Lifestyle intervention in individuals with impaired glucose regulation affects Caveolin-1 expression and DNA methylation

© 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Aims: We investigated whether a lifestyle intervention could influence expression and DNA methylation of diabetes-related genes in patients with impaired glucose regulation (IGR), the results were compared to bariatric surgery, considering it an intensive change. Methods: Twenty participants with IGR had adipose tissue biopsy and blood collected pre- and post-lifestyle (6 months) intervention; 12 obese patients had subcutaneous fat taken before and after bariatric surgery. RNA/DNA was extracted from all samples and underwent qPCR. DNA was bisulphite converted and 12 CpG sites of Caveolin-1 (CAV1) promoter were pyrosequenced. Results: lifestyle intervention resulted in opposite direction changes in fat tissue and blood for CAV1 expression and DNA methylation and these changes were correlated between tissues, while no significative differences were found in CAV1 expression after bariatric surgery. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a role for CAV1 in modulating adipocyte function as a consequence of lifestyle changes, as exercises and diet. These results may provide insights into new therapeutic targets for diabetes prevention

Theory of Pseudomodes in Quantum Optical Processes

This paper deals with non-Markovian behaviour in atomic systems coupled to a structured reservoir of quantum EM field modes, with particular relevance to atoms interacting with the field in high Q cavities or photonic band gap materials. In cases such as the former, we show that the pseudo mode theory for single quantum reservoir excitations can be obtained by applying the Fano diagonalisation method to a system in which the atomic transitions are coupled to a discrete set of (cavity) quasimodes, which in turn are coupled to a continuum set of (external) quasimodes with slowly varying coupling constants and continuum mode density. Each pseudomode can be identified with a discrete quasimode, which gives structure to the actual reservoir of true modes via the expressions for the equivalent atom-true mode coupling constants. The quasimode theory enables cases of multiple excitation of the reservoir to now be treated via Markovian master equations for the atom-discrete quasimode system. Applications of the theory to one, two and many discrete quasimodes are made. For a simple photonic band gap model, where the reservoir structure is associated with the true mode density rather than the coupling constants, the single quantum excitation case appears to be equivalent to a case with two discrete quasimodes

Differential neuroproteomic and systems biology analysis of spinal cord injury

Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with many consequences and no known effective treatment. Although it is quite easy to diagnose traumatic SCI, the assessment of injury severity and projection of disease progression or recovery are often challenging, as no consensus biomarkers have been clearly identified. Here rats were subjected to experimental moderate or severe thoracic SCI. At 24h and 7d postinjury, spinal cord segment caudal to injury center versus sham samples was harvested and subjected to differential proteomic analysis. Cationic/anionic-exchange chromatography, followed by 1D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was used to reduce protein complexity. A reverse phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry proteomic platform was then utilized to identify proteome changes associated with SCI. Twenty-two and 22 proteins were up-regulated at 24 h and 7 day after SCI, respectively; whereas 19 and 16 proteins are down-regulated at 24 h and 7 day after SCI, respectively, when compared with sham control. A subset of 12 proteins were identified as candidate SCI biomarkers - TF (Transferrin), FASN (Fatty acid synthase), NME1 (Nucleoside diphosphate kinase 1), STMN1 (Stathmin 1), EEF2 (Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 2), CTSD (Cathepsin D), ANXA1 (Annexin A1), ANXA2 (Annexin A2), PGM1 (Phosphoglucomutase 1), PEA15 (Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15), GOT2 (Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2), and TPI-1 (Triosephosphate isomerase 1), data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD003473. In addition, Transferrin, Cathepsin D, and TPI-1 and PEA15 were further verified in rat spinal cord tissue and/or CSF samples after SCI and in human CSF samples from moderate/severe SCI patients. Lastly, a systems biology approach was utilized to determine the critical biochemical pathways and interactome in the pathogenesis of SCI. Thus, SCI candidate biomarkers identified can be used to correlate with disease progression or to identify potential SCI therapeutic targets

The ROSAT All-Sky Survey: a Catalog of Clusters of Galaxies in a Region of 1 Ster around the South Galactic Pole

