A Competency Framework for Developing Global Laboratory Leaders.

Building sustainable national health laboratory systems requires laboratory leaders who can address complex and changing demands for services and build strong collaborative networks. Global consensus on laboratory leadership competencies is critically important to ensure the harmonization of learning approaches for curriculum development across relevant health sectors. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the U.

Development of an evaluation framework suitable for assessing humanitarian workforce competencies during crisis simulation exercises.

The need to provide a professionalization process for the humanitarian workforce is well established. Current competency-based curricula provided by existing academically affiliated training centers in North America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union provide a route toward certification. Simulation exercises followed by timely evaluation is one way to mimic the field deployment process, test knowledge of core competences, and ensure that a competent workforce can manage the inevitable emergencies and crises they will face.

Different levels of food restriction have opposite effects on adipocyte cellularity and lipoprotein-lipase activity in obese rats.

The effects of several levels of chronic energy restriction on epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue cellularity and lipoprotein lipase activity, serum glucose and insulin and hepatic enzyme activities were studied in lean Fa/- and genetically obese fafa rats. The restricted rats were compared to rats fed ad libitum 24/24h or 8/24h. Restricting time of feeding was associated with increases in fat cell number in the lean, increases in perirenal adipose tissue fat cell size and serum insulin in the obese and increases in lipoprotein lipase activity in both phenotypes.

Evidence of a defect in energy expenditure in 7-day-old Zucker rat (fa/fa).

The aim of the investigation was to see whether a defect in energy expenditure could be found in the Zucker rat at the onset of obesity. Obese (fa/fa) and lean (Fa/fa) 7-day-old pups were studied at three ambient temperatures. At 33 degrees C fa/fa pups showed a reduction in oxygen consumption, respiratory CO2 production, in vivo oxidation of injected [1-14C]palmitic acid, as well as in core temperature.

D-Glucosamine-induced increase of the glycerol-containing lipids in growing cultures of human malignant epithelial cells.

D-Glucosamine was found to inhibit the growth of human malignant epithelial cells SW-839, HT-29, RT-4, and SK-OV-3 in culture in a process that was associated with significant increments in glycerol-containing lipids. Each cell line had a different sensitivity to the drug, but all four cell lines shared the same features in their response, i.e.

The presence of epidermal growth factor receptors in cultured human adipocyte precursors.

The characteristics of 125I-epidermal growth factor urogastrone (125I-EGF) binding to human omental adipocyte precursors over a period of early differentiation in culture, is reported. The results show the presence of cell surface EGF receptor sites (38,000 per cell) that bind 125I-EGF with a high affinity (Ka = 2.7 X 10(9) l/mol).

Onset and development of hypertriglyceridemia in the Zucker rat (fa/fa).

Triglyceridemia was studied in genetically obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) and their lean littermates aged 1-8 wk. Hypertriglyceridemia was manifest in the obese from 2 wk onwards. Hepatic triacylglycerol secretion rate (TGSR) measured after administration of Triton WR-1339, was similar in obese and lean pups aged 2 wk.

Phenotypic variability in unweaned 3-week-old Zucker rats.

At 3 weeks of age, Zucker rats could not be classified as normal or obese according to body or liver weight. On the other hand, determination of subcutaneous adipose tissue weight per 100 grams of body weight permitted both phenotypes to be distinguished, provided that the growth variations particular to each litter were taken into account. Rats whose future obesity is predictable using this method, have significantly elevated serum levels of triacylglycerols, total cholesterol and phospholipids.

Lipoprotein lipase at onset of obesity induced in rats by a high-fat diet.

Obesity is detectable in adult male Wistar rats three weeks after initiation of a high-fat diet. Although there was an immediate increase in muscle lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, and a progressive adaptative response in adipose tissue leading to inhibition of de-novo lipogenesis, loss of insulin sensitivity and decreased functional LPL activity, the ensuing reorientation of lipid metabolism failed to prevent obesity. It is concluded that there is no fixed relationship between enlargement of adipose tissue and LPL activity in this tissue, at onset of obesity.

Importance of muscle lipoprotein lipase in rats during suckling.

In order to evaluate the relative importance of groups of tissues containing lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the removal of serum triacylglycerols during development, LPL activity was determined in cardiac and skeletal muscle, brown (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT), lung and kidney of rats aged 0-60 days, either fed or fasted for 6 h. On fasting, LPL activity did not change in lung and kidney, decreased in WAT except at 14 days and to a lesser extent in BAT, whereas muscle LPL decreased at 0, 3, and 7 days and increased from 14 days onward. The fasting-induced changes in serum triacylglycerol concentrations in suckling pups could be attributed to corresponding changes in muscle LPL.

[Lipid metabolism in the newborn genetically obese (fa/fa) rat].

Compared to its lean litter mate (Fa/--) the Zucker rat (fa/fa) develops obesity without hyperphagia in the first week of lite. It is characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy and higher lipid content in adipose tissue. In vitro utilization as well as in vitro oxidation by diaphragm of palmitic acid was decreased in 1 week old Zucker rat.

Onset of genetic obesity in the absence of hyperphagia during the first week of life in the Zucker rat (fa/fa).

The aim of this study was to discover which of three major abnormalities of the genetically obese Zucker rat (fa/fa), namely hyperphagia, excess adiposity, and hyperlipidemia, is the first to appear prior to manifest obesity, i.e., before weaning.

Lipoprotein lipase activity at onset of development of white adipose tissue in newborn rats.

The low triacylglycerol concentration in inguinal tissue of newborn rats did not change during the first 6h after birth, despite the relatively high lipoprotein lipase activity in the tissue. Subsequently triacylglycerol concentration and enzyme activity rose in parallel. The results show that lipoprotein lipase activity was present in the tissue before fat accumulation.

Diurnal changes in plasma and liver lipids and lipoprotein lipase activity in heart and adipose tissue in rats fed a high and low fat diet.

In order to evaluate a) the respective roles of adipose and muscle lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the clearing of alimentary lipemia and b) the role of the resulting nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in controlling hepatic ketogenesis and liver triglyceride content, a number of parameters related to lipid metabolism were studied over the 24 hour period (the dark period being from 1930 to 0730 hours), in rats ad libitum fed either a low-fat (LF) or a high-fat (HF) diet containing respectively 1.1% and 41.5% lard.

[An audiometric method for use with children. The cochleo-palpebral reflex can be improved by visual conditioning].

It is possible, even with children and new-born babies, to condition the oculo-palpebral reflex to respond to sound. The apparatus constructed by Messrs. Gasquet and Brun achieves this conditioning on the one hand and, on the other, allows this to be used as a method of visual audiometry.

Metabolism of the mouse made obese by a high-fat diet.

Lean mice were made obese by feeding, ad libitum, a high-lard diet. They showed an increased fat cell size and number which were maintained when this diet was replaced by the control high-carbohydrate diet for 10 weeks. Obese fed mice showed normal glucose and insulin serum levels, but insulinaemia was elevated after an overnight fast.

Adipose-tissue lipoprotein lipase activity and cellularity in the genetically obese Zucker rat (fa-fa).

The lipoprotein lipase activity per adipocyte was increased in the genetically obese rat (fa/fa). However, there was no difference between obese and lean animals when the enzyme activities were related to adipocyte surface area. The possible implications of the findings are discussed.