Individual Glycation Sites as Biomarkers of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a widely spread metabolic disease, the initial stages of which are asymptomatic and have no clinically recognizable manifestation. At the molecular level, T2DM is manifested with essential non-enzymatic structural changes of intra- and extracellular proteins, mostly represented with oxidation and glycation of multiple residues. Protein glycation is one of the most universal markers of T2DM, and is recognized as an indirect, but adequate indicator of plasma glucose levels over prolonged periods of time. Unfortunately, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) – the universally accepted T2DM marker, is insensitive for short-term excursions of blood glucose, which are known to precede the onset of disease. Therefore, new generation biomarkers, giving access to the time dimension of Maillard reaction in blood, are desired. In this context, establishment of individual glycation sites of plasma proteins as new T2DM biomarkers might be a promising approach. Indeed, involvement of proteins with different half-life times in such analysis will make the time dimension of protein glycation in blood available and will allow early recognition of blood sugar fluctuations, occurring within few weeks or even days

Trace Element Patterns in Shells of Mussels (Bivalvia) Allow to Distinguish between Fresh- and Brackish-Water Coastal Environments of the Subarctic and Boreal Zone

The accumulation of trace metals in the shells of bivalves allows quantitative assessments of environmental pollution and helps to reconstruct paleo aquatic environments. However, the understanding on how marine and freshwater mollusks control the level of trace elements in their shells remains very limited. Here, we compared the trace element composition of marine and freshwater bivalves from boreal and subarctic habitats, using examples of widely distributed species of marine (Mytilus edulis, M. trossulus) and freshwater (Anodonta anatina, Unio sp., Beringiana beringiana) mussels. Sizable differences in several trace element concentrations were detected between different species, depending on their environmental niches. A multiparametric statistical treatment of the shell’s elemental composition allowed to distinguish the impact of external factors (water and sediment chemical composition) from active metabolic (biological) control. In particular, the obtained results demonstrated that Ba:Ca and Pb:Ca ratios in mussels’ shells are closely related to the primary productivity of aquatic ecosystems. The Mn:Ca ratio allowed to constrain the environmental conditions of mussels’ species depending on the trophic state of inhabited waterbody. Overall, the marine mussels exhibited stronger biological control of trace element accumulation, whereas trace element pattern in shells of freshwater mussels was chiefly controlled by environmental factors. The obtained results might help to use the trace element composition of bivalves in distinguishing marine and freshwater habitats of mollusks in paleo environments

Marketing with Twitter : investigating factors that impact on the effectiveness of tweets

The increasing use of Twitter by businesses has created the challenge of how organisations can use Twitter most effectively for marketing. Using data across several years of Twitter activity by both leading global brands and a non-profit organisation (NPO), this thesis presents measures that can be used by practitioners and researchers to assess the effectiveness of marketing communications on Twitter. It discusses the factors that predict consumer and stakeholder engagement with organisational tweets, and different Twitter strategies that have been successfully (and less successfully) used by leading global brands and a large non-profit organisation. The thesis consists of four separate but inter-related papers that have variously been published or accepted for publication. Each paper analyses different aspects of organisational Twitter activity, including an analysis of tweet features that impact on the frequency of retweeting of brands’ tweets and examination of reciprocity within the network of an NPO and its corporate partners. The thesis contributes to the literature by assessing what has been done on Twitter, what works and what does not, and by showing what it is possible to achieve on the platform in terms of effective communications. Firstly, the research evaluates Twitter activity both in commercial organisations and within the network of an NPO and its supporters by analysing their Twitter accounts’ activity, follower engagement and tweet structure. The research also compares and contrasts Twitter activity over a two-year period by both commercial brands and an NPO and therefore provides insights into the evolution of Twitter use. Secondly, the research develops and tests a theoretical model that predicts electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on Twitter by assessing the effect of different tweet features on retweet count. The research also provides an approach to estimate minimum and maximum threshold levels for some tweet features that can be used repeatedly in tweets (e.g., hashtags and photos) and which can thus have a non-linear effect on retweeting. In addition, the research evaluates how consumer involvement with the product category, as represented by different industries, impacts on consumer responses and engagement with brand communications and subsequent eWOM on Twitter. This is important as the findings suggest that different industries need to use different communication strategies, depending on the brand context, in order to be successful on Twitter. Thirdly, the thesis discusses what it is possible to achieve on Twitter, in particular by reviewing how the medium can be used for reciprocal promotion within a network of organisations using co-branding and co-created tweets, even among those who compete. Finally, the thesis discusses implications for organisations using Twitter for marketing communications, and for further research into the use of Twitter for marketing

