipocytes at a faster rate than wild-type cells and although Jekyll WAT cells also proliferated quicker in vitro, those from BAT did not. Differentiation marker expression in vitro, however, suggests that mstn−/− BAT preadipocytes are far more sensitive to the suppressive effects of myostatin. These results suggest that myostatin attenuation stimulates adipogenesis in vivo and that the reduced adiposity in mstn−/− animals results from nutrient partitioning away from fat and in support of muscle. PMID:26580671
Myostatin Attenuation In Vivo Reduces Adiposity, but Activates Adipogenesis.
Li, Naisi; Yang, Qiyuan; Walker, Ryan G; Thompson, Thomas B; Du, Min; Rodgers, Buel D
2016-01-01
A potentially novel approach for treating obesity includes attenuating myostatin as this increases muscle mass and decreases fat mass. Notwithstanding, conflicting studies report that myostatin stimulates or inhibits adipogenesis and it is unknown whether reduced adiposity with myostatin attenuation results from changes in fat deposition or adipogenesis. We therefore quantified changes in the stem, transit amplifying and progenitor cell pool in white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) using label-retaining wild-type and mstn(-/-) (Jekyll) mice. Muscle mass was larger in Jekyll mice, WAT and BAT mass was smaller and label induction was equal in all tissues from both wild-type and Jekyll mice. The number of label-retaining cells, however, dissipated quicker in WAT and BAT of Jekyll mice and was only 25% and 17%, respectively, of wild-type cell counts 1 month after induction. Adipose cell density was significantly higher in Jekyll mice and increased over time concomitant with label-retaining cell disappearance, which is consistent with enhanced expansion and differentiation of the stem, transit amplifying and progenitor pool. Stromal vascular cells from Jekyll WAT and BAT differentiated into mature adipocytes at a faster rate than wild-type cells and although Jekyll WAT cells also proliferated quicker in vitro, those from BAT did not. Differentiation marker expression in vitro, however, suggests that mstn(-/-) BAT preadipocytes are far more sensitive to the suppressive effects of myostatin. These results suggest that myostatin attenuation stimulates adipogenesis in vivo and that the reduced adiposity in mstn(-/-) animals results from nutrient partitioning away from fat and in support of muscle.
Metabolic benefits of inhibition of p38α in white adipose tissue in obesity.
Zhang, Shengjie; Cao, Hongchao; Li, Yan; Jing, Yanyan; Liu, Shengnan; Ye, Cheng; Wang, Hui; Yu, Shuxian; Peng, Chengyuan; Hui, Lijian; Wang, Yu-Cheng; Zhang, Haibing; Guo, Feifan; Zhai, Qiwei; Wang, Hui; Huang, Ruimin; Zhang, Ling; Jiang, Jingjing; Liu, Wei; Ying, Hao
2018-05-01
p38 has long been known as a central mediator of protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in brown adipocytes, which positively regulate the transcription of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1). However, the physiological role of p38 in adipose tissues, especially the white adipose tissue (WAT), is largely unknown. Here, we show that mice lacking p38α in adipose tissues display a lean phenotype, improved metabolism, and resistance to diet-induced obesity. Surprisingly, ablation of p38α causes minimal effects on brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult mice, as evident from undetectable changes in UCP-1 expression, mitochondrial function, body temperature (BT), and energy expenditure. In contrast, genetic ablation of p38α in adipose tissues not only markedly facilitates the browning in WAT upon cold stress but also prevents diet-induced obesity. Consistently, pharmaceutical inhibition of p38α remarkably enhances the browning of WAT and has metabolic benefits. Furthermore, our data suggest that p38α deficiency promotes white-to-beige adipocyte reprogramming in a cell-autonomous manner. Mechanistically, inhibition of p38α stimulates the UCP-1 transcription through PKA and its downstream cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), which form a positive feedback loop that functions to reinforce the white-to-beige phenotypic switch during cold exposure. Together, our study reveals that inhibition of p38α is able to promote WAT browning and confer metabolic benefits. Our study also indicates that p38α in WAT represents an exciting pharmacological target to combat obesity and metabolic diseases.
Volat, Fanny E; Pointud, Jean-Christophe; Pastel, Emilie; Morio, Béatrice; Sion, Benoit; Hamard, Ghislaine; Guichardant, Michel; Colas, Romain; Lefrançois-Martinez, Anne-Marie; Martinez, Antoine
2012-11-01
Negative regulators of white adipose tissue (WAT) expansion are poorly documented in vivo. Prostaglandin F(2α) (PGF(2α)) is a potent antiadipogenic factor in cultured preadipocytes, but evidence for its involvement in physiological context is lacking. We previously reported that Akr1b7, an aldo-keto reductase enriched in adipose stromal vascular fraction but absent from mature adipocytes, has antiadipogenic properties possibly supported by PGF(2α) synthase activity. To test whether lack of Akr1b7 could influence WAT homeostasis in vivo, we generated Akr1b7(-/-) mice in 129/Sv background. Akr1b7(-/-) mice displayed excessive basal adiposity resulting from adipocyte hyperplasia/hypertrophy and exhibited greater sensitivity to diet-induced obesity. Following adipose enlargement and irrespective of the diet, they developed liver steatosis and progressive insulin resistance. Akr1b7 loss was associated with decreased PGF(2α) WAT contents. Cloprostenol (PGF(2α) agonist) administration to Akr1b7(-/-) mice normalized WAT expansion by affecting both de novo adipocyte differentiation and size. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Akr1b7(-/-) mice with cloprostenol suggested that decreased adipocyte size resulted from inhibition of lipogenic gene expression. Hence, Akr1b7 is a major regulator of WAT development through at least two PGF(2α)-dependent mechanisms: inhibition of adipogenesis and lipogenesis. These findings provide molecular rationale to explore the status of aldo-keto reductases in dysregulations of adipose tissue homeostasis.
Browning of White Fat: Novel Insight Into Factors, Mechanisms, and Therapeutics.
Jeremic, Nevena; Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Tyagi, Suresh C
2017-01-01
What is more interesting about brown adipose tissue (BAT) is its ability to provide thermogenesis, protection against obesity by clearing triglycerides, releasing batokines, and mitigating insulin resistance. White adipose tissue (WAT) on the other hand stores excess energy and secretes some endocrine factors like leptin for regulating satiety. For the last decade there has been an increasing interest in the browning of fat keeping in view its beneficial effects on metabolic disorders and protection in the form of perivascular fat. Obesity is one such metabolic disorder that leads to significant morbidity and mortality from obesity-related disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and cardiovascular disease risk. Browning of white fat paves the way to restrict obesity and obesity related disorders. Although exercise has been the most common factor for fat browning; however, there are other factors that involve: (1) beta aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA); (2) gamma amino butyric acid (GABA); (3) PPARɣ agonists; (4) JAK inhibition; and (5) IRISIN. In this review, we propose two novel factors musclin and TFAM for fat browning. Musclin a myokine released from muscles during exercise activates PPARɣ which induces browning of WAT that has beneficial metabolic and cardiac effects. TFAM is a transcription factor that induces mitochondrial biogenesis. Since BAT is rich in mitochondria, higher expression of TFAM in WAT or TFAM treatment in WAT cells can induce browning of WAT. We propose that fat browning can be used as a therapeutic tool for metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 61-68, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bauters, Dries; Cobbaut, Mathias; Geys, Lotte; Van Lint, Johan; Hemmeryckx, Bianca; Lijnen, H Roger
2017-07-01
A potential strategy to treat obesity - and the associated metabolic consequences - is to increase energy expenditure. This could be achieved by stimulating thermogenesis through activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and/or the induction of browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). Over the last years, it has become clear that several metalloproteinases play an important role in adipocyte biology. Here, we investigated the potential role of ADAMTS5. Mice deficient in ADAMTS5 ( Adamts5 -/- ) and wild-type ( Adamts5 +/+ ) littermates were kept on a standard of Western-type diet for 15 weeks. Energy expenditure and heat production was followed by indirect calorimetry. To activate thermogenesis, mice were treated with the β3-adrenergic receptor (β 3 -AR) agonist CL-316,243 or alternatively, exposed to cold for 2 weeks. Compared to Adamts5 +/+ mice, Adamts5 -/- mice have significantly more interscapular BAT and marked browning of their subcutaneous (SC) WAT. Thermogenic pathway analysis indicated, in the absence of ADAMTS5, enhanced β 3 -AR signaling via activation of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). Additional β 3 -AR stimulation with CL-316,243 promoted browning of WAT in Adamts5 +/+ mice but had no additive effect in Adamts5 -/- mice. However, cold exposure induced more pronounced browning of WAT in Adamts5 -/- mice. These data indicate that ADAMTS5 plays a functional role in development of BAT and browning of WAT. Hence, selective targeting of ADAMTS5 could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment/prevention of obesity and metabolic diseases.
Dynamic changes in lipid droplet-associated proteins in the "browning" of white adipose tissues.
Barneda, David; Frontini, Andrea; Cinti, Saverio; Christian, Mark
2013-05-01
The morphological and functional differences between lipid droplets (LDs) in brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues will largely be determined by their associated proteins. Analysing mRNA expression in mice fat depots we have found that most LD protein genes are expressed at higher levels in BAT, with the greatest differences observed for Cidea and Plin5. Prolonged cold exposure, which induces the appearance of brown-like adipocytes in mice WAT depots, was accompanied with the potentiation of the lipolytic machinery, with changes in ATGL, CGI-58 and G0S2 gene expression. However the major change detected in WAT was the enhancement of Cidea mRNA. Together with the increase in Cidec, it indicates that LD enlargement through LD-LD transference of fat is an important process during WAT browning. To study the dynamics of this phenotypic change, we have applied 4D confocal microscopy in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells under sustained β-adrenergic stimulation. Under these conditions the cells experienced a LD remodelling cycle, with progressive reduction on the LD size by lipolysis, followed by the formation of new LDs, which were subjected to an enlargement process, likely to be CIDE-triggered, until the cell returned to the basal state. This transformation would be triggered by the activation of a thermogenic futile cycle of lipolysis/lipogenesis and could facilitate the molecular mechanism for the unilocular to multilocular transformation during WAT browning. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Brown and White Fat: From Signaling to Disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sutton, Elizabeth F.; Lob, Heinrich E.; Song, Jiunn; Xia, YunWei; Butler, Scott; Liu, Chin-Chi; Redman, Leanne M.
2017-01-01
Preeclampsia (PE) is a devastating disorder of pregnancy that classically presents with maternal hypertension and proteinuria after 20 wk of gestation. In addition to being a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity/mortality, epidemiological and prospective studies have revealed long-term consequences for both the mother and baby of preeclamptic pregnancies, including chronic hypertension as well as other cardiovascular diseases and metabolic derangements. To better understand the effect of in utero exposure of PE on offspring, we utilized the BPH/5 mouse, a spontaneous model of the maternal and fetal PE syndrome. We hypothesized that young BPH/5 offspring would have altered metabolic and cardiovascular phenotypes. Indeed, BPH/5 growth-restricted offspring showed excess catch-up growth by early adulthood due to hyperphagia and increased white adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation, with inflammation markers isolated to the reproductive WAT depot only. Both excessive WAT accumulation and the inflammatory WAT phenotype were corrected by pair-feeding young BPH/5 female mice. We also found that young BPH/5 female mice showed evidence of leptin resistance. Indeed, chronic hyperleptinemia has been shown to characterize other rodent models of PE; however, the maternal metabolic profile before pregnancy has not been fully understood. Furthermore, we found that these mice show signs of cardiovascular anomalies (hypertension and cardiomegaly) and altered signaling within the reproductive axis in early life. Future studies will involve challenging the physiological metabolic state of BPH/5 mice through pair-feeding to reduce WAT before pregnancy and determining its causal role in adverse pregnancy outcomes. PMID:28122721
Perkins, David D.
1975-01-01
Heterokaryon (vegetative) incompatibility, governing the fusion of somatic hyphal filaments to form stable heterokaryons, is of interest because of its widespread occurrence in fungi and its bearing on cellular recognition. Conventional investigations of the genetic basis of heterokaryon incompatibility in N. crassa are difficult because in commonly used stocks differences are present at several het loci, all with similar incompatibility phenotypes. This difficulty is overcome by using duplications (partial diploids) that are unlikely to contain more than one het locus. A phenotypically expressed incompatibility reaction occurs when unlike het alleles are present within the same somatic nucleus, and this parallels the heterokaryon incompatibility reaction that occurs when unlike alleles in different haploid nuclei are introduced into the same somatic hypha by mycelial fusion.—Nontandem duplications were used to confirm that the incompatibility reactions in heterokaryons and in duplications are alternate expressions of the same genes. This was demonstrated for three loci which had previously been established by conventional heterokaryon tests—het-e, het-c and mt. These were each obtained in duplications as recombinant meiotic segregants from crosses heterozygous for duplication-generating chromosome rearrangements. The particular method of producing the duplications is irrelevant so long as the incompatibility alleles are heterozygous.—The duplication technique has made it possible to determine easily the het-e and het-c genotypes of numerous laboratory and wild strains of unknown constitution. In laboratory strains both loci are represented simply by two alleles. Analysis of het-c is more complicated in some wild strains, where differences have been demonstrated at one or more additional het loci within the duplication used and multiple allelism is also possible.—The results show that the duplication method can be used to identify and map additional vegetative incompatibility loci, without the necessity of heterokaryon tests. PMID:124288
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Cholecalciferol has been measured in human white adipose tissue (WAT), but little is known about the relationship between the other circulating vitamin D metabolites and WAT. We measured concentrations of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D in subcutaneous fat tissue from 20 overweight and obese subjects partic...
Rodgers, Joseph Lee; Beasley, William Howard; Schuelke, Matthew
2014-01-01
Many data structures, particularly time series data, are naturally seasonal, cyclical, or otherwise circular. Past graphical methods for time series have focused on linear plots. In this article, we move graphical analysis onto the circle. We focus on 2 particular methods, one old and one new. Rose diagrams are circular histograms and can be produced in several different forms using the RRose software system. In addition, we propose, develop, illustrate, and provide software support for a new circular graphical method, called Wrap-Around Time Series Plots (WATS Plots), which is a graphical method useful to support time series analyses in general but in particular in relation to interrupted time series designs. We illustrate the use of WATS Plots with an interrupted time series design evaluating the effect of the Oklahoma City bombing on birthrates in Oklahoma County during the 10 years surrounding the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. We compare WATS Plots with linear time series representations and overlay them with smoothing and error bands. Each method is shown to have advantages in relation to the other; in our example, the WATS Plots more clearly show the existence and effect size of the fertility differential.
Increased Dynamics of Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Glutamate Synthesis in Obese Adipose Tissue
Nagao, Hirofumi; Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Bamba, Takeshi; Nakayama, Yasumune; Isozumi, Noriyoshi; Nagamori, Shushi; Kanai, Yoshikatsu; Tanaka, Yoshimitsu; Kita, Shunbun; Fukuda, Shiro; Funahashi, Tohru; Maeda, Norikazu; Fukusaki, Eiichiro; Shimomura, Iichiro
2017-01-01
Obesity is closely associated with various metabolic disorders. However, little is known about abnormalities in the metabolic change of obese adipose tissue. Here we use static metabolic analysis and in vivo metabolic turnover analysis to assess metabolic dynamics in obese mice. The static metabolic analyses showed that glutamate and constitutive metabolites of the TCA cycle were increased in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of ob/ob and diet-induced obesity mice but not in the liver or skeletal muscle of these obese mice. Moreover, in vivo metabolic turnover analyses demonstrated that these glucose-derived metabolites were dynamically and specifically produced in obese WAT compared with lean WAT. Glutamate rise in obese WAT was associated with down-regulation of glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST), a major glutamate transporter for adipocytes, and low uptake of glutamate into adipose tissue. In adipocytes, glutamate treatment reduced adiponectin secretion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake and phosphorylation of Akt. These data suggest that a high intra-adipocyte glutamate level potentially relates to adipocyte dysfunction in obesity. This study provides novel insights into metabolic dysfunction in obesity through comprehensive application of in vivo metabolic turnover analysis in two obese animal models. PMID:28119455
Barquissau, Valentin; Léger, Benjamin; Beuzelin, Diane; Martins, Frédéric; Amri, Ez-Zoubir; Pisani, Didier F; Saris, Wim H M; Astrup, Arne; Maoret, Jean-José; Iacovoni, Jason; Déjean, Sébastien; Moro, Cédric; Viguerie, Nathalie; Langin, Dominique
2018-01-23
Caloric restriction (CR) is standard lifestyle therapy in obesity management. CR-induced weight loss improves the metabolic profile of individuals with obesity. In mice, occurrence of beige fat cells in white fat depots favors a metabolically healthy phenotype, and CR promotes browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). Here, human subcutaneous abdominal WAT samples were analyzed in 289 individuals with obesity following a two-phase dietary intervention consisting of an 8 week very low calorie diet and a 6-month weight-maintenance phase. Before the intervention, we show sex differences and seasonal variation, with higher expression of brown and beige markers in women with obesity and during winter, respectively. The very low calorie diet resulted in decreased browning of subcutaneous abdominal WAT. During the whole dietary intervention, evolution of body fat and insulin resistance was independent of changes in brown and beige fat markers. These data suggest that diet-induced effects on body fat and insulin resistance are independent of subcutaneous abdominal WAT browning in people with obesity. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Activation of hypothalamic RIP-Cre neurons promotes beiging of WAT via sympathetic nervous system.
Wang, Baile; Li, Ang; Li, Xiaomu; Ho, Philip Wl; Wu, Donghai; Wang, Xiaoqi; Liu, Zhuohao; Wu, Kelvin Kl; Yau, Sonata Sy; Xu, Aimin; Cheng, Kenneth Ky
2018-04-01
Activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige fat by cold increases energy expenditure. Although their activation is known to be differentially regulated in part by hypothalamus, the underlying neural pathways and populations remain poorly characterized. Here, we show that activation of rat-insulin-promoter-Cre (RIP-Cre) neurons in ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) preferentially promotes recruitment of beige fat via a selective control of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) outflow to subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT), but has no effect on BAT Genetic ablation of APPL2 in RIP-Cre neurons diminishes beiging in sWAT without affecting BAT, leading to cold intolerance and obesity in mice. Such defects are reversed by activation of RIP-Cre neurons, inactivation of VMH AMPK, or treatment with a β3-adrenergic receptor agonist. Hypothalamic APPL2 enhances neuronal activation in VMH RIP-Cre neurons and raphe pallidus, thereby eliciting SNS outflow to sWAT and subsequent beiging. These data suggest that beige fat can be selectively activated by VMH RIP-Cre neurons, in which the APPL2-AMPK signaling axis is crucial for this defending mechanism to cold and obesity. © 2018 The Authors.
Cho, C. I.; Alam, M.; Choi, T. J.; Choy, Y. H.; Choi, J. G.; Lee, S. S.; Cho, K. H.
2016-01-01
The objectives of the study were to estimate genetic parameters for milk production traits of Holstein cattle using random regression models (RRMs), and to compare the goodness of fit of various RRMs with homogeneous and heterogeneous residual variances. A total of 126,980 test-day milk production records of the first parity Holstein cows between 2007 and 2014 from the Dairy Cattle Improvement Center of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation in South Korea were used. These records included milk yield (MILK), fat yield (FAT), protein yield (PROT), and solids-not-fat yield (SNF). The statistical models included random effects of genetic and permanent environments using Legendre polynomials (LP) of the third to fifth order (L3–L5), fixed effects of herd-test day, year-season at calving, and a fixed regression for the test-day record (third to fifth order). The residual variances in the models were either homogeneous (HOM) or heterogeneous (15 classes, HET15; 60 classes, HET60). A total of nine models (3 orders of polynomials×3 types of residual variance) including L3-HOM, L3-HET15, L3-HET60, L4-HOM, L4-HET15, L4-HET60, L5-HOM, L5-HET15, and L5-HET60 were compared using Akaike information criteria (AIC) and/or Schwarz Bayesian information criteria (BIC) statistics to identify the model(s) of best fit for their respective traits. The lowest BIC value was observed for the models L5-HET15 (MILK; PROT; SNF) and L4-HET15 (FAT), which fit the best. In general, the BIC values of HET15 models for a particular polynomial order was lower than that of the HET60 model in most cases. This implies that the orders of LP and types of residual variances affect the goodness of models. Also, the heterogeneity of residual variances should be considered for the test-day analysis. The heritability estimates of from the best fitted models ranged from 0.08 to 0.15 for MILK, 0.06 to 0.14 for FAT, 0.08 to 0.12 for PROT, and 0.07 to 0.13 for SNF according to days in milk of first lactation. Genetic variances for studied traits tended to decrease during the earlier stages of lactation, which were followed by increases in the middle and decreases further at the end of lactation. With regards to the fitness of the models and the differential genetic parameters across the lactation stages, we could estimate genetic parameters more accurately from RRMs than from lactation models. Therefore, we suggest using RRMs in place of lactation models to make national dairy cattle genetic evaluations for milk production traits in Korea. PMID:26954184
Cho, C I; Alam, M; Choi, T J; Choy, Y H; Choi, J G; Lee, S S; Cho, K H
2016-05-01
The objectives of the study were to estimate genetic parameters for milk production traits of Holstein cattle using random regression models (RRMs), and to compare the goodness of fit of various RRMs with homogeneous and heterogeneous residual variances. A total of 126,980 test-day milk production records of the first parity Holstein cows between 2007 and 2014 from the Dairy Cattle Improvement Center of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation in South Korea were used. These records included milk yield (MILK), fat yield (FAT), protein yield (PROT), and solids-not-fat yield (SNF). The statistical models included random effects of genetic and permanent environments using Legendre polynomials (LP) of the third to fifth order (L3-L5), fixed effects of herd-test day, year-season at calving, and a fixed regression for the test-day record (third to fifth order). The residual variances in the models were either homogeneous (HOM) or heterogeneous (15 classes, HET15; 60 classes, HET60). A total of nine models (3 orders of polynomials×3 types of residual variance) including L3-HOM, L3-HET15, L3-HET60, L4-HOM, L4-HET15, L4-HET60, L5-HOM, L5-HET15, and L5-HET60 were compared using Akaike information criteria (AIC) and/or Schwarz Bayesian information criteria (BIC) statistics to identify the model(s) of best fit for their respective traits. The lowest BIC value was observed for the models L5-HET15 (MILK; PROT; SNF) and L4-HET15 (FAT), which fit the best. In general, the BIC values of HET15 models for a particular polynomial order was lower than that of the HET60 model in most cases. This implies that the orders of LP and types of residual variances affect the goodness of models. Also, the heterogeneity of residual variances should be considered for the test-day analysis. The heritability estimates of from the best fitted models ranged from 0.08 to 0.15 for MILK, 0.06 to 0.14 for FAT, 0.08 to 0.12 for PROT, and 0.07 to 0.13 for SNF according to days in milk of first lactation. Genetic variances for studied traits tended to decrease during the earlier stages of lactation, which were followed by increases in the middle and decreases further at the end of lactation. With regards to the fitness of the models and the differential genetic parameters across the lactation stages, we could estimate genetic parameters more accurately from RRMs than from lactation models. Therefore, we suggest using RRMs in place of lactation models to make national dairy cattle genetic evaluations for milk production traits in Korea.
Cattin, Marie-Elodie; Ferry, Arnaud; Vignaud, Alban; Mougenot, Nathalie; Jacquet, Adeline; Wahbi, Karim; Bertrand, Anne T; Bonne, Gisèle
2016-08-01
LMNA gene encodes lamin A/C, ubiquitous proteins of the nuclear envelope. They play crucial role in maintaining nuclear shape and stiffness. When mutated, they essentially lead to dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defects, associated or not with muscular diseases. Excessive mechanical stress sensitivity has been involved in the pathophysiology. We have previously reported the phenotype of Lmna(delK32) mice, reproducing a mutation found in LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy patients. Heterozygous Lmna(delK32/+) (Het) mice develop a progressive dilated cardiomyopathy leading to death between 35 and 70 weeks of age. To investigate the sensitivity of the skeletal muscles and myocardium to chronic exercise-induced stress, Het and wild-type (Wt) mice were subjected to strenuous running treadmill exercise for 5 weeks. Before exercise, the cardiac function of Het mice was similar to Wt-littermates. After the exercise-period, Het mice showed cardiac dysfunction and dilation without visible changes in cardiac morphology, molecular remodelling or nuclear structure compared to Wt exercised and Het sedentary mice. Contrary to myocardium, skeletal muscle ex vivo contractile function remained unaffected in Het exercised mice. In conclusion, the expression of the Lmna(delK32) mutation increased the susceptibility of the myocardium to cardiac stress and led to an earlier onset of the cardiac phenotype in Het mice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Detection Technique and Overview of EPT-HET of Solar Orbiter
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kulkarni, S. R.; Tammen, J.; Boden, S.; Steinhagen, J.; Elftmann, R.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Boettcher, S. I.; Seimetz, L.; Ravanbakhsh, A.; Mahesh, Y.; Schuster, B.; Kulemzin, A.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Prieto, M.; Sanchez, S.
2016-12-01
The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of four sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. The Solar Orbiter EPT electron measurements from 20 - 400 keV will cover the gap with some overlap between suprathermal electrons measured by STEP and high energy electrons measured by HET. The proton measurements from 20 -7000 keV will partially cover the gap between STEP and HET. The Electron and Proton Telescope relies on the magnet/foil-technique. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 -100 MeV, and heavy ions from 20 to 200 MeV/nuc by dE/dx -Total E technique. Thus, HET covers the energy range which is of specific interest for studies of the space environment and will perform the measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy events at the Sun which occasionally accelerate particles to such high energies that they can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and be measured at ground level. Here we present the current development status of EPT-HET and calibration results of units.
Visible light catalyzed methylsulfoxidation of (het)aryl diazonium salts using DMSO.
Pramanik, Mukund M D; Rastogi, Namrata
2016-06-30
The visible light catalyzed methylsulfoxidation of (het)aryl diazonium salts using DMSO is illustrated. This is the first example of DMSO being used as the source of the methylsulfinyl group. The procedure tolerates a wide range of functional groups on (het)aryl diazonium salts and provides aryl methyl sulfoxides in excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.
WatER: The proposed Water Elevation Recovery satellite mission
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alsdorf, D.; Mognard, N.; Rodriguez, E.; Participants, W.
2005-12-01
Surface fresh water is essential for life, yet we have surprisingly poor knowledge of the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface water storage and discharge globally. The core mission objective is to describe and understand the continental water cycle and the hydrological processes (e.g., floodplain hydraulics) at work in a river basin. The key question that will be answered by WatER is: "Where is water stored on Earth's land surfaces, and how does this storage vary in space and time?" WatER will facilitate societal needs by (1) improving our understanding of flood hazards; (2) freely providing water volume information to countries who critically rely on rivers that cross political borders; and (3) mapping the variations in water bodies that contribute to disease vectors (e.g., malaria). Conventional altimeter profiles are, without question, incapable of supplying the measurements needed to address scientific and societal questions. WatER will repeatedly measure the spatially distributed water surface elevations (h) of wetlands, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. Successive h measurements yield dh/dt, (t is time), hence a volumetric change in water stored or lost. Individual images of h yield dh/dx (x is distance), hence surface water slope, which is necessary for estimating streamflow. WatER's main instrument is a Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIN) which is the only technology capable of supplying the required imaging capability of h. KaRIN has a rich heritage based on (1) the many highly successful ocean observing radar altimeters, (2) the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and (3) the development effort of the Wide Swath Ocean Altimeter (WSOA). The interferometric altimeter is a near-nadir viewing, 120 km wideswath based instrument that uses interferometric SAR processing of the returned pulses to yield single-look 5m azimuth and 10m to 70m range resolution, with an elevation accuracy of approximately 50 cm. Polynomial based averaging of heights along the water body increases the height accuracy to about 3 cm. The entire globe is covered twice every 16 days and orbit subcycles allow the average visit to be about half this time at low to mid-latitudes, and almost daily at high latitudes. The WatER mission is an international effort with a large, supporting scientific community. It is already proposed as an ESA Earth Explorer Core mission and will also be jointly submitted to NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program. WatER is designed to meet high priority targets for all nations and will provide essential data for the EU Water Framework Directive and the European Flood Alert System. WatER will meet the United Nations call for a "greater focus on water related issues", responds to the hydroclimatological needs of the International Working Group on Earth Observations, and answers the U.S. federal government call to focus on our "ability to measure, monitor, and forecast U.S. and global supplies of fresh water".
Ellison, GTH; Richter, LM; de Wet, T; Harris, HE; Griesel, RD; McIntyre, JA
2007-01-01
This study examined the reliability of hand-written and computerised records of birth data collected during the Birth to Ten study at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. The reliability of record-keeping in hand-written obstetric and neonatal files was assessed by comparing duplicate records of six different variables abstracted from six different sections in these files. The reliability of computerised record-keeping was assessed by comparing the original hand-written record of each variable with records contained in the hospital’s computerised database. These data sets displayed similar levels of reliability which suggests that similar errors occurred when data were transcribed from one section of the files to the next, and from these files to the computerised database. In both sets of records reliability was highest for the categorical variable infant sex, and for those continuous variables (such as maternal age and gravidity) recorded with unambiguous units. Reliability was lower for continuous variables that could be recorded with different levels of precision (such as birth weight), those that were occasionally measured more than once, and those that could be measured using more than one measurement technique (such as gestational age). Reducing the number of times records are transcribed, categorising continuous variables, and standardising the techniques used for measuring and recording variables would improve the reliability of both hand-written and computerised data sets. OPSOMMING In hierdie studie is die betroubaarheid van handgeskrewe en gerekenariseerde rekords van ge boortedata ondersoek, wat versamel is gedurende die ‘Birth to Ten’ -studie aan die Baragwanath hospitaal in Soweto. Die betroubaarheid van handgeskrewe verloskundige en pasgeboortelike rekords is beoordeel deur duplikaatrekords op ses verskillende verander likes te vergelyk, wat onttrek is uit ses verskillende dele van die betrokke lêers. Die gerekenariseerde rekords se betroubaarheid is beoordeel deur die oorspronklike geskrewe rekord van elke veranderlike te vergelyk met rekords wat beskikbaar is in die hospitaal se gerekenariseerde databasis Hierdie datastelle her vergelykbare vlakke van betroubaarheid getoon, waaruit afgelei kan word dat soortgelyke foute voorkom warmeer data oorgeplaas word vaneen deeivan ’n lêer na ’n ander, en vanaf die lêer na die gerekenariseerde databasis. In albei stelle rekords was die betroubaarheid die hoogste vir die kategoriese veranderlike suigeling se geslag, en vir daardie kontinue veranderlikes (soos moeder se ouderdom en gravida) wat in terme van ondubbelsinmge eenhede gekodeer kan word. Kontinue veranderlikes wat op wisselende vlakke van akkuratheid gemeet word (soos gewig met geboorte), veranderlikes wat soms meer as een keer gemeet is, en veranderlikes wat voigens meer as een metingstegniek bepaal is (soos draagtydsouderdom), was minder betroubaar Deur die aantal kere wat rekords oorgeskryf moet word te verminder, kontinue veranderlikes tat kategoriese veranderlikes te wysig. en tegnieke vir meting en aantekening van veranderlikes te standardiseer, kan die betroubaarheid van sowel handgeskrewe as gerekenariseerde datastelle verbeter word. PMID:9287552
Wang, Jong-Shyan; Chang, Ya-Lun; Chen, Yi-Ching; Tsai, Hsing-Hua; Fu, Tieh-Cheng
2015-08-01
Exercise and hypoxia paradoxically modulate vascular thrombotic risks. The shedding of procoagulant-rich microparticles from monocytes may accelerate the pathogenesis of atherothrombosis. The present study explores the manner in which normoxic and hypoxic exercise regimens affect procoagulant monocyte-derived microparticle (MDMP) formation and monocyte-promoted thrombin generation (TG). Forty sedentary healthy males were randomized to perform either normoxic (NET; 21% O2, n=20) or hypoxic (HET; 15% O2, n=20) exercise training (60% VO(2max)) for 30 min/day, 5 days/week for 5 weeks. At rest and immediately after HET (100 W under 12% O2 for 30 min), the MDMP characteristics and dynamic TG were measured by flow cytometry and thrombinography respectively. The results demonstrated that acute 12% O2 exercise (i) increased the release of coagulant factor V (FV)/FVIII-rich, phosphatidylserine (PS)-exposed and tissue factor (TF)-expressed microparticles from monocytes, (ii) enhanced the peak height and rate of TG in monocyte-rich plasma (MRP) and (iii) elevated concentrations of norepinephrine/epinephrine, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in plasma. Following the 5-week intervention, HET exhibited higher enhancements of peak work-rate and cardiopulmonary fitness than NET did. Moreover, both NET and HET decreased the FV/FVIII-rich, PS-exposed and TF-expressed MDMP counts and the peak height and rate of TG in MRP following the HET. However, HET elicited more suppression for the HE (hypoxic exercise)-enhanced procoagulant MDMP formation and dynamic TG in MPR and catecholamine/peroxide/pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in plasma than NET. Hence, we conclude that HET is superior to NET for enhancing aerobic capacity. Furthermore, HET effectively suppresses procoagulant MDMP formation and monocyte-mediated TG under severe hypoxic stress, compared with NET.
Joshi, Neha; Duhan, Vikas; Lingwal, Neelam; Bhaskar, Sangeeta; Upadhyay, Pramod
2012-01-01
Hyperthermia enhanced transdermal (HET) immunization is a novel needle free immunization strategy employing application of antigen along with mild local hyperthermia (42°C) to intact skin resulting in detectable antigen specific Ig in serum. In the present study, we investigated the adjuvant effect of thermal component of HET immunization in terms of maturation of dendritic cells and its implication on the quality of the immune outcome in terms of antibody production upon HET immunization with tetanus toxoid (TT). We have shown that in vitro hyperthermia exposure at 42°C for 30 minutes up regulates the surface expression of maturation markers on bone marrow derived DCs. This observation correlated in vivo with an increased and accelerated expression of maturation markers on DCs in the draining lymph node upon HET immunization in mice. This effect was found to be independent of the antigen delivered and depends only on the thermal component of HET immunization. In vitro hyperthermia also led to enhanced capacity to stimulate CD4+ T cells in allo MLR and promotes the secretion of IL-10 by BMDCs, suggesting a potential for Th2 skewing of T cell response. HET immunization also induced a systemic T cell response to TT, as suggested by proliferation of splenocytes from immunized animal upon in vitro stimulation by TT. Exposure to heat during primary immunization led to generation of mainly IgG class of antibodies upon boosting, similar to the use of conventional alum adjuvant, thus highlighting the adjuvant potential of heat during HET immunization. Lastly, we have shown that mice immunized by tetanus toxoid using HET route exhibited protection against challenge with a lethal dose of tetanus toxin. Thus, in addition to being a painless, needle free delivery system it also has an immune modulatory potential.
Gietzelt, M; von Bargen, T; Kohlmann, M; Marschollek, M; Schwartze, J; Song, B; Wagner, M; Wolf, K-H; Haux, R
2014-01-01
This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on "Using Data from Ambient Assisted Living and Smart Homes in Electronic Health Records". In this paper, we present a prototype of a Home-Centered Health-Enabling Technology (HET-HC), which is able to capture, store, merge and process data from various sensor systems at people's home. In addition, we present an architecture designed to integrate HET-HC into an exemplary regional Health Information System (rHIS). rHIS are traditionally document-based to fit to the needs in a clinical context. However, HET-HC are producing continuous data streams for which documents might be an inappropriate representation. Therefore, the HET-HC could register placeholder-documents at rHIS. These placeholder-documents are assembled upon user-authenticated request by the HET-HC and are always up-to-date. Moreover, it is not trivial to find a clinical coding system for continuous sensor data and to make the data machine-readable in order to enhance the interoperability of such systems. Therefore, we propose the use of SNOCAP-HET, which is a nomenclature to describe the context of sensor-based measurements in health-enabling technologies. We present an architectural approach to integrate HET-HC into rHIS. Our solution is the centralized registration of placeholder-documents with rHIS and the decentralized data storage at people's home. We concluded that the presented architecture of integrating HET-HC into rHIS might fit well to the traditional approach of document-based data storage. Data security and privacy issues are also duly considered.
Heterologous embryo transfer: Magisterial answers and metaphysical questions.
Accad, Michel
2014-02-01
The debate regarding the morality of heterologous embryo transfer (HET) as a solution for the fate of cryopreserved embryos remains active. This paper endeavors to show that the magisterial instructions on bioethical issues can only lead to the conclusion that HET is always morally illicit. I begin by showing that the text of Dignitas personae recognizes HET as a procedure accomplishing a procreative function, and I indicate that it is through gestation that this procreative function occurs. I further show that the previous Instruction, Donum vitae, implicitly points to an ontological or spiritual consideration at play during gestation. This consideration is likely related to the procreative function identified in Dignitas personae. Finally, I place these two textual arguments in the context of the debate concerning HET and conclude that metaphysical questions must be clarified in order for the immorality of HET to be understood from a suitable anthropological perspective and gain more widespread acceptance.
Heterologous embryo transfer: Magisterial answers and metaphysical questions
Accad, Michel
2014-01-01
The debate regarding the morality of heterologous embryo transfer (HET) as a solution for the fate of cryopreserved embryos remains active. This paper endeavors to show that the magisterial instructions on bioethical issues can only lead to the conclusion that HET is always morally illicit. I begin by showing that the text of Dignitas personae recognizes HET as a procedure accomplishing a procreative function, and I indicate that it is through gestation that this procreative function occurs. I further show that the previous Instruction, Donum vitae, implicitly points to an ontological or spiritual consideration at play during gestation. This consideration is likely related to the procreative function identified in Dignitas personae. Finally, I place these two textual arguments in the context of the debate concerning HET and conclude that metaphysical questions must be clarified in order for the immorality of HET to be understood from a suitable anthropological perspective and gain more widespread acceptance. PMID:24899737
Kim, Hyun-joo; Kang, Chang Ho; Ryu, Jeong Ah; Shin, Myung Jin; Cho, Kyung-Ja; Cho, Woo Shin
2011-01-01
Objective We wanted to compare the two-dimensional (2D) fast spin echo (FSE) techniques and the three-dimensional (3D) fast field echo techniques for the evaluation of the chondromalacia patella using a microscopy coil. Materials and Methods Twenty five patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty were included in this study. Preoperative MRI evaluation of the patella was performed using a microscopy coil (47 mm). The proton density-weighted fast spin echo images (PD), the fat-suppressed PD images (FS-PD), the intermediate weighted-fat suppressed fast spin echo images (iw-FS-FSE), the 3D balanced-fast field echo images (B-FFE), the 3D water selective cartilage scan (WATS-c) and the 3D water selective fluid scan (WATS-f) were obtained on a 1.5T MRI scanner. The patellar cartilage was evaluated in nine areas: the superior, middle and the inferior portions that were subdivided into the medial, central and lateral facets in a total of 215 areas. Employing the Noyes grading system, the MRI grade 0-I, II and III lesions were compared using the gross and microscopic findings. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were evaluated for each sequence. The significance of the differences for the individual sequences was calculated using the McNemar test. Results The gross and microscopic findings demonstrated 167 grade 0-I lesions, 40 grade II lesions and eight grade III lesions. Iw-FS-FSE had the highest accuracy (sensitivity/specificity/accuracy = 88%/98%/96%), followed by FS-PD (78%/98%/93%, respectively), PD (76%/98%/93%, respectively), B-FFE (71%/100%/93%, respectively), WATS-c (67%/100%/92%, respectively) and WATS-f (58%/99%/89%, respectively). There were statistically significant differences for the iw-FS-FSE and WATS-f and for the PD-FS and WATS-f (p < 0.01). Conclusion The iw-FS-FSE images obtained with a microscopy coil show best diagnostic performance among the 2D and 3D GRE images for evaluating the chondromalacia patella. PMID:21228943
Kim, Hyun-joo; Lee, Sang Hoon; Kang, Chang Ho; Ryu, Jeong Ah; Shin, Myung Jin; Cho, Kyung-Ja; Cho, Woo Shin
2011-01-01
We wanted to compare the two-dimensional (2D) fast spin echo (FSE) techniques and the three-dimensional (3D) fast field echo techniques for the evaluation of the chondromalacia patella using a microscopy coil. Twenty five patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty were included in this study. Preoperative MRI evaluation of the patella was performed using a microscopy coil (47 mm). The proton density-weighted fast spin echo images (PD), the fat-suppressed PD images (FS-PD), the intermediate weighted-fat suppressed fast spin echo images (iw-FS-FSE), the 3D balanced-fast field echo images (B-FFE), the 3D water selective cartilage scan (WATS-c) and the 3D water selective fluid scan (WATS-f) were obtained on a 1.5T MRI scanner. The patellar cartilage was evaluated in nine areas: the superior, middle and the inferior portions that were subdivided into the medial, central and lateral facets in a total of 215 areas. Employing the Noyes grading system, the MRI grade 0-I, II and III lesions were compared using the gross and microscopic findings. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were evaluated for each sequence. The significance of the differences for the individual sequences was calculated using the McNemar test. The gross and microscopic findings demonstrated 167 grade 0-I lesions, 40 grade II lesions and eight grade III lesions. Iw-FS-FSE had the highest accuracy (sensitivity/specificity/accuracy = 88%/98%/96%), followed by FS-PD (78%/98%/93%, respectively), PD (76%/98%/93%, respectively), B-FFE (71%/100%/93%, respectively), WATS-c (67%/100%/92%, respectively) and WATS-f (58%/99%/89%, respectively). There were statistically significant differences for the iw-FS-FSE and WATS-f and for the PD-FS and WATS-f (p < 0.01). The iw-FS-FSE images obtained with a microscopy coil show best diagnostic performance among the 2D and 3D GRE images for evaluating the chondromalacia patella.
The Local Group in LCDM - Shapes and masses of dark halos
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vera-Ciro, Carlos Andrés
2013-01-01
In dit proefschrift bestuderen we de eigenschappen van donkere materie halo's in het LCDM paradigma. Het eerste deel richt zich op de vorm van de massadistributie van dergelijke objecten. We hebben gevonden dat de vorm van ge"isoleerde Melkweg-achtige donkere materie halo's significant afwijkt van bolsymmetrie. De lokale omgeving heeft invloed op de halo's en deze worden daarbij sterk be"invloed door de manier waarop massa aangroeit. We hebben ook de structuur en de baanstructuur van de satellieten van dergelijke halo's in detail onderzocht. In het algemeen zijn deze objecten sferischer dan de halo's zelf. Ze vertonen ook duidelijke afdrukken van getijdenwerking in zowel hun geometrische vorm als in de baanstructuur. Daarna gebruiken we het aantal massieve objecten rond de Melkweg om limieten te zetten op de totale massa van de donkere materie halo van de Melkweg. De eigenschappen van de massaverdeling van de Melkweg worden verder onderzocht in het laatste hoofdstuk. Daar maken we gebruik van de Sagittarius sterstroom om de vorm van de galactische potentiaal beter te bepalen. We komen met een nieuw model dat rekening houdt met de galactische schijf en de invloed van satellietstelsels en die bovendien consistent is met het LCDM paradigma.
Antioxidant peroxiredoxin 3 expression is regulated by 17beta-estradiol in rat white adipose tissue.
Bauzá-Thorbrügge, Marco; M Galmés-Pascual, Bel; Sbert-Roig, Miquel; J García-Palmer, Francisco; Gianotti, Magdalena; M Proenza, Ana; Lladó, Isabel
2017-09-01
Peroxiredoxin 3 (PRX3) plays a role as a regulator of the adipocyte mitochondrial function due to its antioxidant activity. We have previously reported the existence of a sexual dimorphism in the mitochondrial oxidative stress status of many rat tissues such as white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissues. The aim was to elucidate whether sex hormones may play a role in PRX3 expression in the adipose tissues of rats. In in vivo experiments, male and female standard diet fed rats, high fat diet (HFD) fed rats and rosiglitazone-supplemented HFD (HDF+Rsg) fed rats, as well as ovariectomized (OVX) and 17beta-estradiol-supplemented OVX (OVX+E2) female rats were used. 3T3-L1 adipocytes and brown adipocyte primary culture were used to study the roles of both E2 and testosterone in in vitro experiments. PRX3 levels were greater in the WAT of female rats than in males. This sexual dimorphism disappeared by HFD feeding but was magnified with Rsg supplementation. PRX3 sexual dimorphism was not observed in BAT, and neither HFD nor ovariectomy modified PRX3 levels. Rsg increased Prx3 expression in the BAT of both sexes. In vitro studies supported the results obtained in vivo and confirmed the contribution of E2 to sex differences in WAT Prx3 expression. Finally, we reported an E2 upregulation of both PRX3 and thioredoxin 2 (TRX2) in WAT but not in BAT that could play a key role in the sex dimorphism reported in the antioxidant defence of WAT in order to palliate the detrimental effect of the oxidative stress. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Masuda, Yosuke; Yoshida, Tomoki; Yamaotsu, Noriyuki; Hirono, Shuichi
2018-01-01
We recently reported that the Gibbs free energy of hydrolytic water molecules (ΔG wat ) in acyl-trypsin intermediates calculated by hydration thermodynamics analysis could be a useful metric for estimating the catalytic rate constants (k cat ) of mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors. For thorough evaluation, the proposed method was tested with an increased number of covalent ligands that have no corresponding crystal structures. After modeling acyl-trypsin intermediate structures using flexible molecular superposition, ΔG wat values were calculated according to the proposed method. The orbital energies of antibonding π* molecular orbitals (MOs) of carbonyl C=O in covalently modified catalytic serine (E orb ) were also calculated by semi-empirical MO calculations. Then, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed to build a model that can discriminate covalent inhibitor candidates from substrate-like ligands using ΔG wat and E orb . The model was built using a training set (10 compounds) and then validated by a test set (4 compounds). As a result, the training set and test set ligands were perfectly discriminated by the model. Hydrolysis was slower when (1) the hydrolytic water molecule has lower ΔG wat ; (2) the covalent ligand presents higher E orb (higher reaction barrier). Results also showed that the entropic term of hydrolytic water molecule (-TΔS wat ) could be used for estimating k cat and for covalent inhibitor optimization; when the rotational freedom of the hydrolytic water molecule is limited, the chance for favorable interaction with the electrophilic acyl group would also be limited. The method proposed in this study would be useful for screening and optimizing the mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors.
Ogier, Michaël; Belmeguenai, Amor; Lieutaud, Thomas; Georges, Béatrice; Bouvard, Sandrine; Carré, Emilie; Canini, Frédéric; Bezin, Laurent
2017-04-15
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in both military and civilian populations, and often results in neurobehavioral sequelae that impair quality of life in both patients and their families. Although individuals who are chronically exposed to stress are more likely to experience TBI, it is still unknown whether pre-injury stress influences the outcome after TBI. The present study tested whether behavioral and cognitive long-term outcome after TBI in rats is affected by prior exposure to an innate stress stimulus. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to the predator odor 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) or to water (WAT); exposure was repeated eight times at irregular intervals over a 2-week period. Rats were subsequently subjected to either mild-to-moderate bilateral brain injury (lateral fluid percussion [LFP]) or sham surgery (Sham). Four experimental groups were studied: Sham-WAT, Sham-TMT, LFP-WAT and LFP-TMT. Compared with Sham-WAT rats, LFP-WAT rats exhibited transient locomotor hyperactivity without signs of anxiety, minor spatial learning acquisition and hippocampal long-term potentiation deficits, and lower baseline activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with slightly stronger reactivity to restraint stress. Exposure to TMT had only negligible effects on Sham rats, whereas it exacerbated all deficits in LFP rats except for locomotor hyperactivity. Early brain inflammatory response (8 h post-trauma) was aggravated in rats pre-exposed to TMT, suggesting that increased brain inflammation may sustain functional deficits in these rats. Hence, these data suggest that pre-exposure to stressful conditions can aggravate long-term deficits induced by TBI, leading to severe stress response deficits, possibly due to dysregulated inflammatory response.
Volat, Fanny E.; Pointud, Jean-Christophe; Pastel, Emilie; Morio, Béatrice; Sion, Benoit; Hamard, Ghislaine; Guichardant, Michel; Colas, Romain; Lefrançois-Martinez, Anne-Marie; Martinez, Antoine
2012-01-01
Negative regulators of white adipose tissue (WAT) expansion are poorly documented in vivo. Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) is a potent antiadipogenic factor in cultured preadipocytes, but evidence for its involvement in physiological context is lacking. We previously reported that Akr1b7, an aldo-keto reductase enriched in adipose stromal vascular fraction but absent from mature adipocytes, has antiadipogenic properties possibly supported by PGF2α synthase activity. To test whether lack of Akr1b7 could influence WAT homeostasis in vivo, we generated Akr1b7−/− mice in 129/Sv background. Akr1b7−/− mice displayed excessive basal adiposity resulting from adipocyte hyperplasia/hypertrophy and exhibited greater sensitivity to diet-induced obesity. Following adipose enlargement and irrespective of the diet, they developed liver steatosis and progressive insulin resistance. Akr1b7 loss was associated with decreased PGF2α WAT contents. Cloprostenol (PGF2α agonist) administration to Akr1b7−/− mice normalized WAT expansion by affecting both de novo adipocyte differentiation and size. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Akr1b7−/− mice with cloprostenol suggested that decreased adipocyte size resulted from inhibition of lipogenic gene expression. Hence, Akr1b7 is a major regulator of WAT development through at least two PGF2α-dependent mechanisms: inhibition of adipogenesis and lipogenesis. These findings provide molecular rationale to explore the status of aldo-keto reductases in dysregulations of adipose tissue homeostasis. PMID:22851578
Gauthier, Karine; Billon, Cyrielle; Bissler, Marie; Beylot, Michel; Lobaccaro, Jean-Marc; Vanacker, Jean-Marc; Samarut, Jacques
2010-01-01
Thyroid hormone (TR) and liver X (LXR) receptors are transcription factors involved in lipogenesis. Both receptors recognize the same consensus DNA-response element in vitro. It was previously shown that their signaling pathways interact in the control of cholesterol elimination in the liver. In the present study, carbohydrate-response element-binding protein (ChREBP), a major transcription factor controlling the activation of glucose-induced lipogenesis in liver, is characterized as a direct target of thyroid hormones (TH) in liver and white adipose tissue (WAT), the two main lipogenic tissues in mice. Using genetic and molecular approaches, ChREBP is shown to be specifically regulated by TRβ but not by TRα in vivo, even in WAT where both TR isoforms are expressed. However, this isotype specificity is not found in vitro. This TRβ specific regulation correlates with the loss of TH-induced lipogenesis in TRβ−/− mice. Fasting/refeeding experiments show that TRβ is not required for the activation of ChREBP expression particularly marked in WAT following refeeding. However, TH can stimulate ChREBP expression in WAT even under fasting conditions, suggesting completely independent pathways. Because ChREBP has been described as an LXR target, the interaction of LXR and TRβ in ChREBP regulation was assayed both in vitro and in vivo. Each receptor recognizes a different response element on the ChREBP promoter, located only 8 bp apart. There is a cross-talk between LXR and TRβ signaling on the ChREBP promoter in liver but not in WAT where LXR does not regulate ChREBP expression. The molecular basis for this cross-talk has been determined in in vitro systems. PMID:20615868
Germline Ablation of VGF Increases Lipolysis in White Adipose Tissue
Fargali, Samira; Scherer, Thomas; Shin, Andrew C.; Sadahiro, Masato; Buettner, Christoph; Salton, Stephen R.
2012-01-01
Targeted deletion of VGF, a neuronal and endocrine secreted protein and neuropeptide precursor, produces a lean, hypermetabolic mouse that is resistant to diet-, lesion-, and genetically-induced obesity and diabetes. We hypothesized that increased sympathetic nervous system activity in Vgf−/Vgf− knockout mice is responsible for increased energy expenditure and decreased fat storage, and that increased beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation induces lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) of Vgf−/Vgf− mice. We found that fat mass was markedly reduced in Vgf−/Vgf− mice. Within knockout WAT, phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA) substrate increased in males and females, phosphorylation of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) (Ser563) increased in females, and levels of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), comparative gene identification-58 (CGI-58), and phospho-perilipin, were higher in male Vgf−/Vgf− WAT compared to wild type, consistent with increased lipolysis. The phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (Thr172) and levels of the AMPK kinase, transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK-1), were decreased. This was associated with a decrease in HSL Ser565 phosphorylation, the site phosphorylated by AMPK, in both male and female Vgf−/Vgf− WAT. No significant differences in phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) or the p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were noted. Despite this evidence supporting increased cAMP signaling and lipolysis, lipogenesis as assessed by fatty acid synthase (FAS) protein expression and phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (pACC) was not decreased. Our data suggest that the VGF precursor or selected VGF-derived peptides dampen sympathetic outflow pathway activity to WAT to regulate fat storage and lipolysis. PMID:22942234
An elliptical trainer may render the Wingate all-out test more anaerobic.
Ozkaya, Ozgur; Colakoglu, Muzaffer; Kuzucu, Erinc O; Delextrat, Anne
2014-03-01
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the 3 main energy pathways during a 30-second elliptical all-out test (EAT) compared with the Wingate all-out test (WAT). Participants were 12 male team sport players (age, 20.3 ± 1.8 years; body mass, 74.8 ± 12.4 kg; height, 176.0 ± 9.10 cm; body fat, 12.1 ± 1.0%). Net energy outputs from the oxidative, phospholytic, and glycolytic energy systems were calculated from oxygen uptake data recorded during 30-second test, the fast component of postexercise oxygen uptake kinetics, and peak blood lactate concentration, respectively. In addition, mechanical power indices were calculated. The main results showed that compared with WAT, EAT was characterized by significantly lower absolute and relative contributions of the oxidative system (16.9 ± 2.5 J vs. 19.8 ± 4.9 J; p ≤ 0.05 and 11.2 ± 1.5% vs. 15.7 ± 3.28%; p ≤ 0.001). In addition, significantly greater absolute and relative contributions of the phospholytic system (66.1 ± 15.8 J vs. 50.7 ± 15.9 J; p ≤ 0.01 and 43.8 ± 6.62% vs. 39.1 ± 6.87%; p ≤ 0.05) and a significantly greater absolute contribution of the glycolytic system (68.6 ± 18.4 J vs. 57.4 ± 13.7 J; p ≤ 0.01) were observed in EAT compared with WAT. Finally, all power indices, except the fatigue index, were significantly greater in EAT than WAT (p ≤ 0.05). Because of the significantly lower aerobic contribution in EAT compared with WAT, elliptical trainers may be a good alternative to cycle ergometers to assess anaerobic performance in athletes involved in whole-body activities.
