Consumers' knowledge and attitudes about food additives in the UAE.

The use of food additives (FAs) in food manufacturing is a well-accepted practice worldwide. Inadequate knowledge concerning their safety may cause negative attitude surrounding their use. This would potentially impact the purchase of foods that the consumer perceives as containing FAs.

Genetic Variants of the Gene Are Associated with Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in the Emirati Population.

Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C X domain 3 has been shown to influence pancreatic β-cell function by disrupting insulin signaling. Herein, we investigated two genetic variants in the gene in relation to type 2 diabetes (T2D) or metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Emirati population. In total, 556 adult Emirati individuals (306 T2D and 256 controls) were genotyped for two variants (rs319013 and rs9292806) using TaqMan genotyping assays.

Gallstone ileus: A possible cause of bowel obstruction in the elderly population.

Introduction: Gallstone ileus (GI) is characterized by a mechanical occlusion of the ileal lumen as a result of migration of one or more gallstones in the intestinal tract. Less than 1-4% of all cases of intestinal obstruction are derived from this etiology (1,2,3).

Case Report: We present a case of small intestinal obstruction owing to a large gallstone in lower ileum in a 66 years old woman.

Umbilical metastasis mimicking symptomatic hernia: Report of a case of Sister Mary Joseph Syndrome.

Introduction: An umbilical mass can be the first symptom of an intra-abdominal neoplasia, and this condition is also defined as Sister Mary Joseph Syndrome.

Case Presentation: An eighty-year-old patient presented with a complicated umbilical hernia. CT scan abdomen revealed a pancreatic neoplasm and an umbilical biopsy confirmed diagnosis of metastasis.

Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Stimulates Osteopontin Expression in the Vasculature via Endothelin-1 and CREB.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is an incretin hormone with extrapancreatic effects beyond glycemic control. Here we demonstrate unexpected effects of GIP signaling in the vasculature. GIP induces the expression of the proatherogenic cytokine osteopontin (OPN) in mouse arteries via local release of endothelin-1 and activation of CREB.