ABHD6 suppression promotes anti-inflammatory polarization of adipose tissue macrophages via 2-monoacylglycerol/PPAR signaling in obese mice.

Objective: Pro-inflammatory polarization of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated chronic inflammation. However, little is known about the role of lipids in the regulation of ATMs polarity and inflammation in response to metabolic stress. Deletion of α/β-hydrolase domain-containing 6 (ABHD6), a monoacylglycerol (MAG) hydrolase, has been shown to protect against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

Hepatic glycerol shunt and glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase control liver metabolism and glucodetoxification under hyperglycemia.

Objective: Glycerol-3-phosphate (Gro3P) phosphatase (G3PP) hydrolyzes Gro3P to glycerol that exits the cell, thereby operating a "glycerol shunt", a metabolic pathway that we identified recently in mammalian cells. We have investigated the role of G3PP and the glycerol shunt in the regulation of glucose metabolism and lipogenesis in mouse liver.

Methods: We generated hepatocyte-specific G3PP-KO mice (LKO), by injecting AAV8-TBG-iCre to male G3PP mice.

Glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase operates a glycerol shunt in pancreatic β-cells that controls insulin secretion and metabolic stress.

Objective: The recently identified glycerol-3-phosphate (Gro3P) phosphatase (G3PP) in mammalian cells, encoded by the PGP gene, was shown to regulate glucose, lipid and energy metabolism by hydrolyzing Gro3P and to control glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in β-cells, in vitro. However, whether G3PP regulates β-cell function and insulin secretion in vivo is not known.

Methods: We now examined the role of G3PP in the control of insulin secretion in vivo, β-cell function and glucotoxicity in inducible β-cell specific G3PP-KO (BKO) mice.

Substantial PCSK9 inactivation in β-cells does not modify glucose homeostasis or insulin secretion in mice.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays an important role in cholesterol homeostasis by promoting the degradation of the LDL receptor (LDLR). PCSK9 loss-of-function mutations are associated with increased fasting plasma glucose levels and slightly elevated risk of type 2-diabetes. Considering the known detrimental effects of cholesterol accumulation in β-cell, and the widespread use of PCSK9 inhibitors to treat hypercholesterolemia, it is important to gain insight into the role of pancreatic PCSK9 in glucose homeostasis and β-cell function.

A comprehensive radiologic review of abdominal and pelvic torsions.

The clinical manifestations of abdominal and pelvic organ torsion can often be non-specific and can affect a wide range of ages and demographic groups. Radiologists have a key role in not only establishing the diagnosis of organ torsion, but also in the assessment of potential complications. As multiple imaging modalities may be utilized in the evaluation of abdominal and pelvic pain, recognizing the various appearances of organ torsion is important to ensure early diagnosis and thereby reducing patient morbidity and mortality, particularly since abdominal and pelvic organ torsion may not be clinically suspected at the time of initial patient presentation.

Adipose ABHD6 regulates tolerance to cold and thermogenic programs.

Enhanced energy expenditure in brown (BAT) and white adipose tissues (WAT) can be therapeutic against metabolic diseases. We examined the thermogenic role of adipose α/β-hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6), which hydrolyzes monoacylglycerol (MAG), by employing adipose-specific ABHD6-KO mice. Control and KO mice showed similar phenotypes at room temperature and thermoneutral conditions.

Effectiveness of autogenic training on psychological well-being and quality of life in adults living with chronic physical health problems: a protocol for a systematic review of RCT.

Background: Autogenic training is a relaxation technique that uses systematic exercises to induce a general disconnection of the organism. It is used in conjunction with conventional medical care as part of disease management to relieve symptoms associated with chronic health problems and to improve well-being. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of autogenic training on psychological well-being, quality of life, and adverse effects in people living with chronic physical health problems.

A beta cell ATGL-lipolysis/adipose tissue axis controls energy homeostasis and body weight via insulin secretion in mice.

