HDL-C and HDL-C/ApoA-I predict long-term progression of glycemia in established type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and small HDL particle size may directly promote hyperglycemia. We evaluated associations of HDL-C, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), and HDL-C/apoA-I with insulin secretion, insulin resistance, HbA1c, and long-term glycemic deterioration, reflected by initiation of pharmacologic glucose control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The 5-year Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study followed 9,795 type 2 diabetic subjects. We calculated baseline associations of fasting HDL-C, apoA-I, and HDL-C/apoA-I with HbA1c and, in those not taking exogenous insulin (n = 8,271), with estimated β-cell function (homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function [HOMA-B]) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Among the 2,608 subjects prescribed lifestyle only, Cox proportional hazards analysis evaluated associations of HDL-C, apoA-I, and HDL-C/apoA-I with subsequent initiation of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) or insulin.

RESULTS: Adjusted for age and sex, baseline HDL-C, apoA-I, and HDL-C/apoA-I were inversely associated with HOMA-IR (r = -0.233, -0.134, and -0.230; all P < 0.001; n = 8,271) but not related to HbA1c (all P > 0.05; n = 9,795). ApoA-I was also inversely associated with HOMA-B (r = -0.063; P = 0.002; n = 8,271) adjusted for age, sex, and HOMA-IR. Prospectively, lower baseline HDL-C and HDL-C/apoA-I levels predicted greater uptake (per 1-SD lower: hazard ratio [HR] 1.13 [CI 1.07-1.19], P < 0.001; and HR 1.16 [CI 1.10-1.23], P < 0.001, respectively) and earlier uptake (median 12.9 and 24.0 months, respectively, for quartile 1 vs. quartile 4; both P < 0.01) of OHAs and insulin, with no difference in HbA1c thresholds for initiation (P = 0.87 and P = 0.81). Controlling for HOMA-IR and triglycerides lessened both associations, but HDL-C/apoA-I remained significant.

CONCLUSIONS: HDL-C, apoA-I, and HDL-C/apoA-I were associated with concurrent insulin resistance but not HbA1c. However, lower HDL-C and HDL-C/apoA-I predicted greater and earlier need for pharmacologic glucose control.

Relative contribution of natural productivity and compound feed to tissue growth in blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) reared in biofloc: Assessment by C and N stable isotope ratios and effect on key digestive enzymes

The aim of this study was to assess the relative contribution of natural productivity and compound food to the growth of the juvenile blue shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris reared in a biofloc system. Two experiments were carried out based on the same protocol with three treatments: clear water with experimental diet (CW), biofloc with experimental diet (BF) and biofloc unfed (BU). Shrimp survival was significantly higher in biofloc rearing than in CW rearing. The contribution of the biofloc to shrimp diet was estimated through measurement of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in shrimp and food sources. Different isotopic compositions between feeds were obtained by feeding natural productivity with a mixture rich in fish meal and the shrimps with a pellet containing a high level of soy protein concentrate. Using a two source one-isotope mixing model, we found that the natural productivity of the biofloc system contributed to shrimp growth at a level of 39.8% and 36.9%, for C and N, respectively. The natural food consumed by the shrimps reared in the biofloc system resulted in higher gene expression (mRNA transcript abundance) and activities of two digestive enzymes in their digestive gland: α-amylase and trypsin. The growth of shrimp biomass reared in biofloc was, on average, 4.4 times that of those grown in clear water. Our results confirmed the best survival and promoted growth of shrimps using biofloc technology and highlighted the key role of the biofloc in the nutrition of rearing shrimps. Statement of relevance In this study, we have applied an original protocol to determine the respective contribution of natural productivity and artificial feeds on the alimentation of the juvenile blue shrimp L. stylirostris reared in biofloc system by using C and N natural stable isotope analysis. Moreover, we have compared, in shrimp digestive gland, the α-amylase and trypsin enzyme activities at biochemical and molecular levels for two different shrimp rearing systems, biofloc and clear water. In our knowledge, the use of molecular tool to study the influence of biofloc consumption on digest process of shrimp was never carried out. We think that our research is new and important to increase knowledge on biofloc topic.

Radio-Frequency Interference Identification Over Oceans for C- and X-Band AMSR2 Channels

A new method for radio-frequency interference (RFI) contamination identification over open oceans for the two C-subbands and X-band of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) channel measurements is suggested. The method is based both on the AMSR2 brightness temperature (T-B) modeling and on the analysis of AMSR2 measurements over oceans. The joint analysis of T-B spectral differences allowed to identify the relations between them and the limits of their variability, which are ensured by the changes in the environmental conditions. It was found that the constraints, based on the ratio of spectral differences, are more regionally and seasonally independent than the spectral differences themselves. Although not all possible RFI combinations are considered, the developed simple criteria can be used to detect most RFI-contaminated pixels over the World Ocean for AMSR2 measurements in two C-subbands and the X-band.

