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Islet-Neogenesis Associated Protein-Pentadecapeptide (INGAP-PP) increases β-cell mass and enhances glucose and amino acids-induced insulin secretion. Our aim was to demonstrate its effect on liver metabolism. For that purpose, adult male Wistar rats were injected twice-daily (10 days) with saline solution or INGAP-PP (250 μg). Thereafter, serum glucose, triglyceride and insulin levels were measured and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and hepatic insulin sensitivity (HIS) were determined. Liver glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) expression and activity, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) expression, phosphofructokinase-2 (PFK-2) protein content, P-Akt/Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (P-GSK3/GSK3) protein ratios and glycogen deposit were also determined. Additionally, glucokinase activity and G-6-Pase and PEPCK gene expression were also determined in isolated hepatocytes from normal rats incubated with INGAP-PP (5 μg/ml). INGAP-PP administration did not modify any of the serum parameters tested but significantly increased activity of liver glucokinase and the protein level of its cytosolic activator, PFK-2. Conversely, INGAP-PP treated rats decreased gene expression and enzyme activity of gluconeogenic enzymes, G-6-Pase and PEPCK. They also showed a higher glycogen deposit and P-GSK3/GSK3 and P-Akt/Akt ratio. In isolated hepatocytes, INGAP-PP increased GK activity and decreased G-6-Pase and PEPCK expression. These results demonstrate a direct effect of INGAP-PP on the liver acting through P-Akt signaling pathway. INGAP-PP enhances liver glucose metabolism and deposit and reduces its production/output, thereby contributing to maintain normal glucose homeostasis. These results reinforce the concept that INGAP-PP might become a useful tool to treat people with impaired islet/liver glucose metabolism as it occurs in T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Uses data from Twitter to enhance predictions of demand to attend a music festival. • Shown to be particularly beneficial at identifying demands in more rural areas. • Leads to design and delivery of commercially viable bus services to the event. • 11 new commercial bus services transported 450 attendees from peri-urban/rural areas. Many European cities are establishing mandatory obligations for large mobility demand generators such as business and retail parks, tourist sites and events to develop Mobility Management Plans (MMP). Developing MMPs for events with uncertain spatial demand is a particular challenge. This paper investigates whether reliable demand data can be extracted from mining social network (Twitter) content and using the resulting information to inform the design of commercially viable bus routes from peri-urban areas of Barcelona to a large music event (Canet Rock). Using data from relevant Twitter users, a Twitter influence score was established for each of the 947 municipalities in the Barcelona Region, providing a spatially distributed picture of the demand to attend the event, prior to event ticket purchase. This was used as the basis for planning and delivering 11 new commercially viable event bus routes transporting over 450 additional passengers from peri-urban and more rural areas in the Barcelona Region. This paper demonstrates that the innovation of information mining from Social Networks can provide better comprehension of the demand to support Mobility Management Planning for large events and can radically improve the ability of bus services to serve demand from peri-urban and rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]