Sutton, Elizabeth F; Lob, Heinrich E; Song, Jiunn; Xia, YunWei; Butler, Scott; Liu, Chin-Chi; Redman, Leanne M; Sones, Jenny L
2017-04-01
Preeclampsia (PE) is a devastating disorder of pregnancy that classically presents with maternal hypertension and proteinuria after 20 wk of gestation. In addition to being a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity/mortality, epidemiological and prospective studies have revealed long-term consequences for both the mother and baby of preeclamptic pregnancies, including chronic hypertension as well as other cardiovascular diseases and metabolic derangements. To better understand the effect of in utero exposure of PE on offspring, we utilized the BPH/5 mouse, a spontaneous model of the maternal and fetal PE syndrome. We hypothesized that young BPH/5 offspring would have altered metabolic and cardiovascular phenotypes. Indeed, BPH/5 growth-restricted offspring showed excess catch-up growth by early adulthood due to hyperphagia and increased white adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation, with inflammation markers isolated to the reproductive WAT depot only. Both excessive WAT accumulation and the inflammatory WAT phenotype were corrected by pair-feeding young BPH/5 female mice. We also found that young BPH/5 female mice showed evidence of leptin resistance. Indeed, chronic hyperleptinemia has been shown to characterize other rodent models of PE; however, the maternal metabolic profile before pregnancy has not been fully understood. Furthermore, we found that these mice show signs of cardiovascular anomalies (hypertension and cardiomegaly) and altered signaling within the reproductive axis in early life. Future studies will involve challenging the physiological metabolic state of BPH/5 mice through pair-feeding to reduce WAT before pregnancy and determining its causal role in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
Mueller, Michaela; Thorell, Anders; Claudel, Thierry; Jha, Pooja; Koefeler, Harald; Lackner, Carolin; Hoesel, Bastian; Fauler, Guenter; Stojakovic, Tatjana; Einarsson, Curt; Marschall, Hanns-Ulrich; Trauner, Michael
2015-06-01
Bile acids (BAs) are major regulators of hepatic BA and lipid metabolism but their mechanisms of action in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are still poorly understood. Here we aimed to explore the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in modulating the cross-talk between liver and visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT) regarding BA and cholesterol metabolism and fatty acid/lipid partitioning in morbidly obese NAFLD patients. In this randomized controlled pharmacodynamic study, we analyzed serum, liver and vWAT samples from 40 well-matched morbidly obese patients receiving UDCA (20 mg/kg/day) or no treatment three weeks prior to bariatric surgery. Short term UDCA administration stimulated BA synthesis by reducing circulating fibroblast growth factor 19 and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) activation, resulting in cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase induction mirrored by elevated C4 and 7α-hydroxycholesterol. Enhanced BA formation depleted hepatic and LDL-cholesterol with subsequent activation of the key enzyme of cholesterol synthesis 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase. Blunted FXR anti-lipogenic effects induced lipogenic stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) in the liver, thereby increasing hepatic triglyceride content. In addition, induced SCD activity in vWAT shifted vWAT lipid metabolism towards generation of less toxic and more lipogenic monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid. These data demonstrate that by exerting FXR-antagonistic effects, UDCA treatment in NAFLD patients strongly impacts on cholesterol and BA synthesis and induces neutral lipid accumulation in both liver and vWAT. Copyright © 2015 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Group 2 innate lymphoid cells promote beiging of adipose and limit obesity
Brestoff, Jonathan R.; Kim, Brian S.; Saenz, Steven A.; Stine, Rachel R.; Monticelli, Laurel A.; Sonnenberg, Gregory F.; Thome, Joseph J.; Farber, Donna L.; Lutfy, Kabirullah; Seale, Patrick; Artis, David
2015-01-01
Obesity is an increasingly prevalent disease regulated by genetic and environmental factors. Emerging studies indicate that immune cells, including monocytes, granulocytes and lymphocytes, regulate metabolic homeostasis and are dysregulated in obesity1,2. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) can regulate adaptive immunity3,4 and eosinophil and alternatively-activated macrophage responses5, and were recently identified in murine white adipose tissue (WAT)5 where they may act to limit the development of obesity6. However, ILC2s have not been identified in human adipose tissue, and the mechanisms by which ILC2s regulate metabolic homeostasis remain unknown. Here, we identify ILC2s in human WAT and demonstrate that decreased ILC2 responses in WAT are a conserved characteristic of obesity in humans and mice. Interleukin (IL)-33 was found to be critical for the maintenance of ILC2s in WAT and in limiting adiposity in mice by increasing caloric expenditure. This was associated with recruitment of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)+ beige adipocytes in WAT, a process known as beiging or browning that regulates caloric expenditure7–9. IL-33-induced beiging was dependent on ILC2s, and IL-33 treatment or transfer of IL-33-elicited ILC2s was sufficient to drive beiging independently of the adaptive immune system, eosinophils or IL-4 receptor signaling. We found that ILC2s produce methionine-enkephalin peptides that can act directly on adipocytes to upregulate Ucp1 expression in vitro and that promote beiging in vivo. Collectively, these studies indicate that in addition to responding to infection or tissue damage, ILC2s can regulate adipose function and metabolic homeostasis in part via production of enkephalin peptides that elicit beiging. PMID:25533952
Thyroid hormones induce browning of white fat
Martínez-Sánchez, Noelia; Moreno-Navarrete, José M; Contreras, Cristina; Rial-Pensado, Eva; Fernø, Johan; Nogueiras, Rubén; Diéguez, Carlos
2016-01-01
The canonical view about the effect of thyroid hormones (THs) on thermogenesis assumes that the hypothalamus acts merely as a modulator of the sympathetic outflow on brown adipose tissue (BAT). Recent data have challenged that vision by demonstrating that THs act on the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) to inhibit AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates the thermogenic program in BAT, leading to increased thermogenesis and weight loss. Current data have shown that in addition to activation of brown fat, the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) might also be an important thermogenic mechanism. However, the possible central effects of THs on the browning of white fat remain unclear. Here, we show that 3,3′,5,5′ tetraiodothyroxyne (T4)-induced hyperthyroidism promotes a marked browning of WAT. Of note, central or VMH-specific administration of 3,3′,5-triiodothyronine (T3) recapitulates that effect. The specific genetic activation of hypothalamic AMPK in the VMH reversed the central effect of T3 on browning. Finally, we also showed that the expression of browning genes in human WAT correlates with serum T4. Overall, these data indicate that THs induce browning of WAT and that this mechanism is mediated via the central effects of THs on energy balance. PMID:27913573
Reis, Felipe C G; Branquinho, Jéssica L O; Brandão, Bruna B; Guerra, Beatriz A; Silva, Ismael D; Frontini, Andrea; Thomou, Thomas; Sartini, Loris; Cinti, Saverio; Kahn, C Ronald; Festuccia, William T; Kowaltowski, Alicia J; Mori, Marcelo A
2016-06-01
Aging increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, and this can be prevented by dietary restriction (DR). We have previously shown that DR inhibits the downregulation of miRNAs and their processing enzymes - mainly Dicer - that occurs with aging in mouse white adipose tissue (WAT). Here we used fat-specific Dicer knockout mice (AdicerKO) to understand the contributions of adipose tissue Dicer to the metabolic effects of aging and DR. Metabolomic data uncovered a clear distinction between the serum metabolite profiles of Lox control and AdicerKO mice, with a notable elevation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in AdicerKO. These profiles were associated with reduced oxidative metabolism and increased lactate in WAT of AdicerKO mice and were accompanied by structural and functional changes in mitochondria, particularly under DR. AdicerKO mice displayed increased mTORC1 activation in WAT and skeletal muscle, where Dicer expression is not affected. This was accompanied by accelerated age-associated insulin resistance and premature mortality. Moreover, DR-induced insulin sensitivity was abrogated in AdicerKO mice. This was reverted by rapamycin injection, demonstrating that insulin resistance in AdicerKO mice is caused by mTORC1 hyperactivation. Our study evidences a DR-modulated role for WAT Dicer in controlling metabolism and insulin resistance.
Kuda, Ondrej; Brezinova, Marie; Rombaldova, Martina; Slavikova, Barbora; Posta, Martin; Beier, Petr; Janovska, Petra; Veleba, Jiri; Kopecky, Jan; Kudova, Eva; Pelikanova, Terezie; Kopecky, Jan
2016-09-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) is a complex organ with both metabolic and endocrine functions. Dysregulation of all of these functions of WAT, together with low-grade inflammation of the tissue in obese individuals, contributes to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of marine origin play an important role in the resolution of inflammation and exert beneficial metabolic effects. Using experiments in mice and overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes, we elucidated the structures of novel members of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids-lipokines derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and linoleic acid, which were present in serum and WAT after n-3 PUFA supplementation. These compounds contained DHA esterified to 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HLA) or 14-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (HDHA), termed 9-DHAHLA, 13-DHAHLA, and 14-DHAHDHA, and were synthesized by adipocytes at concentrations comparable to those of protectins and resolvins derived from DHA in WAT. 13-DHAHLA exerted anti-inflammatory and proresolving properties while reducing macrophage activation by lipopolysaccharides and enhancing the phagocytosis of zymosan particles. Our results document the existence of novel lipid mediators, which are involved in the beneficial anti-inflammatory effects attributed to n-3 PUFAs, in both mice and humans. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association.
Kim, Junil; Park, Sujin; An, Haein; Choi, Ji-Young; Choi, Myung-Sook; Choi, Sang-Woon; Kim, Seong-Jin
2017-09-01
Traditional medicines have been leveraged for the treatment and prevention of obesity, one of the fastest growing diseases in the world. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of traditional medicine on obesity are not yet fully understood. We produced the transcriptomes of epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), liver, muscle, and hypothalamus harvested from mice fed a normal diet, high-fat-diet alone, high-fat-diet together with green tea, or a high-fat-diet together with Taeumjowitang, a traditional Korean medicine. We found tissue-specific gene expression patterns as follows: (i) the eWAT transcriptome was more significantly altered by Taeumjowitang than by green tea, (ii) the liver transcriptome was similarly altered by Taeumjowitang and green tea, and (iii) both the muscle and hypothalamus transcriptomes were more significantly altered by green tea than Taeumjowitang. We then applied integrated network analyses, which revealed that functional networks associated with lymphocyte activation were more effectively regulated by Taeumjowitang than by green tea in the eWAT. In contrast, green tea was a more effective regulator of functional networks associated with glucose metabolic processes in the eWAT. Taeumjowitang and green tea have a differential tissue-specific and pathway-specific therapeutic effect on obesity.
Kim, Junil; Park, Sujin; An, Haein; Choi, Ji-Young; Choi, Myung-Sook; Choi, Sang-Woon; Kim, Seong-Jin
2017-01-01
Background Traditional medicines have been leveraged for the treatment and prevention of obesity, one of the fastest growing diseases in the world. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of traditional medicine on obesity are not yet fully understood. Methods We produced the transcriptomes of epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), liver, muscle, and hypothalamus harvested from mice fed a normal diet, high-fat-diet alone, high-fat-diet together with green tea, or a high-fat-diet together with Taeumjowitang, a traditional Korean medicine. Results We found tissue-specific gene expression patterns as follows: (i) the eWAT transcriptome was more significantly altered by Taeumjowitang than by green tea, (ii) the liver transcriptome was similarly altered by Taeumjowitang and green tea, and (iii) both the muscle and hypothalamus transcriptomes were more significantly altered by green tea than Taeumjowitang. We then applied integrated network analyses, which revealed that functional networks associated with lymphocyte activation were more effectively regulated by Taeumjowitang than by green tea in the eWAT. In contrast, green tea was a more effective regulator of functional networks associated with glucose metabolic processes in the eWAT. Conclusions Taeumjowitang and green tea have a differential tissue-specific and pathway-specific therapeutic effect on obesity. PMID:29018779
Inhibition of cisplatin-induced lipid catabolism and weight loss by ghrelin in male mice.
Garcia, Jose M; Scherer, Thomas; Chen, Ji-an; Guillory, Bobby; Nassif, Anriada; Papusha, Victor; Smiechowska, Joanna; Asnicar, Mark; Buettner, Christoph; Smith, Roy G
2013-09-01
Cachexia, defined as an involuntary weight loss ≥ 5%, is a serious and dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy that decreases survival in cancer patients. Alterations in lipid metabolism are thought to cause the lipodystrophy commonly associated with cachexia. Ghrelin has been proposed to ameliorate the alterations in lipid metabolism due to its orexigenic and anabolic properties. However, the mechanisms of action through which ghrelin could potentially ameliorate chemotherapy-associated cachexia have not been elucidated. The objectives of this study were to identify mechanisms by which the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin alters lipid metabolism and to establish the role of ghrelin in reversing cachexia. Cisplatin-induced weight and fat loss were prevented by ghrelin. Cisplatin increased markers of lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and of β-oxidation in liver and WAT and suppressed lipogenesis in liver, WAT, and muscle. Ghrelin prevented the imbalance between lipolysis, β-oxidation, and lipogenesis in WAT and muscle. Pair-feeding experiments demonstrated that the effects of cisplatin and ghrelin on lipogenesis, but not on lipolysis and β-oxidation, were due to a reduction in food intake. Thus, ghrelin prevents cisplatin-induced weight and fat loss by restoring adipose tissue functionality. An increase in caloric intake further enhances the anabolic effects of ghrelin.
Zhang, Yan; Daquinag, Alexes; Traktuev, Dmitry O.; Amaya-Manzanares, Felipe; Simmons, Paul J.; March, Keith L.; Pasqualini, Renata; Arap, Wadih; Kolonin, Mikhail G.
2010-01-01
The connection between obesity and accelerated cancer progression has been established, but the mediating mechanisms are not well understood. We have shown that stromal cells from white adipose tissue (WAT) cooperate with the endothelium to promote blood vessel formation through the secretion of soluble trophic factors. Here, we hypothesize that WAT directly mediates cancer progression by serving as a source of cells that migrate to tumors and promote neovascularization. To test this hypothesis, we have evaluated the recruitment of WAT-derived cells by tumors and the effect of their engraftment on tumor growth by integrating a transgenic mouse strain engineered for expansion of traceable cells with established allograft and xenograft cancer models. Our studies show that entry of adipose stromal and endothelial cells into systemic circulation leads to their homing to and engraftment into tumor stroma and vasculature, respectively. We show that recruitment of adipose stromal cells by tumors is sufficient to promote tumor growth. Finally, we show that migration of stromal and vascular progenitor cells from WAT grafts to tumors is also associated with acceleration of cancer progression. These results provide a biological insight for the clinical association between obesity and cancer, thus outlining potential avenues for preventive and therapeutic strategies. PMID:19491274
Badoud, Flavia; Perreault, Maude; Zulyniak, Michael A; Mutch, David M
2015-03-01
Obesity is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, it is now recognized that a subset of individuals have reduced cardiometabolic risk despite being obese. Paradoxically, a subset of lean individuals is reported to have high risk for cardiometabolic complications. These distinct subgroups of individuals are referred to as metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUNW) and metabolically healthy obese (MHO). Although the clinical relevance of these subgroups remains debated, evidence shows a critical role for white adipose tissue (WAT) function in the development of these phenotypes. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of our current state of knowledge regarding the molecular and metabolic characteristics of WAT associated with MUNW and MHO. In particular, we discuss the link between different WAT depots, immune cell infiltration, and adipokine production with MUNW and MHO. Furthermore, we also highlight recent molecular insights made with genomic technologies showing that processes such as oxidative phosphorylation, branched-chain amino acid catabolism, and fatty acid β-oxidation differ between these phenotypes. This review provides evidence that WAT function is closely linked with cardiometabolic risk independent of obesity and thus contributes to the development of MUNW and MHO. © FASEB.
Thyroid hormones induce browning of white fat.
Martínez-Sánchez, Noelia; Moreno-Navarrete, José M; Contreras, Cristina; Rial-Pensado, Eva; Fernø, Johan; Nogueiras, Rubén; Diéguez, Carlos; Fernández-Real, José-Manuel; López, Miguel
2017-02-01
The canonical view about the effect of thyroid hormones (THs) on thermogenesis assumes that the hypothalamus acts merely as a modulator of the sympathetic outflow on brown adipose tissue (BAT). Recent data have challenged that vision by demonstrating that THs act on the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) to inhibit AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates the thermogenic program in BAT, leading to increased thermogenesis and weight loss. Current data have shown that in addition to activation of brown fat, the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) might also be an important thermogenic mechanism. However, the possible central effects of THs on the browning of white fat remain unclear. Here, we show that 3,3',5,5' tetraiodothyroxyne (T 4 )-induced hyperthyroidism promotes a marked browning of WAT. Of note, central or VMH-specific administration of 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T 3 ) recapitulates that effect. The specific genetic activation of hypothalamic AMPK in the VMH reversed the central effect of T 3 on browning. Finally, we also showed that the expression of browning genes in human WAT correlates with serum T 4 Overall, these data indicate that THs induce browning of WAT and that this mechanism is mediated via the central effects of THs on energy balance. © 2017 The authors.
Crescenzo, Raffaella; Mazzoli, Arianna; Di Luccia, Blanda; Bianco, Francesca; Cancelliere, Rosa; Cigliano, Luisa; Liverini, Giovanna; Baccigalupi, Loredana; Iossa, Susanna
2017-01-01
ABSTRACT Objective: The link between metabolic derangement of the gut–2013liver–visceral white adipose tissue (v-WAT) axis and gut microbiota was investigated. Methods: Rats were fed a fructose-rich diet and treated with an antibiotic mix. Inflammation was measured in portal plasma, ileum, liver, and v-WAT, while insulin signalling was analysed by measuring levels of phosphorylated kinase Akt. The function and oxidative status of hepatic mitochondria and caecal microbiota composition were also evaluated. Results: Ileal inflammation, increase in plasma transaminases, plasma peroxidised lipids, portal concentrations of tumour necrosis factor alpha, lipopolysaccharide, and non-esterified fatty acids, were induced by fructose and were reversed by antibiotic. The increased hepatic ceramide content, inflammation and decreased insulin signaling in liver and v-WAT induced by fructose was reversed by antibiotic. Antibiotic also blunted the increase in hepatic mitochondrial efficiency and oxidative damage of rats fed fructose-rich diet. Three genera, Coprococcus, Ruminococcus, and Clostridium, significantly increased, while the Clostridiaceae family significantly decreased in rats fed a fructose-rich diet, and antibiotic abolished these variations Conclusions: When gut microbiota modulation by fructose is prevented by antibiotic, inflammatory flow from the gut to the liver and v-WAT are reversed. PMID:28659742
Crescenzo, Raffaella; Mazzoli, Arianna; Di Luccia, Blanda; Bianco, Francesca; Cancelliere, Rosa; Cigliano, Luisa; Liverini, Giovanna; Baccigalupi, Loredana; Iossa, Susanna
2017-01-01
Objective : The link between metabolic derangement of the gut-2013liver-visceral white adipose tissue (v-WAT) axis and gut microbiota was investigated. Methods : Rats were fed a fructose-rich diet and treated with an antibiotic mix. Inflammation was measured in portal plasma, ileum, liver, and v-WAT, while insulin signalling was analysed by measuring levels of phosphorylated kinase Akt. The function and oxidative status of hepatic mitochondria and caecal microbiota composition were also evaluated. Results : Ileal inflammation, increase in plasma transaminases, plasma peroxidised lipids, portal concentrations of tumour necrosis factor alpha, lipopolysaccharide, and non-esterified fatty acids, were induced by fructose and were reversed by antibiotic. The increased hepatic ceramide content, inflammation and decreased insulin signaling in liver and v-WAT induced by fructose was reversed by antibiotic. Antibiotic also blunted the increase in hepatic mitochondrial efficiency and oxidative damage of rats fed fructose-rich diet. Three genera, Coprococcus, Ruminococcus, and Clostridium, significantly increased, while the Clostridiaceae family significantly decreased in rats fed a fructose-rich diet, and antibiotic abolished these variations Conclusions : When gut microbiota modulation by fructose is prevented by antibiotic, inflammatory flow from the gut to the liver and v-WAT are reversed.
Reis, Felipe C. G.; Branquinho, Jéssica L. O.; Brandão, Bruna B.; Guerra, Beatriz A.; Silva, Ismael D.; Frontini, Andrea; Thomou, Thomas; Sartini, Loris; Cinti, Saverio; Kahn, C. Ronald; Festuccia, William T.; Kowaltowski, Alicia J.; Mori, Marcelo A.
2016-01-01
Aging increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, and this can be prevented by dietary restriction (DR). We have previously shown that DR inhibits the downregulation of miRNAs and their processing enzymes - mainly Dicer - that occurs with aging in mouse white adipose tissue (WAT). Here we used fat-specific Dicer knockout mice (AdicerKO) to understand the contributions of adipose tissue Dicer to the metabolic effects of aging and DR. Metabolomic data uncovered a clear distinction between the serum metabolite profiles of Lox control and AdicerKO mice, with a notable elevation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in AdicerKO. These profiles were associated with reduced oxidative metabolism and increased lactate in WAT of AdicerKO mice and were accompanied by structural and functional changes in mitochondria, particularly under DR. AdicerKO mice displayed increased mTORC1 activation in WAT and skeletal muscle, where Dicer expression is not affected. This was accompanied by accelerated age-associated insulin resistance and premature mortality. Moreover, DR-induced insulin sensitivity was abrogated in AdicerKO mice. This was reverted by rapamycin injection, demonstrating that insulin resistance in AdicerKO mice is caused by mTORC1 hyperactivation. Our study evidences a DR-modulated role for WAT Dicer in controlling metabolism and insulin resistance. PMID:27241713
Impact of Doxorubicin Treatment on the Physiological Functions of White Adipose Tissue
Cruz, Maysa Mariana; Cunha, Roberta D. C.; Alonso-Vale, Maria Isabel; Oyama, Lila Missae; Nascimento, Claudia M. Oller; Pimentel, Gustavo Duarte; dos Santos, Ronaldo V. T.; Lira, Fabio Santos
2016-01-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) plays a fundamental role in maintaining energy balance and important endocrine functions. The loss of WAT modifies adipokine secretion and disrupts homeostasis, potentially leading to severe metabolic effects and a reduced quality of life. Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic agent used clinically because of its good effectiveness against various types of cancer. However, doxorubicin has deleterious effects in many healthy tissues, including WAT, liver, and skeletal and cardiac muscles. Our objective was to investigate the effects of doxorubicin on white adipocytes through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Doxorubicin reduced the uptake of glucose by retroperitoneal adipocytes and 3T3-L1 cells via the inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase Thr172 phosphorylation and glucose transporter 4 content. Doxorubicin also reduced the serum level of adiponectin and, to a greater extent, the expression of genes encoding lipogenic (Fas and Acc) and adipogenic factors (Pparg, C/ebpa, and Srebp1c) in retroperitoneal adipose tissue. In addition, doxorubicin inhibited both lipogenesis and lipolysis and reduced the hormone-sensitive lipase and adipose tissue triacylglycerol lipase protein levels. Therefore, our results demonstrate the impact of doxorubicin on WAT. These results are important to understand some side effects observed in patients receiving chemotherapy and should encourage new adjuvant treatments that aim to inhibit these side effects. PMID:27015538
Martos, Gustavo Gabriel; Mamaní, Alicia; Filippone, María Paula; Castagnaro, Atilio Pedro; Díaz Ricci, Juan Carlos
2018-02-01
HeT (1-0-galloyl-2,3; 4,6-bis-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-β-D-glucopyranose) is a penta-esterified ellagitannin obtained from strawberry leaves. Previous studies have shown that foliar application of HeT prior to inoculation with a virulent pathogen increases the resistance toward Colletotrichum acutatum in strawberry plants and to Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri in lemon plants. In this work we report that HeT induces an immediate leak of electrolytes, the hyperpolarization of the cellular membrane, a rapid Ca 2+ influx to the cytoplasm during the first few seconds, which in turn modulates the accumulation of nitric oxide 5 min after treatment. At longer times, a biphasic accumulation of H 2 O 2 with peaks at 2 and 5 h post treatment could be observed. In addition, HeT elicited the increase of alternative oxidase capacity during the first 12 h post treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Deployment of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope wide-field upgrade
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hill, Gary J.; Drory, Niv; Good, John M.; Lee, Hanshin; Vattiat, Brian L.; Kriel, Herman; Ramsey, Jason; Bryant, Randy; Elliot, Linda; Fowler, Jim; Häuser, Marco; Landiau, Martin; Leck, Ron; Odewahn, Stephen; Perry, Dave; Savage, Richard; Schroeder Mrozinski, Emily; Shetrone, Matthew; DePoy, D. L.; Prochaska, Travis; Marshall, J. L.; Damm, George; Gebhardt, Karl; MacQueen, Phillip J.; Martin, Jerry; Armandroff, Taft; Ramsey, Lawrence W.
2016-07-01
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) is an innovative large telescope, located in West Texas at the McDonald Observatory. The HET operates with a fixed segmented primary and has a tracker, which moves the four-mirror corrector and prime focus instrument package to track the sidereal and non-sidereal motions of objects. We have completed a major multi-year upgrade of the HET that has substantially increased the pupil size to 10 meters and the field of view to 22 arcminutes by replacing the corrector, tracker, and prime focus instrument package. The new wide field HET will feed the revolutionary integral field spectrograph called VIRUS, in support of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX§), a new low resolution spectrograph (LRS2), an upgraded high resolution spectrograph (HRS2), and later the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF). The upgrade is being commissioned and this paper discusses the completion of the installation, the commissioning process and the performance of the new HET.
Boltzmann Transport in Hybrid PIC HET Modeling
2015-07-01
Paper 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) July 2015-July 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Boltzmann transport in hybrid PIC HET modeling 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER In...reproduce experimentally observed mobility trends derived from HPHall, a workhorse hybrid- PIC HET simulation code. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY...CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18 . NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Justin Koo a. REPORT Unclassified b. ABSTRACT
1992-04-01
Instituuts Advies R2ad PML Prof. dr. U.A.Th. Brinkanl~ 36. Direactur van het Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO Prof.Dr. W.R.F. Notten 37. Directeur...Grootsdialige Rampenbestrijdcing Ministerie van Binnenlandsc Zaken Drs. H. Evers 9. Adviseur van het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TWO Prot. Dr. J.M. van...Rossum, 10. Adyisew, van het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TWO Chernisdie Research Prof.Dr. G. Dijkstra 11. H~ur. NBC DMKIJOMAT/KIO Ir. AAM. Slagveer 12
Food Literacy at Secondary Schools in Australia.
Ronto, Rimante; Ball, Lauren; Pendergast, Donna; Harris, Neil D
2016-11-01
Food literacy can encourage adolescents to develop healthy dietary patterns. This study examined home economics teachers' (HET) perspectives of the importance, curriculum, self-efficacy, and food environments regarding food literacy in secondary schools in Australia. A 20-item cross-sectional survey was completed by 205 HETs. The survey focused on the importance of aspects of food literacy, HETs' self-efficacy, and attitudes toward food literacy and schools' food environments. Data were analyzed descriptively, and associations between participants' demographic characteristics and perceptions were investigated by chi-square analyses. HETs rated aspects of food literacy including preparing and cooking food, knowing about healthy foods and food safety and hygiene practices as very important. They indicated animal welfare, where food comes from, and plan and manage time for food shopping to be the least important aspects of food literacy. HETs reported that students' involvement in food literacy activities resulted in healthier diets and improved food practices, but the schools' food environments are not comprehensively supportive of food literacy. HETs report that food literacy is very important for adolescents to learn. The focus is more on microaspects in comparison to macroaspects of food literacy. Schools' food environments are ideally positioned to shape dietary intake of adolescents but their potential is not being realized. © 2016, American School Health Association.
An Overview of Electron-Proton and High Energy Telescopes of Solar Orbiter
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kulkarni, S. R.; Grunau, J.; Boden, S.; Steinhagen, J.; Martin, C.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Boettcher, S.; Seimetz, L.; Ravanbakhsh, A.; Elftmann, R.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Prieto, M.; Gomez-Herrero, R.
2013-12-01
The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite for ESA's Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements to address particle acceleration at and near the Sun. The EPD suite consists of five sensors (STEP, SIS, EPT, and HET). The University of Kiel in Germany is also responsible for the design, development, and build of EPT and HET which are presented here. The Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) is designed to cleanly separate and measure electrons in the energy range from 20 - 400 keV and protons from 20 - 7000 keV. The Solar Orbiter EPT electron measurements from 20 - 400 keV will cover the gap with some overlap between suprathermal electrons measured by STEP and high energy electrons measured by HET. The proton measurements from 20 -7000 keV will partially cover the gap between STEP and HET. The Electron and Proton Telescope relies on the magnet/foil-technique. The High-Energy Telescope (HET) on ESA's Solar Orbiter mission, will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 -100 MeV, and heavy ions from ~20 to 200 MeV/nuc. Thus, HET covers the energy range which is of specific interest for studies of the space environment and will perform the measurements needed to understand the origin of high-energy events at the Sun which occasionally accelerate particles to such high energies that they can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and be measured at ground level. Here we present the current development status of EPT-HET units and calibration results of demonstration models and present plans for future activities.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ravanbakhsh, A.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Panitzsch, L.; L Richards, M.; Munoz Hernandez, A.; Seimetz, L.; Elftmann, R.; Mahesh, Y.; Boden, S.; Boettcher, S. I.; Kulemzin, A.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Prieto, M.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Sanchez Prieto, S.; Schuster, B.; Steinhagen, J.; Tammen, J.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.
2016-12-01
Solar Orbiter is ESA's next solar and heliospheric mission which is planned to be launched in October 2018. The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) on board on Solar Orbiter will provide key measurements for the Solar Orbiter science objectives. The EPD suite consists of four sensors; STEP, SIS, EPT and HET. The University of Kiel in Germany is responsible for the design, development, and building of STEP, and the two identical units EPT-HET 1 and EPT-HET 2. ESA's Solar Orbiter will explore the heliosphere at heliocentric distances between 0.28AU and 0.9AU and with inclination up to 38deg with respect to the Sun's equator. The spacecraft uses a heat shield to protect the bus and externally mounted instruments from the solar flux at the close distances to the sun. All three EPD-Kiel units are mounted externally but in different positions on the spacecraft outer deck. Although being protected by the spacecraft heat shield from high solar flux, EPT-HET1 and EPT-HET-2 as well as STEP experience a harsh environmental condition during the course of the mission. In addition due to the highly demanding science requirements, the qualification and acceptance test requirements of these externally mounted units are quite challenging. In this paper we present the development status of the EPT-HET 1, EPT-HET 2 and STEP sensors focusing on the activities performed in phase D and the qualification and acceptance test campaigns. The main objective of these test campaigns is to ensure and demonstrate the compatibility between the scientific requirements and the harsh environment expected during the mission. This paper includes the results summary of the environmental tests on the EPT-HET and STEP Proto-Qualification Models (PQMs) as well as Proto-Flight Models (PFMs). Only an adequate selection of environmental qualification and acceptance campaigns will guarantee the success of the scientific space missions.
Skin aging: are adipocytes the next target?
Kruglikov, Ilja L; Scherer, Philipp E
2016-07-01
Dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) is increasingly appreciated as a special fat depot. The adipocytes in this depot exert a variety of unique effects on their surrounding cells and can undergo massive phenotypic changes. Significant modulation of dWAT content can be observed both in intrinsically and extrinsically aged skin. Specifically, skin that has been chronically photo-damaged displays a reduction of the dWAT volume, caused by the replacement of adipocytes by fibrotic structures. This is likely to be caused by the recently uncovered process described as "adipocyte-myofibroblast transition" (AMT). In addition, contributions of dermal adipocytes to the skin aging processes are also indirectly supported by spatial correlations between the prevalence of hypertrophic scarring and the appearance of signs of skin aging in different ethnic groups. These observations could elevate dermal adipocytes to prime targets in strategies aimed at counteracting skin aging.
Skin aging: are adipocytes the next target?
Kruglikov, Ilja L.; Scherer, Philipp E.
2016-01-01
Dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) is increasingly appreciated as a special fat depot. The adipocytes in this depot exert a variety of unique effects on their surrounding cells and can undergo massive phenotypic changes. Significant modulation of dWAT content can be observed both in intrinsically and extrinsically aged skin. Specifically, skin that has been chronically photo-damaged displays a reduction of the dWAT volume, caused by the replacement of adipocytes by fibrotic structures. This is likely to be caused by the recently uncovered process described as “adipocyte-myofibroblast transition” (AMT). In addition, contributions of dermal adipocytes to the skin aging processes are also indirectly supported by spatial correlations between the prevalence of hypertrophic scarring and the appearance of signs of skin aging in different ethnic groups. These observations could elevate dermal adipocytes to prime targets in strategies aimed at counteracting skin aging. PMID:27434510
Autophagy in adipose tissue biology.
Zhang, Yong; Zeng, Xiangang; Jin, Shengkan
2012-12-01
Obesity, which predisposes individuals to type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, results from accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT). WAT comprises mainly white adipocytes that have a unique cellular structure in which almost the entire intracellular space is occupied by one single lipid droplet. The cytoplasm envelopes this lipid droplet and occupies negligible space. Differentiation of WAT, or adipogenesis, requires dramatic cytoplasmic reorganization, including a dynamic change in mitochondrial mass. Autophagy is a major cytoplasmic degradation pathway and a primary pathway for mitochondrial degradation. Recent studies indicate that autophagy is implicated in adipogenesis. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on autophagy in adipose tissue biology, with the emphasis on its role in mitochondrial degradation. Adipose tissue is a central component for whole-body energy homeostasis regulation. Advancement in this research area may provide novel venues for the intervention of obesity and obesity related diseases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sympathetic Innervation of Cold-Activated Brown and White Fat in Lean Young Adults
Mangner, Tom J.; Leonard, William R.; Kumar, Ajay; Granneman, James G.
2017-01-01
Recent work in rodents has demonstrated that basal activity of the local sympathetic nervous system is critical for maintaining brown adipocyte phenotypes in classic brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). Accordingly, we sought to assess the relationship between sympathetic innervation and cold-induced activation of BAT and WAT in lean young adults. Methods: Twenty adult lean normal subjects (10 women and 10 men; mean age ± SD, 23.3 ± 3.8 y; body mass index, 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m2) underwent 11C-meta-hydroxyephedrin (11C-HED) and 15O-water PET imaging at rest and after exposure to mild cold (16°C) temperature. In addition, 18F-FDG images were obtained during the cold stress condition to assess cold-activated BAT mass. Subjects were divided into 2 groups (high BAT and low BAT) based on the presence of 18F-FDG tracer uptake. Blood flow and 11C-HED retention index (RI, an indirect measure of sympathetic innervation) were calculated from dynamic PET scans at the location of BAT and WAT. Whole-body daily energy expenditure (DEE) during rest and cold stress was measured by indirect calorimetry. Tissue level oxygen consumption (MRO2) was determined and used to calculate the contribution of cold-activated BAT and WAT to daily DEE. Results: 18F-FDG uptake identified subjects with high and low levels of cold-activated BAT mass (high BAT, 96 ± 37 g; low-BAT, 16 ± 4 g). 11C-HED RI under thermoneutral conditions significantly predicted 18F-FDG uptake during cold stress (R2 = 0.68, P < 0.01). In contrast to the significant increase of 11C-HED RI during cold in BAT (2.42 ± 0.85 vs. 3.43 ± 0.93, P = 0.02), cold exposure decreased the 11C-HED RI in WAT (0.44 ± 0.22 vs. 0.41 ± 0.18) as a consequence of decreased perfusion (1.22 ± 0.20 vs. 1.12 ± 0.16 mL/100 g/min). The contribution of WAT to whole-body DEE was approximately 150 kcal/d at rest (149 ± 52 kcal/d), which decreased to approximately 100 kcal/d during cold (102 ± 47 kcal/d). Conclusion: The level of sympathetic innervation, as determined by 11C-HED RI, can predict levels of functional BAT. Overall, blood flow is the best independent predictor of 11C-HED RI and 18F-FDG uptake across thermoneutral and cold conditions. In contrast to BAT, cold stress reduces blood flow and 18F-FDG uptake in subcutaneous WAT, indicating that the physiologic response is to reduce heat loss rather than to generate heat. PMID:27789721
Bissonnette, Simon; Saint-Pierre, Nathalie; Lamantia, Valerie; Leroux, Catherine; Provost, Viviane; Cyr, Yannick; Rabasa-Lhoret, Remi; Faraj, May
2018-06-18
To optimize the prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D), high-risk obese subjects with the best metabolic recovery after a hypocaloric diet should be targeted. Apolipoprotein B lipoproteins (apoB lipoproteins) induce white adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction, which in turn promotes postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance (IR), and hyperinsulinemia. The aim of this study was to explore whether high plasma apoB, or number of plasma apoB lipoproteins, identifies subjects who best ameliorate WAT dysfunction and related risk factors after a hypocaloric diet. Fifty-nine men and postmenopausal women [mean ± SD age: 58 ± 6 y; body mass index (kg/m2): 32.6 ± 4.6] completed a prospective study with a 6-mo hypocaloric diet (-500 kcal/d). Glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) and insulin sensitivity (IS) were measured by 1-h intravenous glucose-tolerance test (IVGTT) followed by a 3-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, respectively. Ex vivo gynoid WAT function (i.e., hydrolysis and storage of 3H-triolein-labeled triglyceride-rich lipoproteins) and 6-h postprandial plasma clearance of a 13C-triolein-labeled high-fat meal were measured in a subsample (n = 25). Postintervention first-phase GIISIVGTT and total C-peptide secretion decreased in both sexes, whereas second-phase and total GIISIVGTT and clamp IS were ameliorated in men (P < 0.05). Baseline plasma apoB was associated with a postintervention increase in WAT function (r = 0.61) and IS (glucose infusion rate divided by steady state insulin (M/Iclamp) r = 0.30) and a decrease in first-phase, second-phase, and total GIISIVGTT (r = -0.30 to -0.35) without sex differences. The association with postintervention amelioration in WAT function and GIISIVGTT was independent of plasma cholesterol (total, LDL, and HDL), sex, and changes in body composition. Subjects with high baseline plasma apoB (1.2 ± 0.2 g/L) showed a significant increase in WAT function (+105%; P = 0.012) and a decrease in total GIISIVGTT (-34%; P ≤ 0.001), whereas sex-matched subjects with low plasma apoB (0.7 ± 0.1 g/L) did not, despite equivalent changes in body composition and energy intake and expenditure. High plasma apoB identifies obese subjects who best ameliorate WAT dysfunction and glucose-induced hyperinsulinemia, independent of changes in adiposity after consumption of a hypocaloric diet. We propose that subjects with high plasma apoB represent an optimal target group for the primary prevention of T2D by hypocaloric diets. This trial was registered at BioMed Central as ISRCTN14476404.
Operating in the Human Domain Lessons of a Decade of War for the Dutch Army
2014-06-13
Plasschaert, Minister of Defense, In Het Belang Van Nederland [in the Interest of the Netherlands] (The Hague, The Netherlands: Ministry of Defense... Nederland [in the Interest of the Netherlands]. The Hague, The Netherlands: Ministry of Defense, 2013. Klem, M. H. Het Nederlandse Veiligheidsbeleid...in Een Veranderende Wereld, Verkennende Studie Voor Het WRR-Rapport Nederland in De Wereld. [the Dutch Security Policy in a Changing World, Scoping
Wind and Temperature Spectrometry of the Upper Atmosphere in Low-Earth Orbit
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Herrero, Federico
2011-01-01
Wind and Temperature Spectrometry (WATS) is a new approach to measure the full wind vector, temperature, and relative densities of major neutral species in the Earth's thermosphere. The method uses an energy-angle spectrometer moving through the tenuous upper atmosphere to measure directly the angular and energy distributions of the air stream that enters the spectrometer. The angular distribution gives the direction of the total velocity of the air entering the spectrometer, and the energy distribution gives the magnitude of the total velocity. The wind velocity vector is uniquely determined since the measured total velocity depends on the wind vector and the orbiting velocity vector. The orbiting spectrometer moves supersonically, Mach 8 or greater, through the air and must point within a few degrees of its orbital velocity vector (the ram direction). Pointing knowledge is critical; for example, pointing errors 0.1 lead to errors of about 10 m/s in the wind. The WATS method may also be applied without modification to measure the ion-drift vector, ion temperature, and relative ion densities of major ionic species in the ionosphere. In such an application it may be called IDTS: Ion-Drift Temperature Spectrometry. A spectrometer-based coordinate system with one axis instantaneously pointing along the ram direction makes it possible to transform the Maxwellian velocity distribution of the air molecules to a Maxwellian energy-angle distribution for the molecular flux entering the spectrometer. This implementation of WATS is called the gas kinetic method (GKM) because it is applied to the case of the Maxwellian distribution. The WATS method follows from the recognition that in a supersonic platform moving at 8,000 m/s, the measurement of small wind velocities in the air on the order of a few 100 m/s and less requires precise knowledge of the angle of incidence of the neutral atoms and molecules. The same is true for the case of ion-drift measurements. WATS also provides a general approach that can obtain non-equilibrium distributions as may exist in the upper regions of the thermosphere, above 500 km and into the exosphere. Finally, WATS serves as a mass spectrometer, with very low mass resolution of roughly 1 part in 3, but easily separating atomic oxygen from molecular nitrogen.
Wu, Cheng-Wei; Biggar, Kyle K; Storey, Kenneth B
2014-12-01
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are important in regulating metabolic stress. In this study, we determined the expression and structural characteristics of 20 miRNAs in brown (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) during torpor in thirteen-lined ground squirrels. Using a modified stem-loop technique, we found that during torpor, expression of six miRNAs including let-7a, let-7b, miR-107, miR-150, miR-222 and miR-31 was significantly downregulated in WAT (P<0.05), which was 16%-54% of euthermic non-torpid control squirrels, whereas expression of three miRNAs including miR-143, miR-200a and miR-519d was found to be upregulated by 1.32-2.34-fold. Similarly, expression of more miRNAs was downregulated in BAT during torpor. We detected reduced expression of 6 miRNAs including miR-103a, miR-107, miR-125b, miR-21, miR-221 and miR-31 (48%-70% of control), while only expression of miR-138 was significantly upregulated (2.91±0.8-fold of the control, P<0.05). Interestingly, miRNAs found to be downregulated in WAT during torpor were similar to those dysregulated in obese humans for increased adipogenesis, whereas miRNAs with altered expression in BAT during torpor were linked to mitochondrial β-oxidation. miRPath target prediction analysis showed that miRNAs downregulated in both WAT and BAT were associated with the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, while the miRNAs upregulated in WAT were linked to transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling. Compared to mouse sequences, no unique nucleotide substitutions within the stem-loop region were discovered for the associated pre-miRNAs for the miRNAs used in this study, suggesting no structure-influenced changes in pre-miRNA processing efficiency in the squirrel. As well, the expression of miRNA processing enzyme Dicer remained unchanged in both tissues during torpor. Overall, our findings suggest that changes of miRNA expression in adipose tissues may be linked to distinct biological roles in WAT and BAT during hibernation and may involve the regulation of signaling cascades. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Stenegren, Marcus; Berg, Carlo; Padilla, Cory C; David, Stefan-Sebastian; Montoya, Joseph P; Yager, Patricia L; Foster, Rachel A
2017-01-01
Diatom diazotroph associations (DDAs) are important components in the world's oceans, especially in the western tropical north Atlantic (WTNA), where blooms have a significant impact on carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, drivers of their abundances and distribution patterns remain unknown. Here, we examined abundance and distribution patterns for two DDA populations in relation to the Amazon River (AR) plume in the WTNA. Quantitative PCR assays, targeting two DDAs (het-1 and het-2) by their symbiont's nifH gene, served as input in a piecewise structural equation model (SEM). Collections were made during high (spring 2010) and low (fall 2011) flow discharges of the AR. The distributions of dissolved nutrients, chlorophyll- a , and DDAs showed coherent patterns indicative of areas influenced by the AR. A symbiotic Hemiaulus hauckii-Richelia (het-2) bloom (>10 6 cells L -1 ) occurred during higher discharge of the AR and was coincident with mesohaline to oceanic (30-35) sea surface salinities (SSS), and regions devoid of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), low concentrations of both DIP (>0.1 μmol L -1 ) and Si (>1.0 μmol L -1 ). The Richelia (het-1) associated with Rhizosolenia was only present in 2010 and at lower densities (10-1.76 × 10 5 nifH copies L -1 ) than het-2 and limited to regions of oceanic SSS (>36). The het-2 symbiont detected in 2011 was associated with H. membranaceus (>10 3 nifH copies L -1 ) and were restricted to regions with mesohaline SSS (31.8-34.3), immeasurable DIN, moderate DIP (0.1-0.60 μmol L -1 ) and higher Si (4.19-22.1 μmol L -1 ). The piecewise SEM identified a profound direct negative effect of turbidity on the het-2 abundance in spring 2010, while DIP and water turbidity had a more positive influence in fall 2011, corroborating our observations of DDAs at subsurface maximas. We also found a striking difference in the influence of salinity on DDA symbionts suggesting a niche differentiation and preferences in oceanic and mesohaline salinities by het-1 and het-2, respectively. The use of the piecewise SEM to disentangle the complex and concomitant hydrography of the WTNA acting on two biogeochemically relevant populations was novel and underscores its use to predict conditions favoring abundance and distributions of microbial populations.
Wang, Yali; Gao, Yuan; Li, Chao; Gao, Hong; Zhang, Cheng-Cai; Xu, Xudong
2018-07-01
Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 is a model strain for molecular studies of cell differentiation and patterning in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Subtle differences in heterocyst development have been noticed in different laboratories working on the same organism. In this study, 360 mutations, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), small insertion/deletions (indels; 1 to 3 bp), fragment deletions, and transpositions, were identified in the genomes of three substrains. Heterogeneous/heterozygous bases were also identified due to the polyploidy nature of the genome and the multicellular morphology but could be completely segregated when plated after filament fragmentation by sonication. hetC is a gene upregulated in developing cells during heterocyst formation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 and found in approximately half of other heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Inactivation of hetC in 3 substrains of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 led to different phenotypes: the formation of heterocysts, differentiating cells that keep dividing, or the presence of both heterocysts and dividing differentiating cells. The expression of P hetZ - gfp in these hetC mutants also showed different patterns of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence. Thus, the function of hetC is influenced by the genomic background and epistasis and constitutes an example of evolution under way. IMPORTANCE Our knowledge about the molecular genetics of heterocyst formation, an important cell differentiation process for global N 2 fixation, is mostly based on studies with Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. Here, we show that rapid microevolution is under way in this strain, leading to phenotypic variations for certain genes related to heterocyst development, such as hetC This study provides an example for ongoing microevolution, marked by multiple heterogeneous/heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in a multicellular multicopy-genome microorganism. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.
Nusbaum, Fanny; Hannoun, Salem; Kocevar, Gabriel; Stamile, Claudio; Fourneret, Pierre; Revol, Olivier; Sappey-Marinier, Dominique
2017-01-01
Objectives: The main goal of this study was to investigate and compare the neural substrate of two children's profiles of high intelligence quotient (HIQ). Methods: Two groups of HIQ children were included with either a homogeneous (Hom-HIQ: n = 20) or a heterogeneous IQ profile (Het-HIQ: n = 24) as defined by a significant difference between verbal comprehension index and perceptual reasoning index. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to assess white matter (WM) microstructure while tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis was performed to detect and localize WM regional differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, axial (AD), and radial diffusivities. Quantitative measurements were performed on 48 regions and 21 fiber-bundles of WM. Results: Hom-HIQ children presented higher FA than Het-HIQ children in widespread WM regions including central structures, and associative intra-hemispheric WM fasciculi. AD was also greater in numerous WM regions of Total-HIQ, Hom-HIQ, and Het-HIQ groups when compared to the Control group. Hom-HIQ and Het-HIQ groups also differed by their hemispheric lateralization in AD differences compared to Controls. Het-HIQ and Hom-HIQ groups showed a lateralization ratio (left/right) of 1.38 and 0.78, respectively. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both inter- and intra-hemispheric WM integrity are enhanced in HIQ children and that neural substrate differs between Hom-HIQ and Het-HIQ. The left hemispheric lateralization of Het-HIQ children is concordant with their higher verbal index while the relative right hemispheric lateralization of Hom-HIQ children is concordant with their global brain processing and adaptation capacities as evidenced by their homogeneous IQ. PMID:28420955
Distinct Neurobehavioural Effects of Cannabidiol in Transmembrane Domain Neuregulin 1 Mutant Mice
Long, Leonora E.; Chesworth, Rose; Huang, Xu-Feng; Wong, Alexander; Spiro, Adena; McGregor, Iain S.; Arnold, Jonathon C.; Karl, Tim
2012-01-01
The cannabis constituent cannabidiol (CBD) possesses anxiolytic and antipsychotic properties. We have previously shown that transmembrane domain neuregulin 1 mutant (Nrg1 TM HET) mice display altered neurobehavioural responses to the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Here we investigated whether Nrg1 TM HET mice respond differently to CBD and whether CBD reverses schizophrenia-related phenotypes expressed by these mice. Adult male Nrg1 TM HET and wild type-like littermates (WT) received vehicle or CBD (1, 50 or 100 mg/kg i.p.) for 21 days. During treatment and 48 h after withdrawal we measured behaviour, whole blood CBD concentrations and autoradiographic receptor binding. Nrg1 HET mice displayed locomotor hyperactivity, PPI deficits and reduced 5-HT2A receptor binding density in the substantia nigra, but these phenotypes were not reversed by CBD. However, long-term CBD (50 and 100 mg/kg) selectively enhanced social interaction in Nrg1 TM HET mice. Furthermore, acute CBD (100 mg/kg) selectively increased PPI in Nrg1 TM HET mice, although tolerance to this effect was manifest upon repeated CBD administration. Long-term CBD (50 mg/kg) also selectively increased GABAA receptor binding in the granular retrosplenial cortex in Nrg1 TM HET mice and reduced 5-HT2A binding in the substantia nigra in WT mice. Nrg1 appears necessary for CBD-induced anxiolysis since only WT mice developed decreased anxiety-related behaviour with repeated CBD treatment. Altered pharmacokinetics in mutant mice could not explain our findings since no genotype differences existed in CBD blood concentrations. Here we demonstrate that Nrg1 modulates acute and long-term neurobehavioural effects of CBD, which does not reverse the schizophrenia-relevant phenotypes. PMID:22509273
Distinct neurobehavioural effects of cannabidiol in transmembrane domain neuregulin 1 mutant mice.
Long, Leonora E; Chesworth, Rose; Huang, Xu-Feng; Wong, Alexander; Spiro, Adena; McGregor, Iain S; Arnold, Jonathon C; Karl, Tim
2012-01-01
The cannabis constituent cannabidiol (CBD) possesses anxiolytic and antipsychotic properties. We have previously shown that transmembrane domain neuregulin 1 mutant (Nrg1 TM HET) mice display altered neurobehavioural responses to the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol. Here we investigated whether Nrg1 TM HET mice respond differently to CBD and whether CBD reverses schizophrenia-related phenotypes expressed by these mice. Adult male Nrg1 TM HET and wild type-like littermates (WT) received vehicle or CBD (1, 50 or 100 mg/kg i.p.) for 21 days. During treatment and 48 h after withdrawal we measured behaviour, whole blood CBD concentrations and autoradiographic receptor binding. Nrg1 HET mice displayed locomotor hyperactivity, PPI deficits and reduced 5-HT(2A) receptor binding density in the substantia nigra, but these phenotypes were not reversed by CBD. However, long-term CBD (50 and 100 mg/kg) selectively enhanced social interaction in Nrg1 TM HET mice. Furthermore, acute CBD (100 mg/kg) selectively increased PPI in Nrg1 TM HET mice, although tolerance to this effect was manifest upon repeated CBD administration. Long-term CBD (50 mg/kg) also selectively increased GABA(A) receptor binding in the granular retrosplenial cortex in Nrg1 TM HET mice and reduced 5-HT(2A) binding in the substantia nigra in WT mice. Nrg1 appears necessary for CBD-induced anxiolysis since only WT mice developed decreased anxiety-related behaviour with repeated CBD treatment. Altered pharmacokinetics in mutant mice could not explain our findings since no genotype differences existed in CBD blood concentrations. Here we demonstrate that Nrg1 modulates acute and long-term neurobehavioural effects of CBD, which does not reverse the schizophrenia-relevant phenotypes.
Lee, Yun-Hee; Kim, Sou Hyun; Kim, Sang-Nam; Kwon, Hyun-Jung; Kim, Jeong-Dong; Oh, Ji Youn; Jung, Young-Suk
2016-07-26
Higher susceptibility to metabolic disease in male exemplifies the importance of sexual dimorphism in pathogenesis. We hypothesized that the higher incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in males involves sex-specific metabolic interactions between liver and adipose tissue. In the present study, we used a methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet-induced fatty liver mouse model to investigate sex differences in the metabolic response of the liver and adipose tissue. After 2 weeks on an MCD-diet, fatty liver was induced in a sex-specific manner, affecting male mice more severely than females. The MCD-diet increased lipolytic enzymes in the gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) of male mice, whereas it increased expression of uncoupling protein 1 and other brown adipocyte markers in the gWAT of female mice. Moreover, gWAT from female mice demonstrated higher levels of oxygen consumption and mitochondrial content compared to gWAT from male mice. FGF21 expression was increased in liver tissue by the MCD diet, and the degree of upregulation was significantly higher in the livers of female mice. The endocrine effect of FGF21 was responsible, in part, for the sex-specific browning of gonadal white adipose tissue. Collectively, these data demonstrated that distinctively female-specific browning of white adipose tissue aids in protecting female mice against MCD diet-induced fatty liver disease.
Gotoh, Koro; Inoue, Megumi; Masaki, Takayuki; Chiba, Seiichi; Shimasaki, Takanobu; Ando, Hisae; Fujiwara, Kansuke; Katsuragi, Isao; Kakuma, Tetsuya; Seike, Masataka; Sakata, Toshiie; Yoshimatsu, Hironobu
2012-08-01
Obesity is associated with systemic low-grade inflammation and obesity-related metabolic disorders. Considering that obesity decreases the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the spleen, we assessed the role of interleukin (IL)-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine produced by the spleen, in the pathogenesis of obesity. Changes in obesity-related pathogenesis, including inflammatory responses in multiple organs, were assessed after systemic administration of exogenous IL-10 to splenectomy (SPX)-treated obese wild-type and IL-10 knockout (IL-10KO) mice. Obesity resulted in the inability of the spleen to synthesize cytokines, including IL-10, and proinflammatory cytokines in obesity are then likely to emerge from tissues other than the spleen because serum levels of IL-10, but not proinflammatory cytokines, decreased despite the expression of these cytokines in the spleen being reduced in high fat-induced obese mice. SPX aggravated the inflammatory response in white adipose tissue (WAT) and the liver and suppressed adiposity in WAT. However, it accentuated adiposity in the liver. These SPX-induced changes were inhibited by systemic administration of IL-10. Moreover, SPX had little effect on the inflammatory responses in WAT and the liver of IL-10KO mice. These data show the role of spleen-derived IL-10 in diet-induced changes as a result of inflammatory responses in WAT and the liver.
Lee, Yun-Hee; Kim, Sou Hyun; Kim, Sang-Nam; Kwon, Hyun-Jung; Kim, Jeong-Dong; Oh, Ji Youn; Jung, Young-Suk
2016-01-01
Higher susceptibility to metabolic disease in male exemplifies the importance of sexual dimorphism in pathogenesis. We hypothesized that the higher incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in males involves sex-specific metabolic interactions between liver and adipose tissue. In the present study, we used a methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet-induced fatty liver mouse model to investigate sex differences in the metabolic response of the liver and adipose tissue. After 2 weeks on an MCD-diet, fatty liver was induced in a sex-specific manner, affecting male mice more severely than females. The MCD-diet increased lipolytic enzymes in the gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) of male mice, whereas it increased expression of uncoupling protein 1 and other brown adipocyte markers in the gWAT of female mice. Moreover, gWAT from female mice demonstrated higher levels of oxygen consumption and mitochondrial content compared to gWAT from male mice. FGF21 expression was increased in liver tissue by the MCD diet, and the degree of upregulation was significantly higher in the livers of female mice. The endocrine effect of FGF21 was responsible, in part, for the sex-specific browning of gonadal white adipose tissue. Collectively, these data demonstrated that distinctively female-specific browning of white adipose tissue aids in protecting female mice against MCD diet-induced fatty liver disease. PMID:27409675
Adipose Deficiency of Nrf2 in ob/ob Mice Results in Severe Metabolic Syndrome
Xue, Peng; Hou, Yongyong; Chen, Yanyan; Yang, Bei; Fu, Jingqi; Zheng, Hongzhi; Yarborough, Kathy; Woods, Courtney G.; Liu, Dianxin; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Zhang, Qiang; Andersen, Melvin E.; Pi, Jingbo
2013-01-01
Nuclear factor E2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that functions as a master regulator of the cellular adaptive response to oxidative stress. Our previous studies showed that Nrf2 plays a critical role in adipogenesis by regulating expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ. To determine the role of Nrf2 in the development of obesity and associated metabolic disorders, the incidence of metabolic syndrome was assessed in whole-body or adipocyte-specific Nrf2-knockout mice on a leptin-deficient ob/ob background, a model with an extremely positive energy balance. On the ob/ob background, ablation of Nrf2, globally or specifically in adipocytes, led to reduced white adipose tissue (WAT) mass, but resulted in an even more severe metabolic syndrome with aggravated insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Compared with wild-type mice, WAT of ob/ob mice expressed substantially higher levels of many genes related to antioxidant response, inflammation, adipogenesis, lipogenesis, glucose uptake, and lipid transport. Absence of Nrf2 in WAT resulted in reduced expression of most of these factors at mRNA or protein levels. Our findings support a novel role for Nrf2 in regulating adipose development and function, by which Nrf2 controls the capacity of WAT expansion and insulin sensitivity and maintains glucose and lipid homeostasis. PMID:23238296
Dietary vitamin A impacts DNA methylation patterns of adipogenesis-related genes in suckling rats.
Arreguín, A; Ribot, J; Mušinović, H; von Lintig, J; Palou, A; Bonet, M L
2018-05-11
We previously showed that vitamin A supplementation in early life impacts white adipose tissue (WAT) biology. We here studied the vitamin's effects on DNA methylation of genes crucial for WAT cell development, determination and metabolism. CpG promoter methylation and mRNA expression of Pparg, Zfp423, Pcna, and Rbp4 was compared in inguinal WAT of 21-day-old rats supplemented during the suckling period with vehicle (controls) or an emulsion of vitamin A as retinyl ester (RE) or β-carotene (BC). The methylation profile of promoters was affected by vitamin A supplementation with pronounced differences between the RE and BC groups. In the RE group, hypermethylation of the Rbp4 (at multiple CpGs) and the Pparg2 (at a specific CpG) promoters and hypomethylation of the Pcna promoter (at multiple CpGs) was observed, together with inverse changes in gene expression levels. In the BC group, hypomethylation of the Rbp4 and hypermethylation of the Pcna promoter at distinct CpGs was observed, with no effects on gene expression. In both supplemention groups, hypomethylation and increased expression was found for Zfp423. Thus, modest vitamin A supplementation in early postnatal life impacts methylation marks in developing WAT. Differential epigenetic effects of RE and BC in early life may affect adipose tissue programming activity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Kim, Hye-Jin; Lee, Ki-Teak; Lee, Mi-Kyung; Jeon, Seon-Min; Choi, Myung-Sook
2006-01-01
The present study compared the effect of corn oil, diacylglycerol (DG) oil, and DG-enriched structured lipids (SL-DG) produced from corn oil, capric and conjugated linoleic acid on adiposity in rats fed an AIN-76 diet (5% fat) for 6 weeks. The plasma and hepatic lipids, adipose tissue weight, and enzyme activities related to fatty acid metabolism were determined. The weights of the epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT), perirenal WAT, and interscapular WAT were significantly lower in the SL-DG group than in the DG group. Reduction of fat mass in the SL-DG group was related to suppressing fatty acid synthase activities and enhancing beta-oxidation activity in perirenal WAT. The plasma leptin was lower in the SL-DG group than in the DG group, plus a lower plasma TG level was accompanied by an increase in adipocyte LPL activity. Meanwhile the SL-DG supplement lowered the plasma and hepatic cholesterol level. In addition, the hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and ACAT activities were significantly lower in the SL-DG group than in the other groups. The DG-enriched SL used in this study was effective in enhancing triglyceride metabolism in adipose tissue, especially as regards reducing the abdominal fat mass and cholesterol metabolism in the liver. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Tussenrapportage Validatie Onderwijsvernieuwingen (Validation Assistant in Instructional Design)
2007-05-01
validatie onderwij svemieuwingen D)atum mei 2007 Auteur (s) drs. J.P. van Meer drs. G,J. Veldhuis dr. M.L. van Ernmerik M.G. van Schaik Rubricering...als doel om nog beter is het van belang dat het maken van keuzes Auteur (s) passende adviezen te kunnen genereren. binnen een moeilijk grijpbaar...benaderd door de theorie achter de onderwijsconcepten te toetsen aan het oordeel van de expert. Er zijn echter beperkingen in deze opzet denkbaar die
2008-07-01
die binmen defensie tot aanzien van de effecten van JOT onderwijs met het nieuwe leren terug te dan toe in gebruik waren bij het theorie - voeren is op...problemen in de uitvoerings- onderwijs; toepassing van JOT impliceerde Grondslag praktijk van datzeltde regulier onderwijs. dat er geen theorie meer...het rechte eind Opdrachtnummer Datum PROGRAMMA PROJECT juli 2008 Program mabegeleider Projectbegeleider Auteur (s) IkolP.M.. Bonen,dr. A.H. van der
Fungal prion HET-s as a model for structural complexity and self-propagation in prions.
