With their novel, insulin-independent mechanism, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a major turning point in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. At present, there are several SGLT2 inhibitors available or in development, and these oral anti-hyperglycaemic agents lower plasma glucose through the inhibition of SGLT2-mediated reuptake of filtered glucose in the kidney. This unique mechanism of action is also expected to result in other beneficial effects, such as weight loss and blood pressure reduction. In various studies, including randomized controlled trials and real-world studies, patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors have reported weight loss of around 1 to 3 kg. This review describes the characteristics of weight loss associated with SGLT2 inhibitor therapy, the clinical factors affecting SGLT2 inhibitor-associated weight loss and the possible underlying mechanisms of SGLT2 inhibitor-associated weight loss, including changes in metabolism and body composition, and the role of a reduction in insulin dose and compensatory hyperphagia. Understanding the weight loss effect of SGLT2 inhibitors, its related factors and underlying mechanisms can aid clinicians in optimal treatment decision-making, provide valuable insight on both obesity and diabetes management and reveal areas of future research and new therapeutic options.

The cysteine protease separase triggers anaphase onset by cleaving chromosome-bound cohesin. In humans, separase also cleaves itself at multiple sites, but the biological significance of this reaction has been elusive. Here we show that preventing separase auto-cleavage, via targeted mutagenesis of the endogenous hSeparase locus in somatic cells, interferes with entry into and progression through mitosis. The initial delay in mitotic entry was not dependent on the G2 DNA damage checkpoint, but rather involved improper stabilization of the mitosis-inhibiting kinase Wee1. During M phase, cells deficient in separase auto-cleavage exhibited striking defects in spindle assembly and metaphase chromosome alignment, revealing an additional early mitotic function for separase. Both the G2 and M phase phenotypes could be recapitulated by separase RNA interference and corrected by re-expressing wild-type separase in trans. We conclude that separase auto-cleavage coordinates multiple aspects of the G2/M programme in human cells, thus contributing to the timing and efficiency of chromosome segregation.

The protonatioddeprotonation constants for uracil (U) (pK, and pK2), thymine (T) (pK1) and cytosine (C) (pK1 and pK2) in water have been determined from emf measurements of Harned-Ehler type cells comprising HZ and Ag-AgI electrodes at five equidistant temperatures ranging from 15-35°C. The pKa values were fitted in the temperature equation pK, = AT-' + B + CT by the method of least squares and the standard free energies (AGO), entropies (AS0), and enthalpies (AH0) of protonatioddeprotonation processes in water were evaluated using the values of the coefficients A, B, and C of the respective acids. The second step deprotonation constant for T was determined using precise spectrophotometric method. The results have been duly compared with the existing literature data and are also shown to derive important reflections on the sites of protonatioddeprotonation in the light of pK values of some acids and bases of comparable~functional groups and especially the entropies of protonatioddeprotonation of the key DNA-RNA base molecules.

No abstract