Publications by authors named "Winn N"

Objective: Obesity is a major health concern, largely because it contributes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease, and various malignancies. Increase in circulating amino acids and lipids, in part due to adipose dysfunction, have been shown to drive obesity-mediated diseases. Similarly, elevated purines and uric acid, a degradation product of purine metabolism, are found in the bloodstream and in adipose tissue.

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Microvascular insulin delivery to myocytes is rate limiting for the onset of insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake. The structural integrity of capillaries of the microvasculature is regulated, in part, by a family of transmembrane adhesion receptors known as integrins, which are composed of an α and a β subunit. The integrin β1 (itgβ1) subunit is highly expressed in endothelial cells (ECs).

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  • * Researchers investigated the effects of the PDE-5a inhibitor sildenafil and found that it enhances the benefits of exercise by improving microcirculation and exercise capacity in diet-induced obese mice, but not in sedentary mice.
  • * In lean mice with reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), exercise training still improved endurance, indicating that while eNOS function is important, training alone can lead to significant benefits in microcirculation and exercise performance.
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  • * The study focused on the integrin β1 subunit in endothelial cells, revealing that its absence led to impaired microvascular function and glucose uptake in response to insulin.
  • * Findings showed that mice lacking endothelial integrin β1 had decreased capillary flow and density, resulting in compromised insulin-mediated glucose delivery, highlighting its importance for proper muscle function.
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Background: Childhood Sjögren's disease is a rare, underdiagnosed, and poorly-understood condition. By integrating machine learning models on a paediatric cohort in the USA, we aimed to develop a novel system (the Florida Scoring System) for stratifying symptomatic paediatric patients with suspected Sjögren's disease.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in symptomatic patients who visited the Department of Pediatric Rheumatology at the University of Florida, FL, USA.

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Mammals are protected from changes in environmental temperature by altering energetic processes that modify heat production. Insulin is the dominant stimulus of glucose uptake and metabolism, which are fundamental for thermogenic processes. The purpose of this work was to determine the interaction of ambient temperature induced changes in energy expenditure (EE) on the insulin sensitivity of glucose fluxes.

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Mammals are protected from changes in environmental temperature by altering energetic processes that modify heat production. Insulin is the dominant stimulus of glucose uptake and metabolism, which are fundamental for thermogenic processes. The purpose of this work was to determine the interaction of ambient temperature induced changes in energy expenditure (EE) on the insulin sensitivity of glucose fluxes.

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Exercise stimulates glucose uptake and increases insulin sensitivity acutely. Temporally optimizing exercise timing may minimize the nocturnal rise in glucose levels. This study examined the effect of exercise timing on evening and overnight glucose concentrations in individuals who were non-obese with normal fasting glucose levels (Non-Ob; n = 18) and individuals with obesity (OB) with impaired fasting glucose levels (OB+IFG) and without (n = 16 and n = 18, respectively).

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  • A new mouse model lacking complement factor 5 (C5) was created using CRISPR-Cas9 to study its role in obesity-related metabolic dysfunction.
  • The study found that while losing C5 did not affect weight gain, it worsened glucose tolerance in obese male mice, but not in female mice.
  • The results indicate that loss of C5 could amplify glucose intolerance in obesity but further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.
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Identifying molecular circuits that control adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) function is necessary to understand how ATMs contribute to tissue homeostasis and obesity-induced insulin resistance. In this study, we find that mice with a myeloid-specific knockout of the miR-23-27-24 clusters of microRNAs (miRNAs) gain less weight on a high-fat diet but exhibit worsened glucose and insulin tolerance. Analysis of ATMs from these mice shows selectively reduced numbers and proliferation of a recently reported subset of lipid-associated CD9Trem2 ATMs (lipid-associated macrophages [LAMs]).

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  • The Chesapeake Bay faces challenges from sea-level rise and land subsidence, necessitating updated assessments of vertical land motions in the area.
  • The paper presents two campaigns utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) data from 2019 and 2020, detailing the methods for data collection and validation.
  • Collected data has been quality checked and is publicly accessible through UNAVCO, adhering to FAIR data principles.
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Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with lymphoma in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on pSS patients who were registered into the Integrated Data Repository (IDR) at the University of Florida (UF) Health Shands Hospital. The parameters, such as age, sex, race, and smoking status, were included.

