The effects of cutting frequency of guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) at 30, 45, 60, and 75 days, on the dry matter production, digestibility and mineral contents.

Young Guinea grass plants were transplanted to a soil of the series "Luiz de Queiroz", belonging to Terra Roxa Estruturada (Alfisol) group at Piracicaba, SP, Brasil. On the forthcoming day after planting, each plant received by dressing 2.4 g N (ammonium sulphate), 3.2 g P2O5 (normal superphosphate) and 1.9 g K(2)0 (potassium chloride). The plants were cut at the height of 10 cm from the ground and divided into leaves and stems. The dry matter contents were obtained at 609C. Digestibility was determined in vivo by the nylon bag technique. The mineral contents were determined by conventional laboratory methods for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Mn, and Zn. The experimental designed was randomised blocs with three replications. CONCLUSIONS Dry matter production The relation steii/Leaf was altered by the aging of the plant. The dry matter contents were higher in the stems than in the leaves. A linear positive relation was observed between dry matter production and age of the plants. Digestibility This decreases with aging of the grass. No differences among leaves and stems were observed. Minerals The concentration of N, P, Cu and Zn decreased with aging of the grass. Concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, S and Mn were not affecred by aging of the grass. Animal nutrition The minimum mineral nutrient requiriments for large animals were not affected by cutting frequency of the grass.Mudas de capim colonião (Panicum maximum Jacq.) foram transplantadas para uma Terra Roxa Estruturada, serie "Luiz de Queiroz", em Piracicaba, SP, e adubadas na razão de 2,5 g de N (sulfato de amônio), 3,2 g de P2O5 (superfosfato simples) e 1,9 g de K2O (cloreto de potássio) por muda. Cortes foram efetuados aos 35, 45, 60 e 75 dias a 15 cm de altura do solo. No material coletado foram separadas hastes e folhas e determinado o peso da matéria seca, o coeficiente de digestibilidade in vitro e as concentrações de N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn. O delineamento estatístico foi de blocos ao aca so, com três repetições. Concluíram os autores: 1. a relação haste/folha varia com o envelhecimento da planta. A produção de matéria seca e maior nas hastes do que nas folhas. Há uma relação linear positiva entre o aumento de peso da matéria seca e a idade da planta; 2. o coeficiente de digestibilidade da matéria seca diminui com a idade da planta, não havendo diferenças entre haste e folha; 3. a concentração de N, P, Cu, Fe e Zn diminui com o aumento da idade da planta; 4. a idade da planta não afeta os teores mínimos exigidos pelo animal

Effect of sitagliptin on energy metabolism and brown adipose tissue in overweight individuals with prediabetes:a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sitagliptin on glucose tolerance, plasma lipids, energy expenditure and metabolism of brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle in overweight individuals with prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance and/or impaired fasting glucose). Methods: We performed a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in 30 overweight, Europid men (age 45.9 \xc2\xb1 6.2\xc2\xa0years; BMI 28.8 \xc2\xb1 2.3\xc2\xa0kg/m2) with prediabetes in the Leiden University Medical Center and the Alrijne Hospital between March 2015 and September 2016. Participants were initially randomly allocated to receive sitagliptin (100\xc2\xa0mg/day) (n = 15) or placebo (n = 15) for 12\xc2\xa0weeks, using a randomisation list that was set up by an unblinded pharmacist. All people involved in the study as well as participants were blinded to group assignment. Two participants withdrew from the study prior to completion (both in the sitagliptin group) and were subsequently replaced with two new participants that were allocated to the same treatment. Before and after treatment, fasting venous blood samples and skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained, OGTT was performed and body composition, resting energy expenditure and [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) uptake by metabolic tissues were assessed. The primary study endpoint was the effect of sitagliptin on BAT volume and activity. Results: One participant from the sitagliptin group was excluded from analysis, due to a distribution error, leaving 29 participants for further analysis. Sitagliptin, but not placebo, lowered glucose excursion (\xe2\x88\x9240%; p < 0.003) during OGTT, accompanied by an improved insulinogenic index (+38%; p < 0.003) and oral disposition index (+44%; p < 0.003). In addition, sitagliptin lowered serum concentrations of triacylglycerol (\xe2\x88\x9229%) and very large (\xe2\x88\x9246%), large (\xe2\x88\x9235%) and medium-sized (\xe2\x88\x9224%) VLDL particles (all p < 0.05). Body weight, body composition and energy expenditure did not change. In skeletal muscle, sitagliptin increased mRNA expression of PGC1\xce\xb2 (also known as PPARGC1B) (+117%; p < 0.05), a main controller of mitochondrial oxidative energy metabolism. Although the primary endpoint of change in BAT volume and activity was not met, sitagliptin increased [18F] FDG uptake in subcutaneous WAT (sWAT; +53%; p < 0.05). Reported side effects were mild and transient and not necessarily related to the treatment. Conclusions/interpretation: Twelve weeks of sitagliptin in overweight, Europid men with prediabetes improves glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism, as related to increased [18F] FDG uptake by sWAT, rather than BAT, and upregulation of the mitochondrial gene PGC1\xce\xb2 in skeletal muscle. Studies on the effect of sitagliptin on preventing or delaying the progression of prediabetes into type 2 diabetes are warranted. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02294084. Funding: This study was funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, Ministry of Economic Affairs and the University of Granada

Maximum principle for the regularized Schrödinger operator

In this paper we present analogues of the maximum principle and of some parabolic inequalities for the regularized time-dependent Schrödinger operator on open manifolds using Günter derivatives. Moreover, we study the uniqueness of bounded solutions for the regularized Schrödinger-Günter problem and obtain the corresponding fundamental solution. Furthermore, we present a regularized Schrödinger kernel and prove some convergence results. Finally, we present an explicit construction for the fundamental solution to the Schrödinger-Günter problem on a class of conformally flat cylinders and tori