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| 3. |
- Ronkainen, P. H., et al.
(författare)
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Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy modifies skeletal muscle composition and function: a study with monozygotic twin pairs
- 2009
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Ingår i: J Appl Physiol. - : American Physiological Society. - 8750-7587. ; 107:1, s. 25-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated whether long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with mobility and lower limb muscle performance and composition in postmenopausal women. Fifteen 54- to 62-yr-old monozygotic female twin pairs discordant for HRT were recruited from the Finnish Twin Cohort. Habitual (HWS) and maximal (MWS) walking speeds over 10 m, thigh muscle composition, lower body muscle power assessed as vertical jumping height, and maximal isometric hand grip and knee extension strengths were measured. Intrapair differences (IPD%) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The mean duration of HRT use was 6.9 +/- 4.1 yr. MWS was on average 7% (0.9 to 13.1%, P = 0.019) and muscle power 16% (-0.8 to 32.8%, P = 0.023) greater in HRT users than in their cotwins. Thigh muscle cross-sectional area tended to be larger (IPD% = 6%, 95% CI: -0.07 to 12.1%, P = 0.065), relative muscle area greater (IPD% = 8%, CI: 0.8 to 15.0%, P = 0.047), and relative fat area smaller (IPD% = -5%, CI: -11.3 to 1.2%, P = 0.047) in HRT users than in their sisters. There were no significant differences in maximal isometric strengths or HWS between users and nonusers. Subgroup analyses revealed that estrogen-containing therapies (11 pairs) significantly decreased total body and thigh fat content, whereas tibolone (4 pairs) tended to increase muscle cross-sectional area. This study showed that long-term HRT was associated with better mobility, greater muscle power, and favorable body and muscle composition among 54- to 62-yr-old women. The results indicate that HRT is a potential agent in preventing muscle weakness and mobility limitation in older women.
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| 4. |
- Aittoniemi, J, et al.
(författare)
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Relation among mannose-binding lectin 2 genotype, β-cell autoantibodies, and risk for type 1 diabetes in Finnish children
- 2008
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Ingår i: Human Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0198-8859 .- 1879-1166. ; 69:2, s. 108-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a key mediator of innate immunity, the insufficiency of which is caused by point mutations in the MBL2 gene. MBL insufficiency is associated with increased susceptibility to infections and certain autoimmune diseases, but its impact in the pathogenesis and risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is controversial. We investigated the significance of the MBL2 genotype on the risk of T1D in a Finnish study population comprising 470 diabetic children and 501 controls. Furthermore, the effect of MBL2 gene polymorphism on the emergence of β-cell autoantibodies in 289 unaffected children with human leukocyte antigen-conferred susceptibility to T1D was assessed. MBL genotype had no significant effect on the risk or onset age of T1D. However, children with the biallelic variant genotype reflecting total MBL deficiency tested positive more frequently for ≥3 autoantibodies compared with children with another genotype (odds ratio = 6.0, 95% confidence interval 1.3-28, p = 0.013). In conclusion, the MBL2 genotype did not affect susceptibility to T1D in children, and this finding does not support previous reports implicating a role of the MBL2 genotype as a factor predisposing to T1D. The association of the biallelic variant genotype with positivity for multiple autoantibodies suggests that intermolecular epitope spreading may be linked with impaired clearance of autoantigens as a result of MBL deficiency. © 2008 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics.
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| 5. |
- Bonanni, L., et al.