Aims/hypothesis: To directly assess the role of beta cell lipolysis in insulin secretion and whole-body energy homeostasis, inducible beta cell-specific adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL)-deficient (B-Atgl-KO) mice were studied under normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD) conditions.

Methods: Atgl mice were cross-bred with Mip-Cre-ERT mice to generate Mip-Cre-ERT;Atgl mice. At 8 weeks of age, these mice were injected with tamoxifen to induce deletion of beta cell-specific Atgl (also known as Pnpla2), and the mice were fed an ND or HFD.

Differential Insulin Secretion of High-Fat Diet-Fed C57BL/6NN and C57BL/6NJ Mice: Implications of Mixed Genetic Background in Metabolic Studies.

Many metabolic studies employ tissue-specific gene knockout mice, which requires breeding of floxed gene mice, available mostly on C57BL/6N (NN) genetic background, with cre or Flp recombinase-expressing mice, available on C57BL/6J (JJ) background, resulting in the generation of mixed C57BL/6NJ (NJ) genetic background mice. Recent awareness of many genetic differences between NN and JJ strains including the deletion of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (nnt), necessitates examination of the consequence of mixed NJ background on glucose tolerance, beta cell function and other metabolic parameters. Male mice with NN and NJ genetic background were fed with normal or high fat diets (HFD) for 12 weeks and glucose and insulin homeostasis were studied.

Pancreatic β-Cell Dysfunction in Diet-Induced Obese Mice: Roles of AMP-Kinase, Protein Kinase Cε, Mitochondrial and Cholesterol Metabolism, and Alterations in Gene Expression.

Diet induced obese (DIO) mice can be stratified according to their weight gain in response to high fat diet as low responders (LDR) and high responders (HDR). This allows the study of β-cell failure and the transitions to prediabetes (LDR) and early diabetes (HDR). C57BL/6N mice were fed for 8 weeks with a normal chow diet (ND) or a high fat diet and stratified as LDR and HDR.

α/β-Hydrolase domain-6-accessible monoacylglycerol controls glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

Glucose metabolism in pancreatic β cells stimulates insulin granule exocytosis, and this process requires generation of a lipid signal. However, the signals involved in lipid amplification of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) are unknown. Here we show that in β cells, glucose stimulates production of lipolysis-derived long-chain saturated monoacylglycerols, which further increase upon inhibition of the membrane-bound monoacylglycerol lipase α/β-Hydrolase Domain-6 (ABHD6).

Beta-cell failure in diet-induced obese mice stratified according to body weight gain: secretory dysfunction and altered islet lipid metabolism without steatosis or reduced beta-cell mass.

Objective: C57Bl/6 mice develop obesity and mild hyperglycemia when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Although diet-induced obesity (DIO) is a widely studied model of type 2 diabetes, little is known about beta-cell failure in these mice.

Research Design And Methods: DIO mice were separated in two groups according to body weight gain: low- and high-HFD responders (LDR and HDR).

Adipose triglyceride lipase is implicated in fuel- and non-fuel-stimulated insulin secretion.

Reduced lipolysis in hormone-sensitive lipase-deficient mice is associated with impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), suggesting that endogenous beta-cell lipid stores provide signaling molecules for insulin release. Measurements of lipolysis and triglyceride (TG) lipase activity in islets from HSL(-/-) mice indicated the presence of other TG lipase(s) in the beta-cell. Using real time-quantitative PCR, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) was found to be the most abundant TG lipase in rat islets and INS832/13 cells.

Maintaining civility in the laboratory.

Uncivil behavior in the laboratory can be crippling, damaging the morale of the department and overall attitude of employees. In this article, the author looks at data that indicates the importance of curtailing incivility as soon as possible and offers suggested ways for managers to deal with uncivil behavior.

Characterization of in vivo recombination activities in the mouse embryo.

