Resistin expression and regulation in mouse pituitary

AbstractResistin, a new adipocytokine, is expressed in human, rat and mouse adipose tissue. Its putative role as a mediator of insulin resistance is controversial. We hypothesized that resistin, in common with leptin, has multiple roles in non-adipose tissues. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) we show that the resistin gene (Retn) is expressed in mouse brain (hypothalamus and cortex) and pituitary gland. Immunohistochemistry revealed resistin protein in the arcuate nucleus and pituitary gland. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that Retn mRNA is developmentally regulated in the pituitary. Expression was lowest at birth, increased abruptly between postnatal days 14 and 25 (four-fold; P<0.001), and declined thereafter. This peak in pituitary Retn mRNA was unaffected by early weaning but was abolished by neonatal treatment with monosodium glutamate, suggesting that the basal hypothalamus regulates pituitary Retn. Although the role(s) of endogenous resistin in mouse brain and pituitary remains to be determined, it may be distinct from its controversial involvement in insulin resistance. Our data suggest that local resistin expression could have functional implications during prepubertal maturation of the hypothalamic–pituitary system

Tuning the GENIE Pion Production Model with MINERvA Data

Faced with unresolved tensions between neutrino interaction measurements at few-GeV neutrino energies, current experiments are forced to accept large systematic uncertainties to cover discrepancies between their data and model predictions. In this paper, the widely used pion production model in GENIE is compared to four MINERvA charged current pion production measurements using NUISANCE. Tunings, ie, adjustments of model parameters, to help match GENIE to MINERvA and older bubble chamber data are presented here. We find that scattering off nuclear targets as measured in MINERvA is not in good agreement with scattering off nucleon (hydrogen or deuterium) targets in the bubble chamber data. An additional ad hoc correction for the low-$Q^2$ region, where collective effects are expected to be large, is also presented. While these tunings and corrections improve the agreement of GENIE with the data, the modeling is imperfect. The development of these tunings within the NUISANCE frameworkallows for straightforward extensions to other neutrino event generators and models, and allows omitting and including new data sets as they become available

Sudden infant death syndrome in the Middle East: An exploration of the literature on rates, risk factors, high risk groups and intervention programs

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a problem world-wide. Since it was identified; Western nations have implemented extensive SIDS education campaigns to reduce SIDS risk which have resulted in dramatically decreasing SIDS death rates. In contrast, there is little information available about the impact of SIDS in Middle East (ME) countries where high infant mortality is common. STo investigate SIDS incidence rates across various ME countries, ascertain specific SIDS risk factors relevant to ME populations, categorise high risk groups and identify SIDS intervention programs in the ME. A structured literature review was performed. A total of 10,509 study were identified with 11 proving to be most relevant to the research purpose. The SIDS incidence rates data available in ME countries is extremely limited with only five studies addressing SIDS rates in the ME. For a range of reasons, many infant deaths are registered as "cause unknown" with no associated autopsy report or other details. Additionally, limitations in the study designs restrict the ability to accurately estimate incidence rates from the research projects reported. The most significant risk factor for SIDS in ME countries identified in the literature is the high incidence of smoking, resulting from less political restrictions on smoking at home and public settings. Targeted public health SIDS education programs need to be developed and promoted in high risk ME countries with a specific focus on infant care practices, lifestyle and general living conditions

Analysis of the diffraction pattern for optimal assist feature placement

International audienceAssist features (AF) are an essential component of reticle enhancement techniques. Their use is indispensable in sub-100 nm technologies to ensure a maximum process window (PW) across chip, especially for critical levels. Indeed, AF, which can be binary, attenuated or phase-shifted, help in providing a larger PW to the features they assist when they are used in conjunction with off-axis illumination. The depth of focus (DOF) of an isolated structure is improved by the presence of AF by providing to the optical system a diffraction pattern close to the diffraction pattern of a dense structure. The resulting DOF and exposure latitude (EL) are dependent on the relative position of the AF from the main feature. Moreover, the PW varies while inserting one, two or more AF. The relative position of each influences the results. In this paper, a method will be detailed to optimise the placement of the AF. For the purpose of this study, the diffraction pattern induced by the insertion of one or several AF is analysed in frequency space. This analysis details the evolution of the intensity of even and odd orders during the insertion of AF. The calculation of the optimum placement is detailed, and the DOF resulting from the insertion of one or more AF is also presented

Sobrepeso entre adolescentes de escolas particulares de Fortaleza, CE, Brasil Sobrepeso entre adolescentes de escuelas privadas de Fortaleza, CE, Brasil Overweight among adolescents from private schools in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

O objetivo da pesquisa foi identificar casos de excesso de peso em adolescentes de escolas particulares de Fortaleza - Brasil. Foram investigados 794 estudantes entre 12 e 17 anos de idade, de 12 escolas privadas, nos meses de março-junho e agosto-setembro de 2007. A prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade foi, respectivamente, de 20% e 4%. O sobrepeso foi maior, e duplicado os casos de obesidade, naqueles que mantinham o hábito de assistir tevê durante as refeições (p= 0, 000). Cerca de 28% dos jovens ativos apresentavam excesso de peso (p < 0, 001). No combate à adiposidade juvenil, cabe a enfermagem, principalmente, realizar as ações preventivas, pois atenuam diversas repercussões patológicas, relacionados com o acúmulo de peso corporal.<br>El objetivo de la investigación fue identificar los casos de sobrepeso en adolescentes de escuelas privadas de Fortaleza-Brasil. Fueron investigados 794 estudiantes entre 12 y 17 años, de 12 escuelas privadas, en los meses de marzo-junio y agosto-septiembre de 2007. La prevalencia de sobrepeso y obsedidad fue de 20% y 4%, respectivamente. La acumulación de peso fue mayor y los casos de obesidad fue dos veces más, en los que tenían la costumbre de asistir a la tele al alimentarse (p= 0, 000). Sobre 28% de los jóvenes que practicaban actividad física regularmente presentaban sobrepeso (p < 0, 001). Para la enfermería luchar contra la obesidad entre adolescentes, son necesarias las acciones preventivas, pues atenuan los diversos efectos patológicos con relación a la acumulación de peso corporal.<br>The purpose of the study was to identify cases of overweight among adolescents in private schools in Fortaleza, Brazil. We investigated 794 students between 12 and 17 years old from 12 private schools, in the months March to June and August-September 2007. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20% and 4%, respectively. Among the young people who watch TV while eat, the weight accumulated was higher and the cases of obesity was the double (p = 0, 000). About 28% of people who practiced regular physical activity were overweight (p <0, 001). In the fight against adolescent adiposity, to the nursing is primarily the preventive actions, because attenuate various pathological effects related to the accumulation of body weight