DM Model Research Articles

Bayesian analysis of the break in DAMPE lepton spectra

Recently, DAMPE has released its first results on the high-energy cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (CREs) from about $25$ GeV to $4.6$ TeV, which directly detect a break at $\sim 1$ TeV. This result gives us an excellent opportunity to study the source of the CREs excess. In this work, we used the data fo proton and helium flux (from AMS-02 and CREAM), $\bar{\mathrm{p}}/\mathrm{p}$ ratio (from AMS-02), positron flux (from AMS-02) and CREs flux (from DAMPE without the peak signal point at $\sim 1.4$ TeV) to do global fitting simultaneously, which can account the influence from the propagation model, the nuclei and electron primary source injection and the secondary lepton production precisely. For extra source to interpret the excess in lepton spectrum, we consider two separate scenarios (pulsar and dark matter annihilation via leptonic channels) to construct the bump ($\gtrsim 100$ GeV) and the break at $\sim 1$ TeV. The result shows: (i) in pulsar scenario, the spectral index of the injection should be $\nu_{\mathrm{psr}} \sim 0.65$ and the cut-off should be $R_{c} \sim 650$ GV; (ii) in dark matter scenario, the dark matter particle's mass is $m_{\chi} \sim 1208$ GeV and the cross section is $\langle \sigma v \rangle \sim 1.48 \times 10^{-23} \mathrm{cm}^{3} \mathrm{s}^{-1}$. Moreover, in the dark matter scenario, the $\tau \bar{\tau}$ annihilation channel is highly suppressed, and a DM model is built to satisfy the fitting results.

The effect of myotonic dystrophy on intracellular calcium handling and mitochondrial function.

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a multisystemic genetic disorder that leads to skeletal muscle, cardiac and neurological impairment. DM is characterized by multiple CUG repeats along the DMPK gene, with the severity of the disease increasing with the number of repeats. DM patients exhibit extended muscle contractions due to misregulated ion channels. As a result, normal ion balance, notably calcium, is disrupted leading to cellular damage and eventual death. While research has been aimed at identifying how the CUG repeats regulate gene expression, little is known regarding the effects of DM on organelle function. This study works to understand how DM affects calcium handling between the mitochondria and smooth endoplasmic reticulum to cause extended muscle contractions. An in vitro model of DM will be created by transfecting C2C12 cells with a plasmid containing 950 CUG repeats. This will allow for testing of overall calcium distribution and organelle functions in the control versus diseased state. We will run a mixture of fluorescent microscopy experiments to evaluate calcium distribution and organelle structure, as well as biochemical and functional assays to assess the difference in organelle function between these two groups. I hypothesize that DM cells will exhibit a misregulation of calcium handling leading to calcium overload in the mitochondria, thereby decreasing mitochondrial function. Results should indicate calcium mishandling and inhibited ATP production as shown by the results of the various assays. Therefore, if results should hold to be true, DM will indeed induce calcium mishandling through misregulation of calcium handling protein channels and a decrease in ATP synthesis due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Currently, there are limited DM treatments available and the identification of a new possible cell target may lead to the development of new pharmacological agents to combat the disease.Support or Funding InformationThe project will be supported and funded by the project advisor, Dr. Katrina Yamazaki.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL -3KINASE (PI3K) DI PERBENIHAN ADIPOSIT YANG DIPAJAN GLUKOSA TINGGI DENGAN RETINOL

Retinol is one of the active forms of vitamin A. In the previous study, it was known that retinol level in serum of DM patient waslower than in healthy people, which correlated with an increase of the glucose levels in these patients. The importance of retinol in insulinsignaling mechanisms that play a role in the pathogenesis of DM is still unknown. One of the components that play a role in insulinsignaling on adipocytes is phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), which encourages the translocation of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) tothe cell surface. The aim of this study was to know the importance of retinol therapy in the levels of PI3K enzyme on visceral adipocyteculture with high glucose exposure (25 mM) as a model of DM in vitro by determination method. Retinol therapy was given at a doseof 0.1 μM, 1 μM , and 10 μM. Measurement of PI3K level was done by ELISA method. The mean (SD) levels of PI3K enzyme were 1.91(0.27), 0.94 (0.15), 1.98 (0.22), 1.69 (0.81), 2.04 (0.16) ng/mL respectively, for adipocyte cultures exposed to 5mM glucose (as aphysiological condition), 25mM glucose, and 25mM glucose concentration with doses of retinol therapy 0.1 μM, 1 μM and10 μM. Theresults of this study indicated that high glucose exposure (25 mM) decreased the level of PI3K compared with adipocyte's culture on5 mM glucose exposure. Retinol therapy with a dose of 0.1μM, 1μM and10 μM on adipocyte culture exposed with high glucose couldincrease the levels of PI3K.

Dapagliflozin Decrease Fructose-Induced Oxidative Stress Mediated by AGE- MMP9 via a SGLT-2-Dependent Mechanism in the Lens of Type 2 DM Model

Dapagliflozin Decrease Fructose-Induced Oxidative Stress Mediated by AGE- MMP9 via a SGLT-2-Dependent Mechanism in the Lens of Type 2 DM Model

Correlated noise induced non-equilibrium phase transition in surface catalytic reaction model

In recent years, with the development of chemical study of complex systems, such as surface catalytic system, etc. the research of nonlinear dynamics problem of complex system has received much attention. These systems have high-degree complexity, and they are inevitably affected by intrinsic and extrinsic fluctuations (noise) and time delay. The combination of noise and time delay is ubiquitous in nature, and often changes fundamentally dynamical behavior of the system, and thus making the system produce more richer and complex dynamical behaviors. At present, in the theoretical studies of the nonlinear dynamic properties, the macroeconomic deterministic or stochastic dynamic equation is adopted most, and the time delay factor, especially the influences of combination of noise and time delay on complex system are rarely taken into account. Thus, the study of the character, mechanism and application has important realistic significance and scientific value. In this paper, we first introduce the Dimer-Monomer reaction model (DM model), where various dimer adsorption mechanisms in catalyst surface, namely, the local and random adsorption surface catalytic reaction models are considered. Then we use the stochastic delayed theory involved in this paper and its extension, including the analytical approximation and numerical simulation of complex systems under the action of noise and time delay. In this paper, we consider the effects of noise and time-delayed feedback in the surface catalytic reaction model, and construct a delayed monomer-dimer surface reaction model including correlated noise. According to the Langevin equation, applying small delay approximation, we obtain the delayed Fokker-Planck equation for calculating characteristic parameters of the non-equilibrium phase transition behavior (the extreme of the steady state probability distribution), analyzing the effect mechanism of noise and its correlation with the non-equilibrium phase transition. The MD model exhibits the first- and second-order phase transition, namely, the reactive window between first- and second-order phase transition. The MD models for various dimer adsorption mechanisms (namely, local and random adsorption models) are discussed. The results are indicated as follows. (1) The external noise and correlation between two noise signals cause the reactive window width to contract. (2) The influence of the internal noise on the behavior of non-equilibrium dynamical phase transition depends on the noise correlation, i.e., when the two noise signals are negatively correlated, the internal noise causes the reactive window width to expand. However when the two noise signals are positively correlated, the internal noise causes the reactive window width to contract. (3) The noise-caused changes of reaction window have important scientific significance in the first- and second-order phase transition of the MD surface reaction model.

Polydatin ameliorates diabetic cardiomyopathy via Sirt3 activation

BackgroundDiabetic cardiomyopathy is identified as cardiac ventricular dysfunction induced by an insulin shortage in diabetic patients. Our previous studies have shown that Polydatin (PD) alleviates cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI) injury. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which PD regulates diabetic cardiomyopathy has not been reported. MethodsIn this study, we demonstrated the effects and described the mechanisms of PD in diabetic cardiomyopathy in both adult mouse hearts and neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. We injected streptozotocin (STZ) to induce the DM model in wild-type (WT) and Sirt3 knockout (Sirt3−/−) mice. Mitochondrial bioenergetics in diabetic mice were detected by measuring citrate synthase activity and ATP content. The extent of autophagy regulation by PD was investigated by detecting the levels of Beclin 1, Atg5, LC3 and p62. ResultsCompared to the WT mouse hearts, hearts from the diabetic mice exhibited better cardiac function and a higher level of autophagy. Moreover, mitochondrial function in the diabetic mouse hearts was improved after PD treatment. However, PD treatment had no effect on the Sirt3 knockout diabetic mouse hearts. Additionally, PD increased autophagy flux in the cardiomyocytes that were cultured in high-glucose medium for 48 h. In addition, PD had no effects on the cardiomyocytes under high-glucose conditions when we down-regulated Sirt3. ConclusionsAltogether, PD attenuated cardiac dysfunction, increased autophagy flux and improved mitochondrial bioenergetics by up-regulating Sirt3 in the diabetic mice.

