Description: MITRAL stenosis is unique in that it is the only type of heart disease in which there is a mechanical barrier to the entrance of blood into the left side of the heart. This results in a tendency to congestion and elevation of pressure throughout the pulmonary circulation. Unlike the dynamic situation in left ventricular failure, this stenotic dam may remain static for a long period, with little change in the clinical state of the patient. Ultimately, however, secondary effects on the left auricle, the pulmonary circulation, or the right ventricle develop to such a degree as to determine the final outcome. This condition lends itself, therefore, to the theoretical possibility of relief by reconstructive surgical measures at the site of obstruction, the mitral valve. In recent years this theoretical possibility has been increasingly translated into the realm of the practical with the development of operative procedures which are giving

Description: Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely employed, minimally invasive bio-medical imaging technique, which requires a broadband light source, typically implemented by super-luminescent diodes. Recent advances in soliton based photonic integrated frequency combs (soliton microcombs) have enabled the development of low-noise, broadband chipscale frequency comb sources, whose potential for OCT imaging has not yet been unexplored. Here, we explore the use of dissipative Kerr soliton microcombs in spectral domain OCT and show that, by using photonic chipscale Si N resonators in conjunction with 1300 nm pump lasers, spectral bandwidths exceeding those of commercial OCT sources are possible. We characterized the exceptional noise properties of our source (in comparison to conventional OCT sources) and demonstrate that the soliton states in microresonators exhibit a residual intensity noise floor at high offset frequencies that is ca. 3 dB lower than a traditional OCT source at identical power, and can exhibit significantly lower noise performance for powers at the milli-Watt level. Moreover, we demonstrate that classical amplitude noise of all soliton comb teeth are correlated, i.e., common mode, in contrast to superluminescent diodes or incoherent microcomb states, which opens a new avenue to improve imaging speed and performance beyond the thermal noise limit.

Description: BACKGROUND:Circulating angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was identified as a predictor of weight loss maintenance in overweight/obese women of the Diogenes project.OBJECTIVE:To investigate whether ACE acted also as a predictor in men of the Diogenes study and to compare it with that in women.DESIGN:Subjects, who lost 〉/=8% of body weight induced by low-caloric diet in an 8-week weight loss period, were assigned to weight loss maintenance with dietary intervention for 6 months.SUBJECTS:125 overweight/obese healthy men from eight European countries who completed whole intervention.MEASUREMENTS:Concentrations and activity of serum ACE at baseline and after the 8-week weight loss, in addition to anthropometric and physiological parameters.RESULTS:Serum ACE concentration decreased by 11.3+/-10.6% during the weight loss period in men. A greater reduction is associated with less body weight regain during the maintenance period (r=0.227, P=0.012). ACE change was able to predict a weight regain 〈/=20% after 6 months, with an odds ratio of 1.59 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-2.33, P=0.016) for every 10% reduction, which was independent of body mass index and weight loss. The prediction power was weaker in men than in women, but without a significant sex difference (P=0.137). In pooled subjects (N=218), the odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI: 1.46-2.64, P〈0.001).CONCLUSIONS:A greater reduction of ACE during weight loss is favorable for weight maintenance in both men and women. This can offer useful information for personalized advice to improve weight loss maintenance. It also confirms the role of ACE in the metabolic pathways of weight regulation.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 24 January 2012; doi:10.1038/ijo.2011.278.

Description: OBJECTIVE: Weight loss helps reduce the symptoms of the metabolic in the obese, but weight regain after active weight loss is common. We investigated the changes and predictive role of circulating adipokines hormones for weight regain in men during dietary intervention, and also effect of basal MetS status on weight regain. DESIGN AND METHODS: who continued to lose weight (WL) and 24 men who regained weight (WR) 6-month follow-up period after weight loss were selected from the Their circulating concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, retinol-binding 4 (RBP4), luteinizing hormone, prolactin, progesterone, total and free testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured at after 8-week low-calorie diet-induced active weight loss, and after a 26-week ad libitum weight maintenance diet, and analyzed together with anthropometrical and physiological parameters. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obese men with MetS at baseline had higher risk to regain (odds ratio=2.8, P=0.015). High baseline RBP4, and low total SHBG are predictors of weight loss regain (different between WR and WL P=0.001, 0.038, 0.044, respectively), and may play roles in the link and weight loss regain.

