Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Rather than the total amount of fat, central distribution of adipose tissue is very important in the pathophysiology of this constellation of abnormalities termed metabolic syndrome. Adipose tissue, regarded only ...

CONTEXT: Visfatin was recently reported to be expressed in human adipose tissue and to exert insulin-mimicking effects. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine whether visfatin is a true adipokine and is expressed in isolated fat cells. We also examined whether visfatin is regulated by thiazolidinediones and, thus, ...

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are the most prevalent metabolic diseases affecting over 50% of people in the western world. Although the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes is not fully understood, growing evidence links this disease to a state of chronic inflammation, which occurs in metabolically active tissue such as ...

The term 'uncoupling protein' was originally used for the mitochondrial membrane protein UCP1, which is uniquely present in mitochondria of brown adipocytes, thermogenic cells that regulate body temperature in small rodents, hibernators and mammalian newborns. In these cells, UCP1 acts as a proton carrier activated by free fatty acids and ...

OBJECTIVE: The linear skin rheometer (LSR), which measures skin visco-elasticity, was adapted for measurements of vocal fold properties. A series of studies was performed on animal and human excised larynges to determine if the LSR technique can be applied to the vocal fold. METHODS: In excised larynges, small patches of ...

An epidemic surge in the incidence of obesity has occurred worldwide over the past two decades. This alarming trend has been triggered by lifestyle habits that encourage overconsumption of energy-rich foods while also discouraging regular physical activity. These environmental influences create a chronic energy imbalance that leads to persistent weight ...

OBJECTIVE: Significant advances in the treatment of the morbidity and mortality associated with AIDS are also associated with undesirable side-effects in fat redistribution (lipodystrophy), insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk, which is directly linked to protease inhibitor (PI) treatment. METHODS: The effects of four different PIs on triglyceride (TG) storage and ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate 1) whether adiponectin is associated with insulin sensitivity independent of visceral adipose tissue in African-American and Caucasian youth and 2) whether adiponectin is associated with racial differences in insulin sensitivity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Total body fat was measured by dual-energy ...

Procyanidins, a class of flavonoids, have clear and well-defined beneficial effects against several pathologies including cardiovascular heart disease. Now, studies in vivo are revealing the effects of procyanidins against obesity, where they prevent weight gain and adipose tissue mass increase, and against diabetes and insulin resistance, where they act as ...

Lack of adipose tissue, either complete or partial, is the hallmark of disorders known as lipodystrophies. Patients with lipodystrophies suffer from metabolic complications similar to those associated with obesity, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis. The loss of body fat in inherited lipodystrophies can be caused ...

Individuals with chronically elevated glucose and/or insulin levels, i.e., most patients with type 2 diabetes, have accelerated atherosclerosis and are prone to acute vascular events. We have tested the hypothesis that hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia singly or combined may increase tissue factor, the primary initiator of blood coagulation. We have determined ...

The metabolic and cardiovascular complications associated with in-utero undernutrition have been identified during the past 10 years. Reduced fetal growth is independently associated with an increased risk of development of cardiovascular diseases, the insulin-resistance syndrome or one of its components (i.e., hypertension, dyslipidaemia, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes). ...

PET Scans are most often used for detecting cancer and other malignant tumors because for most of them, glucose uptake is higher than in normal tissues. However, in mesothelioma, our study showed excessive deposits of Asbestos of 0.5 mg BDORT units, and markedly reduced Glucose uptake of less than 1/30 ...

The expression of resistin protein in normal human abdominal, thigh, pregnant women abdominal, non-pregnant women abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and placenta and the relationship between obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), pregnant physiological insulin resistance (IR) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was investigated. The expression of resistin protein in normal ...

Overweight and obesity are rapidly growing to epidemic proportions in the United States and globally. Since sustainable weight loss is only achieved by bariatric surgery, medicine has seen an explosion in the diversity and number of bariatric procedures performed over the past few years. Systematic studies of postoperative outcomes and ...

This protocol describes a simple means of measuring the starch content of plant tissues by solubilizing the starch, converting it quantitatively to glucose and assaying the glucose. Plant tissue must initially be frozen rapidly to stop metabolism, then extracted to remove free glucose. Starch is solubilized by heating, then digested ...

Cardiovascular and metabolic risk depends not only on the overall obesity but also fat distribution is more powerfull predictor for risk factors. Adipose tissue produces and secretes a variety of bioactive peptides - adipokines The most recently described adipocyte secretory proteins contribute to the pathogenesis of impaired insulin secretion and ...

