Individuals with diabetes mellitus are advised to achieve a healthy weight to prevent complications. However, fat mass distribution has hardly been investigated as a risk factor for diabetes complications. The authors studied associations between body mass index, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, and waist/height ratio and mortality among individuals with diabetes mellitus. Within the European

Introduction. Both short and long sleep duration may increase risk of type 2 diabetes (diabetes). We studied if short and long sleep durations were associated with insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion in individuals without diabetes, and if the associations remained after we excluded individuals who reported more frequent and severe complaints of sleep apnea and insomnia. Participants and

MafA is a key transcriptional activator of islet beta cells and its exclusive expression within beta cells of the developing and adult pancreas is distinct amongst pancreatic regulators. Region 3 (base pairs -8118/-7750 relative to the transcription start site), one of six conserved 5' cis-domains of the MafA promoter, is capable of directing beta-cell-line-selective expression. Transgenic reporte

In this paper we investigate the size, structure and scaling relationships in glycogen isolated from five different animal sources. For this purpose a versatile fractionation technique, asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF), coupled to multi-angle light scattering, is utilized. For determination of the average degree of branching 1H NMR is utilized. The results give a detailed insig

A common variant (rs4712652) adjacent to the prolactin gene was recently associated with obesity using a genome-wide association study. The aim of this study was to replicate the association between rs4712652 and obesity and further examine if rs4712652 is associated with fat percentage and adiponectin levels in a population based Scandinavian cohort. rs4712652 was genotyped in 4879 participants (

Introduction: Hypoadiponectinaemia is an important risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, little is known about its role in the Chinese population. This study sought to assess the prevalence of NAFLD and its association with hypoadiponectinaemia in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. Material and methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in an urban S

Genome-wide association studies of glycemic traits have identified genetics variants that are associated with insulin resistance (IR) in the general population. It is unknown if people with genetic enrichment for these IR-variants respond differently to interventions that aim to improve insulin sensitivity. We built a genetic risk score based on 17 established IR-variants and their effect sizes (w

Background Point-of-care C-reactive protein (POCCRP) is a biomarker of inflammation that offers clinicians a rapid POC test to guide antibiotic prescribing decisions for acute cough and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). However, evidence that POCCRP is cost-effective is limited, particularly outside experimental settings. Aim To assess the cost-effectiveness of POCCRP as a diagnostic tool

Objective-Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Autoimmune responses to low-density lipoproteins (LDL) contribute to its progression, whereas immunization with LDL may induce atheroprotective or proatherogenic responses. The objective of this study was to develop an atheroprotective vaccine by targeting a peptide of the LDL protein constituent apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) to the nasal muc

Athletes constantly report experiences of momentum during athletic contests, and they consider momentum as being an important factor for the outcome of a competition. However, researchers trying to capture momentum with quantitative methods see themselves confronted with inconclusive results. To explain this gap between athletes’ belief and results from quantitative data, it is hypothesised that m

In this study, the relation between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality was investigated within the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition. Survival analyses were performed, including 451,151 participants from 10 European countries, recruited between 1992 and 2000 and followed until 2010. Hazard ratios, rate advancement periods, and preventable proportions to respec

OBJECTIVE: To present validity data for the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS), an instrument measuring multifaceted work experience from a salutogenic health resource perspective as a contrast to the more common pathogenic risk perspective, by exploring WEMS relationship to established measurements that are positively related to health and work. A salutogenic perspective focuses on finding

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) encodes its own inhibitor of the complement system, designated KSHV complement control protein (KCP). Previously, we detected anti-KCP antibodies in a small group of 22 patients suffering from Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and KSHV-related lymphoproliferative diseases (Vaccine, 25:8102-9). Anti-KCP antibodies were more prevalent in individuals suffering from

Environmental factors interact with the genome throughout life to determine gene expression and, consequently, tissue function and disease risk. One such factor that is known to play an important role in determining long-term metabolic health is diet during critical periods of development. Epigenetic regulation of gene expression has been implicated in mediating these programming effects of early

Streptococcus pyogenes of the M1 serotype can cause STSS, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of NFAT signaling in M1 protein-induced lung injury. NFAT-luc mice were treated with the NFAT inhibitor A-285222 before administration of the M1 protein. Neutrophil infiltration, edema, and CXC chemokines were quantified in