Cometary investigation during the total solar eclipse of 7 March 1970

Photographic observations made during the solar eclipses of 1963, 1966, 1968, and 1970 indicate the presence of previously unidentified celestial objects in the near-angular vicinity of the sun. Observational data and equipment are described. Possible origins of the objects are enumerated, as well as suggested future experiments to confirm the results

Bright star observations using an unfiltered 1P21 phototube

Calibration curves for brighter navigational stars by unfiltered tracking phototube

Ground based photometry of potential navigation guide stars

Ground based photometry of potential navigation guide star

Photographic search for comets during 12 November 1966 solar eclipse Final report

Photographic search for small bright comets during solar eclips

Muscle Carnosine Is Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Humans

Background Carnosine is a naturally present dipeptide abundant in skeletal muscle and an over-the counter food additive. Animal data suggest a role of carnosine supplementation in the prevention and treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease but only limited human data exists. Methods and Results Samples of vastus lateralis muscle were obtained by needle biopsy. We measured muscle carnosine levels (high-performance liquid chromatography), % body fat (bioimpedance), abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adiposity (magnetic resonance imaging), insulin sensitivity (euglycaemic hyperinsulinemic clamp), resting energy expenditure (REE, indirect calorimetry), free-living ambulatory physical activity (accelerometers) and lipid profile in 36 sedentary non-vegetarian middle aged men (45±7 years) with varying degrees of adiposity and glucose tolerance. Muscle carnosine content was positively related to % body fat (r = 0.35, p = 0.04) and subcutaneous (r = 0.38, p = 0.02) but not visceral fat (r = 0.17, p = 0.33). Muscle carnosine content was inversely associated with insulin sensitivity (r = -0.44, p = 0.008), REE (r = -0.58, p<0.001) and HDL-cholesterol levels (r = -0.34, p = 0.048). Insulin sensitivity and physical activity were the best predictors of muscle carnosine content after adjustment for adiposity. Conclusion Our data shows that higher carnosine content in human skeletal muscle is positively associated with insulin resistance and fasting metabolic preference for glucose. Moreover, it is negatively associated with HDL-cholesterol and basal energy expenditure. Intervention studies targeting insulin resistance, metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk factors are necessary to evaluate its putative role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Associations of Vitamin D with Inter- and Intra-Muscular Adipose Tissue and Insulin Resistance in Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Low vitamin D and insulin resistance are common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and associated with higher inter- and intra-muscular adipose tissue (IMAT). We investigated associations between vitamin D, IMAT and insulin resistance in a cross-sectional study of 40 women with PCOS and 30 women without PCOS, and pre- and post-exercise in a 12-week intervention in 16 overweight participants (10 with PCOS and six without PCOS). A non-classical body mass index (BMI) threshold was used to differentiate lean and overweight women (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m²). Measurements included plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), insulin resistance (glucose infusion rate (GIR; mg/m²/min), fasting glucose and insulin, and glycated haemoglobin), visceral fat, mid-thigh IMAT (computed tomography) and total body fat (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). Women with both PCOS and low 25OHD levels had the lowest GIR (all p < 0.05). Higher IMAT was associated with lower 25OHD (B = -3.95; 95% CI -6.86, -1.05) and GIR (B = -21.3; 95% CI -37.16, -5.44) in women with PCOS. Overweight women with pre-exercise 25OHD ≥30 nmol/L had significant increases in GIR, and decreases in total and visceral fat (all p < 0.044), but no associations were observed when stratified by PCOS status. Women with PCOS and low 25OHD levels have increased insulin resistance which may be partly explained by higher IMAT. Higher pre-training 25OHD levels may enhance exercise-induced changes in body composition and insulin resistance in overweight women

Hypoglycemia and Death in Mice Following Experimental Exposure to an Extract of Trogia venenata Mushrooms

