Search

Objectives: Contribute evidence towards the complex interrelationships of body composition, insulin sensitivity and protein intake independently from adiposity in an older population. Design: This is a cross-sectional analysis of an existing dataset in which a literature-supported model linking together the variables of interest is tested using path analysis. Setting: The loss of muscle mass has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. We propose to test associations of muscle mass with insulin sensitivity and their respective associations with animal and vegetable sources of protein intake, independently from adiposity. Participants: Non-diabetic participants aged 68-82 years from the NuAge study with all available measures (n=441) were included. Measurements: A model considering age, sex, chronic diseases, physical activity; smoking and sources of protein intake influencing body composition components and insulin sensitivity was created and tested with Path Analysis for their independent associations. Muscle mass index (MMI; kg/height in m) and % body fat were derived from DXA and BIA. Insulin resistance was estimated by the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) score and physical activity by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire. Protein intakes were obtained from three non-consecutive 24h-diet recalls. Results: In the final model, direct positive associations were observed between HOMA-IR score and MMI (β=0.42; 95%CI: 0.24; 0.6) and % body fat (β=0.094; 95%CI: 0.07; 0.11). There were no direct associations between animal protein intake and MMI or with HOMA-IR. There was a significant direct negative association between plant protein intake and MMI (β= -0.068; 95%CI: -0.13; -0.003) and significant indirect associations mediated through MMI and % body fat between HOMA-IR and animal protein intake (β=0.0321; 95%CI: 0.01; 0.05), as well as plant protein intake (β= -0.07; 95%CI: -0.1; 0.0). Conclusions: Our final model indicated that MMI and HOMA score were significantly positively associated. Protein intake sources were related to HOMA-IR score differently through MMI and % body fat, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blue mesogleal pigment of the symbiotic jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana Bigelow, 1882, is composed of two subunits, a larger glycosylated (35 kDa) moiety and a non-glycosylated (30 kDa) variant in lower concentration. In solution, the subunits assemble in large complexes of at least 106 kDa. The pigment, known as Cassio Blue, appears to mitigate excessive solar radiation while allowing the passage of the wavelengths optimal for photosynthesis by the numerous algal symbionts in the mesoglea of the jellyfish. The pigment is an abundant protein comprising about 6% of all animal protein in the whole jellyfish and about 33% of all animal protein in the oral appendages. The protein also contains a diverse array of metals, notably Ag, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, and Zn, with traces of others. Metal stoichiometry varies among isolates averaging about 1 mol of all metals, taken together, for each mole of the pigment. Given the broad array of metals present, the pigment may also serve another purpose, for example, as a metal reservoir or trap. Few other proteins are associated with such a spectrum of metals. In addition, the amino acid sequences of the pigment tryptic peptides have no reasonable matches in any of the sequence databases. Our findings, taken as a whole, suggest that the Cassio pigment is indeed unusual and is likely a representative of a novel category of proteins, the original member of which is rpulFKz1, a chromoprotein endowed with Frizzled and Kringle domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium cerium oxides, with different V/Ce atomic ratios, were prepared using the impregnation method and calcined under air at 500°C. Physicochemical studies have shown that at low vanadium content, polymeric V-O-V chains are stabilized on the ceria surface. Increasing the vanadium content tends to favor the formation of the CeVO4 and V2O5 phases. The redox properties of these oxides have been simultaneously investigated by TPR/TPO and EPR techniques. V-O-V chains and V2O5 species are more easily reducible than the CeVO4 phase. The reduction of V2O5 to V2O3 proceeds in several steps, the intermediate species being V6O13, VO2 and V5O9. The reduction of V2O5 species interacting with ceria support leads to VO oxide. EPR measurements performed at T = −269°C have permitted to observe progressively different signals of V4+ in addition to vanadium ions in V2+ (3d3) paramagnetic configuration. This attribution is based on an EPR signal at g = 3.956 with eight well resolved hyper fine lines ( A = 96 Gauss), which may be attributed to the perpendicular components of one of the fine transitions corresponding to the V2+ spectrum. At high reduction temperature, CeVO4 phase leads in one step to CeVO3 and a continuous and partial reduction of CeO2 into Ce2O3 is observed. Re-oxidation process shows that polymeric V-O-V chains, easily reducible, are hardly re-oxidized whereas V2O5 species, present in the high