Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 and Browning of White Adipose Tissue

Interest has been focused on differentiating anatomical, molecular, and physiological characteristics of the types of mammalian adipose tissues. White adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) are the two main forms of adipose tissue in humans. WAT functions as an endocrine organ and serves as a reservoir of energy in the form of triglycerides. The hormones released by WAT are called adipokines. BAT consists of a group of specialized cells with abundant uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in the inner mitochondrial membrane and also fulfills endocrine functions. Following the identification of functional (BAT) in human adults, there has been a great deal of interest in finding out how it is induced, its localization, and the mechanisms by which it regulates thermogenesis. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a key regulator of the differentiation to brown adipocytes. The main mechanisms occur through enhancing UCP1 expression. In addition, following exposure to cold or exercise, FGF21 induces upregulation of local peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator (PGC)-1-alfa and thus promotes thermogenesis in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. FGF21 integrates several pathways allowing the regulation of human energy balance, glucose levels, and lipid metabolism. Such mechanisms and their clinical relevance are summarized in this review

Proyecto Xplora Dispositivo inteligente de exploración y recolección de datos, fotos y videos Documento Propuesta de Ponencia en COMPDES 2014

En el presente documento se expone una vista general del Proyecto Xplora, el cual fue desarrollado por 4 estudiantes de la carrera de Ingeniería de Sistemas Informáticos de la Universidad de El Salvador, Facultad Multidisciplinaria Paracentral en 2013-2014. Se inicia con un pequeño marco teórico que resume la información y parámetros que como equipo desarrollador fue necesario conocer para solventar la problemática que fue encontrada a través de la Investigación Aplicativa que fue la Metodología de Trabajo seguida por el equipo. Luego de esto se inicia la descripción tanto de los materiales físicos como las herramientas software que se implementaron para construir el prototipo, la explicación de cómo se implementó y de las pruebas realizadas. Para finalizar mencionar que adjunto a este documento, están videos y fotografías de las pruebas realizadas; pues el Proyecto Xplora no se planea dejar al nivel actual de desarrollo si no que está en constante actualización a fin que se complete la autonomía del dispositivo en comunicación y navegació

Sustratos alternativos para la producción de plántulas de tomate de cáscara (Physalis ixocarpa Brot.) en Chiapas

The present project aimed to evaluate the effect of different alternative substrates during the emergence and growth of Physalis ixocarpa Brot. obtained in root trays, under shadow mesh conditions. The research took place in Cintalapa, Chiapas. The substrates employed were T1 cosmopeat as master sample, T2 earthworm humus, T3 sawdust of Pinus Oocarpa and T4 compost. The treatments were stablished with a completely random design with four repetitions, sowing 50 seeds for each repetition in unicel trays. The variables of this study were analyzed by median comparison (El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto de distintos sustratos alternativos en la emergencia y crecimiento de Physalis ixocarpa Brot. obtenidos en cepellón, bajo condiciones de malla sombra. La investigación se llevó a cabo en el municipio de Cintalapa, Chiapas. Los sustratos empleados fueron T1 cosmopeat usado como testigo, T2 humus de lombriz, T3 aserrín de Pinus oocarpa y T4 composta. Los tratamientos se establecieron bajo un diseño completamente al azar con cuatro repeticiones, sembrándose 50 semillas por cada repetición en bandejas de unicel. Las variables de estudio fueron sometidas a un análisis de comparación de medias

Barriers to Lose Weight from the Perspective of Children with Overweight/Obesity and Their Parents: A Sociocultural Approach

Introduction. There are not enough studies about the barriers to lose weight from the perspective of children and their parents. Methods. Children and adolescents diagnosed with overweight/obesity in the Department of Endocrinology and their parents were invited to participate in a series of focus group discussions (FGD). Twenty-nine children 10–16 years old and 22 parents participated in 7 focus groups; 2 mothers and 2 adolescents participated in depth interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through grounded theory. Results. Parents went to the hospital only when their children presented any obesity complication; for them, overweight was not a health problem. Parents referred to lack of time to supervise about a healthy diet and exercise; besides, the same parents, relatives, friends, and the mass media encourage the consumption of junk food. Children accepted eating a lot, not doing exercise, skipping meals, and not understanding overweight consequences. Both, parents and children, demanded support to do the time recommended for exercise inside the schools. They also suggested getting information from schools and mass media (TV) about overweight consequences, exercise, and healthy food by health workers; they recommended prohibiting announcements about junk food and its sale. Conclusions. The barriers detected were lack of perception of being overweight, its identification as a disease and its consequences, lack of time to supervise a healthy lifestyle, and a big social influence to eat junk food