Energy Density and Dry Matter Content in Fish: New Observations and an Evaluation of Some Empirical Models

AbstractEnergy density (ED) is an indicator of fish nutritional status, physiological status, and fitness. Estimates of ED of predators and prey are also needed for bioenergetics modeling, but direct measurements of ED are difficult to obtain. Hence, investigators often borrow published values from the same species or related species. Alternatively, models have been developed that predict ED from dry matter content (DM). The scarcity of published ED values makes data borrowing and the generality of predictive modeling difficult to evaluate. We report new ED measurements derived from bomb calorimetry for six freshwater fish species (Arctic Char Salvelinus alpinus, Brown Trout Salmo trutta, kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka, Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, Rainbow Trout O. mykiss, and White Sucker Catostomus commersonii) and compared them to previously published data. We used our data to validate existing ED:DM models and to fit new ones. We also quantified bias that could result from borrowing inappropriate ED values for bioenergetics modeling. We collected a range of fish sizes from two reservoirs of differing productivity and measured whole‐body ED (wet‐mass basis) and DM. Our data substantially increase the range of ED data for Arctic Char, kokanee, and White Suckers. Two multispecies ED:DM models predicted the ED of our samples accurately (mean root mean square error [RMSE] < 500 J/g), even at the extremes for the range of prediction where data used for model development were limited. Taxon‐specific models performed less well (mean RMSE = 775 J/g), and some appeared highly biased (RMSE 956−1,900 J/g). Bioenergetics model simulations showed that Lake Trout prey consumption could be overestimated by as much as 22% when using borrowed EDs for Lake Trout and their prey, but prey consumption estimates fell within ±2% of observed when ED was predicted from DM. When direct measures of ED are unattainable, measurement of DM and prediction of ED from one of the published multispecies models offer a practical and accurate method for bioenergetics modeling and other studies requiring information on fish energy content.

Comparison of antioxidant activity of insulin, Ocimum gratissimum L., and Vernonia amygdalina L. in type 1 diabetic rat model

ObjectiveDiabetes mellitus (DM) is known to be associated with increase of oxidative stress products. The direction of effect of any treatment on these products could therefore be a reliable measure of its efficacy on DM. So the aim of this study was to investigate the activity of insulin, Ocimum gratissimum L. (OG) and Vernonia amygdalina L. (VA) on oxidative stress products. MethodsThirty-six female Wistar rats weighing 150–200 g were randomly divided into six groups of six rats each. Thirty rats were induced for type 1 DM (DM1) with a single intraperitoneal administration of 65 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin. Group 1 was normal control and was administered distilled water while Group 2 served as DM1 control group; Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 were diabetic rats treated with 208 mg/kg OG (DM1 + OG), 52 mg/kg VA (DM1 + VA), 208 mg/kg OG + 52 mg/kg VA (DM1+OG +VA) and 0.16 IU insulin (DM1 + insulin) respectively. Determination of methemoglobin and sulfhemoglobin was achieved by the absorption spectrum principle. Red blood cell (RBC) catalase was assayed by continuous spectrophotometric method. ResultsThe RBC catalase concentration was significantly decreased in the DM1 and DM1+VA groups when compared with the normal control. DM1 + OG significantly increased RBC-catalase when compared to DM1. The methemoglobin concentration was significantly reduced in the DM1, DM1 + VA, DM1 + OG + VA and DM1 + insulin groups when compared to the normal control group. The sulfhemoglobin concentration was significantly increased in the diabetic control and the diabetic treated groups when compared to the normal control. DM1 + OG reduced the sulfhemoglobin concentration when compared to DM1. The blood glucose concentration of all the diabetic groups was significantly raised compared to normal control. OG, VA and insulin significantly reduced the blood glucose concentration with the efficacy of OG and VA higher than insulin. ConclusionAdverse alteration of oxidative indices were observed in type 1 DM model. Treatment with OG and insulin showed potent antioxidant activity, while the hypoglycemic efficacy of OG and VA were higher than insulin.

