G-mediated signaling stimulates hepatic glucose production and has a major impact on whole body glucose homeostasis.

Altered hepatic glucose fluxes are critical during the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. G protein-coupled receptors represent important regulators of hepatic glucose production. Recent studies have shown that hepatocytes express GPCRs that can couple to G, a subfamily of heterotrimeric G proteins that has attracted relatively little attention in the past.

The critical role of cloud-infrared radiation feedback in tropical cyclone development.

The tall clouds that comprise tropical storms, hurricanes, and typhoons-or more generally, tropical cyclones (TCs)-are highly effective at trapping the infrared radiation welling up from the surface. This cloud-infrared radiation feedback, referred to as the "cloud greenhouse effect," locally warms the lower-middle troposphere relative to a TC's surroundings through all stages of its life cycle. Here, we show that this effect is essential to promoting and accelerating TC development in the context of two archetypal storms-Super Typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Hurricane Maria (2017).

Clouds and Convective Self-Aggregation in a Multimodel Ensemble of Radiative-Convective Equilibrium Simulations.

The Radiative-Convective Equilibrium Model Intercomparison Project (RCEMIP) is an intercomparison of multiple types of numerical models configured in radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE). RCE is an idealization of the tropical atmosphere that has long been used to study basic questions in climate science. Here, we employ RCE to investigate the role that clouds and convective activity play in determining cloud feedbacks, climate sensitivity, the state of convective aggregation, and the equilibrium climate.

Genetic Ablation of miR-33 Increases Food Intake, Enhances Adipose Tissue Expansion, and Promotes Obesity and Insulin Resistance.

While therapeutic modulation of miRNAs provides a promising approach for numerous diseases, the promiscuous nature of miRNAs raises concern over detrimental off-target effects. miR-33 has emerged as a likely target for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, the deleterious effects of long-term anti-miR-33 therapies and predisposition of miR-33 mice to obesity and metabolic dysfunction exemplify the possible pitfalls of miRNA-based therapies.

Inflammasome-driven catecholamine catabolism in macrophages blunts lipolysis during ageing.

Catecholamine-induced lipolysis, the first step in the generation of energy substrates by the hydrolysis of triglycerides, declines with age. The defect in the mobilization of free fatty acids in the elderly is accompanied by increased visceral adiposity, lower exercise capacity, failure to maintain core body temperature during cold stress, and reduced ability to survive starvation. Although catecholamine signalling in adipocytes is normal in the elderly, how lipolysis is impaired in ageing remains unknown.

Observing Convective Aggregation.

Convective self-aggregation, the spontaneous organization of initially scattered convection into isolated convective clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing, was first recognized and studied in idealized numerical simulations. While there is a rich history of observational work on convective clustering and organization, there have been only a few studies that have analyzed observations to look specifically for processes related to self-aggregation in models. Here we review observational work in both of these categories and motivate the need for more of this work.

Human influence on tropical cyclone intensity.

Recent assessments agree that tropical cyclone intensity should increase as the climate warms. Less agreement exists on the detection of recent historical trends in tropical cyclone intensity. We interpret future and recent historical trends by using the theory of potential intensity, which predicts the maximum intensity achievable by a tropical cyclone in a given local environment.

The Adipose Tissue Microenvironment Regulates Depot-Specific Adipogenesis in Obesity.

The sexually dimorphic distribution of adipose tissue influences the development of obesity-associated pathologies. The accumulation of visceral white adipose tissue (VWAT) that occurs in males is detrimental to metabolic health, while accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SWAT) seen in females may be protective. Here, we show that adipocyte hyperplasia contributes directly to the differential fat distribution between the sexes.

Membrane configuration optimization for a murine in vitro blood-brain barrier model.

A powerful experimental tool used to study the dynamic functions of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an in vitro cellular based system utilizing cell culture inserts in multi-well plates. Currently, usage of divergent model configurations without explanation of selected variable set points renders data comparisons difficult and limits widespread understanding. This work presents for the first time in literature a comprehensive screening study to optimize membrane configuration, with aims to unveil influential membrane effects on the ability of cerebral endothelial cells to form a tight monolayer.