(författare)
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The Open Sustainability Project : A Linked Data Approach to LCA
- 2010
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Ingår i: LCA X, Bridging Science, Policy, and the Public 2-4 November 2010, Portland, Oregon.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The proprietary nature of LCA tools and information limits widespread adoption of sustainability measures. We introduce the Open Sustainability Project(OSP), a Linked Data resource for broadening access to LCA in an effort to increase the transparency and accuracy of environmental impact assessments(2, 9).The OSP applies Free and Open Source Software(FOSS) principles and Linked Data structures to LCA standards and reporting so that communities including students, SME’s and the general public can participate in the assessment and verification of sustainability practices(1,6). The highly flexible data format allows disparate data sources and assessments to be compared along an open standard compliant with ISO 14048 reporting(5, 8, 12).In addition, the OSP makes available a free database of Life Cycle Assessment data using an approach based on Linked Data and RESTful interfaces which supports the development of rich third-party applications for specific user groups and industries(7). This novel combination of linked data and web-based tools is inherently transparent so that LCA practices can be standardized, compared and verified by a broad community.The OSP is an international collaboration between academics, government and industry groups leveraging expertise in LCA, Open Data and web-based tools for sustainability(10). Our first Open Source and Open Data web sustainability tools have confirmed the potential to engage a wider audience, with over two thousand registered users, three thousand environmental assessments performed and over 330,000 page views from more than 75 countries since September 2009(3, 4, 11). The OSP aims to expand reach of LCA through a free and open Application Programming Interface(API) to support distributed development of third-party applications for sustainability assessment through the emerging metrics for social and environmental sustainability(a free LCA "App Store"). These applications are intended to disseminate LCA standards, encourage transparency in environmental reporting and leverage Collective Intelligence in the collection, publication and verification of LCA.The OSP aims to transform LCA into a collaborative process where data collection, analysis, assessment and reporting benefit from the feedback and ideas of a growing worldwide LCA community.
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| 7. |
- Obase, Y, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of inhaled corticosteroids on metalloproteinase-8 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in the airways of asthmatic children
- 2010
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Ingår i: International archives of allergy and immunology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1423-0097 .- 1018-2438. ; 151:3, s. 247-254
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <i>Background:</i> The effects of corticosteroids on the level and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8; collagenase-2) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in airway tissue are poorly characterized in vivo. <i>Methods:</i> We compared MMP-8 and TIMP-1 levels in induced sputum and their expression in airway inflammatory cells of healthy children (n = 27) and of children with newly diagnosed asthma with mild (n = 20) or moderate symptoms (n = 19), before and after 6 months of treatment with inhaled budesonide. <i>Results:</i> At baseline, MMP-8 was higher in asthmatic children with moderate symptoms, TIMP-1 was lower and the MMP-8/TIMP-1 ratio was higher in both groups of asthmatic children compared with controls. Inhaled budesonide increased TIMP-1 levels in both groups of asthmatic children and normalized the MMP-8/TIMP-1 ratio, and this paralleled the improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 s in children with mild symptoms. At baseline, asthmatic children had significantly more MMP-8-positive macrophages than control children, whereas the number of TIMP-1-positive macrophages was almost the same. Budesonide decreased the percentage of MMP-8-positive macrophages and increased that of TIMP-1-positive macrophages; these changes were significant in asthmatic children with mild symptoms. <i>Conclusions:</i> Inhaled budesonide normalized the MMP-8/TIMP-1 ratio in asthmatic children by upregulation of TIMP-1 production and downregulation of MMP-8 production by airway macrophages. This change may be a biochemical marker of an effect on airway inflammation and possibly of an ongoing remodeling process that should be further investigated using biopsy specimens.
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- Kuittinen, M, et al.
(författare)
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Learning by Experience: Networks in Learning Organizations
- 2001
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Ingår i: Informatica. - 0350-5596 .- 1854-3871. ; 25:2, s. 159-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- offers undergraduate courses in Cognitive Science. The studies are mainly organized as web-based courses or collaborative student projects. In the basic studies component, a student completes four one credit methodology courses and chooses a related assignment worth three credits for one of them. One of the methodology courses is entitled Networks in Learning Organization. It will be delivered entirely on the web, and it also will serve as a pilot course to help design other methodology courses. This paper will first briefly discuss the theoretical foundations of learning organizations and organizational learning. Then, we will review the role of networks as the technological foundation of a learning organization and continue by discussing the use of educational technology to support organizational learning and learn about it. Finally, we will describe the structure and the methods of the course and present topics that form the starting point for the discourse within the course.
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| 13. |
- Laakso, S, et al.
