Two-step emulsification process for water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsions stabilized by lamellar liquid crystals.

Multiple emulsions, also called complex emulsions or multiphase emulsions, include water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W)-type and oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O)-type emulsions. W/O/W-type multiple emulsions, obtained by utilizing lamellar liquid crystal with a layer structure showing optical anisotropy at the periphery of emulsion droplets, are superior in stability to O/W/O-type emulsions. In this study, we investigated a two-step emulsification process for a W/O/W-type multiple emulsion utilizing liquid crystal emulsification.

Mutations in the small heterodimer partner gene increase morbidity risk in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients.

Mutations in the small heterodimer partner gene (NR0B2; alias SHP) are associated with high birth weight and mild obesity in Japanese children. SHP mutations may also be associated with later obesity and insulin resistance syndrome that induces diabetes. To investigate this possibility, the prevalence of SHP mutations in Japanese with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus and the functional properties of the mutant proteins were evaluated.

Glutathione peroxidase protein expression and activity in human islets isolated for transplantation.

Background: Overexpression of antioxidant enzymes has been reported to protect rodent beta cells from oxidative stress. However, very little is known about protein expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes in human islets.

Method/results: Human islet protein levels by Western analysis and enzymatic activity for the key antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutases (SODs), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx) were examined.

Reversal of defective glucagon responses to hypoglycemia in insulin-dependent autoimmune diabetic BB rats.

The intraislet insulin hypothesis has been proposed to explain absent glucagon responses to hypoglycemia. Recently we directly confirmed this hypothesis by restoring glucagon secretion via provision of a pancreatic artery insulin infusion, which was switched off at the time of hypoglycemia in Wistar rats made diabetic by streptozotocin. The current study examined this hypothesis in a model of spontaneous, autoimmune diabetes, the insulin-dependent diabetic BB rat.

Mutation analysis of NR0B2 among 1545 Danish men identifies a novel c.278G>A (p.G93D) variant with reduced functional activity.

Variations of the small heterodimer partner (SHP, NR0B2) gene, an atypical nuclear receptor that inhibits transactivation by hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4alpha, are associated with obesity among Japanese. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of SHP variants among obese Danish men. Using combined SSCP and heteroduplex analysis, we analyzed the entire coding region of SHP for variants in a cohort of 750 Danish men with early-onset obesity and genotyped a cohort of 795 nonobese control subjects using PCR-RFLP.