AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 on insulin resistance induced using tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in rat L6 skeletal muscle cells and on ...the KK‐AY mouse noninsulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) model. METHODS AND RESULTS: The treatment using HY8101 improved the insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake and translocation of GLUT4 via the insulin signalling pathways AKT and IRS‐1(Tyr) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. HY8101 increased the mRNA levels of GLUT4 and several insulin sensitivity‐related genes (PPAR‐γ) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. In KK‐AY mice, HY8101 decreased fasting insulin and blood glucose and significantly improved insulin tolerance. HY8101 improved diabetes‐induced plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels and increased the muscle glycogen content. We observed concurrent transcriptional changes in the skeletal muscle tissue and the liver. In the skeletal muscle tissue, the glycogen synthesis‐related gene pp‐1 and GLUT4 were up‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. In the liver, the hepatic gluconeogenesis‐regulated genes (PCK1 and G6PC) were down‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 can be used to moderate glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in mice and in cells. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 might have potential as a probiotic candidate for alleviating metabolic syndromes such as diabetes.
We present new constraints on the dark matter-induced annual modulation signal using 1.7 years of COSINE-100 data with a total exposure of 97.7 kg yr. The COSINE-100 experiment, consisting of 106 kg ...of NaI(Tl) target material, is designed to carry out a model-independent test of DAMA/LIBRA's claim of WIMP discovery by searching for the same annual modulation signal using the same NaI(Tl) target. The crystal data show a 2.7 cpd/kg/keV background rate on average in the 2-6 keV energy region of interest. Using a χ-squared minimization method we observe best fit values for modulation amplitude and phase of 0.0092±0.0067 cpd/kg/keV and 127.2±45.9 d, respectively.
A search for inelastic boosted dark matter (IBDM) using the COSINE-100 detector with 59.5 days of data is presented. This relativistic dark matter is theorized to interact with the target material ...through inelastic scattering with electrons, creating a heavier state that subsequently produces standard model particles, such as an electron-positron pair. In this study, we search for this electron-positron pair in coincidence with the initially scattered electron as a signature for an IBDM interaction. No excess over the predicted background event rate is observed. Therefore, we present limits on IBDM interactions under various hypotheses, one of which allows us to explore an area of the dark photon parameter space that has not yet been covered by other experiments. This is the first experimental search for IBDM using a terrestrial detector.
The advanced molybdenum-based rare process experiment (AMoRE) aims to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (
0
ν
β
β
) of
100
Mo with
∼
100
kg
of
100
Mo-enriched molybdenum embedded in cryogenic ...detectors with a dual heat and light readout. At the current, pilot stage of the AMoRE project we employ six calcium molybdate crystals with a total mass of 1.9 kg, produced from
48
Ca-depleted calcium and
100
Mo-enriched molybdenum (
48
depl
Ca
100
MoO
4
). The simultaneous detection of heat (phonon) and scintillation (photon) signals is realized with high resolution metallic magnetic calorimeter sensors that operate at milli-Kelvin temperatures. This stage of the project is carried out in the Yangyang underground laboratory at a depth of 700 m. We report first results from the AMoRE-Pilot
0
ν
β
β
search with a 111 kg day live exposure of
48
depl
Ca
100
MoO
4
crystals. No evidence for
0
ν
β
β
decay of
100
Mo is found, and a upper limit is set for the half-life of
0
ν
β
β
of
100
Mo of
T
1
/
2
0
ν
>
9.5
×
10
22
years
at 90% C.L. This limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass limit in the range
⟨
m
β
β
⟩
≤
(
1.2
-
2.1
)
eV
.
The Advanced Mo-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE)-Pilot experiment is an initial phase of the AMoRE search for neutrinoless double beta decay of
100
Mo, with the purpose of investigating the ...level and sources of backgrounds. Searches for neutrinoless double beta decay generally require ultimately low backgrounds. Surface
α
decays on the crystals themselves or nearby materials can deposit a continuum of energies that can be as high as the
Q
-value of the decay itself and may fall in the region of interest (ROI). To understand these background events, we studied backgrounds from radioactive contaminations internal to and on the surface of the crystals or nearby materials with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. In this study, we report on the measured
α
energy spectra fitted with the corresponding simulated spectra for six crystal detectors, where sources of background contributions could be identified through high energy
α
peaks and continuum parts in the energy spectrum for both internal and surface contaminations. We determine the low-energy contributions from internal and surface
α
contaminations by extrapolating from the
α
background fitting model.
We present a comprehensive study of the nonproportionality of NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors within the context of dark matter search experiments. Our investigation, which integrates COSINE-100 data ...with supplementary
γ
spectroscopy, measures light yields across diverse energy levels from full-energy
γ
peaks produced by the decays of various isotopes. These
γ
peaks of interest were produced by decays supported by both long and short-lived isotopes. Analyzing peaks from decays supported only by short-lived isotopes presented a unique challenge due to their limited statistics and overlapping energies, which was overcome by long-term data collection and a time-dependent analysis. A key achievement is the direct measurement of the 0.87 keV light yield, resulting from the cascade following electron capture decay of
22
Na
from internal contamination. This measurement, previously accessible only indirectly, deepens our understanding of NaI(Tl) scintillator behavior in the region of interest for dark matter searches. This study holds substantial implications for background modeling and the interpretation of dark matter signals in NaI(Tl) experiments.