1,720,976 research outputs found
Adipose tissue and cytokines
No full textAdipose tissue is not simply a storage depot for excess energy intake, it is also able to produce and release several substances with local (autocrine) and systemic (endocrine) actions. An up-to-date review of our knowledge in this area is given here. Several of the compounds deriving from adipose tissue have been shown to play a role in obesity-related health complications. The production of cytokines, such as Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, and leptin, is implicated in the development of several disorders. Insulin resistance is one of the most clinically significant
Oxidative state and lipid composition of plasma from overweight and moderately obese women
No full textObjective: To determine the oxidative balance and plasma fatty acid composition of overweight and obese women.
Design: Comparative, descriptive study on 60 overweight or obese (> 25 BMI> 33), normotensive, non-diabetic women and 60 age-matched lean healthy women (BMI< 25).
Measurements: Plasma lipid, hydroperoxide, and antioxidants levels, fatty acid composition and lipoproteins susceptibility to peroxidation.
Results: Compared to the lean control group, the patient group had higher lipoprotein susceptibility to peroxidation and higher peroxide levels. On the contrary, the polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular the omega-3 species, and the antioxidants were lower in the patient group.
Conclusions: The present study shows that overweight and obese people have oxidative balance impairment. The higher susceptibility to peroxidation of lipoproteins is the probable molecular mechanism that promotes a reduction in high unsaturated (and in particular omega-3) fatty acids, as well as antioxidants in the plasma of the overweight and obese subjects
Biological variability of myoglobin in healthy elderly and younger subjects
No full textTo study the effect of age on serum myoglobin more clearly, the analytical, intra-individual and inter-individual components of variation were estimated from duplicate analyses of specimens collected from 18 healthy elderly subjects [ages 74-97 years; 9 men (EM)], and 14 healthy younger subjects [ages 25-31 years; 7 men (YM)] over a period of 6 weeks. The mean values (μg/L) were EM: 53.7; EW: 44.9; YM: 34.2; YW:24.8. Estimated analytical (CV(A)), intra- (CV(I)) and inter-individual (CV(G)) variations as CV% were: CV(A): 2.2. CV(I): EM: 13; EW: 9.9; YM: 12.4; YW: 9.6. CV(G): EM: 37.6; EW: 28; YM: 18.5; YW: 13.4. The data obtained were used to derive the desirable analytical goal for imprecision (i.e., ≤6.5% in EM; ≤4.9% in EW and ≤6.2% in YM; ≤4.8% in YW); inaccuracy (i.e., ≤9.9% in EM; ≤7.7 in EW and ≤5.5% in YM; ≤4.12% in YW); the change required for serial results to be significantly different (i.e., 36% in EM; 28% in EW and 34% in YM; 27.2% in YW), the numbers of specimen collections required to produce a more precise estimate of the homeostatic set point of an individual within 5% (i.e., 26 in EM; 16 in EW and 24 in YM; 15 in YW), and the index of individuality (i.e., 0.34 in EM; 0.35 in EW and 0.67 in YM; 0.71 in YW). This study shows that intra-individual biological variation of myoglobin in healthy elderly subjects is not different from that in young subjects. Inter-individual variation, instead, is greatly influenced by differences in age and sex. (C) 2000, Editrice Kurtis
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Effects of weight loss on erythrocyte membrane composition and fluidity in overweight and moderately obese women
No full textA previous study showed chemical and physical impairment of the erythrocyte membrane of overweight and moderately obese women. The present study investigated the effects of a low-calorie diet (800 kcal/day deficit for 8 weeks) on erythrocyte membrane properties in 70 overweight and moderately obese (body mass index, 25-33 kg/m(2)) normotensive, nondiabetic women. At the end of dietary intervention, 24.3% of women dropped out, 45.7% lost less than 5% of their initial weight (Group I) and only 30% of patients lost at least 5% of their initial body weight (Group II). Group I showed no significant changes in erythrocyte membrane composition and function. The erythrocyte membranes of Group II showed significant reductions in malondialdehyde, lipofuscin, cholesterol, sphingomyelin, palmitic acid and nervonic acid and an increase in di-homo-gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid and membrane fluidity. Moreover, Group II showed an improvement in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycemia and insulin resistance. These changes in erythrocyte membrane composition could reflect a virtuous cycle resulting from the reduction in insulin resistance associated with increased membrane fluidity that, in turn, results in a sequence of metabolic events that concur to further improve membrane fluidity
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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