(författare)
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Testicular Function and Bone in Young Men with Severe Childhood-Onset Obesity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Hormone research in paediatrics. - : S. Karger AG. - 1663-2826 .- 1663-2818. ; 89:6, s. 442-449
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <b><i>Background:</i></b> Previous studies suggest increased risk for hypoandrogenism and fractures in men with obesity. We aimed to describe the effects of severe childhood-onset obesity on the cross talk between metabolic state, testes, and skeleton at late puberty. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A cohort of adolescent and young adult males with severe childhood-onset obesity (<i>n</i> = 21, mean age 18.5 years) and an age-matched control group were assessed for testicular hormones and X-ray absorptiometry-derived bone mass. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Current median body mass indexes for the obese and control subjects were 37.4 and 22.9. Severe early-onset obesity manifested with lower free testosterone (median [interquartile range] 244 [194–332] vs. 403 [293–463] pmol/L, <i>p</i> = 0.002). Lower insulin-like 3 (1.02 [0.82–1.23] vs. 1.22 [1.01–1.46] ng/mL, <i>p</i> = 0.045) and lower ratio of testosterone to luteinizing hormone (2.81 [1.96–3.98] vs. 4.10 [3.03–5.83] nmol/IU, <i>p</i> = 0.008) suggested disrupted Leydig cell function. The degree of current obesity inversely correlated with free testosterone (τ = –0.516, <i>p</i> = 0.003), which in turn correlated positively with bone area at all measurement sites in males with childhood-onset obesity. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Severe childhood-onset obesity is associated with impaired Leydig cell function in young men and lower free testosterone may contribute to impaired skeletal characteristics.
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| 14. |
- Pöllänen, E., et al.
(författare)
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Differential influence of peripheral and systemic sex steroids on skeletal muscle quality in pre- and postmenopausal women
- 2011
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Ingår i: Aging Cell. - : Wiley. - 1474-9718. ; 10:4, s. 650-660
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aging is associated with gradual decline of skeletal muscle strength and mass often leading to diminished muscle quality. This phenomenon is known as sarcopenia and affects about 30% of the over 60-year-old population. Androgens act as anabolic agents regulating muscle mass and improving muscle performance. The role of female sex steroids as well as the ability of skeletal muscle tissue to locally produce sex steroids has been less extensively studied. We show that despite the extensive systemic deficit of sex steroid hormones in postmenopausal compared to premenopausal women, the hormone content of skeletal muscle does not follow the same trend. In contrast to the systemic levels, muscle tissue of post- and premenopausal women had similar concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione, while the concentrations of estradiol and testosterone were significantly higher in muscle of the postmenopausal women. The presence of steroidogenetic enzymes in muscle tissue indicates that the elevated postmenopausal steroid levels in skeletal muscle are because of local steroidogenesis. The circulating sex steroids were associated with better muscle quality while the muscle concentrations reflected the amount of infiltrated fat within muscle tissue. We conclude that systemically delivered and peripherally produced sex steroids have distinct roles in the regulation of neuromuscular characteristics during aging.
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| 15. |
- Saarela, J, et al.
