Association Between PGC-1Alpha Gene Polymorphisms and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Case-Control Study of an Iranian Population

Objective: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1 alpha) gene could play a role in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to explore the possible associations among polymorphisms Gly482Ser, Thr394Thr and Thr528Thr of the PGC-1 alpha gene and the risk of type 2 diabetes in Kurdish-Iranians. Methods: DNA specimens from all 173 type 2 diabetes subjects and 173 normoglycemic subjects were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were analyzed in each group. Serum lipids, fasting glucose, fasting serum insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and glycated hemoglobin levels were determined using the conventional methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The GA genotype of Gly482Ser was associated with a significant susceptibility for type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 5.23, p<0.000). Furthermore, the GA genotype of Thr528Thr had a higher risk for type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 2.37, p<0.002). Normoglycemic persons carrying the GA+AA genotypes of Gly482Ser variation had significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in comparison with persons having GG genotype. In comparison with GG genotype carriers, normoglycemic subjects carrying the GA+AA genotypes of Thr394Thr variation had significantly higher fasting blood sugar, fasting serum insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Normoglycemic subjects with the GA+AA genotypes of Thr528Thr variation had significantly higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with subjects having the GG genotype. Type 2 diabetes subjects carrying the GA+AA genotypes of this polymorphism had significantly higher waist-hip ratio in comparison with the GG genotype carriers. We also found that haplotype 394-GG/482-GA/528-GG of PGC-1 alpha was significantly associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: Our findings revealed significant associations between PGC-1alpha Gly482Ser and Thr528Thr polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes in Kurdish-Iranians. (C) 2015 Canadian Diabetes Associatio

Adaptive query-based sampling of distributed collections

As part of a Distributed Information Retrieval system a de-scription of each remote information resource, archive or repository is usually stored centrally in order to facilitate resource selection. The ac-quisition ofprecise resourcedescriptionsistherefore animportantphase in Distributed Information Retrieval, as the quality of such represen-tations will impact on selection accuracy, and ultimately retrieval per-formance. While Query-Based Sampling is currently used for content discovery of uncooperative resources, the application of this technique is dependent upon heuristic guidelines to determine when a sufficiently accurate representation of each remote resource has been obtained. In this paper we address this shortcoming by using the Predictive Likelihood to provide both an indication of thequality of an acquired resource description estimate, and when a sufficiently good representation of a resource hasbeen obtained during Query-Based Sampling

Aspects of Housing Development analysis of the impacts of social & economic issues on housing physical indicators (Case Study: The 2nd District of Tehran)

Housing development and the planning of it includes variant aspects, which are important to study, in order to have a successful plan in a city. Physical aspect contains scrutiny of seeming and objective factors of housing and dwellings, which includes kinds of building materials, quality of structure, urban accesses, and etc. Social aspect contains issues such as structure of population and household, cultural issues and etc. And economic aspect of housing include issues like cost of dwellings and real states, households’ incomes and etc. In addition, these aspects have influences on each other too. For example making changes in social and economic conditions will cause the change of physic of housing. Therefore, this paper studies impacts of social and economic situation on physic of housing in the 2nd District of Tehran as a bipolar area (in north and south of Hemmat expressway) which suffers a serious inequality in distribution of services and facilities, households’ income, cost of properties, cultural and social indicators and etc. So the relationship between physical aspect of housing and social and economic factors will be defined as a function by the two fallowing method: Factor-Analysis and Regression. This paper concludes that enhance of quality of housing is not achievable whit physical intervention merely and a comprehensive approach is necessary for housing planning

Deep learning can predict laboratory quakes from active source seismic data

Small changes in seismic wave properties foretell frictional failure in laboratory experiments and in some cases on seismic faults. Such precursors include systematic changes in wave velocity and amplitude throughout the seismic cycle. However, the relationships between wave features and shear stress are complex. Here, we use data from lab friction experiments that include continuous measurement of elastic waves traversing the fault and build data-driven models to learn these complex relations. We demonstrate that deep learning models accurately predict the timing and size of laboratory earthquakes based on wave features. Additionally, the transportability of models is explored by using data from different experiments. Our deep learning models transfer well to unseen datasets providing high-fidelity models with much less training. These prediction methods can be potentially applied in the field for earthquake early warning in conjunction with long-term time-lapse seismic monitoring of crustal faults, CO2 storage sites and unconventional energy reservoirs