Blind Spots for Direct Detection with Simplified DM Models and the LHC

Using the existing simplified model framework, we build several dark matter models which have suppressed spin-independent scattering cross section. We show that the scattering cross section can vanish due to interference effects with models obtained by simple combinations of simplified models. For weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) masses $\gtrsim$10 GeV, collider limits are usually much weaker than the direct detection limits coming from LUX or XENON100. However, for our model combinations, LHC analyses are more competitive for some parts of the parameter space. The regions with direct detection blind spots can be strongly constrained from the complementary use of several Large Hadron Collider (LHC) searches like mono-jet, jets + missing transverse energy, heavy vector resonance searches, etc. We evaluate the strongest limits for combinations of scalar + vector, "squark" + vector, and scalar + "squark" mediator, and present the LHC 14 TeV projections.

Constraints on dark matter scenarios from measurements of the galaxy luminosity function at high redshifts

We use state-of-art measurements of the galaxy luminosity function (LF) at z=6, 7 and 8 to derive constraints on warm dark matter (WDM), late-forming dark matter (LFDM) and ultra-light axion dark matter (ULADM) models alternative to the cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm. To this purpose we have run a suite of high-resolution N-body simulations to accurately characterise the low mass-end of the halo mass function and derive DM model predictions of the high-z luminosity function. In order to convert halo masses into UV-magnitudes we introduce an empirical approach based on halo abundance matching which allows us to model the LF in terms of the amplitude and scatter of the ensemble average star formation rate halo mass relation of each DM model, $\langle {\rm SFR}({\rm M_{ h}},z)\rangle$. We find that independent of the DM scenario the average SFR at fixed halo mass increases from z=6 to 8, while the scatter remains constant. At halo mass ${\rm M_{h}}\gtrsim 10^{12}\,{\rm M}_\odot$ h$^{-1}$ the average SFR as function of halo mass follows a double power law trend that is common to all models, while differences occur at smaller masses. In particular, we find that models with a suppressed low-mass halo abundance exhibit higher SFR compared to the CDM results. Using deviance statistics we obtain a lower limit on the WDM thermal relic particle mass, $m_{\rm WDM}\gtrsim 1.5$ keV at $2\sigma$. In the case of LFDM models, the phase transition redshift parameter is bounded to $z_t\gtrsim 8\cdot 10^5$ at $2\sigma$. We find ULADM best-fit models with axion mass $m_a\gtrsim 1.6\cdot 10^{-22}$ eV to be well within $2\sigma$ of the deviance statistics. We remark that measurements at $z=6$ slightly favour a flattening of the LF at faint UV-magnitudes. This tends to prefer some of the non-CDM models in our simulation suite, although not at a statistically significant level to distinguish them from CDM.

The effect of combined photobiomodulation and metformin on open skin wound healing in a non-genetic model of type II diabetes

This study intended to examine the combined influences of photobiomodulation (PBM) and metformin on the microbial flora and biomechanical parameters of wounds in a non-genetic model of type II diabetes mellitus (TII DM).We induced a non-genetic model of TII DM in 20 rats by feeding them a 10% fructose solution for 2weeks followed by an injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 40mg/kg). After 21days from the injection of STZ, we induced one full-thickness skin wound in each of the diabetic rats. We randomly divided the rats into four groups: i) placebo; ii) pulsed wave laser (890nm, 80Hz, 0.324J/cm2); iii) metformin; and iv) laser+metformin. Rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of metformin (50mg/kg). On days 7and 15 we inspected the microbial flora of each wound. On day 15 we obtained a standard sample from each healing wound for biomechanical analyses.PBM significantly decreased colony-forming units (CFUs) 7days after wound infliction compared to the placebo group (LSD test, p=0.012). Metformin significantly enhanced the biomechanical property (stress high load) of the wounds compared to the placebo group (LSD test, p=0.028). We observed the same significant result for PBM compared to the placebo group (LSD test, p=0.047).PBM significantly accelerated the wound healing process and significantly reduced CFUs of bacteria in a non-genetic rat model of TII DM.