(författare)
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Logical Structure of a Hypermedia Newspaper
- 1997
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Ingår i: Information Processing & Management. - 0306-4573 .- 1873-5371. ; 33:5, s. 599-614
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The OtaOnline project at the Helsinki University of Technology has been deploying the distribution of Finnish newspapers such as Iltalehti, Aamulehti and Kauppalehti on the Internet since 1994, The editors produce the electronic counterpart of these papers by a conversion process from QuarkXpress documents to HyperText Markup Language. The project is about to step into a new phase by introducing an approach which provides many new features not available in the old process. This paper describes an object-oriented approach which implements the logical model of a hypermedia newspaper. This model encapsulates the structure of the hypermedia documents as well as their capability for transforming into different presentation formats. It also provides a semantical rating mechanism to be used with intelligent agents. A distribution scheme which enables efficient use of this model is also presented
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| 19. |
- Turpeinen, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of cis-9,trans-11 CLA in rats at intake levels reported for breast-fed infants
- 2006
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Ingår i: Lipids. - : Wiley. - 0024-4201 .- 1558-9307. ; 41:7, s. 669-677
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CLA intake in exclusively breast-fed infants is close to levels found to have physiological effects in animals. However, in the majority of studies mixtures of CLA isomers have been used and the independent effects of the major CLA isomer in human milk, cis-9, trans-11 CLA, at the intake level in exclusively breast-fed infants have hardly been studied. We therefore studied the effects of cis-9,trans-11 CLA on plasma lipids and glucose, immune function, and bone metabolism in growing rats. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10/group) were fed either 20 mg/kg/d cis-9,trans-11 CLA and 20 mg/kg/d sunflower oil (CLA20), 40 mg/kg/d cis-9,trans-11 CLA (CLA40), or 40 mg/kg/d sunflower oil (placebo) for 8 wk. No significant differences between groups were found in plasma lipids, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, or lipid peroxidation. Liver fat content was lowest in the CLA20 group. In vitro interleukin 2 (IL-2) production increased, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-1 beta, prostaglandin E-2, and leukotriene 134 production decreased in the CLA20 group. No differences between groups were detected in IL-4, IL-6, or interferon gamma production, plasma osteocalcin, insulin-like growth factor, or urinary deoxypyridinoline crosslinks. Plasma tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b activity was significantly increased in the CLA40 group. The results indicate anti-inflammatory effects and enhanced T-cell function for the CLA20 group. No adverse effects were seen in the CLA20 group, whereas indications of increased bone resorption rate were observed in the CLA40 group.
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| 20. |
- Turpeinen, Anu M, et al.
(författare)
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Immunological and metabolic effects of cis-9, trans-11-conjugated linoleic acid in subjects with birch pollen allergy
- 2008
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Ingår i: Br J Nutr. - 0007-1145. ; , s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Animal studies suggest that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may modulate the immune response, while studies in healthy human subjects have shown little effect and results are controversial. However, the effects of CLA may be more prominent in situations of immune imbalance, such as allergy. We studied the effects of the natural CLA isomer, cis-9, trans-11-CLA, on allergy symptoms and immunological parameters in subjects with birch pollen allergy. In a randomised, placebo-controlled study, forty subjects (20-46 years) with diagnosed birch pollen allergy received 2g CLA/d in capsules, which contained 65.3 % cis-9, trans-11-CLA and 8-5 % trans-10, cis-12-CLA (n 20), or placebo (high-oleic acid sunflower-seed oil) (n 20) for 12 weeks. The supplementation began 8 weeks before the birch pollen season and continued throughout the season. Allergy symptoms and use of medication were recorded daily. Lymphocyte subsets, cytokine production, immunoglobulins, C-reactive protein, lipid and glucose metabolism and lipid peroxidation were assessed before and after supplementation. The CLA group reported a better overall feeling of wellbeing (P< ;0.05) and less sneezing (P< ;0.05) during the pollen season. CLA supplementation decreased the in vitro production of TNF-alpha (P< ;0.01), interferon-gamma (P< ;0.05) and IL-5 (P< ;0.05). Total plasma IgE and birch-specific IgE concentrations did not differ between groups, whereas plasma IgA (P< ;0.05), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (P< ;0.05) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (P< ;0.05) concentrations were lower after CLA supplementation. Urinary excretion of 8-iso-PGF(2 alpha), a major F-2-isoprostane (P< ;0.01), and 15-keto-dihydro-PGF(2 alpha), a primary PGF(2 alpha) metabolite (P< ; 0.05), increased in the CLA group. The results suggest that cis-9, trans-11-CLA has modest anti-inflammatory effects in allergic subjects.
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| 21. |
- Turpeinen, Marko, et al.
(författare)
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Architecture for Agent-mediated Personalised News Services
- 1996
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Emerging agent technology can be used to implement a personalised news service. The consumer agent has a model of user's preferences and is able to request information that fulfills these needs. The producer agent has a logical model of the contents of the multimedia objects that are available for service. On the basis of this model, the producer agent can advertise its services in the network to potential consumer agents. The selected multimedia items are offered to the consumer as a personalised newspaper. This architecture is used in practise in building a personalised newspaper for the World Wide Web, which selects and presents the user with articles that match user's preferences. The article selection process is a combination of keyword searches, semantic matching and social filtering. In our agent-based service, the newspaper editors have an important role in defining semantic categories for the contents of the service, and in providing necessary metadata about the news articles....
