3,911 research outputs found
Effect of Diacerein on Insulin Secretion and Metabolic Control in Drug-Naïve Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A randomized clinical trial
OBJECTIVE - To assess the effect of diacerein on insulin secretion and metabolic control in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in 40 drug-naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes. A metabolic profile including interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-a, IL-6, and fasting insulin levelswas carried out before the intervention and 2months afterward. A hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique was performed to assess the phases of insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. After randomization, 20 patients received diacerein (50mg once daily) for the first 15 days and twice daily for 45 additional days. The remaining patients received placebo. Intra- and intergroup differences were calculated by Wilcoxon signed rank and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS-Therewere significant increases in first (102 ± 63 vs. 130 ± 75 pmol/L; P<0.01), late (219 ± 111 vs. 280 ± 135 pmol/L; P<0.01), and total insulin (178691 vs. 216699pmol/L; P<0.01) secretionswithout changes in insulin sensitivity after diacerein administration. There were significant decreases in fasting glucose (7.9 ± 1.4 vs. 6.8 ± 1.0mmol/L; P<0.01) and in A1C levels (8.3 ± 1.0 vs. 7.0 ± 0.8%; P < 0.001) after diacerein administration. There were no significant changes after placebo administration in the above-mentioned evaluations. CONCLUSIONS - Insulin secretion increased and metabolic control improved after diacerein administration in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. © 2011 by the American Diabetes Association
Electro-thermo-mechanical modelling and analysis of the Press Pack Diode in Power Electronics
This paper details a finite element modelling approach of the press pack assembly process for a diode in a power electronic module. Molybdenum and aluminum graphite have been investigated as suitable materials for the contact pad. Contact analysis has been used to model the pressurized thermal interface in order to extract both the stress and temperature distribution in the diode. Average temperature and von Mises stress on the chip for a combination of clamping pressure, load current and contact pad material have been extracted from the modeling results. At present, based on the assumptions and modeling parameters used, Aluminum Graphite seems to have better performance in comparison with molybdenum in terms of generating a lower average chip temperature. Additionally optimum clamping pressure has been estimated by performing a numerical optimisation analysis in order to minimise both the average temperature and stress in the chip
Evaluación económica de la producción de mojarra castarrica en palizada, Campeche, México
El presente trabajo de investigación se realizó en la organización de productores denominada Producción pesquera y acuícola de bienes y servicios acuacultores de la Rivera Alta S.C. de R.L. de C.V. en Palizada, Campeche, México; el cual tiene como propósito determinar la rentabilidad del proyecto de inversión de mojarra castarrica para informar si los recursos que se invirtieron han permitido capitalizar a los miembros de la Sociedad Cooperativa. Por lo anterior, se calcularon los indicadores de rentabilidad que se establecen en la metodología para la formulación y evaluación de proyectos de inversión para medir la rentabilidad de la organización de productores, los cuales son: Valor Actual Neto (VAN), Relación Beneficio Costo (B/C), Relación Beneficio-Inversión Neta (N/K) y la Tasa Interna de Retorno (TIR). Los resultados obtenidos en un periodo de análisis de 10 años son: VAN = 563,743; B/C = 1.34; N/K = 8.79 y la TIR = 141.6%. Al efectuarse el análisis de sensibilidad a la estructura de ingresos y costos totales se observó que el proyecto puede sufrir una disminución de los ingresos de alrededor de 20% siendo rentable y por el lado de los costos totales puede tener un aumento de alrededor de 20% y muestra redituabilidad
First results of the ROSEBUD Dark Matter experiment
Rare Objects SEarch with Bolometers UndergrounD) is an experiment which
attempts to detect low mass Weak Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) through
their elastic scattering off Al and O nuclei. It consists of three small
sapphire bolometers (of a total mass of 100 g) with NTD-Ge sensors in a
dilution refrigerator operating at 20 mK in the Canfranc Underground
Laboratory. We report in this paper the results of several runs (of about 10
days each) with successively improved energy thresholds, and the progressive
background reduction obtained by improvement of the radiopurity of the
components and subsequent modifications in the experimental assembly, including
the addition of old lead shields. Mid-term plans and perspectives of the
experiment are also presented.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic
High prevalence of scrapie in a dairy goat herd: tissue distribution of disease-associated PrP and effect of PRNP genotype and age
Following a severe outbreak of clinical scrapie in 2006–2007, a
large dairy goat herd was culled
and 200 animals were selected for post-mortem examinations in order to
ascertain the prevalence of infection,
the effect of age, breed and PRNP genotype on the susceptibility to scrapie,
the tissue distribution of diseaseassociated
PrP (PrP), and the comparative efficiency of different diagnostic methods.
As determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations with Bar224 PrP antibody, the
prevalence of preclinical infection
was very high (72/200; 36.0%), with most infected animals being positive
for PrP in lymphoreticular system
(LRS) tissues (68/72; 94.4%) compared to those that were positive in
brain samples (38/72; 52.8%). The
retropharyngeal lymph node and the palatine tonsil showed the highest
frequency of PrP accumulation (87.3%
and 84.5%, respectively), while the recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid
tissue (RAMALT) was positive in
only 30 (41.7%) of the infected goats. However, the efficiency of rectal
and palatine tonsil biopsies taken
shortly before necropsy was similar. The probability of brain and RAMALT
being positive directly
correlated with the spread of PrP within the LRS. The prevalence of
infection was influenced by PRNP
genetics at codon 142 and by the age of the goats: methionine carriers older
than 60 months showed a much
lower prevalence of infection (12/78; 15.4%) than those younger than 60 months (20/42; 47.6%); these last
showed prevalence values similar to isoleucine homozygotes of any age
(40/80; 50.0%). Two of seven goats
with definite signs of scrapie were negative for PrP in brain but positive
in LRS tissues, and one goat showed
biochemical and IHC features of PrP different from all other infected
goats. The results of this study have
implications for surveillance and control policies for scrapie in goats
Recent results from the canfranc dark matter search with germanium detectors
Two germanium detectors are currently operating in the Canfranc Underground
Laboratory at 2450 m.w.e looking for WIMP dark matter. One is a 2 kg 76Ge IGEX
detector (RG-2) which has an energy threshold of 4 keV and a low-energy
background rate of about 0.3 c/keV/kg/day. The other is a small (234 g) natural
abundance Ge detector (COSME), of low energy threshold (2.5 keV) and an energy
resolution of 0.4 keV at 10 keV which is looking for WIMPs and for solar
axions. The analysis of 73 kg-days of data taken by COSME in a search for solar
axions via their photon Primakoff conversion and Bragg scattering in the Ge
crystal yields a 95% C.L. limit for the axion-photon coupling g < 2.8 10^-9
GeV^-1. These data, analyzed for WIMP searches provide an exclusion plot for
WIMP-nucleon spin-independent interaction which improves previous plots in the
low mass region. On the other hand, the exclusion plot derived from the 60
kg-days of data from the RG-2 IGEX detector improves the exclusion limits
derived from other ionization (non thermal) germanium detector experiments in
the region of WIMP masses from 30 to 100 GeV recently singled out by the
reported DAMA annual modulation effect.Comment: 6 pages, talk given at IDM2000, York, September 200
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