Colonic ketogenesis, a microbiota-regulated process, contributes to blood ketones and protects against colitis in mice.

Ketogenesis is considered to occur primarily in liver to generate ketones as an alternative energy source for non-hepatic tissues when glucose availability/utilization is impaired. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase-2 (HMGCS2) mediates the rate-limiting step in this mitochondrial pathway. Publicly available databases show marked down-regulation of HMGCS2 in colonic tissues in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Chowing down: diet considerations in rodent models of metabolic disease.

Diet plays a substantial role in the etiology, progression, and treatment of chronic disease and is best considered as a multifaceted set of modifiable input variables with pleiotropic effects on a variety of biological pathways spanning multiple organ systems. This brief review discusses key issues related to the design and conduct of diet interventions in rodent models of metabolic disease and their implications for interpreting experiments. We also make specific recommendations to improve rodent diet studies to help better understand the role of diet on metabolic physiology and thereby improve our understanding of metabolic disease.

Genetic and Metabolic Determinants of Plasma Levels of ANGPTL8.

Context: ANGPTL8 (A8) plays a key role in determining the tissue fate of circulating triglycerides (TGs). Plasma A8 levels are associated with several parameters of glucose and TG metabolism, but the causality of these relationships and the contribution of genetic variants to differences in A8 levels have not been explored.

Objective: To characterize the frequency distribution of plasma A8 levels in a diverse population using a newly-developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to identify genetic factors contributing to differences in plasma A8 levels.

Current Status of Healthy Aging and Dementia Research: A Symposium Summary.

The purpose of the 'First Regional Healthy Aging and Dementia Research Symposium' was to discuss the latest research in healthy aging and dementia research, public health trends related to neurodegenerative diseases of aging, and community-based programs and research studying health, nutrition, and cognition. This symposium was organized by the Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), and was held in Lubbock, Texas, October 24-25, 2018. The Symposium joined experts from educational and research institutions across the United States.

Sol-gel modified poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic devices with high electroosmotic mobilities and hydrophilic channel wall characteristics.

Using a sol-gel method, we have fabricated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchips with SiO2 particles homogeneously distributed within the PDMS polymer matrix. These particles are approximately 10 nm in diameter. To fabricate such devices, PDMS (Sylgard 184) was cast against SU-8 molds.