Type 2 diabetes (T2D) develops due to insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion, predominantly in genetically predisposed subjects exposed to nongenetic risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity and ageing. Emerging data suggest that epigenetics also play a key role in the pathogenesis of T2D. Genome-wide studies have identified altered DNA methylation patterns in pancreatic islets, s

In this discussion, Steve Fuller's book Dissent over Descent is criticized mainly because he draws conclusions from wishful thinking and uses ancient and medieval scientists as well as theologians in his efforts to invalidate the theory of evolution. He is also criticized for drawing universal conclusions from a Eurocentric version of history. If science and technology studies is to regain its rep

In Kenya the government is promoting diversification of crops to embrace high value crops and drought resistant crop varieties in efforts to reduce poverty in rural areas. Sugar beet is one of the crops considered as an option in this context and it is therefore important to increase knowledge about the potentials in the country for cultivating this crop. Sugar beet trials conducted in Nyandarua a

A vibrational spectroscopy study (infrared and Raman) is reported for the biogenic polyamine analogues norspermidine (NSpd), N(1),N(11)-bis(ethyl)norspermine (BENSpm) and N(1)-cyclo-propylmethyl-N(11)-ethylnorspermine (CPENSpm), as well as for their newly synthesised Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes. Attending to the potential antineoplastic properties of this kind of systems, their full conformational

Objective: To describe non-lymphoma hematological malignancies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: A large SLE cohort was linked to cancer registries. We examined the types of non-lymphoma hematological cancers. Results: In 16,409 patients, 115 hematological cancers [including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)] occurred. Among these, 33 were non-lymphoma. Of the 33 non-lymphoma cases, 13

There is limited information about whether time from recognition of decreased perfusion to revascularization affects the probability of healing in a patient with a diabetic foot ulcer. The aim of the present study was to examine whether time to revascularization after referral to a multidisciplinary foot center was related to the outcome of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes and severe peripher

Multimeric lactosides based on carbohydrate scaffolds with valencies ranging from 1 to 4 and different linker lengths were synthesized by a copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The binding affinities and crosslinking abilities of the new "click clusters" toward biologically relevant galectins (gal-1, gal-3) and peanut lectin were evaluated by fluorescent polarization assay (FPA) an

The van der Waals interaction free energy Aint between two spherical bodies of Stockmayer fluid across a vacuum is calculated using molecular simulations and classical perturbation theory. The results are decomposed into their electrostatic and Lennard-Jones parts, and the former is shown to agree excellently with predictions from dielectric continuum theory. Aint is decomposed into its energetic

The aim was to study a broader phenotype of language-related diagnoses and problems in three generations of relatives of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Our study is based on a family history interview of the parents of 59 children with SLI and of 100 matched control children, exploring the prevalence of problems related to language, reading, attention, school achievement and soc

A data set comprising 27 myo-inositol derivatives based on tetrakisphosphates and bispyrophosphates were used in the development of quantitative structure-activity relationship model for investigating its allosteric effector property against human haemoglobin (Hb). Three-dimensional structures of the investigated compounds were subjected to geometry optimisations at the density functional theory l

Objective: To evaluate a possible correlation between transvaginal ultrasound findings in miscarriages and cytogenetic analyses from chorionic villi obtained by dilatation and curettage. Design: Prospective, population-based study. Setting: University-based hospital. Patient(s): Five hundred seventy-six women with spontaneous miscarriage diagnosed between 6 and 12 completed pregnancy weeks. Interv

Selenium is an essential element, but its metabolism in humans is not well characterized. A few small studies indicate that the trimethylselenonium ion (TMSe) is a common selenium metabolite in humans.

alpha decay is treated microscopically, where the unstable mother nucleus and residual daughter nucleus are described using Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) wave functions, obtained with the Skyrme effective interaction. From these wave functions the amplitude for forming alpha particles in the mother nucleus is computed. Two different Skyrme parametrizations with different pairing properties are com

The perennial herbaceous crop Arundo donax is a potential feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production. In the present work, two different process options were investigated for the conversion of two differently steam-pretreated batches of A. donax. The pretreated raw material was converted to ethanol with a xylose-consuming Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, VTT C-10880, by applying either

1. The ability of exotic plant species to establish and expand in new areas may be enhanced by a relatively high ability to acquire soil nutrients. To test this hypothesis, we predicted that the capacity for nutrient acquisition would be higher in seedlings of exotic species than in seedlings of native congeners. 2. We selected the five exotic species that had recently increased in abundance in a

Imazalil (IMZ) is a fungicide used in the cultivation of vegetables, such as cucumbers, in green houses or post-harvest on fruit to avoid spoilage due to fungal growth. Agricultural workers can be occupationally exposed to IMZ and the general public indirectly by the diet. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an LC-MS-MS method for the analysis of IMZ in human urine. The method us

Recent studies indicate that the urokinase system could have an important role in atherogenesis and plaque rupture. The relationships among the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), carotid plaque, and incidence of ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD) events were studied in a prospective cohort.

This paper deals with a continuous review, two-echelon serial (two locations) inventory system with perishable items. Transportation times and the lifetime of items are fixed. When the age of an item has reached its lifetime, the item is useless and consequently discarded from the system. The downstream location faces Poisson demand, and demand that cannot be met immediately is backordered. In thi