Intestinal deletion of leptin signaling alters activity of nutrient transporters and delayed the onset of obesity in mice.

The importance of B-isoform of leptin receptor (LEPR-B) signaling in the hypothalamus, pancreas, or liver has been well characterized, but in the intestine, a unique site of entry for dietary nutrition into the body, it has been relatively ignored. To address this question, we characterized a mouse model deficient for LEPR-B specifically in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). (IEC)LEPR-B-knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were generated by Cre-Lox strategy and fed a normal or high-fat diet (HFD).

The transcription factor HNF-4α: a key factor of the intestinal uptake of fatty acids in mouse.

With an excessive postprandial accumulation of intestine-derived, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins being a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, it is essential to characterize the mechanisms controlling the intestinal absorption of dietary lipids. Our aim was to investigate the role of the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4α in this process. We used transgenic mice with a specific and inducible intestinal knockout of Hnf-4α gene.

Evaluation of global left ventricular systolic function using three-dimensional echocardiography speckle-tracking strain parameters.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity and reproducibility of three-dimensional echocardiographic (3DE) strain parameters in the assessment of global left ventricular (LV) systolic function.

Methods: A total of 128 subjects with differing LV ejection fractions were investigated using two-dimensional echocardiographic (2DE) and 3DE strains. Three-dimensional echocardiographic strain allows obtaining longitudinal, circumferential, radial, and area strains.

Robustness of a new three-dimensional echocardiographic algorithm for left ventricular volume and ejection fraction quantification: experts vs. novices.

Aims: We evaluated the ability of a new simplified algorithm for three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) left ventricular (LV) measurements with minimal operator interaction to be reproducible and robust, independently of the experience.

Methods And Results: A total of 163 subjects were investigated using two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and 3DE. The 3D data sets were blindly analysed offline by novice investigators and experts.

Tube feeding improves intestinal absorption in short bowel syndrome patients.

Background & Aims: Tube feeding, recommended for patients with short bowel syndrome in only the postoperative period, has not been compared with oral feeding for absorption. We studied whether tube feeding increased absorption in patients with short bowel syndrome following the postoperative period.

Methods: A randomized crossover study compared absorption between isocaloric tube feeding and oral feeding in 15 short bowel syndrome patients more than 3 months after short bowel constitution.

Cryptosporidiosis induces a transient upregulation of the oligopeptides transporter (PepT1) activity in neonatal rats.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a parasitic protozoa increasingly appreciated as a cause of intestinal malabsorptive syndrome leading to malnutrition and/or growth failure. Because a major mechanism for apical peptide absorption by small intestine is via the proton-coupled transporter PepT1, we investigated the expression and functionality of this transporter in our model of acute cryptosporidiosis. Four-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated by gavage with 5 x 10(5) oocysts of C.

Cryptosporidium infection impairs growth and muscular protein synthesis in suckling rats.

This study aimed to explore the metabolic consequences of cryptosporidiosis in an acute experimental model both at the peak of infection and after parasite clearance. Four-day-old suckling rats were infected with 10(6) oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum. At the peak of infection (day 8 PI), C.

The regionalization of PepT1, NBAT and EAAC1 transporters in the small intestine of rats are unchanged from birth to adulthood.

The ontogenetic development of PepT1, NBAT and EAAC1 along the vertical and horizontal axes of the rat small intestine was evaluated using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The proximodistal profiles of mRNA levels showed that PepT1 was evenly distributed, whereas NBAT had greater expression in the proximal part, and EAAC1 in the distal part. These regionalizations were the same from postnatal days 4 to 50.