Marketing at Heavier Weights: Progress Report

In recent years, the American consuming public has demanded and paid for increased amounts of beed and pork, while the per capita consumption of lamb has been decreasing. If we are to survive in the sheep industry, we must find some solutions to this problem. Rapid changes in either the breeding, feeding and/or processing and distributing of lamb are needed urgently before the situation becomes irreversible

Calcium Effects on Human Erythrocyte Membranes

Philosoph

Thermal Cycling and Isothermal Deformation Response of Polycrystalline NiTi: Simulations vs. Experiment

A recent microstructure-based FEM model that couples crystal-based plasticity, the B2 MB190 phase transformation and anisotropic elasticity at the grain scale is calibrated to recent data for polycrystalline NiTi (49.9 at.% Ni). Inputs include anisotropic elastic properties, texture and differential scanning calorimetry data, as well as a subset of recent isothermal deformation and load-biased thermal cycling data. The model is assessed against additional experimental data. Several experimental trends are captured - in particular, the transformation strain during thermal cycling monotonically increases and reaches a peak with increasing bias stress. This is achieved, in part, by modifying the martensite hardening matrix proposed by Patoor et al. [Patoor E, Eberhardt A, Berveiller M. J Phys IV 1996;6:277]. Some experimental trends are underestimated - in particular, the ratcheting of macrostrain during thermal cycling. This may reflect a model limitation that transformation-plasticity coupling is captured on a coarse (grain) scale but not on a fine (martensitic plate) scale

Methods for preventing or treating insulin resistance

The invention provides methods of preventing or treating insulin resistance in a mammalian subject. The methods comprise administering to the subject an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide having at least one net positive charge; a minimum of four amino acids; a maximum of about twenty amino acids; a relationship between the minimum number of net positive charges (pm) and the total number of amino acid residues (r) wherein 3pm is the largest number that is less than or equal to r + 1; and a relationship between the minimum number of aromatic groups (a) and the total number of net positive charges (pt) wherein 2a is the largest number that is less than or equal to pt + 1, except that when a is 1, pt may also be 1

Life's Simple 7: Saving Black Men's Lives

The burden of cardiometabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes (DM), obesity and hypertension as well as cancer is greatest among Africans Americans (AA). In Ohio, AAs have the highest rates of DM, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and mortality from these diseases. Thus, strategies to prevent DM, CVD, cancer and mortality among AAs are critically needed. The National African American Male Wellness Walk Initiative (AAMWWI) was established in Columbus, Ohio in 2004, with the aim of reducing disparities in chronic diseases and premature death among AA males. During the last 14 years, it has become the largest health initiative in central Ohio for AAs. This year, it is estimated that the AAMWWI had 20,000 participants and nearly 2,000 free health screenings. The Ohio State University has been a valued partner in this effort; and leadership from the AAMWW connected with Ohio State faculty to collaborate in the shared mission of improving disparities in diabetes, CVD, cancer and mortality. Attaining health targets for the American Heart Association's (AHA) "Life's Simple 7" including targets for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, smoking, body mass index, physical activity and dietary intake is associated with lower risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality among AAs. The aim of the partnership between AAMWWI and Ohio State is to design a novel intervention for AA males in central Ohio to improve attainment of Life's Simple 7. The audience will hear from Mr. John Gregory, founder of the AAMWWI, Dr. Joshua Joseph, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and Dr. Darrell Gray, II, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and deputy director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity. These speakers will 1) review the history of AAMWWI, 2) review recent longitudinal Life's Simple 7 using data from the AAMWWI, and 3) engage the audience in discussion about ideas for sustainable intervention for AA males that increases attainment of Life's Simple 7. The target audience includes community members and organization leadership, students, faculty, health advocates, medical professionals, and researchers who are engaged in the work of examining health disparities and achieving health equity.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Darrell Gray II, Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); John Gregory, Co-Founder, African American Male Wellness Walk Initiative; Chad Anderson, Executive Director, African American Male Wellness Walk Initiative; Latasha Parks, Nurse, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Joshua Joseph, Assistant Professor, College of Medicine; Mark White, Founder, Gateway Health & Wellness Center, and Co-Founder, African American Male Wellness Walk Initiative.The burden of type 2 diabetes (DM), obesity, hypertension and cancer are greatest among African-Americans (AA). In Ohio, AAs have the highest mortality from these diseases. Thus, strategies to prevent DM, CVD, cancer and mortality among AAs are a critical and unmet need. The National African-American Male Wellness Walk Initiative (AAMWWI) was established in Columbus in 2004, with the goal to reduce disparities in premature death among AA males. During the last 14 years, it has become the largest health initiative in central Ohio for AAs. Ohio State has been a valued partner in this effort, and leadership from the AAMWWI connected with Ohio State faculty to collaborate in the shared mission of improving disparities in diabetes, CVD, and mortality. We will review the history of AAMWWI, review recent observational data from AAMWWI, and engage the audience