Wan, William; Stubbs, Gerald
2014-04-08
The highly ordered and reproducible structure of the fungal prion HET-s makes it an excellent model system for studying the inherent properties of prions, self-propagating infectious proteins that have been implicated in a number of fatal diseases. In particular, the HET-s prion-forming domain readily folds into a relatively complex two-rung β-solenoid amyloid. The faithful self-propagation of this fold involves a diverse array of inter- and intramolecular structural features. These features include a long flexible loop connecting the two rungs, buried polar residues, salt bridges, and asparagine ladders. We have used site-directed mutagenesis and X-ray fiber diffraction to probe the relative importance of these features for the formation of β-solenoid structure, as well as the cumulative effects of multiple mutations. Using fibrillization kinetics and chemical stability assays, we have determined the biophysical effects of our mutations on the assembly and stability of the prion-forming domain. We have found that a diversity of structural features provides a level of redundancy that allows robust folding and stability even in the face of significant sequence alterations and suboptimal environmental conditions. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the structural interactions necessary for self-propagation. Propagation of prion structure seems to require an obligatory level of complexity that may not be reproducible in short peptide models.
Calibration of the Solar Orbiter Energetic Particle Detector Suite
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; Rodriguez-Pacheco, J.; Martin-Garcia, C.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Panitzsch, L.; Boettcher, S.; Mason, G. M.; Kohler, J.; Ho, G. C.; Boden, S.; Grunau, J.; Steinhagen, J.; Terasa, C.; Yu, J.; Prieto, M.; Gomez-Herrero, R.; Blanco, J.
2013-12-01
We present the current status and plans for the calibration of the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) suite on ESA's Solar Orbiter mission. Solar Orbiter is scheduled to launch in January 2017, instrument delivery in January 2015. EPD consists of four sensors: the SupraThermal Electron and Proton (STEP) sensor covers electrons (protons) from 2 (3) keV up to 100 keV, the Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) from 20 to 300 (7000) keV, the Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS) determines the ionic composition from ~0.05 to ~10 MeV/nuc (species dependent), and the High Energy Telescope (HET) measures electrons and protons (ions) from 0.3 to 30 and 10 to >100 MeV/nuc (20 - 200 MeV/nuc species dependent). EPT, HET, and SIS have two approximately opposite-facing fields of view, EPT, and HET share a common electronics box, two EPT/HET sensors allow the determination of second-order anisotropies (a total of 4 FoVs). Apart from the use of radioactive sources, STEP will be calibrated at the Kiel calibration facilities, EPT both at Kiel (electrons and low-energy protons) as well as at PTB in Braunschweig. SIS will undergo calibration at the LBL 88' cyclotron, HET at HIMAC in Chiba, Japan. Tests of the electron/protons discrimination of EPT show the expected behavior, HET prototypes have already been calibrated and the results will be shown.
Mahrooghy, Majid; Ashraf, Ahmed B; Daye, Dania; McDonald, Elizabeth S; Rosen, Mark; Mies, Carolyn; Feldman, Michael; Kontos, Despina
2015-06-01
Heterogeneity in cancer can affect response to therapy and patient prognosis. Histologic measures have classically been used to measure heterogeneity, although a reliable noninvasive measurement is needed both to establish baseline risk of recurrence and monitor response to treatment. Here, we propose using spatiotemporal wavelet kinetic features from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to quantify intratumor heterogeneity in breast cancer. Tumor pixels are first partitioned into homogeneous subregions using pharmacokinetic measures. Heterogeneity wavelet kinetic (HetWave) features are then extracted from these partitions to obtain spatiotemporal patterns of the wavelet coefficients and the contrast agent uptake. The HetWave features are evaluated in terms of their prognostic value using a logistic regression classifier with genetic algorithm wrapper-based feature selection to classify breast cancer recurrence risk as determined by a validated gene expression assay. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and area under the curve (AUC) are computed to assess classifier performance using leave-one-out cross validation. The HetWave features outperform other commonly used features (AUC = 0.88 HetWave versus 0.70 standard features). The combination of HetWave and standard features further increases classifier performance (AUCs 0.94). The rate of the spatial frequency pattern over the pharmacokinetic partitions can provide valuable prognostic information. HetWave could be a powerful feature extraction approach for characterizing tumor heterogeneity, providing valuable prognostic information.
Current Driven Instabilities and Anomalous Mobility in Hall-effect Thrusters
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tran, Jonathan; Eckhardt, Daniel; Martin, Robert
2017-10-01
Due to the extreme cost of fully resolving the Debye length and plasma frequency, hybrid plasma simulations utilizing kinetic ions and quasi-steady state fluid electrons have long been the principle workhorse methodology for Hall-effect thruster (HET) modeling. Plasma turbulence and the resulting anomalous electron transport in HETs is a promising candidate for developing predictive models for the observed anomalous transport. In this work, we investigate the implementation of an anomalous electron cross field transport model for hybrid HET simulations such a HPHall. A theory for anomalous transport in HETs and current driven instabilities has been recently studied by Lafleur et al. This work has shown collective electron-wave scattering due to large amplitude azimuthal fluctuations of the electric field. We will further adapt the previous results for related current driven instabilities to electric propulsion relevant mass ratios and conduct a preliminary study of resolving this instability with a modified hybrid (fluid electron and kinetic ion) simulation with the hope of integration with established hybrid HET simulations. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research award FA9950-17RQCOR465.
Shin, Eunju; Shin, Seulmee; Kong, Hyunseok; Lee, Sungwon; Do, Seon-Gil; Jo, Tae Hyung; Park, Young-In; Lee, Chong-Kil; Hwang, In-Kyeong; Kim, Kyungjae
2011-04-01
Metabolic disorders, including type II diabetes and obesity, present major health risks in industrialized countries. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has become the focus of a great deal of attention as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic syndromes. In this study, we evaluated whether dietary aloe could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and adipogenesis. Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Aloe QDM complex down-regulated fat size through suppressed expression of scavenger receptors on adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) compared with HFD. Both white adipose tissue (WATs) and muscle exhibited increased AMPK activation through aloe supplementation, and in particular, the Aloe QDM complex. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and -6) and HIF1α mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration by the Aloe QDM complex. Further, the Aloe QDM complex decreased the translocation of NF-κB p65 from the cytosol in the WAT. Dietary aloe formula reduced obesity-induced inflammatory responses by activation of AMPK in muscle and suppression of proinflammatory cytokines in the WAT. Additionally, the expression of scavenger receptors in the ATM and activation of AMPK in WAT led to reduction in the percent of body fat. Thus, we suggest that the effect of the Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and muscle are related to activation of AMPK and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation.
Villarroya, Joan; Dorado, Beatriz; Vilà, Maya R; Garcia-Arumí, Elena; Domingo, Pere; Giralt, Marta; Hirano, Michio; Villarroya, Francesc
2011-01-01
Mammal adipose tissues require mitochondrial activity for proper development and differentiation. The components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain/oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) are encoded by both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. The maintenance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a key element for a functional mitochondrial oxidative activity in mammalian cells. To ascertain the role of mtDNA levels in adipose tissue, we have analyzed the alterations in white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissues in thymidine kinase 2 (Tk2) H126N knockin mice, a model of TK2 deficiency-induced mtDNA depletion. We observed respectively severe and moderate mtDNA depletion in TK2-deficient BAT and WAT, showing both tissues moderate hypotrophy and reduced fat accumulation. Electron microscopy revealed altered mitochondrial morphology in brown but not in white adipocytes from TK2-deficient mice. Although significant reduction in mtDNA-encoded transcripts was observed both in WAT and BAT, protein levels from distinct OXPHOS complexes were significantly reduced only in TK2-deficient BAT. Accordingly, the activity of cytochrome c oxidase was significantly lowered only in BAT from TK2-deficient mice. The analysis of transcripts encoding up to fourteen components of specific adipose tissue functions revealed that, in both TK2-deficient WAT and BAT, there was a consistent reduction of thermogenesis related gene expression and a severe reduction in leptin mRNA. Reduced levels of resistin mRNA were found in BAT from TK2-deficient mice. Analysis of serum indicated a dramatic reduction in circulating levels of leptin and resistin. In summary, our present study establishes that mtDNA depletion leads to a moderate impairment in mitochondrial respiratory function, especially in BAT, causes substantial alterations in WAT and BAT development, and has a profound impact in the endocrine properties of adipose tissues. © 2011 Villarroya et al.
Villarroya, Joan; Dorado, Beatriz; Vilà, Maya R.; Garcia-Arumí, Elena; Domingo, Pere; Giralt, Marta; Hirano, Michio; Villarroya, Francesc
2011-01-01
Mammal adipose tissues require mitochondrial activity for proper development and differentiation. The components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain/oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) are encoded by both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. The maintenance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a key element for a functional mitochondrial oxidative activity in mammalian cells. To ascertain the role of mtDNA levels in adipose tissue, we have analyzed the alterations in white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissues in thymidine kinase 2 (Tk2) H126N knockin mice, a model of TK2 deficiency-induced mtDNA depletion. We observed respectively severe and moderate mtDNA depletion in TK2-deficient BAT and WAT, showing both tissues moderate hypotrophy and reduced fat accumulation. Electron microscopy revealed altered mitochondrial morphology in brown but not in white adipocytes from TK2-deficient mice. Although significant reduction in mtDNA-encoded transcripts was observed both in WAT and BAT, protein levels from distinct OXPHOS complexes were significantly reduced only in TK2-deficient BAT. Accordingly, the activity of cytochrome c oxidase was significantly lowered only in BAT from TK2-deficient mice. The analysis of transcripts encoding up to fourteen components of specific adipose tissue functions revealed that, in both TK2-deficient WAT and BAT, there was a consistent reduction of thermogenesis related gene expression and a severe reduction in leptin mRNA. Reduced levels of resistin mRNA were found in BAT from TK2-deficient mice. Analysis of serum indicated a dramatic reduction in circulating levels of leptin and resistin. In summary, our present study establishes that mtDNA depletion leads to a moderate impairment in mitochondrial respiratory function, especially in BAT, causes substantial alterations in WAT and BAT development, and has a profound impact in the endocrine properties of adipose tissues. PMID:22216345
Shin, Eunju; Shin, Seulmee; Kong, Hyunseok; Lee, Sungwon; Do, Seon-Gil; Jo, Tae Hyung; Park, Young-In; Lee, Chong-Kil; Hwang, In-Kyeong
2011-01-01
Background Metabolic disorders, including type II diabetes and obesity, present major health risks in industrialized countries. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has become the focus of a great deal of attention as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic syndromes. In this study, we evaluated whether dietary aloe could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and adipogenesis. Methods Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Results Aloe QDM complex down-regulated fat size through suppressed expression of scavenger receptors on adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) compared with HFD. Both white adipose tissue (WATs) and muscle exhibited increased AMPK activation through aloe supplementation, and in particular, the Aloe QDM complex. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and -6) and HIF1α mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration by the Aloe QDM complex. Further, the Aloe QDM complex decreased the translocation of NF-κB p65 from the cytosol in the WAT. Conclusion Dietary aloe formula reduced obesity-induced inflammatory responses by activation of AMPK in muscle and suppression of proinflammatory cytokines in the WAT. Additionally, the expression of scavenger receptors in the ATM and activation of AMPK in WAT led to reduction in the percent of body fat. Thus, we suggest that the effect of the Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and muscle are related to activation of AMPK and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation. PMID:21637388
Cold-Induced Changes in Gene Expression in Brown Adipose Tissue, White Adipose Tissue and Liver
Shore, Andrew M.; Karamitri, Angeliki; Kemp, Paul; Speakman, John R.; Graham, Neil S.; Lomax, Michael A.
2013-01-01
Cold exposure imposes a metabolic challenge to mammals that is met by a coordinated response in different tissues to prevent hypothermia. This study reports a transcriptomic analysis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose (WAT) and liver of mice in response to 24 h cold exposure at 8°C. Expression of 1895 genes were significantly (P<0.05) up- or down-regulated more than two fold by cold exposure in all tissues but only 5 of these genes were shared by all three tissues, and only 19, 14 and 134 genes were common between WAT and BAT, WAT and liver, and BAT and liver, respectively. We confirmed using qRT-PCR, the increased expression of a number of characteristic BAT genes during cold exposure. In both BAT and the liver, the most common direction of change in gene expression was suppression (496 genes in BAT and 590 genes in liver). Gene ontology analysis revealed for the first time significant (P<0.05) down regulation in response to cold, of genes involved in oxidoreductase activity, lipid metabolic processes and protease inhibitor activity, in both BAT and liver, but not WAT. The results reveal an unexpected importance of down regulation of cytochrome P450 gene expression and apolipoprotein, in both BAT and liver, but not WAT, in response to cold exposure. Pathway analysis suggests a model in which down regulation of the nuclear transcription factors HNF4α and PPARα in both BAT and liver may orchestrate the down regulation of genes involved in lipoprotein and steroid metabolism as well as Phase I enzymes belonging to the cytochrome P450 group in response to cold stress in mice. We propose that the response to cold stress involves decreased gene expression in a range of cellular processes in order to maximise pathways involved in heat production. PMID:23894377
Crézé, Camille; Candal, Laura; Cros, Jérémy; Knebel, Jean-François; Seyssel, Kevin; Stefanoni, Nathalie; Schneiter, Philippe; Murray, Micah M; Tappy, Luc; Toepel, Ulrike
2018-05-15
Whether non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) consumption impacts food intake behavior in humans is still unclear. Discrepant sensory and metabolic signals are proposed to mislead brain regulatory centers, in turn promoting maladaptive food choices favoring weight gain. We aimed to assess whether ingestion of sucrose- and NNS-sweetened drinks would differently alter brain responses to food viewing and food intake. Eighteen normal-weight men were studied in a fasted condition and after consumption of a standardized meal accompanied by either a NNS-sweetened (NNS), or a sucrose-sweetened (SUC) drink, or water (WAT). Their brain responses to visual food cues were assessed by means of electroencephalography (EEG) before and 45 min after meal ingestion. Four hours after meal ingestion, spontaneous food intake was monitored during an ad libitum buffet. With WAT, meal intake led to increased neural activity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex and the insula, areas linked to cognitive control and interoception. With SUC, neural activity in the insula increased as well, but decreased in temporal regions linked to food categorization, and remained unchanged in dorsal prefrontal areas. The latter modulations were associated with a significantly lower total energy intake at buffet (mean kcal ± SEM; 791 ± 62) as compared to WAT (942 ± 71) and NNS (917 ± 70). In contrast to WAT and SUC, NNS consumption did not impact activity in the insula, but led to increased neural activity in ventrolateral prefrontal regions linked to the inhibition of reward. Total energy intake at the buffet was not significantly different between WAT and NNS. Our findings highlight the differential impact of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners on subsequent brain responses to visual food cues and energy intake. These variations may reflect an initial stage of adaptation to taste-calorie uncoupling, and could be indicative of longer-term consequences of repeated NNS consumption on food intake behavior.
Li, Jin-Xiu; Ke, Da-Zhi; Yao, Ling; Wang, Shang; Ma, Peng; Liu, Li; Zuo, Guo-Wei; Jiang, Li-Rong; Wang, Jian-Wei
2017-03-04
There has been much concern regarding the dietary fructose contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome. High-fructose diet changes the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Levels of a number of hepatic lipogenic enzymes are increased by a high-carbohydrate diet in fasted-refed model rats/mice. Both the white adipose tissue (WAT) and the liver play a key role in the maintenance of nutrient homeostasis. Here, the aim of this study was to analyze the expression of key genes related to lipid metabolism in epididymal WAT (eWAT) in response to different fasting condition after long-term chronic fructose consumption. Rats were fed standard chow supplemented with 10% w/v fructose solution for 5 weeks, and killed after chow-fasting and fructose withdrawal (fasting) or chow-fasting and continued fructose (fructose alone) for 14 h. Blood parameters and the expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis (ChREBP, SREBP-1c, FAS, SCD1), triglyceride biosynthesis (DGAT-1, DGAT-2) and lipid mobilization (ATGL, HSL) in eWAT were analyzed. In addition, mRNA levels of PPAR-γ, CD36 and LPL were also detected. As expected, fructose alone increased the mRNA expression of FAS, SCD1, and correspondingly decreased ATGL and HSL mRNA levels. However, ChREBP, DGAT-2, ATGL and HSL mRNA levels restored near to normal while FAS and SCD1 tend to basic level under fasting condition. The mRNA expression of SREBP-1c, PPAR-γ and LPL did not changed at any situations but CD36 mRNA decreased remarkably in fructose alone group. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that genes involved in lipid metabolism in rat eWAT are varied in response to different fasting conditions after long-term fructose consumption. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Kruse, Rikke; Vienberg, Sara G; Vind, Birgitte F; Andersen, Birgitte; Højlund, Kurt
2017-10-01
Pharmacological doses of FGF21 improve glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism and energy expenditure in rodents. Induced expression and secretion of FGF21 from muscle may increase browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) in a myokine-like manner. Recent studies have reported that insulin and exercise increase FGF21 in plasma. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are potentially FGF21-resistant states, but to what extent FGF21 responses to insulin and exercise training are preserved, and whether FGF21, its receptors and target genes are altered, remains to be established. The effects of insulin during euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamps and 10 week endurance training on serum FGF21 were examined in individuals with type 2 diabetes and in glucose tolerant overweight/obese and lean individuals. Gene expression of FGF21, its receptors and target genes in muscle and WAT biopsies was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Insulin increased serum and muscle FGF21 independent of overweight/obesity or type 2 diabetes, and there were no effects associated with exercise training. The insulin-induced increases in serum FGF21 and muscle FGF21 expression correlated tightly (p < 0.001). In WAT, overweight/obesity with and without type 2 diabetes led to reduced expression of KLB, but increased FGFR1c expression. However, the expression of most FGF21 target genes was unaltered except for reduced CIDEA expression in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Insulin-induced expression of muscle FGF21 correlates strongly with a rise in serum FGF21, and this response appears intact in overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes. FGF21 resistance may involve reduced KLB expression in WAT. However, increased FGFR1c expression or other mechanisms seem to ensure adequate expression of most FGF21 target genes in WAT.
Fast Determination of the Element Excitation of an Active Phased Array Antenna
1991-03-01
elementenexcitatie te, bepalen: de amplitude en fase van het elektrische ven-e veld moeten gemeten warden in slechts I richting in het verre veld van de ...Page 3 rapport no FEL-91-BO38 titel Een snelle bepaling van de excitatie van de elenienten van cen actieve phased array antenne auteur(s) I. J.G. van...van der Spek Onderzoek uItgevoerd door Ir. J.G. van Hezewijk SAMENVATIING (ONGERUBRICEERD) Het verre veld stralingsdiagram van een actieve phased array
1998-06-01
deeltjes in het masker, de luclitwegen of de detector worden protectiefactoren gevonden die in het algemneen te optimistisch zijn [11, 12]. De gevonden...zijn wel te relateren aan bepaalde activiteiten. 4.2.2 Natuurlijk atmosferisch stof Door de firma TSI is een apparaat ontwikkeld (Portacount) dat...onderdruk afnemen [5]. Door de firma Dynatech Nevada (USA) wordt een apparaat geproduceerd dat van dit principe gebruikmaakt. Het apparaat is voorzien
2008-04-01
Fe:~& 2/121 Generiek Materieellogistiek Ketenmodel Defensie In het kader van het programma DEM (V4 11 ) is in dit project het Generiek...de osrneljewadKete vanefPorter odnasmlti emgn e vroe mmltiemdee nt TNO-rapport ITNO-DV 2007 A449 9 /21 Als laatste valt bet ontbreken van een eenduidig...DV 2007 A449 11 /21 Zoals in de Defensie waardeketen valt te zien, is de uiteindelijke waarde die de Matlog keten oplevert, Materidle Gereedheid
2007-07-01
effects (Softwaremodule voor het simuleren van de gevolgen van raketonderschepping) 11 . AUTHOR(S) Dr E. Abadjieva, MSc R.P. Sterkenburg, MSc F. Bouquet...Softwaremnodule voor het simuleren van de gevolgen van raketonderschepping D)attini Juli 2007 Auteur(s) dr. F. Abadjicva ir. R.P Sterkenburg ir. F. Bouquet ir...P.W. D)ouip Rubricering rapport O)ngerubri ceerd Vastgesteld door Maj R. 11 . Jongkinid Vastgesteld d.d. 12 juni 2007 (Deze nitining mizil-4 sict
Sympathetic Innervation of Cold-Activated Brown and White Fat in Lean Young Adults.
Muzik, Otto; Mangner, Tom J; Leonard, William R; Kumar, Ajay; Granneman, James G
2017-05-01
Recent work in rodents has demonstrated that basal activity of the local sympathetic nervous system is critical for maintaining brown adipocyte phenotypes in classic brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). Accordingly, we sought to assess the relationship between sympathetic innervation and cold-induced activation of BAT and WAT in lean young adults. Methods: Twenty adult lean normal subjects (10 women and 10 men; mean age ± SD, 23.3 ± 3.8 y; body mass index, 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 ) underwent 11 C-meta-hydroxyephedrin ( 11 C-HED) and 15 O-water PET imaging at rest and after exposure to mild cold (16°C) temperature. In addition, 18 F-FDG images were obtained during the cold stress condition to assess cold-activated BAT mass. Subjects were divided into 2 groups (high BAT and low BAT) based on the presence of 18 F-FDG tracer uptake. Blood flow and 11 C-HED retention index (RI, an indirect measure of sympathetic innervation) were calculated from dynamic PET scans at the location of BAT and WAT. Whole-body daily energy expenditure (DEE) during rest and cold stress was measured by indirect calorimetry. Tissue level oxygen consumption (MRO 2 ) was determined and used to calculate the contribution of cold-activated BAT and WAT to daily DEE. Results: 18 F-FDG uptake identified subjects with high and low levels of cold-activated BAT mass (high BAT, 96 ± 37 g; low-BAT, 16 ± 4 g). 11 C-HED RI under thermoneutral conditions significantly predicted 18 F-FDG uptake during cold stress ( R 2 = 0.68, P < 0.01). In contrast to the significant increase of 11 C-HED RI during cold in BAT (2.42 ± 0.85 vs. 3.43 ± 0.93, P = 0.02), cold exposure decreased the 11 C-HED RI in WAT (0.44 ± 0.22 vs. 0.41 ± 0.18) as a consequence of decreased perfusion (1.22 ± 0.20 vs. 1.12 ± 0.16 mL/100 g/min). The contribution of WAT to whole-body DEE was approximately 150 kcal/d at rest (149 ± 52 kcal/d), which decreased to approximately 100 kcal/d during cold (102 ± 47 kcal/d). Conclusion: The level of sympathetic innervation, as determined by 11 C-HED RI, can predict levels of functional BAT. Overall, blood flow is the best independent predictor of 11 C-HED RI and 18 F-FDG uptake across thermoneutral and cold conditions. In contrast to BAT, cold stress reduces blood flow and 18 F-FDG uptake in subcutaneous WAT, indicating that the physiologic response is to reduce heat loss rather than to generate heat. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
2018-01-01
Mitotic recombination can result in loss of heterozygosity and chromosomal rearrangements that shape genome structure and initiate human disease. Engineered double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a potent initiator of recombination, but whether spontaneous events initiate with the breakage of one or both DNA strands remains unclear. In the current study, a crossover (CO)-specific assay was used to compare heteroduplex DNA (hetDNA) profiles, which reflect strand exchange intermediates, associated with DSB-induced versus spontaneous events in yeast. Most DSB-induced CO products had the two-sided hetDNA predicted by the canonical DSB repair model, with a switch in hetDNA position from one product to the other at the position of the break. Approximately 40% of COs, however, had hetDNA on only one side of the initiating break. This anomaly can be explained by a modified model in which there is frequent processing of an early invasion (D-loop) intermediate prior to extension of the invading end. Finally, hetDNA tracts exhibited complexities consistent with frequent expansion of the DSB into a gap, migration of strand-exchange junctions, and template switching during gap-filling reactions. hetDNA patterns in spontaneous COs isolated in either a wild-type background or in a background with elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (tsa1Δ mutant) were similar to those associated with the DSB-induced events, suggesting that DSBs are the major instigator of spontaneous mitotic recombination in yeast. PMID:29579095
The transcriptional coregulator GRIP1 controls macrophage polarization and metabolic homeostasis
Coppo, Maddalena; Chinenov, Yurii; Sacta, Maria A.; Rogatsky, Inez
2016-01-01
Diet-induced obesity causes chronic macrophage-driven inflammation in white adipose tissue (WAT) leading to insulin resistance. WAT macrophages, however, differ in their origin, gene expression and activities: unlike infiltrating monocyte-derived inflammatory macrophages, WAT-resident macrophages counteract inflammation and insulin resistance, yet, the mechanisms underlying their transcriptional programming remain poorly understood. We recently reported that a nuclear receptor cofactor—glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-interacting protein (GRIP)1—cooperates with GR to repress inflammatory genes. Here, we show that GRIP1 facilitates macrophage programming in response to IL4 via a GR-independent pathway by serving as a coactivator for Kruppel-like factor (KLF)4—a driver of tissue-resident macrophage differentiation. Moreover, obese mice conditionally lacking GRIP1 in macrophages develop massive macrophage infiltration and inflammation in metabolic tissues, fatty livers, hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance recapitulating metabolic disease. Thus, GRIP1 is a critical regulator of immunometabolism, which engages distinct transcriptional mechanisms to coordinate the balance between macrophage populations and ultimately promote metabolic homeostasis. PMID:27464507
Wongsa, Patcharaporn; Tanaka, Makiko; Ueno, Akio; Hasanuzzaman, Mohammad; Yumoto, Isao; Okuyama, Hidetoshi
2004-12-01
Bacteria possessing high capacity to degrade gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, and lubricating oil were screened from several areas of Hokkaido, Japan. Among isolates, two strains, WatG and HokM, which were identified as new strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens species, respectively, showed relatively high capacity and wide spectrum to degrade the hydrocarbons in gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and lubricating oil. About 90-95% of excess amount of total diesel oil and kerosene added to mineral salts media as a sole carbon source could be degraded by WatG within 2 and 3 weeks, respectively. The same amount of lubricating oil was 60% degraded within 2 weeks. Strain HokM was more capable than WatG in degrading aromatic compounds in gasoline. This strain could also degrade kerosene, diesel, and lubricating oil with a capacity of 50-60%. Thus, these two isolates have potential to be useful for bioremediation of sites highly contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.
Lopes, Paula A; Bandarra, Narcisa M; Martins, Susana V; Madeira, Marta S; Ferreira, Júlia; Guil-Guerrero, José L; Prates, José A M
2018-06-01
We hypothesised that the incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) across adipose tissues will be higher when it is ingested as triacylglycerols (TAG) structured at the sn-2 position. Ten-week old male hamsters were allocated to 4 dietary treatments (n = 10): linseed oil (LSO-control group), fish oil (FO), fish oil ethyl esters (FO-EE) and structured DHA at the sn-2 position of TAG (DHA-SL) during 12 weeks. In opposition to the large variations found for fatty acid composition in retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) was less responsive to diets. DHA was not found in subcutaneous and retroperitoneal WAT depots but it was successfully incorporated in BAT reaching the highest percentage in DHA-SL. The PCA on plasma hormones (insulin, leptin, adiponectin) and fatty acids discriminated BAT from WATs pointing towards an individual signature on fatty acid deposition, but did not allow for full discrimination of dietary treatments within each adipose tissue.
Heterogeneous multiscale Monte Carlo simulations for gold nanoparticle radiosensitization.
Martinov, Martin P; Thomson, Rowan M
2017-02-01
To introduce the heterogeneous multiscale (HetMS) model for Monte Carlo simulations of gold nanoparticle dose-enhanced radiation therapy (GNPT), a model characterized by its varying levels of detail on different length scales within a single phantom; to apply the HetMS model in two different scenarios relevant for GNPT and to compare computed results with others published. The HetMS model is implemented using an extended version of the EGSnrc user-code egs_chamber; the extended code is tested and verified via comparisons with recently published data from independent GNP simulations. Two distinct scenarios for the HetMS model are then considered: (a) monoenergetic photon beams (20 keV to 1 MeV) incident on a cylinder (1 cm radius, 3 cm length); (b) isotropic point source (brachytherapy source spectra) at the center of a 2.5 cm radius sphere with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) diffusing outwards from the center. Dose enhancement factors (DEFs) are compared for different source energies, depths in phantom, gold concentrations, GNP sizes, and modeling assumptions, as well as with independently published values. Simulation efficiencies are investigated. The HetMS MC simulations account for the competing effects of photon fluence perturbation (due to gold in the scatter media) coupled with enhanced local energy deposition (due to modeling discrete GNPs within subvolumes). DEFs are most sensitive to these effects for the lower source energies, varying with distance from the source; DEFs below unity (i.e., dose decreases, not enhancements) can occur at energies relevant for brachytherapy. For example, in the cylinder scenario, the 20 keV photon source has a DEF of 3.1 near the phantom's surface, decreasing to less than unity by 0.7 cm depth (for 20 mg/g). Compared to discrete modeling of GNPs throughout the gold-containing (treatment) volume, efficiencies are enhanced by up to a factor of 122 with the HetMS approach. For the spherical phantom, DEFs vary with time for diffusion, radionuclide, and radius; DEFs differ considerably from those computed using a widely applied analytic approach. By combining geometric models of varying complexity on different length scales within a single simulation, the HetMS model can effectively account for both macroscopic and microscopic effects which must both be considered for accurate computation of energy deposition and DEFs for GNPT. Efficiency gains with the HetMS approach enable diverse calculations which would otherwise be prohibitively long. The HetMS model may be extended to diverse scenarios relevant for GNPT, providing further avenues for research and development. © 2016 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
Holstila, Milja; Pesola, Marko; Saari, Teemu; Koskensalo, Kalle; Raiko, Juho; Borra, Ronald J H; Nuutila, Pirjo; Parkkola, Riitta; Virtanen, Kirsi A
2017-05-01
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is compositionally distinct from white adipose tissue (WAT) in terms of triglyceride and water content. In adult humans, the most significant BAT depot is localized in the supraclavicular area. Our aim is to differentiate brown adipose tissue from white adipose tissue using fat T2* relaxation time mapping and signal-fat-fraction (SFF) analysis based on a commercially available modified 2-point-Dixon (mDixon) water-fat separation method. We hypothesize that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can reliably measure BAT regardless of the cold-induced metabolic activation, with BAT having a significantly higher water and iron content compared to WAT. The supraclavicular area of 13 volunteers was studied on 3T PET-MRI scanner using T2* relaxation time and SFF mapping both during cold exposure and at ambient temperature; and 18 F-FDG PET during cold exposure. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were defined semiautomatically in the supraclavicular fat depot, subcutaneous WAT and muscle. The supraclavicular fat depot (assumed to contain BAT) had a significantly lower SFF and fat T2* relaxation time compared to subcutaneous WAT. Cold exposure did not significantly affect MR-based measurements. SFF and T2* values measured during cold exposure and at ambient temperature correlated inversely with the glucose uptake measured by 18 F-FDG PET. Human BAT can be reliably and safely assessed using MRI without cold activation and PET-related radiation exposure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wang, P; Walter, R D; Bhat, B G; Florant, G L; Coleman, R A
1997-10-01
In order to determine whether critical enzyme activities of glycerolipid synthesis change seasonally in the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis), we collected summer and winter samples of liver, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and white adipose tissue (WAT). Compared with fatty acid synthase activity during hibernation, summer activities were 2.5- to 8-fold higher in adipose tissue and liver. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity was 2.6-fold higher in WAT during the summer, consistent with increased seasonal triacylglycerol storage, but the activity did not change in liver or BAT, suggesting that in these tissues, triacylglycerol synthesis is equally active in summer and winter. Lack of change in acyl-CoA synthetase in liver and BAT may reflect high synthetic rates for acyl-CoAs that are destined in the summer for glycerolipid synthesis and in the winter for beta-oxidation. Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) activity increased significantly in both liver and WAT during the summer but decreased in BAT. Although the changes were consistent with active year-round triacylglycerol synthesis, the higher summer MGAT activity observed in the squirrel liver and WAT suggest that MGATs function may not be limited to conserving essential fatty acids during physiological states of lipolysis. Seasonal changes observed in the ground squirrel were similar to those previously reported in the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), confirming that important adjustments occur in energy metabolism necessitated by long seasonal hibernation.
Shi, Wenbiao; Hegeman, Maria A.; van Dartel, Dorien A.M.; Tang, Jing; Suarez, Manuel; Swarts, Hans; van der Hee, Bart; Arola, Lluis
2017-01-01
Scope Metabolic flexibility is the ability to switch metabolism between carbohydrate oxidation (CHO) and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and is a biomarker for metabolic health. The effect on metabolic health of nicotinamide riboside (NR) as an exclusive source of vitamin B3 is unknown and is examined here for a wide range of NR. Design and methods Nine‐week‐old male C57BL/6JRcc mice received a semi‐purified mildly obesogenic (40 en% fat) diet containing 0.14% L‐tryptophan and either 5, 15, 30, 180, or 900 mg NR per kg diet for 15 weeks. Body composition and metabolic parameters were analyzed. Metabolic flexibility was measured using indirect calorimetry. Gene expression in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) was measured using qRT‐PCR . Results The maximum delta respiratory exchange ratio when switching from CHO to FAO (maxΔRERCHO1→FAO) and when switching from FAO to CHO (maxΔRERFAO→CHO2) were largest in 30 mg NR per kg diet (30NR). In eWAT, the gene expression of Pparγ, a master regulator of adipogenesis, and of Sod2 and Prdx3, two antioxidant genes, were significantly upregulated in 30NR compared to 5NR. Conclusion 30NR is most beneficial for metabolic health, in terms of metabolic flexibility and eWAT gene expression, of mice on an obesogenic diet. PMID:28211258
PVAT and Its Relation to Brown, Beige, and White Adipose Tissue in Development and Function
Hildebrand, Staffan; Stümer, Jasmin; Pfeifer, Alexander
2018-01-01
Adipose tissue is commonly categorized into three types with distinct functions, phenotypes, and anatomical localizations. White adipose tissue (WAT) is the major energy store; the largest depots of WAT are found in subcutaneous or intravisceral sites. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is responsible for energy dissipation during cold-exposure (i.e., non-shivering thermogenesis) and is primarily located in the interscapular region. Beige or brite (brown-in-white) adipose tissue can be found interspersed in WAT and can attain a brown-like phenotype. These three types of tissues also have endocrine functions and play major roles in whole body metabolism especially in obesity and its co-morbidities, such as cardiovascular disease. Over the last years, perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has emerged as an adipose organ with endocrine and paracrine functions. Pro and anti-inflammatory agents released by PVAT affect vascular health, and are implicated in the inflammatory aspects of atherosclerosis. PVAT shares several of the defining characteristics of brown adipose tissue, including its cellular morphology and expression of thermogenic genes characteristic for brown adipocytes. However, PVATs from different vessels are phenotypically different, and significant developmental differences exist between PVAT and other adipose tissues. Whether PVAT represents classical BAT, beige adipose tissue, or WAT with changing characteristics, is unclear. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on how PVAT relates to other types of adipose tissue, both in terms of functionality, developmental origins, and its role in obesity-related cardiovascular disease and inflammation. PMID:29467675
Ormeci, A; Emrence, Z; Baran, B; Gokturk, S; Soyer, O M; Evirgen, S; Akyuz, F; Karaca, C; Besisik, F; Kaymakoglu, S; Ustek, D; Demir, K
2016-03-01
Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphisms play an important role in the metabolism of proton pump inhibitors. Rabeprazole is primarily metabolized via non-enzymatic pathways. In this study, we determined whether rabeprazole- and pantoprazole-based eradication treatments were influenced by CYP2C19 polymorphisms. A total of 200 patients infected with Helicobacter pylori were treated with either 40 mg of pantoprazole or 20 mg of rabeprazole plus 500 mg of clarithromycin, 1000 mg of amoxicillin twice daily for 2 weeks. CYP2C19 genotype status was determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-restriction-fragment-length polymorphism. The genotypes of cytochrome P450 2C19 were classified as homozigote extensive metabolizer (HomEM), heterozigote metabolizer (HetEM) and poor metabolizer (PM). The CYP2C19 genotype of all patients, the effectiveness of the treatment, the effect of the genotypic polymorphism on the treatment were assessed. The frequencies of HotEM, HetEM, PM were 78%, 19.5% and 2.5%, respectively. 48% (n = 96) of the patients received treatment with rabeprazole and 52% (n = 104) with pantoprazole. The eradication rate was 64.7% for HomEM, 79.4% for HetEM, 100% for PM (p = 0.06). In HetEM, PM, are considered as a single group, the eradication rates were higher in patients with the HetEM and PM (HetEM+PM) genotypes than in those with the wild-type genotype (81.8 vs. 64.7% p = 0.031). Among the patients treated with rabeprazole, the eradication rates were significantly lower in those with the HomEM genotype than in those with the HetEM+PM genotypes (60% vs. 85.7% p = 0.023). The genotypic polymorphism is effective on the rate of eradication. Eradication treatment rate with rabeprazole is influenced by CYP2C19 genotype.
Arynes, diaryliodonium salts and azine N-oxides in transition metal-free electrophilic N-arylation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bugaenko, D. I.; Karchava, A. V.; Yurovskaya, M. A.
2018-03-01
The main approach to the synthesis of aromatic and heteroaromatic amines is based on palladium- and copper-catalyzed N-arylation reactions. Although these methods are highly efficient and provide extensive opportunities for the synthesis of (het)arylamines with various structures and properties, they have some limitations related to the catalysts used and reaction conditions. This review addresses alternative approaches to N-(het)arylation that have been extensively developed in the past decade and are based on the use of arynes, diaryliodonium salts and azine N-oxides as electrophilic (het)arylating agents. Because of mild reaction conditions and no need for catalysts and strong bases, these N-(het)arylation methods are attractive for various synthetic applications and open up new possibilities for the preparation of valuable organic compounds inaccessible via traditional catalytic methods. The attention is focussed on publications of the last decade. The bibliography includes 112 references.
Segment Alignment Maintenance System for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rakoczy, John; Burdine, Robert (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with Blue Line Engineering of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is developing a Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS) for McDonald Observatory's Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). The SAMS shall sense motions of the 91 primary mirror segments and send corrections to HET's primary mirror controller as the mirror segments misalign due to thermo -elastic deformations of the mirror support structure. The SAMS consists of inductive edge sensors. All measurements are sent to the SAMS computer where mirror motion corrections are calculated. In October 2000, a prototype SAMS was installed on a seven-segment cluster of the HET. Subsequent testing has shown that the SAMS concept and architecture are a viable practical approach to maintaining HET's primary mirror figure, or the figure of any large segmented telescope. This paper gives a functional description of the SAMS sub-array components and presents test data to characterize the performance of the subarray SAMS.
Cross-field diffusion in Hall thrusters and other plasma thrusters
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boeuf, J. P.
2012-10-01
Understanding and quantifying electron transport perpendicular to the magnetic field is a challenge in many low temperature plasma applications. Hall effect thrusters (HETs) provide an excellent example of cross-field transport. The HET is a very successful concept that can be considered both as a gridless ion source and an electromagnetic thruster. In HETs, the electric field E accelerating the ions is a consequence of the Lorentz force due to an external magnetic field B acting on the ExB Hall electron current. An essential aspect of HETs is that the ExB drift is closed, i.e. is in the azimuthal direction of a cylindrical channel. In the first part of this presentation we will discuss the physics of cross-field electron transport in HETs, and the current understanding (or non-understanding) of the possible role of turbulence and wall collisions on cross-field diffusion. We will also briefly comment on alternative designs of ion sources based on the same principles as the conventional HET (Anode Layer Thruster, Diverging Cusp Field Thrusters, End-Hall ion sources). In a second part of the presentation we show that the Lorentz force acting on diamagnetic currents (associated with the ∇PexB term in the electron momentum equation) can also provide thrust. This is the case for example in helicon thrusters where the plasma expands in a magnetic nozzle. We will report and discuss recent work on helicon thrusters and other devices where the diamagnetic current is dominant (with some examples where the ∇PexB current is not closed and is directed toward a wall!).
Effects of Iron Depletion on CALM-AF10 Leukemias
Heath, Jessica L.; Weiss, Joshua M.
2014-01-01
Iron, an essential nutrient for cellular growth and proliferation, enters cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). The clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid (CALM) protein plays an essential role in the cellular import of iron by CME. CALM-AF10 leukemias harbor a single copy of the normal CALM gene, and may therefore be more sensitive to the growth inhibitory effect of iron restriction compared with normal hematopoietic cells. We found that Calm heterozygous (CalmHET) murine fibroblasts exhibit signs of iron deficiency, with increased surface transferrin receptor (sTfR) levels and reduced growth rates. CalmHET hematopoietic cells are more sensitive in vitro to iron chelators than their wild type counterparts. Iron chelation also displayed toxicity towards cultured CalmHET CALM-AF10 leukemia cells and this effect was additive to that of chemotherapy. In mice transplanted with CalmHET CALM-AF10 leukemia, we found that dietary iron restriction reduces tumor burden in the spleen. However, dietary iron restriction, used alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy, did not increase survival of mice with CalmHET CALM-AF10 leukemia. In summary, while Calm heterozygosity results in iron deficiency and increased sensitivity to iron chelation in vitro, our data in mice do not suggest that iron depletion strategies would be beneficial for the therapy of CALM-AF10 leukemia patients. PMID:25193880
Tyrphostin AG17 inhibits adipocyte differentiation in vivo and in vitro.
Camacho, Alberto; Segoviano-Ramírez, Juan Carlos; Sánchez-Garcia, Adriana; de Jesus Herrera-de la Rosa, Jose; García-Juarez, Jaime; Hernandez-Puente, Carlos Alberto; Calvo-Anguiano, Geovana; Maltos-Uro, Sergio Rodolfo; Olguin, Alejandra; Gojon-Romanillos, Gabriel; Gojon-Zorrilla, Gabriel; Ortiz-Lopez, Rocio
2018-05-29
Excessive subcutaneous adiposity in obesity is associated to positive white adipocyte tissue (WAT) differentiation (adipogenesis) and WAT expandability. Here, we hypothesized that supplementation with the insulin inhibitor and mitochondrial uncoupler, Tyrphostin (T-AG17), in vitro and in vivo inhibits adipogenesis and adipocyte hypertrophy. We used a 3T3-L1 proadipocyte cell line to identify the potential effect of T-AG17 on adipocyte differentiation and fat accumulation in vitro. We evaluated the safety of T-AG17 and its effects on physiological and molecular metabolic parameters including hormonal profile, glucose levels, adipogenesis and adipocyte hypertrophy in a diet-induced obesity model using C57BL/6 mice. We found that T-AG17 is effective in preventing adipogenesis and lipid synthesis in the 3T3-L1 cell line, as evidenced by a significant decrease in oil red staining (p < 0.05). In obese C57BL/6 mice, oral administration of T-AG17 (0.175 mg/kg for 2 weeks) lead to decreased fat accumulation and WAT hypertrophy. Further, T-AG17 induced adipocyte apoptosis by activating caspase-3. In the hepatocytes of obese mice, T-AG17 promoted an increase in the size of lipid inclusions, which was accompanied by glycogen accumulation. T-AG17 did not alter serum biochemistry, including glucose, insulin, leptin, free fatty acids, creatinine, and aspartate aminotransferase. T-AG17 promotes adipocyte apoptosis in vivo and is an effective modulator of adipocyte differentiation and WAT hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, T-AG17 may be useful as a pharmacological obesity treatment.
Cedó, Lídia; Santos, David; Roglans, Núria; Julve, Josep; Pallarès, Victor; Rivas-Urbina, Andrea; Llorente-Cortes, Vicenta; Laguna, Joan Carles; Blanco-Vaca, Francisco; Escolà-Gil, Joan Carles
2017-01-01
Human hepatic lipase (hHL) is mainly localized on the hepatocyte cell surface where it hydrolyzes lipids from remnant lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins and promotes their hepatic selective uptake. Furthermore, hepatic lipase (HL) is closely associated with obesity in multiple studies. Therefore, HL may play a key role on lipid homeostasis in liver and white adipose tissue (WAT). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of hHL expression on hepatic and white adipose triglyceride metabolism in vivo. Experiments were carried out in hHL transgenic and wild-type mice fed a Western-type diet. Triglyceride metabolism studies included β-oxidation and de novo lipogenesis in liver and WAT, hepatic triglyceride secretion, and adipose lipoprotein lipase (LPL)-mediated free fatty acid (FFA) lipolysis and influx. The expression of hHL promoted hepatic triglyceride accumulation and de novo lipogenesis without affecting triglyceride secretion, and this was associated with an upregulation of Srebf1 as well as the main genes controlling the synthesis of fatty acids. Transgenic mice also exhibited more adiposity and an increased LPL-mediated FFA influx into the WAT without affecting glucose tolerance. Our results demonstrate that hHL promoted hepatic steatosis in mice mainly by upregulating de novo lipogenesis. HL also upregulated WAT LPL and promoted triglyceride-rich lipoprotein hydrolysis and adipose FFA uptake. These data support the important role of hHL in regulating hepatic lipid homeostasis and confirm the broad cardiometabolic role of HL.
Hankir, Mohammed K; Bronisch, Felix; Hintschich, Constantin; Krügel, Ute; Seyfried, Florian; Fenske, Wiebke K
2015-10-01
There are numerous reports of increased energy expenditure after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery in humans and rodent models but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study we assessed at the gene expression level whether RYGB leads to recruitment of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and/or beige adipose tissue (BeAT) as a means of enhanced facultative thermogenesis and increased energy expenditure after surgery. Diet-induced obese male Wistar rats were randomized into RYGB-operated (n=10), sham-operated ad libitum fed (Sham) (n=7) or sham-operated body weight matched (BWM) to RYGB groups (n=7). At a stage of postoperatively stabilized weight reduction, BAT (interscapular), subcutaneous (inguinal) and visceral (epididymal and perirenal) white adipose tissue (WAT) depots were collected in the fasted state. Expression of thermoregulatory genes (UCP1, CIDEA and PRDM16) in BAT and WAT as well as specific markers of BeAT (Ear2 and TMEM26) in WAT was analyzed using RT-qPCR. Compared to Sham rats, UCP1 mRNA expression in BAT was significantly reduced in BWM, but not in RYGB rats. No differences in mRNA expression were found for thermoregulatory proteins or for markers of BeAT in subcutaneous or visceral WAT depots between RYGB and Sham groups. The compensatory decrease in BAT thermogenic gene expression typically associated with body weight loss is attenuated after RYGB which, as opposed to recruitment of BeAT, may contribute to overall increases in energy expenditure and weight loss maintenance after surgery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2013-01-01
Background The adipose tissue is an endocrine regulator and a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease when by excessive accumulation induces obesity. Although the adipose tissue is also a reservoir for stem cells (ASC) their function and “stemcellness” has been questioned. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms by which obesity affects subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) stem cells. Results Transcriptomics, in silico analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blots were performed on isolated stem cells from subcutaneous abdominal WAT of morbidly obese patients (ASCmo) and of non-obese individuals (ASCn). ASCmo and ASCn gene expression clustered separately from each other. ASCmo showed downregulation of “stemness” genes and upregulation of adipogenic and inflammatory genes with respect to ASCn. Moreover, the application of bioinformatics and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) showed that the transcription factor Smad3 was tentatively affected in obese ASCmo. Validation of this target confirmed a significantly reduced Smad3 nuclear translocation in the isolated ASCmo. Conclusions The transcriptomic profile of the stem cells reservoir in obese subcutaneous WAT is highly modified with significant changes in genes regulating stemcellness, lineage commitment and inflammation. In addition to body mass index, cardiovascular risk factor clustering further affect the ASC transcriptomic profile inducing loss of multipotency and, hence, capacity for tissue repair. In summary, the stem cells in the subcutaneous WAT niche of obese patients are already committed to adipocyte differentiation and show an upregulated inflammatory gene expression associated to their loss of stemcellness. PMID:24040759
Browning of white adipose tissue: lessons from experimental models.
Bargut, Thereza Cristina Lonzetti; Souza-Mello, Vanessa; Aguila, Marcia Barbosa; Mandarim-de-Lacerda, Carlos Alberto
2017-01-18
Beige or brite (brown-in-white) adipocytes are present in white adipose tissue (WAT) and have a white fat-like phenotype that when stimulated acquires a brown fat-like phenotype, leading to increased thermogenesis. This phenomenon is known as browning and is more likely to occur in subcutaneous fat depots. Browning involves the expression of many transcription factors, such as PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, and of uncoupling protein (UCP)-1, which is the hallmark of thermogenesis. Recent papers pointed that browning can occur in the WAT of humans, with beneficial metabolic effects. This fact indicates that these cells can be targeted to treat a range of diseases, with both pharmacological and nutritional activators. Pharmacological approaches to induce browning include the use of PPAR-α agonist, adrenergic receptor stimulation, thyroid hormone administration, irisin and FGF21 induction. Most of them act through the induction of PPAR-γ coactivator (PGC) 1-α and the consequent mitochondrial biogenesis and UCP1 induction. About the nutritional inducers, several compounds have been described with multiple mechanisms of action. Some of these activators include specific amino acids restriction, capsaicin, bile acids, Resveratrol, and retinoic acid. Besides that, some classes of lipids, as well as many plant extracts, have also been implicated in the browning of WAT. In conclusion, the discovery of browning in human WAT opens the possibility to target the adipose tissue to fight a range of diseases. Studies have arisen showing promising results and bringing new opportunities in thermogenesis and obesity control.
Shi, Wenbiao; Hegeman, Maria A; van Dartel, Dorien A M; Tang, Jing; Suarez, Manuel; Swarts, Hans; van der Hee, Bart; Arola, Lluis; Keijer, Jaap
2017-08-01
Metabolic flexibility is the ability to switch metabolism between carbohydrate oxidation (CHO) and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and is a biomarker for metabolic health. The effect on metabolic health of nicotinamide riboside (NR) as an exclusive source of vitamin B3 is unknown and is examined here for a wide range of NR. Nine-week-old male C57BL/6JRcc mice received a semi-purified mildly obesogenic (40 en% fat) diet containing 0.14% L-tryptophan and either 5, 15, 30, 180, or 900 mg NR per kg diet for 15 weeks. Body composition and metabolic parameters were analyzed. Metabolic flexibility was measured using indirect calorimetry. Gene expression in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) was measured using qRT-PCR . The maximum delta respiratory exchange ratio when switching from CHO to FAO (maxΔRER CHO1→FAO ) and when switching from FAO to CHO (maxΔRER FAO→CHO2 ) were largest in 30 mg NR per kg diet (30NR). In eWAT, the gene expression of Pparγ, a master regulator of adipogenesis, and of Sod2 and Prdx3, two antioxidant genes, were significantly upregulated in 30NR compared to 5NR. 30NR is most beneficial for metabolic health, in terms of metabolic flexibility and eWAT gene expression, of mice on an obesogenic diet. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Deshaies, Y; Begin, F; Savoie, L; Vachon, C
1990-01-01
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of guar gum on the postprandial increase in plasma lipids, insulin and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in white adipose tissue (WAT). Male rats were given ad libitum access to purified diets containing either no fiber or 5% guar gum for 3 wk. The animals were killed at various times after a meal (10% of daily ad libitum intake of their respective diets). Consumption of guar gum resulted in smaller final body weight (-7%, P less than 0.05) and ad libitum food intake (-10%, P less than 0.05). The difference in epididymal WAT weight induced by the concomitant diet was relatively larger (-29%, P less than 0.05) than that of whole body weight. Although no difference was seen in fasting plasma total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels between dietary groups, the postprandial increase in these variables was larger in the animals given the fiber-free meal than in those receiving the fiber-supplemented meal (P less than 0.01). Guar also attenuated the postprandial rise in plasma triacylglycerols. The presence of fiber in the meal reduced the postprandial increase in plasma insulin (P less than 0.01). The meal-induced rise in LPL activity of WAT was significantly smaller (P less than 0.02) in the animals fed the diet containing fiber than in those receiving the fiber-free diet. Thus, guar gum altered the activity of LPL in WAT, an effect that may be related to the insulin response to this dietary component.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Kuipers, Eline N; Dam, Andrea D van; Held, Ntsiki M; Mol, Isabel M; Houtkooper, Riekelt H; Rensen, Patrick C N; Boon, Mariëtte R
2018-06-16
Obesity and dyslipidemia are major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, lowers plasma triglycerides (TG) in human intervention studies, and its intake is associated with lower CVD risk. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism by which quercetin lowers plasma TG levels in diet-induced obesity. C57Bl/6J mice received a high-fat diet (45% of calories derived from fat) with or without quercetin (0.1% w / w ) for 12 weeks. Quercetin decreased plasma TG levels from nine weeks onwards (−19%, p < 0.05), without affecting food intake, body composition, or energy expenditure. Mechanistically, quercetin did not reduce intestinal fatty acid (FA) absorption. Rather, quercetin induced a slight reduction in liver Apob expression (−13%, p < 0.05), which suggests decreased very-low density lipoprotein-TG production. Interestingly, quercetin also markedly increased the uptake of [³H]oleate, which was derived from glycerol tri[³H]oleate-labeled lipoprotein-like particles by subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT, +60%, p < 0.05). Furthermore, quercetin also markedly increased mRNA expression of Ucp1 (+229%, p < 0.05) and Elovl3 (+138%, p < 0.05), specifically in sWAT. Accordingly, only quercetin-treated animals showed uncoupling protein-1 protein-positive cells in sWAT, which is fully compatible with increased browning. Taken together, the TG-lowering effect of quercetin may, at least in part, be due to increased TG-derived FA uptake by sWAT as a consequence of browning.
Cell-specific dysregulation of microRNA expression in obese white adipose tissue.
Oger, Frédérik; Gheeraert, Celine; Mogilenko, Denis; Benomar, Yacir; Molendi-Coste, Olivier; Bouchaert, Emmanuel; Caron, Sandrine; Dombrowicz, David; Pattou, François; Duez, Hélène; Eeckhoute, Jérome; Staels, Bart; Lefebvre, Philippe
2014-08-01
Obesity is characterized by the excessive accumulation of dysfunctional white adipose tissue (WAT), leading to a strong perturbation of metabolic regulations. However, the molecular events underlying this process are not fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs acting as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression in multiple tissues and organs. However, their expression and roles in WAT cell subtypes, which include not only adipocytes but also immune, endothelial, and mesenchymal stem cells as well as preadipocytes, have not been characterized. Design/Results: By applying differential miRNome analysis, we demonstrate that the expression of several miRNAs is dysregulated in epididymal WAT from ob/ob and high-fat diet-fed mice. Adipose tissue-specific down-regulation of miR-200a and miR-200b and the up-regulation of miR-342-3p, miR-335-5p, and miR-335-3p were observed. Importantly, a similarly altered expression of miR-200a and miR-200b was observed in obese diabetic patients. Furthermore, cell fractionation of mouse adipose tissue revealed that miRNAs are differentially expressed in adipocytes and in subpopulations from the stromal vascular fraction. Finally, integration of transcriptomic data showed that bioinformatically predicted miRNA target genes rarely showed anticorrelated expression with that of targeting miRNA, in contrast to experimentally validated target genes. Taken together, our data indicate that the dysregulated expression of miRNAs occurs in distinct cell types and is likely to affect cell-specific function(s) of obese WAT.
