Search results for "Arid"
showing 10 items of 1382 documents
N-Acetylneuraminic acid storage disease
1985
Increased amounts of free sialic acid were found in body fluids, leukocytes, cultured fibroblasts, and liver tissue of a four-year-old boy with mental retardation, ataxia, and clinical and radiologic findings of a mild mucopolysaccharidosis. A diagnosis of Salla disease was made though in contrast to earlier reports, recurrent upper respiratory infections and hepatosplenomegaly were present already in infancy, and skeletal abnormalities of dysostosis multiplex were found in early childhood. Free sialic acid in the urine was identified as N-acetylneuraminic acid by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Sialidase activities were normal. Increased amounts of bound sialic acid were found in liver and cultured f…
Effects of glucocorticoid excess on the sensitivity of glucose transport and metabolism to insulin in rat skeletal muscle.
1997
This study examines the mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance in rat soleus muscle. Glucocorticoid excess was induced by administration of dexamethasone to rats for 5 days. Dexamethasone decreased the sensitivity of 3-O-methylglucose transport, 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation, glycogen synthesis and glucose oxidation to insulin. The total content of GLUT4 glucose transporters was not decreased by dexamethasone; however, the increase in these transporters in the plasma membrane in response to insulin (100 m-units/litre) was lessened. In contrast, the sensitivity of lactate formation to insulin was normal. The content of 2-deoxyglucose in the dexamethasone-treated muscle was …
Growth and safety evaluation of infant formulae containing oligosaccharides derived from bovine milk: a randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial
2014
A limited number of nondigestible oligosaccharides are available for use in infant formula. This study evaluated growth and safety in infants fed formula supplemented with a mixture of bovine milk-derived oligosaccharides (BMOS). This mixture, which was generated from whey permeate, contains galactooligosaccharides and other oligosaccharides from bovine milk, such as 3′- and 6′-sialyllactose. We hypothesized that growth in infants fed BMOS-supplemented formula would be noninferior to that in infants fed standard formula. Healthy term infants ≤14 days old were randomly assigned to standard formula (control; n = 84); standard formula with BMOS (IF-BMOS; n = 99); or standard formula with BMOS …
Suitability of the isolated perfused rat brain for studying effects on cerebral metabolism
1972
The concentrations of P-creatine, creatine, ATP, ADP, AMP, glycogen, glucose, glucose-6-P, fructose diphosphate, dihydroxyacetone-P, α-glycero-P, lactate and pyruvate were measured in the isolated perfused rat brain as well as in rat brain in vivo. Similar levels were observed in the isolated brain and in intact animals, and the values measured were in good accordance with those described in the literature. Only the pyruvate and lactate content were significantly higher in the isolated brain but the lactate/pyruvate ratio remained unchanged. An anesthetic or ischemia caused just the same effects on energy metabolism of the isolated rat brain as described for intact animals. Thus, 1.5 mM phe…
Abnormal Myocardial Perfusion After Infarction in Patients With Persistent TIMI Grade-3 Flow. Only an Acute Phenomenon?
2007
Introduction and objectives It has been suggested that abnormal perfusion as derived from cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a transient dysfunction of microcirculation after myocardial infarction (MI) with TIMI 3 flow. We hypothesized that defects of myocardial perfusion may persist during the following months. Methods Forty-seven patients with MI and sustained TIMI 3 flow underwent intracoronary myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) 1 week and 6 months after infarction. Abnormal perfusion by MCE was regarded as >1 hypoperfused segment. Results At one week, 20 patients showed abnormal perfusion as derived from MCE. At six months 10 patients displayed chronic abnormal p…
CD14 C (-260)T polymorphism, atherosclerosis, elderly: Role of cytokines and metallothioneins.
2007
Abstract Background CD14 receptor is a mediator of the inflammatory response to bacterial products. A functional polymorphism in the promoter of the CD14 gene (CD14 C-260T) was associated with coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis albeit with conflicting data. Methods To better clarify the role of CD14 in atherosclerosis, we typed CD14 C-260T polymorphism in old Italian (Central of Italy) atherosclerotic patients with carotid stenosis related to lipid assessment, inflammation (soluble CD14, IL-6 serum levels) and IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, Metallothioneins (MT) gene expressions in carotid plaques. Results There was an increased frequency of TT homozygotes in patients when compared to controls…
Presepsin and Midregional Proadrenomedullin in Pediatric Oncologic Patients with Febrile Neutropenia
2020
Abstract Objective In this study, we investigated the roles of presepsin (PSP) and midregional proadrenomedullin (mr-proADM) in children with febrile neutropenia (FN) due to chemotherapy. Methods We assessed 36 FN episodes in 26 children. Patients were classified into bacteremia (B) and fever of unknown origin (FUO) groups. We evaluated PSP and mr-proADM at admission (T0), after 24/48 h (T1), and after 5 days (T2). Results PSP and mr-proADM levels were elevated at T0 and significantly decreased at T2. mr-proADM levels did not significantly differ between the B and FUO groups. PSP levels significantly differed between the B and FUO groups only at T1. Both PSP and mr-proADM levels at T0 were …
Prebiotic Xylo-Oligosaccharides Ameliorate High-Fat-Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Rats
2020
Understanding the importance of the gut microbiota (GM) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has raised the hope for therapeutic microbes. We have shown that high hepatic fat content associated with low abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in humans and, further, the administration of F. prausnitzii prevented NAFLD in mice. Here, we aimed at targeting F. prausnitzii by prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) to treat NAFLD. First, the effect of XOS on F. prausnitzii growth was assessed in vitro. Then, XOS was supplemented or not with high (HFD, 60% of energy from fat) or low (LFD) fat diet for 12 weeks in Wistar rats (n = 10/group). XOS increased F. prausnitzii growth, having onl…
Apple (Malus domestica) and Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) Fruits Cell-Wall Hemicelluloses and Xyloglucan Degradation during Penicillium expansum I…
2004
We characterized the changes in cell-wall hemicellulosic polysaccharides and the hemicellulose-degrading enzymes associated with apple and tomato fruits infected by Penicillium expansum. Our results showed a reduction in the molecular mass of hemicelluloses, with this reduction being particularly notable in the xyloglucan associated with P. expansum infection. The activation of fungal beta-glucanases was also highlighted. Fruit xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH)-specific activity decreased drastically during the infection process in both apple and tomato fruits. We suggest that XTH reduction during the infection might be related with the fungus attack mechanism. We also suggest…
Palaeoenvironmental changes in the arid and subarid belt (Sahara-Sahel-Arabian peninsula) from 150 kyr to present
2004
The PEP III Arid to Subarid Belt includes the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara- Arabian desert and the Sahel zone. The region of interest extends south of the Atlas Mountains and south and east of the Mediterranean Sea to approximately 10 °N and shows a broadly zonal pattern with a varying seasonal distribution of precipitation. In the north (ca. 20–23 °N), rainfall results from the southward displacement of the midlatitude westerlies during winter whereas the south is governed by seasonal northward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Contraction and expansion phases of these presently semi-arid to hyper-arid desert areas result from significant changes in loc…