7,648 research outputs found
Bob Klein portrait, circa 1935
Black-and-white photograph caputuring a pencil drawing of Bob Klein by JC Thompson. The caption underneath the image reads, "BOB KLEIN; ALL-AMERICAN 1935.
Bob Klein portrait, circa 1935
Black-and-white photograph caputuring a pencil drawing of Bob Klein by JC Thompson. The caption underneath the image reads, "BOB KLEIN; ALL-AMERICAN 1935.
Visceral fat adipokine secretion is associated with systemic inflammation in obese humans
Although excess visceral fat is associated with noninfectious inflammation, it is not clear whether visceral fat is simply associated with or actually causes metabolic disease in humans. To evaluate the hypothesis that visceral fat promotes systemic inflammation by secreting inflammatory adipokines into the portal circulation that drains visceral fat, we determined adipokine arteriovenous concentration differences across visceral fat, by obtaining portal vein and radial artery blood samples, in 25 extremely obese subjects (mean +/- SD BMI 54.7 +/- 12.6 kg/m(2)) during gastric bypass surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Mean plasma interleukin (IL)-6 concentration was approximately 50% greater in the portal vein than in the radial artery in obese subjects (P = 0.007). Portal vein IL-6 concentration correlated directly with systemic C-reactive protein concentrations (r = 0.544, P = 0.005). Mean plasma leptin concentration was approximately 20% lower in the portal vein than in the radial artery in obese subjects (P = 0.0002). Plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha, resistin, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, and adiponectin concentrations were similar in the portal vein and radial artery in obese subjects. These data suggest that visceral fat is an important site for IL-6 secretion and provide a potential mechanistic link between visceral fat and systemic inflammation in people with abdominal obesity
Impaired mononuclear cell immune function in extreme obesity is corrected by weight loss.
BACKGROUND:
Obesity is associated with an increased prevalence and severity of infections. The mechanism(s) responsible for the increased risk of infections is unclear. We evaluated the effects of excessive adiposity and weight loss on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) chemokine (macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1) and cytokine (interferon-gamma [IFNgamma]) production, which is an important component of the immune response to infectious pathogens.
METHODS:
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus ionomycin (PMA + I)-stimulated PBMC MCP-1 and IFNgamma production were determined in six extremely obese subjects (body mass index [BMI] = 62.4 +/- 8.6 kg/m(2)) before and 1 year after gastric bypass surgery and in six age-matched lean subjects (BMI = 22.7 +/- 1.4 kg/m(2)).
RESULTS:
At baseline, LPS-stimulated MCP-1 production and PMAI-stimulated IFNgamma production by PBMCs were 93.6% +/- 4.9% and 88.8% +/- 9.6% lower, respectively, in obese than in lean subjects (p < 0.03). Obese subjects lost 30.3% +/- 10.6% of their body weight at 1 year after gastric bypass surgery (p < 0.001). Weight loss completely restored LPS-stimulated MCP-1 production and PMA+I-stimulated IFNgamma production in obese subjects to normal.
CONCLUSIONS:
Agonist-stimulated production of IFNgamma and MCP-1 are markedly suppressed in subjects with extreme obesity. Weight loss completely normalizes the ability of stimulated PBMCs to produce MCP-1 and IFNgamma. These findings could have important implications in understanding the increased risk of infections associated with obesity, and demonstrate a unique beneficial effect of weight loss on immune function
Perancangan Sistem Informasi Pengelola Barang/Inventaris Di Jc Komp
Inventory information system is a system used to enter inventory data into the database, so that there are no errors in input, output data, and reporting based on the desired data. based on surveys and interviews with jc comp personnel, information was obtained that the existing system in the jc comp warehouse section is still manual. therefore, the system that will be created by the author is the result of a replication of the existing system in the jc comp warehouse section. in addition to the process of input and output of goods, this information system is also equipped with features for creating data reports, input and output of goods, and searching for goods data by item name. with the inventory information system is expected to be useful for the warehouse parts jc comp. By implementing this system in the jc comp warehouse, it is hoped that it can reduce errors that may occur. this system is also expected to further speed up the process of input, output, and report generation, which in turn will help the jc comp warehouseSistem Informasi Persediaan Barang adalah sebuah sistem yang digunakan untuk memasukkan data-data persediaan barang ke dalam database, sehinggga tidak terjadi kesalahan dalam input, output data, dan pembuatan laporan berdasarkan data yang diinginkan. Berdasarkan survey dan wawancara dengan bagian personalia Jc Komp, didapatkan informasi bahwa sistem yang ada dibagian gudang Jc Komp masih manual. Oleh karena itu, sistem yang akan dibuat oleh penulis adalah hasil replikasi dari sistem yang telah ada dibagian gudang Jc Comp. Selain proses input dan output barang, pada sistem informasi ini juga dilengkapi fitur pembuatan laporan data, input, dan output barang, dan pencarian data barang berdasarkan nama barang. Dengan adanya Sistem Informasi persediaan barang ini diharapkan dapat bermanfaat bagi bagian gudang Jc Komp. Dengan diterapkannya sistem ini pada bagian gudang Jc Comp, maka diharapkan dapat mengurangi kesalahan-kesalahan yang mungkin terjadi. Sistem ini juga diharapkan dapat lebih mempercepat proses input, output, dan pembuatan laporan yang pada akhirnya dapat membantu bagian gudang Jc Komp
Amenable L-2-Theoretic Methods and Knot Concordance
