Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals

Objective: Parental history of diabetes and specific gene variants are risk factors for type 2 diabetes, but the extent to which these factors are associated is unknown. Methods: We examined the association between parental history of diabetes and a type 2 diabetes genetic risk score (GRS) in two cohort studies from Finland (population-based PPP-Botnia study) and the US (family-based Framingham Of

To identify genetic loci influencing central obesity and fat distribution, we performed a meta-analysis of 16 genome-wide association studies (GWAS, N = 38,580) informative for adult waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). We selected 26 SNPs for follow-up, for which the evidence of association with measures of central adiposity (WC and/or WHR) was strong and disproportionate to that f

About a quarter of all meteorites falling on Earth today originate from the breakup of the L-chondrite parent body similar to 470 Ma ago, the largest documented breakup in the asteroid belt in the past similar to 3 Ga. A window into the flux of meteorites to Earth shortly after this event comes from the recovery of about 100 fossil L chondrites (1-21 cm in diameter) in a quarry of mid-Ordovician l

Gastric bypass (GBP) results in rapid type 2 diabetes (T2D) remission in most cases. Consequences of GBP reversal are unknown. A GBP-operated T2D patient was given mixed-meal tests before (MMTpre), 2 months (MMT2-M) and 12 months (MMT12-M) after GBP reversal. Glucose, hormones and metabolite profiles were assessed. MMT2-M displayed slightly lower glucose levels; MMT12-M displayed higher glucose an

Observational epidemiology has made outstanding contributions to the discovery and elucidation of relations between lifestyle factors and common complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Recent major advances in the understanding of the human genetics of this disease have inspired studies that seek to determine whether the risk conveyed by bona fide risk loci might be modified by lifestyle factors

Helianthemum nummularium (L.) Mill. has two subspecies in southern Scandinavia, which differ in an indumentum character that is inherited as a Mendelian gene with two alleles. The dominant allele is the genetic basis for the key character of subsp. obscurum (absence of a dense felt of stellate hairs on the abaxial surface of the leaf), whereas the recessive allele is the genetic basis for the key

Combining insulin with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors as glucose-lowering therapy for type 2 diabetes is a promising strategy that has gained considerable interest over the past few years. One advantage of this combination is the complementary mechanistic actions of insulin and GLP-1. Insulin increases glucose utilization and retards

Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of acute myocardial infarction and stroke. It is well established that arterial inflammation in response to accumulation and oxidation of lipoproteins in the vascular wall is the major factor responsible for the development of atherosclerosis. During recent years, it has become apparent that this vascular inflammation is modulated by a complex array of autoimmu

Macrophages control the resolution of inflammation through the transition from a proinflammatory (M1) to an anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Here, we present evidence for a role of AMPK alpha 1, a master regulator of energy homeostasis, in macrophage skewing that occurs during skeletal muscle regeneration. Muscle regeneration was impaired in AMPK alpha 1(-/-) mice. In vivo loss-of-function (LysM-

Type 2 diabetes is triggered by reduced insulin production, caused by genetic and environmental factors such as inflammation originating from the innate immune system. Complement proteins are a component of innate immunity and kill non-self cells by perforating the plasma membrane, a reaction prevented by CD59. Human pancreatic islets express CD59 at very high levels. CD59 is primarily known as a

Secretion from many endocrine cells is a result of calcium-regulated exocytosis due to Ca(2+) influx. Using the patch-clamp technique, voltage pulses can be applied to the cells to open Ca(2+) channels, resulting in a measurable Ca(2+) current, and evoke exocytosis, which can be seen as an increase in membrane capacitance. A common tool for evaluating the relation between Ca(2+) influx and exocyto