Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Solidago chilensis in rats

AbstractSolidago chilensis Meyen, Asteraceae, is traditionally used to treat inflammation. However, phytochemical and pharmacology investigations are lacking. This study evaluated the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of hydroalcoholic extract from S. chilensis aerial parts in rats. In oral glucose tolerance tests the rats received saline (0.5 ml/100 g) in control group (C), hydroalcoholic extract (125, 250 or 500 mg/kg p.o.; n = 6) or glibenclamide (10 mg/kg p.o.; n = 6). After 30 min, glucose (4 g/kg) was administered. Rats treated with hydroalcoholic extract 500 demonstrated decreased glucose levels at 180 min (-22.1%), when compared with group C, similar to glibenclamide. Moreover, treatment with hydroalcoholic extract 500 significantly increased the glycogen content in the liver and soleus muscle, and hydroalcoholic extract 250 specifically inhibited the enzyme maltase when compared with group C. Furthermore, all hyperglycemic rats treated with hydroalcoholic extract (125, 250 and 500) exhibited an accentuated decrease in total cholesterol levels (-36.8%, -36.7% and -41.3%, respectively). Our results suggest that hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of hydroalcoholic extract could be associated with increased production and release of insulin as well as with insulinotropic and antioxidant effects

The 4DGreenland project: Greenland hydrology assessment from remote sensing

The high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have experienced the largest regional warming over the last decades. On the Greenland ice sheet, rapid changes are observed in response to temperature increase, with the amount of liquid water at the surface particularly increasing. Understanding Greenland’s ice sheet hydrology is essential to assess its contribution to global sea-level rise in a future warming climate. With the objective of maximizing the use of Earth Observation (EO) data, the European Space Agency (ESA) has funded the 2-year project 4DGreenland (https://4dgreenland.eo4cryo.dk/) to assess and quantify the hydrology of the Greenland ice sheet. The project is focused on dynamic variations in the hydrological components of the ice sheet, and on quantifying the water fluxes between reservoirs including surface melt, supraglacial lakes and rivers, and subglacial melt and lakes. Efforts will focus on a thorough analysis of various components of the hydrological network in selected test regions and their impact on ice sheet flow. 4DGreenland started in September 2020. Here, we will present the project objectives, methods, and show initial results obtained within the project such as a comparison of supraglacial lake depths from optical imagery and ICESat-2 altimetry data, estimation of basal melt water production, and identification and mapping of surface meltwater presence and subglacial lakes from EO data

Asymmetries and visual field summaries as predictors of glaucoma in the ocular hypertension treatment study

PURPOSE. To evaluate whether baseline visual field data and asymmetries between eyes predict the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) participants. METHODS. A new index, mean prognosis (MP), was designed for optimal combination of visual field thresholds, to discriminate between eyes that developed POAG from eyes that did not. Baseline intraocular pressure (IOP) in fellow eyes was used to construct measures of IOP asymmetry. Age-adjusted baseline thresholds were used to develop indicators of visual field asymmetry and summary measures of visual field defects. Marginal multivariate failure time models were constructed that relate the new index MP, IOP asymmetry, and visual field asymmetry to POAG onset for OHTS participants. RESULTS. The marginal multivariate failure time analysis showed that the MP index is significantly related to POAG onset (P &lt; 0.0001) and appears to be a more highly significant predictor of POAG onset than either mean deviation (MD; P = 0.17) or pattern standard deviation (PSD; P = 0.046). A 1-mm Hg increase in IOP asymmetry between fellow eyes is associated with a 17% increase in risk for development of POAG. When threshold asymmetry between eyes existed, the eye with lower thresholds was at a 37% greater risk of development of POAG, and this feature was more predictive of POAG onset than the visual field index MD, though not as strong a predictor as PSD. CONCLUSIONS. The MP index, IOP asymmetry, and binocular test point asymmetry can assist in clinical evaluation of eyes at risk of development of POAG.</p