title: Detection of Hsp60 in saliva and serum from type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic control subjects

authors: Yuan, Jing

subjects: Hsp60

abstract: There is increasing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress may be integral to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Heat shock protein (Hsp60) is a mitochondrial stress protein known to be induced under conditions of mitochondrial impairment. Although this intracellular protein is normally found in the mitochondrion, several studies have shown that this protein is also present in systemic circulation. In this study, we report the presence of elevated levels of Hsp60 in both saliva and serum of type 2 diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic controls. Hsp60 was detectable in the saliva of 10% of control and 93% of type 2 diabetic patients. Levels detected were in the range of 3–7 ng/ml in control and 3–75 ng/ml in type 2 diabetic patients. Serum Hsp60 levels in the range of 3–88 ng/ml were detected in 33% of control subjects, and levels in the range of 28–1,043 ng/ml were detected in 100% of type 2 diabetic patients. This is the first reporting of the presence of mitochondrial stress protein in salivary secretions. The serum Hsp60 levels were 16-fold higher compared to those in saliva, and there was a good positive correlation between salivary and serum Hsp60 levels (r=0.55). While the exact mechanisms responsible for the secretion of Hsp60 into biological fluids such as saliva and blood are not yet known. The presence of this molecular marker of mitochondrial stress in saliva offers a non-invasive route to further investigate the biological functions of extracellular Hsp60 in type 2 diabetes mellitus and other conditions.

text: Detection of Hsp60 in saliva and serum from type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic control subjects There is increasing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress may be integral to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Heat shock protein (Hsp60) is a mitochondrial stress protein known to be induced under conditions of mitochondrial impairment. Although this intracellular protein is normally found in the mitochondrion, several studies have shown that this protein is also present in systemic circulation. In this study, we report the presence of elevated levels of Hsp60 in both saliva and serum of type 2 diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic controls. Hsp60 was detectable in the saliva of 10% of control and 93% of type 2 diabetic patients. Levels detected were in the range of 3–7 ng/ml in control and 3–75 ng/ml in type 2 diabetic patients. Serum Hsp60 levels in the range of 3–88 ng/ml were detected in 33% of control subjects, and levels in the range of 28–1,043 ng/ml were detected in 100% of type 2 diabetic patients. This is the first reporting of the presence of mitochondrial stress protein in salivary secretions. The serum Hsp60 levels were 16-fold higher compared to those in saliva, and there was a good positive correlation between salivary and serum Hsp60 levels (r=0.55). While the exact mechanisms responsible for the secretion of Hsp60 into biological fluids such as saliva and blood are not yet known. The presence of this molecular marker of mitochondrial stress in saliva offers a non-invasive route to further investigate the biological functions of extracellular Hsp60 in type 2 diabetes mellitus and other conditions.

year: 2011

title: Making use of and adapting MOOCs text resources for language learning

authors: Wu, Shaoqun

subjects: computer science

abstract: Massive Open Online Courses are becoming popular educational vehicles through which universities reach out to non-traditional audiences. Many enrollees hail from other countries and cultures, and struggle to cope with the English language in which these courses are invariably offered. Moreover, most such learners have a strong desire and motivation to extend their knowledge of academic English, particularly in the specific area addressed by the course. Online courses provide a compelling opportunity for domain-specific language learning, a growing trend in language teaching and learning. Typical MOOCs supply a large corpus of interesting linguistic material relevant to a particular area, including supplementary images (slides), audio and video. Such corpus provides an excellent context to study domain-specific lexico-grammatical features of any word or phrase, a challenging aspect of English productive use even for quite advanced learners.
We contend that this corpus can be automatically analysed, enriched, and transformed into a resource that learners can browse and query in order to extend their ability to understand the language used, and help them express themselves more fluently and eloquently in that domain. To illustrate this idea, an existing online corpus-based language learning tool (FLAX) is applied to a Coursera MOOC entitled English Common Law offered by University of London. We will illustrate how this resource has been augmented for language learning, and then review how learners can use it to explore language usage. This article uses a single running example, a Coursera MOOC course, but the approach is fully automated and can be applied to any collection of English writing.

text: Making use of and adapting MOOCs text resources for language learning Massive Open Online Courses are becoming popular educational vehicles through which universities reach out to non-traditional audiences. Many enrollees hail from other countries and cultures, and struggle to cope with the English language in which these courses are invariably offered. Moreover, most such learners have a strong desire and motivation to extend their knowledge of academic English, particularly in the specific area addressed by the course. Online courses provide a compelling opportunity for domain-specific language learning, a growing trend in language teaching and learning. Typical MOOCs supply a large corpus of interesting linguistic material relevant to a particular area, including supplementary images (slides), audio and video. Such corpus provides an excellent context to study domain-specific lexico-grammatical features of any word or phrase, a challenging aspect of English productive use even for quite advanced learners.
We contend that this corpus can be automatically analysed, enriched, and transformed into a resource that learners can browse and query in order to extend their ability to understand the language used, and help them express themselves more fluently and eloquently in that domain. To illustrate this idea, an existing online corpus-based language learning tool (FLAX) is applied to a Coursera MOOC entitled English Common Law offered by University of London. We will illustrate how this resource has been augmented for language learning, and then review how learners can use it to explore language usage. This article uses a single running example, a Coursera MOOC course, but the approach is fully automated and can be applied to any collection of English writing.

year: 2019

title: Unorthodox assistance: Novalis, Māori, scientism, and an uncertain approach to 'Whakapapa'

authors: Mika, Carl Te Hira

abstract: The reductionism of Western science is well noted among several Maori academics, who describe in various ways its methodical tendency to dissemble an organism and isolate its parts. The reductionist nature of the method of science then informs the practice, so that the manifestations of science - its latest innovations, evidenced in biotechnology, cloning, stem cell therapy and so on - become an overriding concern for these academics. Rightly, the effects of those innovations on Maori spiritual and phYSical realms are addressed, to the extent that they may constitute extensive submissions to governmental bodies. How effective these submissions are is open to considerable speculation, particularly when it is acknowledged by many of these same writers that those ministerial and judicial bodies are incapable of understanding the dilemmas posed by the effects of reductionist scientific practice on the Maori world. The Maori world, in the main, is left to wait until it is confronted with yet another scientific advancement or technology, and the rush to counter its modus operandi begins again.

text: Unorthodox assistance: Novalis, Māori, scientism, and an uncertain approach to 'Whakapapa' The reductionism of Western science is well noted among several Maori academics, who describe in various ways its methodical tendency to dissemble an organism and isolate its parts. The reductionist nature of the method of science then informs the practice, so that the manifestations of science - its latest innovations, evidenced in biotechnology, cloning, stem cell therapy and so on - become an overriding concern for these academics. Rightly, the effects of those innovations on Maori spiritual and phYSical realms are addressed, to the extent that they may constitute extensive submissions to governmental bodies. How effective these submissions are is open to considerable speculation, particularly when it is acknowledged by many of these same writers that those ministerial and judicial bodies are incapable of understanding the dilemmas posed by the effects of reductionist scientific practice on the Maori world. The Maori world, in the main, is left to wait until it is confronted with yet another scientific advancement or technology, and the rush to counter its modus operandi begins again.

year: 2011