Bargut, Thereza Cristina Lonzetti; Santos, Larissa Pereira; Machado, Daiana Guimarães Lopes; Aguila, Marcia Barbosa; Mandarim-de-Lacerda, Carlos Alberto
2017-08-01
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been demonstrated to be beneficial for many diseases, including those associated with the metabolic syndrome (e.g. insulin resistance and hypertension). Nevertheless, not only their actions are not entirely understood, but also their only effects were not yet elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to compare the effects of EPA and DHA, alone or in combination, on the epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolism in mice fed a high-fructose diet. 3-mo-old C57Bl/6 mice were fed a control diet (C) or a high-fructose diet (HFru). After three weeks on the diets, the HFru group was subdivided into four new groups for another five weeks: HFru, HFru+EPA, HFru+DHA, and HFru-EPA+DHA (n=10/group). Besides evaluating biometric and metabolic parameters of the animals, we measured the adipocyte area and performed molecular analyses (inflammation and lipolysis) in the epididymal WAT. The HFru group showed adipocyte hypertrophy, inflammation, and uncontrolled lipolysis. The treated animals showed a reversion of adipocyte hypertrophy, inhibition of inflammation with activation of anti-inflammatory mediators, and regularization of lipolysis. Overall, the beneficial effects were more marked with DHA than EPA. Although the whole-body metabolic effects were similar between EPA and DHA, DHA appeared to be the central actor in WAT metabolism, modulating pro and anti-inflammatory pathways and alleviating adipocytes abnormalities. Therefore, when considering fructose-induced adverse effects in WAT, the most prominent actions were observed with DHA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cedó, Lídia; Santos, David; Roglans, Núria; Julve, Josep; Pallarès, Victor; Rivas-Urbina, Andrea; Llorente-Cortes, Vicenta; Laguna, Joan Carles
2017-01-01
Human hepatic lipase (hHL) is mainly localized on the hepatocyte cell surface where it hydrolyzes lipids from remnant lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins and promotes their hepatic selective uptake. Furthermore, hepatic lipase (HL) is closely associated with obesity in multiple studies. Therefore, HL may play a key role on lipid homeostasis in liver and white adipose tissue (WAT). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of hHL expression on hepatic and white adipose triglyceride metabolism in vivo. Experiments were carried out in hHL transgenic and wild-type mice fed a Western-type diet. Triglyceride metabolism studies included β-oxidation and de novo lipogenesis in liver and WAT, hepatic triglyceride secretion, and adipose lipoprotein lipase (LPL)-mediated free fatty acid (FFA) lipolysis and influx. The expression of hHL promoted hepatic triglyceride accumulation and de novo lipogenesis without affecting triglyceride secretion, and this was associated with an upregulation of Srebf1 as well as the main genes controlling the synthesis of fatty acids. Transgenic mice also exhibited more adiposity and an increased LPL-mediated FFA influx into the WAT without affecting glucose tolerance. Our results demonstrate that hHL promoted hepatic steatosis in mice mainly by upregulating de novo lipogenesis. HL also upregulated WAT LPL and promoted triglyceride-rich lipoprotein hydrolysis and adipose FFA uptake. These data support the important role of hHL in regulating hepatic lipid homeostasis and confirm the broad cardiometabolic role of HL. PMID:29244870
Liver but not adipose tissue is responsive to the pattern of enteral feeding
Otero, Yolanda F.; Lundblad, Tammy M.; Ford, Eric A.; House, Lawrence M.; McGuinness, Owen P.
2014-01-01
Abstract Nutritional support is an important aspect of medical care, providing calories to patients with compromised nutrient intake. Metabolism has a diurnal pattern, responding to the light cycle and food intake, which in turn can drive changes in liver and adipose tissue metabolism. In this study, we assessed the response of liver and white adipose tissue (WAT) to different feeding patterns under nutritional support (total enteral nutrition or TEN). Mice received continuous isocaloric TEN for 10 days or equal calories of chow once a day (Ch). TEN was given either at a constant (CN, same infusion rate during 24 h) or variable rate (VN, 80% of calories fed at night, 20% at day). Hepatic lipogenesis and carbohydrate‐responsive element‐binding protein (ChREBP) expression increased in parallel with the diurnal feeding pattern. Relative to Ch, both patterns of enteral feeding increased adiposity. This increase was not associated with enhanced lipogenic gene expression in WAT; moreover, lipogenesis was unaffected by the feeding pattern. Surprisingly, leptin and adiponectin expression increased. Moreover, nutritional support markedly increased hepatic and adipose FGF21 expression in CN and VN, despite being considered a fasting hormone. In summary, liver but not WAT, respond to the pattern of feeding. While hepatic lipid metabolism adapts to the pattern of nutrient availability, WAT does not. Moreover, sustained delivery of nutrients in an isocaloric diet can cause adiposity without the proinflammatory state observed in hypercaloric feeding. Thus, the liver but not adipose tissue is responsive to the pattern of feeding behavior. PMID:24744913
Jimenez-Gomez, Yolanda; Mattison, Julie A; Pearson, Kevin J; Martin-Montalvo, Alejandro; Palacios, Hector H; Sossong, Alex M; Ward, Theresa M; Younts, Caitlin M; Lewis, Kaitlyn; Allard, Joanne S; Longo, Dan L; Belman, Jonathan P; Malagon, Maria M; Navas, Placido; Sanghvi, Mitesh; Moaddel, Ruin; Tilmont, Edward M; Herbert, Richard L; Morrell, Christopher H; Egan, Josephine M; Baur, Joseph A; Ferrucci, Luigi; Bogan, Jonathan S; Bernier, Michel; de Cabo, Rafael
2013-10-01
Obesity is associated with a chronic, low-grade, systemic inflammation that may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Resveratrol, a natural compound with anti-inflammatory properties, is shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in obese mice and humans. Here, we tested the effect of a 2-year resveratrol administration on proinflammatory profile and insulin resistance caused by a high-fat, high-sugar (HFS) diet in white adipose tissue (WAT) from rhesus monkeys. Resveratrol supplementation (80 and 480 mg/day for the first and second year, respectively) decreased adipocyte size, increased sirtuin 1 expression, decreased NF-κB activation, and improved insulin sensitivity in visceral, but not subcutaneous, WAT from HFS-fed animals. These effects were reproduced in 3T3-L1 adipocytes cultured in media supplemented with serum from monkeys fed HFS ± resveratrol diets. In conclusion, chronic administration of resveratrol exerts beneficial metabolic and inflammatory adaptations in visceral WAT from diet-induced obese monkeys. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gifford, Aliya; Walker, Ronald C.; Towse, Theodore F.; Brian Welch, E.
2015-01-01
Abstract. Beyond estimation of depot volumes, quantitative analysis of adipose tissue properties could improve understanding of how adipose tissue correlates with metabolic risk factors. We investigated whether the fat signal fraction (FSF) derived from quantitative fat–water magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at 3.0 T correlates to CT Hounsfield units (HU) of the same tissue. These measures were acquired in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) at the umbilical level of 21 healthy adult subjects. A moderate correlation exists between MRI- and CT-derived WAT values for all subjects, R2=0.54, p<0.0001, with a slope of −2.6, (95% CI [−3.3,−1.8]), indicating that a decrease of 1 HU equals a mean increase of 0.38% FSF. We demonstrate that FSF estimates obtained using quantitative fat–water MRI techniques correlate with CT HU values in subcutaneous WAT, and therefore, MRI-based FSF could be used as an alternative to CT HU for assessing metabolic risk factors. PMID:26702407
ROSAT observations of clusters with wide-angle tailed radio sources
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Burns, Jack O.
1993-01-01
The goal of these ROSAT PSPC pointed observations was to understand the nature of X-ray emission associated clusters that contain luminous wide-angle tailed (WAT) radio sources identified with the centrally dominant cluster galaxies. These 500 kpc diameter radio sources are strongly affected by confinement and interaction with the intracluster medium. So, a complete picture of the origin and evolution of these radio sources is not possible without detailed X-ray observations which sample the distribution and temperature of the surrounding hot gas. Two WAT clusters have been observed with the ROSAT PSPC to date. The first is Abell 2634 which contains the WAT 3C 465 and was approved for observations in AO-1. Unfortunately, these observations were broken into two widely separated pieces in time. The first data set containing about 9000 sec of integration arrived in mid-March, 1992. The second data set containing about 10,500 sec arrived just recently in early April (after a first tape was destroyed in the mail). The second cluster is 1919+479 which was approved for observations in AO-2. These ROSAT data arrived in October 1992.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Soonthornthum, Boonrucksar; Orchiston, Wayne; Komonjinda, Siramas
2012-09-01
The first great Thai ruler to encourage the adoption of Western culture and technology was King Narai, and his enlightened attitude led to the rapid development of Thailand. King Narai also had a passion for astronomy, and he pursued this interest by allowing French Jesuit missionaries to set up a large modern well-equipped astronomical observatory in Lopburi Province between AD 1685 and 1687. This was known as the Wat San Paolo Observatory, and King Narai and the missionaries observed a total lunar eclipse on 10 December 1685 and a partial solar eclipse on 30 April 1688. These observations and others made at Wat San Paolo Observatory during the 1680s marked the start of modern scientific astronomy in Thailand. In this paper we discuss King Narai's scientific and other interests, the founding of the Wat San Paolo Observatory, the missionaries who conducted the astronomical programs, their instruments and their observations. We also describe the surviving ruins of the Observatory and their interpretation as a site of national scientific importance in Thailand.
Relationships between Rodent White Adipose Fat Pads and Human White Adipose Fat Depots
Chusyd, Daniella E.; Wang, Donghai; Huffman, Derek M.; Nagy, Tim R.
2016-01-01
The objective of this review was to compare and contrast the physiological and metabolic profiles of rodent white adipose fat pads with white adipose fat depots in humans. Human fat distribution and its metabolic consequences have received extensive attention, but much of what has been tested in translational research has relied heavily on rodents. Unfortunately, the validity of using rodent fat pads as a model of human adiposity has received less attention. There is a surprisingly lack of studies demonstrating an analogous relationship between rodent and human adiposity on obesity-related comorbidities. Therefore, we aimed to compare known similarities and disparities in terms of white adipose tissue (WAT) development and distribution, sexual dimorphism, weight loss, adipokine secretion, and aging. While the literature supports the notion that many similarities exist between rodents and humans, notable differences emerge related to fat deposition and function of WAT. Thus, further research is warranted to more carefully define the strengths and limitations of rodent WAT as a model for humans, with a particular emphasis on comparable fat depots, such as mesenteric fat. PMID:27148535
Bryan, Allen W; O’Donnell, Charles W; Menke, Matthew; Cowen, Lenore J; Lindquist, Susan; Berger, Bonnie
2012-01-01
The supersecondary structure of amyloids and prions, proteins of intense clinical and biological interest, are difficult to determine by standard experimental or computational means. In addition, significant conformational heterogeneity is known or suspected to exist in many amyloid fibrils. Previous work has demonstrated that probability-based prediction of discrete β-strand pairs can offer insight into these structures. Here, we devise a system of energetic rules that can be used to dynamically assemble these discrete β-strand pairs into complete amyloid β-structures. The STITCHER algorithm progressively ‘stitches’ strand-pairs into full β-sheets based on a novel free-energy model, incorporating experimentally observed amino-acid side-chain stacking contributions, entropic estimates, and steric restrictions for amyloidal parallel β-sheet construction. A dynamic program computes the top 50 structures and returns both the highest scoring structure and a consensus structure taken by polling this list for common discrete elements. Putative structural heterogeneity can be inferred from sequence regions that compose poorly. Predictions show agreement with experimental models of Alzheimer’s amyloid beta peptide and the Podospora anserina Het-s prion. Predictions of the HET-s homolog HET-S also reflect experimental observations of poor amyloid formation. We put forward predicted structures for the yeast prion Sup35, suggesting N-terminal structural stability enabled by tyrosine ladders, and C-terminal heterogeneity. Predictions for the Rnq1 prion and alpha-synuclein are also given, identifying a similar mix of homogenous and heterogeneous secondary structure elements. STITCHER provides novel insight into the energetic basis of amyloid structure, provides accurate structure predictions, and can help guide future experimental studies. Proteins 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:22095906
Bryan, Allen W; O'Donnell, Charles W; Menke, Matthew; Cowen, Lenore J; Lindquist, Susan; Berger, Bonnie
2012-02-01
The supersecondary structure of amyloids and prions, proteins of intense clinical and biological interest, are difficult to determine by standard experimental or computational means. In addition, significant conformational heterogeneity is known or suspected to exist in many amyloid fibrils. Previous work has demonstrated that probability-based prediction of discrete β-strand pairs can offer insight into these structures. Here, we devise a system of energetic rules that can be used to dynamically assemble these discrete β-strand pairs into complete amyloid β-structures. The STITCHER algorithm progressively 'stitches' strand-pairs into full β-sheets based on a novel free-energy model, incorporating experimentally observed amino-acid side-chain stacking contributions, entropic estimates, and steric restrictions for amyloidal parallel β-sheet construction. A dynamic program computes the top 50 structures and returns both the highest scoring structure and a consensus structure taken by polling this list for common discrete elements. Putative structural heterogeneity can be inferred from sequence regions that compose poorly. Predictions show agreement with experimental models of Alzheimer's amyloid beta peptide and the Podospora anserina Het-s prion. Predictions of the HET-s homolog HET-S also reflect experimental observations of poor amyloid formation. We put forward predicted structures for the yeast prion Sup35, suggesting N-terminal structural stability enabled by tyrosine ladders, and C-terminal heterogeneity. Predictions for the Rnq1 prion and alpha-synuclein are also given, identifying a similar mix of homogenous and heterogeneous secondary structure elements. STITCHER provides novel insight into the energetic basis of amyloid structure, provides accurate structure predictions, and can help guide future experimental studies. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Roles of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger isoforms NCX1 and NCX2 in motility in mouse ileum.
Nishiyama, Kazuhiro; Azuma, Yasu-Taka; Morioka, Ai; Yoshida, Natsuho; Teramoto, Midori; Tanioka, Kohta; Kita, Satomi; Hayashi, Satomi; Nakajima, Hidemitsu; Iwamoto, Takahiro; Takeuchi, Tadayoshi
2016-10-01
The Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) is a plasma membrane transporter that is involved in regulating intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations in various tissues. The physiological roles by which NCX influences gastrointestinal motility are incompletely understood, although its role in the heart, brain, and kidney has been widely investigated. In this study, we focused on the functions of the NCX isoforms, NCX1 and NCX2, in the motility of the ileum in the gastrointestinal tract. We investigated the response to electric field stimulation (EFS) in the longitudinal smooth muscle of the ileum obtained from wild-type mice (WT), NCX1-heterozygote knockout mice (NCX1 HET), NCX2 HET and smooth muscle-specific NCX1.3 transgenic mice (NCX1.3 Tg). EFS induced a phasic contraction that persisted during EFS and a tonic contraction that occurred after the end of EFS. We found that the amplitudes of the phasic and tonic contractions were significantly smaller in NCX2 HET, but not in NCX1 HET, compared to WT. Moreover, the magnitudes of acetylcholine (ACh)- and substance P (SP)-induced contractions of NCX2 HET, but not of NCX1 HET, were smaller compared to WT. In contrast, the amplitudes of the phasic and tonic contractions were greater in NCX1.3 Tg compared to WT. Similar to EFS, the magnitude of ACh-induced contraction was greater in NCX1.3 Tg than in WT. Taken together, our findings indicated that NCX1 and NCX2 play important roles in ileal motility and suggest that NCX1 and NCX2 regulate the motility in the ileum by controlling the sensitivity of smooth muscles to ACh and SP.
Base Station Placement Algorithm for Large-Scale LTE Heterogeneous Networks.
Lee, Seungseob; Lee, SuKyoung; Kim, Kyungsoo; Kim, Yoon Hyuk
2015-01-01
Data traffic demands in cellular networks today are increasing at an exponential rate, giving rise to the development of heterogeneous networks (HetNets), in which small cells complement traditional macro cells by extending coverage to indoor areas. However, the deployment of small cells as parts of HetNets creates a key challenge for operators' careful network planning. In particular, massive and unplanned deployment of base stations can cause high interference, resulting in highly degrading network performance. Although different mathematical modeling and optimization methods have been used to approach various problems related to this issue, most traditional network planning models are ill-equipped to deal with HetNet-specific characteristics due to their focus on classical cellular network designs. Furthermore, increased wireless data demands have driven mobile operators to roll out large-scale networks of small long term evolution (LTE) cells. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to derive an optimum network planning algorithm for large-scale LTE HetNets. Recently, attempts have been made to apply evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to the field of radio network planning, since they are characterized as global optimization methods. Yet, EA performance often deteriorates rapidly with the growth of search space dimensionality. To overcome this limitation when designing optimum network deployments for large-scale LTE HetNets, we attempt to decompose the problem and tackle its subcomponents individually. Particularly noting that some HetNet cells have strong correlations due to inter-cell interference, we propose a correlation grouping approach in which cells are grouped together according to their mutual interference. Both the simulation and analytical results indicate that the proposed solution outperforms the random-grouping based EA as well as an EA that detects interacting variables by monitoring the changes in the objective function algorithm in terms of system throughput performance.
Videau, Patrick; Rivers, Orion S; Hurd, Kathryn; Ushijima, Blake; Oshiro, Reid T; Ende, Rachel J; O'Hanlon, Samantha M; Cozy, Loralyn M
2016-10-24
The commitment of differentiating cells to a specialized fate is fundamental to the correct assembly of tissues within a multicellular organism. Because commitment is often irreversible, entry into and progression through this phase of development must be tightly regulated. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, the multicellular cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 terminally commits ∼10% of its cells to become specialized nitrogen-fixing heterocysts. Although commitment is known to occur 9-14 h after the induction of differentiation, the factors that regulate the initiation and duration of this phase have yet to be elucidated. Here, we report the identification of four genes that share a functional domain and modulate heterocyst commitment: hetP (alr2818), asl1930, alr2902, and alr3234 Epistatic relationships between all four genes relating to commitment were revealed by deleting them individually and in combination; asl1930 and alr3234 acted most upstream to delay commitment, alr2902 acted next in the pathway to inhibit development, and hetP acted most downstream to drive commitment forward. Possible protein-protein interactions between HetP, its homologs, and the heterocyst master regulator, HetR, were assessed, and interaction partners were defined. Finally, patterns of gene expression for each homolog, as determined by promoter fusions to gfp and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, were distinct from that of hetP in both spatiotemporal organization and regulation. We posit that a dynamic succession of protein-protein interactions modulates the timing and efficiency of the commitment phase of development and note that this work highlights the utility of a multicellular cyanobacterium as a model for the study of developmental processes.
A method for probing the mutational landscape of amyloid structure.
O'Donnell, Charles W; Waldispühl, Jérôme; Lis, Mieszko; Halfmann, Randal; Devadas, Srinivas; Lindquist, Susan; Berger, Bonnie
2011-07-01
Proteins of all kinds can self-assemble into highly ordered β-sheet aggregates known as amyloid fibrils, important both biologically and clinically. However, the specific molecular structure of a fibril can vary dramatically depending on sequence and environmental conditions, and mutations can drastically alter amyloid function and pathogenicity. Experimental structure determination has proven extremely difficult with only a handful of NMR-based models proposed, suggesting a need for computational methods. We present AmyloidMutants, a statistical mechanics approach for de novo prediction and analysis of wild-type and mutant amyloid structures. Based on the premise of protein mutational landscapes, AmyloidMutants energetically quantifies the effects of sequence mutation on fibril conformation and stability. Tested on non-mutant, full-length amyloid structures with known chemical shift data, AmyloidMutants offers roughly 2-fold improvement in prediction accuracy over existing tools. Moreover, AmyloidMutants is the only method to predict complete super-secondary structures, enabling accurate discrimination of topologically dissimilar amyloid conformations that correspond to the same sequence locations. Applied to mutant prediction, AmyloidMutants identifies a global conformational switch between Aβ and its highly-toxic 'Iowa' mutant in agreement with a recent experimental model based on partial chemical shift data. Predictions on mutant, yeast-toxic strains of HET-s suggest similar alternate folds. When applied to HET-s and a HET-s mutant with core asparagines replaced by glutamines (both highly amyloidogenic chemically similar residues abundant in many amyloids), AmyloidMutants surprisingly predicts a greatly reduced capacity of the glutamine mutant to form amyloid. We confirm this finding by conducting mutagenesis experiments. Our tool is publically available on the web at http://amyloid.csail.mit.edu/. lindquist_admin@wi.mit.edu; bab@csail.mit.edu.
Factors governing hole expansion ratio of steel sheets with smooth sheared edge
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yoon, Jae Ik; Jung, Jaimyun; Lee, Hak Hyeon; Kim, Gyo-Sung; Kim, Hyoung Seop
2016-11-01
Stretch-flangeability measured using hole expansion test (HET) represents the ability of a material to form into a complex shaped component. Despite its importance in automotive applications of advanced high strength steels, stretch-flangeability is a less known sheet metal forming property. In this paper, we investigate the factors governing hole expansion ratio (HER) by means of tensile test and HET. We correlate a wide range of tensile properties with HERs of steel sheet specimens because the stress state in the hole edge region during the HET is almost the same as that of the uniaxial tensile test. In order to evaluate an intrinsic HER of steel sheet specimens, the initial hole of the HET specimen is produced using a milling process after punching, which can remove accumulated shearing damage and micro-void in the hole edge region that is present when using the standard HER evaluation method. It was found that the intrinsic HER of steel sheet specimens was proportional to the strain rate sensitivity exponent and post uniform elongation.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rakoczy, John; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in collaboration with Blue Line Engineering of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is developing a Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS) for McDonald Observatory's Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). The SAMS shall sense motions of the 91 primary mirror segments and send corrections to HET's primary mirror controller as the mirror segments misalign due to thermo-elastic deformations of the mirror support structure. The SAMS consists of inductive edge sensors supplemented by inclinometers for global radius of curvature sensing. All measurements are sent to the SAMS computer where mirror motion corrections are calculated. In October 2000, a prototype SAMS was installed on a seven-segment cluster of the HET. Subsequent testing has shown that the SAMS concept and architecture are a viable practical approach to maintaining HET's primary mirror figure, or the figure of any large segmented telescope. This paper gives a functional description of the SAMS sub-array components and presents test data to characterize the performance of the sub-array SAMS.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rakoczy, John; Hall, Drew; Howard, Ricky; Ly, William; Weir, John; Montgomery, Edward; Brantley, Lott W. (Technical Monitor)
2002-01-01
The Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMs) was installed on McDonald Observatory's Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in August 2001. The SAMs became fully operational in October 2001. The SAMs uses a system of 480 inductive edge sensors to correct misalignments of the HET's 91 primary mirror segments when the segments are perturbed from their aligned reference positions. A special observer estimated and corrects for the global radius of curvature (GroC) mode, a mode unobservable by the edge sensors. The SAMs edge sensor system and (GroC) estimator are able to maintain HET's primary figure for much longer durations than previously had been observed. Telescope image quality has improved, and the amount of overhead time required from primary mirror alignment has been reduced. This paper gives a functional description of the SAMs control system and presents performance verification data. This paper also describes how the SAMs has improved the operational efficiency of the HET.
The High Energy Telescopes for the STEREO Mission
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
von Rosenvinge, T.T.; Cummings, A.C.; Leske, R.A.; Mewaldt, R.A.; Reames, D.V.; Stone, E.C.; Wiedenbeck, M.E.
We describe the High Energy Telescopes (HETs), which are part of the IMPACT investigation for the STEREO mission (Principal Investigator: Janet Luhmann, University of California at Berkeley). The two STEREO spacecraft were launched from Cape Canaveral, FL on October 25, 2006. High energy electrons (~ 0.7 -6 MeV) and nuclei from hydrogen to iron (~ 13 - 200 MeV/nucleon) are detected by the HETs, one on each spacecraft. Observations from one pass through the Earth’s magnetosphere and from four X-class solar events in December, 2006 are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the HETs. The HET observations are also compared with observations from other spacecraft. The event of December 13th was the first Ground Level Event in almost two years. We will compare the elemental composition of this event with that of the previous Ground Level Event on January 20, 2005. This work was supported by NASA (at Caltech and JPL under contract NAS5-00133 and grant NAG5-12929).
The High Energy Telescopes for the STEREO Mission
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
von Rosenvinge, T.; Cummings, A.; Cohen, C.; Leske, R.; Mewaldt, R.; Stone, E.; Wiedenbeck, M.
2007-05-01
The High Energy Telescopes (HETs) described in this paper are part of the IMPACT investigation for the STEREO mission (Principal Investigator: Janet Luhmann, University of California at Berkeley). The two STEREO spacecraft were launched from Cape Canaveral, FL on October 25, 2006. High energy electrons (~ 0.7 -6 MeV) and nuclei from hydrogen to iron (~ 13 - 200 MeV/nucleon) are detected by the HETs, one on each spacecraft. The HET design, the associated electronics, and the on-board software are described in some detail. Observations from one pass through the Earth's magnetosphere and from four X-class solar events in December, 2006 are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the HETs. The event of December 13th was a Ground Level Event. We will compare the elemental composition of this event with that of a previous Ground Level Event on January 20, 2005. This work was supported by NASA (at Caltech and JPL under contract NAS5-00133).
Chevanne, Damien; Saupe, Sven J; Clavé, Corinne; Paoletti, Mathieu
2010-05-06
Genes involved in non-self recognition and host defence are typically capable of rapid diversification and exploit specialized genetic mechanism to that end. Fungi display a non-self recognition phenomenon termed heterokaryon incompatibility that operates when cells of unlike genotype fuse and leads to the cell death of the fusion cell. In the fungus Podospora anserina, three genes controlling this allorecognition process het-d, het-e and het-r are paralogs belonging to the same hnwd gene family. HNWD proteins are STAND proteins (signal transduction NTPase with multiple domains) that display a WD-repeat domain controlling recognition specificity. Based on genomic sequence analysis of different P. anserina isolates, it was established that repeat regions of all members of the gene family are extremely polymorphic and undergoing concerted evolution arguing for frequent recombination within and between family members. Herein, we directly analyzed the genetic instability and diversification of this allorecognition gene family. We have constituted a collection of 143 spontaneous mutants of the het-R (HNWD2) and het-E (hnwd5) genes with altered recognition specificities. The vast majority of the mutants present rearrangements in the repeat arrays with deletions, duplications and other modifications as well as creation of novel repeat unit variants. We investigate the extreme genetic instability of these genes and provide a direct illustration of the diversification strategy of this eukaryotic allorecognition gene family.
Food Literacy at Secondary Schools in Australia
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ronto, Rimante; Ball, Lauren; Pendergast, Donna; Harris, Neil D.
2016-01-01
Background: Food literacy can encourage adolescents to develop healthy dietary patterns. This study examined home economics teachers' (HET) perspectives of the importance, curriculum, self-efficacy, and food environments regarding food literacy in secondary schools in Australia. Methods: A 20-item cross-sectional survey was completed by 205 HETs.…
Representation of Research Paradigms as a Function of Familiarity with Research Domains
1992-07-01
van de paradigma’s te kunnen vaststellen. Keuze van het Juiste paradigma werd bepaald door proefpersonen te vragen de betreffende zin te classificeren...als afkomstig van een bepaaid type onderzoek. De innoud van het paradigma werd bepaald door proefpersonen te, vragen zoveel kenmerken voor bet
Rice bran prevents high-fat diet-induced inflammation and macrophage content in adipose tissue.
Justo, Maria Luisa; Claro, Carmen; Zeyda, Maximilian; Stulnig, Thomas M; Herrera, María Dolores; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Rosalía
2016-09-01
The inflammatory process associated with obesity mainly arises from white adipose tissue (WAT) alterations. In the last few years, nutritional-based strategies have been positioned as promising alternatives to pharmacological approaches against these pathologies. Our aim was to determine the potential of a rice bran enzymatic extract (RBEE)-supplemented diet in the prevention of metabolic, biochemical and functional adipose tissue and macrophage changes associated with a diet-induced obesity (DIO) in mice. C57BL/6J mice were fed high-fat diet (HF), 1 and 5 % RBEE-supplemented high-fat diet (HF1 % and HF5 %, respectively) and standard diet as control. Serum cardiometabolic parameters, adipocytes size and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory biomarkers and macrophage polarization-related genes from WAT and liver were evaluated. RBEE administration significantly decreased insulin resistance in obese mice. Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose, insulin, adiponectin and nitrites from treated mice were partially restored, mainly by 1 % RBEE-enriched diet. The incremented adipocytes size observed in HF group was reduced by RBEE treatment, being 1 % more effective than 5 % RBEE. Pro-inflammatory biomarkers in WAT such as IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly decreased in RBEE-treated mice. Adiponectin, PPARγ, TNF-α, Emr1 or M1/M2 levels were significantly restored in WAT from HF1 % compared to HF mice. RBEE-supplemented diet attenuated insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and morphological and functional alterations of adipose tissue in DIO mice. These benefits were accompanied by a modulating effect in adipocytes secretion and some biomarkers associated with macrophage polarization. Therefore, RBEE may be considered an alternative nutritional complement over metabolic syndrome and its complications.
Yoneshiro, Takeshi; Kaede, Ryuji; Nagaya, Kazuki; Aoyama, Julia; Saito, Mana; Okamatsu-Ogura, Yuko; Kimura, Kazuhiro; Terao, Akira
Identification of thermogenic food ingredients is potentially a useful strategy for the prevention of obesity and related metabolic disorders. It has been reported that royal jelly (RJ) supplementation improves insulin sensitivity; however, its impacts on energy expenditure and adiposity remain elusive. We investigated anti-obesity effects of RJ supplementation and their relation to physical activity levels and thermogenic capacities of brown (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). C57BL/6J mice were fed under four different experimental conditions for 17 weeks: normal diet (ND), high fat diet (HFD), HFD with 5% RJ, and HFD with 5% honey bee larva powder (BL). Spontaneous locomotor activity, hepatic triglyceride (TG) content, and blood parameters were examined. Gene and protein expressions of thermogenic uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX-IV) in BAT and WAT were investigated by qPCR and Western blotting analysis, respectively. Dietary RJ, but not BL, suppressed HFD-induced accumulations of WAT and hepatic TG without modifying food intake. Consistently, RJ improved hyperglycemia and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Although dietary RJ and BL unchanged locomotor activity, gene and protein expressions of UCP1 and COX-IV in BAT were increased in the RJ group compared to the other experimental groups. Neither the RJ nor BL treatment induced browning of WAT. Our results indicate that dietary RJ ameliorates diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia, and hepatic steatosis by promoting metabolic thermogenesis in BAT in mice. RJ may be a novel promising food ingredient to combat obesity and metabolic disorders. Copyright © 2016 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids of marine origin induce adiponectin in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Flachs, P; Mohamed-Ali, V; Horakova, O; Rossmeisl, M; Hosseinzadeh-Attar, M J; Hensler, M; Ruzickova, J; Kopecky, J
2006-02-01
Diets rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), protect against insulin resistance and obesity in rodents and increase insulin sensitivity in healthy humans. We tested whether the anti-diabetic effects of EPA and DHA involve enhanced production of the endogenous insulin sensitiser, adiponectin. We studied the effects, in an obesity-promoting high-fat diet, of partial replacement of vegetable oils by EPA/DHA concentrate (6% EPA, 51% DHA) over a 5-week period in adult male C57BL/6J mice that either had free access to food or had their food intake restricted by 30%. At the end of the treatment, systemic markers of lipid and glucose metabolism and full-length adiponectin and leptin were measured. Adiponectin (Adipoq) and leptin (Lep) gene expression in dorsolumbar and epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) and isolated adipocytes was quantified and adipokine production from WAT explants evaluated. In mice with free access to food, plasma triacylglycerols, NEFA, and insulin levels were lower in the presence of EPA/DHA, while glucose and leptin levels were not significantly altered. Food restriction decreased plasma triacylglycerols, glucose, insulin and leptin, but not adiponectin. EPA/DHA increased plasma adiponectin levels, independent of food intake, reflecting the stimulation of Adipoq expression in adipocytes and the release of adiponectin from WAT, particularly from epididymal fat. Expression of Lep and the release of leptin from WAT, while being extremely sensitive to caloric restriction, was unaltered by EPA/DHA. Intake of diets rich in EPA and DHA leads to elevated systemic concentrations of adiponectin, largely independent of food intake or adiposity and explain, to some extent, their anti-diabetic effects.
Effects of ovariectomy and intrinsic aerobic capacity on tissue-specific insulin sensitivity
Park, Young-Min; Rector, R. Scott; Thyfault, John P.; Zidon, Terese M.; Padilla, Jaume; Welly, Rebecca J.; Meers, Grace M.; Morris, Matthew E.; Britton, Steven L.; Koch, Lauren G.; Booth, Frank W.; Kanaley, Jill A.
2015-01-01
High-capacity running (HCR) rats are protected against the early (i.e., ∼11 wk postsurgery) development of ovariectomy (OVX)-induced insulin resistance (IR) compared with low-capacity running (LCR) rats. The purpose of this study was to utilize the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp to determine whether 1) HCR rats remain protected from OVX-induced IR when the time following OVX is extended to 27 wk and 2) tissue-specific glucose uptake differences are responsible for the protection in HCR rats under sedentary conditions. Female HCR and LCR rats (n = 40; aged ∼22 wk) randomly received either OVX or sham (SHM) surgeries and then underwent the clamp 27 wk following surgeries. [3-3H]glucose was used to determine glucose clearance, whereas 2-[14C]deoxyglucose (2-DG) was used to assess glucose uptake in skeletal muscle, brown adipose tissue (BAT), subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT), and visceral WAT. OVX decreased the glucose infusion rate and glucose clearance in both lines, but HCR had better insulin sensitivity than LCR (P < 0.05). In both lines, OVX significantly reduced glucose uptake in soleus and gastrocnemius muscles; however, HCR showed ∼40% greater gastrocnemius glucose uptake compared with LCR (P < 0.05). HCR also exhibited greater glucose uptake in BAT and visceral WAT compared with LCR (P < 0.05), yet these tissues were not affected by OVX in either line. In conclusion, OVX impairs insulin sensitivity in both HCR and LCR rats, likely driven by impairments in insulin-mediated skeletal muscle glucose uptake. HCR rats have greater skeletal muscle, BAT, and WAT insulin-mediated glucose uptake, which may aid in protection against OVX-associated insulin resistance. PMID:26646101
Richard, Allison J.; Burris, Thomas P.; Sanchez-Infantes, David; Wang, Yongjun; Ribnicky, David M.; Stephens, Jacqueline M.
2014-01-01
Objective Studies have shown that the inability of adipose tissue to properly expand during the obese state or respond to insulin can lead to metabolic dysfunction. Artemisia is a diverse group of plants that has a history of medicinal use. This study examines the ability of ethanolic extracts of Artemisia scoparia (SCO) and Artemisia santolinifolia (SAN) to modulate adipocyte development in cultured adipocytes and white adipose tissue (WAT) function in vivo using a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Research Design & Procedures Adipogenesis was assessed using Oil Red O staining and immunoblotting. A nuclear receptor specificity assay was used to examine the specificity of SCO- and SAN-induced PPARγ activation. C57BL/6J mice, fed a high-fat diet, were gavaged with saline, SCO, or SAN for 2 weeks. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was examined using insulin tolerance tests. WAT depots were assessed via immunoblotting for markers of insulin action and adipokine production. Results We established that SCO and SAN were highly specific activators of PPARγ and did not activate other nuclear receptors. After a one-week daily gavage, SCO- and SAN-treated mice had lower insulin-induced glucose disposal rates than control mice. At the end of the 2-week treatment period, SCO- and SAN-treated mice had enhanced insulin-responsive Akt serine-473 phosphorylation and significantly decreased MCP-1 levels in visceral WAT relative to control mice; these differences were depot specific. Moreover, plasma adiponectin levels were increased following SCO treatment. Conclusion Overall, these studies demonstrate that extracts from two Artemisia species can have metabolically favorable effects on adipocytes and WAT. PMID:24985103
Helminth antigens counteract a rapid high-fat diet-induced decrease in adipose tissue eosinophils.
van den Berg, Susan M; van Dam, Andrea D; Kusters, Pascal J H; Beckers, Linda; den Toom, Myrthe; van der Velden, Saskia; Van den Bossche, Jan; van Die, Irma; Boon, Mariëtte R; Rensen, Patrick C N; Lutgens, Esther; de Winther, Menno P J
2017-10-01
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and white adipose tissue (WAT) beiging can increase energy expenditure and have the potential to reduce obesity and associated diseases. The immune system is a potential target in mediating brown and beige adipocyte activation. Type 2 and anti-inflammatory immune cells contribute to metabolic homeostasis within lean WAT, with a prominent role for eosinophils and interleukin (IL)-4-induced anti-inflammatory macrophages. We determined eosinophil numbers in epididymal WAT (EpAT), subcutaneous WAT (ScAT) and BAT after 1 day, 3 days or 1 week of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding in C57Bl/6 mice. One day of HFD resulted in a rapid drop in eosinophil numbers in EpAT and BAT, and after 3 days, in ScAT. In an attempt to restore this HFD-induced drop in adipose tissue eosinophils, we treated 1-week HFD-fed mice with helminth antigens from Schistosoma mansoni or Trichuris suis and evaluated whether the well-known protective metabolic effects of helminth antigens involves BAT activation or beiging. Indeed, antigens of both helminth species induced high numbers of eosinophils in EpAT, but failed to induce beiging. In ScAT, Schistosoma mansoni antigens induced mild eosinophilia, which was accompanied by slightly more beiging. No effects were observed in BAT. To study type 2 responses on brown adipocytes directly, T37i cells were stimulated with IL-4. This increased Ucp1 expression and strongly induced the production of eosinophil chemoattractant CCL11 (+26-fold), revealing that brown adipocytes themselves can attract eosinophils. Our findings indicate that helminth antigen-induced eosinophilia fails to induce profound beiging of white adipocytes. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.
Knudsen, Jakob G; Gudiksen, Anders; Bertholdt, Lærke; Overby, Peter; Villesen, Ida; Schwartz, Camilla L; Pilegaard, Henriette
2017-01-01
An acute bout of exercise imposes a major challenge on whole-body metabolism and metabolic adjustments are needed in multiple tissues during recovery to reestablish metabolic homeostasis. It is currently unresolved how this regulation is orchestrated between tissues. This study was undertaken to clarify the role of skeletal muscle derived interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the coordination of the metabolic responses during recovery from acute exercise. Skeletal muscle specific IL-6 knockout (IL-6 MKO) and littermate Control mice were rested or ran on a treadmill for 2h. Plasma, skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue were obtained after 6 and 10h of recovery. Non-exercised IL-6 MKO mice had higher plasma lactate and lower plasma non-esterified fatty acids than Controls. The activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form was, in skeletal muscle, higher in IL-6 MKO mice than Controls in non-exercised mice and 6h after exercise. IL-6 MKO mice had lower glucose transporter 4 protein content in inguinal adipose tissue (WAT) than Control in non-exercised mice and 10h after treadmill running. Epididymal WAT hormone sensitive lipase phosphorylation and inguinal WAT mitogen activated kinase P38 phosphorylation were higher in IL-6 MKO than Control mice 6h after exercise. These findings indicate that skeletal muscle IL-6 may play an important role in the regulation of substrate utilization in skeletal muscle, basal and exercise-induced adaptations in adipose tissue glucose uptake and lipolysis during recovery from exercise. Together this indicates that skeletal muscle IL-6 contributes to reestablishing metabolic homeostasis during recovery from exercise by regulating WAT and skeletal muscle metabolism.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Cai, Demin; Li, Hongji; Zhou, Bo
2012-06-15
Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation suppresses perilipin1 in epididymal fat. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Conjugated linoleic acid inhibits promoter activity of perilipin1 in 3T3-L1 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Conjugated linoleic acids elevate basal but blunt hormone-stimulated lipolysis. -- Abstract: Perilipin1, a coat protein of lipid droplet, plays a key role in adipocyte lipolysis and fat formation of adipose tissues. However, it is not clear how the expression of perilipin1 is affected in the decreased white adipose tissues (WAT) of mice treated with dietary supplement of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Here we obtained lipodystrophic mice by dietary administration of CLA which exhibited reduced epididymal (EPI)more » WAT, aberrant adipocytes and decreased expression of leptin in this tissue. We found both transcription and translation of perilipin1 was suppressed significantly in EPI WAT of CLA-treated mice compared to that of control mice. The gene expression of negative regulator tumor necrosis factor {alpha} (TNF{alpha}) and the positive regulator Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}) of perilipin1 was up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. In cultured 3T3-L1 cells the promoter activity of perilipin1 was dramatically inhibited in the presence of CLA. Using ex vivo experiment we found that the basal lipolysis was elevated but the hormone-stimulated lipolysis blunted in adipose explants of CLA-treated mice compared to that of control mice, suggesting that the reduction of perilipin1 in white adipose tissues may at least in part contribute to CLA-mediated alternation of lipolysis of WAT.« less
1992-06-01
man de eisen van bet NAVO.-document voldsan word.. Het AstroCarb-filter bleek voor alle geteste gassen gemakkelijk de vereiste doorbroaktijden te halen ...hill ?NO famwtyn J-3r d~mf tI~nq"M#-rI~ m t~w)-im TNO RCl1 U W2 AM " TNO-por PML1 32490333 Pagins 2 Samenvatting De gasbescherniende eigenschappen van ...De schoktest tastte de prestaties van bet filter niet man. Summary The gas protective properties of an AstroCarb 200 NBC filter which is usid in the
Shan, Bo; Wang, Xiaoxia; Wu, Ying; Xu, Chi; Xia, Zhixiong; Dai, Jianli; Shao, Mengle; Zhao, Feng; He, Shengqi; Yang, Liu; Zhang, Mingliang; Nan, Fajun; Li, Jia; Liu, Jianmiao; Liu, Jianfeng; Jia, Weiping; Qiu, Yifu; Song, Baoliang; Han, Jing-Dong J; Rui, Liangyou; Duan, Sheng-Zhong; Liu, Yong
2017-05-01
Obesity is associated with metabolic inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, both of which promote metabolic disease progression. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) are key players orchestrating metabolic inflammation, and ER stress enhances macrophage activation. However, whether ER stress pathways underlie ATM regulation of energy homeostasis remains unclear. Here, we identified inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) as a critical switch governing M1-M2 macrophage polarization and energy balance. Myeloid-specific IRE1α abrogation in Ern1 f/f ; Lyz2-Cre mice largely reversed high-fat diet (HFD)-induced M1-M2 imbalance in white adipose tissue (WAT) and blocked HFD-induced obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity, WAT browning and energy expenditure were significantly higher in Ern1 f/f ; Lyz2-Cre mice. Furthermore, IRE1α ablation augmented M2 polarization of macrophages in a cell-autonomous manner. Thus, IRE1α senses protein unfolding and metabolic and immunological states, and consequently guides ATM polarization. The macrophage IRE1α pathway drives obesity and metabolic syndrome through impairing BAT activity and WAT browning.
Okamatsu-Ogura, Yuko; Fukano, Keigo; Tsubota, Ayumi; Nio-Kobayashi, Junko; Nakamura, Kyoko; Morimatsu, Masami; Sakaue, Hiroshi; Saito, Masayuki; Kimura, Kazuhiro
2017-07-27
We previously reported brown adipocytes can proliferate even after differentiation. To test the involvement of mature adipocyte proliferation in cell number control in fat tissue, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice over-expressing cell-cycle inhibitory protein p27 specifically in adipocytes, using the aP2 promoter. While there was no apparent difference in white adipose tissue (WAT) between wild-type (WT) and Tg mice, the amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT) was much smaller in Tg mice. Although BAT showed a normal cellular morphology, Tg mice had lower content of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) as a whole, and attenuated cold exposure- or β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist-induced thermogenesis, with a decrease in the number of mature brown adipocytes expressing proliferation markers. An agonist for the β3-AR failed to increase the number of proliferating brown adipocytes, UCP1 content in BAT, and oxygen consumption in Tg mice, although the induction and the function of beige adipocytes in inguinal WAT from Tg mice were similar to WT mice. These results show that brown adipocyte proliferation significantly contributes to BAT development and adaptive thermogenesis in mice, but not to induction of beige adipocytes.
Brown adipose tissue and lipid metabolism.
Heeren, Joerg; Scheja, Ludger
2018-06-01
This article explores how the interplay between lipid metabolism and thermogenic adipose tissues enables proper physiological adaptation to cold environments in rodents and humans. Cold exposure triggers systemic changes in lipid metabolism, which increases fatty acid delivery to brown adipose tissue (BAT) by various routes. Next to fatty acids generated intracellularly by de-novo lipogenesis or by lipolysis at lipid droplets, brown adipocytes utilize fatty acids released by white adipose tissue (WAT) for adaptive thermogenesis. WAT-derived fatty acids are internalized directly by BAT, or indirectly after hepatic conversion to very low-density lipoproteins and acylcarnitines. In the postprandial state, chylomicrons hydrolyzed by lipoprotein lipase - activated specifically in thermogenic adipocytes - are the predominant fatty acid source. Cholesterol-enriched chylomicron remnants and HDL generated by intravascular lipolysis in BAT are cleared more rapidly by the liver, explaining the antiatherogenic effects of BAT activation. Notably, increased cholesterol flux and elevated hepatic synthesis of bile acids under cold exposure further promote BAT-dependent thermogenesis. Although pathways providing fatty acids for activated BAT have been identified, more research is needed to understand the integration of lipid metabolism in BAT, WAT and liver, and to determine the relevance of BAT for human energy metabolism.
Yamazaki, Tomomi; Okawa, Sumire; Takahashi, Mayumi
2016-01-01
Obesity is caused by excessive fat or carbohydrate intake. The improvement of obesity is an important issue, especially in Western societies. Both low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) and low-fat diet (LFD) are used to achieve weight loss in humans. To clarify the mechanisms underlying LCD-induced weight loss, especially in early stage, we compared the gene expression in liver, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) of a very-low carbohydrate diet (VLCD)- and LFD-fed diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. DIO male ddY mice were divided into high-fat diet (HFD), and isoenergetic VLCD and LFD groups. Pair-feeding was performed in the VLCD and LFD groups. Three weeks later, the body, liver, WAT and BAT were weighed and the serum and hepatic lipids, the mRNA expression levels in each tissue, and energy metabolism were analyzed. The caloric intake of the VLCD-fed mice was initially reduced but was subsequently restored. The total energy intake was similar in the VLCD- and LFD-fed mice. There was a similar decrease in the BW of the VLCD- and LFD-fed mice. The VLCD-fed mice had elevated levels of serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and ketone bodies, which are known to increase energy expenditure. The browning of WAT was observed to a greater extent in the VLCD-fed mice. Moreover, in the VLCD-fed mice, BAT activation was observed, the weight of the BAT was decreased, and the expression of G-protein-coupled receptor 120, type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase, and FGF21 in BAT was extremely increased. Although the energy expenditure of the VLCD- and LFD-fed mice did not differ, that of the VLCD-fed mice was sometimes higher during the dark cycle. Hepatic TG accumulation was reduced in LFD-fed mice due to their decreased fatty acid uptake but not in the VLCD-fed mice. The pro-inflammatory macrophage ratio was increased in the WAT of VLCD-fed mice. After 3 weeks, the isoenergetic VLCD- and LFD-fed DIO mice showed similar weight loss. The VLCD-fed mice increased serum concentration of FGF21 and ketone bodies, and marker mRNA levels of browning in WAT, activation in BAT and hepatic lipogenesis.
Nieman, David C; Gillitt, Nicholas D; Sha, Wei; Esposito, Debora; Ramamoorthy, Sivapriya
2018-01-01
Using a randomized, crossover, counterbalanced approach, cyclists (N = 20, overnight fasted state) engaged in the four 75-km time trials (2-week washout) while ingesting two types of bananas with similar carbohydrate (CHO) but different phenolic content (Cavendish, CAV; mini-yellow, MIY, 63% higher polyphenols), a 6% sugar beverage (SUG), and water only (WAT). CHO intake was set at 0.2 g/kg every 15 minutes. Blood samples were collected pre-exercise and 0 h-, 0.75 h-,1.5 h-, 3 h-, 4.5 h-, 21 h-, 45 h-post-exercise. Each of the CHO trials (CAV, MIY, SUG) compared to water was associated with higher post-exercise plasma glucose and fructose, and lower leukocyte counts, plasma 9+13 HODES, and IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1ra. OPLS-DA analysis showed that metabolic perturbation (N = 1,605 metabolites) for WAT (86.8±4.0 arbitrary units) was significantly greater and sustained than for CAV (70.4±3.9, P = 0.006), MIY (68.3±4.0, P = 0.002), and SUG (68.1±4.2, P = 0.002). VIP ranking (<3.0, N = 25 metabolites) showed that both CAV and MIY were associated with significant fold changes in metabolites including those from amino acid and xenobiotics pathways. OPLS-DA analysis of immediate post-exercise metabolite shifts showed a significant separation of CAV and MIY from both WAT and SUG (R2Y = 0.848, Q2Y = 0.409). COX-2 mRNA expression was lower in both CAV and MIY, but not SUG, versus WAT at 21-h post-exercise in THP-1 monocytes cultured in plasma samples. Analysis of immediate post-exercise samples showed a decrease in LPS-stimulated THP-1 monocyte extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in CAV and MIY, but not SUG, compared to WAT. CHO ingestion from bananas or a sugar beverage had a comparable influence in attenuating metabolic perturbation and inflammation following 75-km cycling. Ex-vivo analysis with THP-1 monocytes supported a decrease in COX-2 mRNA expression and reduced reliance on glycolysis for ATP production following ingestion of bananas but not sugar water when compared to water alone. ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Institutes of Health, identifier: NCT02994628.
Gillitt, Nicholas D.; Sha, Wei; Esposito, Debora; Ramamoorthy, Sivapriya
2018-01-01
Objectives and methods Using a randomized, crossover, counterbalanced approach, cyclists (N = 20, overnight fasted state) engaged in the four 75-km time trials (2-week washout) while ingesting two types of bananas with similar carbohydrate (CHO) but different phenolic content (Cavendish, CAV; mini-yellow, MIY, 63% higher polyphenols), a 6% sugar beverage (SUG), and water only (WAT). CHO intake was set at 0.2 g/kg every 15 minutes. Blood samples were collected pre-exercise and 0 h-, 0.75 h-,1.5 h-, 3 h-, 4.5 h-, 21 h-, 45 h-post-exercise. Results Each of the CHO trials (CAV, MIY, SUG) compared to water was associated with higher post-exercise plasma glucose and fructose, and lower leukocyte counts, plasma 9+13 HODES, and IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1ra. OPLS-DA analysis showed that metabolic perturbation (N = 1,605 metabolites) for WAT (86.8±4.0 arbitrary units) was significantly greater and sustained than for CAV (70.4±3.9, P = 0.006), MIY (68.3±4.0, P = 0.002), and SUG (68.1±4.2, P = 0.002). VIP ranking (<3.0, N = 25 metabolites) showed that both CAV and MIY were associated with significant fold changes in metabolites including those from amino acid and xenobiotics pathways. OPLS-DA analysis of immediate post-exercise metabolite shifts showed a significant separation of CAV and MIY from both WAT and SUG (R2Y = 0.848, Q2Y = 0.409). COX-2 mRNA expression was lower in both CAV and MIY, but not SUG, versus WAT at 21-h post-exercise in THP-1 monocytes cultured in plasma samples. Analysis of immediate post-exercise samples showed a decrease in LPS-stimulated THP-1 monocyte extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in CAV and MIY, but not SUG, compared to WAT. Conclusions CHO ingestion from bananas or a sugar beverage had a comparable influence in attenuating metabolic perturbation and inflammation following 75-km cycling. Ex-vivo analysis with THP-1 monocytes supported a decrease in COX-2 mRNA expression and reduced reliance on glycolysis for ATP production following ingestion of bananas but not sugar water when compared to water alone. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Institutes of Health, identifier: NCT02994628 PMID:29566095
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Braunstein, Jean; Janky, James M.
This paper describes the network coordination for the Health, Education, Telecommunications (HET) system. Specifically, it discusses HET network performance as a function of a specially-developed coordination system which was designed to link terrestrial equipment to satellite operations centers. Because all procedures and equipment developed for…
Supporting Dynamic Spectrum Access in Heterogeneous LTE+ Networks
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Luiz A. DaSilva; Ryan E. Irwin; Mike Benonis
As early as 2014, mobile network operators’ spectral capac- ity is expected to be overwhelmed by the demand brought on by new devices and applications. With Long Term Evo- lution Advanced (LTE+) networks likely as the future one world 4G standard, network operators may need to deploy a Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) overlay in Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) to extend coverage, increase spectrum efficiency, and increase the capacity of these networks. In this paper, we propose three new management frameworks for DSA in an LTE+ HetNet: Spectrum Accountability Client, Cell Spectrum Management, and Domain Spectrum Man- agement. For these spectrum managementmore » frameworks, we define protocol interfaces and operational signaling scenar- ios to support cooperative sensing, spectrum lease manage- ment, and alarm scenarios for rule adjustment. We also quan- tify, through integer programs, the benefits of using DSA in an LTE+ HetNet, that can opportunistically reuse vacant TV and GSM spectrum. Using integer programs, we consider a topology using Geographic Information System data from the Blacksburg, VA metro area to assess the realistic benefits of DSA in an LTE+ HetNet.« less
De Rosa, Anna; Pellegrino, Teresa; Pappatà, Sabina; Pellecchia, Maria Teresa; Peluso, Silvio; Saccà, Francesco; Barone, Paolo; Cuocolo, Alberto; De Michele, Giuseppe
2017-02-01
PARK2 is an autosomal recessive parkinsonism caused by parkin gene mutations. Several Parkinson's Disease (PD) cases harbor single parkin mutations, raising a debate about the pathogenic meaning of heterozygous mutations. Here, we evaluate cardiac autonomic innervation in patients with either two or one parkin mutations compared to patients with idiopathic PD (IPD). Myocardial 123 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy was performed in six PD patients with single parkin mutations (HET), four with two mutations (PARK2), and eight with IPD. In comparison to control group, IPD patients showed lower early and late heart-to-mediastinum (H/M) ratios and higher washout rates, whereas HET patients had only lower early H/M ratio, and PARK2 patients were not different for any parameter. At individual level, MIBG findings were abnormal in 7/8 IPD, in 4/6 HET and in 1/4 PARK2 patients. Preserved cardiac 123 I-MIBG uptake confirms that PARK2 pathogenic mechanism, at least partially, differs from that responsible for IPD. HET subjects show intermediate findings, suggesting possible heterogeneity.
Vibrational Spectroscopy on Photoexcited Dye-Sensitized Films via Pump-Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing.
Abraham, Baxter; Fan, Hao; Galoppini, Elena; Gundlach, Lars
2018-03-01
Molecular sensitization of semiconductor films is an important technology for energy and environmental applications including solar energy conversion, photocatalytic hydrogen production, and water purification. Dye-sensitized films are also scientifically complex and interesting systems with a long history of research. In most applications, photoinduced heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) at the molecule/semiconductor interface is of critical importance, and while great progress has been made in understanding HET, many open questions remain. Of particular interest is the role of combined electronic and vibrational effects and coherence of the dye during HET. The ultrafast nature of the process, the rapid intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution, and vibrational cooling present complications in the study of vibronic coupling in HET. We present the application of a time domain vibrational spectroscopy-pump-degenerate four-wave mixing (pump-DFWM)-to dye-sensitized solid-state semiconductor films. Pump-DFWM can measure Raman-active vibrational modes that are triggered by excitation of the sample with an actinic pump pulse. Modifications to the instrument for solid-state samples and its application to an anatase TiO 2 film sensitized by a Zn-porphyrin dye are discussed. We show an effective combination of experimental techniques to overcome typical challenges in measuring solid-state samples with laser spectroscopy and observe molecular vibrations following HET in a picosecond time window. The cation spectrum of the dye shows modes that can be assigned to the linker group and a mode that is localized on the Zn-phorphyrin chromophore and that is connected to photoexcitation.
Lamb, R J; Daws, L C
2013-10-01
Low serotonin function is associated with alcoholism, leading to speculation that increasing serotonin function could decrease ethanol consumption. Mice with one or two deletions of the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene have increased extracellular serotonin. To examine the relationship between SERT genotype and motivation for alcohol, we compared ethanol self-administration in mice with zero (knockout, KO), one (HET) or two copies (WT) of the SERT gene. All three genotypes learned to self-administer ethanol. The SSRI, fluvoxamine, decreased responding for ethanol in the HET and WT, but not the KO mice. When tested under a progressive ratio schedule, KO mice had lower breakpoints than HET or WT. As work requirements were increased across sessions, behavioral economic analysis of ethanol self-administration indicated that the decreased breakpoint in KO as compared to HET or WT mice was a result of lower levels of unconstrained demand, rather than differences in elasticity, i.e. the proportional decreases in ethanol earned with increasing work requirements were similar across genotypes. The difference in unconstrained demand was unlikely to result from motor or general motivational factors, as both WT and KO mice responded at high levels for a 50% condensed milk solution. As elasticity is hypothesized to measure essential value, these results indicate that KO value ethanol similarly to WT or HET mice despite having lower break points for ethanol. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.
