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Objective: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas weight loss is associated with improved health outcomes. It is therefore important to learn how adipose contraction during weight loss contributes to improved health. It was hypothesized that adipose tissue undergoing weight loss would have a unique transcriptomic profile, expressing specific genes that might improve health.Methods: This study conducted an RNA-sequencing analysis of the epididymal adipose tissue of mice fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) or a regular rodent chow diet (RD) ad libitum for 10 weeks versus a cohort of mice fed HFD for the first 5 weeks before being swapped to an RD for the remainder of the study (swapped diet [SWAP]).Results: The swapped diet resulted in weight loss, with a parallel improvement in insulin sensitivity. RNA sequencing revealed several transcriptomic signatures distinct to adipose tissue in SWAP mice, distinguished from both RD and HFD adipose tissue. The analysis found a unique upregulated mRNA that encodes a secreted lipopolysaccharide-binding glycoprotein (CRISPLD2) in adipose tissue. Whereas cellular CRISPLD2 protein levels were unchanged, plasma CRIPSLD2 levels increased in SWAP mice following weight loss and could correlate with insulin sensitivity.Conclusions: Taken together, these data demonstrate that CRISPLD2 is a circulating adipokine that may regulate adipocyte remodeling during weight loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate cellular sources of microRNAs (miRNA) within adipose tissue and the impact of obesity on miRNA expression, as well as to examine targets of miRNAs.Methods: miRNA expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction was examined in adipocytes, adipose tissue macrophages (ATM), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from and individuals with normal weight and with obesity. Differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cocultured with macrophages, and 3T3-L1 and differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells were transfected with miR-155, with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) and solute carrier family 2 member 4 (GLUT4) abundance measured via Western blot analysis.Results: Abundance of miR-155 and miR-210 was increased in ATM of participants with obesity by 6.7-fold and 2.9-fold (P = 0.002 and P = 0.013, respectively). miR-130b expression was increased 1.8-fold in ATM and 4.3-fold in adipocytes from participants with obesity (P = 0.007 and P = 0.02, respectively). PPARG mRNA expression decreased 32% (P = 0.044) in adipocytes from individuals with obesity. In 3T3-L1 cells exposed to macrophages, PPARG expression decreased 99.4% (P = 0.02). PPAR-γ protein content declined 75% (P = 0.001) in 3T3-L1 cells transfected with miR-155. GLUT4 protein levels were reduced by 55% (P = 0.021) in differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells exposed to miR-155.Conclusions: Adipose tissue miRNAs are influenced in a cell type-specific fashion by obesity, with macrophage miR-155 potentially impacting neighboring adipocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Factors influencing the development and commercialization of functional food and nutraceutical (FFN) products are explored. Count data models are developed to relate firm, market, and regulatory covariates to the number of FFN product lines firms have under development, on the market, and in total. Canadian firm-level innovation data were taken from Statistics Canada (2003) Functional Food and Nutraceutical Survey. Firms involved in product development/scale-up had more product lines in total and on the market. Firms with a strong and positive perception of the impact of regulatory reform related to generic health claims and harmonization of Canadian regulations with U.S. regulations had fewer product lines in total and on the market. Firms with more positive perceptions of the business impact of structure and function health claims had more product lines on the market. One implication of the study is the importance of developing policies and reforming regulations which better enable use of generic health claims on FFN products. Further, policies which better enable or foster development/scale-up of product lines would increase the Canadian FFN sector's ability to develop new products. [EconLit: O130, L500, Q180]. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), there has been a dramatic increase in the integration of markets for live cattle and beef products in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. These markets were severely disrupted in 2003 by the confirmation of single cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada and the United States. The bulk of this disruption could have been avoided if the countries had developed more closely coordinated risk management programs based on the guidance of international standards. The BSE events illustrate that failure to address regulatory integration leaves integrated markets vulnerable to recurring disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the relationship between economic value added (EVA) and shareholder return and reexamines the evidence and issues surrounding the use of EVA as a tool for valuing investments. Weak correlations between EVA and shareholder value in all instances tested.

Analyzes the strategies of independent, domestically owned medium-sized processing companies in Canada. Details on the theoretical concept of a core competence; Competition for agricultural food firms; Role of internal factors in the strategies of meduimd-size food processors.

Focuses on the history of the development of Rol-Land Farms Ltd., a dairy farm in Ontario. Details on the incorporation of the family farm lands in 1971; Investment in a mushroom production facility for the existing land base; Achievements of the owners of the dairy farm; Product lines of the dairy farm.

Presents a study that determined whether exercise increases the DNA-binding activity of both myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and glucose transporter isoform 4 (GLUT4) enhancer factor (GEF) in human skeletal muscle. Findings of the study; Conclusions and significance of the study.