Map of the bays, harbors, and rivers around New York : showing the channels, soundings, lighthouses, buoys &c., and the complete topography of the surrounding country : including Hempstead, Sandy-Hook, South-Amboy, Newark, Yonkers, N. Rochelle & Glen Cove /

Relief shown by hachures. Depths shown by contours and soundings.

Towards the total synthesis of amphidinolides C and F

The amphidinolides are marine macrolides extracted from dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium. To date, 37 amphidinolides have been isolated and identified, most of them possessing cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines. Among these, amphidinolides C, F, C2 and C3 represent synthetic targets of interest owing to their scarcity, structural complexity and promising biological activities. This thesis describes the work realised towards the total synthesis of amphidinolides C and F, with a focus on the different strategies investigated and the key fragments synthesised. In the first approach, the C18−C29 fragment of amphidinolide F was prepared using an intramolecular etherification of an epoxide under acidic catalysis to produce the 2,5-trans-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran ring featured in the natural product. Unfortunately, dithiane alkylation with the C1−C17 iodide counterpart generated the desired coupling product in low yield. A second approach proposing to build the C17−C18 bond by a silicon-tethered RCM proved unsuccessful, because the requisite diene could not be obtained. It was then envisioned to form the C18−C19 bond by displacement of a triflate with an alkyne and install the ketone at C18 by a protoborylation/oxidation sequence. To this end, the C19−C29 triflate precursor was synthesised. Displeasingly, the C1−C18 alkyne counterpart (work by Dr Filippo Romiti) could not be prepared and coupling of the two fragments was not attempted. In the latest approach, the C10−C29 fragment of amphidinolide F was obtained employing a boron-mediated aldol condensation and a dithiane alkylation to form the C13−C14 and C18−C19 bonds. Several endgame strategies were examined including the successful Yamaguchi esterification of the C13-epi C10−C29 fragment and the C1−C9 acid. A challenging Stille crosscoupling was then effected to close the macrocycle but only yielded the desired macrolactone in trace amounts after global desilylation.

Elevated hepatocyte growth factor levels in osteoarthritis osteoblasts contribute to their altered response to bone morphogenetic protein-2 and reduced mineralization capacity

International audience

PHYTOPLANKTON AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS WITH A FOCUS ON NITROGEN FORM IN THE ANACOSTIA RIVER, IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND WEST LAKE, IN HANGZHOU, CHINA

Nutrient loading has been linked with severe water quality impairment, ranging from hypoxia to increased frequency of harmful algal blooms (HABs), loss of fisheries, and changes in biodiversity. Waters around the globe are experiencing deleterious effects of eutrophication; however, the relative amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) reaching these waters is not changing proportionately, with high N loads increasingly enriched in chemically-reduced N forms. Research involving two urban freshwater and nutrient enriched systems, the Anacostia River, USA, a tributary of the Potomac River feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, and West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, was conducted to assess the response of phytoplankton communities to changing N-form and N/P-ratios. Field observations involving the characterization of ambient phytoplankton communities and N-forms, as well as experimental (nutrient enrichment) manipulations were used to understand shifts in phytoplankton community composition with increasing NH4+ loads. In both locations, a >2-fold increase in ambient NH4+:NO3- ratios was followed by a shift in the phytoplankton community, with diatoms giving way to chlorophytes and cyanobacteria. Enrichment experiments mirrored this, in that samples enriched with NH4+ lead to increased abundance of chlorophytes and cyanobacteria. This work shows that in both of these systems experiencing nutrient enrichment that NH4+ supports communities dominated by more chlorophytes and cyanobacteria than other phytoplankton groups.

Challenge of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) fed diets supplemented with vitamins C and E by Aeromonas hydrophila under different temperature

Pacus Piaractus mesopotamicus alimentados com dietas contendo três níveis de vitaminas C e E (zero, 250 e 500mg/kg de ração) foram desafiados, em diferentes temperaturas, com Aeromonas hydrophila. Os peixes foram mantidos em caixas plásticas de 300L e, com o objetivo de reduzir as reservas vitamínicas, durante os primeiros 60 dias, foram alimentados com dietas isentas das vitaminas C e E. Após esse período, os peixes foram estocados na densidade inicial de 14 peixes/caixa e as dietas-teste foram oferecidas durante 60 dias. Ao final do experimento, todos os peixes foram infectados com 6×10(6) UFC de A. hydrophila/peixe, injetada intraperitonealmente. Não houve interação nível de vitamina C vs. nível de vitamina E quanto à mortalidade. A suplementação com as vitaminas C e E não reduziu a taxa de mortalidade dos peixes desafiados com A. hydrophila. Independentemente da suplementação vitamínica, após o desafio, os peixes menores apresentaram maior taxa de mortalidade que os maiores e o grupo mantido em ambiente com temperatura mais alta apresentou maior taxa de mortalidade após o desafio.