Search results for "SIZE"
showing 10 items of 2718 documents
Decreased consumption of branched-chain amino acids improves metabolic health
2016
Protein-restricted (PR), high-carbohydrate diets improve metabolic health in rodents, yet the precise dietary components that are responsible for these effects have not been identified. Furthermore, the applicability of these studies to humans is unclear. Here, we demonstrate in a randomized controlled trial that a moderate PR diet also improves markers of metabolic health in humans. Intriguingly, we find that feeding mice a diet specifically reduced in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) is sufficient to improve glucose tolerance and body composition equivalently to a PR diet via metabolically distinct pathways. Our results highlight a critical role for dietary quality at the level of amino…
Immaturity for gestational age of microvasculature and placental barrier in term placentas with high weight
2017
Abstract Objective Villous immaturity for gestational age is a multifactorial developmental deviation associated with unexpected placental insufficiency, fetal hypoxia and term fetal death. In our previous work we have shown that immature CD15+/CD31+/CD34+ endothelial cells were an important indicator of placental villous immaturity and chronic insufficiency. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of CD15-marked immaturity in the vessel walls between normal and pathological term placentas of clinically and structurally heterogenous groups with normal, low and high weight. Study design 165 clinically normal and pathological placentas of gestational age 39–42 with normal …
Genome-wide association study reveals the locus responsible for microtia in Valle del Belice sheep breed.
2018
Microtia is a congenital deformity of the outer ear with phenotypes varying from a small auricle to total absence (anotia). The genetic basis is still poorly understood, and very few studies have been performed in sheep. Valle del Belice sheep is a breed showing microtia. The aim of this study was to identify the potential genomic regions involved in microtia in sheep. A total of 40 individuals, 20 with microtia and 20 normal, were genotyped with the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip. The comparison among the results from a genome-wide association study, Fisher's exact test and FST analysis revealed a single strong association signal: rs419889303 on chromosome 1, located within intron 3 of the C…
Imatinib-Loaded Micelles of Hyaluronic Acid Derivatives for Potential Treatment of Neovascular Ocular Diseases
2018
In this work, new micellar systems able to cross corneal barrier and to improve the permeation of imatinib free base were prepared and characterized. HA-EDA-C-16, HA-EDA-C-16-PEG, and HA-EDA-C-16-CRN micelles were synthesized starting from hyaluronic acid (HA), ethylenediamine (EDA), hexadecyl chains (C-16), polyethylene glycol (PEG), or L-carnitine (CRN). These nanocarriers showed optimal particle size and mucoadhesive properties. Imatinib-loaded micelles were able to interact with corneal barrier and to promote imatinib transcorneal permeation and penetration. In addition, a study was conducted to understand the in vitro imatinib inhibitory effect on a choroidal neovascularization process…
Polymeric hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5A nanocapsules induce intrahepatic antigen-specific immune responses
2016
Targeting antigen combined with adjuvants to hepatic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is essential for the induction of intrahepatic T cellular immunity controlling and resolving viral infections of the liver. Intravenous injection of antigen-loaded nanoparticles is a promising approach for the delivery of antigens to liver APCs. Accordingly, polymeric nanocapsules (NCs) synthesized exclusively of hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) and the adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) adsorbed to the nanocapsule surface were developed. Aim of the present study was the evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo behavior of MPLA-functionalized NS5A-NCs regarding the interaction with liver…
Whole-genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a forensic transmission case.
2019
Abstract Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses are frequently used in the investigation of viral transmission cases in forensic contexts. Here, we present the methods and results of the analysis of a bacterial transmission episode in an alleged child abuse case using complete genome sequences obtained by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods. We obtained genomes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from the victim, the suspect, and 29 unrelated controls. The analysis of the genomes revealed that the victim and suspect isolates had identical sequences in both the bacterial chromosome and the single plasmid present in them. One of the local controls was very similar (differing in only 2 SNP…
Reducing sample size in experiments with animals: historical controls and related strategies
2015
Reducing the number of animal subjects used in biomedical experiments is desirable for ethical and practical reasons. Previous reviews of the benefits of reducing sample sizes have focused on improving experimental designs and methods of statistical analysis, but reducing the size of control groups has been considered rarely. We discuss how the number of current control animals can be reduced, without loss of statistical power, by incorporating information from historical controls, i.e. subjects used as controls in similar previous experiments. Using example data from published reports, we describe how to incorporate information from historical controls under a range of assumptions that mig…
Food healthy knowledge, attitudes and practices: Survey of the general public and food handlers
2017
AbstractModifying the energy content of foods, particularly foods eaten away from home, is important in addressing the obesity epidemic. Food handlers in the restaurant industry are uniquely placed to influence the provision of reduced-calorie foods, but little is known about their opinions on this issue. The objectives of the present study were to determine the general public and food handlers׳ knowledge and opinions, issues and barriers related to providing these items on the menu, and about the influence of the calorie content of restaurant items on customer intake. The food handlers surveyed had a significantly lower food science knowledge score than the general public. There was signif…
Loss of organic cation transporter 3 (Oct3) leads to enhanced proliferation and hepatocarcinogenesis
2017
// Johanna Vollmar 1 , Anja Lautem 2 , Ellen Closs 3 , Detlef Schuppan 4 , Yong Ook Kim 4 , Daniel Grimm 1 , Jens U. Marquardt 1 , Peter Fuchs 1 , Beate K. Straub 5 , Arno Schad 5 , Dirk Grundemann 6 , Jorn M. Schattenberg 1 , Nadine Gehrke 1 , Marcus A. Worns 1 , Jan Baumgart 7 , Peter R. Galle 1 and Tim Zimmermann 1 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany 2 Department of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany 3 Department of Pharmacology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, …
Targeted delivery of Cyclosporine A by polymeric nanocarriers improves the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease in a relevant mouse model
2017
The therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases is still rather inefficient, and about 80% of patients require surgery at some stage. Improving the treatments by more efficient medication is, therefore, an urgent medical need. The objective of this project was to demonstrate targeted delivery of Cyclosporine-A (CYA) to the inflamed areas of the intestinal mucosa after oral administration, enabling improved alleviation of the symptoms and, at the same time, reduced systemic drug absorption and associated adverse effects. As had already been demonstrated in previous studies, nano- to micrometer-sized drug particles will accumulate at inflamed mucosal areas, providing a platform for such purposes. …