Vasonatrin peptide, a new regulator of adiponectin and interleukin-6 production in adipocytes

BACKGROUND

In addition to lipolytic function, ANP plays regulatory roles in the production of various adipokines including adiponectin, leptin, and interleukins. However, the adipose effects of vasonatrin peptide (VNP), a new manmade natriuretic peptide, are largely unknown.

AIM

The aim of the present study was to identify the roles of VNP on adipokines production, as well as signaling pathways involved. MATERIAL, SUBJECTS, AND METHODS: 3T3-L1 cells were differentiated into adipocytes and exposed to various concentrations of VNP. Quantitative PCR and immunoassays were performed to determine the mRNA and protein levels of adiponectin and interleukin-6 (IL-6), respectively. The involved signaling pathway was identified by radioimmunoassay to detect the levels of intracellular cyclic GMP (cGMP), mimicking experiments using 8-brcGMP (a membrane-permeable cGMP analog). Also, blocking experiments were performed using HS-142-1, an antagonist of particulate guanylyl cyclase-coupled natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR), or KT-5823, the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitor.

RESULTS

VNP markedly enhanced adiponectin mRNA expression, as well as protein secretion, however, suppressed IL-6 production in mature adipocytes. In addition, VNP significantly increased the intracellular levels of cGMP. The effects of VNP were mimicked by 8-br-cGMP, whereas inhibited by HS-142-1, or KT-5823.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, VNP regulates adiponectin and IL-6 production in adipocytes via guanylyl cyclase-coupled NPR/cGMP/PKG pathway.

Search for a fermiophobic and standard model Higgs boson in diphoton final states

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson and a fermiophobic Higgs boson in the diphoton final states based on 8.2  fb(-1) of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. No excess of data above background predictions is observed and upper limits at the 95% C.L. on the cross section multiplied by the branching fraction are set which are the most restrictive to date. A fermiophobic Higgs boson with a mass below 112.9 GeV is excluded at the 95% C.L.

A SPECT Camera for Combined MRI and SPECT for Small Animals

We describe an MR-compatible SPECT camera for small animals. The SPECT camera system can be inserted into the bore of a state-of-the-art MRI system and allows researchers to acquire tomographic images from a mouse in-vivo with the MRI and the SPECT acquiring simultaneously. The SPECT system provides functional information, while MRI provides anatomical information. Until today it was impossible to operate conventional SPECT inside the MRI because of mutual interference. The new SPECT technology is based on semiconductor radiation sensors (CZT, ASICs), and it fits into conventional high field MRI systems with a minimum 12-cm bore size. The SPECT camera has an MR-compatible multi-pinhole collimator for mice with a ø25-mm field-of-view. For the work reported here we assembled a prototype SPECT camera system and acquired SPECT and MRI data from radioactive sources and resolution phantoms using the camera outside and inside the MRI.

A SPECT Camera for Combined MRI and SPECT for Small Animals

We describe an MR-compatible SPECT camera for small animals. The SPECT camera system can be inserted into the bore of a state-of-the-art MRI system and allows researchers to acquire tomographic images from a mouse in-vivo with the MRI and the SPECT acquiring simultaneously. The SPECT system provides functional information, while MRI provides anatomical information. Until today it was impossible to operate conventional SPECT inside the MRI because of mutual interference. The new SPECT technology is based on semiconductor radiation sensors (CZT, ASICs), and it fits into conventional high field MRI systems with a minimum 12-cm bore size. The SPECT camera has an MR-compatible multi-pinhole collimator for mice with a ø25-mm field-of-view. For the work reported here we assembled a prototype SPECT camera system and acquired SPECT and MRI data from radioactive sources and resolution phantoms using the camera outside and inside the MRI.

First Report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, the Causal Agent of Bacterial Canker of Kiwifruit in France

