University of Copenhagen

About: University of Copenhagen is a education organization based out in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 57645 authors who have published 149740 publications receiving 5903093 citations. The organization is also known as: Copenhagen University & Københavns Universitet.

The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

Abstract: The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of the heritability of this disease. Here, to test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole-genome sequencing in 2,657 European individuals with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in 12,940 individuals from five ancestry groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded the sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support the idea that lower-frequency variants have a major role in predisposition to type 2 diabetes.

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

Abstract: The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky. In a two-year survey, TESS will monitor more than 500,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. This first-ever spaceborne all-sky transit survey will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, around a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances. No ground-based survey can achieve this feat. A large fraction of TESS target stars will be 30-100 times brighter than those observed by Kepler satellite, and therefore TESS . planets will be far easier to characterize with follow-up observations. TESS will make it possible to study the masses, sizes, densities, orbits, and atmospheres of a large cohort of small planets, including a sample of rocky worlds in the habitable zones of their host stars. TESS will provide prime targets for observation with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as well as other large ground-based and space-based telescopes of the future. TESS data will be released with minimal delay (no proprietary period), inviting immediate community-wide efforts to study the new planets. The TESS legacy will be a catalog of the very nearest and brightest main-sequence stars hosting transiting exoplanets, thus providing future observers with the most favorable targets for detailed investigations.

Both Subcutaneously and Intravenously Administered Glucagon-Like Peptide I Are Rapidly Degraded From the NH2-Terminus in Type II Diabetic Patients and in Healthy Subjects

Abstract: To fate of exogenous glucagon-like peptide I (GLP-I)(7-36) amide was studied in nondiabetic and type II diabetic subjects using a combination of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), specific radioimmunoassays (RIAs), and a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), whereby intact biologically active GLP-I and its metabolites could be determined. After GLP-I administration, the intact peptide could be measured using an NH2-terminally directed RIA or ELISA, while the difference in concentration between these assays and a COOH-terminal-specific RIA allowed determination of NH2-terminally truncated metabolites. Subcutaneous GLP-I was rapidly degraded in a time-dependent manner, forming a metabolite, which co-eluted on HPLC with GLP-I(9-36) amide and had the same immunoreactive profile. Thirty minutes after subcutaneous GLP-I administration to diabetic patients (n = 8), the metabolite accounted for 88.5 +/- 1.9% of the increase in plasma immunoreactivity determined by the COOH-terminal RIA, which was higher than the levels measured in healthy subjects (78.4 +/- 3.2%; n = 8; P < 0.05). Intravenously infused GLP-I was also extensively degraded, but no significant differences were seen between the two groups. Intact GLP-I accounted for only 19.9 +/- 3.4% of the increase in immunoreactivity measured with the COOH-terminal RIA in normal subjects (n = 8), and 25.0 +/- 4.8% of the increase in diabetic subjects (n = 8), the remainder being the NH2-terminally truncated metabolite.

Inhibition of gastric inhibitory polypeptide signaling prevents obesity.

Abstract: Secretion of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), a duodenal hormone, is primarily induced by absorption of ingested fat. Here we describe a novel pathway of obesity promotion via GIP. Wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet exhibited both hypersecretion of GIP and extreme visceral and subcutaneous fat deposition with insulin resistance. In contrast, mice lacking the GIP receptor (Gipr(-/-)) fed a high-fat diet were clearly protected from both the obesity and the insulin resistance. Moreover, double-homozygous mice (Gipr(-/-), Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)) generated by crossbreeding Gipr(-/-) and obese ob/ob (Lep(ob)/Lep(ob)) mice gained less weight and had lower adiposity than Lep(ob)/Lep(ob) mice. The Gipr(-/-) mice had a lower respiratory quotient and used fat as the preferred energy substrate, and were thus resistant to obesity. Therefore, GIP directly links overnutrition to obesity and it is a potential target for anti-obesity drugs.

Skeletal Muscle Adaptability: Significance for Metabolism and Performance

Abstract: The sections in this article are: 1 Motor Unit 1.1 Fibers per Motor Unit 1.2 Contractile Properties 1.3 Biochemical Basis for Differences in Twitch Properties 1.4 Histochemical Differentiation of Muscle Fibers 1.5 Ultrastructural Basis for Skeletal Muscle Fiber Typing 1.6 Maximal Contractile Force 1.7 Speed of Contraction 1.8 Fatigue Characteristics 1.9 Metabolic Characteristics 1.10 Ionic Composition of Skeletal Muscle 1.11 Summary 2 Muscle Fiber Composition in Human Skeletal Muscle 3 Motor-Unit Recruitment 4 Adaptive Response in Skeletal Muscle 4.1 Muscle Size 4.2 Metabolic Capacity 5 Connective Tissue 6 Capillaries 6.1 Methodology 6.2 Anatomy 6.3 Capillary Density 6.4 Capillary Length and Diameter 6.5 Use and Disuse 6.6 Regulation 7 Significance of Adaptation 7.1 Muscular Size 7.2 Substrate Stores 7.3 Enzyme Activities 7.4 Summary