Caveolar targeting links Kv1.3 with the insulin-dependent adipocyte physiology.

The voltage-dependent potassium channel Kv1.3 participates in peripheral insulin sensitivity. Genetic ablation of Kv1.

Identification of factors associated with diagnostic error in primary care.

Background: Missed, delayed or incorrect diagnoses are considered to be diagnostic errors. The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology of a study to analyse cognitive aspects of the process by which primary care (PC) physicians diagnose dyspnoea. It examines the possible links between the use of heuristics, suboptimal cognitive acts and diagnostic errors, using Reason's taxonomy of human error (slips, lapses, mistakes and violations).

Muraglitazar, a dual (alpha/gamma) PPAR activator: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 24-week monotherapy trial in adult patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) present a therapeutic target, and simultaneous activation of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma may provide improvements in glycemic control and dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of muraglitazar, a dual (alpha/gamma) PPAR activator, in adult patients with type 2 diabetes whose disease was inadequately controlled by diet and exercise.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter, 24-week monotherapy study in drug-naive, type 2 diabetes patients with inadequate glycemic control.

Gap junctions in developing neocortex: a review.

Several independent lines of evidence indicate that gap junctional coupling is widespread and functionally important in early cortical development. The extensive expression of many connexins, the clusters of coupled neuroblasts or neurons revealed by tracer injections or the functional coactivation of neurons shown by calcium imaging can be seen as pieces of the same puzzle. At the same time, there is a lack of electrophysiological experiments at early developmental stages that directly demonstrate coupling between pairs of cells.

Autotransplantation of human carotid body cell aggregates for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Objective: In this study, we assessed the feasibility of autotransplantation of carotid body (CB) cell aggregates into the striatum for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: Six patients with advanced PD underwent bilateral autotransplantation of CB cell aggregates into the striatum. They were evaluated clinically preoperatively and for 18 months after surgery according to the recommendations of the Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantation.