Intervention with citrus flavonoids reverses obesity and improves metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis in obese Ldlr \u3csup\u3e/\u3c/sup\u3e mice

Copyright © 2018 Burke et al. Obesity and its associated metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular disease risk represent a leading cause of adult morbidity worldwide. Currently available pharmacological therapies for obesity have had limited success in reversing existing obesity and metabolic dysregulation. Previous prevention studies demonstrated that the citrus flavonoids, naringenin and nobiletin, protect against obesity and metabolic dysfunction in Ldlr/ mice fed a high-fat cholesterol-containing (HFHC) diet. However, their effects in an intervention model are unknown. In this report, we show that, in Ldlr/ mice with diet-induced obesity, citrus flavonoid supplementation to a HFHC diet reversed existing obesity and adipocyte size and number through enhanced energy expenditure and increased hepatic fatty acid oxidation. Caloric intake was unaffected and no evidence of white adipose tissue browning was observed. Reversal of adiposity was accompanied by improvements in hyperlipidemia, insulin sensitivity, hepatic steatosis, and a modest reduction in blood monocytes. Together, this resulted in atherosclerotic lesions that were unchanged in size, but characterized by reduced macrophage content, consistent with a more stable plaque phenotype. These studies further suggest potential therapeutic utility of citrus flavonoids, especially in the context of existing obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease

Global Multi-Year O3-CO Correlation Patterns from Models and TES Satellite Observations

The correlation between measured tropospheric ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) has been used extensively in tropospheric chemistry studies to explore the photochemical characteristics of different regions and to evaluate the ability of models to capture these characteristics. Here, we present the first study that uses multi-year, global, vertically resolved, simultaneous and collocated O3 and CO satellite (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer) measurements, to determine this correlation in the middle/lower free troposphere for two different seasons, and to evaluate two chemistry-climate models. We find results that are fairly robust across different years, altitudes and timescales considered, which indicates that the correlation maps presented here could be used in future model evaluations. The highest positive correlations (around 0.8) are found in the northern Pacific during summer, which is a common feature in the observations and the G-PUCCINI model. We make quantitative comparisons between the models using a single-figure metric (C), which we define as the correlation coefficient between the modeled and the observed O3-CO correlations for different regions of the globe. On a global scale, the G-PUCCINI model shows a good performance in the summer (C =0.71) and a satisfactory performance in the winter (C = 0.52). It captures midlatitude features very well, especially in the summer, whereas the performance in regions like South America or Central Africa is weaker. The UKCA model (C = 0.46/0.15 for July-August/December-January on a global scale) performs better in certain regions, such as the tropics in winter, and it captures some of the broad characteristics of summer extratropical correlations, but it systematically underestimates the O3-CO correlations over much of the globe. It is noteworthy that the correlations look very different in the two models, even though the ozone distributions are similar. This demonstrates that this technique provides a powerful global constraint for understanding modeled tropospheric chemical processes. We investigated the sources of the correlations by performing a series of sensitivity experiments. In these, the sign of the correlation is, in most cases, insensitive to removing different individual emissions, but its magnitude changes downwind of emission regions when applying such perturbations. Interestingly, we find that the O3-CO correlation does not solely reflect the strength of O3 photochemical production, as often assumed by earlier studies, but is more complicated and may reflect a mixture of different processes such as transport

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ agonist GW1516 attenuates diet-induced aortic inflammation, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice

OBJECTIVE - The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) δ regulates systemic lipid homeostasis and inflammation. However, the ability of PPARδ agonists to improve the pathology of pre-established lesions and whether PPARδ activation is atheroprotective in the setting of insulin resistance have not been reported. Here, we examine whether intervention with a selective PPARδ agonist corrects metabolic dysregulation and attenuates aortic inflammation and atherosclerosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS - Low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice were fed a chow or a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet (42% fat, 0.2% cholesterol) for 4 weeks. For a further 8 weeks, the HFHC group was fed either HFHC or HFHC plus GW1516 (3 mg/kg per day). GW1516 significantly attenuated pre-established fasting hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia, as well as glucose and insulin intolerance. GW1516 intervention markedly reduced aortic sinus lesions and lesion macrophages, whereas smooth muscle α-actin was unchanged and collagen deposition enhanced. In aortae, GW1516 increased the expression of the PPARδ-specific gene Adfp but not PPARα- or γ-specific genes. GW1516 intervention decreased the expression of aortic proinflammatory M1 cytokines, increased the expression of the anti-inflammatory M2 cytokine Arg1, and attenuated the iNos/Arg1 ratio. Enhanced mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, known to induce inflammatory cytokine expression in vitro, was enhanced in aortae of HFHC-fed mice. Furthermore, the HFHC diet impaired aortic insulin signaling through Akt and forkhead box O1, which was associated with elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress markers CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein and 78kDa glucose regulated protein. GW1516 intervention normalized mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, insulin signaling, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. CONCLUSIONS - Intervention with a PPARδ agonist inhibits aortic inflammation and attenuates the progression of pre-established atherosclerosis. © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc

Seasonal Heat Acclimatisation in Healthy Adults:A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Physiological heat adaptations can be induced following various protocols that use either artificially controlled (i.e. acclimation) or naturally occurring (i.e. acclimatisation) environments. During the summer months in seasonal climates, adequate exposure to outdoor environmental heat stress should lead to transient seasonal heat acclimatisation. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the systematic review was to assess the available literature and characterise seasonal heat acclimatisation during the summer months and identify key factors that influence the magnitude of adaptation. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: English language, full-text articles that assessed seasonal heat acclimatisation on the same sample of healthy adults a minimum of 3 months apart were included. DATA SOURCES: Studies were identified using first- and second-order search terms in the databases MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Scopus and Cochrane, with the last search taking place on 15 July 2021. RISK OF BIAS: Studies were independently assessed by two authors for the risk of bias using a modified version of the McMaster critical review form. DATA EXTRACTION: Data for the following outcome variables were extracted: participant age, sex, body mass, height, body fat percentage, maximal oxygen uptake, time spent exercising outdoors (i.e. intensity, duration, environmental conditions), heat response test (i.e. protocol, time between tests), core temperature, skin temperature, heart rate, whole-body sweat loss, whole-body and local sweat rate, sweat sodium concentration, skin blood flow and plasma volume changes. RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review, including 561 participants across eight countries with a mean summer daytime wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 24.9 °C (range: 19.5–29.8 °C). Two studies reported a reduction in resting core temperature (0.16 °C; p < 0.05), 11 reported an increased sweat rate (range: 0.03–0.53 L·h(−1); p < 0.05), two observed a reduced heart rate during a heat response test (range: 3–8 beats·min(−1); p < 0.05), and six noted a reduced sweat sodium concentration (range: − 22 to − 59%; p < 0.05) following summer. The adaptations were associated with a mean summer WBGT of 25.2 °C (range: 19.6–28.7 °C). LIMITATIONS: The available studies primarily focussed on healthy male adults and demonstrated large differences in the reporting of factors that influence the development of seasonal heat acclimatisation, namely, exposure time and duration, exercise task and environmental conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Seasonal heat acclimatisation is induced across various climates in healthy adults. The magnitude of adaptation is dependent on a combination of environmental and physical activity characteristics. Providing environmental conditions are conducive to adaptation, the duration and intensity of outdoor physical activity, along with the timing of exposures, can influence seasonal heat acclimatisation. Future research should ensure the documentation of these factors to allow for a better characterisation of seasonal heat acclimatisation. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42020201883. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40279-022-01677-0

Complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear ribosomal RNA operons of two species of Diplostomum (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda): a molecular resource for taxonomy and molecular epidemiology of important fish pathogens

© 2015 Brabec et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article

Diode laser based light sources for biomedical applications

Diode lasers are by far the most efficient lasers currently available. With the ever-continuing improvement in diode laser technology, this type of laser has become increasingly attractive for a wide range of biomedical applications. Compared to the characteristics of competing laser systems, diode lasers simultaneously offer tunability, high-power emission and compact size at fairly low cost. Therefore, diode lasers are increasingly preferred in important applications, such as photocoagulation, optical coherence tomography, diffuse optical imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and terahertz imaging. This review provides an overview of the latest development of diode laser technology and systems and their use within selected biomedical applications

The Keele community knee pain forum: action research to engage with stakeholders about the prevention of knee pain and disability

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Involvement of users in health care research is central to UK health care policy, and guidelines for involvement exist. However, there are limited examples in rheumatology research. The aim of this study was to establish a community knee pain forum aimed at engaging stakeholders in design, dissemination and prioritisation of knee pain research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten people were recruited to the forum representing a wide range of agencies. These included Weight Watchers, the leisure industry, Beth Johnson Foundation, health and social care professionals and the public. Three two-hour meetings over a two-year period were held. Experienced qualitative researchers facilitated each meeting. Written feedback after each meeting was elicited, and a short evaluation form was mailed to all members after the final meeting.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Establishing and maintaining a forum of mixed members required careful preparation and ongoing support. Meetings had to be well-structured in order to allow for balanced participation of lay and professional users. Users contributed to the design of methods, provided ideas for dissemination and set priorities for further research. Clear documentation of meetings ensured that users' contributions to the research cycle were transparent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our knee pain forum illustrates that community engagement can have a positive impact on the development, dissemination and implementation of health research. Engaging with non-academic partners enables mutual learning and this enhances the quality of NHS research.</p

Expression of Distal-less, dachshund, and optomotor blind in Neanthes arenaceodentata (Annelida, Nereididae) does not support homology of appendage-forming mechanisms across the Bilateria

The similarity in the genetic regulation of arthropod and vertebrate appendage formation has been interpreted as the product of a plesiomorphic gene network that was primitively involved in bilaterian appendage development and co-opted to build appendages (in modern phyla) that are not historically related as structures. Data from lophotrochozoans are needed to clarify the pervasiveness of plesiomorphic appendage forming mechanisms. We assayed the expression of three arthropod and vertebrate limb gene orthologs, Distal-less (Dll), dachshund (dac), and optomotor blind (omb), in direct-developing juveniles of the polychaete Neanthes arenaceodentata. Parapodial Dll expression marks premorphogenetic notopodia and neuropodia, becoming restricted to the bases of notopodial cirri and to ventral portions of neuropodia. In outgrowing cephalic appendages, Dll activity is primarily restricted to proximal domains. Dll expression is also prominent in the brain. dac expression occurs in the brain, nerve cord ganglia, a pair of pharyngeal ganglia, presumed interneurons linking a pair of segmental nerves, and in newly differentiating mesoderm. Domains of omb expression include the brain, nerve cord ganglia, one pair of anterior cirri, presumed precursors of dorsal musculature, and the same pharyngeal ganglia and presumed interneurons that express dac. Contrary to their roles in outgrowing arthropod and vertebrate appendages, Dll, dac, and omb lack comparable expression in Neanthes appendages, implying independent evolution of annelid appendage development. We infer that parapodia and arthropodia are not structurally or mechanistically homologous (but their primordia might be), that Dll’s ancestral bilaterian function was in sensory and central nervous system differentiation, and that locomotory appendages possibly evolved from sensory outgrowths