Reionization and Galaxy Formation in Warm Dark Matter Cosmologies

We compare model results from a semi-analytic (merger-tree based) framework for high-redshift (z ~ 5-20) galaxy formation against reionization indicators, including the Planck electron scattering optical depth and the ionizing photon emissivity, to shed light on the reionization history and sources in Cold (CDM) and Warm Dark Matter (WDM; particle masses of $m_x = 1.5,3$ and 5 keV) cosmologies. This model includes all the key processes of star formation, supernova feedback, the merger/accretion/ejection driven evolution of gas and stellar mass and the effect of the ultra-violet background (UVB) in photo-evaporating the gas content of low-mass galaxies. We find that the delay in the start of reionization in light (1.5 keV) WDM models can be compensated by a steeper redshift evolution of the ionizing photon escape fraction and a faster mass assembly, resulting in reionization ending at comparable redshifts (z~5.5) in all the DM models considered. We find the bulk of the reionization photons come from galaxies with a halo mass $M_h < 10^9 M_\odot$ and a UV magnitude $ -15 < M_{UV} < -10$ in CDM. The progressive suppression of low-mass halos with decreasing $m_x$ leads to a shift in the reionization population to larger halo masses of $M_h > 10^9 M_\odot$ and $ -17 < M_{UV} < -13$ for 1.5 keV WDM. We find that current observations of the electron scattering optical depth and the Ultra-violet luminosity function are equally compatible with all the (cold and warm) DM models considered in this work. We propose that global indicators including the redshift evolution of the stellar mass density and the stellar mass-halo mass relation, observable with the James Webb Space Telescope, can be used to distinguish between CDM and WDM (1.5 keV) cosmologies.

Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products-Mediated Signaling Impairs the Maintenance of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Diabetic Model Mice.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) have been demonstrated to contribute to tissue regeneration. However, chronic pathological conditions, such as diabetes and aging, can result in a decreased number and/or quality of BM-MSCs. We therefore investigated the maintenance mechanism of BM-MSCs by studying signaling through the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), which is thought to be activated under various pathological conditions. The abundance of endogenous BM-MSCs decreased in a type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) model, as determined by performing colony-forming unit (CFU) assays. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the prevalence of the Lin-/ckit-/CD106+/CD44- BM population, which was previously identified as a slow-cycling BM-MSC population, also decreased. Furthermore, in a streptozotocin-induced type 1 DM model (DM1), the CFUs of fibroblasts and the prevalence of the Lin-/ckit-/CD106+/CD44- BM population also significantly decreased. BM-MSCs in RAGE knockout (KO) mice were resistant to such reduction induced by streptozotocin treatment, suggesting that chronic RAGE signaling worsened the maintenance mechanism of BM-MSCs. Using an in vitro culture condition, BM-MSCs from RAGE-KO mice showed less proliferation and expressed significantly more Nanog and Oct-4, which are key factors in multipotency, than did wild-type BM-MSCs. Furthermore, RAGE-KO BM-MSCs showed a greater capacity for differentiation into mesenchymal lineages, such as adipocytes and osteocytes. These data suggested that RAGE signaling inhibition is useful for maintaining BM-MSCs in vitro. Together, our findings indicated that perturbation of BM-MSCs in DM could be partially explained by chronic RAGE signaling and that targeting the RAGE signaling pathway is a viable approach for maintaining BM-MSCs under chronic pathological conditions.

Pengaruh jamur tiram putih (pleurotus ostreatus) terhadap kadar glukosa darah, profil lipid dan kadar MDA pada tikus (rattus norvegicus) diabetes melitus

Background : Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by acquired deficiency in insulin production by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of using the produced insulin. Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) can help lower blood glucose levels, improve lipid profile and reduce levels of MDA.Objective : to analyze the effect of oyster mushroom on blood glucose levels, lipid profile and MDA levels in STZ induced rats as type 1 DM model. Methods : thirty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: one positive group (1) and two treated group which received 100 mg/kgBB (2) and 200 mg/kgBB (3) oyster mushroom extract, respectively. The interventions were carried out for 30 days. The examination of blood glucose levels, lipid profile and MDA levels was before and after the intervention. The differences inthe datapre-post interventions were analyzed by paired t-test, whereas the differences between the groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and kruskal wallis followed by post hoc analysis. Results : the treatment group experienced a decrease in blood glucose levels, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, MDA and an increase in HDL cholesterol levels post-intervention (p &lt; 0,001). Oyster mushroom extract with the dose of 200 mg/kg was more effective in lowering blood glucose levels, MDA levels and improving lipid profiles (p &lt; 0,001).Conclusion : Oyster mushrooms administration lowers blood glucose levels, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, MDA and increases HDL cholesterol levels.