The high-frequency signature of slow and fast laboratory earthquakes

Tectonic faults fail through a spectrum of slip modes, ranging from slow aseismic creep to rapid slip during earthquakes. Understanding the seismic radiation emitted during these slip modes is key for advancing earthquake science and earthquake hazard assessment. In this work, we use laboratory friction experiments instrumented with ultrasonic sensors to document the seismic radiation properties of slow and fast laboratory earthquakes. Stick-slip experiments were conducted at a constant loading rate of 8&nbsp;μm/s and the normal stress was systematically increased from 7 to 15&nbsp;MPa. We produced a full spectrum of slip modes by modulating the loading stiffness in tandem with the fault zone normal stress. Acoustic emission data were recorded continuously at 5&nbsp;MHz. We demonstrate that the full continuum of slip modes radiate measurable high-frequency energy between 100 and 500&nbsp;kHz, including the slowest events that have peak fault slip rates &lt;100&nbsp;μm/s. The peak amplitude of the high-frequency time-domain signals scales systematically with fault slip velocity. Stable sliding experiments further support the connection between fault slip rate and high-frequency radiation. Experiments demonstrate that the origin of the high-frequency energy is fundamentally linked to changes in fault slip rate, shear strain, and breaking of contact junctions within the fault gouge. Our results suggest that having measurements close to the fault zone may be key for documenting seismic radiation properties and fully understanding the connection between different slip modes

Digital outpatient health solutions as a vehicle to improve healthcare sustainability-a United Kingdom focused policy and practice perspective

Introduction: In the midst of a global climate emergency and with health care systems across the world facing extreme pressure, interest in digital approaches as a potential part-solution to these challenges has increased rapidly. The evidence base to support the role that digitalization can play in moving towards more sustainable models of healthcare is growing, as is the awareness of this key area of healthcare reform amongst policy makers, clinicians and the public. Method and Results: In this policy and practice review we explore four domains of healthcare sustainability-environmental, economic, and patient and clinician, delineating the potential impact that digitally enabled healthcare can have on each area. Real-world examples are provided to illustrate the impact individual digital interventions can have on each pillar of sustainability and demonstrate the scale of the potential benefits which can be achieved. Discussion: Digitally enabled healthcare solutions present an approach which offer numerous benefits, including environmental sustainability, economic benefits, and improved patient experience. There are also potential drawbacks such as the risk of digital exclusion and the need for integration with existing technology platforms. Overall, it is essential to strike a balance between the benefits and potential drawbacks of digital healthcare solutions to ensure that they are equitable, effective, and sustainable

Serum overexpression of miR-301a and miR-23a in patients with colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of membrane-bound vesicles with complex cargoes including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs have received significant attention due to their specific features including stability under harsh conditions and involvement in cell-to-cell communication. Circulating EVs and the molecules associated with them are important in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNAs that have a role in regulating gene expression. Current literature shows that circulating miRNAs can be used as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of cancers. The present study was set to investigate the potential role of serum exosomal miRNA expression levels in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and evaluate their correlation with clinicopathologic features. METHODS: Exosome-enriched fractions were isolated from the serum of 25 CRC patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using a polymer-based precipitation method. During the pilot phase, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out on 12 CRC patients and eight healthy participants to evaluate the expression difference of 11 candidate miRNAs between CRC patients and tumor free subjects. Finally, the results were validated in a separate group, which was similar in size to the pilot group. The clinicopathologic data were also collected and the relationship between aberrant miRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters were investigated. RESULTS: There were high expressions of exosomal miR-23a and miR-301a in serum samples of CRC patients compared to normal controls in training and validation phases; these differences were not significantly correlated with clinicopathologic features. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that miR-301a and miR-23a were able to discriminate CRC patients from normal subjects. CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence on the roles of miR-301a and miR-23a in CRC development and their potential roles as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of CRC