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| 23. |
- Wennersberg, Marianne Hauge, et al.
(författare)
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Dairy products and metabolic effects in overweight men and women : results from a 6-mo intervention study
- 2009
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Ingår i: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9165 .- 1938-3207. ; 90:4, s. 960-968
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Some epidemiologic studies have suggested inverse relations between intake of dairy products and components of the metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the effects of an increased intake of dairy products in persons with a habitually low intake on body composition and factors related to the metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: Middle-aged overweight subjects (n = 121) with traits of the metabolic syndrome were recruited in Finland, Norway, and Sweden and randomly assigned into milk or control groups. The milk group was instructed to consume 3-5 portions of dairy products daily. The control group maintained their habitual diet. Clinical investigations were conducted on admission and after 6 mo. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between changes in body weight or body composition, blood pressure, markers of inflammation, endothelial function, adiponectin, or oxidative stress in the milk and the control groups. There was a modest unfavorable increase in serum cholesterol concentrations in the milk group (P = 0.043). Among participants with a low calcium intake at baseline (<700 mg/d), there was a significant treatment effect for waist circumference (P = 0.003) and sagittal abdominal diameter (P = 0.034). When the sexes were analyzed separately, leptin increased (P = 0.045) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 decreased (P = 0.001) in women in the milk group. CONCLUSIONS: This study gives no clear support to the hypothesis that a moderately increased intake of dairy products beneficially affects aspects of the metabolic syndrome. The apparently positive effects on waist circumference and sagittal abdominal diameter in subjects with a low calcium intake suggest a possible threshold in relation to effects on body composition.
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| 24. |
- Westerbacka, J, et al.
(författare)
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Insulin regulation of MCP-1 in human adipose tissue of obese and lean women
- 2008
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Ingår i: American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism. - : American Physiological Society. - 0193-1849 .- 1522-1555. ; 294:5, s. E841-E845
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CCL2 (MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1) and CCL3 (MIP-1α, macrophage inflammatory protein 1α) are required for macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue. Insulin increases CCL2 expression in adipose tissue and in serum more in insulin-resistant obese than in insulin-sensitive lean mice, but whether this is true in humans is unknown. We compared basal expression and insulin regulation of CCL2 and CCL3 in adipose tissue and MCP-1 and MIP-1α in serum between insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive human subjects. Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies and blood samples were obtained before and at the end of 6 h of in vivo euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (maintained by the insulin clamp technique) in 11 lean insulin-sensitive and 10 obese insulin-resistant women, and before and after a 6-h saline infusion in 8 women. Adipose tissue mRNA concentrations of monocyte/macrophage markers CD68, EMR1, ITGAM, ADAM8, chemokines CCL2 and CCL3, and housekeeping gene ribosomal protein large P0 (RPLP0) were measured by means of real-time PCR at baseline. In addition, mRNA concentrations of CCL2, CCL3, and RPLP0 were measured after insulin infusion. Levels of MCP-1 and MIP-1α were determined in serum, and protein concentration of MCP-1 was determined in adipose tissue at baseline and after insulin infusion. Basally, expression of the macrophage markers CD68 and EMR1 were increased in adipose tissue of insulin-resistant subjects. Insulin increased MCP-1 gene and protein expression significantly more in the insulin-resistant than in the insulin-sensitive subjects. Basally expression of CCL2 and CCL3 and expression of macrophage markers CD68 and ITGAM were significantly correlated. In serum, MCP-1 decreased significantly in insulin-sensitive but not insulin-resistant subjects. MIP-1α was undetectable in serum. Insulin regulation of CCL2 differs between insulin-sensitive and -resistant subjects in a direction that could exacerbate adipose tissue inflammation.
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