Associations Between Dietary Fiber and Inflammation, Hepatic Function, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Older Men Potential mechanisms for the benefits of fiber on diabetes risk

OBJECTIVE - To examine the relationship between dietary fiber and the risk of type 2 diabetes in older men and the role of hepatic and inflammatory markers.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - The study was performed prospectively and included 3,428 nondiabetic men (age 60-79 years) followed up for 7 years, during which there were 162 incident cases of type 2 diabetes.RESULTS - Low total dietary fiber (lowest quartile <= 20 g/day) was associated With increased risk of diabetes after adjustment for total caloric intake and potential confounders (relative risk - 1.47 [95% CI 1.03-2.11]). This increased risk was seen separately for both low cereal and low vegetable fiber intake. Dietary fiber was inversely associated with inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) and with tissue plasminogen activator and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Adjustment for these markers attenuated the increased risk (1.28 [0.88-1.86]).CONCLUSIONS - Dietary fiber is associated with reduced diabetes risk, which may be partly explained by inflammatory markers and hepatic fat deposition

MacWilliams' Extension Theorem for Bi-Invariant Weights over Finite Principal Ideal Rings

A finite ring R and a weight w on R satisfy the Extension Property if every R-linear w-isometry between two R-linear codes in R^n extends to a monomial transformation of R^n that preserves w. MacWilliams proved that finite fields with the Hamming weight satisfy the Extension Property. It is known that finite Frobenius rings with either the Hamming weight or the homogeneous weight satisfy the Extension Property. Conversely, if a finite ring with the Hamming or homogeneous weight satisfies the Extension Property, then the ring is Frobenius. This paper addresses the question of a characterization of all bi-invariant weights on a finite ring that satisfy the Extension Property. Having solved this question in previous papers for all direct products of finite chain rings and for matrix rings, we have now arrived at a characterization of these weights for finite principal ideal rings, which form a large subclass of the finite Frobenius rings. We do not assume commutativity of the rings in question.Comment: 12 page

Study of space battery accelerated testing techniques. Phase 1 report. Survey of testing methods applicable to space battery evaluation

Testing methods applicable to space battery evaluation - literature surve

What Can Quantitative Gait Analysis Tell Us about Dementia and Its Subtypes? A Structured Review

Distinguishing dementia subtypes can be difficult due to similarities in clinical presentation. There is increasing interest in discrete gait characteristics as markers to aid diagnostic algorithms in dementia. This structured review explores the differences in quantitative gait characteristics between dementia and healthy controls, and between four dementia subtypes under single-task conditions: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia, and vascular dementia. Twenty-six papers out of an initial 5,211 were reviewed and interpreted using a validated model of gait. Dementia was associated with gait characteristics grouped by slower pace, impaired rhythm, and increased variability compared to normal aging. Only four studies compared two or more dementia subtypes. People with AD are less impaired in pace, rhythm, and variability domains of gait compared to non-AD dementias. Results demonstrate the potential of gait as a clinical marker to discriminate between dementia subtypes. Larger studies using a more comprehensive battery of gait characteristics and better characterized dementia sub-types are required

Silico identification, molecular characterization and expression analysis of the Trypanosoma brucei paraflagellar rod protein PFR3

En el presente artículo se describen la identificación y el aislamiento del gen codificante para la proteínaPFR3 del T. brucei. La secuencia deducida de aminoácidos produce una proteína de 592 residuos conun punto isoeléctrico de 5,14 y presenta una identidad de secuencia del 68,9% con la proteína PFR3 delT. cruzi. Sin embargo, el porcentaje de homología entre la proteína PFR3 de T. brucei y otras secuenciasdisponibles de PFRs de T. brucei y T. cruzi es inferior al 22%. En contraste con lo descrito para losmiembros de la familia de proteínas de filamento paraflagelar, la mayor divergencia entre las proteínasPFR3 de T. cruzi y T. brucei se encuentra en la región central de la proteína, con una similitud del 38%en 200 aminoácidos. Estimamos que existen dos copias de la proteína PFR3 de T. brucei por genomahaploide. El gen se transcribe como mARN de aproximadamente 3,6 kb de longitud, presente con lamisma abundancia en formas parasitarias procíclicas y del torrente sanguíneo.In the present paper we describe the identification and isolation of the gene coding for T. brucei PFR3protein. The deduced amino acid sequence produces a protein of 592 residues with an isoelectric pointof 5.14 and shows a 68.9% sequence identity with T. cruzi PFR3 protein. However, the percentage ofhomology among T. brucei PFR3 and other available PFRs sequences from T. brucei and T. cruzi islower than 22%. In contrast to that described for members of paraflagellar rod protein family, thehighest divergence between T. cruzi and T. brucei PFR3 proteins is located at the central region of theprotein with a 38% of similarity over 200 amino acid. We estimate that there exist two copies of theT. brucei PFR3 protein per haploid genome. The gene is transcribed as a mRNA of approximately 3.6kb in length, equally abundant in both procyclic and bloodstream parasite forms

An Anti-C1s Monoclonal, TNT003, Inhibits Complement Activation Induced by Antibodies Against HLA.

