1. A method of treatment for diabetes comprising administering to a subject a composition comprising SEL-PLEX under conditions such that the expression of Neurogenin 3 is up-regulated in said subject.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said treatment is prophylactic.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said diabetes is type I diabetes.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein up-regulated expression of Neurogenin 3 reduces signs and symptoms of diabetes in said subject.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein said prophylactic treatment prevents the onset of signs and symptoms of diabetes in said subject.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said composition comprising SEL-PLEX comprises one or more other forms of selenium.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more forms of selenium comprises sodium-selenite.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said composition comprising SEL-PLEX is co-administered with a diabetes therapeutic.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said diabetes therapeutic is selected from the group consisting of Vanadium, metformin, thiazolidinedione, TZD, intermediate-acting insulin, neutral protamine Hagedorn, NPH, a long-acting insulin, glargine, Lantus, insulin, insulin detemir, Levemir, Incretin mimetic, Exenatide, Byetta, Sulfonylurea agent, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide, tolazamide, acetohexamide, glyburide, glipizide, glimepiride, Meglitinides, Repaglinide, Prandin, Biguanides, Metformin, Glucophage, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, AGI, Acarbose, Precose, Miglitol, Glyset, thiazolidinedione, Pioglitazone, Actos, Rosiglitazone, Avandia, Amylin analog, Pramlintide acetate, and Symlin.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said composition comprising SEL-PLEX is administered to said subject so as to provide 200 pg of selenium to said subject each day.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said composition comprising SEL-PLEX is administered to said subject so as to provide between 25 and 400 \u03bcg of selenium to said subject each day.
12. A composition comprising SEL-PLEX and a diabetes therapeutic.
13. The composition of claim 12, wherein said diabetes therapeutic is selected from the group consisting of Vanadium, metformin, thiazolidinedione, TZD, intermediate-acting insulin, neutral protamine Hagedorn, NPH, a long-acting insulin, glargine, Lantus, insulin, insulin detemir, Levemir, Incretin mimetic, Exenatide, Byetta, Sulfonylurea agent, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide, tolazamide, acetohexamide, glyburide, glipizide, glimepiride, Meglitinides, Repaglinide, Prandin, Biguanides, Metformin, Glucophage, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, AGI, Acarbose, Precose, Miglitol, Glyset, thiazolidinedione, Pioglitazone, Actos, Rosiglitazone, Avandia, Amylin analog, Pramlintide acetate, and Symlin.
14. A method of altering the expression of Neurogenin 3 in a subject comprising:
a) providing:
i) a subject; and
ii) a composition comprising selenium; and
b) administrating said composition to said subject under conditions such that expression of Neurogenin 3 is altered in said subject.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein said expression of Neurogenin 3 is up-regulated in said subject.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein expression of Neurogenin 3 is associated with pathology of diabetes.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein up-regulation of said expression of Neurogenin 3 reduces signs and symptoms of diabetes in said subject.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein up-regulation of said expression of Neurogenin 3 prevents the onset of signs and symptoms of diabetes in said subject.
19. The method of claim 14, wherein said composition comprising selenium comprises SEL-PLEX.
20. The method of claim 14, further comprising characterizing the expression level of Neurogenin 3 in said subject both prior to and subsequent to step (b).
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of producing a shaped microcomponent, comprising:
a) depositing a silaffin into a pattern, said pattern having an original dimensional feature;
b) exposing said patterned silaffin to a silicon-containing solution to generate a silica microtemplate, said silica microtemplate having substantially the same dimensional feature as said patterned silaffin; then
c) subjecting said silica microtemplate to at least one chemical reaction with a metal, so as to at least partially convert said silica microtemplate into a shaped microcomponent comprising a solid oxide,
wherein said chemical reaction effects replacement of silicon with a metal ion and is selected from the group consisting of additive reactions, metathetic reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, and combinations thereof; and
wherein said shaped microcomponent has substantially the same dimensional feature as said silica microtemplate.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said silaffin is derived from a genetically altered organism.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said silaffin is derived from an organism selected from the group consisting of: organisms with a hard endoskeleton, organisms with a soft endoskeleton, organisms with a hard exoskeleton, organisms with a soft exoskeleton, organisms with a portion of a hard endoskeleton, organisms with a portion of a soft endoskeleton, organisms with a portion of a hard exoskeleton, and organisms with a portion of a soft exoskeleton.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said chemical reaction is an oxidation-reduction reaction of the type:
yA+aMxOz\u2192yAOzay+axM
wherein A is the metal reactant, MxOz is the silica of the silica microtemplate, AOzay is the solid oxide of the shaped microcomponent, and M is a second reaction product; and wherein y, a, x, and z are stoichiometric coefficients.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the solid oxide AOzay is selected from the group consisting of lithium oxide, beryllium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, titanium oxide, strontium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, antimony oxide, barium oxide, lanthanum oxide, hafnium oxide, cerium oxide, neodymium oxide, praseodymium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, gadolinium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, erbium oxide, thulium oxide, lutetium oxide and ytterbium oxide.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped microcomponent defines a cavity wherein said cavity is provided with at least one substance.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one substance is a pharmaceutically active substance.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses a shape selected from the group consisting of a solid microcylinder, a microtube, a solid microbar, a hollow microbar, a solid microsphere, a hollow microsphere, a solid microdisk, a hollow microdisk, a microwheel, a microgear, a microrotor, a microplate, a microtetrahedron, a microwedge, a microtetrakaidecahedron, a microspring, a microspiral, a microlever, a microcantilever, a solid microcone, a microfunnel, a microhoneycomb, a micromesh, a solid microcube, a hollow microcube, a solid microfiber, a hollow microfiber, and combinations thereof.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said shaped microcomponent comprises a part of a device selected from the group consisting of a micro-pump, a micro-valve, a micro-funnel, a micro-nozzle, a micro-reactor, a micro-bearing, a micro-pulley, a micro-turbine engine, a micro-rocket, a micro-piston engine, a micro-motor, a micro-actuator, a micro-switch, a micro-transducer, a micro-hinge, a micro-cantilever, a micro-relay, a micro-die, a micro-sensor, a micro-catalyst, a micro-syringe, a micro-needle, a microcapsule, a micro-sieve, a micro-filter, a micro-membrane, a micro-separator, a micro-mirror, a micro-lens, a micro-prism, a micro-diffraction grating, a micro-refraction grating, a micro-antenna, a micro-magnet, a micro-tag, a micro-fiber, a micro-light pipe, a micro-mixer, a micro-heat exchanger, a micro-insulator, a micro-substrate, a micro-filler, and combinations thereof.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 1 millimeter in size.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 100 microns in size.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 25 microns in size.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 10 microns in size.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 1 microns in size.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 100 nanometers in size.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 25 nanometer in size.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein said shaped microcomponent possesses at least one dimensional feature that is less than 10 microns in size.