Composición morfológica y rendimientos de maíces nativos sin uso de agroquímicos en Chiapas, México

The objective of this study was to characterize the morphological composition of five populations of native maize and estimate their yields using agricultural practices without the use of agrochemicals. The study conducted in 2021, in the municipality of Cintalapa, Chiapas, within the experimental field of the Regional Academic Center of the Antonio Narro Autonomous Agrarian University. The five populations of native maize were provided by farmers from different regions of the state, with prior informed consent. The Agricultural practices consisted of using plant extracts and potassium soap with neem extract (Azadirachta indica) to prevent and combat pests. For fertilization, Californian red earthworm (Eisenia foetida) leachate and bat guano were applied in their commercial presentation. Morphological characters were evaluated with a descriptive statistical analysis considering days to male and female flowering, plant and ear height ear length and diameter, number of rows per ear and number of kernels per row. Grain yield was estimated by the weight of the ear harvested from a random sample of 20 plants per population. Numerical differences of the studied variables were identified, which demonstrates an existing genetic diversity. The populations with the highest yields were Campeón and Olotillo, with 5.37 and 4.4 ton ha-1 (± 1.24), respectively. The data provide information to design native maize conservation strategies through agrochemical-free management.El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar morfológicamente cinco poblaciones de maíz nativo y estimar sus rendimientos, empleando prácticas agrícolas sin uso de agroquímicos. El estudio se realizó en el año 2021, en el municipio de Cintalapa, Chiapas, dentro del campo experimental del Centro Académico Regional de la Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Las cinco poblaciones de maíz nativo fueron proporcionadas por campesinos de diferentes regiones de la entidad, con previo consentimiento informado. Las prácticas agrícolas consistieron en uso de extractos vegetales y jabón potásico con extracto de neem (Azadirachta indica) para la prevención y combate de plagas. Para la fertilización se aplicó lixiviado de lombriz roja californiana (Eisenia foetida) y guano de murciélago en su presentación comercial. Los caracteres morfológicos se evaluaron con un análisis estadístico descriptivo considerando: días de floración masculina y femenina, alturas de planta y mazorca, longitud y diámetro de la mazorca, y número de hileras por mazorca y número de granos por hilera. El rendimiento de grano se estimó mediante el peso de la mazorca cosechada de una muestra aleatoria de 20 plantas por población. Se identificaron diferencias numéricas de las variables estudiadas, lo que demuestra una diversidad genética existente. Las poblaciones que presentaron mayores rendimientos fueron Campeón y Olotillo, con 5,37 y 4,4 ton ha-1 (± 1,24), respectivamente. Los datos aportan información para diseñar estrategias de conservación de maíces nativos con manejo libre de agroquímicos

Total and high molecular weight adiponectin have similar utility for the identification of insulin resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin resistance (IR) and related metabolic disturbances are characterized by low levels of adiponectin. High molecular weight adiponectin (HMWA) is considered the active form of adiponectin and a better marker of IR than total adiponectin. The objective of this study is to compare the utility of total adiponectin, HMWA and the HMWA/total adiponectin index (S_Aindex) for the identification of IR and related metabolic conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional analysis was performed in a group of ambulatory subjects, aged 20 to 70 years, in Mexico City. Areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for total, HMWA and the S_Aindex were plotted for the identification of metabolic disturbances. Sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for the identification of IR were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study included 101 men and 168 women. The areas under the ROC curve for total and HMWA for the identification of IR (0.664 <it>vs</it>. 0.669, <it>P </it>= 0.74), obesity (0.592 <it>vs</it>. 0.610, <it>P </it>= 0.32), hypertriglyceridemia (0.661 <it>vs</it>. 0.671, <it>P </it>= 0.50) and hypoalphalipoproteinemia (0.624 <it>vs</it>. 0.633, <it>P </it>= 0.58) were similar. A total adiponectin level of 8.03 μg/ml was associated with a sensitivity of 57.6%, a specificity of 65.9%, a positive predictive value of 50.0%, a negative predictive value of 72.4%, and an accuracy of 62.7% for the diagnosis of IR. The corresponding figures for a HMWA value of 4.25 μg/dl were 59.6%, 67.1%, 51.8%, 73.7% and 64.2%.</p> <p>The area under the ROC curve of the S_Aindex for the identification of IR was 0.622 [95% CI 0.554-0.691], obesity 0.613 [95% CI 0.536-0.689], hypertriglyceridemia 0.616 [95% CI 0.549-0.683], and hypoalphalipoproteinemia 0.606 [95% CI 0.535-0.677].</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Total adiponectin, HMWA and the S_Aindex had similar utility for the identification of IR and metabolic disturbances.</p