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) of solid organ transplants (SOT) is characterized by damage triggered by donor-specific antibodies (DSA) binding donor Class I and II HLA (HLA-I and HLA-II) expressed on endothelial cells. While F(ab')2 portions of DSA cause cellular activation and proliferation, Fc regions activate the classical complement cascade, resulting in complement deposition and leukocyte recruitment, both hallmark features of AMR. We characterized the ability of an anti-C1s monoclonal antibody, TNT003, to inhibit HLA antibody (HLA-Ab)-induced complement activation. Complement deposition induced by HLA-Ab was evaluated using novel cell- and bead-based assays. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were cultured with HLA-Ab and human complement; production of activated complement proteins was measured by flow cytometry. Additionally, C3d deposition was measured on single antigen beads (SAB) mixed with HLA-Ab and human complement. TNT003 inhibited HLA-Ab mediated complement deposition on HAEC in a concentration-dependent manner; C3a, C4a and C5a anaphylatoxin production was also diminished by TNT003. Finally, TNT003 blocked C3d deposition induced by Class I (HLAI-Ab)- and Class II (HLAII-Ab)-specific antibodies on SAB. These data suggest TNT003 may be useful for modulating the effects of DSA, as TNT003 inhibits complement deposition and split product formation generated by HLA-I/II-Ab in vitro

Identificación de epítopes T citotóxicos restringidos a la molécula HLA-A2.1 en la proteína HSP70 de T. cruzi.

El análisis de la capacidad de unión a células T2 realizado con 31 péptidos correspondientes a distintas regiones dela proteína HSP70 de Trypanosoma cruzi, muestra que 14 de estos péptidos tienen una alta o media afinidad por lamolécula presentadora A2.1. Interesantemente, el presente manuscrito pone de manifiesto que la inmunización deratones transgénicos A2/Kb con la proteína recombinante HSP70 de T. cruzi induce CTLs que reconocen células EL4-A2/Kb cargadas de forma independiente con tres de los péptidos con afinidad de unión a moléculas A2. Estospéptidos presentan una homología menor del 65% con sus homólogos de la proteína HSP70 humana. Los resultadosobtenidos permiten sugerir la posibilidad de que la HSP70 de T. cruzi pueda ser usada como diana para induciractividad inmune citotóxica en humanos

Cook It Up! A community-based cooking program for at-risk youth: overview of a food literacy intervention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Canada, there are limited occasions for youth, and especially at-risk youth, to participate in cooking programs. The paucity of these programs creates an opportunity for youth-focused cooking programs to be developed, implemented, and evaluated with the goal of providing invaluable life skills and food literacy to this potentially vulnerable group. Thus, an 18-month community-based cooking program for at-risk youth was planned and implemented to improve the development and progression of cooking skills and food literacy.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>This paper provides an overview of the rationale for and implementation of a cooking skills intervention for at-risk youth. The manuscript provides information about the process of planning and implementing the intervention as well as the evaluation plan. Results of the intervention will be presented elsewhere. Objectives of the intervention included the provision of applied food literacy and cooking skills education taught by local chefs and a Registered Dietitian, and augmented with fieldtrips to community farms to foster an appreciation and understanding of food, from 'gate to plate'. Eight at-risk youth (five girls and three boys, mean age = 14.6) completed the intervention as of November 2010. Pre-test cooking skills assessments were completed for all participants and post-test cooking skills assessments were completed for five of eight participants. Post intervention, five of eight participants completed in-depth interviews about their experience.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The <it>Cook It Up! </it>program can provide an effective template for other agencies and researchers to utilize for enhancing existing programs or to create new applied cooking programs for relevant vulnerable populations. There is also a continued need for applied research in this area to reverse the erosion of cooking skills in Canadian society.</p

Study of space battery accelerated testing techniques. Phase 2 report - Ideal approaches towards accelerated tests and analysis of data

Ideal approaches to accelerated life tests and data analysis applied to space batterie