Yu, Zhenhua; Li, Ao; Wang, Minghui
2017-03-15
Copy number alterations (CNA) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) represent a large proportion of genetic structural variations of cancer genomes. These aberrations are continuously accumulated during the procedure of clonal evolution and patterned by phylogenetic branching. This invariably results in the emergence of multiple cell populations with distinct complement of mutational landscapes in tumor sample. With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology, inference of subclonal populations has become one of the focused interests in cancer-associated studies, and is usually based on the assessment of combinations of somatic single-nucleotide variations (SNV), CNA and LOH. However, cancer samples often have several inherent issues, such as contamination of normal stroma, tumor aneuploidy and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Addressing these critical issues is imperative for accurate profiling of clonal architecture. We present CLImAT-HET, a computational method designed for capturing clonal diversity in the CNA/LOH dimensions by taking into account the intra-tumor heterogeneity issue, in the case where a reference or matched normal sample is absent. The algorithm quantitatively represents the clonal identification problem using a factorial hidden Markov model, and takes an integrated analysis of read counts and allele frequency data. It is able to infer subclonal CNA and LOH events as well as the fraction of cells harboring each event. The results on simulated datasets indicate that CLImAT-HET has high power to identify CNA/LOH segments, it achieves an average accuracy of 0.87. It can also accurately infer proportion of each clonal population with an overall Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.99 and a mean absolute error of 0.02. CLImAT-HET shows significant advantages when compared with other existing methods. Application of CLImAT-HET to 5 primary triple negative breast cancer samples demonstrates its ability to capture clonal diversity in the CAN/LOH dimensions. It detects two clonal populations in one sample, and three clonal populations in one other sample. CLImAT-HET, a novel algorithm is introduced to infer CNA/LOH segments from heterogeneous tumor samples. We demonstrate CLImAT-HET's ability to accurately recover clonal compositions using tumor WGS data without a match normal sample.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Häuser, Marco; Richter, Josef; Kriel, Herman; Turbyfill, Amanda; Buetow, Brent; Ward, Michael
2016-07-01
Together with the ongoing major instrument upgrade of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) we present the planned upgrade of the HET Segment Control System (SCS) to SCS2. Because HET's primary mirror is segmented into 91 individual 1-meter hexagonal mirrors, the SCS is essential to maintain the mirror alignment throughout an entire night of observations. SCS2 will complete tip, tilt and piston corrections of each mirror segment at a significantly higher rate than the original SCS. The new motion control hardware will further increase the system's reliability. The initial optical measurements of this array are performed by the Mirror Alignment Recovery System (MARS) and the HET Extra Focal Instrument (HEFI). Once the segments are optically aligned, the inductive edge sensors give sub-micron precise feedback of each segment's positions relative to its adjacent segments. These sensors are part of the Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS) and are responsible for providing information about positional changes due to external influences, such as steep temperature changes and mechanical stress, and for making compensatory calculations while tracking the telescope on sky. SCS2 will use the optical alignment systems and SAMS inputs to command corrections of every segment in a closed loop. The correction period will be roughly 30 seconds, mostly due to the measurement and averaging process of the SAMS algorithm. The segment actuators will be controlled by the custom developed HET Segment MOtion COntroller (SMOCO). It is a direct descendant of University Observatory Munich's embedded, CAN-based system and instrument control tool-kit. To preserve the existing HET hardware layout, each SMOCO will control two adjacent mirror segments. Unlike the original SCS motor controllers, SMOCO is able to drive all six axes of its two segments at the same time. SCS2 will continue to allow for sub-arcsecond precision in tip and tilt as well as sub-micro meter precision in piston. These estimations are based on the current performance of the segment support mechanics. SMOCO's smart motion control allows for on-the-y correction of the move targets. Since SMOCO uses state-of-the-art motion control electronics and embedded decentralized controllers, we expect reduction in thermal emission as well as less maintenance time.
Wang, Juan; Huang, Shujuan; Xing, Lingxiao; Cui, Jinfeng; Tian, Ziqiang; Shen, Haitao; Jiang, Xiujuan; Yan, Xia; Wang, Junling; Zhang, Xianghong
2015-11-01
Sterigmatocystin (ST), a mycotoxin commonly found in food and feed commodities, has been classified as a "possible human carcinogen." Our previous studies suggested that ST exposure might be a risk factor for esophageal cancer and that ST may induce DNA damage and G2 phase arrest in immortalized human esophageal epithelial cells (Het-1A). To further confirm and explore the cellular responses of ST in human esophageal epithelia, we comparatively evaluated DNA damage, cell cycle distribution and the relative mechanisms in primary cultured human esophageal epithelial cells (EPC), which represent a more representative model of the in vivo state, and Het-1A cells. In this study, we found that ST could induce DNA damage in both EPC and Het-1A cells but led to G1 phase arrest in EPC cells and G2 phase arrest in Het-1A cells. Furthermore, our results indicated that the activation of the ATM-Chk2 pathway was involved in ST-induced G1 phase arrest in EPC cells, whereas the p53-p21 pathway activation in ST-induced G2 phase arrest in Het-1A cells. Studies have demonstrated that SV40 large T-antigen (SV40LT) may disturb cell cycle progression by inactivating some of the proteins involved in the G1/S checkpoint. Het-1A is a non-cancerous epithelial cell line immortalized by SV40LT. To evaluate the possible perturbation effect of SV40LT on ST-induced cell cycle disturbance in Het-1A cells, we knocked down SV40LT of Het-1A cells with siRNA and found that under this condition, ST-induced G2 arrest was significantly attenuated, whereas the proportion of cells in the G1 phase was significantly increased. Furthermore, SV40LT-siRNA also inhibited the activation of the p53-p21 signaling pathway induced by ST. In conclusion, our data indicated that ST could induce DNA damage in both primary cultured and immortalized esophageal epithelial cells. In primary human esophageal epithelial cells, ST induced DNA damage and then triggered the ATM-Chk2 pathway, resulting in G1 phase arrest, whereas in SV40LT-immortalized human esophageal epithelial cells, SV40LT-mediated G1 checkpoint inactivation occurred, and ST-DNA damage activated p53-p21 signaling pathway, up-regulating G2/M phase regulatory proteins and finally leading to a G2 phase arrest. Thus, the SV40LT-mediated G1 checkpoint inactivation is responsible for the difference in the cell cycle arrest by ST between immortalized and primary cultured human esophageal epithelial cells.
Atmospheric Climate Experiment Plus
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lundahl, K.
ACE+ is an atmospheric sounding mission using radio occultation techniques and is a combination of the two Earth Explorer missions ACE and WATS earlier proposed to ESA. ACE was highly rated by ESA in the Call for Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions in 1999 and was prioritised as number three and selected as a "hot-stand-by". A phase A study was carried out during 2000 and 2001. ACE will observe atmospheric parameters using radio occultations from an array of 6 micro-satellites which track the L- band signal of GPS satellites to map the detailed refractivity and thermal structure of the global atmosphere from surface to space. Water vapour and wind in Atmospheric Troposphere and Stratosphere WATS was the response to ESA's Call for Ideas for the next Earth Explorer Core Missions in 2001. WATS combines ACE GPS atmospheric occultations and LEO-LEO cross-link occultations. Cross-links strongly enhance the capability of measuring humidity relative to the ACE mission. The Earth Science Advisory Committée at ESA noted that the LEO-GNSS occultation technique is already well established through several missions in recent years and could not recommend WATS for a Phase A study as an Earth Explorer Core Mission. The ESAC was, however, deeply impressed by the LEO-LEO component of the WATS proposal and would regard it as regrettable if this science would be lost and encourages the ACE/WATS team to explore other means to achieve its scientific goal. ACE+ is therefore the response to ESA's 2nd Call for Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions in 2001 and will contribute in a significant manner to ESA's Living Planet Programme. ACE+ will considerably advance our knowledge about atmosphere physics and climate change processes. The mission will demonstrate a highly innovative approach using radio occultations for globally measuring profiles of humidity and temperature throughout the atmosphere and stratosphere. A constellation of 4 small satellites, tracking L-band GPS/GALILEO signals and X/K-band LEO-LEO cross-link signals, will be launched in 2 counter-rotating orbits with 2 satellites in each at 650 and 850 km respectively. Several aspects drive the spacecraft design. The GRAS+ and CALL+ instruments have a relatively high power consumption. The pointing and stability requirements call for a fully capable 3-axis attitude control system. Satellite characteristics include a mass of 130 kg, and available power of 80 W. The bus is based on the SMART-1 satellite from Swedish Space Corporation. In order to meet the cost envelope of the Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions the spacecraft should be a simple and robust design and makes use of the latest, but proven, technical developments as CAN-bus, GaAs solar cells and Li-Ion batteries. Low cost launch with a mix of START-1 and Rockot is also foreseen and could take place in 2006-2007. This paper describes mission characteristics and technical solutions for ACE+ .
1993-12-01
dr. U.A. Th. Brinkmnan 31* Directeur van het Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO Prof. dr. W.R.F. Notten 32 PML-TNO, Directeur; daarna reserve 33 PML...Generaal Personeel Ministerie van Defensie 8* Adviseur van het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TNO Chemnische Research Prof. dr. G. Dijkstra 9* lid van de
Shi, Yunming; Zhao, Weixing; Zhang, Wei; Ye, Zi; Zhao, Jindong
2006-07-25
Calcium ions are important to some prokaryotic cellular processes, such as heterocyst differentiation of cyanobacteria. Intracellular free Ca(2+)concentration, [Ca(2+)](i), increases several fold in heterocysts and is regulated by CcbP, a Ca(2+)-binding protein found in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. We demonstrate here that CcbP is degraded by HetR, a serine-type protease that controls heterocyst differentiation. The degradation depends on Ca(2+) and appears to be specific because HetR did not digest other tested proteins. CcbP was found to bind two Ca(2+) per molecule with K(D) values of 200 nM and 12.8 microM. Degradation of CcbP releases bound Ca(2+) that contributes significantly to the increase of [Ca(2+)](i) during the process of heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. We suggest that degradation of CcbP is a mechanism of positive autoregulation of HetR. The down-regulation of ccbP in differentiating cells and mature heterocysts, which also is critical to the regulation of [Ca(2+)](i), depends on NtcA. Coexpression of ntcA and a ccbP promoter-controlled gfp in Escherichia coli diminished production of GFP, and the decrease is enhanced by alpha-ketoglutarate. It was also found that NtcA could bind a fragment of the ccbP promoter containing an NtcA-binding sequence in a alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent fashion. Therefore, [Ca(2+)](i) is regulated by a collaboration of HetR and NtcA in heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.
Shi, Yunming; Zhao, Weixing; Zhang, Wei; Ye, Zi; Zhao, Jindong
2006-01-01
Calcium ions are important to some prokaryotic cellular processes, such as heterocyst differentiation of cyanobacteria. Intracellular free Ca2+concentration, [Ca2+]i, increases several fold in heterocysts and is regulated by CcbP, a Ca2+-binding protein found in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. We demonstrate here that CcbP is degraded by HetR, a serine-type protease that controls heterocyst differentiation. The degradation depends on Ca2+ and appears to be specific because HetR did not digest other tested proteins. CcbP was found to bind two Ca2+ per molecule with KD values of 200 nM and 12.8 μM. Degradation of CcbP releases bound Ca2+ that contributes significantly to the increase of [Ca2+]i during the process of heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. We suggest that degradation of CcbP is a mechanism of positive autoregulation of HetR. The down-regulation of ccbP in differentiating cells and mature heterocysts, which also is critical to the regulation of [Ca2+]i, depends on NtcA. Coexpression of ntcA and a ccbP promoter-controlled gfp in Escherichia coli diminished production of GFP, and the decrease is enhanced by α-ketoglutarate. It was also found that NtcA could bind a fragment of the ccbP promoter containing an NtcA-binding sequence in a α-ketoglutarate-dependent fashion. Therefore, [Ca2+]i is regulated by a collaboration of HetR and NtcA in heterocyst differentiation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. PMID:16849429
Adams, C E; Yonchek, J C; Schulz, K M; Graw, S L; Stitzel, J; Teschke, P U; Stevens, K E
2012-04-05
The α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor encoded by CHRNA7 (human)/Chrna7 (mice) regulates the release of both the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the hippocampal formation. A heterozygous (Het) deletion at 15q13.3 containing CHRNA7 is associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. Each of these diseases are characterized by abnormalities in excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal circuit function. Reduced Chrna7 expression results in decreased hippocampal α7* receptor density, abnormal hippocampal auditory sensory processing, and increased hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neuron activity in C3H mice Het for a null mutation in Chrna7. These abnormalities demonstrate that decreased Chrna7 expression alters hippocampal inhibitory circuit function. The current study examined the specific impact of reduced Chrna7 expression on hippocampal inhibitory circuits by measuring the levels of GABA, GABA(A) receptors, the GABA synthetic enzyme l-glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 (GAD-65), and the vesicular GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) in wild-type (Chrna7 +/+) and Het (Chrna7 +/-) C3H α7 mice of both genders. GAD-65 levels were significantly decreased in male and female Het C3H α7 mice, whereas GABA(A) receptors were significantly reduced only in male Het C3H α7 mice. No changes in GABA and GAT-1 levels were detected. These data suggest that reduced CHRNA7 expression may contribute to the abnormalities in hippocampal inhibitory circuits observed in schizophrenia, autism, and/or epilepsy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Dutch Anthropometry for Vehicle Design and Evaluation
2008-10-01
middelen Beschrijving van de werkzaamheden Uitgaande van afmetingen van Nederlanders zijn grenswaarden voor negen paspoppen. met vanSrende...vastgesteld voor het jaar 2015 Hierbij is uitgegaan van een Nederlands antropometrisch bestand (NedScan) Resultaten en conclusies Het resultaat is een kort... Nederlands antropometrisch bestand (NedScan) en van lichaamsafmetingen van goedgekeurde K.L rekruten. De grenswaarden omvatten 95% van dat Nederlandse
Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of new, unsymmetrical triaryl bisamidine compounds
Nguyen, Son T.; Williams, John D.; Butler, Michelle M.; Ding, Xiaoyuan; Mills, Debra M.; Tashjian, Tommy F.; Panchal, Rekha G.; Weir, Susan K.; Moon, Chaeho; Kim, Hwa-Ok; Marsden, Jeremiah; Peet, Norton P.; Bowlin, Terry L.
2014-01-01
Herein we describe the synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of a new, unsymmetrical triaryl bisamidine compound series, [Am]-[indole]-[linker]-[HetAr/Ar]-[Am], in which [Am] is an amidine or amino group, [linker] is a benzene, thiophene or pyridine ring, and [HetAr/Ar] is a benzimidazole, imidazopyridine, benzofuran, benzothiophene, pyrimidine or benzene ring. When the [HetAr/Ar] unit is a 5,6-bicyclic heterocycle, it is oriented such that the 5-membered ring portion is connected to the [linker] unit and the 6-membered ring portion is connected to the [Am] unit. Among the 34 compounds in this series, compounds with benzofuran as the [HetAr/Ar] unit showed the highest potencies. Introduction of a fluorine atom or a methyl group to the triaryl core led to the more potent analogs. Bisamidines are more active toward bacteria while the monoamidines are more active toward mammalian cells (as indicated by low CC50 values). Importantly, we identified compound P12a (MBX 1887) with a relatively narrow spectrum against bacteria and a very high CC50 value. Compound P12a has been scaled up and is currently undergoing further evaluations for therapeutic applications. PMID:24969013
Graphene-on-GaN Hot Electron Transistor
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zubair, Ahmad; Nourbakhsh, Amirhasan; Hong, Jin-Yong; Song, Yi; Qi, Meng; Jena, Debdeep; Kong, Jing; Dresselhaus, Mildred S.; Palacios, Tomas
Hot electron transistors (HETs) are promising devices for potential high-frequency operation that currently CMOS cannot provide. In an HET, carrier transport is due to the injection of hot electrons from an emitter to a collector which is modulated by a base electrode. Therefore, ultra-thin base electrodes are needed to facilitate ultra-short transit time and high performance for THz operation range. In this regard, graphene, the thinnest conductive membrane in nature, is considered the best candidate for the base material in HETs. The existing HETs with SiO2/Si as emitter stack suffer from low current gain and output current density. In this work, we use the two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) in a GaN-based heterostructure as emitter and monolayer graphene as the base electrode. The transport study of the proof-of-concept device shows high output current density (>50 A/cm2) , current gain (>3) and ballistic injection efficiency of 75%. These results indicate that performance parameters can be further improved by engineering the band offset of the graphene/collector stack and improved interface between graphene and GaN. Army Research Office (ARO) (Grant Nos. W911NF-14-2-0071, 6930265, and 6930861).
Development of the Kiel sensors for the EPD instrument on-board Solar Orbiter
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martin, Cesar; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Kulkarni, Shrinivasrao R.; Tammen, Jan; Terasa, Christoph; Yu, Jia; Boden, Sebastian; Steinhagen, Jan; Panitzsch, Lauri; Ravanbakhsh, Ali; Boettcher, Stephan; Hamann, Christian; Seimetz, Lars; Rodriguez-Pacheco, Javier
2015-04-01
Solar Orbiter is ESA's next solar and heliospheric mission, planned for launch in January 2017 and approaching the Sun as close as 0.28 AU. One of the Solar Orbiter's scientific questions is "How do the solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?". The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) will provide key measurements for this and the other Solar Orbiter science objectives. The EPD suite consists of four sensors measuring electrons, protons, and ions from helium to iron, and operating at partly overlapping energy ranges from 2 keV/n up to 200 MeV/n. The EPD sensors are: SupraThermal Electrons and Protons(STEP), Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS), Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) and High Energy Telescope (HET). Besides, the EPD sensors share the Instrument Control Unit (ICU). The University of Kiel in Germany is responsible for developing the EPT-HET, STEP and SIS sensors. Here we present the development status of the EPT-HET and STEP sensors focusing on the activities planned for the current phase C. Those activities include results of the integration and EMC tests on the EPT-HET and STEP Engineering Model (EM) and the assembly of the Proto Qualification Model (PQM).
Development of the Kiel sensors for the EPD instrument on-board Solar Orbiter
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Martin, Cesar; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; Kulkarni, Shrinivasrao R.; Tammen, Jan; Terasa, Christoph; Yu, Jia; Boden, Sebastian; Steinhagen, Jan; Panitzsch, Lauri; Ravanbakhsh, Ali; Boettcher, Stephan; Hamann, Christian; Seimetz, Lars; Rodriguez-Pacheco, Javier
2014-05-01
Solar Orbiter is ESA's next solar and heliospheric mission, planned for launch in January 2017 and approaching the Sun as close as 0.28 AU. One of the Solar Orbiter's scientific questions is "How do the solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?". The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) will provide key measurements for this and the other Solar Orbiter science objectives. The EPD suite consists of four sensors measuring electrons, protons, and ions from helium to iron, and operating at partly overlapping energy ranges from 2 keV/n up to 200 MeV/n. The EPD sensors are: SupraThermal Electrons and Protons(STEP), Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS), Electron Proton Telescope (EPT) and High Energy Telescope (HET). Besides, the EPD sensors share the Instrument Control Unit (ICU). The University of Kiel in Germany is responsible for developing the EPT-HET, STEP and SIS sensors. Here we present the development status of the EPT-HET and STEP sensors focusing on the activities planned for the current phase C. Those activities include results of the environmental tests on the EPT-HET Structural Thermal Model (STM) and the assembly of the Engineering Model (EM).
Global Radius of Curvature Estimation and Control for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rakoczy, John; Hall, Drew; Howard, Ricky; Ly, William; Weir, John; Montgomery, Edward; Brantley, Lott W. (Technical Monitor)
2002-01-01
A system, which estimates the global radius of curvature (GroC) and corrects for changes in GroC on a segmented primary mirror has been developed for and verified on McDonald Observatory's Hobby Eberly Telescope (HET). The GroC estimation and control system utilizes HET's primary mirror control (PMC) system and the Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS), an inductive edge sensor system. A special set of boundary conditions is applied to the derivation of the optimal edge match control. The special boundary conditions allow the further derivation of an observer, which enables estimation and control of the Groc mode to within HET's specification. The magnitude of the GroC mode can then be controlled despite the inability of the SAMS edge sensor system, by itself, to observe or control the GroC mode. The observer can be extended to any segmented mirror telescope. It will be shown that the observer improves with accuracy as the number of segments increases. This paper presents the mathematical theory of the observer. Simulation results will demonstrate the inherent accuracy and robustness of the system. Performance verification data from the HET will be presented.
McKenzie, Barbara; Kay, Graeme; Matthews, Kerr H; Knott, Rachel M; Cairns, Donald
2015-07-25
A modified hen's egg chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test has been developed, combining ImageJ analysis with Adobe(®) Photoshop(®). The irritation potential of an ophthalmic medicine can be quantified using this method, by monitoring damage to blood vessels. The evaluation of cysteamine containing hyaluronate gel is reported. The results demonstrated that the novel gel formulation is non-irritant to the ocular tissues, in line with saline solution (negative control). In conclusion, the modification of the established HET-CAM test can quantify the damage to minute blood vessels. These results offer the possibility to formulate cysteamine in an ocular applicable gel formulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bonzón-Kulichenko, Elena; Moltó, Eduardo; Pintado, Cristina; Fernández, Alejandro; Arribas, Carmen; Schwudke, Dominik; Gallardo, Nilda; Shevchenko, Andrej; Andrés, Antonio
2018-04-16
Increased adiposity, through adipocyte hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia, characterizes aging and obesity. Both are leptin-resistant states, associated to disturbed lipid metabolism, reduced insulin sensitivity and inflammation. Nevertheless, fat tissue dysfunction appears earlier in obesity than in normal aging. In contrast, lipodystrophy is accompanied by diabetes, and improving the fat cell capacity to expand rescues the diabetic phenotype. Fat tissue dysfunction is extensively studied in the diet-induced obesity, but remains relatively neglected in the aging-associated obesity. In the Wistar rat, as occurs in humans, early or middle aging is accompanied by an increase in adiposity. Using this experimental model, we describe the molecular mechanisms contributing to the white adipose tissue (WAT) hypertrophy. WAT from middle-old age rats is characterized by decreased basal lipogenesis and lipolysis, increased esterification, as demonstrated by the higher TAG and cholesterol content in visceral WAT, and the maintenance of total ceramide levels within normal values. In addition, we describe alterations in the adipose tissue plasma membrane lipid composition, as increased total ether-phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and free cholesterol levels that favor an enlarged fat cell size with aging. All these metabolic changes may be regarded as a survival advantage that prevents the aged rats from becoming overtly diabetic.
Park, Hyo Jin; Kim, Hye-Jin; Kim, Sang Ryong; Choi, Myung-Sook; Jung, Un Ju
2017-03-01
This study investigated the biological and molecular mechanisms underlying the antiobesity effect of omija fruit ethanol extract (OFE) in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). C57BL/6J mice were fed an HFD (20% fat, w/w) with or without OFE (500 mg/kg body weight) for 16 weeks. Dietary OFE significantly increased brown adipose tissue weight and energy expenditure while concomitantly decreasing white adipose tissue (WAT) weight and adipocyte size by up-regulating the expression of brown fat-selective genes in WAT. OFE also improved hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia by enhancing hepatic fatty acid oxidation-related enzymes activity and fecal lipid excretion. In addition to steatosis, OFE decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in the liver. Moreover, OFE improved glucose tolerance and lowered plasma glucose, insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, which may be linked to decreases in the activity of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes and the circulating level of gastric inhibitory polypeptide. These findings suggest that OFE may protect against diet-induced adiposity and related metabolic disturbances by controlling brown-like transformation of WAT, fatty acid oxidation, inflammation in the liver and fecal lipid excretion. Improved insulin resistance may be also associated with its antiobesity effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Chandra Observation of the WAT Radio Source/ICM Interaction in Abell 623
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anand, Gagandeep; Blanton, Elizabeth L.; Randall, Scott W.; Paterno-Mahler, Rachel; Douglass, Edmund
2017-01-01
Galaxy clusters are important objects for studying the physics of the intracluster medium (ICM), galaxy formation and evolution, and cosmological parameters. Clusters containing wide-angle tail (WAT) radio sources are particularly valuable for studies of the interaction between these sources and the surrounding ICM. These sources are thought to form when the ram pressure from the ICM caused by the relative motion between the host radio galaxy and the cluster bends the radio lobes into a distinct wide-angle morphology. We present our results from the analysis of a Chandra observation of the nearby WAT hosting galaxy cluster Abell 623. A clear decrement in X-ray emission is coincident with the southern radio lobe, consistent with being a cavity carved out by the radio source. We present profiles of surface brightness, temperature, density, and pressure and find evidence for a possible shock. Based on the X-ray pressure in the vicinity of the radio lobes and assumptions about the content of the lobes, we estimate the relative ICM velocity required to bend the lobes into the observed angle. We also present spectral model fits to the overall diffuse cluster emission and see no strong signature for a cool core. The sum of the evidence indicates that Abell 623 may be undergoing a large scale cluster-cluster merger.
Iwasa, Takeshi; Matsuzaki, Toshiya; Yano, Kiyohito; Yanagihara, Rie; Tungalagsuvd, Altankhuu; Munkhzaya, Munkhsaikhan; Mayila, Yiliyasi; Kuwahara, Akira; Irahara, Minoru
2017-07-01
In females, estrogens play pivotal roles in preventing excess body weight (BW) gain. On the other hand, the roles of androgens in female BW, appetite, and energy metabolism have not been fully examined. We hypothesized that androgens' effects on food intake (FI) and BW regulation change according to the estrogens' levels. To evaluate this hypothesis, the effects of chronic testosterone administration in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats with or without estradiol supplementation were examined in this study. Chronic testosterone administration decreased BW, FI, white adipose tissue (WAT) weight, and adipocyte size in OVX rats, whereas it increased BW, WAT weight, and adipocyte size in OVX with estradiol-administered rats. In addition, chronic testosterone administration increased hypothalamic CYP19a1 mRNA levels in OVX rats, whereas it did not alter CYP19a1 mRNA levels in OVX with estradiol-administered rats, indicating that conversion of testosterone to estrogens in the hypothalamus may be activated in testosterone-administered OVX rats. Furthermore, chronic testosterone administration decreased hypothalamic TNF-α mRNA levels in OVX rats, whereas it increased hypothalamic IL-1β mRNA levels in OVX with estradiol-administered rats. On the other hand, IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA levels in visceral and subcutaneous WAT and liver were not changed by chronic testosterone administration in both groups. These data indicate that the effects of chronic testosterone administration on BW, FI, WAT weight, and adipocyte size were changed by estradiol treatment in female rats. Testosterone has facilitative effects on BW gain, FI, and adiposity under the estradiol-supplemented condition, whereas it has inhibitory effects in the non-supplemented condition. Differences in the responses of hypothalamic factors, such as aromatase and inflammatory cytokines, to testosterone might underlie these opposite effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Brown Adipose Tissue Quantification in Human Neonates Using Water-Fat Separated MRI
Rasmussen, Jerod M.; Entringer, Sonja; Nguyen, Annie; van Erp, Theo G. M.; Guijarro, Ana; Oveisi, Fariba; Swanson, James M.; Piomelli, Daniele; Wadhwa, Pathik D.
2013-01-01
There is a major resurgence of interest in brown adipose tissue (BAT) biology, particularly regarding its determinants and consequences in newborns and infants. Reliable methods for non-invasive BAT measurement in human infants have yet to be demonstrated. The current study first validates methods for quantitative BAT imaging of rodents post mortem followed by BAT excision and re-imaging of excised tissues. Identical methods are then employed in a cohort of in vivo infants to establish the reliability of these measures and provide normative statistics for BAT depot volume and fat fraction. Using multi-echo water-fat MRI, fat- and water-based images of rodents and neonates were acquired and ratios of fat to the combined signal from fat and water (fat signal fraction) were calculated. Neonatal scans (n = 22) were acquired during natural sleep to quantify BAT and WAT deposits for depot volume and fat fraction. Acquisition repeatability was assessed based on multiple scans from the same neonate. Intra- and inter-rater measures of reliability in regional BAT depot volume and fat fraction quantification were determined based on multiple segmentations by two raters. Rodent BAT was characterized as having significantly higher water content than WAT in both in situ as well as ex vivo imaging assessments. Human neonate deposits indicative of bilateral BAT in spinal, supraclavicular and axillary regions were observed. Pairwise, WAT fat fraction was significantly greater than BAT fat fraction throughout the sample (ΔWAT-BAT = 38%, p<10−4). Repeated scans demonstrated a high voxelwise correlation for fat fraction (Rall = 0.99). BAT depot volume and fat fraction measurements showed high intra-rater (ICCBAT,VOL = 0.93, ICCBAT,FF = 0.93) and inter-rater reliability (ICCBAT,VOL = 0.86, ICCBAT,FF = 0.93). This study demonstrates the reliability of using multi-echo water-fat MRI in human neonates for quantification throughout the torso of BAT depot volume and fat fraction measurements. PMID:24205024
Skin aging as a mechanical phenomenon: The main weak links
Kruglikov, Ilja L.; Scherer, Philipp E.
2018-01-01
From a mechanical point of view, human skin appears as a layered composite containing the stiff thin cover layer presented by the stratum corneum, below which are the more compliant layers of viable epidermis and dermis and further below the much more compliant adjacent layer of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT). Upon exposure to a strain, such a multi-layer system demonstrates structural instabilities in its stiffer layers, which in its simplest form is the wrinkling. These instabilities appear hierarchically when the mechanical strain in the skin exceeds some critical values. Their appearance is mainly dependent on the mismatch in mechanical properties between adjacent skin layers or between the skin and sWAT, on the adhesive strength and thickness ratios between the layers, on their bending and tensile stiffness as well as on the value of the stress existing in single layers. Gradual reduction of elastic fibers in aging significantly reduces the skin’s ability to bend, prompting an up to 4-fold reduction of its stability against wrinkling, thereby explaining the role of these fibers in skin aging. While chronological and extrinsic aging differently modify these parameters, they lead to the same end result, reducing the critical strain required for the onset of instabilities. Comparing of mechanical properties of the skin presented as a bi-, tri- or tetra-layer structure demonstrates the particular importance of the papillary dermis in skin aging and provides the arguments to consider the undulations on the dermal-epidermal and dermal-sWAT interfaces as the result of mechanical bifurcation, leading to structural instabilities inside of the skin. According to this model, anti-aging strategies should focus not as much on the reinforcement of the dermis, but rather aim to treat the elastic mismatch between different adjacent layers in the skin and sWAT as well as the adhesion between these layers.
Harper, Liam D; Stevenson, Emma J; Rollo, Ian; Russell, Mark
2017-12-01
To assess the physiological and performance effects of a 12% carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage consumed at practically applicable time-points (i.e., before each half) throughout simulated soccer match-play. Randomised, counterbalanced, crossover. Fed players (n=15) performed 90-min of soccer-specific exercise (including self-paced exercise at the end of each half). Players consumed carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO; 60g×500ml -1 , Na + 205mg×500ml -1 ), placebo-electrolyte (PL) or water (Wat) beverages at the end of the warm-up (250ml) and half-time (250ml plus ad-libitum water). Blood was drawn before each half and every 15-min during exercise. Physical (15-m sprinting, countermovement jumps, self-paced distance, acceleration/deceleration count), technical (dribbling) and cognitive (memory, attention, decision-making) performance was assessed. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and abdominal discomfort were measured. Against Wat and PL, CHO increased (all p<0.05) mean accelerations >1.5m·s -2 during self-paced exercise (>+25%) and dribbling speed from 60-min onwards (>+3%). Mean sprinting speed improved (+2.7%) in CHO versus Wat. Blood glucose increased before and during each half in CHO versus PL and Wat (all p<0.05). A 27% decline in glycaemia occurred at 60-min in CHO. RPE was comparable between trials. Cognition reduced post-exercise (p<0.05); this decline was not attenuated by CHO. Abdominal discomfort increased during exercise but was similar between trials. Using more realistic fluid ingestion timings than have been examined previously, consuming a 12% carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage increased blood glucose, self-paced exercise performance, and improved dribbling speed in the final 30-min of exercise compared to water and placebo. Carbohydrates did not attenuate post-exercise reductions in cognition. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Waterloo Eye Study: data abstraction and population representation.
Machan, Carolyn M; Hrynchak, Patricia K; Irving, Elizabeth L
2011-05-01
To determine data quality in the Waterloo Eye Study (WatES) and compare the WatES age/sex distribution to the general population. Six thousand three hundred ninety-seven clinic files were reviewed at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry. Abstracted information included patient age, sex, presenting chief complaint, entering spectacle prescription, refraction, binocular vision, and disease data. Mean age and age distributions were determined for the entire study group and both sexes. These results were compared with Statistics Canada (2006) estimates and information on Canadian optometric practices. Inter- and intraabstractor reliability was determined through double entry of 425 and 50 files, respectively; the Cohen kappa statistic (K) was calculated for qualitative data and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for quantitative data. Availability of data within the files was determined through missing data rates. The age of the patients in the WatES ranged from 0.2 to 93.9 years (mean age, 42.5 years), with all age groups younger than 85 years well represented. Females comprised 54.1% and males 45.9% of the study group. There were more older patients (>65 years) and younger patients (<10 years) than in the population at large. K values were highest for demographic information (e.g., sex, 0.96) and averaged slightly less for most clinical data requiring some abstractor interpretation (0.71 to 1.00). The two lowest interabstractor values, migraine (0.41) and smoking (0.26), had low reporting frequencies and definition ambiguity between abstractors. Intraclass correlation coefficient values were >0.90 for all but one continuous data type. Missing data rates were <2% for all but near phoria, which was 7.4%. The WatES database includes patients from all age groups and both sexes. It provides a fair representation of optometric patients in Canada. Its large sample size, good interabstractor repeatability, and low missing data rates demonstrates sufficient data quality for future analysis.
Landrier, Jean-Francois; Kasiri, Elnaz; Karkeni, Esma; Mihály, Johanna; Béke, Gabriella; Weiss, Kathrin; Lucas, Renata; Aydemir, Gamze; Salles, Jérome; Walrand, Stéphane; de Lera, Angel R.; Rühl, Ralph
2017-01-01
Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived adipokine with potent antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antiatherogenic activity. Long-term, high-fat diet results in gain of body weight, adiposity, further inflammatory-based cardiovascular diseases, and reduced adiponectin secretion. Vitamin A derivatives/retinoids are involved in several of these processes, which mainly take place in white adipose tissue (WAT). In this study, we examined adiponectin expression as a function of dietary high-fat and high–vitamin A conditions in mice. A decrease of adiponectin expression in addition to an up-regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenase A1 (ALDH1A1), retinoid signaling, and retinoic acid response element signaling was selectively observed in WAT of mice fed a normal–vitamin A, high-fat diet. Reduced adiponectin expression in WAT was also observed in mice fed a high–vitamin A diet. Adipocyte cell culture revealed that endogenous and synthetic retinoic acid receptor (RAR)α- and RARγ-selective agonists, as well as a synthetic retinoid X receptor agonist, efficiently reduced adiponectin expression, whereas ALDH1A1 expression only increased with RAR agonists. We conclude that reduced adiponectin expression under high-fat dietary conditions is dependent on 1) increased ALDH1A1 expression in adipocytes, which does not increase all-trans-retinoic acid levels; 2) further RAR ligand–induced, WAT-selective, increased retinoic acid response element–mediated signaling; and 3) RAR ligand–dependent reduction of adiponectin expression.—Landrier, J.-F., Kasiri, E., Karkeni, E., Mihály, J., Béke, G., Weiss, K., Lucas, R., Aydemir, G., Salles, J., Walrand, S., de Lera, A. R., Rühl, R. Reduced adiponectin expression after high-fat diet is associated with selective up-regulation of ALDH1A1 and further retinoic acid receptor signaling in adipose tissue. PMID:27729412
Williams, Lynda M.; Campbell, Fiona M.; Drew, Janice E.; Koch, Christiane; Hoggard, Nigel; Rees, William D.; Kamolrat, Torkamol; Thi Ngo, Ha; Steffensen, Inger-Lise; Gray, Stuart R.; Tups, Alexander
2014-01-01
High–fat (HF) diet-induced obesity and insulin insensitivity are associated with inflammation, particularly in white adipose tissue (WAT). However, insulin insensitivity is apparent within days of HF feeding when gains in adiposity and changes in markers of inflammation are relatively minor. To investigate further the effects of HF diet, C57Bl/6J mice were fed either a low (LF) or HF diet for 3 days to 16 weeks, or fed the HF-diet matched to the caloric intake of the LF diet (PF) for 3 days or 1 week, with the time course of glucose tolerance and inflammatory gene expression measured in liver, muscle and WAT. HF fed mice gained adiposity and liver lipid steadily over 16 weeks, but developed glucose intolerance, assessed by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTT), in two phases. The first phase, after 3 days, resulted in a 50% increase in area under the curve (AUC) for HF and PF mice, which improved to 30% after 1 week and remained stable until 12 weeks. Between 12 and 16 weeks the difference in AUC increased to 60%, when gene markers of inflammation appeared in WAT and muscle but not in liver. Plasma proteomics were used to reveal an acute phase response at day 3. Data from PF mice reveals that glucose intolerance and the acute phase response are the result of the HF composition of the diet and increased caloric intake respectively. Thus, the initial increase in glucose intolerance due to a HF diet occurs concurrently with an acute phase response but these effects are caused by different properties of the diet. The second increase in glucose intolerance occurs between 12 - 16 weeks of HF diet and is correlated with WAT and muscle inflammation. Between these times glucose tolerance remains stable and markers of inflammation are undetectable. PMID:25170916
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dondeynaz, C.; Carmona Moreno, C.; Céspedes Lorente, J. J.
2012-01-01
The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 45 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality; and, finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. At the light of the first analysis, WatSan4Dev Dataset shows the coherency among the different variables that are confirmed by the direct field experience and/or the scientific literature in the domain. Preliminary analysis of the relationships indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor influencing negatively the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Efficient environmental governance is also an important factor for providing improved water supply services. The database would be at the base of posterior analyses to better understand the interrelationships between the different indicators associated in the water sector in developing countries. A data model using the different indicators will be realised on the next phase of this research work.
Rossmeisl, Martin; Macek Jilkova, Zuzana; Kuda, Ondrej; Jelenik, Tomas; Medrikova, Dasa; Stankova, Barbora; Kristinsson, Björn; Haraldsson, Gudmundur G.; Svensen, Harald; Stoknes, Iren; Sjövall, Peter; Magnusson, Ylva; Balvers, Michiel G. J.; Verhoeckx, Kitty C. M.; Tvrzicka, Eva; Bryhn, Morten; Kopecky, Jan
2012-01-01
Background n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can ameliorate many of obesity-associated disorders. We hypothesised that the latter effect will be more pronounced when DHA/EPA is supplemented as phospholipids rather than as triglycerides. Methodology/Principal Findings In a ‘prevention study’, C57BL/6J mice were fed for 9 weeks on either a corn oil-based high-fat obesogenic diet (cHF; lipids ∼35% wt/wt), or cHF-based diets in which corn oil was partially replaced by DHA/EPA, admixed either as phospholipids or triglycerides from marine fish. The reversal of obesity was studied in mice subjected to the preceding cHF-feeding for 4 months. DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids prevented glucose intolerance and tended to reduce obesity better than triglycerides. Lipemia and hepatosteatosis were suppressed more in response to dietary phospholipids, in correlation with better bioavailability of DHA and EPA, and a higher DHA accumulation in the liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and muscle phospholipids. In dietary obese mice, both DHA/EPA concentrates prevented a further weight gain, reduced plasma lipid levels to a similar extent, and tended to improve glucose tolerance. Importantly, only the phospholipid form reduced plasma insulin and adipocyte hypertrophy, while being more effective in reducing hepatic steatosis and low-grade inflammation of WAT. These beneficial effects were correlated with changes of endocannabinoid metabolome in WAT, where phospholipids reduced 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and were more effective in increasing anti-inflammatory lipids such as N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine. Conclusions/Significance Compared with triglycerides, dietary DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids are superior in preserving a healthy metabolic profile under obesogenic conditions, possibly reflecting better bioavalability and improved modulation of the endocannabinoid system activity in WAT. PMID:22701720
Mobiel Optreden: Verkennend Onderzoek (Mobile Deployment: Investigation)
1992-02-01
Koninklijke Luchtmacht 8 1.2 Veranderingen in het Wereldbeeld 9 1.3 Mobiel Optreden 9 1.4 Struktur van het Rapport 11 2 DOELSTELLINGEN STUDIE 13 2.1...militaire gevolgen daarvan die sindsdien plaats; vonden, achterhaalden de uitgangspunten en dnarmee de belangstelling van zowel Koninklijke Luchtmacht...Luchttransport - Secundair: * Vliegbases * Control and Reporting Centre / Military Air Traffic Control Centre. TNO rapport Pagina 9 1.2 Veranderingen in
Tori, Masayuki
2014-03-01
Endoscopic thyroidectomy (ET) or robotic thyroidectomy is yet to be applied to thyroid carcinoma invasive to the trachea and to wide lymph node node metastasis. On the other hand, small-incision thyroidectomy lacks sufficient working space and clear vision. The author has newly developed hybrid-type endoscopic thyroidectomy (HET) to overcome these problems. From March 2011 to February 2012, HET was performed for 85 patients. Clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed. To evaluate the superiority of HET for malignancy representatively, conventional lobectomy with central compartment node dissection (CCND) performed 1 year previously was compared with HET. In lobectomy and node dissection, a single skin incision (1.5 cm) is made above the clavicle, with a port incision (5 mm) made 3 cm below the clavicle. Then CCND is performed directly through the incision by lifting up the isthmus. To obtain sufficient working space for the lobectomy, the strap muscles are taped and pulled toward the head, then hung by the cradle. The thyroid lobe is retracted to the midline with a retractor, followed by isolation of the inferior laryngeal nerve and transection of the inferior thyroid vessels with the monitor of the scope. Lateral lymph nodes dissection can be performed at the same time, if necessary. In total thyroidectomy, the same procedure is performed at the opposite side. The scalpel can be used to shave through each incision in case of tracheal invasion. Of the 85 cases, 62 were malignant, involving papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and 23 were benign. Total thyroidectomy was performed for 22 of the PTC cases and CCND for 49 of the cases. Shaving for tracheal invasion was performed for eight patients. No mortality, complications, recurrence, or metastasis was found 1-2 years after the operation. Compared with conventional thyroidectomy, HET was superior in blood loss, visual analog scale, and postoperative hospital stay. The author's method (Tori's method) might be less invasive, cosmetically excellent, and moreover, safe and feasible for differentiated thyroid carcinoma including invasion to the trachea.
Wang, Minghui; Londo, Jason P.; Acharya, Charlotte B.; Mitchell, Sharon E.; Sun, Qi; Reisch, Bruce; Cadle-Davidson, Lance
2015-01-01
Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) provides opportunities to generate high-resolution genetic maps at a low genotyping cost, but for highly heterozygous species, missing data and heterozygote undercalling complicate the creation of GBS genetic maps. To overcome these issues, we developed a publicly available, modular approach called HetMappS, which functions independently of parental genotypes and corrects for genotyping errors associated with heterozygosity. For linkage group formation, HetMappS includes both a reference-guided synteny pipeline and a reference-independent de novo pipeline. The de novo pipeline can be utilized for under-characterized or high diversity families that lack an appropriate reference. We applied both HetMappS pipelines in five half-sib F1 families involving genetically diverse Vitis spp. Starting with at least 116,466 putative SNPs per family, the HetMappS pipelines identified 10,440 to 17,267 phased pseudo-testcross (Pt) markers and generated high-confidence maps. Pt marker density exceeded crossover resolution in all cases; up to 5,560 non-redundant markers were used to generate parental maps ranging from 1,047 cM to 1,696 cM. The number of markers used was strongly correlated with family size in both de novo and synteny maps (r = 0.92 and 0.91, respectively). Comparisons between allele and tag frequencies suggested that many markers were in tandem repeats and mapped as single loci, while markers in regions of more than two repeats were removed during map curation. Both pipelines generated similar genetic maps, and genetic order was strongly correlated with the reference genome physical order in all cases. Independently created genetic maps from shared parents exhibited nearly identical results. Flower sex was mapped in three families and correctly localized to the known sex locus in all cases. The HetMappS pipeline could have wide application for genetic mapping in highly heterozygous species, and its modularity provides opportunities to adapt portions of the pipeline to other family types, genotyping technologies or applications. PMID:26244767
Barrientos, Genaro C.; Feng, Wei; Truong, Kim; Matthaei, Klaus I.; Yang, Tianzhong; Allen, Paul D.; Lopez, José R.; Pessah, Isaac N.
2012-01-01
Malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) is primarily conferred by mutations within ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1). Here we address how the MHS mutation T4826I within the S4-S5 linker influences excitation-contraction coupling and resting myoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]rest) in flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) and vastus lateralis prepared from heterozygous (Het) and homozygous (Hom) T4826I-RYR1 knock-in mice (Yuen, B. T., Boncompagni, S., Feng, W., Yang, T., Lopez, J. R., Matthaei, K. I., Goth, S. R., Protasi, F., Franzini-Armstrong, C., Allen, P. D., and Pessah, I. N. (2011) FASEB J. doi:22131268). FDB responses to electrical stimuli and acute halothane (0.1%, v/v) exposure showed a rank order of Hom ≫ Het ≫ WT. Release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and Ca2+ entry contributed to halothane-triggered increases in [Ca2+]rest in Hom FDBs and elicited pronounced Ca2+ oscillations in ∼30% of FDBs tested. Genotype contributed significantly elevated [Ca2+]rest (Hom > Het > WT) measured in vivo using ion-selective microelectrodes. Het and Hom oxygen consumption rates measured in intact myotubes using the Seahorse Bioscience (Billerica, MA) flux analyzer and mitochondrial content measured with MitoTracker were lower than WT, whereas total cellular calpain activity was higher than WT. Muscle membranes did not differ in RYR1 expression nor in Ser2844 phosphorylation among the genotypes. Single channel analysis showed highly divergent gating behavior with Hom and WT favoring open and closed states, respectively, whereas Het exhibited heterogeneous gating behaviors. [3H]Ryanodine binding analysis revealed a gene dose influence on binding density and regulation by Ca2+, Mg2+, and temperature. Pronounced abnormalities inherent in T4826I-RYR1 channels confer MHS and promote basal disturbances of excitation-contraction coupling, [Ca2+]rest, and oxygen consumption rates. Considering that both Het and Hom T4826I-RYR1 mice are viable, the remarkable isolated single channel dysfunction mediated through this mutation in S4-S5 cytoplasmic linker must be highly regulated in vivo. PMID:22139840
Yuen, Benjamin; Boncompagni, Simona; Feng, Wei; Yang, Tianzhong; Lopez, Jose R.; Matthaei, Klaus I.; Goth, Samuel R.; Protasi, Feliciano; Franzini-Armstrong, Clara; Allen, Paul D.; Pessah, Isaac N.
2012-01-01
Mutation T4825I in the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RYR1T4825I/+) confers human malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS). We report a knock-in mouse line that expresses the isogenetic mutation T4826I. Heterozygous RYR1T4826I/+ (Het) or homozygous RYR1T4826I/T4826I (Hom) mice are fully viable under typical rearing conditions but exhibit genotype- and sex-dependent susceptibility to environmental conditions that trigger MH. Hom mice maintain higher core temperatures than WT in the home cage, have chronically elevated myoplasmic[Ca2+]rest, and present muscle damage in soleus with a strong sex bias. Mice subjected to heat stress in an enclosed 37°C chamber fail to trigger MH regardless of genotype, whereas heat stress at 41°C invariably triggers fulminant MH in Hom, but not Het, mice within 20 min. WT and Het female mice fail to maintain euthermic body temperature when placed atop a bed whose surface is 37°C during halothane anesthesia (1.75%) and have no hyperthermic response, whereas 100% Hom mice of either sex and 17% of the Het males develop fulminant MH. WT mice placed on a 41°C bed maintain body temperature while being administered halothane, and 40% of the Het females and 100% of the Het males develop fulminant MH within 40 min. Myopathic alterations in soleus were apparent by 12 mo, including abnormally distributed and enlarged mitochondria, deeply infolded sarcolemma, and frequent Z-line streaming regions, which were more severe in males. These data demonstrate that an MHS mutation within the S4-S5 cytoplasmic linker of RYR1 confers genotype- and sex-dependent susceptibility to pharmacological and environmental stressors that trigger fulminant MH and promote myopathy.—Yuen, B., Boncompagni, S., Feng, W., Yang, T., Lopez, J. R., Matthaei, K. I., Goth, S. R., Protasi, F., Franzini-Armstrong, C., Allen, P. D., Pessah, I. N. Mice expressing T4826I-RYR1 are viable but exhibit sex- and genotype-dependent susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia and muscle damage. PMID:22131268
Cervantes, Jesus Revuelta; Wojcik, Brandon M.; Parulkhar, Anshul; Mele, Alessandra; LoGerfo, Philip J.; Siracuse, Jeffrey J.; Csizmadia, Eva; da Silva, Cleide G.; Ferran, Christiane
2016-01-01
Background Inflammation is central to the pathogenesis of transplant arteriosclerosis (TA). We questioned whether physiologic levels of anti-inflammatory A20 influence TA severity. Methods We performed major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mismatched aorta to carotid artery interposition grafts, using wild type (WT) or A20 heterozygote (HET) C57BL/6 (H-2b) donors and BALB/c (H-2d) recipients, and conversely BALB/c donors and WT/HET recipients. We analyzed aortic allografts by histology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and gene profiling (qPCR). We validated select in vivo A20 targets in human and mouse smooth muscle cell (SMC) cultures. Results We noted significantly greater intimal hyperplasia in HET vs. WT allografts, indicating aggravated TA. Inadequate upregulation of A20 in HET allografts after transplantation was associated with excessive NF-κB activation, gauged by higher levels of IκBα, p65, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, CXCL10, CCL2, TNF, and IL-6 (mostly localized to SMC). Correspondingly, cytokine-induced upregulation of TNF and IL-6 in human and mouse SMC cultures inversely correlated with A20 expression. Aggravated TA in HET vs. WT allografts correlated with increased intimal SMC proliferation, and a higher number of infiltrating IFNγ+ and Granzyme B+ CD4+ T cells and natural killer cells, and lower number of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. A20 haploinsufficiency in allograft recipients did not influence TA. Conclusions A20 haploinsufficiency in vascular allografts aggravates lesions of TA by exacerbating inflammation, SMC proliferation, and infiltration of pathogenic T cells. A20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associating with lower A20 expression or function in donors of vascularized allografts may inform risk and severity of TA, highlighting the clinical implications of our findings. PMID:27495763
Nayak, Pratibha; Salazar, Laura F; Kota, Krishna K; Pechacek, Terry F
2017-11-01
Sexual minority (lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB]) populations experience disparities in cigarette use, but sparse evidence exists about novel and other alternative tobacco product use. In this study, we compared rates of novel and other alternative tobacco product use, risk perceptions, and worldview between LGB and heterosexual (HET) adults. An online survey administered in 2014-2015, using a weighted probability sample of 11,525 U.S. adults, assessed awareness of tobacco products; ever and current use of e-cigarettes, cigars, little cigars and cigarillos, and hookahs; perceptions of e-cigarettes; and worldview (individualism vs. communitarianism). Bivariate and adjusted multivariable analyses were performed to determine differences between LGB and HET groups. In the adjusted analyses, LGB adults were 1.5 times more likely to have ever used e-cigarettes (95% CI 1.2-1.9) and 1.9 times more likely to have ever used hookahs (95% CI 1.5-2.4) as compared to HET adults. A lower percentage of LGB adults, as compared to HET adults (16.7% vs. 19.2%), believed that exposure to vapors from e-cigarettes was "harmful" and reported that they "did not know" of any harm (35.1% vs. 39.8%). LGB were 20% less likely than were HET adults to endorse an individualistic worldview. These results suggest that a disparity exists, whereby LGB adults are more likely to have used e-cigarettes and hookahs. In addition, although vapor from e-cigarettes contains nicotine and other chemicals, LGB adults are less likely to perceive exposure to secondhand vapor as harmful. Tailored awareness campaigns and interventions are needed to convey the risks and curb use of these products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Clinical characteristics and STK11 gene mutations in Chinese children with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.
Huang, Zhiheng; Miao, Shijian; Wang, Lin; Zhang, Ping; Wu, Bingbing; Wu, Jie; Huang, Ying
2015-11-25
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps and mucocutaneous melanin spots. Germline mutation of the serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) gene are responsible for PJS. In this study, we investigated the clinical characteristics and molecular basis of the disease in Chinese children with PJS. Thirteen children diagnosed with PJS in our hospital were enrolled in this study from 2011 to 2015, and their clinical data on polyp characteristics, intussusceptions events, family histories, etc. were described. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole-blood samples from each subject, and the entire coding sequence of the STK11 gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and analyzed by direct sequencing. The median age at the onset of symptoms was 2 years and 4 months. To date, these children have undergone 40 endoscopy screenings, 17 laparotomies and 9 intussusceptions. Polyps were found in the stomach, duodenum, small bowel, colon and rectum, with large polyps found in 7 children. Mutations were found in eleven children, including seven novel mutations (c.481het_dupA, c.943_944het_delCCinsG, c.397het_delG, c.862 + 1G > G/A, c.348_349het_delGT, and c.803_804het_delGGinsC and c.121_139de l19insTT) and four previously reported mutations (c.658C > C/T, c.890G > G/A, c.1062 C > C/G, and c.290 + 1G > G/A). One PJS patient did not have any STK11 mutations. The polyps caused significant clinical consequences in children with PJS, and mutations of the STK11 gene are generally the cause of PJS in Chinese children. This study expands the spectrum of known STK11 gene mutations.
Goldman, Aaron; Chen, Hwu Dau Rw; Roesly, Heather B.; Hill, Kimberly A.; Tome, Margaret E.; Dvorak, Bohuslav; Bernstein, Harris
2011-01-01
Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition, where normal squamous epithelium is replaced by intestinal epithelium. BE is associated with an increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). However, the BE cell of origin is not clear. We hypothesize that BE tissue originates from esophageal squamous cells, which can differentiate to columnar cells as a result of repeated exposure to gastric acid and bile acids, two components of refluxate implicated in BE pathology. To test this hypothesis, we repeatedly exposed squamous esophageal HET1A cells to 0.2 mM bile acid (BA) cocktail at pH 5.5 and developed an HET1AR-resistant cell line. These cells are able to survive and proliferate after repeated 2-h treatments with BA at pH 5.5. HET1AR cells are resistant to acidification and express markers of columnar differentiation, villin, CDX2, and cytokeratin 8/18. HET1AR cells have increased amounts of reactive oxygen species, concomitant with a decreased level and activity of manganese superoxide dismutase compared with parental cells. Furthermore, HET1AR cells express proteins and activate signaling pathways associated with inflammation, cell survival, and tumorigenesis that are thought to contribute to BE and EAC development. These include STAT3, NF-κB, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), and Mcl-1. The expression of prosurvival and inflammatory proteins and resistance to cell death could be partially modified by inhibition of STAT3 signaling. In summary, our study shows that long-term exposure of squamous cells to BA at acidic pH causes the cells to display the same characteristics and markers as BE. PMID:21127259
Clarke, David J; Stuart, Jordyn; McGregor, Iain S; Arnold, Jonathon C
2017-01-04
The endocannabinoid system is dysregulated in schizophrenia. Mice with heterozygous deletion of neuregulin 1 (Nrg1 HET mice) provide a well-characterised animal model of schizophrenia, and display enhanced sensitivity to stress and cannabinoids during adolescence. However, no study has yet determined whether these mice have altered brain endocannabinoid concentrations. Nrg1 application to hippocampal slices decreased 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) signalling and disrupted long-term depression, a form of synaptic plasticity critical to spatial learning. Therefore we specifically aimed to examine whether Nrg1 HET mice exhibit increased 2-AG concentrations and disruption of spatial learning. As chronic stress influences brain endocannabinoids, we also sought to examine whether Nrg1 deficiency moderates adolescent stress-induced alterations in brain endocannabinoids. Adolescent Nrg1 HET and wild-type (WT) mice were submitted to chronic restraint stress and brain endocannabinoid concentrations were analysed. A separate cohort of WT and Nrg1 HET mice was also assessed for spatial learning performance in the Morris Water Maze. Partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 increased anandamide concentrations in the amygdala and decreased 2-AG concentrations in the hypothalamus. Further, Nrg1 HET mice exhibited increased 2-AG concentrations in the hippocampus and impaired spatial learning performance. Chronic adolescent stress increased anandamide concentrations in the amygdala, however, Nrg1 disruption did not influence this stress-induced change. These results demonstrate for the first time in vivo interplay between Nrg1 and endocannabinoids in the brain. Our results demonstrate that aberrant Nrg1 and endocannabinoid signalling may cooperate in the hippocampus to impair cognition, and that Nrg1 deficiency alters endocannabinoid signalling in brain stress circuitry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Role of pioneer species in revegetation of disturbed desert areas
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Wallace, A.; Romney, E.M.
1980-01-01
The northern Mojave Desert, as are many deserts, is characterized in part by small fertile islands in which exist individual shrub clumps each containing two or more plants. These fertile sites promote characteristic organization of both plant and animal activity in the desert. Destruction of these fertile sites make revegetation extremely difficult because most seedlings germinate in these sites. Some pioneer species do, however, germinate and survive in the bare areas between the fertile sites. Four such species in the northern Mojave Desert are Acamptopappus shockleyi Gray, Lepidium fremontii Wats., Sphaeralcea ambigua Gray, and Atriplex confertifolia (Torr. and Frem.) Wats.more » These four-species may have a role in starting new fertile islands.« less
Conceptontwerp nieuwe slaapmatten (Concept Design of Sleeping Mattresses)
2008-11-01
Datum november 2008 Auteur (s) drs. P.A. Reffeltrath ing. M.G. Brandsma M.G.M. Weghorst Rubricering rapport Ongerubriceerd TK9 TNO-rapport...slaapmatten in combinatie met de gegevens van objectieve metingen. In theorie maakt het conceptontwerp het mogelijk om tegen minder gewicht en pakvolume...making a mattress that is lighter, has less packing volume, is more comfortable and more durable than the currently available mattresses. In theory
Chohan, Tariq W.; Boucher, Aurelie A.; Spencer, Jarrah R.; Kassem, Mustafa S.; Hamdi, Areeg A.; Karl, Tim; Fok, Sandra Y.; Bennett, Maxwell R.; Arnold, Jonathon C.
2014-01-01
Stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Genetic variation in neuregulin 1 (NRG1) increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and may help predict which high-risk individuals will transition to psychosis. NRG1 also modulates sensorimotor gating, a schizophrenia endophenotype. We used an animal model to demonstrate that partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 interacts with stress to promote neurobehavioral deficits of relevance to schizophrenia. Nrg1 heterozygous (HET) mice displayed greater acute stress-induced anxiety-related behavior than wild-type (WT) mice. Repeated stress in adolescence disrupted the normal development of higher prepulse inhibition of startle selectively in Nrg1 HET mice but not in WT mice. Further, repeated stress increased dendritic spine density in pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) selectively in Nrg1 HET mice. Partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 also modulated the adaptive response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to repeated stress, with Nrg1 HET displaying a reduced repeated stress-induced level of plasma corticosterone than WT mice. Our results demonstrate that Nrg1 confers vulnerability to repeated stress-induced sensorimotor gating deficits, dendritic spine growth in the mPFC, and an abberant endocrine response in adolescence. PMID:24442851
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Meeks, John C.
