Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effects of vildagliptin on incretin hormone levels, islet function, and postprandial glucose control in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Research Design and Methods: A 12-week double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study comparing vildagliptin (50 mg qd) and placebo was conducted in 179 subjects with IGT (2-h glucose= 9.1 mmol/l

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the ways in which food companies can work with branding to perform better in the market. The authors achieve this purpose by comparing how different managers of food brands prioritise and evaluate their brands, in relation to a theoretical ideal framework. Design/methodology/approach - A survey of 77 managers of domestic and int

A carbon nanotube forest provides a unique non-stick surface for nanomanipulation, as the nanostructuring of the surface allows micro- and nanoscale objects to be easily removed after first being deposited via a liquid dispersion. A common problem for smooth surfaces is the strong initial stiction caused by adhesion forces after deposition onto the surface. In this work, carbon nanotube forests fa

We have grown highly crystalline beta-FeSe type iron chalcogenide nanowires (NWs) by annealing thin film that is prepared by a pulsed laser deposition method. Three kinds of NWs with compositions of Fe0.8Se, Fe0.88Se0.32Te0.68 and Fe0.88Te0.91S0.09 have been prepared and carefully characterized by a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The NWs reveal ideal tetragonal structure

Trope theory is the view that the world is a world of abstract particular qualities. But if all there is are tropes, how do we account for the truth of propositions ostensibly made true by some concrete particular? A common answer is that concrete particulars are nothing but tropes in compresence. This answer seems vulnerable to an argument (first presented by F. H. Bradley) according to which any

The dissociation dynamics induced by a 100 fs, 400 nm laser pulse in a rotationally cold Br-2 sample was characterized by Coulomb explosion imaging (CEI) using a time-delayed extreme ultra-violet (XUV) FEL pulse, obtained from the Free electron LASer in Hamburg (FLASH). The momentum distribution of atomic fragments resulting from the 400 nm-induced dissociation was measured with a velocity map ima

Background: To explore the point prevalence of the risk of malnutrition and the targeting of nutritional interventions in relation to undernutrition risk and hospital volume. Methods: A cross-sectional survey performed in nine hospitals including 2 170 (82.8%) patients that agreed to participate. The hospitals were divided into large, middle, and small sized hospitals. Undernutrition risk and over

In contrast to mature cardiomyocytes which have limited regenerative capacity, pluripotent stem cells represent a promising source for the generation of new cardiomyocytes. The tendency of pluripotent stem cells to form teratomas and the heterogeneity fromvarious differentiation stages and cardiomyocyte cell sub-types, however, are major obstacles to overcome before this type of therapy could be a

Background: Tracking small migrant organisms worldwide has been hampered by technological and recovery limitations and sampling bias inherent in exogenous markers. Naturally occurring stable isotopes of H (delta H-2) in feathers provide an alternative intrinsic marker of animal origin due to the predictable spatial linkage to underlying hydrologically driven flow of H isotopes into foodwebs. This

Aim. To develop a patient questionnaire specific to intrapartal care, based on the theoretical foundation of the general instrument Quality from the Patient's Perspective (QPP). Background. Existing general patient questionnaires do not take intrapartal care aspects fully into account, and available intrapartal-specific patient questionnaires tend to have a weak theoretical foundation. Design. A c

Background: Many laboratories offer glycemic index (GI) services. Objective: We assessed the performance of the method used to measure GI. Design: The GI of cheese-puffs and fruit-leather (centrally provided) was measured in 28 laboratories (n = 311 subjects) by using the FAO/WHO method. The laboratories reported the results of their calculations and sent the raw data for recalculation centrally.

This study evaluates whether the use of an acceleration advisor leads to fuel savings, to determine the change in traffic-related emissions and to analyse changes in driving patterns on various routes. The acceleration advisor provides advice to drivers through resistance in the accelerator pedal when they try to accelerate rapidly. In a test carried out in Southern Sweden, the acceleration adviso

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are highly immunosuppressive myeloid cells, which increase in cancer patients. The molecular mechanism behind their generation and function is unclear. Whereas granulocytic-MDSCs correlate with poor overall survival in breast cancer, the presence and relevance of monocytic-MDSCs (Mo-MDSCs) is unknown. Here we report for the first time an enrichment of funct

Polymorphisms near the IL28B gene, which code for interferon (IFN)-lambda 3, predict response to pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin treatment in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infected patients. Follow-up studies of the effect of IL28B gene in HCV non-genotype 1 infected patients have almost always used predominantly HCV genotype 2-infected or mixed genotype 2/3-infected cohort