Our results show that aPKC lambda is required for the formation and maintenance of the zonula adherens during early epithelial development in vertebrates and demonstrate a previously undescribed yet critical role for this protein in organ morphogenesis. Furthermore, our studies identify the first genetic locus regulating the orientation of cell division in vertebrates.

ObjectivesOxidative stress and inflammation have been postulated as underlying mechanisms for the development of obesity-related insulin resistance. This association however, remains elusive especially in childhood. We sought to investigate this relation by measuring oxidative stress and antioxidant response biomarkers, before and during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in different biological samples from obese children.Subjects24 children were recruited for the study, (18 obese and 6 controls). After OGTT, the obese group was subdivided in two, according to whether or not carbohydrate metabolic impairment (Ob.IR+, Ob.IR-; respectively) was found. Different biomarkers were analyzed after fasting (T = 0) and during an OGTT (T = 60 and 120 min). Lipoperoxides were measured in plasma, erythrocytes, and urine; while advanced glycation end products were determined in plasma, and redox status (GSH/GSSG ratio) in erythrocytes.ResultsWe found marked differences in the characterization of the oxidative status in urine and erythrocytes, and in the dynamics of the antioxidant response during OGTT. Specifically, Ob.IR+ children show increased oxidative stress, deficient antioxidant response and a significant imbalance in redox status, in comparison to controls and Ob.IR- children.ConclusionObese children with insulin resistance show increased levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, and a stunted antioxidant response to an OGTT leading to increased oxidative stress after a single glucose load, as detected in erythrocytes, but not in plasma. We propose erythrocytes as sensors of early and acute changes in oxidative stress associated with insulin resistance in childhood obesity. This is a pilot study, performed with a limited sample size, so data should be interpreted with caution until reproduced.

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Brandy and other aged distillates are a rich source of polyphenols. For brandies, contact with wood during ageing makes an important contribution to their polyphenols content. This paper describes the use of a previously devised ultra performance LC (UPLC) method to study the polyphenols content of Brandy de Jerez. UPLC is a new technique in LC offering several potential advantages, especially the reduction of time. Analyses of brandy performed by HPLC were repeated by UPLC. A special UPLC analytical column (Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column, 100 x 2.1 mm), with a particle size of 1.7 microm, forms part of this system. Using the UPLC system enabled the time needed for analysis to be reduced to one tenth of the time needed in the conventional HPLC system. In conclusion, the separation factor results of the UPLC were compared to those obtained using HPLC methods; this demonstrated that simple, high efficiency UPLC gradients are viable and advantageous substitutes for traditional analysis of polyphenols in brandy by HPLC. The method enabled 14 phenolic compounds to be identified and determined in 33 different commercial brandies, and this allowed them to be differentiated in function of quality.