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Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2) is highly expressed on myeloid cells and is involved in cellular lipid homeostasis and inflammatory processes. Trem2 deletion in mice (Trem2 ) evokes adipose tissue dysfunction, but its role in worsening obesity-induced metabolic dysfunction has not been resolved. Here we aimed to determine the causal role of Trem2 in regulating glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in mice.

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In the setting of obesity and insulin resistance, glycemia is controlled in part by β-cell compensation and subsequent hyperinsulinemia. Weight loss improves glycemia and decreases hyperinsulinemia, whereas weight cycling worsens glycemic control. The mechanisms responsible for weight cycling-induced deterioration in glucose homeostasis are poorly understood.

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Robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping the world, changing healthcare, food production and biodiversity management. While they will play a fundamental role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, associated opportunities and threats are yet to be considered systematically. We report on a horizon scan evaluating robotics and autonomous systems impact on all Sustainable Development Goals, involving 102 experts from around the world.

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Within adipose tissue (AT), immune cells and parenchymal cells closely interact creating a complex microenvironment. In obesity, immune cell derived inflammation contributes to insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Diet-induced weight loss improves glucose tolerance; however, weight regain further exacerbates the impairment in glucose homeostasis observed with obesity.

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Purpose: To assess spinal stability in different physiological positions whilst weight-bearing.

Methods: A cone beam CT scanner (CBCT) was used to identify any abnormal motion in the spine in different physiological positions whilst weight-bearing. The lumbar spine was assessed in 6 different patients with a comfortable neutral standing position and standing flexion and extension images in selected patients.

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The response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21 was dominated by the Westphalian primacy of national territory and sovereignty, significantly worsening and prolonging this crisis. Global platforms for cross-border coordination and cooperation were constrained by national self-interest. Arguably, the lack of a worldwide supranational (or post-Westphalian) authority in health governance is one important structural reason for the fragmented, chaotic, and ineffective response to Covid-19.

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Beige adipocyte mitochondria contribute to thermogenesis by uncoupling and by ATP-consuming futile cycles. Since uncoupling may inhibit ATP synthesis, it is expected that expenditure through ATP synthesis is segregated to a disparate population of mitochondria. Recent studies in mouse brown adipocytes identified peridroplet mitochondria (PDM) as having greater ATP synthesis and pyruvate oxidation capacities, while cytoplasmic mitochondria have increased fatty acid oxidation and uncoupling capacities.

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Tissue iron overload is associated with insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction in rodents and humans; however, the mechanisms or cell types that mediate this phenotype are not completely understood. Macrophages (Mɸs) are known to contribute to iron handling; thus, we hypothesized that perturbed iron handling by Mɸs impairs mitochondrial energetics and evokes systemic insulin resistance in mice. Male and female mice with myeloid-targeted (LysMCre) deletion of the canonical iron exporter, ferroportin (Fpn, encoded by ), floxed littermates, and C57BL/6J wild-type mice were used to test our hypotheses.

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Chronic inflammation is considered a precipitating factor and possibly an underlying cause of many noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, and some cancers. Obesity, which manifests in more than 650 million people worldwide, is the most common chronic inflammatory condition, with visceral adiposity thought to be the major inflammatory hub that links obesity and chronic disease. Adipose tissue (AT) inflammation is triggered or heightened in large part by (1) accelerated immune cell recruitment, (2) reshaping of the AT stromal-immuno landscape (e.

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Estrogen receptor-α knockout (ERKO) in female, but not male, mice results in an impaired osteogenic response to exercise, but the mechanisms behind this ability in males are unknown. We explored the main and interactive effects of ERKO and exercise on cortical geometry, trabecular microarchitecture, biomechanical strength, and sclerostin expression in male mice. At 12 weeks of age, male C57BL/6J ERKO and WT animals were randomized into two groups: exercise treatment (EX) and sedentary (SED) controls, until 22 weeks of age.

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Introduction: Excess energy intake by spectators at a sporting event (i.e., a tailgate) might cause acute negative health effects.

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