What are they tweeting and why? : corporate Twitter use in Australia and the USA

This study compares and contrasts use of Twitter, the most common micro-blogging medium, by six Twitter accounts linked to three Australian and three US organisations. Quantitative and content analyses were performed on a sample of 1,194 tweets posted over a period from 6 December 2009 to 27 May 2010. The results show that while two-way communications were the most common form of tweets by all accounts, there was evidence of very different Twitter practices between the organisations, and some evidence of different practices within the organisations. The results provide a framework for organisations and researchers to compare Twitter practices, in order to identify the best Twitter strategy for different organisations

Interactive or reactive? Marketing with Twitter

Purpose: Despite rapid growth in organizational use of Twitter, there is little theoretical or empirical research examining how different organisations use Twitter. This paper aims to analyse and compare use of Twitter in 12 accounts held by six organisations in the USA and Australia, drawing on existing models of interactive communications. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on analysis of a random sample of tweets sent by each account. Findings: The results demonstrate different ways in which the interactive capabilities of Twitter can be used to communicate with customers. However by also demonstrating lack of consistency in Twitter practice within most organisations, the results reinforce the need for strategic consistency in developing Twitter practice. Research limitations/implications: The results are based on the Twitter practice of 12 organisational accounts in the USA and Australia from December 2009 to May 2010. As with any evolving medium, practices at the different organisations may have changed since that time. Originality/value: The paper is the first to compare Twitter use within and across organisations and geographic markets. It demonstrates a variety of potential Twitter practices, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies, and thus provides a framework for analysis of Twitter practice, and strategic direction for organisations developing their use of Twitter. The paper identifies challenges in the use of Twitter as both a one-to-many, and also a one-to-one, communication medium, and suggests strategies for coping with this dual use of Twitter.9 page(s

Probing Protein Glycation by Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry: Analysis of Glycation Adducts

Glycation is a non-enzymatic post-translational modification of proteins, formed by the reaction of reducing sugars and α-dicarbonyl products of their degradation with amino and guanidino groups of proteins. Resulted early glycation products are readily involved in further transformation, yielding a heterogeneous group of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Their formation is associated with ageing, metabolic diseases, and thermal processing of foods. Therefore, individual glycation adducts are often considered as the markers of related pathologies and food quality. In this context, their quantification in biological and food matrices is required for diagnostics and establishment of food preparation technologies. For this, exhaustive protein hydrolysis with subsequent amino acid analysis is the strategy of choice. Thereby, multi-step enzymatic digestion procedures ensure good recoveries for the most of AGEs, whereas tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with stable isotope dilution or standard addition represents “a gold standard” for their quantification. Although the spectrum of quantitatively assessed AGE structures is continuously increases, application of untargeted profiling techniques for identification of new products is desired, especially for in vivo characterization of anti-glycative systems. Thereby, due to a high glycative potential of plant metabolites, more attention needs to be paid on plant-derived AGEs

Intoxicated on Twitter : the role of social media in the marketing of alcohol

Excessive consumption of alcohol constitutes a global health problem. Despite efforts to promote safe drinking, spending on pro-alcohol communications far exceeds spending on safe drinking messages. Social media – like Twitter – represent a new method of organisational communication, but the role of Twitter in the promotion of alcohol, or in the promotion of safe drinking messages, have not been examined. This study compared six Twitter accounts maintained by health advocates with six maintained by alcohol companies. The results show that Twitter is heavily used for interactive pro-alcohol communication. Tweets from alcohol accounts were relatively more visible, more engaging, and more likely to be associated with positive connotations than tweets b health advocates. Implications for promotion of health messages are discussed

Marketing with Twitter : challenges and opportunities

The increasing use of Twitter by businesses has created the challenge of how to measure its effectiveness for marketing communications. Using data based on two years of Twitter activity by leading global brands in the Auto, FMCG and Luxury industries, this chapter presents measures which can be used by practitioners and researchers to assess the effectiveness of marketing communications on Twitter. It discusses the factors that predict consumer engagement with organizational tweets, and different Twitter strategies that have been successfully (and less successfully) used by leading global brands. We also consider the implications for marketing with Twitter, for these and for smaller organizations