Homologous recombination makes use of sequence homology to repair DNA and to rearrange genetic material. In mammals, these processes have mainly been characterized using cultured cell systems. We have developed an assay that allows us to quantitatively analyze homologous recombination in vivo in the mouse embryo.

Hormone-sensitive lipase has a role in lipid signaling for insulin secretion but is nonessential for the incretin action of glucagon-like peptide 1.

We previously reported decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in hormone-sensitive lipase-null mice (HSL(-/-)), both in vivo and in vitro. The focus of the current study was to gain further insight into the signaling role and regulation of lipolysis in islet tissue. The effect of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on GSIS was also studied, as GLP-1 could augment GSIS via protein kinase A activation of HSL and lipolysis.

Dealing with anger and preventing workplace violence.

Human resources managers have reported increased violence (1) stating it can happen anywhere (2). One million workers are assaulted each year (3), and in some years more than 1,000 workers have been killed (4). Almost 25% of workplace violence incidences occur in the health-care industry (5).

Developing and using a balanced scorecard: a case study with SWOT analysis.

Have you tried to measure your laboratory's performance lately? Do you measure and assess financial results, customer satisfaction, internal process efficiency, and learning and growth? If any of these metrics are missing from your performance measurement system, you are not using the latest management tool that is sweeping the health-care industry--the balanced scorecard (BSC). This article begins with a discussion of the BSC and why you should use it in your laboratory, followed by SWOT analysis to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) a BSC offers your laboratory. A laboratory case study is then presented to assist you in developing and using a BSC in your laboratory.

Career development: enhancing your networking skills.

Can you walk into a room full of strangers and chat easily, get to know people, and let them get to know you? Networking is not just a job search strategy; it is a critical professional career development enrichment strategy that can help you build your knowledge and expertise. When you need help, do you have a network of available people or do you know how to develop a network to assist you? Networking sounds easy and we tend to think it should come naturally. However, networking is a learned skill that just about everyone struggles with at some time or another (1).

The negotiation process.

Do you always get what you want? Although none of us do, improving your negotiation skills can help increase your chances. This article discusses the importance of negotiation skills, the need to create a win-win situation, and summarizes the negotiation process: planning negotiations, conducting negotiations, postponing negotiations, and reaching closure, which is followed by an example. This article was written to help you to further develop your negotiation skills so that you can get what you want.

Development of a computerized telecommunication system for in-training evaluation of residents in a laparoscopic educational program.

Objective: To describe our initial experience with a computerized telecommunication system, termed the interactive voice-response system, to record resident performance of laparoscopic surgery.

Methods: After completing a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon and resident telephone a toll-free number independently and respond to three prerecorded statements using a Likert scale of 1 to 5. The caller then is asked to describe the resident's response to critical incidents or elements of surprise that arose during the surgery.

Prevalence of dissociative disorders in an acute care day hospital population.

To estimate the prevalence of dissociative disorders in a day hospital and examine their relation to traumatic experiences, trained clinicians evaluated 70 of 229 patients consecutively admitted to an acute care day hospital. They used the Mini-Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Dissociative Disorders and the Traumatic Experience Questionnaire. Six of the 70 patients (9 percent) received a definite diagnosis of a dissociative disorder.

Selecting qualified candidates through effective interviewing.

Some managers may not feel confident conducting job interviews. A major reason is that most have not been trained to interview, and managers in departments with few employees and/or low turnover rates usually do not interview frequently enough to develop the skill on their own. Hiring the wrong employee results in wasted time, effort, and money, and possibly a law suit.

Managing conflict resolution models.

Do you always agree with your boss, peers, and employees? If not, then you have conflict. This article presents five conflict management styles and examples of situations in which each is appropriate for resolving a conflict. With the aid of step-by-step models, you will learn how to use the Collaborating conflict-management style to: 1) initiate a conflict resolution with others; 2) respond to a conflict resolution brought to you by someone; and 3) mediate a conflict resolution between your employees.