Microtomographic Analysis of Impact Damage in FRP Composite Laminates: A Comparative Study

With the advancement of testing tools, the ability to characterize mechanical properties of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites under extreme loading scenarios has allowed designers to use these materials in high-level applications more confidently. Conventionally, impact characterization of composite materials is studied via nondestructive techniques such as ultrasonic C-scanning, infrared thermography, X-ray, and acoustography. None of these techniques, however, enable 3D microscale visualization of the damage at different layers of composite laminates. In this paper, a 3D microtomographic technique has been employed to visualize and compare impact damage modes in a set of thermoplastic laminates. The test samples were made of commingled polypropylene (PP) and glass fibers with two different architectures, including the plain woven and unidirectional. Impact testing using a drop-weight tower, followed by postimpact four-point flexural testing and nondestructive tomographic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the type of fibre architecture and the induced impact damage mechanisms and their extensions

Intestinal barrier dysfunction plays an integral role in arthritis pathology and can be targeted to ameliorate disease

Background: Evidence suggests an important role for gut-microbiota dysbiosis in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The link between changes in gut bacteria and the development of joint inflammation is missing. Here, we address whether there are changes to the gut environment and how they contribute to arthritis pathogenesis. Methods: We analyzed changes in markers of gut permeability, damage, and inflammation in peripheral blood and serum of RA patients. Serum, intestines, and lymphoid organs isolated from K/BxN mice with spontaneous arthritis or from wild-type, genetically modified interleukin (IL)-10R−/− or claudin-8−/− mice with induced arthritis were analyzed by immunofluorescence/histology, ELISA, and flow cytometry. Findings: RA patients display increased levels of serum markers of gut permeability and damage and cellular gut-homing markers, both parameters positively correlating with disease severity. Arthritic mice display increased gut permeability from early stages of disease, as well as bacterial translocation, inflammatory gut damage, increases in interferon γ (IFNγ)+ and decreases in IL-10+ intestinal-infiltrating leukocyte frequency, and reduced intestinal epithelial IL-10R expression. Mechanistically, both arthritogenic bacteria and leukocytes are required to disrupt gut-barrier integrity. We show that exposing intestinal organoids to IFNγ reduces IL-10R expression by epithelial cells and that mice lacking epithelial IL-10R display increased intestinal permeability and exacerbated arthritis. Claudin-8−/− mice with constitutively increased gut permeability also develop worse joint disease. Treatment of mice with AT-1001, a molecule that prevents development of gut permeability, ameliorates arthritis. Conclusions: We suggest that breakdown of gut-barrier integrity contributes to arthritis development and propose restoration of gut-barrier homeostasis as a new therapeutic approach for RA

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium complex and related subspecies as causative agents of zoonotic and occupational diseases

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) cause zoonotic infections transmitted by birds and livestock herds. These pathogens have remained as serious economic and health threats in most areas of the world. As zoonotic diseases, the risk of development of occupational disease and even death outcome necessitate implementation of control strategies to prevent its spread. Zoonotic MAP infections include Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, and immune-related diseases (such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis). Paratuberculosis has classified as type B epidemic zoonotic disease according to world health organization which is transmitted to human through consumption of dairy and meat products. In addition, MAC causes pulmonary manifestations and lymphadenitis in normal hosts and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) progression (by serotypes 1, 4, and 8). Furthermore, other subspecies have caused respiratory abscesses, neck lymph nodes, and disseminated osteomyelitis in children and ulcers. However, the data over the occupational relatedness of these subspecies is rare. These agents can cause occupational infections in susceptible herd breeders. Several molecular methods have been recognized as proper strategies for tracking the infection. In this study, some zoonotic aspects, worldwide prevalence and control strategies regarding infections due to MAP and MAC and related subspecies has been reviewe