We reveal new structures in the topological knot concordance group. As a key ingredient, we develop obstructions using L-2-theoretic methods for amenable groups in Strebel's class recently introduced by Orr and the author. Concerning (h)-solvable knots, which are defined in terms of certain Whitney towers of height h in bounding 4-manifolds, we show the following: for any n>1, there are (n)-solvable but non-(n. 5)-solvable (and therefore nonslice) knots, which are not detected by prior methods using Cochran-Orr-Teichner L-2-signature obstructions as well as Levine algebraic obstructions and Casson-Gordon invariants.X1197sciescopu
Dynamics of Network Formation Processes in the Co-Author Model
This article studies the dynamics in the formation processes of a mutual consent network in game theory setting: the Co-Author Model. In this article, a limited observation is applied and analytical results are derived. Then, 2 parameters are varied: the number of individuals in the network and the initial probability of the links in the network in its initial state. A simulation result shows a finding that is consistent with an analytical result for a state of equilibrium while it also shows different possible equilibria.Dynamics, Network, Game Theory, Model,Simulation, Equilibrium, Complexity
High-level polyomavirus JC viruria following long-term steroid therapy
CASE REPORT JC virus is a highly seroprevalent ubiquitous polyomavirus which is acquired at an early age through respiratory or oral route, Thereafter JCV establishes persistent, but mainly asymptomatic, infections in various tissues, including the genitourinary tract and brain Corresponding author Cristina Costa, MD S.C.D.U. Virologia Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria San Giovanni Battista di Torino Via Santena, 9 -10126 Torino E-mail: [email protected] increasing with age, with adult prevalence rate often between 15% and 60
Engineering Framework to Utilize Miniaturized Charpy Type SE(B) Specimens to Predict Jc of Full Sized Specimens
AbstractThis paper introduces our experience of using miniature Charpy type SE(B) specimen in obtaining fracture toughness Jc of a material in the ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) region. Width W x thickness B of 2 x 2 mm, 3 x 3 mm and 10 x 10 mm were chosen as miniature specimens and 25 x 25 mm were chosen as full sized specimen. 0.55% carbon steel JIS S55C, whose tensile to yield stress ratio σTS/σYS was equal to 1.8 was chosen as a material to simulate a degraded (embrittled) material in the DBTT region. Focus was placed on whether cleavage fracture could be predicted for these miniaturized specimens. Another focus was placed on whether the Jc of full sized specimen is predictable from the test results of the miniature sized specimens, in case cleavage fracture were observed. The results showed that the modified Ritch-Knott-Rice (RKR) failure criterion (which predicts the onset of cleavage fracture when the crack opening stress measured at 4 times the crack-tip opening displacement exceeds this σ22c) could predict whether cleavage fracture would occur or not. Another finding was that, in case cleavage fracture was observed though, the critical value σ22c in the modified RKR failure criterion was independent of specimen size, and thus, Jc of the full sized specimen is predictable from the miniature specimen test results, though M = (W-a)σYS/Jc was smaller than ASTM E1921 requirement of 30. Here, a and σYS are crack length and yield strength, respectively
Acute mild heat stress alters gene expression in testes and reduces sperm quality in mice
Heat stress is a major concern in animal reproduction, as testicular temperature must be 3-5 °C below body core temperature for production of motile and fertile sperm in mammals. Although recent studies concluded that increased temperature per se was the underlying pathophysiology of testicular impairment, more studies are required to better understand the mechanisms. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the impacts of mild acute heat stress on sperm and testes, and based on mRNA, elucidate involvement of StAR, Trp53 and Trp53-dependent intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in pathophysiology of testicular heat stress. Forty-eight C57 BCL6 elite male mice were equally allocated into six groups, anesthetized and the distal third of their body immersed in a water-bath at 40 or 30 °C (heat treatment and control, respectively) for 20 min. Intervals from heat exposure (Day 0) to euthanasia were: 8 and 24 h and 7, 14 and 21 d (plus a control group at 14 d). The epididymides were excised, minced and placed in Tyrode albumin lactate pyruvate hepes (TALPH) at 37 °C for 15 min to recover sperm. Based on computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA), heat treatment reduced total and progressive motility ∼40% (P < 0.05) on Days 14 and 21. Furthermore, percentage morphologically normal sperm was significantly decreased on Day 7, with greater reductions on Days 14 and 21, mostly due to increased midpiece defects. Acrosome integrity (FITC PSA) was decreased ∼35% at 8 h (P < 0.05) and reached a nadir on Day 14. There were decreases (P < 0.05) in seminiferous tubule diameter and testicular weight (relative to body weight) on Day 14. Testicular RNA was extracted, reverse-transcribed and cDNA used for PCR. Expression of genes Hspa1b (Hsp70) and Gpx1 had 7- and 10-fold increases (P < 0.001 for each) at 8 and 24 h, respectively, with Hspa1b remaining upregulated at 24 h, whereas StAR peaked at Day 14 (15-fold, P < 0.0001) and had returned to baseline on Day 21. Both Trp53 and Casp8 were upregulated (P < 0.05) on Day 14, whereas Bcl-2 was decreased (P < 0.05) on Days 7 and 14. In conclusion, acute mild heat stress severely reduced sperm quality and based on mRNA, there was upregulation of chaperone and antioxidant systems and Trp53-dependent intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, with deleterious effects on sperm, spermatocytes and spermatids. These findings provided insights into the pathophysiology of heat stress and should contribute to development of evidence-based approaches to mitigate effects of testicular heating
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