Description: The importance of microbial communities (MCs) cannot be overstated. MCs underpin the biogeochemical cycles of the earth's soil, oceans and the atmosphere, and perform ecosystem functions that impact plants, animals and humans. Yet our ability to predict and manage the function of these highly complex, dynamically changing communities is limited. Building predictive models that link MC composition to function is a key emerging challenge in microbial ecology. Here, we argue that addressing this challenge requires close coordination of experimental data collection and method development with mathematical model building. We discuss specific examples where model-experiment integration has already resulted in important insights into MC function and structure. We also highlight key research questions that still demand better integration of experiments and models. We argue that such integration is needed to achieve significant progress in our understanding of MC dynamics and function, and we make specific practical suggestions as to how this could be achieved.

Description: BACKGROUND: The mechanisms underlying body weight evolution after diet-induced weight loss are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify and characterize differences in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) transcriptome of subjects with different weight changes after energy restriction-induced weight loss during 6 mo on 4 different diets. DESIGN: After an 8-wk low-calorie diet (800 kcal/d), we randomly assigned weight-reduced obese subjects from 8 European countries to receive 4 diets that differed in protein and glycemic index content. In addition to anthropometric and plasma markers, SAT biopsies were taken at the beginning [clinical investigation day (CID) 2] and end (CID3) of the weight follow-up period. Microarray analysis was used to define SAT gene expression profiles at CID2 and CID3 in 22 women with continued weight loss (successful group) and in 22 women with weight regain (unsuccessful group) across the 4 dietary arms. RESULTS: Differences in SAT gene expression patterns between successful and unsuccessful groups were mainly due to weight variations rather than to differences in dietary macronutrient content. An analysis of covariance with total energy intake as a covariate identified 1338 differentially expressed genes. Cellular growth and proliferation, cell death, cellular function, and maintenance were the main biological processes represented in SAT from subjects who regained weight. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation was the major pattern associated with continued weight loss. Conclusions: The ability to control body weight loss independent of energy intake or diet composition is reflected in the SAT transcriptome. Although cell proliferation may be detrimental, a greater mitochondrial energy gene expression is suggested as being beneficial for weight control. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00390637.

