Combined low-carbohydrate diet and long-term exercise in hypoxia in type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial protocol to assess glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors and body composition

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality associated with diabetes, which is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Low-carbohydrate diet has gained popularity as an intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, acting to improve glycemic profile and serum lipids. In its turn, exercise in hypoxia induces specific adaptations, mostly modulated via hypoxia-induced transcription factor signaling cascade, which increases with exposure to altitude, and promotes angiogenesis, glycogen supply, glucose tolerance, and raises GLUT-4 expression. Aim: Given that hyperglycemia decreases HIF-1 and it is better controlled when following a low-carbohydrate diet, this study aims to examine the hypothesis that a combination of both low-carbohydrate diet and chronic exercise in hypoxia in type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with improved glycemic control and cardiovascular parameters, whose protocol is described. Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus ( n=48) will be recruited and randomized into one of the three groups: (a) Control group: Control diet (low-fat and moderate-carbohydrate diet)+exercise in normoxia; (2) exercise in hypoxia group: Control diet+exercise in hypoxia; (3) intervention group: Low-carbohydrate diet (low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet)+exercise in hypoxia. Before and after 8 weeks of interventions, cardiopulmonary tests (Bruce protocol), body composition and blood pressure will be evaluated. Blood samples will be collected to measure hypoxia-induced transcription factor, C-reactive protein, glycemic and lipid profiles. Summary: This will be the first trial to examine the isolated and combined effect of chronic exercise in hypoxia and low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This trial will help to fill a significant research gap, guide future research and contribute to the combined nutrition and exercise approach to type 2 diabetes mellitus. </jats:p

DNA methylation at the Igf2/H19 imprinting control region is associated with cerebellum mass in outbred mice

Background: Insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2) is a paternally expressed imprinted gene regulating fetal growth, playing an integral role in the development of many tissues including the brain. The parent-of-origin specific expression of Igf2 is largely controlled by allele-specific DNA methylation at CTCF-binding sites in the imprinting control region (ICR), located immediately upstream of the neighboring H19 gene. Previously we reported evidence of a negative correlation between DNA methylation in this region and cerebellum weight in humans. Results: We quantified cerebellar DNA methylation across all four CTCF binding sites spanning the murine Igf2/H19 ICR in an outbred population of Heterogeneous Stock (HS) mice (n = 48). We observe that DNA methylation at the second and third CTCF binding sites in the Igf2/H19 ICR shows a negative relationship with cerebellar mass, reflecting the association observed in human post-mortem cerebellum tissue. Conclusions: Given the important role of the cerebellum in motor control and cognition, and the link between structural cerebellar abnormalities and neuropsychiatric phenotypes, the identification of epigenetic factors associated with cerebellum growth and development may provide important insights about the etiology of psychiatric disorders

Mutual information rate and bounds for it

The amount of information exchanged per unit of time between two nodes in a dynamical network or between two data sets is a powerful concept for analysing complex systems. This quantity, known as the mutual information rate (MIR), is calculated from the mutual information, which is rigorously defined only for random systems. Moreover, the definition of mutual information is based on probabilities of significant events. This work offers a simple alternative way to calculate the MIR in dynamical (deterministic) networks or between two data sets (not fully deterministic), and to calculate its upper and lower bounds without having to calculate probabilities, but rather in terms of well known and well defined quantities in dynamical systems. As possible applications of our bounds, we study the relationship between synchronisation and the exchange of information in a system of two coupled maps and in experimental networks of coupled oscillators

Tamanho de amostra para avaliação de caracteres de cenoura em sistemas de cultivo agroecológico.

O correto dimensionamento de experimentos deve ser utilizado para que se possa reduzir o erro experimental e com isso, maximizar a precisão das informações obtidas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar o número mínimo de famílias e de plantas por parcela para avaliação de caracteres de raiz em uma população de cenoura cultivada em sistema agroecológico. Os ensaios foram conduzidos no verão de 2006/2007 em duas propriedades com cultivo agroecológico em Brasília: Associação Mokiti Okada, que segue modelo de Agricultura Natural em Brazlândia-DF e Núcleo Rural Taguatinga, seguindo modelo de Agricultura Orgânica em Taguatinga-DF. Foram avaliadas 100 famílias de meio-irmãos de cenoura dispostas em delineamento de blocos casualizados com duas repetições e parcelas de 1 m2. Foram colhidas 20 plantas competitivas por parcela e avaliadas individualmente para os caracteres comprimento de raiz, diâmetro da raiz, massa da raiz, diâmetro do xilema da raiz, relação diâmetro do xilema/diâmetro da raiz, tipo de ponta da raiz, tipo de ombro da raiz, parâmetro a* para os tecidos xilema e floema. Foi realizada análise de variância conjunta e para cada sistema, com informação entre e dentro de parcelas. Foram realizadas ainda análises de representatividade do número mínimo de famílias e de plantas para representar uma população de cenoura. Foi verificado que uma amostra de 18 plantas competitivas/parcela coletadas em ensaios com 2 repetições, bem como de 74 famílias, são suficientes para garantir uma adequada avaliação de famílias meio-irmãos de cenoura para os caracteres estudados

Conformal symmetry of the critical 3D Ising model inside a sphere

We perform Monte-Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional Ising model at the critical temperature and zero magnetic field. We simulate the system in a ball with free boundary conditions on the two dimensional spherical boundary. Our results for one and two point functions in this geometry are consistent with the predictions from the conjectured conformal symmetry of the critical Ising model.We are grateful to Slava Rychkov for useful discussions and for suggesting this work. The research leading to these results has received funding from the [European Union] Seventh Framework Programme [FP7-People-2010-IRSES] and [FP7/2007-2013] under grant agreements No 269217, 317089 and No 247252, and from the grant CERN/FP/123599/2011. Centro de Física do Porto is partially funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal (FCT). J.V.P.L. acknowledges funding from projecto Operacional Regional do Norte, within Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN) and through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER- 00003

Coupling of vinculin to F-actin demands Syndecan-4 proteoglycan

Syndecans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans characterized as transmembrane receptors that act cooperatively with the cell surface and extracellular matrix proteins. Syn4 knockdown was performed in orderto address its role in endothelial cells (EC) behavior. Normal EC and shRNA-Syn4-EC cells were studied comparatively using complementary confocal, super-resolution and non-linear microscopic techniques. Confocal and super-resolution microscopy revealed that Syn4 knockdown alters the level and arrangement of essential proteins for focal adhesion, evidenced by the decoupling of vinculin from F-actin filaments. Furthermore, Syn4 knockdown alters the actin network leading to filopodial protrusions connected by VE-cadherin rich junction. shRNA-Syn4-EC showed reduced adhesion and increased migration. Also, Syn4 silencing alters cell cycle as well as cell proliferation. Moreover, the ability of EC to form tube-like structures in matrigel is reduced when Syn4 is silenced. Together, the results suggest a mechanism in which Syndecan-4 acts as a central mediator that bridges fibronectin, integrin and intracellular components (actin and vinculin) and once silenced, the cytoskeleton protein network is disrupted. Ultimately, the results highlight Syn4 relevance for balanced cell behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.CAPES (Coordenagdo de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior)CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientffico e Tecnologico)FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de sao Paulo), BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, Disciplina Biol Mol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Liverpool, Inst Integrat Biol, Dept Biochem, Liverpool, Merseyside, EnglandUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniv Houston, Coll Optometry, TOSI, Houston, TX USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Grp Interdisciplinar Ciencias Exatas Saude, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, Disciplina Biol Mol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Grp Interdisciplinar Ciencias Exatas Saude, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 15/08782-3FAPESP: 15/03964-6Web of Scienc