Heterocysts are specialized cells that establish a physiologically low oxygen concentration; they function as the sites of oxygen-sensitive nitrogen fixation and hydrogen metabolism in certain filamentous cyanobacteria. They are present at a frequency of less than 10% of the cells and singly in a nonrandom spacing pattern in the filaments. The extent of differential gene expression during heterocyst differentiation was defined by DNA microarray analysis in wild type and mutant cultures of Nostoc punctiforme. The results in wild-type cultures identified two groups of genes; approximately 440 that are unique to heterocyst formation and function, and 500 that respond positively andmore » negatively to the transient stress of nitrogen starvation. Nitrogen fixation is initiated within 24 h after induction, but the cultures require another 24 h before growth is reinitiated. Microarray analyses were conducted on strains with altered expression of three genes that regulate the presence and spacing of heterocysts in the filaments; loss of function or over expression of these genes increases the heterocyst frequency 2 to 3 fold compared to the wild-type. Mutations in the genes hetR and hetF result in the inability to differentiate heterocysts, whereas over expression of each gene individually yields multiple contiguous heterocysts at sites in the filaments; they are positive regulatory elements. Mutation of the gene patN results in an increase in heterocysts frequency, but, in this case, the heterocysts are singly spaced in the filaments with a decrease in the number of vegetative cells in the interval between heterocysts; this is a negative regulatory element. However, over expression of patN resulted in the wild-type heterocyst frequency and spacing pattern. Microarray results indicated HetR and HetF influence the transcription of a common set of about 395 genes, as well as about 350 genes unique to each protein. HetR is known to be a transcriptional regulator and HetF is predicted to be a protease, perhaps operating thorough stability of HetR; thus, the influence of HetF on transcription of a unique set of genes was unanticipated. These two proteins are also found in non-heterocyst-forming filamentous cyanobacteria and the results have implications on their other physiological role(s). The PatN protein is unique to heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Cytological analysis indicated PatN is present in only one of the two daughter cells following division, but is present in both cell less than 8 h after division. Microarray analysis indicated only five genes were differentially transcribed in the patN mutant compared to the wild type; three up-regulated genes that are known to influence heterocyst differentiation and two down-regulated genes that have an unassigned function. Mutational analyses indicted the two down-regulated genes do not have a distinct role in heterocyst differentiation. Thus, PatN only indirectly impacts transcription. These databases provide lists of differentially transcribed genes involved in nitrogen starvation and cellular differentiation that can be mined for detailed genetic analysis of the regulation of heterocyst formation and function for subsequent photo-biohydrogen production.« less
Guri, Amir J; Hontecillas, Raquel; Si, Hongwei; Liu, Dongmin; Bassaganya-Riera, Josep
2007-02-01
Despite their efficacy in improving insulin sensitivity, thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are associated with a number of side effects (i.e. weight gain, hepatotoxicity, congestive heart failure) that have limited their use by millions of diabetic patients. We have investigated whether abscisic acid (ABA), a naturally occurring phytochemical with structural similarities to TZDs, could be used as an alternative to TZDs to improve glucose homeostasis. We first examined whether ABA, similar to TZDs, activates PPARgamma in vitro. We next determined the lowest effective dose of dietary ABA (100 mg/kg) and assessed its effect on glucose tolerance, obesity-related inflammation, and mRNA expression of PPARgamma and its responsive genes in white adipose tissue (WAT) of db/db mice fed high-fat diets. We found that ABA induced transactivation of PPARgamma in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes in vitro. Dietary ABA-supplementation for 36 days decreased fasting blood glucose concentrations, ameliorated glucose tolerance, and increased mRNA expression of PPARgamma and its responsive genes (i.e., adiponectin, aP2, and CD36) in WAT. We also found that adipocyte hypertrophy, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression, and macrophage infiltration in WAT were significantly attenuated in ABA-fed mice. These findings suggest that ABA could be used as a nutritional intervention against type II diabetes and obesity-related inflammation.
Schrauf, Robert W; Weintraub, Sandra; Navarro, Ellen
2006-05-01
Adaptations of the National Adult Reading Test (NART) for assessing premorbid intelligence in languages other than English requires (a) generating word-items that are rare and do not follow grapheme-to-phoneme mappings common in that language, and (b) subsequent validation against a cognitive battery normed on the population of interest. Such tests exist for Italy, France, Spain, and Argentina, all normed against national versions of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Given the varieties of Spanish spoken in the United States, the adaptation of the Spanish Word Accentuation Test (WAT) requires re-validating the original word list, plus possible new items, against a cognitive battery that has been normed on Spanish-speakers from many countries. This study reports the generation of 55 additional words and revalidation in a sample of 80 older, Spanish-dominant immigrants. The Batería Woodcock-Muñoz Revisada (BWM-R), normed on Spanish speakers from six countries and five U.S. states, was used to establish criterion validity. The original WAT word list accounted for 77% of the variance in the BWM-R and 58% of the variance in Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices, suggesting that the unmodified list possesses adequate predictive validity as an indicator of intelligence. Regression equations are provided for estimating BWM-R and Ravens scores from WAT scores.
Poletto, Ana Cláudia; Anhê, Gabriel Forato; Eichler, Paula; Takahashi, Hilton Kenji; Furuya, Daniela Tomie; Okamoto, Maristela Mitiko; Curi, Rui; Machado, Ubiratan Fabres
2010-03-01
Free fatty acids are known for playing a crucial role in the development of insulin resistance. High fat intake is known for impairing insulin sensitivity; however, the effect of vegetable-oil injections have never been investigated. The present study investigated the effects of daily subcutaneous injections (100 microL) of soybean (SB) and sunflower (SF) oils, during 7 days. Both treated groups developed insulin resistance as assessed by insulin tolerance test. The mechanism underlying the SB- and SF-induced insulin resistance was shown to involve GLUT4. In SB- and SF-treated animals, the GLUT4 protein expression was reduced approximately 20% and 10 min after an acute in vivo stimulus with insulin, the plasma membrane GLUT4 content was approximately 60% lower in white adipose tissue (WAT). No effects were observed in skeletal muscle. Additionally, both oil treatments increased mainly the content of palmitic acid ( approximately 150%) in WAT, which can contribute to explain the GLUT4 regulations. Altogether, the present study collects evidence that those oil treatments might generate insulin resistance by targeting GLUT4 expression and translocation specifically in WAT. These alterations are likely to be caused due to the specific local increase in saturated fatty acids that occurred as a consequence of oil daily injections. 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Orecchioni, Stefania; Reggiani, Francesca; Talarico, Giovanna; Mancuso, Patrizia; Calleri, Angelica; Gregato, Giuliana; Labanca, Valentina; Noonan, Douglas M; Dallaglio, Katiuscia; Albini, Adriana; Bertolini, Francesco
2015-03-15
The human white adipose tissue (WAT) contains progenitors with cooperative roles in breast cancer (BC) angiogenesis, local and metastatic progression. The biguanide Metformin (Met), commonly used for Type 2 diabetes, might have activity against BC and was found to inhibit angiogenesis in vivo. We studied Met and another biguanide, phenformin (Phe), in vitro and in vivo in BC models. In vitro, biguanides activated AMPK, inhibited Complex 1 of the respiratory chain and induced apoptosis of BC and WAT endothelial cells. In coculture, biguanides inhibited the production of several angiogenic proteins. In vivo, biguanides inhibited local and metastatic growth of triple negative and HER2+ BC in immune-competent and immune-deficient mice orthotopically injected with BC. Biguanides inhibited local and metastatic BC growth in a genetically engineered murine model model of HER2+ BC. In vivo, biguanides increased pimonidazole binding (but not HIF-1 expression) of WAT progenitors, reduced tumor microvessel density and altered the vascular pericyte/endothelial cell ratio, so that cancer vessels displayed a dysplastic phenotype. Phe was significantly more active than Met both in vitro and in vivo. Considering their safety profile, biguanides deserve to be further investigated for BC prevention in high-risk subjects, in combination with chemo and/or targeted therapy and/or as post-therapy consolidation or maintenance therapy for the prevention of BC recurrence. © 2014 UICC.
Sissiness, tomboyism, sex-role, sex identity and orientation.
McConaghy, N; Zamir, R
1995-06-01
Masculinity and femininity have been studied by self-ratings in independent areas of research: one investigating personality traits considered masculine (M) or feminine (F); the other, behaviours statistically more common in one than in the other sex (sex-linked behaviours). The two approaches were compared for the first time in the present study of 66 male and 51 female medical students. Consistent with previous findings using the second approach, male but not female subjects' opposite sex-linked "sissy" and "tomboyish" behaviours correlated significantly with their reported ratio of homosexual to heterosexual feelings (Ho/Het). Ho/Het did not correlate with either sex's M and F scores, but high M scores in women correlated strongly with several "tomboyish" behaviours. As "tomboyish" behaviours are shown more strongly by women exposed prenatally to increased levels of opposite sex hormones compared to controls, the findings have implications for the biological theory attributing Ho/Het to such prenatal hormonal exposure.
Analysis and Verification of HET 1 m Mirror Deflections Due to Edge Sensor Loading
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stallcup, Michael A.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
The ninety-one 1 m mirror segments which comprise the McDonald Observatory Hobby Eberly Telescope (HET) primary mirror have been observed to drift out of alignment in an unpredictable manner in response to time variant temperature deviations. A Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS) is being developed to detect and correct this segment-to-segment drift using sensors mounted at the edges of the mirror segments. However, the segments were not originally designed to carry the weight of edge sensors. Thus, analyses and tests were conducted as part of the SAMS design to estimate the magnitude and shape of the edge sensor induced deformations as well as the resultant optical performance. Interferometric testing of a 26 m radius of curvature HET mirror segment was performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center using several load conditions to verify the finite element analyses.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mejia, J.; Mitchell, D. L.; Garnier, A.; Hosseinpour, F.; Avery, M. A.
2017-12-01
Global retrievals of cirrus cloud effective diameter De and mid-cloud temperature T were used to make the cirrus clouds simulated in CAM5 conform with the retrieved De, with the ice fall speeds in CAM5 calculated from the retrieved De. This was done by developing De-T relationships for six latitude zones. Within each latitude zone, seasonal De-T relationships were developed for cirrus over land and for cirrus over ocean (making 48 De-T relationships in total). The recently developed CALIPSO retrieval algorithm is sensitive to the ice crystal number concentration N, which is also retrieved, and it utilizes radiances from the infrared imaging radiometer and backscatter from the CALIPSO lidar. Retrieved De (N) is largest (lowest) between 30S and 30N latitude; a region dominated by anvil cirrus where pre-existing ice strongly favors heterogeneous ice nucleation (henceforth het). Therefore, the De-T relations for this region are considered representative for cirrus formed via het. Outside this region, retrieved De (N) tended to be considerably smaller (higher), presumably due to homogeneous ice nucleation (henceforth hom). Two CAM5 simulations were performed; one where cirrus cloud De is based on the CALIPSO retrievals and one where De-T for het cirrus is applied globally. Differences in net cloud radiative forcing between runs are believed due to differences in cirrus formation mechanism (hom vs. het). Such differences are typically 1.3 W m-2 in the mid-to-high latitudes in the N. Hemisphere excepting summer. These differences imply differences in cirrus cloud heating rates that affect temperatures in the underlying troposphere, which in turn affect the wind fields. The natural cirrus (mixture of hom and het) tend to trap more heat than the het cirrus. Changes in zonal wind fields between simulations suggest that heating by polar cirrus clouds have modifed meridional temperature gradients and thus zonal winds through the thermal wind balance. These changes in heating by polar cirrus clouds can modify the amplitude and meridional position of the midlatitude jet streams, which can lead to more extreme weather. Moreover, the retrievals indicate a doubling of Arctic cirrus coverage during winter, which will also result in increased heating of the underlying troposphere, likely contributing to this same phenomenon.
ATS-6 - Technical aspects of the Health/Education Telecommunications Experiment
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Boor, J. L.; Braunstein, J.; Janky, J. M.; Ogden, D.; Potter, J. G.; Harper, E. L.; Volkmer, E.; Whalen, A. A.; Henderson, E.; Hupe, H. H.
1975-01-01
An overview is given of the HET experiment on ATS-6. The paper is divided into nine parts, including a technical overview, a preliminary evaluation of the HET demonstration, a review of operations at the Denver uplink terminal, a discussion of remote ground terminals, a review of C-band comprehensive terminals and of S-band comprehensive terminals, and parts devoted to general network operations, technical management and effectiveness of the network, and the site equipment operator.
Translations on Eastern Europe, Political, Sociological, and Military Affairs, Number 1555
1978-06-29
Available Copy - a - [III - EE - 6.3J J INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS HUNGARIAN WRITER FROM ROMANIA PUBLICIZES NEW LITERARY WORKS Budapest ELET ES...8217 In Budapest "] [Text] Sandor Huszar, chief editor of our sister paper, A HET in Bucharest, visited us last in March 1977. And because he returned...what business are you this time? [Answer] I flew to Budapest as a human advertisement. I came to our friends with the problems of A HET. [Questions
Simulation optimizing of n-type HIT solar cells with AFORS-HET
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yao, Yao; Xiao, Shaoqing; Zhang, Xiumei; Gu, Xiaofeng
2017-07-01
This paper presents a study of heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells based on n-type silicon substrates by a simulation software AFORS-HET. We have studied the influence of thickness, band gap of intrinsic layer and defect densities of every interface. Details in mechanisms are elaborated as well. The results show that the optimized efficiency reaches more than 23% which may give proper suggestions to practical preparation for HIT solar cells industry.
Preparation and Analysis of Samples for the Third Round Robin Verification Exercise
1992-07-01
Hooge 34 Lid instituuts Advies Raad PML Prof. dr. U.A. Th. Brinkman 35 Directeur van het Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO Proft dr. W.R.F. Notten 36...1991 werd uitgevoerd, heeft het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TNO de monsters aangemaakt die bestonden uit rubber, verf en beton. Deze materialen, die...Maurits Laboratorium TNO Chemische Research Prof. dr. G. Dijksrra 10 HBur. NBC-DMKIJOMATIKIO In. A.A.M. Slagveer 11 Lid van de Contact Cominissie NBC
2007-03-01
het prestatieniveau de fysieke aspecten met behuip van een gedurende alle sessies. Conclusies: op een hoog peil te houden. Het onderzoek...started at 6:30 h. On every test day and on every parameter the animals were tested in the same order. To maintain a sustained level of the alertness...quantitatively assesses these parameters and is extensively described and validated [Wolthuis et al., 1994; Philippens et al., 2000]. The apparatus (see
1992-11-01
beschermkap van het apparaat af te halen , waardoor bij een eventuele ontsteking het energetisch materiaal (al dan niet brandend) weg kan springen. Tevens...TNO-DefensieonderzoekPr TN TNO-rapport Kwalificatielclassificatie van explosieve stoffen ~ PML 1992-68 en munitief Rapport ]I: Testontwikkeling...rapport Kwalificatielclassificatie van explosieve stoffen PML 1992-68 en munitie Rapport f1: Testontwikkeling november 1992 ~~- ExorrIaar no:- 1ýMI
Riès, Stephanie K; Dhillon, Rummit K; Clarke, Alex; King-Stephens, David; Laxer, Kenneth D; Weber, Peter B; Kuperman, Rachel A; Auguste, Kurtis I; Brunner, Peter; Schalk, Gerwin; Lin, Jack J; Parvizi, Josef; Crone, Nathan E; Dronkers, Nina F; Knight, Robert T
2017-06-06
Word retrieval is core to language production and relies on complementary processes: the rapid activation of lexical and conceptual representations and word selection, which chooses the correct word among semantically related competitors. Lexical and conceptual activation is measured by semantic priming. In contrast, word selection is indexed by semantic interference and is hampered in semantically homogeneous (HOM) contexts. We examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of these complementary processes in a picture naming task with blocks of semantically heterogeneous (HET) or HOM stimuli. We used electrocorticography data obtained from frontal and temporal cortices, permitting detailed spatiotemporal analysis of word retrieval processes. A semantic interference effect was observed with naming latencies longer in HOM versus HET blocks. Cortical response strength as indexed by high-frequency band (HFB) activity (70-150 Hz) amplitude revealed effects linked to lexical-semantic activation and word selection observed in widespread regions of the cortical mantle. Depending on the subsecond timing and cortical region, HFB indexed semantic interference (i.e., more activity in HOM than HET blocks) or semantic priming effects (i.e., more activity in HET than HOM blocks). These effects overlapped in time and space in the left posterior inferior temporal gyrus and the left prefrontal cortex. The data do not support a modular view of word retrieval in speech production but rather support substantial overlap of lexical-semantic activation and word selection mechanisms in the brain.
[Male hormonal profile in workers exposed to toluene in an industrial packaging plant].
Miranda-Figueroa, Genezareth; Paz-Román, María del Pilar; Aguilar-Madrid, Guadalupe; Juárez-Pérez, Cuauhtémoc Arturo; Basurto-Acevedo, Lourdes; Haro-García, Luis
2013-01-01
to identify changes in the male hormonal profile (MHP), consisting of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone, in workers exposed to toluene. cross-sectional study that included 42 workers, formed in two groups: with high and low exposure to toluene (HET and LET, respectively); the hippuric acid in urine, and the serum concentration in FSH, LH, and testosterone were measured. hippuric acid in subjects with LET was 2.53 ± 1.20 g/g creatinine, and with HET: 6.31 ± 3.83 g/g creatinine (p = 0.02). Seric FSH concentration was 5.12 ± 0.77 and 3.55 ± 0.3 mU/mL (p = 0.02) in LET and HET, respectively; LH: 2.66 ± 0.45 and 2.77 ± 0.21 (p = 0.81), and testosterone 3.91 ± 0.34 and 4.86 ± 0.23 ng/mL (p = 0.04). By regression analysis, the correlation coefficient of FSH with hippuric acid was r = -0.33 (p = 0.031), with coefficient of determination of 11 %; the LH correlation coefficient was r = -0.037 (p = 0.88) and 0.05 %, respectively; and the one for testosterone was r = 0.61 (p = 0.0001) and 34 %. in HET group, FSH and LH serum levels diminished; testosterone shows an opposite response, perhaps explained by a different sensitivity of the male gonads exposed to toluene.
Cyclophilin B Deficiency Causes Abnormal Dentin Collagen Matrix.
Terajima, Masahiko; Taga, Yuki; Cabral, Wayne A; Nagasawa, Masako; Sumida, Noriko; Hattori, Shunji; Marini, Joan C; Yamauchi, Mitsuo
2017-08-04
Cyclophilin B (CypB) is an endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein that regulates collagen folding, and also contributes to prolyl 3-hydroxylation (P3H) and lysine (Lys) hydroxylation of collagen. In this study, we characterized dentin type I collagen in CypB null (KO) mice, a model of recessive osteogenesis imperfecta type IX, and compared to those of wild-type (WT) and heterozygous (Het) mice. Mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that the extent of P3H in KO collagen was significantly diminished compared to WT/Het. Lys hydroxylation in KO was significantly diminished at the helical cross-linking sites, α1/α2(I) Lys-87 and α1(I) Lys-930, leading to a significant increase in the under-hydroxylated cross-links and a decrease in fully hydroxylated cross-links. The extent of glycosylation of hydroxylysine residues was, except α1(I) Lys-87, generally higher in KO than WT/Het. Some of these molecular phenotypes were distinct from other KO tissues reported previously, indicating the dentin-specific control mechanism through CypB. Histological analysis revealed that the width of predentin was greater and irregular, and collagen fibrils were sparse and significantly smaller in KO than WT/Het. These results indicate a critical role of CypB in dentin matrix formation, suggesting a possible association between recessive osteogenesis imperfecta and dentin defects that have not been clinically detected.
DiLabio, Gino A; Ingold, K U
2004-03-05
Brown and Okamoto (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1958, 80, 4979) derived their electrophilic substitutent constants, sigma(p)+, from the relative rates of solvolysis of ring-substituted cumyl chlorides in an acetone/water solvent mixture. Application of the Hammett equation to the rates for the meta-substituted cumyl chlorides, where there could be no resonance interaction with the developing carbocation, gave a slope, rho(+) = -4.54 ( identical with 6.2 kcal/mol free energy). Rates for the para-substituted chlorides were then used to obtain sigma(p)+ values. We have calculated gas-phase C-Cl heterolytic bond dissociation enthalpy differences, Delta BDE(het) (= BDE(het)(4-YC(6)H(4)CMe(2)Cl) - BDE(het)(C(6)H(5)CMe(2)Cl)), for 16 of the 4-Y substituents employed by Brown and Okamoto. The plot of Delta BDE(het) vs sigma(p)+ gave rho(+) (SD) = 16.3 (2.3) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value roughly 2.5 times greater than experiment. Inclusion of solvation (water) energies, calculated using three continuum solvent models, reduced rho(+) and SD. The computationally least expensive model used, SM5.42R (Li et al. Theor. Chem. Acc. 1999, 103, 9) gave the best agreement with experiment. This model yielded rho(+) (SD) = 7.7 (0.9) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value that is only 24% larger than experiment.
Gururajan, A; Hill, R A; van den Buuse, M
2015-01-22
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a widely expressed neurotrophin involved in neurodevelopment, neuroprotection and synaptic plasticity. It is also implicated in a range of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Stress during adolescence/young adulthood can have long-term psychiatric and cognitive consequences, however it is unknown how altered BDNF signaling is involved in such effects. Here we investigated whether a congenital deficit in BDNF availability in rats increases vulnerability to the long-term effects of the stress hormone, corticosterone (CORT). Compared to wildtype (WT) littermates, BDNF heterozygous (HET) rats showed higher body weights and minor developmental changes, such as reduced relative brain and pituitary weight. These animals furthermore showed deficits in short-term spatial memory in the Y-maze and in prepulse inhibition and startle, but not in object-recognition memory. CORT treatment induced impairments in novel-object recognition memory in both genotypes but disrupted fear conditioning extinction learning in BDNF HET rats only. These results show selective behavioral changes in BDNF HET rats, at baseline or after chronic CORT treatment and add to our understanding of the role of BDNF and its interaction with stress. Importantly, this study demonstrates the utility of the BDNF HET rat in investigations into the pathophysiology of various psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
High-Intensity Interval Cycling Exercise on Wave Reflection and Pulse Wave Velocity.
Kingsley, J Derek; Tai, Yu Lun; Vaughan, Jeremiah A; Mayo, Xián
2017-05-01
Kingsley, JD, Tai, YL, Vaughan, J, and Mayo, X. High-intensity interval cycling exercise on wave reflection and pulse wave velocity. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1313-1320, 2017-The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of high-intensity exercise on wave reflection and aortic stiffness. Nine young, healthy men (mean ± SD: age: 22 ± 2 years) participated in the study. The high-intensity interval cycling exercise consisted of 3 sets of Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WATs) with 7.5% of bodyweight as resistance and 2 minutes of rest between each set. Measurements were taken at rest and 1 minute after completion of the WATs. Brachial and aortic blood pressures, as well as wave reflection characteristics, were measured through pulse wave analysis. Aortic stiffness was assessed through carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV). A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to investigate the effects of the WATs on blood pressure and vascular function across time. There was no change in brachial or aortic systolic pressure from rest to recovery. There was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in brachial diastolic pressure (rest: 73 ± 6 mm Hg; recovery: 67 ± 9 mm Hg) and aortic diastolic pressure (rest: 75 ± 6 mm Hg; recovery: 70 ± 9 mm Hg) from rest to recovery. In addition, there was no significant change in the augmentation index (rest: 111.4 ± 6.5%; recovery: 109.8 ± 5.8%, p = 0.65) from rest to recovery. However, there was a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the augmentation index normalized at 75 b·min (rest: 3.29 ± 9.82; recovery 21.21 ± 10.87) during recovery compared with rest. There was no change in cfPWV (rest: 5.3 ± 0.8 m·s; recovery: 5.7 ± 0.5m·s; p = 0.09) in response to the WAT. These data demonstrate that high-intensity interval cycling exercise with short rest periods has a nonsignificant effect on vascular function.
Han, Shu-Fen; Jiao, Jun; Zhang, Wei; Xu, Jia-Ying; Zhang, Weiguo; Fu, Chun-Ling; Qin, Li-Qiang
2017-01-01
Dietary fiber consumption is associated with reduced risk for the development of noncommunicable diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of cereal dietary fiber on the levels of proteins involved in lipolysis and thermogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) of C57 BL/6 J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Male C57BL/6 J mice were fed normal chow diet (Chow), HFD, HFD plus oat fiber (H-oat), or HFD plus wheat bran fiber (H-wheat) for 24 wk. Body weight and food intake were recorded weekly. Serum adiponectin was assayed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Western blotting was used to assess the protein expressions of adipose triacylglycerol lipase (ATGL), cAMP protein kinase catalytic subunit (cAMP), protein kinase A (PKA), perilipin A, hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), β3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR), and proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 α (PGC-1 α) in the WAT and BAT. At the end of the feeding period, body and adipose tissues weight in both H-oat and H-wheat groups were lower than in the HFD group. Mice in the H-oat and H-wheat groups showed an increasing trend in serum adiponectin level. Compared with the HFD group, cereal dietary fiber increased protein expressions involved in the lipolysis and browning process. Compared with the H-wheat group, H-oat was more effective in protein expressions of PKA, PGC-1 α, and UCP1 of the WAT samples. Compared with the H-oat group, H-wheat was more effective in protein expressions of PKA, ATGL, UCP1, β3AR, and FGF-21 of the BAT samples. Taken together, our results suggested that cereal dietary fiber enhanced adipocyte lipolysis by the cAMP-PKA-HSL pathway and promoted WAT browning by activation of UCP1, and consequently reduced visceral fat mass in response to HFD feeding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Chen, Li-Han; Chien, Yi-Wen; Liang, Chung-Tiang; Chan, Ching-Hung; Fan, Meng-Han; Huang, Hui-Yu
2017-01-01
Background: A wealth of research has reported on the anti-obesity effects of green tea extract (GTE). Although browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has been reported to attenuate obesity, no study has disclosed the effects of GTE on browning in Sprague Dawley rats. Objectives: The aims of the study were to investigate the effects of GTE on anti-obesity and browning, and their underlying mechanisms. Methods: Four groups of rats (n=10/group) were used including a normal diet with vehicle treatment, and a high-energy diet (HED) with vehicle or GTE by oral gavage at 77.5 or 155 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks. Body weight, fat accumulation, and serum biochemical parameters were used to evaluate obesity. The gene expressions were analyzed using RT-qPCR and western blotting. Results: GTE modulated HED-induced body weight, fat accumulation, and serum levels of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, free fatty acids, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase. Moreover, GTE enhanced the serum high-density lipoprotein. Most importantly, the biomarkers of beige adipose tissue were up-regulated in WAT in GTE-given groups. GTE induced genes involved in different pathways of browning, and reduced transducin-like enhancer protein-3 in WAT. Conclusion: Our results suggest that GTE may improve obesity through inducing browning in HED-fed rats. Abbreviations : ALT: Alanine transaminase; AST: Aspartate transaminase; BAT: Brown adipose tissue; BMP-7: Bone morphogenetic protein-7; BW: Body weight; CIDEA: Cell death activator; CPT-1: Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1; EFP: Epididymal fat pad; FFA: Free fatty acid; FGF-21: Fibroblast growth factor-21; GTE: Green tea extract; HDL: High-density lipoprotein; HED: high-energy diet; LDL: Low-density lipoprotein; MFP: Mesenteric fat pad; PGC-1α: Activates PPAR-γ coactivator-1; PPAR-γ: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ; PRDM-16: PR domain containing 16; RFP: Renal fat pad; SD: Sprague Dawley; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triacylglycerol; TLE-3: Transducin-like enhancer protein-3: UCP-1: Uncoupling protein-1; WAT: White adipose tissue.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gurushankar, K.; Gohulkumar, M.; Kumar, Piyush; Krishna, C. Murali; Krishnakumar, N.
2016-03-01
Recently it has been shown that Raman spectroscopy possesses great potential in the investigation of biomolecular changes of tumor tissues with therapeutic drug response in a non-invasive and label-free manner. The present study is designed to investigate the antitumor effect of hespertin-loaded nanoparticles (HETNPs) relative to the efficacy of native hesperetin (HET) in modifying the biomolecular changes during 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced oral carcinogenesis using a Raman spectroscopic technique. Significant differences in the intensity and shape of the Raman spectra between the control and the experimental tissues at 1800-500 cm-1 were observed. Tumor tissues are characterized by an increase in the relative amount of proteins, nucleic acids, tryptophan and phenylalanine and a decrease in the percentage of lipids when compared to the control tissues. Further, oral administration of HET and its nanoparticulates restored the status of the lipids and significantly decreased the levels of protein and nucleic acid content. Treatment with HETNPs showed a more potent antitumor effect than treatment with native HET, which resulted in an overall reduction in the intensity of several biochemical Raman bands in DMBA-induced oral carcinogenesis being observed. Principal component and linear discriminant analysis (PC-LDA), together with leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) on Raman spectra yielded diagnostic sensitivities of 100%, 80%, 91.6% and 65% and specificities of 100%, 65%, 60% and 55% for classification of control versus DMBA, DMBA versus DMBA + HET, DMBA versus DMBA + HETNPs and DMBA + HET versus DMBA + HETNPs treated tissue groups, respectively. These results further demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy associated with multivariate statistical algorithms could be a valuable tool for developing a comprehensive understanding of the process of biomolecular changes, and could reveal the signatures of the antitumor response of drugs.
Navarro, Gemma; Cordomí, Arnau; Brugarolas, Marc; Moreno, Estefanía; Aguinaga, David; Pérez-Benito, Laura; Ferre, Sergi; Cortés, Antoni; Casadó, Vicent; Mallol, Josefa; Canela, Enric I; Lluís, Carme; Pardo, Leonardo; McCormick, Peter J; Franco, Rafael
2018-02-28
G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) heteromeric complexes have distinct properties from homomeric GPCRs, giving rise to new receptor functionalities. Adenosine receptors (A 1 R or A 2A R) can form A 1 R-A 2A R heteromers (A 1 -A 2A Het), and their activation leads to canonical G-protein-dependent (adenylate cyclase mediated) and -independent (β-arrestin mediated) signaling. Adenosine has different affinities for A 1 R and A 2A R, allowing the heteromeric receptor to detect its concentration by integrating the downstream G i - and G s -dependent signals. cAMP accumulation and β-arrestin recruitment assays have shown that, within the complex, activation of A 2A R impedes signaling via A 1 R. We examined the mechanism by which A 1 -A 2A Het integrates G i - and G s -dependent signals. A 1 R blockade by A 2A R in the A 1 -A 2A Het is not observed in the absence of A 2A R activation by agonists, in the absence of the C-terminal domain of A 2A R, or in the presence of synthetic peptides that disrupt the heteromer interface of A 1 -A 2A Het, indicating that signaling mediated by A 1 R and A 2A R is controlled by both G i and G s proteins. We identified a new mechanism of signal transduction that implies a cross-communication between G i and G s proteins guided by the C-terminal tail of the A 2A R. This mechanism provides the molecular basis for the operation of the A 1 -A 2A Het as an adenosine concentration-sensing device that modulates the signals originating at both A 1 R and A 2A R.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stenegren, Marcus; Caputo, Andrea; Berg, Carlo; Bonnet, Sophie; Foster, Rachel A.
2018-03-01
The abundance and distribution of cyanobacterial diazotrophs were quantified in two regions (Melanesian archipelago, MA; and subtropical gyre, SG) of the western tropical South Pacific using nifH quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. UCYN-A1 and A2 host populations were quantified using 18S rRNA qPCR assays including one newly developed assay. All phylotypes were detected in the upper photic zone (0-50 m), with higher abundances in the MA region. Trichodesmium and UCYN-B dominated and ranged from 2.18 × 102 to 9.41 × 106 and 1.10 × 102 to 2.78 × 106 nifH copies L-1, respectively. Het-1 (symbiont of Rhizosolenia diatoms) was the next most abundant (1.40 × 101-1.74 × 105 nifH copies L-1) and co-occurred with het-2 and het-3. UCYN-A1 and A2 were the least abundant diazotrophs and were below detection (bd) in 63 and 79, respectively, of 120 samples. In addition, in up to 39 % of samples in which UCYN-A1 and A2 were detected, their respective hosts were bd. Pairwise comparisons of the nifH abundances and various environmental parameters supported two groups: a deep-dwelling group (45 m) comprised of UCYN-A1 and A2 and a surface group (0-15 m) comprised of Trichodesmium, het-1 and het-2. Temperature and photosynthetically active radiation were positively correlated with the surface group, while UCYN-A1 and A2 were positively correlated with depth, salinity, and oxygen. Similarly, in a meta-analysis of 11 external datasets, all diazotrophs, except UCYN-A were correlated with temperature. Combined, our results indicate that conditions favoring the UCYN-A symbiosis differ from those of diatom diazotroph associations and free-living cyanobacterial diazotrophs.
Cost Growth in Weapons Systems: Re-examining Rubber Baselines and Economic Factors
2007-03-01
committee members for their support in this endeavor. They allowed me to test my econometric limits without performing the analysis for me. I...Bruesch-Pagan Het Test Ramsey Omitted Variable Test 6 The adjusted r-squared value indicates that this model explains nearly 16% of the factors...Observations 1150 Chi2(1) 69.01 P(Chi) 0.0000 F(3, 1139) 7.22 P(F) 0.0001 Bruesch-Pagan Het Test Ramsey Omitted Variable Test The results of these two
1996-10-10
time informatie wordt door Eisenhardt (1989) gedefinieerd als " information about a firm’s operations or environment for which there is little or no...op het invoeren van (getypte) tekst . Conclusie Elektronisch Brainstormen: * in principe geschikt om Eigen Mogelijkheden te genereren, vooral als de...Capaieairt ca •acitenit ca a• C ie•lit Fig. 1 Mogelijke wijzen van besluitvorming (zie tekst ) als functie van beschik- bare tijd, capaciteit en ervaring van
1990-06-01
levels -of- processing " ( Craik & Lockhart , 1972) en de "working memory" (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974) benaderingen deze verschijnselen beter...of storing information in LTS. 2.2 The levels -of- processing framework Craik and Lockhart (1972), in a very influential paper, proposed what they...Cognitive theory. (Vol. 1). (pp. 151-171). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum. Craik , F.l.M & Lockhart , R.S. (1972). Levels of processing : A frame- work
A Performance and Plume Comparison of Xenon and Krypton Propellant on the SPT-100
2012-07-02
HET (1.35 kW), performance measurements were made using an inverted pendulum thrust stand. The plume was also characterized by a Faraday probe and RPA...performance reduction for the case of the flight model SPT-100 HET (1.35 kW), per- formance measurements were made using an inverted pendulum thrust stand...where high thrust at reduced specific impulse is advantageous, such as orbit raising missions. Bismuth’s main drawback is that the metal must be
1994-03-18
Paillard, 1960). The benefit of movement chunks would lie in the associated reduction of storage and retrieval capacity (see e.g. Gallistel , 1980; Jones...1983; Fromkin, 1981; Gallistel , 1980; Zimmer & Korndle, 1988) but interval durations should be affected as well. The notion of sequence-specific...point where they can be made more rapidly and accurately with little variation. Then they become welded together into ’chunks’" ( Gallistel , 1980, p.367
Definitie Rapport Taktisch LAN Demonstratie (Definition Report Tactical LAN Demonstration)
1990-06-01
am deze sneiheid te halen . Hierover kan eon uitspraak warden gedaan, enerzijds na de ontwikkeling van het S-4 interface en anderzijds na berokeningen...90-A02 *2ma~D. Definitie rapport taktisch LAN Niels Ult deze urgave reai erorden verrnengvldigd er of openbaar genakt door MiddeI van druk. folokopre...microfrilm Of OP wetke arroere 00lze 000 00k. zonoe, O~u S vdorafgaanoe loestermeng van TNOHet ter inzage gen van het TNO-rapport Ing. R. J . C.14
2006-07-01
meting Maatke uzest rategi e Borstomvang =1 11 [104 ý 616 [120 124 Primair Tailleomvang =106 98 b02~ . 10 114 118 Secundair Halsomvang = 37,4 ý5 6 9 40...Vastgcsteld d.d. 3 juli 2006 Titel Ongerubriceerd M anagementuittrekscl Ongerubriceerd Samenvatting Ongerubriceerd Rapporttekst Ongerubriceerd Oplage . 9 ...kieding Het KPU bedrijf verstrekt kieding aan het Defensie-personeel en gebruikt daartoe een lichaamsscanner. Deze nieuwe techniek heeft gevolgen voor
Heart over mind: metabolic control of white adipose tissue and liver.
Nakamura, Michinari; Sadoshima, Junichi
2014-12-01
Increasing evidence suggests that the heart controls the metabolism of peripheral organs. Olson and colleagues previously demonstrated that miR‐208a controls systemic energy homeostasis through the regulation of MED13 in cardiomyocytes (Grueter et al, 2012). In their follow‐up study in this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver are identified as the physiological targets of cardiac MED13 signaling, most likely through cardiac‐derived circulating factors, which boost energy consumption by upregulating metabolic gene expression and increasing mitochondrial numbers (Baskin et al, 2014). In turn, increased energy expenditure in WAT and the liver confers leanness. These findings strengthen the evidence of metabolic crosstalk between the heart and peripheral tissues through cardiokines and also set the stage for the development of novel treatments for metabolic syndrome.
Černý, Jiří; Schneider, Bohdan; Biedermannová, Lada
2017-07-14
Water molecules represent an integral part of proteins and a key determinant of protein structure, dynamics and function. WatAA is a newly developed, web-based atlas of amino-acid hydration in proteins. The atlas provides information about the ordered first hydration shell of the most populated amino-acid conformers in proteins. The data presented in the atlas are drawn from two sources: experimental data and ab initio quantum-mechanics calculations. The experimental part is based on a data-mining study of a large set of high-resolution protein crystal structures. The crystal-derived data include 3D maps of water distribution around amino-acids and probability of occurrence of each of the identified hydration sites. The quantum mechanics calculations validate and extend this primary description by optimizing the water position for each hydration site, by providing hydrogen atom positions and by quantifying the interaction energy that stabilizes the water molecule at the particular hydration site position. The calculations show that the majority of experimentally derived hydration sites are positioned near local energy minima for water, and the calculated interaction energies help to assess the preference of water for the individual hydration sites. We propose that the atlas can be used to validate water placement in electron density maps in crystallographic refinement, to locate water molecules mediating protein-ligand interactions in drug design, and to prepare and evaluate molecular dynamics simulations. WatAA: Atlas of Protein Hydration is freely available without login at .
Fasting energy homeostasis in mice with adipose deficiency of desnutrin/adipose triglyceride lipase.
Wu, Jiang Wei; Wang, Shu Pei; Casavant, Stéphanie; Moreau, Alain; Yang, Gong She; Mitchell, Grant A
2012-05-01
Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) catalyzes the first step of lipolysis of cytoplasmic triacylglycerols in white adipose tissue (WAT) and several other organs. We created adipose-specific ATGL-deficient (ATGLAKO) mice. In these mice, in vivo lipolysis, measured as the increase of plasma nonesterified fatty acid and glycerol levels after injection of a β3-adrenergic agonist, was undetectable. In isolated ATGLAKO adipocytes, β3-adrenergic-stimulated glycerol release was 10-fold less than in controls. Under fed conditions, ATGLAKO mice had normal viability, mild obesity, low plasma nonesterified fatty acid levels, increased insulin sensitivity, and increased daytime food intake. After 5 h of fasting, ATGLAKO WAT showed phosphorylation of the major protein kinase A-mediated targets hormone-sensitive lipase and perilipin A and ATGLAKO liver showed low glycogen and triacylglycerol contents. During a 48-h fast, ATGLAKO mice developed striking and complex differences from controls: progressive reduction of oxygen consumption, high respiratory exchange ratio, consistent with reduced fatty acid availability for energy production, lethargy, hypothermia, and undiminished fat mass, but greater loss of lean mass than controls. Plasma of 48 h-fasted ATGLAKO mice had a unique pattern: low 3-hydroxybutyrate, insulin, adiponectin, and fibroblast growth factor 21 with elevated leptin and corticosterone. ATGLAKO WAT, liver, skeletal muscle, and heart showed increased levels of mRNA related to autophagy and proteolysis. In murine ATGL deficiency, adipose lipolysis is critical for fasting energy homeostasis, and fasting imposes proteolytic stress on many organs, including heart and skeletal muscle.
Wilderness adventure therapy effects on the mental health of youth participants.
Bowen, Daniel J; Neill, James T; Crisp, Simon J R
2016-10-01
Adventure therapy offers a prevention, early intervention, and treatment modality for people with behavioural, psychological, and psychosocial issues. It can appeal to youth-at-risk who are often less responsive to traditional psychotherapeutic interventions. This study evaluated Wilderness Adventure Therapy (WAT) outcomes based on participants' pre-program, post-program, and follow-up responses to self-report questionnaires. The sample consisted of 36 adolescent out-patients with mixed mental health issues who completed a 10-week, manualised WAT intervention. The overall short-term standardised mean effect size was small, positive, and statistically significant (0.26), with moderate, statistically significant improvements in psychological resilience and social self-esteem. Total short-term effects were within age-based adventure therapy meta-analytic benchmark 90% confidence intervals, except for the change in suicidality which was lower than the comparable benchmark. The short-term changes were retained at the three-month follow-up, except for family functioning (significant reduction) and suicidality (significant improvement). For participants in clinical ranges pre-program, there was a large, statistically significant reduction in depressive symptomology, and large to very large, statistically significant improvements in behavioural and emotional functioning. These changes were retained at the three-month follow-up. These findings indicate that WAT is as effective as traditional psychotherapy techniques for clinically symptomatic people. Future research utilising a comparison or wait-list control group, multiple sources of data, and a larger sample, could help to qualify and extend these findings. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Kuda, Ondrej; Brezinova, Marie; Silhavy, Jan; Landa, Vladimir; Zidek, Vaclav; Dodia, Chandra; Kreuchwig, Franziska; Vrbacky, Marek; Balas, Laurence; Durand, Thierry; Hübner, Norbert; Fisher, Aron B; Kopecky, Jan; Pravenec, Michal
2018-06-01
Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are lipid mediators with promising antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties that are formed in white adipose tissue (WAT) via de novo lipogenesis, but their biosynthetic enzymes are unknown. Using a combination of lipidomics in WAT, quantitative trait locus mapping, and correlation analyses in rat BXH/HXB recombinant inbred strains, as well as response to oxidative stress in murine models, we elucidated the potential pathway of biosynthesis of several FAHFAs. Comprehensive analysis of WAT samples identified ∼160 regioisomers, documenting the complexity of this lipid class. The linkage analysis highlighted several members of the nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2 ( Nrf2 )-mediated antioxidant defense system ( Prdx6, Mgst1, Mgst3 ), lipid-handling proteins ( Cd36, Scd6, Acnat1, Acnat2, Baat ), and the family of flavin containing monooxygenases ( Fmo ) as the positional candidate genes. Transgenic expression of Nrf2 and deletion of Prdx6 genes resulted in reduction of palmitic acid ester of 9-hydroxystearic acid (9-PAHSA) and 11-PAHSA levels, while oxidative stress induced by an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis increased PAHSA levels nonspecifically. Our results indicate that the synthesis of FAHFAs via carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein-driven de novo lipogenesis depends on the adaptive antioxidant system and suggest that FAHFAs may link activity of this system with insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues. © 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.
Cheng, Ying; Zhang, Qian; Meng, Qingshu; Xia, Tingting; Huang, Zhiying; Wang, Chunxia; Liu, Bin; Chen, Shanghai; Xiao, Fei; Du, Ying; Guo, Feifan
2011-09-01
We previously showed that leucine deprivation decreases abdominal fat mass largely by increasing energy expenditure, as demonstrated by increased lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). The goal of the present study was to investigate the possible involvement of central nervous system (CNS) in this regulation and elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms. For this purpose, levels of genes and proteins related to lipolysis in WAT and UCP1 expression in BAT were analyzed in wild-type mice after intracerebroventricular administration of leucine or corticotrophin-releasing hormone antibodies, or in mice deleted for three β-adrenergic receptors, after being maintained on a leucine-deficient diet for 7 d. Here, we show that intracerebroventricular administration of leucine significantly attenuates abdominal fat loss and blocks activation of hormone sensitive lipase in WAT and induction of UCP1 in BAT in leucine-deprived mice. Furthermore, we provide evidence that leucine deprivation stimulates fat loss by increasing expression of corticotrophin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus via activation of stimulatory G protein/cAMP/protein kinase A/cAMP response element-binding protein pathway. Finally, we show that the effect of leucine deprivation on fat loss is mediated by activation of the sympathetic nervous system. These results suggest that CNS plays an important role in regulating fat loss under leucine deprivation and thereby provide novel and important insights concerning the importance of CNS leucine in the regulation of energy homeostasis.
Libby, Andrew E; Bales, Elise S; Monks, Jenifer; Orlicky, David J; McManaman, James L
2018-06-04
Mice lacking Perilipin-2 (Plin2-null) are resistant to obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver induced by western or high fat diets. In the current study, we found that compared to wild type (WT) mice on western diet, Plin2-null adipose tissue was more insulin sensitive, and that inguinal subcutaneous white adipose tissue (iWAT) exhibited profound browning and robust induction of thermogenic and carbohydrate responsive genetic programs at room temperature. Surprisingly, these Plin2-null responses correlated with the content of simple carbohydrates, rather than fat, in the diet, and were independent of adipose Plin2 expression. To define Plin2 and sugar effects on adipose browning, WT and Plin2-null mice were placed on chow diets containing 20% sucrose in their drinking water for 6 weeks. Compared to WT mice, iWAT of Plin2-null mice exhibited pronounced browning and striking increases in the expression of thermogenic and insulin responsive genes on this diet. Significantly, Plin2-null iWAT browning was associated with reduced sucrose intake and elevated serum FGF21 levels, which correlated with greatly enhanced hepatic FGF21 production. These data identify Plin2 actions as novel mediators of sugar-induced adipose browning through indirect effects of hepatic FGF21 expression, and suggest that adipose browning mechanisms may contribute to Plin2-null resistance to obesity. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Miao, Yifei; Wu, Wanfu; Dai, Yubing; Maneix, Laure; Huang, Bo; Warner, Margaret; Gustafsson, Jan-Åke
2015-11-10
The recent discovery of browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has raised great research interest because of its significant potential in counteracting obesity and type 2 diabetes. Browning is the result of the induction in WAT of a newly discovered type of adipocyte, the beige cell. When mice are exposed to cold or several kinds of hormones or treatments with chemicals, specific depots of WAT undergo a browning process, characterized by highly activated mitochondria and increased heat production and energy expenditure. However, the mechanisms underlying browning are still poorly understood. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are one class of nuclear receptors, which play a vital role in regulating cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose metabolism. Following our previous finding that LXRs serve as repressors of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) in classic brown adipose tissue in female mice, we found that LXRs, especially LXRβ, also repress the browning process of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in male rodents fed a normal diet. Depletion of LXRs activated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-releasing hormone (TRH)-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus area of the hypothalamus and thus stimulated secretion of TSH from the pituitary. Consequently, production of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland and circulating thyroid hormone level were increased. Moreover, the activity of thyroid signaling in SAT was markedly increased. Together, our findings have uncovered the basis of increased energy expenditure in male LXR knockout mice and provided support for targeting LXRs in treatment of obesity.
Carpéné, Christian; Mercader, Josep; Le Gonidec, Sophie; Schaak, Stéphane; Mialet-Perez, Jeanne; Zakaroff-Girard, Alexia; Galitzky, Jean
2018-03-26
Phenelzine is an antidepressant drug known to increase the risk of hypertensive crisis when dietary tyramine is not restricted. However, this MAO inhibitor inhibits other enzymes not limited to the nervous system. Here we investigated if its antiadipogenic and antilipogenic effects in cultured adipocytes could contribute to decreased body fat in vivo, without unwanted hypertensive or cardiovascular effects. Mice were fed a standard chow and given 0.028% phenelzine in drinking water for 12 weeks. Body composition was determined by NMR. Cardiovascular dysfunction was assessed by heart rate variability analyses and by evaluation of cardiac oxidative stress markers. MAO activity, hydrogen peroxide release and triacylglycerol turnover were assayed in white adipose tissue (WAT), alongside determination of glucose and lipid circulating levels. Phenelzine-treated mice exhibited lower body fat content, subcutaneous WAT mass and lipid content in skeletal muscles than control, without decreased body weight gain or food consumption. A modest alteration of cardiac sympathovagal balance occurred without depressed aconitase activity. In WAT, phenelzine impaired the lipogenic but not the antilipolytic actions of insulin, MAO activity and hydrogen peroxide release. Phenelzine treatment lowered non-fasting blood glucose and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase expression. In vitro, high doses of phenelzine decreased both lipolytic and lipogenic responses in mouse adipocytes. As phenelzine reduced body fat content without affecting cardiovascular function in mice, it may be of benefit in the treatment of obesity-associated complications, with the precautions of use recommended for antidepressant therapy. © 2018 The British Pharmacological Society.
Brown Adipose Tissue Function Is Enhanced in Long-Lived, Male Ames Dwarf Mice
McFadden, Samuel; Fang, Yimin; Huber, Joshua A.; Zhang, Chi; Sun, Liou Y.; Bartke, Andrzej
2016-01-01
Ames dwarf mice (Prop1df/df) are long-lived due to a loss of function mutation, resulting in deficiency of GH, TSH, and prolactin. Along with a marked extension of longevity, Ames dwarf mice have improved energy metabolism as measured by an increase in their oxygen consumption and heat production, as well as a decrease in their respiratory quotient. Along with alterations in energy metabolism, Ames dwarf mice have a lower core body temperature. Moreover, Ames dwarf mice have functionally altered epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) that improves, rather than impairs, their insulin sensitivity due to a shift from pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Given the unique phenotype of Ames dwarf epididymal WAT, their improved energy metabolism, and lower core body temperature, we hypothesized that Ames dwarf brown adipose tissue (BAT) may function differently from that of their normal littermates. Here we use histology and RT-PCR to demonstrate that Ames dwarf mice have enhanced BAT function. We also use interscapular BAT removal to demonstrate that BAT is necessary for Ames dwarf energy metabolism and thermogenesis, whereas it is less important for their normal littermates. Furthermore, we show that Ames dwarf mice are able to compensate for loss of interscapular BAT by using their WAT depots as an energy source. These findings demonstrate enhanced BAT function in animals with GH and thyroid hormone deficiencies, chronic reduction of body temperature, and remarkably extended longevity. PMID:27740871
Choi, Myung-Sook; Park, Hyo Jin; Kim, Sang Ryong; Kim, Do Yeon; Jung, Un Ju
2017-12-01
This study evaluated whether long-term supplementation with dietary yerba mate has beneficial effects on adiposity and its related metabolic dysfunctions in diet-induced obese mice. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups and fed their respective experimental diets for 16 weeks as follows: (1) control group fed with high-fat diet (HFD) and (2) mate group fed with HFD plus yerba mate. Dietary yerba mate increased energy expenditure and thermogenic gene mRNA expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) and decreased fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA expression in WAT, which may be linked to observed decreases in body weight, WAT weight, epididymal adipocyte size, and plasma leptin level. Yerba mate also decreased levels of plasma lipids (free fatty acids, triglycerides, and total cholesterol) and liver aminotransferase enzymes, as well as the accumulation of hepatic lipid droplets and lipid content by inhibiting the activities of hepatic lipogenic enzymes, such as FAS and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, and increasing fecal lipid excretion. Moreover, yerba mate decreased the levels of plasma insulin as well as the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and improved glucose tolerance. Circulating levels of gastric inhibitory polypeptide and resistin were also decreased in the mate group. These findings suggest that long-term supplementation of dietary yerba mate may be beneficial for improving diet-induced adiposity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis.
Transcriptional regulation of development in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria.
Flores, Enrique; Picossi, Silvia; Valladares, Ana; Herrero, Antonia
2018-04-30
Filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria are among the simplest multicellular systems in Nature. In the absence of combined nitrogen, the filaments consist of vegetative cells that fix CO 2 through oxygenic photosynthesis and micro-oxic heterocysts specialized for the fixation of N 2 in a proportion of about 10 to 1. The development of a heterocyst-containing filament involves differentiation of vegetative cells into heterocysts in a process that requires a distinct gene expression program. Two transcription factors are strictly required, NtcA and HetR. The CRP-family protein NtcA directly activates the expression of multiple genes during heterocyst differentiation - in some cases assisted by coactivators including HetR - and in mature heterocysts, whereas HetR is needed to build high NtcA levels in differentiating heterocysts and directly activates some particular genes. A few other regulators of gene expression participate at specific differentiation steps, and a specific transcription factor, CnfR, activates nif gene expression under the micro-oxic conditions of the heterocyst. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: HD 128311 radial velocity and astrometric data (McArthur+, 2014)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McArthur, B. E.; Benedict, G. F.; Henry, G. W.; Hatzes, A.; Cochran, W. D.; Harrison, T. E.; Johns-Krull, C.; Nelan, E.
2017-05-01
The High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS; Tull, 1998SPIE.3355..387T) at the HET at McDonald Observatory was used to make the spectroscopic observations using the iodine absorption cell method (Butler et al. 1996PASP..108..500B). Our reduction of HET HRS data is given in Bean et al. (2007AJ....134..749B), which uses the REDUCE package (Piskunov & Valenti, 2002A&A...385.1095P). Our observations include a total of 355 high-resolution spectra which were obtained between 2005 April and 2011 January. Because typically two or more observations were made in less than 1 hr per night, we observed at 161 epochs with the HET HRS. The astrometric observations were made with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) 1r, a two-axis interferometer, in position (POS) "fringe-tracking" mode. Twenty-nine orbits of HST astrometric observations were made between 2007 December and 2009 August. (2 data files).
Becker, R; Lô, I; Sporkert, F; Baumgartner, M
2018-07-01
The increasing request for hair ethyl glucuronide (HEtG) in alcohol consumption monitoring according to cut-off levels set by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) has triggered a proficiency testing program based on interlaboratory comparisons (ILC). Here, the outcome of nine consecutive ILC rounds organised by the SoHT on the determination of HEtG between 2011 and 2017 is summarised regarding interlaboratory reproducibility and the influence of procedural variants. Test samples prepared from cut hair (1mm) with authentic (in-vivo incorporated) and soaked (in-vitro incorporated) HEtG concentrations up to 80pg/mg were provided for 27-35 participating laboratories. Laboratory results were evaluated according to ISO 5725-5 and provided robust averages and relative reproducibility standard deviations typically between 20 and 35% in reasonable accordance with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Evaluation of results regarding the analytical techniques revealed no significant differences between gas and liquid chromatographic methods In contrast, a detailed evaluation of different sample preparations revealed significantly higher average values in case when pulverised hair is tested compared to cut hair. This observation was reinforced over the different ILC rounds and can be attributed to the increased acceptance and routine of hair pulverisation among laboratories. Further, the reproducibility standard deviations among laboratories performing pulverisation were on average in very good agreement with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Use of sonication showed no effect on the HEtG extraction yield. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Gaisler-Salomon, Inna; Miller, Gretchen M; Chuhma, Nao; Lee, Sooyeon; Zhang, Hong; Ghoddoussi, Farhad; Lewandowski, Nicole; Fairhurst, Stephen; Wang, Yvonne; Conjard-Duplany, Agnès; Masson, Justine; Balsam, Peter; Hen, René; Arancio, Ottavio; Galloway, Matthew P; Moore, Holly M; Small, Scott A; Rayport, Stephen
2009-01-01
Dysregulated glutamatergic neurotransmission has been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Recently, presynaptic modulation of glutamate transmission has been shown to have therapeutic promise. We asked whether genetic knockdown of glutaminase (gene GLS1) to reduce glutamatergic transmission presynaptically by slowing the recycling of glutamine to glutamate, would produce a phenotype relevant to SCZ and its treatment. GLS1 heterozygous (GLS1 het) mice showed about a 50% global reduction in glutaminase activity, and a modest reduction in glutamate levels in brain regions relevant to SCZ pathophysiology, but displayed neither general behavioral abnormalities nor SCZ-associated phenotypes. Functional imaging, measuring regional cerebral blood volume, showed hippocampal hypometabolism mainly in the CA1 subregion and subiculum, the inverse of recent clinical imaging findings in prodromal and SCZ patients. GLS1 het mice were less sensitive to the behavioral stimulating effects of amphetamine, showed a reduction in amphetamine-induced striatal dopamine release and in ketamine-induced frontal cortical activation, suggesting that GLS1 het mice are resistant to the effects of these pro-psychotic challenges. Moreover, GLS1 het mice showed clozapine-like potentiation of latent inhibition, suggesting that reduction in glutaminase has antipsychotic-like properties. These observations provide further support for the pivotal role of altered glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the pathophysiology of SCZ, and suggest that presynaptic modulation of the glutamine–glutamate pathway through glutaminase inhibition may provide a new direction for the pharmacotherapy of SCZ. PMID:19516252
The KLOE-2 high energy taggers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Curciarello, F.
