Pennella balaenoptera actively select injured cetacean skin as attachment sites, making them potentially useful forensic tags.

Cetaceans harbor multiple epibionts on their external surface, and these attach to particular microhabitats. Understanding what drives the selection of attachment sites is relevant for refining the use of epibionts as indicators of their hosts. We report on about 100 females of the mesoparasitic copepod Pennella balaenoptera attached to a dead Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris stranded in Tunisia (western Mediterranean); the first report of P.

Epibiotic fauna of the Antarctic minke whale as a reliable indicator of seasonal movements.

Antarctic minke whales, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, breed in tropical and temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere in winter and feed in Antarctic grounds in the austral summer. These seasonal migrations could be less defined than those of other whale species, but the evidence is scanty. We quantitatively describe the epibiotic fauna of Antarctic minke whales and explore its potential to trace migrations.

Fasting Serum IGFBP-1 as a Marker of Insulin Resistance in Diverse School Age Groups.

Introduction: The known markers of insulin resistance in obese children are well studied. However, they require serial measurements and complicated calculations. The objective is to study IGFBP-1 and its relation with other known risk measures.

Lack of GNAS Remethylation During Oogenesis May Be a Cause of Sporadic Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type Ib.

Context: Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (PHP1B) is characterized by hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia due to parathyroid hormone resistance in the proximal renal tubules. Maternal pathogenic STX16/GNAS variants leading to maternal epigenetic GNAS changes impair expression of the stimulatory G protein alpha-subunit (Gsα) thereby causing autosomal dominant PHP1B. In contrast, genetic defects responsible for sporadic PHP1B (sporPHP1B) remain mostly unknown.

Profile of Daughters and Sisters of Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: The Role of Proband's Glucose Tolerance.

Context: First-degree relatives of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present hormonal and metabolic alterations compared to girls unrelated to PCOS. It is unknown whether glucose intolerance in the PCOS proband confers a more severe metabolic predisposition on their first-degree relatives.

Objective: To determine whether glucose tolerance status in women with PCOS is associated with worsened glucose metabolism and sex hormone levels in their peripubertal daughters or sisters.

Evidence That the Etiology of Congenital Hypopituitarism Has a Major Genetic Component but Is Infrequently Monogenic.

Purpose: Congenital hypopituitarism usually occurs sporadically. In most patients, the etiology remains unknown.

Methods: We studied 13 children with sporadic congenital hypopituitarism.

Bimetallic AgPd/UiO-66 Hybrid Catalysts for Propylene Glycol Oxidation into Lactic Acid.

Different methods (the wetness impregnation of Ag and Pd precursors dissolved in water or acetonitrile solution, and the double solvent impregnation technique) were employed to immobilize Ag-Pd nanoparticles (NPs) into the pores of the microporous zirconium-based metal-organic framework known as UiO-66. The obtained materials were characterized by using nitrogen adsorption-desorption at -196 °C, powder X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy, and transition electron microscopy measurements. Special attention was paid to the acid and redox properties of the obtained materials, which were studied by using temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (TPD-NH) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR-H) methods.

Glucocorticoid Resistance in Premature Adrenarche and PCOS: From Childhood to Adulthood.

Context: We hypothesize that impaired glucocorticoid sensitivity (GC sensitivity) plays a role in the development of premature adrenarche (PA) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by increasing androgen synthesis.

Objective: To study glucocorticoid sensitivity in vitro in subjects with PA and PCOS.

Patients And Methods: Fourteen subjects (10 girls, 4 boys, 6.

Demographics and anthropometrics impact benefits of health intervention: data from the Reduce Obesity and Diabetes Project.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a 4-month school-based health, nutrition and exercise intervention on body fatness and examine possible effects of demographic and anthropometric covariates.

Methods: Height, weight, waist circumference and body composition were measured in a diverse population of 644 NYC middle school students (mean ± SD age 12.7 ± 0.

Down-regulation of partial substitution for staple food by oat noodles on blood lipid levels: A randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

This clinical trial was conducted to assess the lipid-lowering activity of oat noodles by replacing partial staple food (wheat or rice noodle) in normal and mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects. Totally 84 healthy and mild hypercholesterolemic subjects were recruited and divided into 2 groups as experimental (oat noodles) and placebo (wheat noodles) and instructed to consume 100 g of oat noodles or wheat noodles (replacing one or two meals/day) for 10 weeks and followed by 2 weeks of follow up (without noodle consumption). Various anthropometric measurements and biochemical analysis were carried out during initial (baseline), 2nd, 6th, 10th and 12th week (follow-up).

Baseline IGFBP - 3 as the Key Element to Predict Growth Response to Growth Hormone and IGF - 1 Therapy in Subjects with Non - GH Deficient Short Stature and IGF - 1 Deficiency.

Background: Short stature in children represents a heterogeneous group with different etiologies. Primary Insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF - 1) deficiency in short stature can present with normal or elevated growth hormone (GH) production. Currently there is no model that can reliably predict response to recombinant (r)GH therapy and/or rIGF - 1 therapy in children with non - GH deficient short stature.

Phenotypic spectrum and responses to recombinant human IGF1 (rhIGF1) therapy in patients with homozygous intronic pseudoexon growth hormone receptor mutation.

