Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Insulin Biosynthesis: A Review

Insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell dysfunction are major contributors to the pathogenesis of diabetes. Various conditions play a role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and are correlated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Pancreatic beta cells are susceptible to ER stress. Many studies have shown that increased ER stress induces pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and diabetes mellitus using genetic models of ER stress and by various stimuli. There are many reports indicating that ER stress plays an important role in the impairment of insulin biosynthesis, suggesting that reduction of ER stress could be a therapeutic target for diabetes. In this paper, we reviewed the relationship between ER stress and diabetes and how ER stress controls insulin biosynthesis

Nitric oxide-dependent cytoskeletal changes and inhibition of endothelial cell migration contribute to the suppression of angiogenesis by RAD50 gene transfer

AbstractPrevious reports showed that human RAD50 (hRAD50) gene delivery induced regression of an experimental rat tumor and porcine neointimal hyperplasia. In this study, we examined the effects of hRAD50 on the morphological changes and migration of endothelial cells (EC) as possible mechanisms by which hRAD50 might block angiogenesis. Quantitative image analysis revealed significant inhibition of the number and total area of blood vessels in rat tumor tissues following hRAD50 gene delivery. hRAD50 distorted actin and tubulin arrangements, and significantly reduced the F/G-actin ratio and increased the nitric oxide (NO) production in the primary cultured human EC. These effects were blocked by pretreatment with L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester), a NO synthase inhibitor. FACScan analysis showed that NO was involved in the necrosis and apoptosis of EC by hRAD50. hRAD50 also inhibited EC migration in an in vitro wound-healing model. These results indicate that NO-dependent cytoskeletal changes and inhibition of EC migration contribute to the suppression of angiogenesis by hRAD50 delivery in vivo

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of atrial fibrillation stratified by body mass index:a nationwide population-based study

We evaluated the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and incident atrial fibrillation (AF) and analyzed the impact of NAFLD on AF risk in relation to body mass index (BMI). A total of 8,048,055 subjects without significant liver disease who were available fatty liver index (FLI) values were included. Subjects were categorized into 3 groups based on FLI: 2), higher FLI raised the risk of AF (by 1.6-fold in 30 ≤ FLI 2. The impact of NAFLD on AF risk was accentuated in lean subjects with underweight

Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Foraminoplasty for Resection of Synovial Cyst

Synovial cyst is an extradural mass that compresses nerve root or thecal sac. Surgical excision with partial hemilaminectomy and medial facetectomy is commonly used for synovial cyst. Remarkable advancements in endoscopic spinal surgery have led to successful outcomes comparable to conventional open surgery. Here we introduce percutaneous endoscopic lumbar foraminoplasty for resecting synovial cyst as a minimal invasive technique. A 59-year-old woman presented with radicular pain at left L5 dermatome. Magnetic resonance images demonstrated a synovial cyst at left L4-5 facet joint and degenerative spondylolisthesis on L4-5. Under endoscopy, synovial cyst was removed by piecemeal method after transforaminal endoscopic foraminoplasty that removed part of superior facet. Her symptoms were relieved and the patient was discharged the next day. Therefore, percutaneous endoscopic lumbar foraminoplasty can be used as a minimally invasive surgical option for synovial cyst. It may provide less traumatization and affect less postoperative instability

Metal Modulation Epitaxy Growth for Extremely High Hole Concentrations Above 10(19) cm(-3) in GaN

The free hole carriers in GaN have been limited to concentrations in the low 1018 cm−3 range due to the deep activation energy, lower solubility, and compensation from defects, therefore, limiting doping efficiency to about 1%. Herein, we report an enhanced doping efficiency up to ~10% in GaN by a periodic doping, metal modulation epitaxy growth technique. The hole concentrations grown by periodically modulating Ga atoms and Mg dopants were over ~1.5 x 1019 cm−3. © 2008 American Institute of Physics