2017-06-01
The precision measurement of the π0 → γγ width allows to gain insights into the low-energy QCD dynamics. A way to achieve the precision needed (1%) in order to test theory predictions is to study the π0 production through γγ fusion in the e+e- → e+e-γ*γ* → e+e-π0 reaction. The KLOE-2 experiment, currently running at the DAΦNE facility in Frascati, aims to perform this measurement. For this reason, new detectors, which allow to tag final state leptons, have been installed along the DAΦNE beam line in order to reduce the background coming from phi-meson decays. The High Energy Tagger (HET) detector measures the deviation of leptons from their main orbit by determining their position and timing. The HET detectors are placed in roman pots just at the exit of the DAΦNE dipole magnets, 11 m away from the IP, both on positron and electron sides. The HET sensitive area is made up of a set of 28 plastic scintillators. A dedicated DAQ electronic board, based on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA, has been developed for this detector. It provides a MultiHit TDC with a time resolution of 550(1) ps and the possibility to clearly identify the correct bunch crossing (ΔTbunch ~ 2.7 ns). The most relevant features of the KLOE-2 tagging system operation as time performance, stability and the techniques used to determine the time overlap between the KLOE and HET asynchronous DAQs will be presented.
Gaisler-Salomon, Inna; Miller, Gretchen M; Chuhma, Nao; Lee, Sooyeon; Zhang, Hong; Ghoddoussi, Farhad; Lewandowski, Nicole; Fairhurst, Stephen; Wang, Yvonne; Conjard-Duplany, Agnès; Masson, Justine; Balsam, Peter; Hen, René; Arancio, Ottavio; Galloway, Matthew P; Moore, Holly M; Small, Scott A; Rayport, Stephen
2009-09-01
Dysregulated glutamatergic neurotransmission has been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Recently, presynaptic modulation of glutamate transmission has been shown to have therapeutic promise. We asked whether genetic knockdown of glutaminase (gene GLS1) to reduce glutamatergic transmission presynaptically by slowing the recycling of glutamine to glutamate, would produce a phenotype relevant to SCZ and its treatment. GLS1 heterozygous (GLS1 het) mice showed about a 50% global reduction in glutaminase activity, and a modest reduction in glutamate levels in brain regions relevant to SCZ pathophysiology, but displayed neither general behavioral abnormalities nor SCZ-associated phenotypes. Functional imaging, measuring regional cerebral blood volume, showed hippocampal hypometabolism mainly in the CA1 subregion and subiculum, the inverse of recent clinical imaging findings in prodromal and SCZ patients. GLS1 het mice were less sensitive to the behavioral stimulating effects of amphetamine, showed a reduction in amphetamine-induced striatal dopamine release and in ketamine-induced frontal cortical activation, suggesting that GLS1 het mice are resistant to the effects of these pro-psychotic challenges. Moreover, GLS1 het mice showed clozapine-like potentiation of latent inhibition, suggesting that reduction in glutaminase has antipsychotic-like properties. These observations provide further support for the pivotal role of altered glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the pathophysiology of SCZ, and suggest that presynaptic modulation of the glutamine-glutamate pathway through glutaminase inhibition may provide a new direction for the pharmacotherapy of SCZ.
Dhillon, Rummit K.; Clarke, Alex; King-Stephens, David; Laxer, Kenneth D.; Weber, Peter B.; Kuperman, Rachel A.; Auguste, Kurtis I.; Brunner, Peter; Lin, Jack J.; Parvizi, Josef; Crone, Nathan E.; Dronkers, Nina F.; Knight, Robert T.
2017-01-01
Word retrieval is core to language production and relies on complementary processes: the rapid activation of lexical and conceptual representations and word selection, which chooses the correct word among semantically related competitors. Lexical and conceptual activation is measured by semantic priming. In contrast, word selection is indexed by semantic interference and is hampered in semantically homogeneous (HOM) contexts. We examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of these complementary processes in a picture naming task with blocks of semantically heterogeneous (HET) or HOM stimuli. We used electrocorticography data obtained from frontal and temporal cortices, permitting detailed spatiotemporal analysis of word retrieval processes. A semantic interference effect was observed with naming latencies longer in HOM versus HET blocks. Cortical response strength as indexed by high-frequency band (HFB) activity (70–150 Hz) amplitude revealed effects linked to lexical-semantic activation and word selection observed in widespread regions of the cortical mantle. Depending on the subsecond timing and cortical region, HFB indexed semantic interference (i.e., more activity in HOM than HET blocks) or semantic priming effects (i.e., more activity in HET than HOM blocks). These effects overlapped in time and space in the left posterior inferior temporal gyrus and the left prefrontal cortex. The data do not support a modular view of word retrieval in speech production but rather support substantial overlap of lexical-semantic activation and word selection mechanisms in the brain. PMID:28533406
Chohan, Tariq W; Boucher, Aurelie A; Spencer, Jarrah R; Kassem, Mustafa S; Hamdi, Areeg A; Karl, Tim; Fok, Sandra Y; Bennett, Maxwell R; Arnold, Jonathon C
2014-11-01
Stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Genetic variation in neuregulin 1 (NRG1) increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and may help predict which high-risk individuals will transition to psychosis. NRG1 also modulates sensorimotor gating, a schizophrenia endophenotype. We used an animal model to demonstrate that partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 interacts with stress to promote neurobehavioral deficits of relevance to schizophrenia. Nrg1 heterozygous (HET) mice displayed greater acute stress-induced anxiety-related behavior than wild-type (WT) mice. Repeated stress in adolescence disrupted the normal development of higher prepulse inhibition of startle selectively in Nrg1 HET mice but not in WT mice. Further, repeated stress increased dendritic spine density in pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) selectively in Nrg1 HET mice. Partial genetic deletion of Nrg1 also modulated the adaptive response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to repeated stress, with Nrg1 HET displaying a reduced repeated stress-induced level of plasma corticosterone than WT mice. Our results demonstrate that Nrg1 confers vulnerability to repeated stress-induced sensorimotor gating deficits, dendritic spine growth in the mPFC, and an abberant endocrine response in adolescence. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: What is the Milky Way outer halo made of? (Battaglia+, 2017)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Battaglia, G.; North, P. L.; Jablonka, P.; Shetrone, M.; Minniti, D.; Diaz, M.; Starkenburg, E.; Savoy, M.
2017-10-01
High resolution spectra have been taken of 28 red giant stars members of the Galactic outer halo. Three spectrographs were used: HRS@HET (stars #1 to #7), MIKE@Magellan (stars #8 to #18), and UVES@VLT (stars #19 to #28). Stars #21, #26, and #28 were also observed with HRS@HET. Element abundances were determined using the equivalent width method. The tables 5 to 11 presented here contain the spectral line parameters, observed equivalent widths and corresponding abundances for all lines adopted for the abundance determination in the 28 stars of the sample. Table 5 contains this data for stars #1, #2, #3, #4, and #21 all observed with HRS@HET. Table 6 contains the same for stars #26, #5, #6, #7, and #28 observed with HRS@HET (note that stars #21, #26, and #28 were also observed with UVES@VLT, and we display in Tables 5 and 6 their equivalent widths and abundances based on their HRS spectra for comparison purpose). Table 7 contains the same data, but for stars #8, #9, #10, #11, and #12 observed with MIKE@Magellan; Tables 8 and 9 contain the same for stars #13, #14, #15, #16, #17 and for star #18 respectively, all observed with MIKE@Magellan. Tables 10 and 11 contain the same data for stars #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 and for stars #24, #25, #26, #27, #28 respectively, all observed with UVES@VLT. (8 data files).
300 Area waste acid treatment system closure plan. Revision 1
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
1996-03-01
This section provides a description of the Hanford Site, identifies the proposed method of 300 Area Waste Acid Treatment System (WATS) closure, and briefly summarizes the contents of each chapter of this plan.
On Detecting New Worlds: The Art of Doppler Spectroscopy with Iodine Cells
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Sharon Xuesong
2016-08-01
The first discovery of an extra-solar planet (exoplanet) around a main-sequence star, 51 Peg b, discovered using Doppler spectroscopy, opened up the field of exoplanets. For more than a decade, the dominant way for finding exoplanets was using precise Doppler spectroscopy to measure the radial velocity (RV) changes of stars. Today, precise Doppler spectroscopy is still crucial for the discovery and characterization of exoplanets, and it has a great chance for finding the first rocky exoplanet in the Habitable Zone of its host star. However, such endeavor requires an exquisite precision of 10-50 cm/s while the current state of the art is 1 m/s. This thesis set out to improve the RV precision of two precise Doppler spectrometers on two 10-meter class telescopes: HET/HRS and Keck/HIRES. Both of these spectrometers use iodine cells as their wavelength calibration sources, and their spectral data are being analyzed via forward modeling to estimate stellar RVs. Neither HET/HRS or Keck/HIRES deliver an RV precision at the photon-limited level, meaning that there are additional RV systematic errors caused by instrumental changes or errors in the data analysis. HET/HRS has an RV precision of 3-5 m/s, while Keck/HIRES has about 1-2 m/s. I have found that the leading cause behind HET/HRS's "under-performance" in comparison to Keck/HIRES is temperature changes of the iodine gas cell (and thus an inaccurate iodine reference spectrum). Another reason is the insufficient modeling of the HET/HRS instrumental profile. While Keck/HIRES does not suffer from these problems, it also has several RV systematic error sources of con siderable sizes. The work in this thesis has revealed that the errors in Keck/HIRES's stellar reference spectrum add about 1 m/s to the error budget and are the major drivers behind the spurious RV signal at the period of a sidereal year and its harmonics. Telluric contamination and errors caused by the spectral fitting algorithm also contribute on the level of 20-50 cm/s. The strategies proposed and tested in this thesis will improve the RV precision of HET/HRS and Keck/HIRES, including their decade worth of archival data. This thesis also documents my work on characterizing exoplanet orbits using RV data and the discovery of HD 37605c. It concludes with a summary of major findings and an outline of future plans to use future precise Doppler spectrometers to move towards the goal of 10 cm/s and detecting Earth 2.0.
ION ACOUSTIC TURBULENCE, ANOMALOUS TRANSPORT, AND SYSTEM DYNAMICS IN HALL EFFECT THRUSTERS
2017-06-30
17394 4 / 13 HALL EFFECT THRUSTERS Hall Effect Thrusters (HET): Traditionally Modeled in R-Z Named for Hall Current in θ Uses Quasi -1D Electron Fluid...HET): Traditionally Modeled in R-Z Named for Hall Current in θ Uses Quasi -1D Electron Fluid Solve Ohm’s Law→ No e−-momentum Zθ Unrolled to YZ...Current in θ Uses Quasi -1D Electron Fluid Solve Ohm’s Law→ No e−-momentum Zθ Unrolled to YZ Electron ExB Drift Unmagnetized Ions Results in Hall Current
Economic Feasibility of a Siderostat-fed Liquid Mirror Telescope for Surveillance of Space
2015-04-01
in 1979 [11], and the 4.1 m Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research, SOAR , telescope cost $28M USD to construct [12]). The issue with LMTs is...relationship, a 4 m class telescope would cost roughly $30M USD, in line with the costs of the CFHT and SOAR provided in Section 1. In Table 1 the component...quality of the HET is less than that of SOAR because HET is exclusively a spectroscopic instrument, while SALT is more general purpose and will be
2008-05-01
bommenpakken kunnen geven bij bewegingen worden gemeten met de volgende bewegingbeperkingtests: sit-and-reach, stand-and-reach, abductie van de armen ...anteflexie van de armen en beperking van zicht. Bij de sit-and-reach test komt een eventuele belernmering bij het voorover buigen naar voren. De...proefpersoon zit op de grond met de benen en armen gestrekt naar voren. Daarbij wordt de afstand tussen de tenen en de vingers gemeten (figuur 4). Als het pak
Joint measurement of complementary observables in moment tomography
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Teo, Yong Siah; Müller, Christian R.; Jeong, Hyunseok; Hradil, Zdeněk; Řeháček, Jaroslav; Sánchez-Soto, Luis L.
Wigner and Husimi quasi-distributions, owing to their functional regularity, give the two archetypal and equivalent representations of all observable-parameters in continuous-variable quantum information. Balanced homodyning (HOM) and heterodyning (HET) that correspond to their associated sampling procedures, on the other hand, fare very differently concerning their state or parameter reconstruction accuracies. We present a general theory of a now-known fact that HET can be tomographically more powerful than balanced homodyning to many interesting classes of single-mode quantum states, and discuss the treatment for two-mode sources.
Electrochemical Cobalt-Catalyzed C-H Activation.
Sauermann, Nicolas; Meyer, Tjark H; Ackermann, Lutz
2018-06-19
Carbon-heteroatom bonds represent omnipresent structural motifs of the vast majority of functionalized materials and bioactive compounds. C-H activation has emerged as arguably the most efficient strategy to construct C-Het bonds. Despite of major advances, these C-H transformations were largely dominated by precious transition metal catalysts, in combination with stoichiometric, toxic metal oxidants. Herein, we discuss the recent evolution of cobalt-catalyzed C-H activations that enable C-Het formations with electricity as the sole sustainable oxidant until May 2018. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Trajectory Simulation Model for a Side- Thruster Guided MLRS-Type Vehicle
1999-05-01
km halen . Voor de toekomst heeft men behoefte aan een dracht van ongeveer 60 km. Het is de doelstelling van opdracht A95KL410 om kennis en inzicht...G.M.H.J.L. Gadiot Datum mei 1999 Opdrachtnr. A95KL410 Rapportnr. PML 1998-A80 Figuur M.I.- Lancering van een M26-raket vanaf een MLRS ’launcher’. De...Koninklijke Nederlandse Landmacht (KL) heeft het ’Multiple Launcher Rocket System’ (MLRS) in gebruik. Met de huidige uitrusting kan men een dracht van 30
Simulation of sulfide buildup in wastewater and atmosphere of sewer networks.
Nielsen, A H; Yongsiri, C; Hvitved-Jacobsen, T; Vollertsen, J
2005-01-01
A model concept for prediction of sulfide buildup in sewer networks is presented. The model concept is an extension to--and a further development of--the WATS model (Wastewater Aerobic-anaerobic Transformations in Sewers), which has been developed by Hvitved-Jacobsen and co-workers at Aalborg University. In addition to the sulfur cycle, the WATS model simulates changes in dissolved oxygen and carbon fractions of different biodegradability. The sulfur cycle was introduced via six processes: 1. sulfide production taking place in the biofilm covering the permanently wetted sewer walls; 2. biological sulfide oxidation in the permanently wetted biofilm; 3. chemical and biological sulfide oxidation in the water phase; 4. sulfide precipitation with metals present in the wastewater; 5. emission of hydrogen sulfide to the sewer atmosphere and 6. adsorption and oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on the moist sewer walls where concrete corrosion may take place.
Zhou, Yi; Yu, Xueqing; Chen, Huimei; Sjöberg, Sara; Roux, Joséphine; Zhang, Lijun; Ivoulsou, Al-Habib; Bensaid, Farid; Liu, Conglin; Liu, Jian; Tordjman, Joan; Clement, Karine; Lee, Chih-Hao; Hotamisligil, Gokhan S.; Libby, Peter; Shi, Guo-Ping
2015-01-01
SUMMARY Mast cells (MCs) contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes. This study demonstrates that leptin deficiency slants MCs toward anti-inflammatory functions. MCs in the white adipose tissues (WAT) of lean humans and mice express negligible leptin. Adoptive transfer of leptin-deficient MCs expanded ex vivo mitigates diet-induced and pre-established obesity and diabetes in mice. Mechanistic studies show that leptin-deficient MCs polarize macrophages from M1 to M2 functions because of impaired cell signaling and an altered balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, but do not affect T-cell differentiation. Rampant body weight gain in ob/ob mice, a strain that lacks leptin, associates with reduced MC content in WAT. In ob/ob mice, genetic depletion of MCs exacerbates obesity and diabetes, and repopulation of ex vivo expanded ob/ob MCs ameliorates these diseases. PMID:26481668
Quarta, Carmelo; Lodi, Filippo; Mazza, Roberta; Giannone, Ferdinando; Boschi, Laura; Nanni, Cristina; Nisoli, Enzo; Boschi, Stefano; Pasquali, Renato; Fanti, Stefano; Iozzo, Patricia; Pagotto, Uberto
2013-01-01
Several lines of evidence suggest that novel pharmacological approaches aimed at converting white adipose tissue (WAT) into brown adipose tissue (BAT) may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for obesity and related disorders. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) is the only positron emission tomography (PET) tracer commonly used to study BAT function, and so far no functional tools have been described to investigate in vivo white-to-brown fat conversion. In this report, we show that the PET tracer 11C-meta-hydroxyephedrine (11C-MHED, a norepinephrine analogue) is a useful tool to investigate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in BAT of lean and dietary obese mice. Moreover, we demonstrate that 11C-MHED is a specific marker of the SNS-mediated thermogenesis in typical BAT depots, and that this tracer can detect in vivo WAT to BAT conversion. PMID:24049730
Katic, Masa; Kennedy, Adam R.; Leykin, Igor; Norris, Andrew; McGettrick, Aileen; Gesta, Stephane; Russell, Steven J.; Bluher, Matthias; Maratos-Flier, Eleftheria; Kahn, C. Ronald
2009-01-01
Summary Caloric restriction, leanness and decreased activity of insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor signaling are associated with increased longevity in a wide range of organisms from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. Fat-specific insulin receptor knock-out (FIRKO) mice represent an interesting dichotomy, with leanness and increased lifespan, despite normal or increased food intake. To determine the mechanisms by which a lack of insulin signaling in adipose tissue might exert this effect, we performed physiological and gene expression studies in FIRKO and control mice as they aged. At the whole body level, FIRKO mice demonstrated an increase in basal metabolic rate and respiratory exchange ratio. Analysis of gene expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) of FIRKO mice from 6 to 36 months of age revealed persistently high expression of the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes involved in glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, β-oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation as compared to expression of the same genes in WAT from controls that showed a tendency to decline in expression with age. These changes in gene expression were correlated with increased cytochrome c and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV at the protein level, increased citrate synthase activity, increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) and PGC-1β, and an increase in mitochondrial DNA in WAT of FIRKO mice. Together, these data suggest that maintenance of mitochondrial activity and metabolic rates in adipose tissue may be important contributors to the increased lifespan of the FIRKO mouse. PMID:18001293
Gozal, David; Khalyfa, Abdelnaby; Qiao, Zhuanghong; Akbarpour, Mahzad; Maccari, Rosanna; Ottanà, Rosaria
2017-09-01
Sleep fragmentation (SF) is highly prevalent and has emerged as an important contributing factor to obesity and metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that SF-induced increases in protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) expression and activity underlie increased food intake, inflammation, and leptin and insulin resistance. Wild-type (WT) and ObR-PTP-1b-/- mice (Tg) were exposed to SF and control sleep (SC), and food intake was monitored. WT mice received a PTP-1B inhibitor (RO-7d; Tx) or vehicle (Veh). Upon completion of exposures, systemic insulin and leptin sensitivity tests were performed as well as assessment of visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT) insulin receptor sensitivity and macrophages (ATM) polarity. SF increased food intake in either untreated or Veh-treated WT mice. Leptin-induced hypothalamic STAT3 phosphorylation was decreased, PTP-1B activity was increased, and reduced insulin sensitivity emerged both systemic and in vWAT, with the latter displaying proinflammatory ATM polarity changes. All of the SF-induced effects were abrogated following PTP-1B inhibitor treatment and in Tg mice. SF induces increased food intake, reduced leptin signaling in hypothalamus, systemic insulin resistance, and reduced vWAT insulin sensitivity and inflammation that are mediated by increased PTP-1B activity. Thus, PTP-1B may represent a viable therapeutic target in the context of SF-induced weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.
Shin, Eunju; Shim, Kyu-Suk; Kong, Hyunseok; Lee, Sungwon; Shin, Seulmee; Kwon, Jeunghak; Jo, Tae Hyung; Park, Young-In; Lee, Chong-Kil; Kim, Kyungjae
2011-02-01
Insulin resistance is an integral feature of metabolic syndromes, including obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we evaluated whether the aloe component could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and the occurrence of metabolic disorders such as blood glucose and insulin resistance. Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Aloe QDM lowered fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin compared with HFD. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, -6, -12, TNF-α) and chemokine (CX3CL1, CCL5) mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration and hepatic triglycerides by Aloe QDM. At the same time, Aloe QDM decreased the mRNA and protein of PPARγ/LXRα and 11β-HSD1 both in the liver and WAT. Dietary aloe formula reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance not only by suppressing inflammatory responses but also by inducing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the WAT and liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The effect of Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and liver are related to its dual action on PPARγ and 11β-HSD1 expression and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation is suggested.
Shin, Eunju; Shim, Kyu-Suk; Kong, Hyunseok; Lee, Sungwon; Shin, Seulmee; Kwon, Jeunghak; Jo, Tae Hyung; Park, Young-In; Lee, Chong-Kil
2011-01-01
Background Insulin resistance is an integral feature of metabolic syndromes, including obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we evaluated whether the aloe component could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and the occurrence of metabolic disorders such as blood glucose and insulin resistance. Methods Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Results Aloe QDM lowered fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin compared with HFD. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, -6, -12, TNF-α) and chemokine (CX3CL1, CCL5) mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration and hepatic triglycerides by Aloe QDM. At the same time, Aloe QDM decreased the mRNA and protein of PPARγ/LXRα and 11β-HSD1 both in the liver and WAT. Conclusion Dietary aloe formula reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance not only by suppressing inflammatory responses but also by inducing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the WAT and liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The effect of Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and liver are related to its dual action on PPARγ and 11β-HSD1 expression and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation is suggested. PMID:21494375
2013-01-01
Background Fasting induces specific molecular and metabolic adaptions in most organisms. In biomedical research fasting is used in metabolic studies to synchronize nutritional states of study subjects. Because there is a lack of standardization for this procedure, we need a deeper understanding of the dynamics and the molecular mechanisms in fasting. Results We investigated the dynamic changes of liver gene expression and serum parameters of mice at several time points during a 48 hour fasting experiment and then focused on the global gene expression changes in epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) as well as on pathways common to WAT, liver, and skeletal muscle. This approach produced several intriguing insights: (i) rather than a sequential activation of biochemical pathways in fasted liver, as current knowledge dictates, our data indicates a concerted parallel response; (ii) this first characterization of the transcriptome signature of WAT of fasted mice reveals a remarkable activation of components of the transcription apparatus; (iii) most importantly, our bioinformatic analyses indicate p53 as central node in the regulation of fasting in major metabolic tissues; and (iv) forced expression of Ddit4, a fasting-regulated p53 target gene, is sufficient to augment lipolysis in cultured adipocytes. Conclusions In summary, this combination of focused and global profiling approaches provides a comprehensive molecular characterization of the processes operating during fasting in mice and suggests a role for p53, and its downstream target Ddit4, as novel components in the transcriptional response to food deprivation. PMID:24191950
Cheng, Ying; Zhang, Qian; Meng, Qingshu; Xia, Tingting; Huang, Zhiying; Wang, Chunxia; Liu, Bin; Chen, Shanghai; Xiao, Fei; Du, Ying
2011-01-01
We previously showed that leucine deprivation decreases abdominal fat mass largely by increasing energy expenditure, as demonstrated by increased lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). The goal of the present study was to investigate the possible involvement of central nervous system (CNS) in this regulation and elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms. For this purpose, levels of genes and proteins related to lipolysis in WAT and UCP1 expression in BAT were analyzed in wild-type mice after intracerebroventricular administration of leucine or corticotrophin-releasing hormone antibodies, or in mice deleted for three β-adrenergic receptors, after being maintained on a leucine-deficient diet for 7 d. Here, we show that intracerebroventricular administration of leucine significantly attenuates abdominal fat loss and blocks activation of hormone sensitive lipase in WAT and induction of UCP1 in BAT in leucine-deprived mice. Furthermore, we provide evidence that leucine deprivation stimulates fat loss by increasing expression of corticotrophin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus via activation of stimulatory G protein/cAMP/protein kinase A/cAMP response element-binding protein pathway. Finally, we show that the effect of leucine deprivation on fat loss is mediated by activation of the sympathetic nervous system. These results suggest that CNS plays an important role in regulating fat loss under leucine deprivation and thereby provide novel and important insights concerning the importance of CNS leucine in the regulation of energy homeostasis. PMID:21719534
Kooijman, Sander; Wang, Yanan; Parlevliet, Edwin T; Boon, Mariëtte R; Edelschaap, David; Snaterse, Gido; Pijl, Hanno; Romijn, Johannes A; Rensen, Patrick C N
2015-11-01
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP-1R) agonism, used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has recently been shown to increase thermogenesis via the brain. As brown adipose tissue (BAT) produces heat by burning triacylglycerol (TG) and takes up glucose for de novo lipogenesis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of chronic central GLP-1R activation by exendin-4 to facilitate clearance of lipids and glucose from the circulation by activating BAT. Lean and diet-induced obese (DIO) C57Bl/6J mice were used to explore the effect of a 5 day intracerebroventricular infusion of the GLP-1 analogue exendin-4 or vehicle on lipid and glucose uptake by BAT in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant conditions. Central administration of exendin-4 in lean mice increased sympathetic outflow towards BAT and white adipose tissue (WAT), resulting in increased thermogenesis as evidenced by increased uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) protein levels and decreased lipid content, while the uptake of TG-derived fatty acids was increased in both BAT and WAT. Interestingly, in DIO mice, the effects on WAT were blunted, while exendin-4 still increased sympathetic outflow towards BAT and increased the uptake of plasma TG-derived fatty acids and glucose by BAT. These effects were accompanied by increased fat oxidation, lower plasma TG and glucose concentrations, and reduced body weight. Collectively, our results suggest that BAT activation may be a major contributor to the glucose- and TG-lowering effects of GLP-1R agonism.
Klug, Maren; van den Buuse, Maarten
2013-01-01
Reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling has been shown in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a BDNF deficit would modulate effects of chronic cannabis intake, a well-described risk factor for schizophrenia development. BDNF heterozygous mice (HET) and wild-type controls were chronically treated during weeks 6, 7, and 8 of life with the cannabinoid receptor agonist, CP55,940 (CP). After a 2-week delay, there were no CP-induced deficits in any of the groups in short-term spatial memory in a Y-maze task or novel object recognition memory. Baseline prepulse inhibition (PPI) was lower but average startle was increased in BDNF HET compared to wild-type controls. Acute CP administration before the PPI session caused a marked increase in PPI in male HET mice pre-treated with CP but not in any of the other male groups. In females, there were small increases of PPI in all groups upon acute CP administration. Acute CP administration furthermore reduced startle and this effect was greater in HET mice irrespective of chronic CP pre-treatment. Analysis of the levels of [(3)H]CP55,940 binding by autoradiography revealed a significant increase in the nucleus accumbens of male BDNF HET mice previously treated with CP but not in any of the other groups or in the caudate nucleus. These results show that BDNF deficiency and chronic young-adult cannabinoid receptor stimulation do not interact in this model on learning and memory later in life. In contrast, male "two hit" mice, but not females, were hypersensitive to the effect of acute CP on sensorimotor gating. These effects may be related to a selective increase of [(3)H]CP55,940 binding in the nucleus accumbens, reflecting up-regulation of CB1 receptor density in this region. These data could be of relevance to our understanding of differential "two hit" neurodevelopmental mechanisms in schizophrenia.
Parczewski, Miłosz; Leszczyszyn-Pynka, Magdalena; Witak-Jędra, Magdalena; Maciejewska, Katarzyna; Rymer, Weronika; Szymczak, Aleksandra; Szetela, Bartosz; Gąsiorowski, Jacek; Bociąga-Jasik, Monika; Skwara, Paweł; Garlicki, Aleksander; Grzeszczuk, Anna; Rogalska, Magdalena; Jankowska, Maria; Lemańska, Małgorzata; Hlebowicz, Maria; Barałkiewicz, Grażyna; Mozer-Lisewska, Iwona; Mazurek, Renata; Lojewski, Władyslaw; Grąbczewska, Edyta; Olczak, Anita; Jabłonowska, Elżbieta; Clark, Jeremy; Urbańska, Anna
2015-01-01
The surveillance of HIV-transmitted drug resistance mutations (t-DRMs), including temporal trends across subtypes and exposure groups, remains a priority in the current management of the epidemic worldwide. A cross-sectional analysis of 833 treatment-naive patients from 9 of 17 Polish HIV treatment centres. Partial pol sequences were used to analyse drug resistance with a general time reversible (GTR)-based maximum likelihood algorithm used for cluster/pair identification. Mutation frequencies and temporal trends were investigated. t-DRMs were observed in 9% of cases (5.8% for NRTI, 1.2% NNRTI and 2.0% PI mutations) and were more common among heterosexually infected (HET) individuals (13.4%) compared with MSM (8.3%, P = 0.03) or injection drug users (IDUs; 2.9%, P = 0.001) and in MSM compared with IDUs (P = 0.046). t-DRMs were more frequent in cases infected with the non-B variant (21.6%) compared with subtype B (6.6%, P < 0.001). With subtype B a higher mutation frequency was found in MSM compared with non-MSM cases (8.3% versus 1.8% for IDU + HET, P = 0.038), while non-B variants were associated with heterosexual exposure (30.4% for HET versus 4.8% for MSM, P = 0.019; versus 0 for IDU, P = 0.016). Trends in t-DRM frequencies were stable over time except for a decrease in NNRTI t-DRMs among MSM (P = 0.0662) and an NRTI t-DRM decrease in HET individuals (P = 0.077). With subtype B a higher frequency of sequence pairs/clusters in MSM (50.4%) was found compared with HET (P < 0.001) and IDUs (P = 0.015). Despite stable trends over time, patterns of t-DRMs differed notably between transmission categories and subtypes: subtype B was associated with MSM transmission and clustering while in non-B clades t-DRMs were more common and were associated with heterosexual infections. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Navarro, Gemma; Borroto-Escuela, Dasiel; Angelats, Edgar; Etayo, Íñigo; Reyes-Resina, Irene; Pulido-Salgado, Marta; Rodríguez-Pérez, Ana I; Canela, Enric I; Saura, Josep; Lanciego, José Luis; Labandeira-García, José Luis; Saura, Carlos A; Fuxe, Kjell; Franco, Rafael
2018-01-01
Endocannabinoids are important regulators of neurotransmission and, acting on activated microglia, they are postulated as neuroprotective agents. Endocannabinoid action is mediated by CB 1 and CB 2 receptors, which may form heteromeric complexes (CB 1 -CB 2 Hets) with unknown function in microglia. We aimed at establishing the expression and signaling properties of cannabinoid receptors in resting and LPS/IFN-γ-activated microglia. In activated microglia mRNA transcripts increased (2 fold for CB 1 and circa 20 fold for CB 2 ), whereas receptor levels were similar for CB 1 and markedly upregulated for CB 2 ; CB 1 -CB 2 Hets were also upregulated. Unlike in resting cells, CB 2 receptors became robustly coupled to G i in activated cells, in which CB 1 -CB 2 Hets mediated a potentiation effect. Hence, resting cells were refractory while activated cells were highly responsive to cannabinoids. Interestingly, similar results were obtained in cultures treated with ß-amyloid (Aß 1-42 ). Microglial activation markers were detected in the striatum of a Parkinson's disease (PD) model and, remarkably, in primary microglia cultures from the hippocampus of mutant β-amyloid precursor protein (APP Sw,Ind ) mice, a transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) model. Also of note was the similar cannabinoid receptor signaling found in primary cultures of microglia from APP Sw,Ind and in cells from control animals activated using LPS plus IFN-γ. Expression of CB 1 -CB 2 Hets was increased in the striatum from rats rendered dyskinetic by chronic levodopa treatment. In summary, our results showed sensitivity of activated microglial cells to cannabinoids, increased CB 1 -CB 2 Het expression in activated microglia and in microglia from the hippocampus of an AD model, and a correlation between levodopa-induced dyskinesia and striatal microglial activation in a PD model. Cannabinoid receptors and the CB 1 -CB 2 heteroreceptor complex in activated microglia have potential as targets in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zhao, Fujun; Wang, Jing; Yang, Yanmei; Wang, Xiaoyong; Shi, Ruihua; Xu, Zekuan; Huang, Zuhu; Zhang, Guoxin
2008-12-01
CYP2C19 polymorphisms have been inconsistently reported to associate with the efficacy of proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapies for eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine whether CYP2C19 polymorphism affect H. pylori eradication rates obtained with first-line PPI-based triple therapies. A systematic literature search was conducted up to July 2007 using Medline, PubMed, EMBase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), ISI Web of Science, CNKI (Chinese), and Wanfang (Chinese) digital database. MeSH terms and keywords included proton pump inhibitor, omeprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, pantoprazole, or esomeprazole, cytochrome P4502C19 or CYP2C19, and Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria, and were included in the meta-analysis by using Review Manager 4.2.8. Eradication rates were significantly different between poor metabolizers (PM) and heterozygous extensive metabolizers (HetEM) (odds ratio (OR) = 1.73, p = .002) and between PM and homozygous extensive metabolizers (HomEM) (OR = 2.79, p < .0001). Moreover, eradication rates were also significant difference between HetEM and HomEM (OR = 2.00, p < .0001). Triple omeprazole and lansoprazole therapies achieved higher H. pylori eradication rates in PM than in HomEM (OR = 4.28, p = .0005 for omeprazole and OR = 3.06, p = .001 for lansoprazole), and higher in HetEM than those in HomEM (OR = 3.22, p < .0001 for omeprazole and OR = 1.95, p = .040 for lansoprazole). Rabeprazole therapies had no significant effect on H. pylori eradication rates (between PM and HomEM, OR = 1.35, p = .610 and between HetEM and HomEM, OR = 1.57, p = .190). No significant difference in H. pylori eradication rates between PM and HetEM was observed in the three individual PPI therapies. The efficacy of omeprazole- and lansoprazole-based first-line triple therapies at the standard doses is dependent on CYP2C19 genotype status, which appears not to affect the efficacy of the regimens including rabeprazole.
Klug, Maren; van den Buuse, Maarten
2013-01-01
Reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling has been shown in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a BDNF deficit would modulate effects of chronic cannabis intake, a well-described risk factor for schizophrenia development. BDNF heterozygous mice (HET) and wild-type controls were chronically treated during weeks 6, 7, and 8 of life with the cannabinoid receptor agonist, CP55,940 (CP). After a 2-week delay, there were no CP-induced deficits in any of the groups in short-term spatial memory in a Y-maze task or novel object recognition memory. Baseline prepulse inhibition (PPI) was lower but average startle was increased in BDNF HET compared to wild-type controls. Acute CP administration before the PPI session caused a marked increase in PPI in male HET mice pre-treated with CP but not in any of the other male groups. In females, there were small increases of PPI in all groups upon acute CP administration. Acute CP administration furthermore reduced startle and this effect was greater in HET mice irrespective of chronic CP pre-treatment. Analysis of the levels of [3H]CP55,940 binding by autoradiography revealed a significant increase in the nucleus accumbens of male BDNF HET mice previously treated with CP but not in any of the other groups or in the caudate nucleus. These results show that BDNF deficiency and chronic young-adult cannabinoid receptor stimulation do not interact in this model on learning and memory later in life. In contrast, male “two hit” mice, but not females, were hypersensitive to the effect of acute CP on sensorimotor gating. These effects may be related to a selective increase of [3H]CP55,940 binding in the nucleus accumbens, reflecting up-regulation of CB1 receptor density in this region. These data could be of relevance to our understanding of differential “two hit” neurodevelopmental mechanisms in schizophrenia. PMID:24155701
Assessing Exposure to Waterborne Pathogens
In the U.S, and other developed countries, application of the multi-barrier approach for protecting and treating water supplies has led to the virtual elimination of waterborne threats such as cholera and typhoid. Nevertheless, illnesses associated with contaminated drinking wat...
Water conveyance systems in California : historic context development and evaluation procedures
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2000-12-01
There is increased awareness that canals and other water conveyance facilities can be historically significant, and that when transportation projects do have the potential to affect them, they need to be studied systematically. However, important wat...
Historical Assessment of Hypoxia in Narragansett Bay Using Geochemical Markers
Eutrophication due to anthropogenic activities has affected aquatic ecosystems globally. Increased inputs of nitrogen and other nutrients to estuarine and marine ecosystems as a result of agricultural practices, urbanization and suburbanization have resulted in degradation of wat...
Huang, Feifei; Liu, Yang; Yang, Xia; Che, Di; Qiu, Kaifeng; Hammock, Bruce D; Wang, Jingfeng; Wang, Mong-Heng; Chen, Jie; Huang, Hui
2017-08-01
Therapeutic angiogenesis is a pivotal strategy for ischemic heart disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect and molecular mechanism of Shexiang Baoxin pills, a widely-used traditional Chinese medicine for ischemic heart disease, on angiogenesis in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). We used the occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery of Sprague-Dawley rats as a model of MI. The MI rats were treated with distilled water, Shexiang Baoxin pills, or Shexiang Baoxin pills + HET0016 (a selective blocker of the biosynthesis of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) at 10 mg/kg/day), respectively. Sham-operated rats were used as controls. Treatment with Shexiang Baoxin pills increases the level of serum 20-HETE in MI rats, which can be suppressed by HET0016 treatment. Shexiang Baoxin pills shows cardio-protective effects on MI rats, including improving cardiac function, decreasing infarction area, and promoting angiogenesis in peri-infarct area. The protective effects of Shexiang Baoxin pills are partly inhibited by HET0016. Furthermore, Shexiang Baoxin pills enhances the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), based on immunohistochemical analysis, in peri-infarct area of MI rats, which is partly suppressed by HET0016. Shexiang Baoxin pills may partially participate in angiogenesis in MI rats. The protective mechanism of Shexiang Baoxin pills may be mediated via up-regulation of 20-HETE, which promotes EPCs mobilization and VEGF expression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pate, Kathryn M; Sherk, Vanessa D; Carpenter, R Dana; Weaver, Michael; Crapo, Silvia; Gally, Fabienne; Chatham, Lillian S; Goldstrohm, David A; Crapo, James D; Kohrt, Wendy M; Bowler, Russell P; Oberley-Deegan, Rebecca E; Regan, Elizabeth A
2015-03-15
Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with increased mechanical damage to joint cartilage. We have previously found that extracellular superoxide dismutase (ECSOD) is decreased in OA joint fluid and cartilage, suggesting oxidant damage may play a role in OA. We explored the effect of forced running as a surrogate for mechanical damage in a transgenic mouse with reduced ECSOD tissue binding. Transgenic mice heterozygous (Het) for the human ECSOD R213G polymorphism and 129-SvEv (wild-type, WT) mice were exposed to forced running on a treadmill for 45 min/day, 5 days/wk, over 8 wk. At the end of the running protocol, knee joint tissue was obtained for histology, immunohistochemistry, and protein analysis. Sedentary Het and WT mice were maintained for comparison. Whole tibias were studied for bone morphometry, finite element analysis, and mechanical testing. Forced running improved joint histology in WT mice. However, when ECSOD levels were reduced, this beneficial effect with running was lost. Het ECSOD runner mice had significantly worse histology scores compared with WT runner mice. Runner mice for both strains had increased bone strength in response to the running protocol, while Het mice showed evidence of a less robust bone structure in both runners and untrained mice. Reduced levels of ECSOD in cartilage produced joint damage when joints were stressed by forced running. The bone tissues responded to increased loading with hypertrophy, regardless of mouse strain. We conclude that ECSOD plays an important role in protecting cartilage from damage caused by mechanical loading. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
Xiao, Zhu; Liu, Hongjing; Havyarimana, Vincent; Li, Tong; Wang, Dong
2016-11-04
In this paper, we investigate the coverage performance and energy efficiency of multi-tier heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) which are composed of macrocells and different types of small cells, i.e., picocells and femtocells. By virtue of stochastic geometry tools, we model the multi-tier HetNets based on a Poisson point process (PPP) and analyze the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) via studying the cumulative interference from pico-tier and femto-tier. We then derive the analytical expressions of coverage probabilities in order to evaluate coverage performance in different tiers and investigate how it varies with the small cells' deployment density. By taking the fairness and user experience into consideration, we propose a disjoint channel allocation scheme and derive the system channel throughput for various tiers. Further, we formulate the energy efficiency optimization problem for multi-tier HetNets in terms of throughput performance and resource allocation fairness. To solve this problem, we devise a linear programming based approach to obtain the available area of the feasible solutions. System-level simulations demonstrate that the small cells' deployment density has a significant effect on the coverage performance and energy efficiency. Simulation results also reveal that there exits an optimal small cell base station (SBS) density ratio between pico-tier and femto-tier which can be applied to maximize the energy efficiency and at the same time enhance the system performance. Our findings provide guidance for the design of multi-tier HetNets for improving the coverage performance as well as the energy efficiency.
Xiao, Zhu; Liu, Hongjing; Havyarimana, Vincent; Li, Tong; Wang, Dong
2016-01-01
In this paper, we investigate the coverage performance and energy efficiency of multi-tier heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) which are composed of macrocells and different types of small cells, i.e., picocells and femtocells. By virtue of stochastic geometry tools, we model the multi-tier HetNets based on a Poisson point process (PPP) and analyze the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) via studying the cumulative interference from pico-tier and femto-tier. We then derive the analytical expressions of coverage probabilities in order to evaluate coverage performance in different tiers and investigate how it varies with the small cells’ deployment density. By taking the fairness and user experience into consideration, we propose a disjoint channel allocation scheme and derive the system channel throughput for various tiers. Further, we formulate the energy efficiency optimization problem for multi-tier HetNets in terms of throughput performance and resource allocation fairness. To solve this problem, we devise a linear programming based approach to obtain the available area of the feasible solutions. System-level simulations demonstrate that the small cells’ deployment density has a significant effect on the coverage performance and energy efficiency. Simulation results also reveal that there exits an optimal small cell base station (SBS) density ratio between pico-tier and femto-tier which can be applied to maximize the energy efficiency and at the same time enhance the system performance. Our findings provide guidance for the design of multi-tier HetNets for improving the coverage performance as well as the energy efficiency. PMID:27827917
Using the NEMA NU 4 PET image quality phantom in multipinhole small-animal SPECT.
Harteveld, Anita A; Meeuwis, Antoi P W; Disselhorst, Jonathan A; Slump, Cornelis H; Oyen, Wim J G; Boerman, Otto C; Visser, Eric P
2011-10-01
Several commercial small-animal SPECT scanners using multipinhole collimation are presently available. However, generally accepted standards to characterize the performance of these scanners do not exist. Whereas for small-animal PET, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4 standards have been defined in 2008, such standards are still lacking for small-animal SPECT. In this study, the image quality parameters associated with the NEMA NU 4 image quality phantom were determined for a small-animal multipinhole SPECT scanner. Multiple whole-body scans of the NEMA NU 4 image quality phantom of 1-h duration were performed in a U-SPECT-II scanner using (99m)Tc with activities ranging between 8.4 and 78.2 MBq. The collimator contained 75 pinholes of 1.0-mm diameter and had a bore diameter of 98 mm. Image quality parameters were determined as a function of average phantom activity, number of iterations, postreconstruction spatial filter, and scatter correction. In addition, a mouse was injected with (99m)Tc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate and was euthanized 6.5 h after injection. Multiple whole-body scans of this mouse of 1-h duration were acquired for activities ranging between 3.29 and 52.7 MBq. An increase in the number of iterations was accompanied by an increase in the recovery coefficients for the small rods (RC(rod)), an increase in the noise in the uniform phantom region, and a decrease in spillover ratios for the cold-air- and water-filled scatter compartments (SOR(air) and SOR(wat)). Application of spatial filtering reduced image noise but lowered RC(rod). Filtering did not influence SOR(air) and SOR(wat). Scatter correction reduced SOR(air) and SOR(wat). The effect of total phantom activity was primarily seen in a reduction of image noise with increasing activity. RC(rod), SOR(air), and SOR(wat) were more or less constant as a function of phantom activity. The relation between acquisition and reconstruction settings and image quality was confirmed in the (99m)Tc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate mouse scans. Although developed for small-animal PET, the NEMA NU 4 image quality phantom was found to be useful for small-animal SPECT as well, allowing for objective determination of image quality parameters and showing the trade-offs between several of these parameters on variation of acquisition and reconstruction settings.
IRAK4 deficiency promotes cardiac remodeling induced by pressure overload
Yuan, Yuan; Gan, Huawen; Dai, Jia; Zhou, Heng; Deng, Wei; Zong, Jing; Bian, Zhouyan; Liao, Haihan; Li, Hongliang; Tang, Qizhu
2015-01-01
Background: Interluekin1 receptor-associated kinase-4 (IRAK4) plays an essential role in the innate immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IRAK4 in cardiac remodeling induced by pressure overload and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: In vivo studies were performed using IRAK4 heterozygous knockout (HET) mice and wild type (WT) mice. Models of cardiac remodeling were induced by aortic banding (AB). Cardiac remodeling was evaluated by Echocardiography and histological analysis. Results: IRAK4 was upregulated in hearts of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients and also pressure overload-induced mice hearts. IRAK4 HET mice exhibited exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy, dysfunction and fibrosis after 4 weeks of AB compared with that in WT mice. Furthermore, enhanced activation of the MEK-ERK1/2, p38 and NFκB pathways was found in IRAK4 HET mice compared to WT mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that IRAK4 may play a crucial role in the development of cardiac remodeling via negative regulation of multiple signaling pathways. PMID:26884959
Computing Challenges in Coded Mask Imaging
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Skinner, Gerald
2009-01-01
This slide presaentation reviews the complications and challenges in developing computer systems for Coded Mask Imaging telescopes. The coded mask technique is used when there is no other way to create the telescope, (i.e., when there are wide fields of view, high energies for focusing or low energies for the Compton/Tracker Techniques and very good angular resolution.) The coded mask telescope is described, and the mask is reviewed. The coded Masks for the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) instruments are shown, and a chart showing the types of position sensitive detectors used for the coded mask telescopes is also reviewed. Slides describe the mechanism of recovering an image from the masked pattern. The correlation with the mask pattern is described. The Matrix approach is reviewed, and other approaches to image reconstruction are described. Included in the presentation is a review of the Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) / High Energy Telescope (HET), with information about the mission, the operation of the telescope, comparison of the EXIST/HET with the SWIFT/BAT and details of the design of the EXIST/HET.
Dopamine neuron dependent behaviors mediated by glutamate cotransmission
Mingote, Susana; Chuhma, Nao; Kalmbach, Abigail; Thomsen, Gretchen M; Wang, Yvonne; Mihali, Andra; Sferrazza, Caroline; Zucker-Scharff, Ilana; Siena, Anna-Claire; Welch, Martha G; Lizardi-Ortiz, José; Sulzer, David; Moore, Holly; Gaisler-Salomon, Inna; Rayport, Stephen
2017-01-01
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area use glutamate as a cotransmitter. To elucidate the behavioral role of the cotransmission, we targeted the glutamate-recycling enzyme glutaminase (gene Gls1). In mice with a dopamine transporter (Slc6a3)-driven conditional heterozygous (cHET) reduction of Gls1 in their dopamine neurons, dopamine neuron survival and transmission were unaffected, while glutamate cotransmission at phasic firing frequencies was reduced, enabling a selective focus on the cotransmission. The mice showed normal emotional and motor behaviors, and an unaffected response to acute amphetamine. Strikingly, amphetamine sensitization was reduced and latent inhibition potentiated. These behavioral effects, also seen in global GLS1 HETs with a schizophrenia resilience phenotype, were not seen in mice with an Emx1-driven forebrain reduction affecting most brain glutamatergic neurons. Thus, a reduction in dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission appears to mediate significant components of the GLS1 HET schizophrenia resilience phenotype, and glutamate cotransmission appears to be important in attribution of motivational salience. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27566.001 PMID:28703706
vGLUT2 heterozygous mice show more susceptibility to clonic seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol.
Schallier, Anneleen; Massie, Ann; Loyens, Ellen; Moechars, Diederik; Drinkenburg, Wilhelmus; Michotte, Yvette; Smolders, Ilse
2009-01-01
Glutamate, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, is well known to be implicated in epileptic seizures. Therefore, impairments in glutamate transport could have an involvement in the mechanism of epileptogenesis. The uptake of glutamate into synaptic vesicles is mediated by vesicular glutamate transporters (vGLUTs). There are three known vGLUT isoforms, vGLUT1-3. In this study, we are particularly interested in the vGLUT2 isoform. We investigated the possible role of vGLUT2 in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure generation. Seizure threshold of PTZ was compared in vGLUT2 heterozygous knock out (HET) and wild type (WT) mice. In comparison with their WT littermates a lower dose of PTZ was needed in the vGLUT2 HET mice until the onset of the first myoclonic jerk. The threshold for PTZ-induced clonic seizure activity was also lower in the vGLUT2 HET mice. These results indicate, for the first time, that vGLUT2 is likely involved in the epileptogenesis of generalized seizures.
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
For field pepper (Capsicum spp.) production, plants can be established from direct seed or transplants depending on the location and cultural practices for the specific pepper type grown. Direct seeding can result in slow, variable, and reduced plant stands due to variations in soil temperature, wat...
VERIFICATION OF URBAN RUNOFF MODELS
Wet Weather Flow Models are used throughout the United States for evaluation of the sanitary, storm and combined sewer systems. Models are used for planning new systems or upgrading of existing systems to accommodate growth or to control undersirable overflows and associated wat...
47 CFR Appendix to Part 36 - Glossary
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... An electrical path suitable for the transmission of communications between two or more points... operative communications path established in the normal circuit layout and currently used for message, WATS... transmit signaling information independent of the subscribers' communication paths or transmission channels...
47 CFR Appendix to Part 36 - Glossary
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... An electrical path suitable for the transmission of communications between two or more points... operative communications path established in the normal circuit layout and currently used for message, WATS... transmit signaling information independent of the subscribers' communication paths or transmission channels...
47 CFR Appendix to Part 36 - Glossary
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... An electrical path suitable for the transmission of communications between two or more points... operative communications path established in the normal circuit layout and currently used for message, WATS... transmit signaling information independent of the subscribers' communication paths or transmission channels...
47 CFR Appendix to Part 36 - Glossary
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... An electrical path suitable for the transmission of communications between two or more points... operative communications path established in the normal circuit layout and currently used for message, WATS... transmit signaling information independent of the subscribers' communication paths or transmission channels...
Regulatory Considerations to Ensure Clean and Safe Drinking Water
Federal drinking water regulations are based on risk assessment of human health effects and research conducted on source water, treatment technologies, residuals, and distribution systems. The book chapter summarizes the role that EPA research plays in ensuring pure drinking wat...
WATER QUALITY STATUS REPORT, CROOKED RIVER, IDAHO COUNTY IDAHO, 1987
Crooked River (17060305), a primary anadromous fisheries resource, is located approximately 120 miles southeast of Lewiston, Idaho. Dredging operations between 1936 and 1948 left large piles of gravel in the natural watercourse, causing the river to meander. Impoundments of wat...
Pharmaceuticals in Surface Waters and Potential Transfer to Irrigated Food Crops
A number of pharmaceuticals have been detected in surface waters across the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of selected pharmaceuticals (macrolidic antibiotics and pseudoephedrine) and illicit drugs (methamphetamine, Ecstasy) in surface wat...
Bayesian Framework for Water Quality Model Uncertainty Estimation and Risk Management
A formal Bayesian methodology is presented for integrated model calibration and risk-based water quality management using Bayesian Monte Carlo simulation and maximum likelihood estimation (BMCML). The primary focus is on lucid integration of model calibration with risk-based wat...
Spectral discrimination of two pigweeds from cotton with different leaf colors
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
To implement strategies to control Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) infestations in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production systems, managers need effective techniques to identify the weeds. Leaf light reflectance measurements have shown...
ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF TOXICS IN THE WATERSHED
The demand for water is beginning to outstrip the available supply of water. The truly insidious insult to freshwater supplies comes from anthropogenic impacts that pollute freshwater supplies and the surrounding watersheds, making even less water available for use.
Wat...
Network switching strategy for energy conservation in heterogeneous networks.
Song, Yujae; Choi, Wooyeol; Baek, Seungjae
2017-01-01
In heterogeneous networks (HetNets), the large-scale deployment of small base stations (BSs) together with traditional macro BSs is an economical and efficient solution that is employed to address the exponential growth in mobile data traffic. In dense HetNets, network switching, i.e., handovers, plays a critical role in connecting a mobile terminal (MT) to the best of all accessible networks. In the existing literature, a handover decision is made using various handover metrics such as the signal-to-noise ratio, data rate, and movement speed. However, there are few studies on handovers that focus on energy efficiency in HetNets. In this paper, we propose a handover strategy that helps to minimize energy consumption at BSs in HetNets without compromising the quality of service (QoS) of each MT. The proposed handover strategy aims to capture the effect of the stochastic behavior of handover parameters and the expected energy consumption due to handover execution when making a handover decision. To identify the validity of the proposed handover strategy, we formulate a handover problem as a constrained Markov decision process (CMDP), by which the effects of the stochastic behaviors of handover parameters and consequential handover energy consumption can be accurately reflected when making a handover decision. In the CMDP, the aim is to minimize the energy consumption to service an MT over the lifetime of its connection, and the constraint is to guarantee the QoS requirements of the MT given in terms of the transmission delay and call-dropping probability. We find an optimal policy for the CMDP using a combination of the Lagrangian method and value iteration. Simulation results verify the validity of the proposed handover strategy.
Watson, Dionysios C.; Yung, Bryant C.; Bergamaschi, Cristina; Chowdhury, Bhabadeb; Bear, Jenifer; Stellas, Dimitris; Morales-Kastresana, Aizea; Jones, Jennifer C.; Felber, Barbara K.; Chen, Xiaoyuan; Pavlakis, George N.
2018-01-01
ABSTRACT The development of extracellular vesicles (EV) for therapeutic applications is contingent upon the establishment of reproducible, scalable, and high-throughput methods for the production and purification of clinical grade EV. Methods including ultracentrifugation (U/C), ultrafiltration, immunoprecipitation, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) have been employed to isolate EV, each facing limitations such as efficiency, particle purity, lengthy processing time, and/or sample volume. We developed a cGMP-compatible method for the scalable production, concentration, and isolation of EV through a strategy involving bioreactor culture, tangential flow filtration (TFF), and preparative SEC. We applied this purification method for the isolation of engineered EV carrying multiple complexes of a novel human immunostimulatory cytokine-fusion protein, heterodimeric IL-15 (hetIL-15)/lactadherin. HEK293 cells stably expressing the fusion cytokine were cultured in a hollow-fibre bioreactor. Conditioned medium was collected and EV were isolated comparing three procedures: U/C, SEC, or TFF + SEC. SEC demonstrated comparable particle recovery, size distribution, and hetIL-15 density as U/C purification. Relative to U/C, SEC preparations achieved a 100-fold reduction in ferritin concentration, a major protein-complex contaminant. Comparative proteomics suggested that SEC additionally decreased the abundance of cytoplasmic proteins not associated with EV. Combination of TFF and SEC allowed for bulk processing of large starting volumes, and resulted in bioactive EV, without significant loss in particle yield or changes in size, morphology, and hetIL-15/lactadherin density. Taken together, the combination of bioreactor culture with TFF + SEC comprises a scalable, efficient method for the production of highly purified, bioactive EV carrying hetIL-15/lactadherin, which may be useful in targeted cancer immunotherapy approaches. PMID:29535850
Ronto, Rimante; Ball, Lauren; Pendergast, Donna; Harris, Neil
2017-01-01
The high school setting has been identified as an ideal setting to teach adolescents about healthy dietary behaviours. This study explored home economics teachers' (HETs) views on the role of high schools in enhancing adolescents' food literacy and promoting healthy dietary behaviours. Semi-structured interviews with 22 HETs were conducted. The interview questions focused on the perceived strengths/opportunities and the limitations/barriers in enhancing adolescents' food literacy and healthy dietary behaviours in Australian high schools. Thematic data analysis was used to identify five key themes from the interview transcripts: (1) the standing of food-related life skills; (2) food literacy in the Australian school curriculum; (3) emphasis on resources; (4) learning through school canteens; and (5) building a school to home and community nexus. Overall, HETs reported that home economics was regarded by parents and other school staff to be less important than Maths or English for adolescents to learn in Australian high schools. Some teachers indicated that their schools offered one year compulsory teaching of food related studies which is typically delivered in the leaning areas of Technologies or Health and Physical Education (HPE). However, HETs stated that the time was insufficient to develop sustainable food-related life skills and introduce broader concepts of food literacy such as environmental sustainability. The lack of financial resources and non-supportive school food environments, including school canteens, were reportedly major factors that prevented food literacy education and healthy dietary behaviours of adolescents. Increasing the status of food literacy education in schools would support adolescents to develop food-related life skills and mobilise them as agents of dietary behaviour change in the home setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Boscolo-Berto, Rafael; Viel, Guido; Montisci, Massimo; Terranova, Claudio; Favretto, Donata; Ferrara, Santo Davide
2013-05-01
In both clinical and forensic settings, hair analysis for ethyl glucuronide (HEtG) has been increasingly employed for diagnosing chronic excessive drinking and, more recently, for monitoring abstinence. This paper aims at meta-analysing published data on HEtG concentrations in teetotallers, social drinkers and heavy drinkers in order to evaluate the use of this marker in hair for identifying chronic excessive drinking and for monitoring abstinence. In May 2012, a systematic multi-database search retrieved 366 records related to HEtG and further screened for relevant publications in the field. Fifteen (4.1 %) records matched the selection criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The mean and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) of HEtG concentrations in social drinkers (mean 7.5 pg/mg; 95 % CI 4.7-10.2 pg/mg; p < 0.001), heavy drinkers (mean 142.7 pg/mg; 95 % CI 99.9-185.5 pg/mg; p < 0.001) and deceased subjects with a known history of chronic excessive drinking (mean 586.1 pg/mg; 95 % CI 177.2-995.0 pg/mg; p < 0.01) were calculated. The ranges of mean values and 95 % confidence intervals for single studies involving teetotallers/social or social/heavy drinkers showed a partial overlap with a down-trespassing of both the 7 and 30 pg/mg thresholds for social and heavy drinkers, respectively. Although larger and well-designed population studies are required to draw any definitive conclusion, our data show that the cut-off of 30 pg/mg limits the false-negative effect in differentiating heavy from social drinkers, whereas the recently proposed 7 pg/mg cut-off value might only be used for suspecting an active alcohol use, and not for proving complete abstinence.
