Short-term therapy with rosiglitatzone, a PPAR-¿ agonist improves metabolic profile and vascular function in non-obese lean wistar rats

A number of preclinical and clinical studies have reported blood-pressure-lowering benefits of thiazolidinediones in diabetic subjects and animal models of diabetes. This study was designed to further elucidate vascular effects of rosiglitazone, on healthy nonobese, lean animals. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized and assigned to control and rosiglitazone-treated groups and were dosed daily with either vehicle or rosiglitazone (10 mg kg(−1) day(−1)) by oral gavage for 5 days. Compared with control group, rosiglitazone treatment significantly reduced plasma levels of triglycerides (>240%) and nonesterified free fatty acids (>268%) (both, P < 0.001). There were no changes in vascular contractility to KCl or noradrenaline between two groups. However, rosiglitazone therapy improved carbamylcholine-induced vasorelaxation (93 ± 3 % versus control 78 ± 2, P < 0.01) an effect which was abolished by L-NAME. There was no difference in sodium nitroprusside-induced vasorelaxation between the control and rosiglitazone-treated animals. These results indicate that short-term rosiglitazone therapy improves both metabolic profile and vascular function in lean rats. The vascular effect of rosiglitazone appears to be mediated by alteration in NO production possibly by activation of endothelial PPARγ. This increased NO production together with improved lipid profile may explain mechanism(s) of blood-pressure-lowering effects of thiazolidinediones on both human and experimental animals

Effect of diet-induced obesity on protein expression in insulin signalling pathways of skeletal muscle in male Wistar rats

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diet-induced obesity is increasing globally, and posing significant health problems for millions of people worldwide. Diet-induced obesity is a major contributor to the global pandemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The reduced ability of muscle tissue to regulate glucose homeostasis plays a major role in the development and prognosis of type 2 diabetes. In this study, an animal model of diet-induced obesity was used to elucidate changes in skeletal muscle insulin signaling in obesity-induced diabetes. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were randomized and assigned to either a control group or to a test group. Controls were fed a standard laboratory pellet diet (chow-fed), while the test group had free access to a highly palatable diet (diet-fed). After 8 weeks, the diet-fed animals were subdivided into three subgroups and their diets were altered as follows: diet-to-chow, diet-fed with addition of fenofibrate given by oral gavage for a further 7 weeks, or diet-fed with vehicle given by oral gavage for a further 7 weeks, respectively. RESULTS: Untreated diet-fed animals had a significantly higher body weight and metabolic profile than the control chow-fed animals. Intramuscular triacylglyceride levels in the untreated obese animals were significantly higher than those in the control chow-fed group. Expression of protein kinase C beta, phosphatidylinositol 3, Shc, insulin receptor substrate 1, ERK1/2, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase was significantly increased by dietary obesity, while that of insulin receptor beta, insulin receptor substrate 1, and protein kinase B (Akt) were not affected by obesity. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that diet-induced obesity affects insulin signaling mechanisms, leading to insulin resistance in muscle

Perceived Dissimilarity and Meeting interpersonal Engagement: A within-Person investigation

I tested a new model of perceived dissimilarity on meeting interpersonal engagement drawing from models of diversity and emotional labor and conceptualizations of interpersonal engagement in the literature. In doing so, this investigation merged the burgeoning meeting science field with more recent focuses and methods from the emotional labor literature to advance our understanding of how diversity impacts the individual experience of dissimilarity in the workplace. Furthering the notion of dynamism in diversity’s effects, the current study investigated meetings as a context that may affect shifts in one’s perception of dissimilarity due to variable attendee composition. The perception of dissimilarity was proposed to negatively impact meeting interpersonal engagement (i.e., surface acting, communication frequency, information elaboration). This notion of event dependent perceptions of dissimilarity – and the subsequent effects on meeting communications – was explored using an event sampling method. Fifty-five full-time working employees participated in a two-week study in which they provided data following up to five of their workplace meetings. Three different dissimilarity perceptions (surface-level, work-related deep-level, and non-work-related deep-level) were examined in relation to the three indices of meeting interpersonal engagement. Perceived non-work-related dissimilarity was found to be significantly associated with increased surface acting and decreased information elaboration, supporting some hypotheses. Contextual moderators (i.e., display rule salience and existing power structures) were also found to have significant influence. Some of these relationships were as hypothesized. For example, there were stronger, positive associations between perceived non-work-related deep-level dissimilarity surface acting in meetings for women compared to men. Several were not as expected. For example, increasing perceptions of perceived non-work-related deep-level dissimilarity were related to significantly more surface acting for White employees compared to employees from other racio-ethnic groups. These findings, along with those for the full investigation, are reviewed within. The implications for research and practice are reviewed in the discussion