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to be a messenger molecule that plays an important role in physiological and pathological conditions. It is synthesized by an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Inducible NOS (iNOS), one of the three isomers of NOS, has both protective and toxic properties. In this study, ...

BACKGROUND: Although insulin resistance is well established in hyperthyroidism, information on the effects of insulin on adipose tissue (AD) is limited. METHODS: To investigate this, a meal was given to 12 hyperthyroid (HR) and 10 euthyroid (EU) subjects. Blood was withdrawn for 360 min from veins draining the anterior abdominal ...

Obesity predisposes individuals to the development of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and the liver, and researchers have recently proposed two mechanisms by which excess adiposity antagonizes insulin action in peripheral tissues. First, when adipocytes exceed their storage capacity, fat begins to accumulate in tissues not suited for lipid storage, ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: To investigate the phenotypic effects of common polymorphisms on adipose tissue metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors, we set out to establish a biobank with the unique feature of allowing a prospective recruit-by-genotype approach. The first use of this biobank investigates the effects of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) Pro12Ala ...

Recent studies in the mouse have demonstrated that variations in lipin expression levels in adipose tissue have marked effects on adipose tissue mass and insulin sensitivity. In the mouse, lipin deficiency prevents normal adipose tissue development, resulting in lipodystrophy and insulin resistance, whereas excess lipin levels promote fat accumulation and ...

The hypothalamus uses hormones and the autonomic nervous system to balance energy fluxes in the body. Here we show that the autonomic nervous system has a distinct organization in different body compartments. The same neurons control intraabdominal organs (intraabdominal fat, liver, and pancreas), whereas sc adipose tissue located outside the ...

The C-C motif chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2) regulates monocyte and macrophage recruitment and is necessary for macrophage-dependent inflammatory responses and the development of atherosclerosis. Although adipose tissue expression and circulating concentrations of CCL2 (also known as MCP1), a high-affinity ligand for CCR2, are elevated in obesity, the role of CCR2 in ...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the contribution of adipose tissue to the insulin resistance of pregnancy. We also investigated whether hyperosmolar stress (induced by sorbitol) stimulates glucose uptake in human adipose tissue and, if so, whether this effect is altered in pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus. STUDY DESIGN: Subcutaneous and ...

Obesity is strongly associated with arterial hypertension. A positive correlation between obesity and plasma aldosterone levels has been observed by different investigators, suggesting that an abnormal secretion of aldosterone in obesity contributes to the development of arterial hypertension in obese subjects. The mechanisms proposed to explain this abnormal aldosterone production ...

Estrogens and glucose are characterized by a myriad of functions that can be reduced to a small number of principal actions. In aging there is a simultaneous increase in the prevalence of diseases connected with estrogen deficiency as well as with estrogenic excess and associated with the phenomenon of the ...

Obesity and lipoatrophy are major risks for insulin resistance, non-insulin-dependent diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the past three decades, significant advances have been made in delineating the key transcription factors of adipogenesis, as well as extracellular effectors and intracellular signalling pathways that regulate fat cell formation. This review focuses on ...

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a phase-I xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme having both an N-terminal phosphatase activity and a C-terminal epoxide hydrolase activity. Endogenous hydrolase substrates include arachidonic acid epoxides, which have been involved in regulating blood pressure and inflammation. The subcellular localization of sEH has been controversial. Earlier studies using ...

Insulin resistance is often seen as a consequence of obesity and there are several possible links between adipose tissue function and insulin resistance determined in other organs such as skeletal muscle or liver. One such link is the regulation of NEFA (non-esterified fatty acid) delivery to the rest of the ...

PURPOSE: We determined the degree to which variation in cardiac autonomic modulation was explained by race, sex, moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), cardiovascular fitness (CVF), percent body fat (%BF), waist girth, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). METHODS: Subjects were 304 adolescents; SAAT and VAT values were ...

The production of inflammatory mediators by abdominal adipose tissue may link obesity and insulin resistance. We determined the influence of systemic levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein on insulin sensitivity after weight loss via Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Severely obese individuals (n = 15) were evaluated at baseline and at ...

White adipose tissue (WAT) is a major endocrine and secretory organ, which releases a wide range of protein signals and factors termed adipokines. A number of adipokines, including leptin, adiponectin, tumour necrosis factor alpha, IL-1beta (interleukin 1beta), IL-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, nerve growth factor, vascular endothelial ...

BACKGROUND: Weight loss beyond 6 months following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is associated with a preferential mobilization of visceral adipose tissue and an improvement in insulin sensitivity in insulin resistant subjects. Because the rate of weight loss is greatest in the first 3 months after LAGB, we investigated the ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Improving our understanding of factors driving fat gain in young children should increase our ability to manage the rising problem of obesity. Accordingly, studies associating timing of adiposity rebound with later obesity are reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS: Investigations in many countries have confirmed that early adiposity rebound increases ...

Insulin resistance has been implicated as one possible factor that links visceral obesity to unfavourable metabolic and cardiovascular consequences. However, the mechanism whereby adipose tissue causes alterations in insulin action remains unclear. White adipose tissue is secreting several hormones, particularly leptin and adiponectin, and a variety of other protein signals: ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of short-term IV administration of hydrocortisone or equine growth hormone (eGH) or long-term IM administration of eGH to horses on tissue sensitivity to exogenous insulin. ANIMALS: 5 Standardbreds and 4 Dutch Warmblood horses. PROCEDURE: The euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique was used to examine sensitivity of peripheral ...

In recent years, our understanding of adipose tissue physiology and function has undergone an enormous transformation. Once considered a passive storage receptacle with a fixed number of cells and limited purpose, adipose tissue is now recognized as a complicated organ with important endocrine and metabolic functions. It is now known ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the total content of trans fatty acids (TFA) in subcutaneous, retroperitoneal and visceral fat of morbidly obese and non-obese patients submitted to bariatric surgery or plastic and abdominal surgery. METHODS: The adipose tissues were obtained by surgery; lipids were extracted, saponified ...

We tried to elucidate the effects of a brief and severe model of food restriction on insulin sensitivity in female rats, focusing on key proteins involved in the insulin signalling pathway in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue after 5, 10 and 15 days of food restriction. Using euglycemic clamp, we ...

CONTEXT: We have shown that rosiglitazone increases whole-body and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity in humans. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to further examine whether possible changes in adipose perfusion could explain increased adipose tissue glucose uptake (GU). PATIENTS: Thirty-seven patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were included. ...

The purpose of this study was to develop single-dose insulin delivery system based on in situ forming gel to provide basal insulin level for a prolonged period. The in situ forming gel formulation was prepared by dissolving poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PLA) in hydrophobic (benzyl benzoate) and hydrophilic (benzyl alcohol) solvent mixtures. ...

To improve the reliability of microdialysis measurements of tissue concentrations of metabolic substances, this study was designed to test both the performance and the internal validity of the microdialysis methods in the hands of our research group. The stability of the CMA 600 analyser was tested with a known glucose ...

The effect of non-selective (theophylline) inhibition of cyclic AMP breakdown on norepinephrine stimulated lipolysis rate was investigated in subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese subjects. In addition, changes in interstitial glucose and lactate concentration were assessed by means of the microdialysis technique. The interaction of endogenous released insulin and theophylline on ...

AIMS: Subcutaneous microdialysis has been used for continuous glucose monitoring in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) to facilitate tight regulation of blood glucose levels. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate (i) the relationship between capillary and interstitial glucose in patients with type 1 or 2 DM and ...

Recently, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL, also called desnutrin and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 [iPLA(2)] zeta) was isolated as a novel adipose-expressed triglyceride lipase which is downregulated in obesity and may contribute to obesity-associated metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance. To clarify expression and regulation of this fat-derived lipase, ATGL ...

Caloric restriction and leanness have been shown to increase longevity in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. Adipose tissue seems to be a pivotal organ in the aging process and in determination of lifespan. We have recently shown that fat-specific disruption of the insulin receptor gene is sufficient to increase ...

CONTEXT: Epicardial adipose tissue has been recently recognized as a source of bioactive molecules as well as free fatty acids, adiponectin, and inflammatory cytokines. Epicardial fat reflects intraabdominal visceral fat, and the echocardiographic assessment of this tissue is an easy and reliable marker of visceral adiposity. OBJECTIVE: In this study ...

Human obesity-related diabetes and the accompanying metabolic disorders have been specifically linked to increased visceral adipose tissue mass. Understanding the differences in biology of the two human fat depots (visceral and subcutaneous) might hold the key to therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing obesity-induced insulin resistance and alleviating symptoms of the ...

There is a rapid global rise in obesity, and the link between obesity and diabetes remains somewhat obscure. We identified an adipocytokine, designated as visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin (vaspin), which is a member of serine protease inhibitor family. Vaspin cDNA was isolated by from visceral white adipose tissues (WATs) of ...