Crawshaw, Benjamin P; Russ, Andrew J; Ermlich, Bridget O; Delaney, Conor P; Champagne, Bradley J
2016-12-01
Background Existing nonsurgical procedures for the treatment of grade I and II internal hemorrhoids are often painful, technically demanding, and often necessitate multiple applications. This study prospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of the HET Bipolar System, a novel minimally invasive device, in the treatment of symptomatic grade I and II internal hemorrhoids. Methods Patients with symptomatic grade I or II internal hemorrhoids despite medical management underwent hemorrhoidal ligation with the HET Bipolar System. Endpoints included resolution or improvement of hemorrhoidal bleeding and/or prolapse from baseline, recurrent or refractory symptoms, and pain. Results Twenty patients were treated with the HET Bipolar System. Two were lost to follow-up. Refractory or recurrent bleeding was present in 8 of 18 (44.4%), 4 of 11 (36.4%), and 4 of 8 (50.0%) patients, and prolapse was reported by 1 of 18 (5.6%), 4 of 11 (36.4%), and 1/7 (14.3%) of patients at 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively. Bleeding improved from baseline in 88.2%, 81.8%, and 87.5% of patients, and resolution of baseline prolapse was seen in 11 of 11 (100%), 4 of 7 (57.1%), and 5 of 5 (100%) patients at the same intervals. Thirteen of 18 (72.2%) patients did not require additional treatment for their symptoms. Conclusions The HET Bipolar System is safe and easy to use with short-term effectiveness comparable to that of currently used techniques for the treatment of symptomatic grade I and II internal hemorrhoids. It may be an effective alternative to rubber band ligation in patients with larger internal hemorrhoids and those with hemorrhoids close to the dentate line in which banding may produce debilitating pain. © The Author(s) 2016.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chen, Susie A.; Ogunleye, Tomiwa; Dhabbaan, Anees
Purpose: Temporary tissue expanders (TTE) with an internal magnetic metal port (IMP) have been increasingly used for breast reconstruction in post-mastectomy patients who receive radiation therapy (XRT). We evaluated XRT plans of patients with IMP to determine its effect on XRT dose distribution. Methods and Materials: Original treatment plans with CT simulation scans of 24 consecutive patients who received XRT (ORI), planned without heterogeneity corrections, to a reconstructed breast containing an IMP were used. Two additional treatment plans were then generated: one treatment plan with the IMP assigned the electron density of the rare earth magnet, nickel plated neodymium-iron-boron (HET),more » and a second treatment plan with the IMP assigned a CT value of 1 to simulate a homogeneous breast without an IMP (BRS). All plans were prescribed 50 Gy to the reconstructed breast (CTV). Results: CTV coverage by 50 Gy was significantly lower in the HET (mean 87.7% CTV) than in either the ORI (mean 99.7% CTV, P<.001) or BRS plans (mean 95.0% CTV, P<.001). The effect of the port was more pronounced on CT slices containing the IMP with prescription dose coverage of the CTV being less in the HET than in either ORI (mean difference 33.6%, P<.01) or BRS plans (mean difference 30.1%, P<.001). HET had a less homogeneous and conformal dose distribution than BRS or ORI. Conclusion: IMPs increase dose heterogeneity and reduce dose to the breast CTV through attenuation of the beam. For optimal XRT treatment, heterogeneity corrections should be used in XRT planning for patients with TTE with IMP, as the IMP impacts dose distribution.« less
Ryu, Vitaly; Watts, Alan G; Xue, Bingzhong; Bartness, Timothy J
2017-03-01
The brain networks connected to the sympathetic motor and sensory innervations of brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues were originally described using two transneuronally transported viruses: the retrogradely transported pseudorabies virus (PRV), and the anterogradely transported H129 strain of herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1 H129). Further complexity was added to this network organization when combined injections of PRV and HSV-1 H129 into either BAT or WAT of the same animal generated sets of coinfected neurons in the brain, spinal cord, and sympathetic and dorsal root ganglia. These neurons are well positioned to act as sensorimotor links in the feedback circuits that control each fat pad. We have now determined the extent of sensorimotor crosstalk between interscapular BAT (IBAT) and inguinal WAT (IWAT). PRV152 and HSV-1 H129 were each injected into IBAT or IWAT of the same animal: H129 into IBAT and PRV152 into IWAT. The reverse configuration was applied in a different set of animals. We found single-labeled neurons together with H129+PRV152 coinfected neurons in multiple brain sites, with lesser numbers in the sympathetic and dorsal root ganglia that innervate IBAT and IWAT. We propose that these coinfected neurons mediate sensory-sympathetic motor crosstalk between IBAT and IWAT. Comparing the relative numbers of coinfected neurons between the two injection configurations showed a bias toward IBAT-sensory and IWAT-sympathetic motor feedback loops. These coinfected neurons provide a neuroanatomical framework for functional interactions between IBAT thermogenesis and IWAT lipolysis that occurs with cold exposure, food restriction/deprivation, exercise, and more generally with alterations in adiposity. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
Glucogenic treatment creates an optimal metabolic milieu for the conception period in ewes.
Porcu, C; Pasciu, V; Succu, S; Baralla, E; Manca, M E; Serra, E; Leoni, G G; Dattena, M; Bomboi, G C; Molle, G; Naitana, S; Berlinguer, F
2017-04-01
This study determined the influence of a short-term glucogenic nutritional treatment on circulating concentrations of glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and urea, and on their correspondent levels in follicular fluid (FF) collected 12 h after the end of the treatment. After estrous synchronization with intravaginal progestagen-impregnated sponges, 20 Sarda ewes were randomly allocated into two experimental groups (GLU and WAT) and, from day 7 to day 10 (day 0 = day of sponge removal), the GLU group was gavaged with a glycogenic mixture, whereas the WAT group was gavaged with water (control group). Follicular development was stimulated by FSH administration from day 8 to 10. At day 11, ovaries were collected and follicular fluid processed. Plasma changes were assessed from day 6 to 11. In GLU group, circulating concentration of glucose (P < 0.0001), insulin (P < 0.0001), and IGF-1 (P < 0.01) rose significantly, whereas NEFA and urea concentrations decreased (P < 0.0001), as compared with controls. In particular, in FF the higher glucose concentrations found in GLU ewes compared with controls (P < 0.0001) were not accompanied by any increase in insulin and IGF-1 concentrations. NEFA (P < 0.0001) and urea (P < 0.0001) were lower in FF of GLU than WAT group, although NEFA clearance in the ovary proved to be less efficient than at the systemic level. No significant difference between groups was found in FF concentrations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (a protease regulating the levels of free IGF-1 in follicles), glutathione, and in its total antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that glycogenic mixture administration creates a suitable follicular microenvironment for the conception period in dairy ewes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Chabowska-Kita, Agnieszka; Trabczynska, Anna; Korytko, Agnieszka; Kaczmarek, Monika M.; Kozak, Leslie P.
2015-01-01
The brown adipocyte phenotype (BAP) in white adipose tissue (WAT) is transiently induced in adult mammals in response to reduced ambient temperature. Since it is unknown whether a cold challenge can permanently induce brown adipocytes (BAs), we reared C57BL/6J (B6) and AxB8/PgJ (AxB8) mice at 17 or 29°C from birth to weaning, to assess the BAP in young and adult mice. Energy balance measurements showed that 17°C reduced fat mass in the preweaning mice by increasing energy expenditure and suppressed diet-induced obesity in adults. Microarray analysis of global gene expression of inguinal fat (ING) from 10-day-old (D) mice indicates that expression at 17°C vs. 29°C was not different. Between 10 and 21 days of age, the BAP was induced coincident with morphologic remodeling of ING and marked changes in expression of neural development genes (e.g., Akap 12 and Ngfr). Analyses of Ucp1 mRNA and protein showed that 17°C transiently increased the BAP in ING from 21D mice; however, BAs were unexpectedly present in mice reared at 29°C. The involution of the BAP in WAT occurred after weaning in mice reared at 23°C. Therefore, the capacity to stimulate thermogenically competent BAs in WAT is set by a temperature-independent, genetically controlled program between birth and weaning.—Chabowska-Kita, A., Trabczynska, A., Korytko, A., Kaczmarek, M. M., Kozak, L. P. Low ambient temperature during early postnatal development fails to cause a permanent induction of brown adipocytes. PMID:25896784
Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) examination characteristics of cannabis impairment.
Hartman, Rebecca L; Richman, Jack E; Hayes, Charles E; Huestis, Marilyn A
2016-07-01
The Drug Evaluation and Classification Program (DECP) is commonly utilized in driving under the influence (DUI) cases to help determine category(ies) of impairing drug(s) present in drivers. Cannabis, one of the categories, is associated with approximately doubled crash risk. Our objective was to determine the most reliable DECP metrics for identifying cannabis-driving impairment. We evaluated 302 toxicologically-confirmed (blood Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] ≥1μg/L) cannabis-only DECP cases, wherein examiners successfully identified cannabis, compared to normative data (302 non-impaired individuals). Physiological measures, pupil size/light reaction, and performance on psychophysical tests (one leg stand [OLS], walk and turn [WAT], finger to nose [FTN], Modified Romberg Balance [MRB]) were included. Cases significantly differed from controls (p<0.05) in pulse (increased), systolic blood pressure (elevated), and pupil size (dilated). Blood collection time after arrest significantly decreased THC concentrations; no significant differences were detected between cases with blood THC <5μg/L versus ≥5μg/L. The FTN best predicted cannabis impairment (sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive value, and efficiency ≥87.1%) utilizing ≥3 misses as the deciding criterion; MRB eyelid tremors produced ≥86.1% for all diagnostic characteristics. Other strong indicators included OLS sway, ≥2 WAT clues, and pupil rebound dilation. Requiring ≥2/4 of: ≥3 FTN misses, MRB eyelid tremors, ≥2 OLS clues, and/or ≥2 WAT clues produced the best results (all characteristics ≥96.7%). Blood specimens should be collected as early as possible. The frequently-debated 5μg/L blood THC per se cutoff showed limited relevance. Combined observations on psychophysical and eye exams produced the best cannabis-impairment indicators. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
McGlory, Chris; Morton, James P
2010-10-01
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of postexercise ingestion of different-molecular-weight glucose polymer solutions on subsequent high-intensity interval-running capacity. In a repeated-measures design, 6 men ran for 60 min in the morning at 70% VO2max. Immediately post- and at 1 and 2 hr postexercise, participants consumed a 15% low-molecular-weight (LMW) or high-molecular-weight (HMW) carbohydrate solution, at a rate of 1.2 g of carbohydrate/kg body mass, or an equivalent volume of flavored water (WAT). After recovery, participants performed repeated 1-min intervals at 90% VO2max interspersed with 1 min active recovery (walking) until volitional exhaustion. Throughout the 3-hr recovery period, plasma glucose concentrations were higher (p=.002) during the HMW and LMW conditions than with WAT (M 7.0±0.8, 7.5±1.0, and 5.6±0.2 mmol/L, respectively), although there was no difference (p=.723) between HMW and LMW conditions. Exercise capacity was 13 (43±10 min; 95% CI for differences: 8-18; p=.001) and 11 min (41±9 min; 95% CI for differences; 2-18: p=.016) longer with HMW and LMW solutions, respectively, than with WAT (30±9 min). There was no substantial difference (2 min; 95% CI for differences: -5 to 10; p=.709) in exercise capacity between LMW and HMW solutions. Although this magnitude of difference is most likely trivial in nature, the uncertainty allows for a possible small substantial enhancement of physiological significance, and further research is required to clarify the true nature of the effect.
Davis, Rachel A H; Halbrooks, Jacob E; Watkins, Emily E; Fisher, Gordon; Hunter, Gary R; Nagy, Tim R; Plaisance, Eric P
2017-08-01
Calorie restriction (CR) decreases adiposity, but the magnitude and defense of weight loss is less than predicted due to reductions in total daily energy expenditure (TEE). The purpose of the current investigation was to determine whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) would increase markers of sympathetic activation in white adipose tissue (WAT) and rescue CR-mediated reductions in EE to a greater extent than moderate-intensity aerobic exercise training (MIT). Thirty-two 5-wk-old male C57BL/6J mice were placed on ad libitum HFD for 11 wk, followed by randomization to one of four groups ( n = 8/group) for an additional 15 wk: 1 ) CON (remain on HFD), 2 ) CR (25% lower energy intake), 3 ) CR + HIIT (25% energy deficit created by 12.5% CR and 12.5% EE through HIIT), and 4 ) CR + MIT (25% energy deficit created by 12.5% CR and 12.5% EE through MIT). Markers of adipose thermogenesis ( Ucp1 , Prdm16 , Dio2 , and Fgf21 ) were unchanged in either exercise group in inguinal or epididymal WAT, whereas CR + HIIT decreased Ucp1 expression in retroperitoneal WAT and brown adipose tissue. HIIT rescued CR-mediated reductions in lean body mass (LBM) and resting energy expenditure (REE), and both were associated with improvements in glucose/insulin tolerance. Improvements in glucose metabolism in the CR + HIIT group appear to be linked to a molecular signature that enhances glucose and lipid storage in skeletal muscle. Exercise performed at either moderate or high intensity does not increase markers of adipose thermogenesis when performed in the presence of CR but remodels skeletal muscle metabolic and thermogenic capacity. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
3D Modeling from Multi-views Images for Cultural Heritage in Wat-Pho, Thailand
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Soontranon, N.; Srestasathiern, P.; Lawawirojwong, S.
2015-08-01
In Thailand, there are several types of (tangible) cultural heritages. This work focuses on 3D modeling of the heritage objects from multi-views images. The images are acquired by using a DSLR camera which costs around 1,500 (camera and lens). Comparing with a 3D laser scanner, the camera is cheaper and lighter than the 3D scanner. Hence, the camera is available for public users and convenient for accessing narrow areas. The acquired images consist of various sculptures and architectures in Wat-Pho which is a Buddhist temple located behind the Grand Palace (Bangkok, Thailand). Wat-Pho is known as temple of the reclining Buddha and the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. To compute the 3D models, a diagram is separated into following steps; Data acquisition, Image matching, Image calibration and orientation, Dense matching and Point cloud processing. For the initial work, small heritages less than 3 meters height are considered for the experimental results. A set of multi-views images of an interested object is used as input data for 3D modeling. In our experiments, 3D models are obtained from MICMAC (open source) software developed by IGN, France. The output of 3D models will be represented by using standard formats of 3D point clouds and triangulated surfaces such as .ply, .off, .obj, etc. To compute for the efficient 3D models, post-processing techniques are required for the final results e.g. noise reduction, surface simplification and reconstruction. The reconstructed 3D models can be provided for public access such as website, DVD, printed materials. The high accurate 3D models can also be used as reference data of the heritage objects that must be restored due to deterioration of a lifetime, natural disasters, etc.
Taylor, Julia A; Shioda, Keiko; Mitsunaga, Shino; Yawata, Shiomi; Angle, Brittany M; Nagel, Susan C; Vom Saal, Frederick S; Shioda, Toshi
2018-02-01
Exposure of mammalian fetuses to endocrine disruptors can increase the risk of adult-onset diseases. We previously showed that exposure of mouse fetuses to bisphenol A (BPA) caused adult-onset obesity. To examine roles of epigenetic changes in this delayed toxicity, we determined the effects of fetal mouse exposure to BPA on genome-wide DNA methylation and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in gonadal white adipose tissues (WATs) by deep sequencing, bisulfite pyrosequencing, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Pregnant CD-1 mice (F0) were dosed daily with 0, 5, or 500 μg/kg/d BPA during gestational days 9 to 18, and the weaned F1 animals were fed ad libitum with standard chow until they were euthanized at 19 weeks old. In the vehicle-exposed F1 animals, fggy promoter showed a clear bimodal pattern of very strong (55% to 95%) or very weak (5% to 30%) DNA methylation occurring at nearly equal incidence with no intermediate strength. Promoter hypermethylation completely suppressed mRNA expression. BPA exposure eliminated this naturally occurring dichotomy, shifting fggy promoter toward the hypomethylation state to release transcriptional suppression. The strength of Fggy mRNA expression significantly correlated with increased whole body weight and gonadal fat weight of males but not females. Bioinformatics studies showed that expression of Fggy mRNA is stronger in mouse WATs than in brown adipose tissues and enhanced in gonadal fat by diet-induced obesity. These observations suggest that prenatal exposure to BPA may disrupt the physiological bimodal nature of epigenetic regulation of fggy in mouse WATs, possibly contributing to the adult-onset obesity phenotype. Copyright © 2018 Endocrine Society.
Lecomte, Manon; Couëdelo, Leslie; Meugnier, Emmanuelle; Plaisancié, Pascale; Létisse, Marion; Benoit, Bérengère; Gabert, Laure; Penhoat, Armelle; Durand, Annie; Pineau, Gaëlle; Joffre, Florent; Géloën, Alain; Vaysse, Carole; Laugerette, Fabienne; Michalski, Marie-Caroline
2016-03-01
Enhanced adiposity and metabolic inflammation are major features of obesity that could be impacted by dietary emulsifiers. We investigated in high-fat fed mice the effects of using a new polar lipid (PL) emulsifier from milk (MPL) instead of soybean lecithin (soybean PL [SPL]) on adipose tissue and intestinal mucosa function. Four groups of C57BL6 mice received for 8 wks a low-fat (LF) diet or a high-fat diet devoid of PLs or an high-fat diet including MPL (high-fat-MPL) or SPL (high-fat-SPL). Compared with high-fat diet, high-fat-SPL diet increased white adipose tissue (WAT) mass (p < 0.05), with larger adipocytes (p < 0.05) and increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha, monochemoattractant protein-1, LPS-binding protein, and leptin (p < 0.05). This was not observed with high-fat-MPL diet despite similar dietary intakes and increased expression of fatty acid transport protein 4 and microsomal TG transfer protein, involved in lipid absorption, in upper intestine (p < 0.05). High-fat-MPL mice had a lower expression in WAT of cluster of differentiation 68, marker of macrophage infiltration, versus high-fat and high-fat-SPL mice (p < 0.05), and more goblet cells in the colon (p < 0.05). Unlike SPL, MPL in the high-fat diet did not induce WAT hypertrophy and inflammation but increased colonic goblet cells. This supports further clinical exploration of different sources of dietary emulsifiers in the frame of obesity outbreak. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Richard, Jennifer E; López-Ferreras, Lorena; Chanclón, Belén; Eerola, Kim; Micallef, Peter; Skibicka, Karolina P; Wernstedt Asterholm, Ingrid
2017-09-01
Pharmacological β 3 -adrenergic receptor (β 3 AR) activation leads to increased mitochondrial biogenesis and activity in white adipose tissue (WAT), a process commonly referred to as "browning", and transiently increased insulin release. These effects are associated with improved metabolic function and weight loss. It is assumed that this impact of β 3 AR agonists is mediated solely through activation of β 3 ARs in adipose tissue. However, β 3 ARs are also found in the brain, in areas such as the brain stem and the hypothalamus, which provide multisynaptic innervation to brown and white adipose depots. Thus, contrary to the current adipocentric view, the central nervous system (CNS) may also have the ability to regulate energy balance and metabolism through actions on central β 3 ARs. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate whether CNS β 3 ARs can regulate browning of WAT and other aspects of metabolic regulation, such as food intake control and insulin release. We found that acute central injection of β 3 AR agonist potently reduced food intake, body weight, and increased hypothalamic neuronal activity in rats. Acute central β 3 AR stimulation was also accompanied by a transient increase in circulating insulin levels. Moreover, subchronic central β 3 AR agonist treatment led to a browning response in both inguinal (IWAT) and gonadal WAT (GWAT), along with reduced GWAT and increased BAT mass. In high-fat, high-sugar-fed rats, subchronic central β 3 AR stimulation reduced body weight, chow, lard, and sucrose water intake, in addition to increasing browning of IWAT and GWAT. Collectively, our results identify the brain as a new site of action for the anorexic and browning impact of β 3 AR activation. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.
Basse, Astrid L; Dixen, Karen; Yadav, Rachita; Tygesen, Malin P; Qvortrup, Klaus; Kristiansen, Karsten; Quistorff, Bjørn; Gupta, Ramneek; Wang, Jun; Hansen, Jacob B
2015-03-19
Large mammals are capable of thermoregulation shortly after birth due to the presence of brown adipose tissue (BAT). The majority of BAT disappears after birth and is replaced by white adipose tissue (WAT). We analyzed the postnatal transformation of adipose in sheep with a time course study of the perirenal adipose depot. We observed changes in tissue morphology, gene expression and metabolism within the first two weeks of postnatal life consistent with the expected transition from BAT to WAT. The transformation was characterized by massively decreased mitochondrial abundance and down-regulation of gene expression related to mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation. Global gene expression profiling demonstrated that the time points grouped into three phases: a brown adipose phase, a transition phase and a white adipose phase. Between the brown adipose and the transition phase 170 genes were differentially expressed, and 717 genes were differentially expressed between the transition and the white adipose phase. Thirty-eight genes were shared among the two sets of differentially expressed genes. We identified a number of regulated transcription factors, including NR1H3, MYC, KLF4, ESR1, RELA and BCL6, which were linked to the overall changes in gene expression during the adipose tissue remodeling. Finally, the perirenal adipose tissue expressed both brown and brite/beige adipocyte marker genes at birth, the expression of which changed substantially over time. Using global gene expression profiling of the postnatal BAT to WAT transformation in sheep, we provide novel insight into adipose tissue plasticity in a large mammal, including identification of novel transcriptional components linked to adipose tissue remodeling. Moreover, our data set provides a useful resource for further studies in adipose tissue plasticity.
Palou, Mariona; Torrens, Juana María; Priego, Teresa; Sánchez, Juana; Palou, Andreu; Picó, Catalina
2011-06-01
We aimed to assess the lasting effects of moderate caloric restriction in lactating rats on the expression of key genes involved in energy balance of their adult offspring (CR) and their adaptations under high-fat (HF) diet. Dams were fed with either ad libitum normal-fat (NF) diet or a 30% caloric restricted diet throughout lactation. After weaning, the offspring were fed with NF diet until the age of 15 weeks and then with an NF or a HF diet until the age of 28 weeks, when they were sacrificed. Body weight and food intake were followed. Blood parameters and the expression of selected genes in hypothalamus and white adipose tissue (WAT) were analysed. CR ate fewer calories and showed lower body weight gain under HF diet than their controls. CR males were also resistant to the increase of insulin and leptin occurring in their controls under HF diet, and HF diet exposed CR females showed lower circulating fasting triglyceride levels than controls. In the hypothalamus, CR males had higher ObRb mRNA levels than controls, and CR females displayed greater InsR mRNA levels than controls and decreased neuropeptide Y mRNA levels when exposed to HF diet. CR males maintained WAT capacity of fat uptake and storage and of fatty-acid oxidation under HF diet, whereas these capacities were impaired in controls; female CR showed higher WAT ObRb mRNA levels than controls. These results suggest that 30% caloric restriction in lactating dams ameliorates diet-induced obesity in their offspring by enhancing their sensitivity to insulin and leptin signaling, but in a gender-dependent manner. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Castro, H; Pomar, C A; Picó, C; Sánchez, J; Palou, A
2015-03-01
We analyzed the effects of a short exposure to a cafeteria diet during early infancy in rats on their metabolic response to fed/fasting conditions in key tissues involved in energy homeostasis. Ten-day-old male pups were fed a control or a cafeteria diet for 12 days and then killed under ad libitum feeding conditions or 12 h fasting. The expression of key genes related to energy metabolism in liver, retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) and hypothalamus were analyzed. Despite no differences in body weight, cafeteria-fed animals had almost double the fat mass of control rats. They also showed higher food intake, higher leptinemia and altered hypothalamic expression of Neuropetide Y, suggesting a dysfunction in the control of food intake. Unlike controls, cafeteria-fed animals did not decrease WAT expression of Pparg, sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 or Cidea under fasting conditions, and displayed lower Pnpla2 expression than controls. In liver, compared with controls, cafeteria animals presented: (i) lower expression of genes related with fatty acid uptake and lipogenesis under ad libitum-fed conditions; (ii) higher expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes and glucokinase under fasting conditions; (iii) greater expression of leptin and insulin receptors; and higher protein levels of insulin receptor and the pAMPK/AMPK ratio. A short period of exposure to a cafeteria diet in early infancy in rat pups is enough to disturb the metabolic response to fed/fasting conditions in key tissues involved in energy homeostasis, particularly in WAT, and hence induces an exacerbated body fat accumulation and increased metabolic risk, with no apparent effects on body weight.
Ribas-Latre, A; Baselga-Escudero, L; Casanova, E; Arola-Arnal, A; Salvadó, M J; Arola, L; Bladé, C
2015-02-01
Circadian rhythm plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis, and its disruption increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Circadian rhythm is maintained by a central clock in the hypothalamus that is entrained by light, but circadian clocks are also present in peripheral tissues. These peripheral clocks are trained by other cues, such as diet. The aim of this study was to determine whether proanthocyanidins, the most abundant polyphenols in the human diet, modulate the expression of clock and clock-controlled genes in the liver, gut and mesenteric white adipose tissue (mWAT) in healthy and obese rats. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extracts (GSPEs) were administered for 21 days at 5, 25 or 50 mg GSPE/kg body weight in healthy rats and 25 mg GSPE/kg body weight in rats with diet-induced obesity. In healthy animals, GSPE administration led to the overexpression of core clock genes in a positive dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the acetylated BMAL1 protein ratio increased with the same pattern in the liver and mWAT. With regards to clock-controlled genes, Per2 was also overexpressed, whereas Rev-erbα and RORα were repressed in a negative dose-dependent manner. Diet-induced obesity always resulted in the overexpression of some core clock and clock-related genes, although the particular gene affected was tissue specific. GSPE administration counteracted disturbances in the clock genes in the liver and gut but was less effective in normalizing the clock gene disruption in WAT. In conclusion, proanthocyanidins have the capacity to modulate peripheral molecular clocks in both healthy and obese states. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Lynes, Matthew D.; Schulz, Tim J.; Pan, Andrew J.
2015-01-01
Insulin exerts pleiotropic effects on cell growth, survival, and metabolism, and its role in multiple tissues has been dissected using conditional knockout mice; however, its role in development has not been studied. Lineage tracing experiments have demonstrated that interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) arises from a Myf5-positive lineage shared with skeletal muscle and distinct from the majority of white adipose tissue (WAT) precursors. In this study, we sought to investigate the effects of impaired insulin signaling in the Myf5-expressing precursor cells by deleting the insulin receptor gene. Mice lacking insulin receptor in the Myf5 lineage (Myf5IRKO) have a decrease of interscapular BAT mass; however, muscle development appeared normal. Histologically, the residual BAT had decreased cell size but appeared mature and potentially functional. Expression of adipogenic inhibitors preadipocyte factor-1, Necdin, and wingless-type MMTV integration site member 10a in the residual BAT tissue was nonetheless increased compared with controls, and there was an enrichment of progenitor cells with impaired adipogenic differentiation capacity, suggesting a suppression of adipogenesis in BAT. Surprisingly, when cold challenged, Myf5IRKO mice did not show impaired thermogenesis. This resistance to cold could be attributed to an increased presence of uncoupling protein 1-positive brown adipocytes in sc WAT as well as increased expression of lipolytic activity in BAT. These data suggest a critical role of insulin signaling in the development of interscapular BAT from Myf5-positive progenitor cells, but it appears to be dispensable for muscle development. They also underscore the importance of compensatory browning of sc WAT in the absence of BAT for thermoregulation. PMID:25625589
ErbB4 deletion predisposes to development of metabolic syndrome in mice.
Zeng, Fenghua; Wang, Yinqiu; Kloepfer, Lance A; Wang, Suwan; Harris, Raymond C
2018-06-26
ErbB4, a member of the EGF receptor family, plays a variety of roles in physiologic and pathologic states. Genetic studies have indicated linkage of ErbB4 and type II diabetes and obesity, but its role in metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been reported. In the current study, we found that compared to wild-type, mice with ErbB4 deletion developed MetS after 24 weeks on a medium-fat diet (MFD) as indicated by development of obesity, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance. ErbB4 deletion mice also had increased amounts of subcutaneous and visceral fat with increased serum leptin levels, whereas levels of adiponectin were not significantly different. Histologically, severe inflammation, indicated by F4/80 immunostaining and M1 macrophage polarization, was detected in both inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) and epididymal WAT (eWAT) in ErbB4 deletion mice. ErbB4 expression decreased during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. Administration to 3T3-L1 adipocytes of NRG4, a specific ligand for ErbB4, had no effect on adipogenesis and lipolysis, but significantly inhibited lipogenesis, promoted browning, induced GLUT4 redistribution to cell membrane, and increased glucose uptake. NRG4 treatment also significantly increased glucose uptake in adipocytes isolated from wild-type mice, while those effects were significantly decreased in adipocytes isolated from ErbB4 deletion mice. In conclusion, our results indicate that ErbB4 may play an important role in glucose homeostasis and lipogenesis. ErbB4 deficiency-related obesity and adipose tissue inflammation may contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome.
Paradoxical leanness in the imprinting-centre deletion mouse model for Prader–Willi syndrome
Golding, David M; Rees, Daniel J; Davies, Jennifer R; Relkovic, Dinko; Furby, Hannah V; Guschina, Irina A; Hopkins, Anna L; Davies, Jeffrey S; Resnick, James L; Isles, Anthony R
2016-01-01
Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss of paternal gene expression from 15q11–q13, is characterised by growth retardation, hyperphagia and obesity. However, as single gene mutation mouse models for this condition display an incomplete spectrum of the PWS phenotype, we have characterised the metabolic impairment in a mouse model for ‘full’ PWS, in which deletion of the imprinting centre (IC) abolishes paternal gene expression from the entire PWS cluster. We show that PWS-ICdel mice displayed postnatal growth retardation, with reduced body weight, hyperghrelinaemia and marked abdominal leanness; proportionate retroperitoneal, epididymal/omental and inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT) weights being reduced by 82%, 84% and 67%, respectively. PWS-ICdel mice also displayed a 48% reduction in proportionate interscapular brown adipose tissue (isBAT) weight with significant ‘beiging’ of abdominal WAT, and a 2°C increase in interscapular surface body temperature. Maintenance of PWS-ICdel mice under thermoneutral conditions (30°C) suppressed the thermogenic activity in PWS-ICdel males, but failed to elevate the abdominal WAT weight, possibly due to a normalisation of caloric intake. Interestingly, PWS-ICdel mice also showed exaggerated food hoarding behaviour with standard and high-fat diets, but despite becoming hyperphagic when switched to a high-fat diet, PWS-ICdel mice failed to gain weight. This evidence indicates that, unlike humans with PWS, loss of paternal gene expression from the PWS cluster in mice results in abdominal leanness. Although reduced subcutaneous insulation may lead to exaggerated heat loss and thermogenesis, abdominal leanness is likely to arise from a reduced lipid storage capacity rather than increased energy utilisation in BAT. PMID:27799465
Paradoxical leanness in the imprinting-centre deletion mouse model for Prader-Willi syndrome.
Golding, David M; Rees, Daniel J; Davies, Jennifer R; Relkovic, Dinko; Furby, Hannah V; Guschina, Irina A; Hopkins, Anna L; Davies, Jeffrey S; Resnick, James L; Isles, Anthony R; Wells, Timothy
2017-01-01
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss of paternal gene expression from 15q11-q13, is characterised by growth retardation, hyperphagia and obesity. However, as single gene mutation mouse models for this condition display an incomplete spectrum of the PWS phenotype, we have characterised the metabolic impairment in a mouse model for 'full' PWS, in which deletion of the imprinting centre (IC) abolishes paternal gene expression from the entire PWS cluster. We show that PWS-IC del mice displayed postnatal growth retardation, with reduced body weight, hyperghrelinaemia and marked abdominal leanness; proportionate retroperitoneal, epididymal/omental and inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT) weights being reduced by 82%, 84% and 67%, respectively. PWS-IC del mice also displayed a 48% reduction in proportionate interscapular brown adipose tissue (isBAT) weight with significant 'beiging' of abdominal WAT, and a 2°C increase in interscapular surface body temperature. Maintenance of PWS-IC del mice under thermoneutral conditions (30°C) suppressed the thermogenic activity in PWS-IC del males, but failed to elevate the abdominal WAT weight, possibly due to a normalisation of caloric intake. Interestingly, PWS-IC del mice also showed exaggerated food hoarding behaviour with standard and high-fat diets, but despite becoming hyperphagic when switched to a high-fat diet, PWS-IC del mice failed to gain weight. This evidence indicates that, unlike humans with PWS, loss of paternal gene expression from the PWS cluster in mice results in abdominal leanness. Although reduced subcutaneous insulation may lead to exaggerated heat loss and thermogenesis, abdominal leanness is likely to arise from a reduced lipid storage capacity rather than increased energy utilisation in BAT. © 2017 The authors.
Lecomte, Manon; Couëdelo, Leslie; Meugnier, Emmanuelle; Loizon, Emmanuelle; Plaisancié, Pascale; Durand, Annie; Géloën, Alain; Joffre, Florent; Vaysse, Carole; Michalski, Marie-Caroline; Laugerette, Fabienne
2017-05-01
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are nutritional pathologies, characterized by a subclinical inflammatory state. Endotoxins are now well recognized as an important factor implicated in the onset and maintain of this inflammatory state during fat digestion in high-fat diet. As a preventive strategy, lipid formulation could be optimized to limit these phenomena, notably regarding fatty acid profile and PL emulsifier content. Little is known about soybean polar lipid (SPL) consumption associated to oils rich in saturated FA vs. anti-inflammatory omega-3 FA such as α-linolenic acid on inflammation and metabolic endotoxemia. We then investigated in mice the effect of different synthetic diets enriched with two different oils, palm oil or flaxseed oil and containing or devoid of SPL on adipose tissue inflammation and endotoxin receptors. In both groups containing SPL, adipose tissue (WAT) increased compared with groups devoid of SPL and an induction of MCP-1 and LBP was observed in WAT. However, only the high-fat diet in which flaxseed oil was associated with SPL resulted in both higher WAT inflammation and higher circulating sCD14 in plasma. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that LPS transporters LBP and sCD14 and adipose tissue inflammation can be modulated by SPL in high fat diets differing in oil composition. Notably high-flaxseed oil diet exerts a beneficial metabolic impact, however blunted by PL addition. Our study suggests that nutritional strategies can be envisaged by optimizing dietary lipid sources in manufactured products, including fats/oils and polar lipid emulsifiers, in order to limit the inflammatory impact of palatable foods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Jha, Pooja; Knopf, Astrid; Koefeler, Harald; Mueller, Michaela; Lackner, Carolin; Hoefler, Gerald; Claudel, Thierry; Trauner, Michael
2014-07-01
Methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet is a widely used dietary model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rodents. However, the contribution of adipose tissue to MCD-induced steatosis, and inflammation as features of NASH are not fully understood. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) metabolism, adipogenesis, lipolysis, inflammation and subsequent changes in FA profiles in serum and liver in the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis. We therefore fed ob/ob mice with control or MCD diet for 5 weeks. MCD-feeding increased adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone sensitive lipase activities in all adipose depots which may be attributed to increased systemic FGF21 levels. The highest lipase enzyme activity was exhibited by visceral WAT. Non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA)-18:2n6 was the predominantly elevated FA species in serum and liver of MCD-fed ob/ob mice, while overall serum total fatty acid (TFA) composition was reduced. In contrast, an overall increase of all FA species from TFA pool was found in liver, reflecting the combined effects of increased FA flux to liver, decreased FA oxidation and decrease in lipase activity in liver. NAFLD activity score was increased in liver, while WAT showed no changes and BAT showed even reduced inflammation. This study demonstrates a key role for adipose tissue lipases in the pathogenesis of NASH and provides a comprehensive lipidomic profiling of NEFA and TFA homeostasis in serum and liver. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights for the role of WAT in progression of MCD-induced liver injury. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Sherry, Christina L; Kim, Stephanie S; Freund, Gregory G
2009-06-01
The proinflammatory consequences of obesity are thought to be due, in part, to macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. There are, however, potential antiinflammatory consequences of obesity that include obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). Here we show that obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1RA speeds recovery from hypoxia. We found that high-fat diet-fed (HFD) mice recovered from acute hypoxia 5 times faster than normal-diet-fed (ND) mice. HFD mice had a 10-fold increase in serum IL-1RA when compared with ND mice. White adipose tissue (WAT) was a significant source of IL-RA, generating 330 +/- 77 pg/mg protein in HFD mice as compared with 15 +/- 5 pg/mg protein in ND mice. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from HFD mice showed little difference in IL-1RA production when compared with ND mice, but WAT macrophages from HFD mice generated 11-fold more IL-1RA than those from ND mice. When ND mice were given an ip transfer of the stromal vascular fraction portion of WAT from HFD mice, serum IL-1RA increased 836% and recovery from acute hypoxia was faster than in mice that did not receive a stromal vascular fraction transfer. To determine whether IL-1RA was important to this accelerated recovery, ND mice were administered exogenous IL-1RA prior to hypoxia, and their recovery matched that of HFD mice. Inversely, when IL-1RA was immunoabsorbed in HFD mice with IL-1RA antiserum, recovery from acute hypoxia was attenuated. Taken together these data demonstrate that HFD-induced obesity speeds recovery from hypoxia due to obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1RA.
Sherry, Christina L.; Kim, Stephanie S.; Freund, Gregory G.
2009-01-01
The proinflammatory consequences of obesity are thought to be due, in part, to macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. There are, however, potential antiinflammatory consequences of obesity that include obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). Here we show that obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1RA speeds recovery from hypoxia. We found that high-fat diet-fed (HFD) mice recovered from acute hypoxia 5 times faster than normal-diet-fed (ND) mice. HFD mice had a 10-fold increase in serum IL-1RA when compared with ND mice. White adipose tissue (WAT) was a significant source of IL-RA, generating 330 ± 77 pg/mg protein in HFD mice as compared with 15 ± 5 pg/mg protein in ND mice. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from HFD mice showed little difference in IL-1RA production when compared with ND mice, but WAT macrophages from HFD mice generated 11-fold more IL-1RA than those from ND mice. When ND mice were given an ip transfer of the stromal vascular fraction portion of WAT from HFD mice, serum IL-1RA increased 836% and recovery from acute hypoxia was faster than in mice that did not receive a stromal vascular fraction transfer. To determine whether IL-1RA was important to this accelerated recovery, ND mice were administered exogenous IL-1RA prior to hypoxia, and their recovery matched that of HFD mice. Inversely, when IL-1RA was immunoabsorbed in HFD mice with IL-1RA antiserum, recovery from acute hypoxia was attenuated. Taken together these data demonstrate that HFD-induced obesity speeds recovery from hypoxia due to obesity-associated up-regulation of IL-1RA. PMID:19213834
Palmer Amaranth Identification and Documentation of Herbicide Resistance in Argentina
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Palmer amaranth (Amaranthuspalmeri S. Wats.) has greatly disrupted agricultural practices in the US with its rapid growth and rapid evolution of herbicide resistance. This weed species is now suspected in Argentina. To document whether the suspected plant populations are indeed Palmer amaranth, mo...
Appilications of National Wetland Condition Assessment Data to Wetland Protection and Management
The first National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) was conducted in 2011 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and its federal and state partners, using a survey design allowing extrapolation of results to national and regional scales. Vegetation, algae, soil, wat...
Lesquerella seed and oil yield response to split-applied N fertilizer
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Agronomic management information is critical for successfully commercial production of new crops such as lesquerella [lesquerella ferndleri Gray (Wats.)]. Response of lesquerella to six nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates under well-watered and water-stressed treatments were studied in irrigated desert co...
WATERSHED MANIPULATION PROJECT: QUALITY ASSURANCE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR 1986-1989
The Watershed Manipulation Project (WMP) was implemented by EPA to: identify and quantify the relative importance of various processes in controlling surface water acidification with particular emphasis on the role of sulfate adsorption and base cation supply in the long-term wat...
ESTIMATES OF ENDEMIC WATERBORNE ILLNESS FROM COMMUNITY INTERVENTION STUDIES
The nature and magnitude of endemic waterborne disease are not well characterized in the
United States. Epidemiologic studies of various designs can provide an estimate of the
waterborne attributable risk along with other types of information. Community drinking wat...
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), a non-chemical alternative to methyl bromide (MB) fumigation developed in Japan and the Netherlands, can control soilborne pathogens and nematodes in strawberries and vegetables. To optimize ASD for California strawberries, field experiments were conducted in Wat...
Kim, Kyoung-Han; Kim, Yun Hye; Son, Joe Eun; Lee, Ju Hee; Kim, Sarah; Choe, Min Seon; Moon, Joon Ho; Zhong, Jian; Fu, Kiya; Lenglin, Florine; Yoo, Jeong-Ah; Bilan, Philip J; Klip, Amira; Nagy, Andras; Kim, Jae-Ryong; Park, Jin Gyoon; Hussein, Samer Mi; Doh, Kyung-Oh; Hui, Chi-Chung; Sung, Hoon-Ki
2017-11-01
Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders.
Kim, Kyoung-Han; Kim, Yun Hye; Son, Joe Eun; Lee, Ju Hee; Kim, Sarah; Choe, Min Seon; Moon, Joon Ho; Zhong, Jian; Fu, Kiya; Lenglin, Florine; Yoo, Jeong-Ah; Bilan, Philip J; Klip, Amira; Nagy, Andras; Kim, Jae-Ryong; Park, Jin Gyoon; Hussein, Samer MI; Doh, Kyung-Oh; Hui, Chi-chung; Sung, Hoon-Ki
2017-01-01
Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders. PMID:29039412
Plantago lanceolata L. leaves prevent obesity in C57BL/6 J mice fed a high-fat diet.
Yoshida, Taiji; Rikimaru, Kazuhiro; Sakai, Miho; Nishibe, Sansei; Fujikawa, Takahiko; Tamura, Yoshifumi
2013-01-01
The highly abundant and widely dispersed plant Plantago lanceolata L. (narrow leaf or English plantain) has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes since ancient times. Here, we investigated the anti-obesity effects of P. lanceolata leaf powder (shortly PL) when fed to male C57BL/6 J mice. Addition of PL to a high-fat diet did not affect food intake but significantly reduced food efficiency, suppressed body weight gain and visceral fat accumulation, and reduced serum free-fatty acid and glucose levels. PL-fed mice exhibited marked increases in HSL, Adrd3 and Cpt2 mRNA levels, and significant decreases in Fas transcripts in epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT). These findings suggest that dietary PL exerts anti-obesity effects by stimulating metabolism throughout visceral fat tissue by activating lipolysis, accelerating fatty acid β-oxidation and suppressing fatty acid synthase in WAT. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of anti-obesity substances derived from a Plantago species.
Cui, Peixin; Wang, Yu; Chu, Wangsheng; Guo, Xiaoyun; Yang, Feifei; Yu, Meijuan; Zhao, Haifeng; Dong, Yuhui; Xie, Yaning; Gong, Weimin; Wu, Ziyu
2014-12-12
Peptide deformylase (PDF) is a prokaryotic enzyme that catalyzes the deformylation of nascent peptides generated during protein synthesis and water molecules play a key role in these hydrolases. Using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) and ab initio calculations we accurately probe the local atomic environment of the metal ion binding in the active site of PDF at different pH values and with different metal ions. This new approach is an effective way to monitor existing correlations among functions and structural changes. We show for the first time that the enzymatic activity depends on pH values and metal ions via the bond length of the nearest coordinating water (Wat1) to the metal ion. Combining experimental and theoretical data we may claim that PDF exhibits an enhanced enzymatic activity only when the distance of the Wat1 molecule with the metal ion falls in the limited range from 2.15 to 2.55 Å.
Exploratory Studies on Biomarkers: An Example Study on Brown Adipose Tissue
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Watanabe, Masahiro; Yamazaki, Naoshi; Kataoka, Masatoshi; Shinohara, Yasuo
In mammals, two kinds of adipose tissue are known to exist, i.e., white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissue. The physiological role of WAT is storage of excess energy as fat, whereas that of BAT is the expenditure of excess energy as heat. The uncoupling protein UCP1, which is specifically expressed in brown fat mitochondria, dissipates the proton electrochemical potential across the inner mitochondrial membrane, known as a driving force of ATP synthesis, and thus it dissipates excess energy in a form of heat. Because deficiency in effective expenditure of excess energy causes accumulation of this energy in the form of fat (i.e., obesity), it is very important to understand the energy metabolism in this tissue for the development of anti-obesity drugs. In this article, in addition to providing a brief introduction to the functional properties of BAT and UCP1, the results of our exploratory studies on protein components involved in the energy-dissipating function in BAT.
Regulation of lipid metabolism by energy availability: a role for the central nervous system.
Nogueiras, R; López, M; Diéguez, C
2010-03-01
The central nervous system (CNS) is crucial in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Many neuroanatomical studies have shown that the white adipose tissue (WAT) is innervated by the sympathetic nervous system, which plays a critical role in adipocyte lipid metabolism. Therefore, there are currently numerous reports indicating that signals from the CNS control the amount of fat by modulating the storage or oxidation of fatty acids. Importantly, some CNS pathways regulate adipocyte metabolism independently of food intake, suggesting that some signals possess alternative mechanisms to regulate energy homeostasis. In this review, we mainly focus on how neuronal circuits within the hypothalamus, such as leptin- ghrelin-and resistin-responsive neurons, as well as melanocortins, neuropeptide Y, and the cannabinoid system exert their actions on lipid metabolism in peripheral tissues such as WAT, liver or muscle. Dissecting the complicated interactions between peripheral signals and neuronal circuits regulating lipid metabolism might open new avenues for the development of new therapies preventing and treating obesity and its associated cardiometabolic sequelae.
Cysteine cathepsin S processes leptin, inactivating its biological activity.
Oliveira, Marcela; Assis, Diego M; Paschoalin, Thaysa; Miranda, Antonio; Ribeiro, Eliane B; Juliano, Maria A; Brömme, Dieter; Christoffolete, Marcelo Augusto; Barros, Nilana M T; Carmona, Adriana K
2012-08-01
Leptin is a 16 kDa hormone mainly produced by adipocytes that plays an important role in many biological events including the regulation of appetite and energy balance, atherosclerosis, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, the immune response, and inflammation. The search for proteolytic enzymes capable of processing leptin prompted us to investigate the action of cysteine cathepsins on human leptin degradation. In this study, we observed high cysteine peptidase expression and hydrolytic activity in white adipose tissue (WAT), which was capable of degrading leptin. Considering these results, we investigated whether recombinant human cysteine cathepsins B, K, L, and S were able to degrade human leptin. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that among the tested enzymes, cathepsin S exhibited the highest catalytic activity on leptin. Furthermore, using a Matrigel assay, we observed that the leptin fragments generated by cathepsin S digestion did not exhibit angiogenic action on endothelial cells and were unable to inhibit food intake in Wistar rats after intracerebroventricular administration. Taken together, these results suggest that cysteine cathepsins may be putative leptin activity regulators in WAT.
Wilson, B E; Deeb, S; Florant, G L
1992-02-01
White adipose tissue (WAT) and plasma samples were obtained from yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) throughout the year. Mean plasma triacylglycerol (TG), free fatty acids (FFAs), and glycerol were determined. There was a clear increase in FFAs and decrease in mean TG and glycerol during the hibernation period when animals were fasting, suggesting increased lipolysis. RNA was isolated from WAT biopsies at four times in the year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. There were significant changes in the relative levels of mRNA for lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) during the body mass cycle of the marmot. The relative levels of LPL mRNA are high during the mass gain phase of the year and that of HSL mRNA are high during the fasting period when endogenous lipid is utilized. These results suggest that the genes for LPL and HSL are regulated seasonally to control the adipose mass depot in marmots.
LRS2: A New Integral Field Spectrograph for the HET
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tuttle, Sarah E.; Hill, Gary J.; Chonis, Taylor S.; Tonnesen, Stephanie
2016-01-01
Here we present LRS2 (Low Resolution Spectrograph) and highlight early science opportunities with the newly upgraded Hobby Eberly telescope (HET). LRS2 is a four-channel optical wavelength (370nm - 1micron) spectrograph based on two VIRUS unit spectrographs. This fiber-fed integral field spectrograph covers a 12" x 6" field of view, switched between the two units (one blue, and one red) at R~2000. We highlight design elements, including the fundamental modification to grisms (from VPH gratings in VIRUS) to access the higher resolution. We discuss early science opportunities, including investigating nearby "blue-bulge" spiral galaxies and their anomalous star formation distribution.
Relationship between disease-specific structures of amyloid fibrils and their mechanical properties
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yoon, Gwonchan; Kab Kim, Young; Eom, Kilho; Na, Sungsoo
2013-01-01
It has recently been reported that the mechanical behavior of prion nanofibrils may play a critical role in expression of neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, we have studied the mechanical behavior of HET-s prion nanofibrils using an elastic network model. We have shown that the mechanical properties of prion nanofibrils formed as left-handed β-helices are different from those of non-prion nanofibrils formed as right-handed β-helices. In particular, the bending behavior of prion nanofibrils depends on the length of the nanofibril and that the bending rigidity of the prion nanofibril is larger than that of the non-prion nanofibril.
Proof-of-Concept of a Millimeter-Wave Integrated Heterogeneous Network for 5G Cellular
Okasaka, Shozo; Weiler, Richard J.; Keusgen, Wilhelm; Pudeyev, Andrey; Maltsev, Alexander; Karls, Ingolf; Sakaguchi, Kei
2016-01-01
The fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) will not only enhance mobile broadband services, but also enable connectivity for a massive number of Internet-of-Things devices, such as wireless sensors, meters or actuators. Thus, 5G is expected to achieve a 1000-fold or more increase in capacity over 4G. The use of the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum is a key enabler to allowing 5G to achieve such enhancement in capacity. To fully utilize the mmWave spectrum, 5G is expected to adopt a heterogeneous network (HetNet) architecture, wherein mmWave small cells are overlaid onto a conventional macro-cellular network. In the mmWave-integrated HetNet, splitting of the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) will allow continuous connectivity and increase the capacity of the mmWave small cells. mmWave communication can be used not only for access linking, but also for wireless backhaul linking, which will facilitate the installation of mmWave small cells. In this study, a proof-of-concept (PoC) was conducted to demonstrate the practicality of a prototype mmWave-integrated HetNet, using mmWave technologies for both backhaul and access. PMID:27571074
Proof-of-Concept of a Millimeter-Wave Integrated Heterogeneous Network for 5G Cellular.
Okasaka, Shozo; Weiler, Richard J; Keusgen, Wilhelm; Pudeyev, Andrey; Maltsev, Alexander; Karls, Ingolf; Sakaguchi, Kei
2016-08-25
The fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) will not only enhance mobile broadband services, but also enable connectivity for a massive number of Internet-of-Things devices, such as wireless sensors, meters or actuators. Thus, 5G is expected to achieve a 1000-fold or more increase in capacity over 4G. The use of the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum is a key enabler to allowing 5G to achieve such enhancement in capacity. To fully utilize the mmWave spectrum, 5G is expected to adopt a heterogeneous network (HetNet) architecture, wherein mmWave small cells are overlaid onto a conventional macro-cellular network. In the mmWave-integrated HetNet, splitting of the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) will allow continuous connectivity and increase the capacity of the mmWave small cells. mmWave communication can be used not only for access linking, but also for wireless backhaul linking, which will facilitate the installation of mmWave small cells. In this study, a proof-of-concept (PoC) was conducted to demonstrate the practicality of a prototype mmWave-integrated HetNet, using mmWave technologies for both backhaul and access.
Zhou, Rui; Lu, Yi; Han, Yong; Li, Xia; Lou, Huifang; Zhu, Liya; Zhen, Xuechu; Duan, Shumin
2015-12-03
Mutations in cathepsin D (CTSD), an aspartic protease in the endosomal-lysosomal system, underlie congenital neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (cNCL, also known as CLN10), a devastating neurodegenerative disease. CLN10 patients die within the first few days of life, and in the few patients who live into adulthood psychopathological symptoms have not been reported. Extensive neuropathology and altered neurotransmission have been reported in CTSD-deficient mice; however signs of neuropsychiatric behavior in these mice are not well characterized due to the severe movement disorder and premature death of the animal. In the present study, we show that heterozygous CTSD-deficient (CTSD HET) mice display an overall behavioral profile that is similar to human mania, including hyperlocomotion, d-amphetamine-induced hyperactivity, sleep-disturbance, and reduced anxiety-like behavior. However, under stressful conditions CTSD HET mice manifest depressive-like behavior, including anhedonia, behavioral despair, and enhanced learned helplessness. Chronic administration of lithium chloride or valproic acid, two clinically effective mood stabilizers, reverses the majority of these behavioral abnormalities. In addition, CTSD HET mice display stress-induced hypersecretion of corticosterone. These findings suggest an important role for CTSD in the regulation of mood stabilization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters
De facto reuse is the percentage of drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) intake potentially composed of effluent discharged from upstream wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Results from grab samples and a De Facto Reuse in our Nation's Consumable Supply (DRINCS) geospatial wat...
Employee Retention: A Challenge of the Nineties.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zeiss, Tony
1990-01-01
Considers ways in which community colleges can help employers implement programs to improve the work environment and retain trained workers. Presents a model for employee retention that has worked effectively in Pueblo, Colorado. Describes Pueblo Community College's cooperative program with the Wats Marketing Group to help reduce employee…
Modeling runoff generation in a small snow-dominated mountainous catchment
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Snowmelt in mountainous areas is an important contributor to river water flows in the western United States. We developed a distributed model that calculates solar radiation, canopy energy balance, surface energy balance, snow pack dynamics, soil water flow, snow–soil–bedrock heat exchange, soil wat...
Satellite remote sensing provides synoptic and frequent monitoring of water quality parameters that aids in determining the health of aquatic ecosystems and the development of effective management strategies. Northwest Florida estuaries are classified as optically-complex, or wat...
ASR Application in Climate Change Adaptation: The Need, Issues and Research Focus
This presentation will focus on four key points: (a) Aquifer storage and recovery: a long-held practice offering a potential tool for climate change adaptation, (b) The drivers: 1) hydrological perturbations related to climate change, 2) water imbalance in both Qand Vbetween wat...
Humans or Animals? Global March of the Resistant Microbe
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Antimicrobial resistance continues to be a global problem. Pathogens are global regardless of whether they are food borne or not. An example of an early century pathogen is Vibrio cholera and related species. Vibrio were primarily associated with water sources and foodstuffs contaminated with wat...
OPERATION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
The quality of drinking water can change between the discharge from the treatment plant and the point of consumption. In order to study these changes in a systematic manner a Cooperative Agreement was initiated between EPA's Drinking Water Research Division and the North Penn Wat...
MEASURE OCCURRENCE AND EXPOSURE TO WATERBORNE HUMAN VIRUSES
Waterborne outbreaks of virus origin occur at frequencies which require action on the part of the Agency. Yet outbreaks may represent a small fraction of the waterborne disease burden in the U.S. Several recent studies suggest that about 20% of the surface and ground source wat...
Ammonia emissions from cattle feeding operations.
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Ammonia is a colorless gas with an pungent odor that occurs naturally in trace amounts in the atmosphere, where it is the dominant base. Ammonia is produced during the decomposition of livestock manure. There is concern about atmospheric ammonia because of its potential effects on air quality, wat...
A comparison of precision mobile drip irrigation, LESA and LEPA
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Precision mobile drip irrigation (PMDI) is a surface drip irrigation system fitted onto moving sprinkler systems that applies water through the driplines as they are dragged across the field. This application method can conserve water by limiting runoff, and reducing evaporative losses since the wat...
The two water worlds hypothesis: Addressing multiple working hypotheses and proposing a way forward
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Recent studies using water isotopes have shown that trees and streams appear to return distinct water pools to the hydrosphere. Cryogenically extracted plant and soil water isotopic signatures diverge from the Meteoric Water Lines (MWL), suggesting that plants would preferentially use bound soil wat...
On the Implications of aerosol liquid water and phase separation for modeled organic aerosol mass
Current chemical transport models assume that organic aerosol (OA)-forming compounds partition mostly to a water-poor, organic-rich phase in accordance with their vapor pressures. However, in the southeast United States, a significant fraction of ambient organic compounds are wat...
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The expanding number and global distributions of herbicide resistant weedy species threaten food, feed, fiber and bioproduct sustainability and agroecosystem longevity. Amongst the most competitive weeds, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats has rapidly evolved increased resistance to glyphosate primarily th...
Bacteriophages are likely the most abundant entities in the aquatic environment, yet knowledge of their ecology is limited. During a fecal source-tracking study, two genetically novel Leviviridae strains were discovered. Although the novel strains were isolated from coastal wat...
Water quality threats associated with using phosphate-based amendments to remediate Pb-contaminated soils are a concern, particularly in riparian areas. This study investigated the effects of P application rates to a Pb-contaminated alluvial soil on Pb and P loss via surface wat...