Diversity and emotional labor in student project teams : initial tests of a theoretical framework

Grandey\u27s (2000) framework of emotional labor was extended to propose a modified framework of diversity and emotional labor. It was proposed that diverse workgroup composition may be considered a situational variable that triggers affective reactions within interpersonal and workgroup contexts and interactions. This framework suggests that emotional labor may be considered an important mediating variable that can account for a number of relationships between diversity and both individual and workgroup well-being. The current study provided some initial tests of the proposed framework using a complementary, multi-level approach. At the individual level, relationships between diversity, emotional labor, and well-being outcomes were evidenced. At the group level, no significant relationships between heterogeneity, aggregate emotional labor, and group well-being outcomes were demonstrated. The implications of these results, and their significance for the modified model proposed are discussed

Navigating through the maze of caesarean myomectomy: generating evidence

Management of myomas during pregnancy and labor is a contested subject so far. Currently no recommended national or international guidelines are in place resulting in conflicted opinion and management variation across the globe. Many obstetricians still discourage its practice due to fear of uncontrolled haemorrhage which may lead to unwanted hysterectomy in a reproductive age. However, some researchers have challenged the conventional perspective and argue that caesarean myomectomy (CM) is a safe procedure. The aim of this study is to examine all aspects of CM with an evaluative lens and to weigh its risk-benefit ratio.  For this purpose, we conducted a literature review of studies, including those from low-resource countries indexed in scientific databases like PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus. Most recent articles that reported benefits, complications and different techniques to safely perform caesarean myomectomy with proven benefit for the patient were examined thoroughly so that solid evidence on pros and cons of caesarean myomectomy could be generated. There is a dire need to conduct large sample size studies or randomized controlled trials for the risk-benefit evaluation of CM and to produce evidence-based clinical conclusion

The role of interprofessional collaboration for social prescribing :a systematic review

AimThe current management of interprofessional collaborations in social prescribing schemes remains unclear. This systematic review aims to explore published reports of social prescribing schemes to examine the ways in which interprofessional collaborations are managed and their influence on social prescribing schemes. Subjects and methods We searched CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO PubMed, Social Care Online, and Web of Science and grey literature The searches were conducted between August 2022 and April 2023. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and assessed the quality of included records and extracted the data.Results We included 20 records. All included studies used qualitative methods and seven of the studies utilised mixed methods. Three themes were identified (1) requirements for collaboration, (2) challenges to establishing collaboration, and (3) forms and values of collaboration. Conclusion Different models of social prescribing are in operation and mostly reported in the UK. There is a lack of uniformity in the definition of social prescribing and interprofessional collaboration in relation to social prescribing schemes. More inclusive models of social prescribing and co-production with all stakeholders are warranted to sustain social prescribing schemes after initial funding initiatives. The involvement and onboarding of multiple professions is essential to deliver person-centred care in community settings

The effects of diet-induced obesity on hepatocyte insulin signaling pathways and induction of non-alcoholic liver damage