Metabolomics analysis on serum biomarkers timing characteristics of type 2 diabetic rats intervened by exercise

To analyze the combined features of serum biomarker of exercise-intervened type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats at different time point. Ninety SD rats randomly selected from 100 were fed with high glucose and fat diet for 4 weeks, and then received intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) according to 40 mg/kg by weight; after modeling for one week, Seventy-one rats were successfully modeled among which intervened with swimming at three different time points (2w, 4w and 8w). Eighty-one rats were finally divided into 8 groups as below:Normal control group (C0,n=10);DM model comparison group (DC0,n=10); DM model comparison 2w group (DC2, n=11); DM model comparison 4w group (DC4, n=10); DM model comparison 8w group (DC8, n=9); DM exercise intervention 2w group (DE2, n=11); DM exercise intervention 4w group (DE4, n=10); DM exercise intervention 8w group (DE8, n=11).The UPLC/Q-TOF MS technique was used to conduct metabonomics test of serum of rats to analyze the combined features of serum biomarkers under exercise intervention at different time points. According to fold change, we got the biomarker combinations (with 15 specific substances in each combination) of exercise intervention at three time points. In these serum biomarker combinations that were specific at different time points, a majority of metabolites appeared simultaneously at different time points but with obvious difference of fold change. Fold change of monoglyceride(24:6) and gluconic acid were most evident respectively at 2w and 4w intervention time points,Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) andlinolenic acid(LA) contents might approach the normal level at 4~8 time point. Combined features of serum biomarker of exercise-intervened T2DM rats are specific at different time point. Both EPA and LA are common substances significantly up-regulated while MonoglycerideMG(24:6), Gluconic acid, Propionyl-L-carnitine(PLC), Arginine(Arg) and Sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPP) are common substances significantly down-regulated at three time points.

Nonthermal dark matter models and signals

Many experiments exploring weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) such as direct, indirect and collider searches have been carried out until now. However, a clear signal of a WIMP has not been found yet and it makes us to suspect that WIMPs are questionable as a dark matter candidate. Taking into account this situation, we propose two models in which dark matter relic density is produced by decay of a metastable particle. In the first model, the metastable particle is a feebly interacting massive particle, which is the so-called FIMP produced by freeze-in mechanism in the early universe. In the second model, the decaying particle is thermally produced the same as the usual WIMP. However decay of the particle into dark matter is led by a higher dimensional operator. As a phenomenologically interesting feature of nonthermal dark matter discussed in this paper, a strong sharp gamma-ray emission as an indirect detection signal occurs due to internal bremsstrahlung, although some parameter space has already been ruled out by this process. Moreover combining other experimental and theoretical constraints such as dark matter relic density, big bang nucleosynthesis, collider, gamma-rays and perturbativity of couplings, we discuss the two nonthermal DM models.

The influence of social comparisons made on Facebook and sociotropy on bulimia nervosa symptoms: A revised examination of the dual pathway model

BackgroundThe dual pathway model (DPM) attempts to explain the processes that are etiological to the development of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) symptomology by examining both individual and sociocultural risk factors of BN. The DPM, however, is yet to incorporate the sociocultural factor Facebook, which is important given the widespread use of the social media website Facebook. In addition, research has suggested that the personality trait sociotropy may increase vulnerability to developing BN symptoms, however, there is limited evidence examining this factor in the DPM.ObjectiveTo test a revised DPM with the inclusions of social comparisons made on Facebook and sociotropy both (a) cross-sectionally and (b) longitudinally.MethodFour hundred and seventy females participated at baseline (T1). Four weeks later, 274 females completed the follow-up assessment (T2), which assessed a subset of measures from the baseline assessment.ResultsAn acceptable fit for both DM models was obtained through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using MPlus (See Figs. 1 and 2).ConclusionsPrevention and early intervention efforts for both depression and BN should focus on addressing appropriate Facebook and social media use and these interventions should be tailored to individuals scoring high on sociotropy.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Functional and Morphological Correlates in the Drosophila LRRK2 loss-of-function Model of Parkinson's Disease: Drug Effects of Withania somnifera (Dunal) Administration.

