Diabetes results from an inadequate mass of functional β cells, due to either β cell loss caused by autoimmune destruction (type I diabetes) or β cell failure in response to insulin resistance (type II diabetes). Elucidating the mechanisms that regulate β cell mass may be key to developing new techniques that foster β cell regeneration as a cellular therapy to treat diabetes. While previous stu...

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options. Type-I interferons (e.g. IFN-α/-β) have several anti-tumour activities. Over the past few years, clinical studies evaluating the effect of adjuvant IFN-α therapy in pancreatic cancer yielded equivocal results. Although IFN-α and -β act via the type-I IFN receptor, the role of the number of receptors present on t...

OBJECTIVE Ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD) is characterized by diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients lacking typical features of type 1 diabetes. A validated classification scheme for KPD includes two autoantibody-negative ("A-") phenotypic forms: "A-β-" (lean, early onset, lacking β-cell functional reserve) and "A-β+" (obese, late onset, with substantial β-cell functional reserve after the index...

We determine the structure of the set of intermediate β-shifts of finite type. Specifically, we show that this set is dense in the parameter space ∆ = {(β,α) ∈ R2 : β ∈ (1,2) and 0 ≤ α ≤ 2−β}. This generalises the classical result of Parry from 1960 for greedy and (normalised) lazy β-shifts.

Background: Pregnancy and delivery are considered as pleasant physiological phenomena. This period, however, sometimes leads to variable mood states in women and makes them more sensitive to psychological stimuli and problems. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the role of breastfeeding, type of delivery, contraceptive method, planned pregnancy, and history of infertility on th...

AIMS β-catenin has been shown to be regulated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in endothelial cells. We investigated here whether β-catenin interacts with and regulates endothelial NOS (eNOS) and whether eNOS activation promotes β-catenin signalling. METHODS AND RESULTS We identified β-catenin as a novel eNOS binding protein in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by mass s...

Proliferation of pancreatic β-cells is an important mechanism underlying β-cell mass adaptation to metabolic demands. Increasing β-cell mass by regeneration may ameliorate or correct both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which both result from inadequate production of insulin by β-cells of the pancreatic islet. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling is essential for fetal development and gro...

Whey protein (WP) has nutritional value, but the presence of β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) cause allergic reactions. In this study, hypoallergenic whey hydrolyate (HWPH) was prepared by decomposing β-LG α-LA WP using exo- endo-type proteases. The enzyme mixing ratio reaction conditions were optimized response surface methodology (RSM). Degradation confirmed through gel electro...

Replenishing insulin-producing pancreatic β cell mass will benefit both type I and type II diabetics. In adults, pancreatic β cells are generated primarily by self-duplication. We report on a mouse model of insulin resistance that induces dramatic pancreatic β cell proliferation and β cell mass expansion. Using this model, we identify a hormone, betatrophin, that is primarily expressed in liver...