Missing-link conditionals like "If bats have wings, Paris is in France" are generally felt to be unacceptable even though both clauses are true. According to the , this is explained by a conventional requirement of an inferential connection between conditional clauses. Bayesian theorists have denied the need for such a requirement, appealing instead to a requirement of discourse coherence that extends to all ways of connecting clauses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe knowledge-first approach is attractive and consistent with a wide variety of evidence. So is the opposing belief-first picture. I explain why the target article's criticisms of the latter fail, and argue that the outcome is a stalemate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring exercise, skeletal muscles release cytokines, peptides, and metabolites that exert autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine effects on glucose homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the effects of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), an exercise-responsive myokine, on glucose metabolism in human and mouse skeletal muscle. SPARC-knockout mice showed impaired systemic metabolism and reduced phosphorylation of AMPK and protein kinase B in skeletal muscle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We sought to identify AMPK-regulated genes via bioinformatic analysis of microarray data generated from skeletal muscle of animal models with genetically altered AMPK activity. We hypothesized that such genes would play a role in metabolism. Ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 (GDAP1), a gene which plays a role in mitochondrial fission and peroxisomal function in neuronal cells but whose function in skeletal muscle is undescribed, was identified and further validated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) controls glucose and lipid metabolism and modulates inflammatory responses to maintain metabolic and inflammatory homeostasis during low cellular energy levels. The AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR) interferes with inflammatory pathways in skeletal muscle, but the mechanisms are undefined. We hypothesized that AMPK activation reduces cytokine mRNA levels by blocking transcription through one or several transcription factors.
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