The common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) is a simple animal species that contributed significantly to the development of neurobiology whose leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 mutants (LRRK2) loss-of-function in the WD40 domain represent a very interesting tool to look into physiopathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Accordingly, LRRK2 Dm have also the potential to contribute to reveal innovative therapeutic approaches to its treatment. Withania somnifera Dunal, a plant that grows spontaneously also in Mediterranean regions, is known in folk medicine for its anti-inflammatory and protective properties against neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of its standardized root methanolic extract (Wse) on the LRRK2 loss-of-function Dm model of PD. To this end mutant and wild type (WT) flies were administered Wse, through diet, at different concentrations as larvae and adults (L+/A+) or as adults (L-/A+) only. LRRK2 mutants have a significantly reduced lifespan and compromised motor function and mitochondrial morphology compared to WT flies 1% Wse-enriched diet, administered to Dm LRRK2 as L-/A+and improved a) locomotor activity b) muscle electrophysiological response to stimuli and also c) protected against mitochondria degeneration. In contrast, the administration of Wse to Dm LRRK2 as L+/A+, no matter at which concentration, worsened lifespan and determined the appearance of increased endosomal activity in the thoracic ganglia. These results, while confirming that the LRRK2 loss-of-function in the WD40 domain represents a valid model of PD, reveal that under appropriate concentrations Wse can be usefully employed to counteract some deficits associated with the disease. However, a careful assessment of the risks, likely related to the impaired endosomal activity, is required.

Evaluation of bone mineral density and bone strength in autochthonous transgenic model mice for diabetes mellitus (Akita mice)

ObjectivesDiabetes mellitus (DM) causes secondary osteoporosis, which reduces bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strength. Akita mice (AM) are DM model mice used to evaluate glucose metabolism. However, bone metabolism in AM remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate BMD, bone strength, and serum sclerostin levels in AM. MethodsFemale AM and control mice (C57/BL/6NCrSlc; CM) were divided into four groups: (1) a CM group sacrificed at 14 (CM-14w; n = 8) or (2) 18 weeks of age (CM-18w; n = 6); and (3) an AM group sacrificed at 14 (AM-14w; n = 9) or (4) 18 weeks of age (AM-18w; n = 6). Blood glucose level, serum sclerostin level, total tibial BMD, and femoral shaft bone strength were evaluated at each time point. ResultsBlood glucose levels were significantly higher in AM than in CM (p < 0.001). Serum sclerostin levels were significantly lower in AM-18w than in CM-18w (p < 0.001). BMD was significantly lower in AM-14w than in CM-14w (p = 0.004). Stiffness of the femoral shaft was significantly lower in AM-18w than in CM-14w (p = 0.04). Body weight (r = 0.608, p < 0.01) and maximum load (r = 0.438, p < 0.05) were significantly positively correlated with serum sclerostin levels, while blood glucose levels showed a significant negative correlation (r = −0.708, p < 0.01). ConclusionsAM showed decreased BMD and bone strength with lower levels of serum sclerostin than CM.

Hubungan Dosis Tepung Gembili (Dioscorea esculenta) Dengan Tingkat Ekspresi Enzim Ampk-α2 pada Model Tikus Diabetes Melitus

Alternative methods of controlling glucose levels in patients with diabetes is by type of food, either by utilizing yam flour. At the flour contained inulin and resistant starch that can activate the enzyme AMPK-α2. Activation of these enzymes will stimulate glucose transport in skeletal muscle and liver, thus causing a decrease in glucose production. Varying doses of flour is expected to affect the expression of AMPK-α2. This study aims to dosage relationship yam flour (Dioscorea esculenta) with tigkat-α2 AMPK enzyme expression in the nucleus skeletal muscle and liver in mouse models of diabetes mellitus. The study was a quasi-experimental design with Post Test Only Group Design. Rats were divided into 5 (five) groups, healthy mice, the mice with type 2 diabetes, and type 2 groups of diabetic rats with dietary intake yam flour addition of 1.25 g (TG-1:25),), 2.5 g (TG -2.5), 5.0 g (TG-5.0). Yam flour is mixed into the rat diet feed with varying doses. The results showed no significant correlation between the dose of yam flour with AMPK-α2 expression levels in skeletal muscle nuclei (p = 0.312) and liver (p = 0.474) in a mouse model of DM. The need for other studies using other types of food as an alternative arrangement of food for patients with diabetes