Body fat mass and the proportion of very large adipocytes in pregnant women are associated with gestational insulin resistance.

Background/objectives: Pregnancy is accompanied by fat gain and insulin resistance. Changes in adipose tissue morphology and function during pregnancy and factors contributing to gestational insulin resistance are incompletely known. We sought to characterize adipose tissue in trimesters 1 and 3 (T1/T3) in normal weight (NW) and obese pregnant women, and identify adipose tissue-related factors associated with gestational insulin resistance.

Adiponectin, chemerin, cytokines, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 are released from human adipose tissue in a depot-dependent manner: an in vitro system including human serum albumin.

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) contributes to metabolic dysfunction through imbalanced production of adipokines, including cytokines. Visceral AT in particular is associated with metabolic disorders, indicating a specific secretory status. The relative significance of different human AT depots in adipokine release is not fully known.

Impact of empiric antibiotics and chest radiograph on delays in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Setting: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Division of Tuberculosis (TB) Control.

Objectives: To assess the implications of antibiotic treatment of presumed community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) on delays in the diagnosis of TB, and to assess the frequency with which chest radiographs (CXRs) were utilized before a diagnosis of pneumonia or pulmonary TB was made.

Design: A nested case-control study within a prospective study conducted to assess factors associated with delays in the diagnosis of TB.

Computerized determination of adipocyte size.

Objective: Fat cell size is a fundamental parameter in the study of adipose tissue metabolism, because it markedly influences the cellular rates of metabolism. Previous techniques for the sizing of adipocytes are often complicated or time-consuming. The aim of this study was to develop a new, computerized method for rapid and accurate determination of adipocyte size in a cell suspension obtained by incubating human or rat adipose tissue biopsies with collagenase.

Identification of functional prolactin (PRL) receptor gene expression: PRL inhibits lipoprotein lipase activity in human white adipose tissue.

During lactation serum levels of prolactin (PRL) are elevated, and the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is decreased in the adipose tissue and increased in the mammary gland. However, PRL has been suggested to affect the adipose tissue in an indirect fashion during lactation. In the present study, we demonstrated expression of four PRL receptor (PRLR) mRNA isoforms (L, I, S1(a), and S1(b)) in human sc abdominal adipose tissue and breast adipose tissue using RT-PCR/Southern blot analysis.