BACKGROUND: Clusters of sudden unexplained death (SUD) in Yunnan Province, China, have been linked to eating Trogia venenata mushrooms. We evaluated the toxic effect of this mushroom on mice. METHODS: We prepared extracts of fresh T. venenata and Laccaria vinaceoavellanea mushrooms collected from the environs of a village that had SUD. We randomly allocated mice into treatment groups and administered mushroom extracts at doses ranging from 500 to 3500 mg/kg and water (control) via a gavage needle. We observed mice for mortality for 7 days after a 3500 mg/kg dose and for 24 hours after doses from 500 to 3000 mg/kg. We determined biochemical markers from serum two hours after a 2000 mg/kg dose. RESULTS: Ten mice fed T. venenata extract (3500 mg/kg) died by five hours whereas all control mice (L. vinaceoavellanea extract and water) survived the seven-day observation period. All mice died by five hours after exposure to single doses of T. venenata extract ranging from 1500 to 3000 mg/kg, while the four mice exposed to a 500 mg/kg dose all survived. Mice fed 2000 mg/kg of T. venenata extract developed profound hypoglycemia (median= 0.66 mmol/L) two hours after exposure. DISCUSSION: Hypoglycemia and death within hours of exposure, a pattern unique among mushroom toxicity, characterize T. venenata poisoning

Genetic architecture of the APM1 gene and its influence on adiponectin plasma levels and parameters of the metabolic syndrome in 1,727 healthy Caucasians

Copyright: Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.The associations of the adiponectin (APM1) gene with parameters of the metabolic syndrome are inconsistent. We performed a systematic investigation based on fine-mapped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) highlighting the genetic architecture and their role in modulating adiponectin plasma concentrations in a particularly healthy population of 1,727 Caucasians avoiding secondary effects from disease processes. Genotyping 53 SNPs (average spacing of 0.7 kb) in the APM1 gene region in 81 Caucasians revealed a two-block linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure and enabled comprehensive tag SNP selection. We found particularly strong associations with adiponectin concentrations for 11 of the 15 tag SNPs in the 1,727 subjects (five P values <0.0001). Haplotype analysis provided a thorough differentiation of adiponectin concentrations with 9 of 17 haplotypes showing significant associations (three P values <0.0001). No significant association was found for any SNP with the parameters of the metabolic syndrome. We observed a two-block LD structure of APM1 pointing toward at least two independent association signals, one including the promoter SNPs and a second spanning the relevant exons. Our data on a large number of healthy subjects suggest a clear modulation of adiponectin concentrations by variants of APM1, which are not merely a concomitant effect in the course of type 2 diabetes or coronary artery disease.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in overweight adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Despite Australia's sunny climate, low vitamin D levels are increasingly prevalent. Sun exposure is limited by long working hours, an increase in time spent indoors, and sun protection practices, and there is limited dietary vitamin D fortification. While the importance of vitamin D for bone mineralization is well known, its role as a protective agent against chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is less understood. Observational and limited intervention studies suggest that vitamin D might improve insulin sensitivity and secretion, mainly via its anti-inflammatory properties, thereby decreasing the risk of development and progression of type 2 diabetes. The primary aim of this trial is to investigate whether improved plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), obtained through vitamin D supplementation, will increase insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. A secondary aim is to determine whether these relationships are mediated by a reduction in underlying subclinical inflammation associated with obesity.Fifty overweight but otherwise healthy nondiabetic adults between 18 and 60 years old, with low vitamin D levels (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l), will be randomly assigned to intervention or placebo. At baseline, participants will undergo a medical review and anthropometric measurements, including dual X-ray absorptiometry, an intravenous glucose tolerance test, muscle and fat biopsies, a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, and questionnaires assessing diet, physical activity, sun exposure, back and knee pain, and depression. The intervention group will receive a first dose of 100,000 IU followed by 4,000 IU vitamin D (cholecalciferol) daily, while the placebo group will receive apparently identical capsules, both for a period of 16 weeks. All measurements will be repeated at follow-up, with the primary outcome measure expressed as a change from baseline in insulin sensitivity and secretion for the intervention group compared with the placebo group. Secondary outcome measures will compare changes in anthropometry, cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammatory markers.The trial will provide much needed clinical evidence on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance and secretion and its underlying mechanisms, which are relevant for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT02112721 .Barbora de Courten, Aya Mousa, Negar Naderpoor, Helena Teede, Maximilian P J de Courten and Robert Scrag