Background: Patients with homozygous intronic pseudoexon GH receptor () mutations (6Ψ) have growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) (growth failure, IGF1 deficiency and normal/elevated serum GH). We report 9 patients in addition to previously described 11 6Ψ patients and their responses to rhIGF1 therapy.

Methods: 20 patients (12 males, 11 families, mean age 4.

Plasma heparanase is associated with blood glucose levels but not urinary microalbumin excretion in type 2 diabetic nephropathy at the early stage.

Aim: To explore the possible correlations between plasma heparanase and albuminuria, glucose and lipid metabolism in the type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients at the early stage.

Methods: One hundred and forty patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy at early stage were recruited into the study. Plasma heparanase and the characterized advanced glycation end products (AGEs), carboxymethyllysine (CML) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Measurements and modeling of multipath interference at wavelengths below cable cut-off in a G.654 optical fiber span.

Transmission below the cable cut-off wavelength may be a concern in some systems, especially for an optical supervisory channel (OSC) operating below the signal transmission band in systems built with G.654 fiber. In this work, we constructed a cabled span of G.

Highly sensitive Escherichia coli shear horizontal surface acoustic wave biosensor with silicon dioxide nanostructures.

Surface acoustic wave mediated transductions have been widely used in the sensors and actuators applications. In this study, a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SHSAW) was used for the detection of food pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E.coli O157:H7), a dangerous strain among 225 E.

Bilateral Adrenal Hyperplasia as a Possible Mechanism for Hyperandrogenism in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Context: Androgen excess may be adrenal and/or ovarian in origin; we hypothesized that a subgroup of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may have some degree of abnormal adrenocortical function.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the pituitary adrenal axis with an oral low- and high-dose dexamethasone-suppression test (Liddle's test) in women with PCOS.

Design: This was a case-control study.

Lipoprotein Particles in Adolescents and Young Women With PCOS Provide Insights Into Their Cardiovascular Risk.

Context: Adult women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, but the evidence for this is controversial in adolescents and young women with PCOS. Measurement of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle number, measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a novel technology to assess cardiovascular risk.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate lipoprotein particle number and size in young women with PCOS and its relationship with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism.

150 x 120 Gb/s unrepeatered transmission over 409.6 km of large effective area fiber with commercial Raman DWDM system.

15 Tb/s unrepeatered transmission is achieved over 409.6 km (68.2 dB) of large effective area fiber using forward and backward distributed Raman amplification and a remotely-pumped erbium-doped optical amplifier.

Record 500 km unrepeatered 1 Tbit/s (10 x 100 G) transmission over an ultra-low loss fiber.

In this work we experimentally demonstrate 1 Tbit/s (10 x 100 Gbit/s) unrepeatered transmission over 500.5 km using dual polarization quadrature phase shift keyed (DP-QPSK) format and real-time processing. Such ultra-long distance is enabled by the use of high-performance 100G DP-QPSK transponders (the required optical signal-to-noise ratio is 12 dB), ultra-low loss Corning SMF-28 ULL fiber (the average attenuation of the spools used in this experiment <0.

Plasma advanced glycation end products (AGEs), receptors for AGEs and their correlation with inflammatory markers in middle school-age children.

Aim: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and/or their receptors (RAGE) are significantly positively correlated with adiposity, inflammation, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance in adults. However, the relationships between AGEs, RAGE, and adiposity-related comorbidites in children have not been well studied.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 88 children (age 11-15 years) from the New York area enrolled in the Reduce Obesity and Diabetes (ROAD) study, we examined the correlation of the AGE N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), soluble RAGE (sRAGE), and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) with adiposity, inflammatory markers [interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α], adiponectin, lipids, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretory capacity.

Effects of parental origins and length of residency on adiposity measures and nutrition in urban middle school students: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The prevalence of obesity in U.S. has been rising at an alarming rate, particularly among Hispanic, African, and Asian minority groups.

Study of EDFA and Raman system transmission reach with 256 Gb/s PM-16QAM signals over three optical fibers with 100 km spans.

We compare the transmission performance of three different optical fibers in separate 256 Gb/s PM-16QAM systems amplified with erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and distributed Raman amplification. The span length in each system is 100 km. The fibers studied include standard single-mode fiber, single-mode fiber with ultra-low loss, and ultra-low loss fiber with large effective area.

Insulin resistance, lipodystrophy and cardiometabolic syndrome in HIV/AIDS.

HIV associated insulin resistance, lipodistrophy and cardiometabolic syndrome have been extensively studied and continue to be the scope of much research. There is compelling evidence that both the HIV itself and the therapeutical regimes are major contributors to all of these associated comorbidities. HIV has increasingly been recognized as a disease of accelerated aging, manifested by increased progression of vascular disease and cellular markers of aging.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies novel LEPR mutations in individuals with severe early onset obesity.

Objective: Obesity is a major public health problem that increases the risk for a broad spectrum of co-morbid conditions. Despite evidence for a strong genetic contribution to susceptibility to obesity, previous efforts to discover the relevant genes using positional cloning have failed to account for most of the apparent genetic risk variance.

Design And Methods: Deploying a strategy combining analysis of exome sequencing data in extremely obese members of four consanguineous families with segregation analysis, we screened for causal genetic variants.