Docosahexaenoic acid lowers cardiac mitochondrial enzyme activity by replacing linoleic acid in the phospholipidome

Cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid acyl chains regulate respiratory enzymatic activity. In several diseases, the rodent cardiac phospholipidome is extensively rearranged; however, whether specific acyl chains impair respiratory enzyme function is unknown. One unique remodeling event in the myocardium of obese and diabetic rodents is an increase in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels. Here, we first confirmed that cardiac DHA levels are elevated in diabetic humans relative to controls. We then used dietary supplementation of a Western diet with DHA as a tool to promote cardiac acyl chain remodeling and to study its influence on respiratory enzyme function. DHA extensively remodeled the acyl chains of cardiolipin (CL), mono-lyso CL, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Moreover, DHA lowered enzyme activities of respiratory complexes I, IV, V, and I+III. Mechanistically, the reduction in enzymatic activities were not driven by a dramatic reduction in the abundance of supercomplexes. Instead, replacement of tetralinoleoyl-CL with tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL in biomimetic membranes prevented formation of phospholipid domains that regulate enzyme activity. Tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL inhibited domain organization due to favorable Gibbs free energy of phospholipid mixing. Furthermore, in vitro substitution of tetralinoleoyl-CL with tetradocosahexaenoyl-CL blocked complex-IV binding. Finally, reintroduction of linoleic acid, via fusion of phospholipid vesicles to mitochondria isolated from DHA-fed mice, rescued the major losses in the mitochondrial phospholipidome and complexes I, IV, and V activities. Altogether, our results show that replacing linoleic acid with DHA lowers select cardiac enzyme activities by potentially targeting domain organization and phospholipid-protein binding, which has implications for the ongoing debate about polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiac health

Novel role for thioredoxin reductase-2 in mitochondrial redox adaptations to obesogenic diet and exercise in heart and skeletal muscle

Increased fatty acid availability and oxidative stress are physiological consequences of exercise (Ex) and a high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diet. Despite these similarities, the global effects of Ex are beneficial, whereas HFHS diets are largely deleterious to the cardiovascular system. The reasons for this disparity are multifactorial and incompletely understood. We hypothesized that differences in redox adaptations following HFHS diet in comparison to exercise may underlie this disparity, particularly in mitochondria. Our objective in this study was to determine mechanisms by which heart and skeletal muscle (red gastrocnemius, RG) mitochondria experience differential redox adaptations to 12 weeks of HFHS diet and/or exercise training (Ex) in rats. Surprisingly, both HFHS feeding and Ex led to contrasting effects in heart and RG, in that mitochondrial H2O2 decreased in heart but increased in RG following both HFHS diet and Ex, in comparison to sedentary animals fed a control diet. These differences were determined to be due largely to increased antioxidant/anti-inflammatory enzymes in the heart following the HFHS diet, which did not occur in RG. Specifically, upregulation of mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase-2 occurred with both HFHS and Ex in the heart, but only with Ex in RG, and systematic evaluation of this enzyme revealed that it is critical for suppressing mitochondrial H2O2 during fatty acid oxidation. These findings are novel and important in that they illustrate the unique ability of the heart to adapt to oxidative stress imposed by HFHS diet, in part through upregulation of thioredoxin reductase-2. Furthermore, upregulation of thioredoxin reductase-2 plays a critical role in preserving the mitochondrial redox status in the heart and skeletal muscle with exercise.Funding from the National Institutes of Health, United State

Metformin Improves Insulin Signaling in Obese Rats via Reduced IKK Action in a Fiber-Type Specific Manner

Metformin is a widely used insulin-sensitizing drug, though its mechanisms are not fully understood. Metformin has been shown to activate AMPK in skeletal muscle; however, its effects on the inhibitor of κB kinaseβ (IKKβ) in this same tissue are unknown. The aim of this study was to (1) determine the ability of metformin to attenuate IKKβ action, (2) determine whether changes in AMPK activity are associated with changes in IKKβ action in skeletal muscle, and (3) examine whether changes in AMPK and IKKβ function are consistent with improved insulin signaling. Lean and obese male Zuckers received either vehicle or metformin by oral gavage daily for four weeks (four groups of eight). Proteins were measured in white gastrocnemius (WG), red gastrocnemius (RG), and soleus. AMPK phosphorylation increased (P < .05) in WG in both lean (57%) and obese (106%), and this was supported by an increase in phospho-ACC in WG. Further, metformin increased IκBα levels in both WG (150%) and RG (67%) of obese rats, indicative of reduced IKKβ activity (P < .05), and was associated with reduced IRS1-pSer307 (30%) in the WG of obese rats (P < .02). From these data we conclude that metformin treatment appears to exert an inhibitory influence on skeletal muscle IKKβ activity, as evidenced by elevated IκBα levels and reduced IRS1-Ser307 phosphorylation in a fiber-type specific manner