The coupling coordination and spatiotemporal evolution of industrial water-energy-CO in the Yellow River Basin.

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is an important energy, chemical, raw material, and basic industrial base in China. With economic growth, water and energy consumption in industrial industries increasing dramatically, huge pressure for CO emission reduction has generated. This paper constructed an industrial water-energy-CO (WEC) evaluation index system, analyzed the comprehensive evaluation level, coupling status and coupling coordination status, by using the comprehensive evaluation method, coupling degree model and coupling coordination degree model and used the spatial autocorrelation analysis to study the spatiotemporal evolution from 1999 to 2019 in the YRB.

Ecological security evaluation and early warning in the water source area of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

Ecological security has important influence on regional sustainable development. The ecological security of Nanyang, the water source area of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, was threatened because of surface water pollution. The existing studies had not been able to comprehensively assess the ecological security and future trend of water source area.

New scanning electron microscopic method for determination of adipocyte size in humans and mice.

Objective: To evaluate a new scanning electronic microscopic (EM) method for assessing fat cell sizes and compare fat cell size distribution in human adipose tissue from different fat depots before and after weight loss.

Research Methods And Procedures: Identical human fat tissue biopsies were separated into two fractions: one used to prepare a fat cell suspension by collagenase digestion followed by photomicrography (collagenase method) and the other fixed in formalin for EM analysis. The EM method was evaluated further by determining fat cell sizes from lean and ob/ob mice.

Palmitate modulates intracellular signaling, induces endoplasmic reticulum stress, and causes apoptosis in mouse 3T3-L1 and rat primary preadipocytes.

Although fatty acids enhance preadipocyte differentiation in the presence of adequate hormone cocktails, little is known regarding their effects in the absence of these hormones. We have now shown that palmitate, a common long-chain saturated fatty acid, induced apoptosis in both mouse 3T3-L1 and rat primary preadipocytes grown in a normal serum-containing medium. Treatment of preadipocytes with palmitate induced multiple endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses, evidenced by increased protein content of CHOP and GRP78 and splicing of XBP-1 mRNA, as well as altered phosphorylation of eIF2alpha and increased phosphorylation of JNK and Erk1/2.

Aging results in paradoxical susceptibility of fat cell progenitors to lipotoxicity.

Aging is associated with metabolic syndrome, tissue damage by cytotoxic lipids, and altered fatty acid handling. Fat tissue dysfunction may contribute to these processes. This could result, in part, from age-related changes in preadipocytes, since they give rise to new fat cells throughout life.

Modulation of adipocyte lipogenesis by octanoate: involvement of reactive oxygen species.

Background: Octanoate is a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) that is rich in milk and tropical dietary lipids. It also accounts for 70% of the fatty acids in commercial medium chain triglycerides (MCT). Use of MCT for weight control tracks back to early 1950s and is highlighted by recent clinical trials.

Oleate-induced formation of fat cells with impaired insulin sensitivity.

Exogenous FA cause lipid accumulation in pre-adipocytes. We investigated whether the fat cells thus formed are metabolically distinct from adipocytes differentiated with standard methylisobutylxanthine, dexamethasone, and insulin (MDI) hormonal cocktail by comparing their expression of adipogenic genes, accumulation of TAG, lipogenesis, lipolysis, glucose uptake, and the effects of insulin on selected metabolic activities. Cells exposed to oleate began to accumulate TAG in parallel or prior to the induction of adipogenic genes, whereas cells treated with MDI expressed adipogenic genes before TAG accumulation.

Eicosapentaenoic acid, but not oleic acid, stimulates beta-oxidation in adipocytes.

The beneficial roles of dietary fish oil in lowering serum TAG levels in animals and humans have been attributed in part to the high content of two n-3 polyunsaturated very long-chain FA, EPA, and DHA. Recent studies show that EPA induces mitochondrial beta-oxidation in hepatocytes, which might contribute to the systemic lipid-lowering effect. Whether EPA affects FA storage or oxidation in adipocytes is not clear.

Fatty acid transport and metabolism in HepG2 cells.

The mechanism(s) of fatty acid uptake by liver cells is not fully understood. We applied new approaches to address long-standing controversies of fatty acid uptake and to distinguish diffusion and protein-based mechanisms. Using HepG2 cells containing an entrapped pH-sensing fluorescence dye, we showed that the addition of oleate (unbound or bound to cyclodextrin) to the external buffer caused a rapid (seconds) and dose-dependent decrease in intracellular pH (pH(in)), indicating diffusion of fatty acids across the plasma membrane.

Regulation of acetyl CoA carboxylase and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 in rat adipocytes.

Objective: Acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a key enzyme in energy balance. It controls the synthesis of malonyl-CoA, an allosteric inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-I). CPT-I is the gatekeeper of free fatty acid (FFA) oxidation.

Medium-chain Fatty acids attenuate agonist-stimulated lipolysis, mimicking the effects of starvation.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that incorporation of medium-chain fatty acids (FAs) into adipocyte triglycerides alters intracellular lipolysis.

Research Methods And Procedures: 3T3-L1 adipocytes were pretreated with octanoate for various incubation periods. After the removal of exogenous FAs, cells were incubated with different lipolytic agonists.