Lipotoxicity is a presumed pathogenetic process whereby elevated circulating and stored lipids in Type 2 Diabetes cause pancreatic β-cell failure. To resolve the underlying molecular mechanisms, we exposed clonal INS-1 832/13 β-cells to palmitate for 48 h. We observed elevated basal insulin secretion but impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in palmitate-exposed cells. Glucose utilization

Shielding, coincidence, and time-of-flight measurement techniques are employed to tag fast neutrons emitted from an (241)Am/(9)Be source resulting in a continuous polychromatic energy-tagged beam of neutrons with energies up to 7MeV. The measured energy structure of the beam agrees qualitatively with both previous measurements and theoretical calculations.

The primary Moraxella catarrha/is-specific humoral immune response, and its association with nasopharyngeal colonization, was studied in a cohort of infants from birth to 2 years of age. Results indicated that the levels of antigen-specific IgG, IgA and IgM showed extensive inter-individual variability over time, with IgM and IgA levels to all 9 recombinant domains, from 7 different OMPs, being re

Prior work demonstrated increased levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the bladder following outlet obstruction, associated with bladder growth and fibrosis. Here we hypothesized that HIF induction in outlet obstruction also switches energetic support of contraction from mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis. To address this hypothesis, we created infravesical outlet obstruction in

A method for simultaneous measurements of fluorescence lifetimes of two species along a line is described. The experimental setup is based on picosecond laser pulses from two tunable optical parametric generator/optical parametric amplifier systems together with a streak camera. With an appropriate optical time delay between the two laser pulses, whose wavelengths are tuned to excite two different

The secondary motion induced by flow through curves and bifurcations has been subject to investigation over long time due to its importance in physiological and technological applications. In contrast to the flow in a straight pipe, curvature leads to the formation of secondary flow which is often unsteady. Streamline curvature occurs also in bifurcating pipes leading to some corresponding seconda

First, to evaluate the ability of a short dietary questionnaire (SDQ) to estimate energy intake (EI) on group and individual levels compared with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly labelled water method. Second, to compare the SDQ's performance in estimating energy, nutrient and food intakes with a sixty-six-item FFQ used in large-scale Swedish epidemiological research.

We analysed 12 years of data on the spring migration of the common toad Bufo bufo L. to breeding ponds across 25 locations in Derbyshire, UK, to determine factors influencing the number of toads active per night. We also tested whether the timing of spring migration is predicted by annual variation in temperature or precipitation. More toads migrate in warmer temperatures and as the moon waxes, wh

The N-terminal catalytic module of beta-mannanase TrMan5A from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is classified into family 5 of glycoside hydrolases. It is further classified in clan A with a (beta/alpha)(8) barrel configuration and has two catalytic glutamates (E169 and E276). It has at least five other residues conserved in family 5. Sequence alignment revealed that an arginine (R171 in

Background: An MZ phenotype alpha-1 antitrypsin [AAT] deficiency and fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS] patient participated in a trial with AAT-intravenous augmentationtherapy [AAT-IV-AT] after failure of conventional therapeutic measures. Three quadricep biopsies were performed at different stages. The first one showed large aggregates of AAT and ubiquitin in myocytes and blood vessels, and moderate mu

The differentiation of skeletal tissue phenotypes is partly regulated by mechanical forces. This mechanoregulatory aspect of tissue differentiation has been the subject of many experimental and computational investigations. However, little is known about what factors promoted the emergence of mechanoregulated tissue differentiation in evolution, even though mechanoregulated tissue differentiation,

In this study, direct electron transfer (ET) has been achieved between an immobilised non-symbiotic plant haemoglobin class II from Beta vulgaris (nsBvHb2) and three different screen-printed carbon electrodes based on graphite (SPCE), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-SPCE), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT-SPCE) without the aid of any electron mediator. The nsBvHb2 modified electrodes

Microalbuminuria is an established marker of systemic endothelial dysfunction, which for patients with diabetes signals an increased risk of both diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular complications. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of microalbuminuria is important in the quest of finding new approaches to treat patients with diabetes. Direct acute effects of episodes of hyperglycaemia

Background: Rising serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical prostatectomy are indicative of recurrent prostate cancer. This double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study evaluated the anti-tumour activity of the anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibody adecatumumab in delaying biochemical disease progression. Patients and Methods: Prostate cancer patients with

There is a “puzzle” in the literature on the intergenerational transmission of schooling, where twin studies emphasize the importance of fathers’ schooling, whereas IV-studies often emphasize the importance of mothers. We provide new evidence on this “puzzle” using register based Swedish data on the largest sample of twins used so far in the literature. In contrast to previous twin studies, our re

The asymptotic limit of a bicontraction T (that is, a pair of commuting contractions) on a Hilbert space H is used to describe a Nagy–Foiaş–Langer type decomposition of T. This decomposition is refined in the case when the asymptotic limit of T is an orthogonal projection. The case of a bicontraction T consisting of hyponormal (even quasinormal) contractions is also considered, where we have ST∗=S

In this paper, we report experimentally and theoretically a surface photocatalysis reaction of 4-aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) on Au, Ag, and Cu colloids. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SEAS) spectra of PATP on Au and Cu colloids are significantly different from the normal Raman spectrum of PATP powder. Quantum chemical calculations reveal that PATP on Au and Cu co

In the present work we have selected a collection of statistical and mathematical tools useful for the exploration of multivariate data and we present them in a form that is meant to be particularly accessible to a classically trained mathematician. We give self contained and streamlined introductions to principal component analysis, multidimensional scaling and statistical hypothesis testing. Wit

The ROAdmap for MEntal health Research in Europe project aimed to create an integrated European roadmap for mental health research. Leading mental health research experts across Europe have formulated consensus-based recommendations for future research within the public mental health field.