Description: The military community and its partners have made vigorous efforts to address treatment barriers and increase appropriate mental health services use among returning National Guard soldiers. We assessed whether there were differences in reports of treatment barriers in 3 categories (stigma, logistics, or negative beliefs about treatment) in sequential cross‐sectional samples of U.S. soldiers from a Midwestern Army National Guard Organization who were returning from overseas deployments. Data were collected during 3 time periods: September 2007–August 2008 (n = 333), March 2009–March 2010 (n = 884), and August 2011–August 2012 (n = 737). In analyses using discretized time periods and in trend analyses, the percentages of soldiers endorsing negative beliefs about treatment declined significantly across the 3 sequential samples (19.1%, 13.9%, and 11.1%). The percentages endorsing stigma barriers (37.8%, 35.2%, 31.8%) decreased significantly only in trend analyses. Within the stigma category, endorsement of individual barriers regarding negative reactions to a soldier seeking treatment declined, but barriers related to concerns about career advancement did not. Negative treatment beliefs were associated with reduced services use (OR = 0.57; 95% CI [0.33, 0.97]). Resumen Spanish s by the Asociacion Chilena de Estres Traumatico La comunidad militar y sus pares han hecho grandes esfuerzos para superar las barreras hacia el uso de los servicios de salud mental en forma apropiada y hacia los tratamientos entre aquellos soldados de la guardia nacional que retornan. Evaluamos si había diferencias en los reportes de las barreras hacia el tratamiento en 3 categorías (estigma, logística, o creencias negativas sobre el tratamiento) en muestras secuenciales de corte transversal de soldados de EEUU de la organización de la guardia nacional de la armada del medio‐este que estaban retornando de sus lugares de destinación extranjera. Los datos fueron recolectados durante 3 períodos (Septiembre 2001‐Agosto 2008 (n = 333), Marzo 2009‐Marzo 2010 (n = 884); y Agosto 2011 –Agosto 2012 (n = 737). En análisis utilizando períodos de tiempo discreto y en análisis de tendencia, los porcentajes de soldados que mostraron creencias negativas hacia el tratamiento declinaron significativamente en las 3 muestras secuenciales (19.1%, 13.9%, y 11.1%). Los porcentajes que mostraron barreras de estigma (37.8%, 35.2%, y 31.8%) disminuyeron significativamente sólo en análisis de tendencia. En la categoría estigma, disminuyó la ratificación de barreras individuales concernientes a las reacciones negativas de los soldados que buscaron tratamiento, pero no disminuyó aquella relacionada a la preocupación en relación al avance de la carrera. Las creencias negativas sobre el tratamiento se asociaron al uso reducido de los servicios (OR = 0.57; 95% CI (0.33,0.97). 抽象 Traditional and Simplified Chinese s by AsianSTSS 標題: 在三個不同時段評核美國國民警衛軍樣本中精神健康治療的障礙。 撮要: 回國的國民警衛軍人及其軍眷常要費力克服治療障礙來增加使用精神健康服務的機會。我們在一批從海外服役歸來的美國國民警衛軍中西兵團的順序橫截面樣本中，評估三個組別(被標籤,流程或對治療的負面看法)中治療障礙的差異。數據在三個不同時段 (2007年九月至2008年八月(n=333); 2009年三月至2010年三月(n=884)；和2011年8月至2012年八月(n=737)) 收集。使用離散時間段和趨勢分析，對治療有負面看法的士兵比例隨着三個順序樣本顯着下降(19.1%,13.9%和11.1%)。但被標籤障礙(37.8%, 35.2%,31.8%)的百分比只在趨勢分析中明顯下降。在被標籤組別中，士兵接受治療後負面反應的個別障礙減少，但事業晉升障礙則未減。負面治療想法卻與服務使用減少有關(OR=0.57; 95% CI (0.33 ,0.97))。 标题: 在三个不同时段评核美国国民警卫军样本中精神健康治疗的障碍。 撮要: 回国的国民警卫军人及其军眷常要费力克服治疗障碍来增加使用精神健康服务的机会。我们在一批从海外服役归来的美国国民警卫军中西兵团的顺序横截面样本中，评估三个组别(被卷标,流程或对治疗的负面看法)中治疗障碍的差异。数据在三个不同时段 (2007年九月至2008年八月(n=333); 2009年三月至2010年三月(n=884)；和2011年8月至2012年八月(n=737)) 收集。使用离散时间段和趋势分析，对治疗有负面看法的士兵比例随着三个顺序样本显着下降(19.1%,13.9%和11.1%)。但被标签障碍(37.8%, 35.2%,31.8%)的百分比只在趋势分析中明显下降。在被标签组别中，士兵接受治疗后负面反应的个别障碍减少，但事业晋升障碍则未减。负面治疗想法却与服务使用减少有关(OR=0.57; 95% CI (0.33 ,0.97))。

Description: Reduced expression of the Indy (“I am Not Dead, Yet”) gene in lower organisms promotes longevity in a manner akin to caloric restriction. Deletion of the mammalian homolog of Indy (mIndy, Slc13a5) encoding for a plasma membrane–associated citrate transporter expressed highly in the liver, protects mice from high‐fat diet–induced and aging‐induced obesity and hepatic fat accumulation through a mechanism resembling caloric restriction. We studied a possible role of mIndy in human hepatic fat metabolism. In obese, insulin‐resistant patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatic mIndy expression was increased and mIndy expression was also independently associated with hepatic steatosis. In nonhuman primates, a 2‐year high‐fat, high‐sucrose diet increased hepatic mIndy expression. Liver microarray analysis showed that high mIndy expression was associated with pathways involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and immunological processes. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) was identified as a regulator of mIndy by binding to its cognate receptor. Studies in human primary hepatocytes confirmed that IL‐6 markedly induced mIndy transcription through the IL‐6 receptor and activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and a putative start site of the human mIndy promoter was determined. Activation of the IL‐6–signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway stimulated mIndy expression, enhanced cytoplasmic citrate influx, and augmented hepatic lipogenesis in vivo. In contrast, deletion of mIndy completely prevented the stimulating effect of IL‐6 on citrate uptake and reduced hepatic lipogenesis. These data show that mIndy is increased in liver of obese humans and nonhuman primates with NALFD. Moreover, our data identify mIndy as a target gene of IL‐6 and determine novel functions of IL‐6 through mINDY. Conclusion: Targeting human mINDY may have therapeutic potential in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00005450. (Hepatology 2017;66:616–630).