vanadium loading samples, are easily re-oxidized at low temperatures. However, redox processes seem to be reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal analysis has been used to investigate the crystallization of ZrxCe1-xO2 mixed oxides, prepared by co-precipitation of corresponding hydroxides. For x≤0.5, small crystals of CeO2, were formed at low temperatures (373 K). For x>0.5an exothermic peak at 420°C (693 K) was observed after calcination under a flow of air ofhydroxide samples. This peak was associated with the formation of a ZrxCe1-xO2 solid solution (XRD) in a tetragonal phase (Raman). The solids calcined at 700°C (973 K) present a reactivity towards the carbon black oxidation. The thermal analysis coupled with a gas chromatograph (GC) were used to follow this reactivity. Simultaneous study of the activity (thermal analysis) and the selectivity (GC) in CO or CO2 of the different catalysts revealed an important parameter: acatalyst-soot particle contact. We also obtained a more precise comparison of ZrxCe1-xO2 oxides in the catalytic soot combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the use of ‘prophylactic’ donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) containing 1 × 107 CD3+ cells, given at 30, 60 and 90 days post-allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation (BMT), following conditioning with fludarabine 30 mg/m2/4 days and melphalan 70 mg/m2/2 days. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporin A (CsA) 2 mg/kg daily with early tapering by day 60. Our goals were the rapid achievement of chimerism and disease control, providing an immunological platform for DLIs to treat refractory patients with hematological malignancies. Twelve heavily pre-treated patients with life expectancy less than 6 months were studied; none were in remission. Diagnoses were AML (n = 4), MDS (n = 1), ALL (n = 3), CML (n = 3) and multiple myeloma (n = 1). Response rate was 75%. Three patients are alive at a median of 450 days (range, 450–540). Two patients are in remission of CML in blast crisis and AML for more than 14 months. Median survival is 116 days (range, 25–648). Six patients received 12 DLIs; three patients developed acute GVHD after the first infusion and were excluded from further DLIs, but no GVHD occurred among patients receiving subsequent DLIs. One patient with CML in blast crisis went into CR after the first DLI. The overall incidence of acute GVHD was 70%. Primary causes of death were infections (n = 3), acute GVHD (n = 3), chronic GVHD (n = 1) and disease relapse (n = 2). We observed high response and chimerism rates at the expense of an excessive incidence of GVHD. DLI given at day +30 post BMT caused GVHD in 50% of the patients, and its role in this setting remains unclear. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2001) 27, 73–78. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human consumption of over 400 species of tropical fish containing polyether toxins (e.g. ciguatoxins, maitotoxins) causes ciguatera fish poisoning. The Caribbean barracuda ( Sphyraena barracuda) is one of the most potent ciguatoxic fish. The objective of this study was to determine whether toxicity of 14 barracuda livers was correlated with lipid peroxidation. A significant correlation ( p = 0.015, Pearson’s correlation) between lipid peroxidation and toxicity of barracuda liver was found. Because iron and copper are well-known catalysts of hydroxyl radical production and lipid peroxidation in biological systems, the correlation between the concentrations of these metals in barracuda liver and lipid peroxidation and toxicity was also investigated. Cadmium was significantly correlated ( p = 0.014) with the toxicity of barracuda livers. This study provides the first data concerning the concentration of iron, copper, and cadmium in the liver of the Caribbean barracuda. Of the three metals studied in barracuda liver, iron was the most abundant, followed by copper and cadmium. Lipid peroxidation was highly variable and detected in five (36%) of the liver samples. Lipid peroxidation was not statistically significantly correlated ( p > 0.05) with concentrations of iron, copper, and cadmium in barracuda liver. Collectively, these findings provide additional evidence that lipid peroxidation can be a mechanistic component of ciguatera toxicity in the Caribbean barracuda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited states of 133La have been investigated to search for the wobbling excitation mode in the low-spin regime. Wobbling bands with n ω = 0 and 1 are identified along with the interconnecting Δ I = 1 , E2 transitions, which are regarded as one of the characteristic features of wobbling motion. An increase in wobbling frequency with spin implies longitudinal wobbling for 133La, in contrast with the case of transverse wobbling observed in 135Pr. This is the first observation of a longitudinal wobbling band in nuclei. The experimental observations are accounted for by calculations using the quasiparticle-triaxial-rotor (QTR) model, which attribute the appearance of longitudinal wobbling to the early alignment of a π = + proton pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]