The prevalence of diet-induced obesity is increasing amongst adults and children worldwide, predisposing millions of people to an array of health problems that include metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In this study we used experimental animals to investigate the effects of dietary obesity on markers of hepatic insulin signaling as well as structural changes in hepatocytes. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized and assigned to either a control group or a test group. Controls were fed standard laboratory pelleted diet (chow-fed), while the test group had free access to a highly-palatable diet (HPD). After eight weeks, the HPD-fed animals were subdivided into three subgroups and their diets altered as follows: HPD-to-chow, HPD with the addition of fenofibrate given by oral gavage for a further seven weeks, or HPD with vehicle (1% carboxymethylcellulose at 1 mL/kg body weight) given by oral gavage for a further seven weeks, respectively. Untreated diet-fed animals had significantly higher body weight, liver weight, and all measured metabolic profiles compared with chow-fed and treated diet-fed groups. Expression of kinases IRβ, IRS-1, AKt, eNOS, Shc and ERK1/2 were unaffected by obesity, while IRS-2 and P I3 kinase levels were significantly reduced in untreated HPD animals. Compared with chow-fed animals, steatosis and steatohepatitis were almost doubled in animals from untreated HPD, while removal of HPD and fenofibrate-treatment reduced steatosis by 40% and 80% respectively. These data suggest that diet-induced obesity affects intracellular insulin signaling mechanisms, namely IRS-2 and PI 3-kinase, leading to hepatic insulin resistance. Moreover, diet-induced obesity induces fatty liver, an effect which can be reversed by either removal of the source of obesity or treatment with fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha agonist

Effect of CO₂ enrichment on in vitro plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis in cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum Mill.)

The effect of CO₂ enrichment (3000 ppm) on somatic embryogenesis in cyclamen was investigated. No significant difference between the growth of callus under CO₂ enriched and normal conditions was observed. However, the calli induced under a CO₂ enriched condition formed the largest number of somatic embryos after subculture under the same CO₂ condition. The effect of CO₂ enrichment on in vitro germination of somatic embryos was also examined. Larger number of plantlets with leaves and roots were observed in somatic embryos cultured under a CO₂ enriched condition than under a natural condition. These results suggest the possibility of CO₂ enrichment being one of the useful treatments for in vitro plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis in cyclamen.シクラメンの体細胞胚形成に及ぼすCO₂施用（3000 ppm）の影響を調査した結果、カルスの成長にはCO₂ 施用の有意な影響は認められなかったが、初代培養および継代培養のいずれにおいてもCO₂ 施用を行うことにより、最も多くの体細胞胚が形成された。また、体細胞胚の発芽に及ぼすCO₂ 施用の影響を調査したところ、CO₂施用下でより多くの体細胞胚が葉と根の両方を有する正常な小植物体に成長した。これらの結果により、CO₂施用がシクラメンの体細胞胚形成による in vitro での植物体再生に有効な手段となり得ることが示唆された。departmental bulletin pape

HCV Induces Oxidative and ER Stress, and Sensitizes Infected Cells to Apoptosis in SCID/Alb-uPA Mice

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne pathogen and a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Gene expression profiling was used to characterize the transcriptional response to HCV H77c infection. Evidence is presented for activation of innate antiviral signaling pathways as well as induction of lipid metabolism genes, which may contribute to oxidative stress. We also found that infection of chimeric SCID/Alb-uPA mice by HCV led to signs of hepatocyte damage and apoptosis, which in patients plays a role in activation of stellate cells, recruitment of macrophages, and the subsequent development of fibrosis. Infection of chimeric mice with HCV H77c also led an inflammatory response characterized by infiltration of monocytes and macrophages. There was increased apoptosis in HCV-infected human hepatocytes in H77c-infected mice but not in mice inoculated with a replication incompetent H77c mutant. Moreover, TUNEL reactivity was restricted to HCV-infected hepatocytes, but an increase in FAS expression was not. To gain insight into the factors contributing specific apoptosis of HCV infected cells, immunohistological and confocal microscopy using antibodies for key apoptotic mediators was done. We found that the ER chaperone BiP/GRP78 was increased in HCV-infected cells as was activated BAX, but the activator of ER stress–mediated apoptosis CHOP was not. We found that overall levels of NF-κB and BCL-xL were increased by infection; however, within an infected liver, comparison of infected cells to uninfected cells indicated both NF-κB and BCL-xL were decreased in HCV-infected cells. We conclude that HCV contributes to hepatocyte damage and apoptosis by inducing stress and pro-apoptotic BAX while preventing the induction of anti-apoptotic NF-κB and BCL-xL, thus sensitizing hepatocytes to apoptosis