A field of 1.013 ster in the ROSAT all-sky survey (RASS), centered on the south galactic pole (SGP), has been searched in a systematic, objective manner for clusters of galaxies. The procedure relied on a correlation of the X-ray positions and properties of ROSAT sources with the distribution of galaxies in the COSMOS digitised data base, which was obtained by scanning the plates of the UK Schmidt IIIa-J optical southern sky survey. The study used the second ROSAT survey data base (RASS-2) and included several optical observing campaigns to measure redshifts. The search, a precursor to the larger REFLEX survey of the whole southern sky, reached the detection limits of the RASS and the COSMOS data, and yielded a catalog of 186 clusters in which the lowest flux is 1.5e-12 erg/cm2/s in the 0.1-2.4 keV band. Of these 157 have measured redshifts. Using a limit of 3.0e-12 erg/cm2/s a complete subset of 112 clusters was obtained, of which 110 have measured redshifts. The spatial distribution of the X-ray clusters out to z = 0.15 shows an extension of the Local Supercluster to the Pisces-Cetus supercluster (z<~0.07), and a more distant orthogonal structure at 0.07<z<0.15.Comment: To be published in ApJ Supplements in February 2002: 53 pages: 18 figure

Non-Markovian Decay of a Three Level Cascade Atom in a Structured Reservoir

We present a formalism that enables the study of the non-Markovian dynamics of a three-level ladder system in a single structured reservoir. The three-level system is strongly coupled to a bath of reservoir modes and two quantum excitations of the reservoir are expected. We show that the dynamics only depends on reservoir structure functions, which are products of the mode density with the coupling constant squared. This result may enable pseudomode theory to treat multiple excitations of a structured reservoir. The treatment uses Laplace transforms and an elimination of variables to obtain a formal solution. This can be evaluated numerically (with the help of a numerical inverse Laplace transform) and an example is given. We also compare this result with the case where the two transitions are coupled to two separate structured reservoirs (where the example case is also analytically solvable)

An examination of the association between seeing smoking in films and tobacco use in young adults in the west of Scotland: cross-sectional study

The objective is to examine the association between the amount of smoking seen in films and current smoking in young adults living in the west of Scotland in the UK. Cross-sectional analyses (using multivariable logistic regression) of data collected at age 19 (2002–04) from a longitudinal cohort originally surveyed at age 11 (1994–95) were conducted. The main outcome measure is smoking at age 19. No association was found between the number of occurrences of smoking estimated to have been seen in films (film smoking exposure) and current (or ever) smoking in young adults. This lack of association was unaffected by adjustment for predictors of smoking, including education, risk-taking orientation and smoking among peers. There was no association between film smoking exposure and smoking behaviour for any covariate-defined subgroup. Associations have been found between film smoking exposure and smoking initiation in younger adolescents in the United States. In this study, conducted in Scotland, no similar association was seen, suggesting that there may be age or cultural limitations on the effects of film smoking exposure on smoking. The lack of association could be due to methodological issues or greater sophistication of older adolescents and young adults in interpreting media images or the greater ubiquity of real-life smoking instances in Scotland. If the latter, film smoking exposure could become a more important risk factor for smoking uptake and maintenants in older adolescents following the recent ban on smoking in public places in Scotland

Separately contacted electron-hole double layer in a GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs heterostructure

We describe a method for creating closely spaced parallel two-dimensional electron and hole gases confined in 200 Å GaAs wells separated by a 200 Å wide AlxGa1−xAs barrier. Low-temperature ohmic contacts are made to both the electrons and holes, whose densities are individually adjustable between 10^(10)/cm^2 to greater than 10^(11)/cm^2

The impact of complications and errors on surgeons

All surgical procedures carry with them the potential for adverse events. Dealing with the sequelae of the complications and errors that arise in the course of normal practice is therefore part and parcel of a surgeon’s working life. The challenges and stresses that this creates are now well recognised although surgical training has, until recently, done little to help surgeons prepare for such events and on-going professional and personal support is limited. This review shows that much of the research examining the impact of adverse events has been concentrated in healthcare systems outside of the UK, often markedly different to our own. With notable exceptions, sample sizes are often small and studies are often qualitative. While the latter provide rich and fascinating data, they may not always be representative, particularly if the focus is on serious errors where there is a risk of litigation. Despite the preponderance of complications, which are an acknowledged risk of surgical procedures, there is no research to date which has examined whether or not there are differences in the impact of complications versus errors on surgeons’ professional and personal lives. A national survey is currently planned to provide detailed information about the impact of adverse events – both complications and errors – which will map the way for better targeted support for surgeons to help them use their experiences to enhance their wellbeing and improve their practice