In June 2010, young plants of kiwifruit growing in the French regions of Rhone-Alpes (Actinidia deliciosa 'Summer') and Aquitaine (A. chinensis 'Jintao') showed small, angular, necrotic leaf spots and cankers on some canes that was sometimes associated with production of a red exudate. Most of the affected canes died, and in a few cases after a few months, the entire plant died. Symptoms were consistent with Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, a bacterium that affects several species of Actinidia (A. deliciosa and A. chinensis, the two most important commercial species of kiwifruit). A recent outbreak of this disease is devastating the Italian kiwifruit industry. Bacterial colonies were isolated on King's medium B (KB) from leaf spots and infected canes. Three isolates from Aquitaine and 10 from Rhone-Alpes were retained for further characterization. The 13 isolates were gram negative, induced a hypersensitive reaction when infiltrated in tobacco plants, did not have a cytochrome c oxidase, an arginine dehydrolase or urease activity, did not hydrolyze esculin, starch, or gelatine, and did not induce ice nucleation. When plated on KB, these strains did not show strong fluorescence usually associated with strains of P. syringae. Complete lack of fluorescence reported for the pathotype strain ICMP 9817 has not been observed for those strains. They showed the same weak fluorescence as the strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae recently isolated from Italy. Those characteristics match those of strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae (3). Using total DNA of the 13 strains, the pathotype strain, and primers PsaF1/R2 (2), a 280-bp fragment was amplified by PCR, supporting the strains as being P. syringae pv. actinidiae. The amplicon from 6 of the 13 strains was sequenced and found to be 100% similar to the corresponding DNA fragment of the pathotype strain ICMP 9617 (GenBank AY342165). Partial sequences of 1,381 bp of the 16S rDNA gene of four of the six isolates, three strains isolated from Rhone-Alpes and one strain isolated from Aquitaine, were obtained by amplification with primers 27_f and 1492_r (1). Except for the sequence of strain 181, which was isolated from Aquitaine and had a 1 bp difference (GenBank JF323026), the other sequences were 100% identical to each other (GenBank JF323027 to JF323029). These four sequences were 99% identical to the 16SrDNA sequences of ICMP 9617, the pathotype strain of P. syringae pv. actinidiae (GenBank AB001431). These four strains and the pathotype strain were sprayed (1 × 10⁹ CFU/ml) on leaves of four 6- to 8-week-old seedlings of A. chinensis each. After 4 days, small, necrotic, angular spots were found on all plants inoculated with those four strains and the pathotype strain. No symptoms were found on plants treated with water only. From those leaf spots, bacteria that had all the characteristics of P. syringae pv. actinidiae (as previously described) were isolated. Recently, two different haplotypes for the housekeeping gene cts were described for P. syringae pv. actinidiae (4), the strains isolated from France belong to the haplotype I. This is the same haplotype to which strains isolated from the recent Italian outbreak also belong. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bacterial canker of kiwifruit in France. References: (1) V. Gurtler and V. A. Stanisich. Microbiology 142:3 1996. (2) J. Rees-George et al. Plant Pathol. 59:453, 2010. (3) Y. Takikawa et al. Ann. Phytopathol. Soc. Jpn. 55:437, 1989. (4) J. L. Vanneste et al. N.Z. Plant Prot. 63:7, 2010.

Search for neutral minimal supersymmetric standard model Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs produced in association with b quarks in pp collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV

We report results from a search for neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with b quarks using data recorded by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.3 fb(-1). This production mode can be enhanced in several extensions of the standard model (SM) such as in its minimal supersymmetric extension (MSSM) at high tanβ. We search for Higgs bosons decaying to tau pairs with one tau decaying to a muon and neutrinos and the other to hadrons. The data are found to be consistent with SM expectations, and we set upper limits on the cross section times branching ratio in the Higgs boson mass range from 90 to 320 GeV/c(2). We interpret our result in the MSSM parameter space, excluding tanβ values down to 25 for Higgs boson masses below 170 GeV/c(2).

Precision measurement of the ratio B(t→Wb)/B(t→Wq) and extraction of V(tb)

We present a measurement of the ratio of top quark branching fractions R=B(t→Wb)/B(t→Wq), where q can be a d, s, or b quark, in the lepton+jets and dilepton tt final states. The measurement uses data from 5.4 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We measure R=0.90±0.04, and we extract the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element |V(tb)| as |V(tb)|=0.95±0.02, assuming unitarity of the 3×3 CKM matrix.

A 1-year follow-up of a multi-center treatment trial of adults with anorexia nervosa

OBJECTIVE

To examine maintenance of recovery following treatment in an adult anorexia nervosa (AN) population.

METHOD

One year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial with 122 participants treated with: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), drug therapy (fluoxetine), or a combination (CBT+fluoxetine) for 12 months. Participants were assessed at baseline, end of treatment, and follow-up. The primary outcomes were weight and the global scores from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) separately and combined.

RESULTS

Fifty-two participants completed the follow-up. Mean weight increased from end of treatment to follow-up. Seventy-five percent (75%) of those weight recovered at end of treatment maintained this recovery at follow-up. Recovery of eating disorder psychopathology was stable from end of treatment to follow-up, with 40% of participants with a global EDE score within normal range. Using the most stringent criteria for recovery, only 21% of the completer sample was recovered.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that while adults with AN improve with treatment and maintain these improvements during follow-up, the majority is not recovered. Additionally, further research is needed to understand barriers to treatment and assessment completion.

Search for a fourth generation t' Quark in p ̄p collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for pair production of a fourth generation t' quark and its antiparticle, followed by their decays to a W boson and a jet, based on an integrated luminosity of 5.3 fb(-1) of proton-antiproton collisions at √s = 1.96  TeV collected by the D0 Collaboration at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits on the t' ̄t' production cross section that exclude at the 95% C.L. a t' quark that decays exclusively to W+jet with a mass below 285 GeV. We observe a small excess in the μ+jets channel which reduces the mass range excluded compared to the expected limit of 320 GeV in the absence of a signal.