Insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes and lung function trajectories in the Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study as a predictor in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the subjects for the next lecture in the DOM Research Seminar Series.
The University of Arizona Department of Medicine lecture series, begun in September 2016, occurs on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year, pairing a junior and senior investigator from our faculty who are with different divisions to ensure a variety of topics are covered.
A light lunch is served at each lecture, similar to grand rounds. 
Click here [PDF] or on the image at left to view and shrare the flyer.
This next lecture—which occurs on Dec. 8, noon to 1 p.m., in COM Room 8403—will feature Lawrence J. Mandarino, PhD, professor of medicine, chief of the UA Division of Endocrinology and director of the UA Health Sciences Center for Disparities in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, and Cristine E. Berry, MD, MHS, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and medical director of the Pulmonary Function and Exercise Physiology Laboratory.
Dr. Mandarino will speak about how resistance of skeletal muscle to the effects of insulin is one of the key factors leading to type 2 diabetes, also known as adult early onset diabetes. “Our laboratory has spent the past 30 years trying to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie insulin resistance,” he said. “A key element is ‘metabolic Inflexibility’ in insulin resistant muscle—that is, an inability to layer the mix of fat and carbohydrate fuel necessary for healthy muscle function and insulin action. Our recent studies have cast light on two molecular mechanisms that could be responsible for a lower ability of insulin resistant muscle to oxidize fat.”
Dr. Berry noted that her recent work suggests low lung function trajectory in adults increases the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life regardless of the rate of lung function decline. “We proposed to identify individuals with a persistently low lung function trajectory from childhood into adulthood using an unsupervised statistical approach and to determine early life exposures associated with a persistently low trajectory,” she said.
“We examined lung function data from the Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study, a non-selected birth cohort that has been ongoing for almost four decades. Using latent class analysis, we found nearly 1-in-10 participants demonstrated persistently low lung function from childhood into adulthood. This trajectory was associated with maternal asthma, low lung function in infancy, early life respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory infection, and later life asthma. The trajectory, which is likely to be an important pathway to COPD, may be partly established at birth and influenced by early life exposures,” Dr. Berry added.
Each lecturer speaks for about 20 minutes with time left for questions and answers at the closing.
Save the date for the next lecture in the DOM Research Seminar Series, Thursday, Jan. 12, with:
- Jil Tardiff, MD, PhD, professor in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine vice chair for research, member of the Sarver Heart Center and the Steven M. Gootter Endowed Chair for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death; and
- Franz Rischard, DO, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and medical director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program.
PLEASE NOTE: The January lecture has a change of venue. The remainder of DOM Research Seminar lectures will be held in UAHS Room 5403, noon – 1 p.m.
For the full list of speakers and dates in this seminar series, click here. Questions? Contact the Chair's Office — Claudia Duran, (520) 626-6349.
ALSO SEE:
“DOM Research Seminar to Spotlight Sleep Medicine, Novel Therapeutics for Fibrotic Diseases, Nov. 10” | Posted: Oct. 21, 2016 / Updated: Nov. 22, 2016 [see photo gallery and video archive links]