Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an aqueous coating composition that has good coating workability and affords good finished appearance. The present invention relates to an aqueous coating composition comprising an aqueous base component (I) and a water-dispersible curing agent (II), wherein the aqueous base component (I) comprises an aqueous hydroxy group-containing resin dispersion (A), wherein the water-dispersible curing agent (II) comprises a water-dispersible polyisocyanate (B), and wherein the aqueous hydroxy group-containing resin dispersion (A) comprises an acrylic resin dispersion (A1), and an emulsion of an acrylic resin having a hydrophobic linear alkyl, branched alkyl, or alicyclic alkyl group with 4 to 6 carbon atoms (A2).

Abstract: The challenge of the present invention is to provide an aqueous coating composition having good coating workability and good finished appearance. The aqueous coating composition of the present invention is an aqueous coating composition including an aqueous base component (I) and a water-dispersible curing agent (II), wherein the aqueous base component (I) includes an aqueous acrylic resin dispersion (A) and an aqueous polyolefin wax dispersion (B), wherein the water-dispersible curing agent (II) includes a water-dispersible polyisocyanate (C), wherein at least one of the aqueous base component (I) and the water-dispersible curing agent (II) includes an organic solvent (D) having a solubility in water at 20° C. of 0.

Abstract: A method of suppressing the differentiation of an adipocite and/or lipid accumulation in an adipocyte, which comprises contacting the adipocyte with a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or a salt thereof, or with a polynucleotide comprising a sense strand sequence encoding a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein E is an optionally substituted cyclic group; D is a carbonyl group or a sulfonyl group; A is CH or N; ring P is an optionally further substituted 5- to 7-membered ring; ring Q is an optionally further substituted 5- to 7-membered nonaromatic ring; and ring R is an optionally further substituted and optionally condensed 5- to 7-membered nonaromatic ring, or a salt thereof. The compound of the present invention has an ACC inhibitory activity, is useful for the prophylaxis or treatment of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiac failure, diabetic complications, metabolic syndrome, sarcopenia and the like, and has superior properties in the efficacy, duration of activity, specificity, low toxicity and the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel secretory/membrane protein associated with adipocyte differentiation and/or metabolism function, specifically, an adipocyte-derived secretory/membrane protein containing amino acid sequence which is the same or substantially the same as an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NOS: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 or 22, a nucleic acid encoding it, an antibody therefor, a method of screening prophylactic and/or therapeutic agents for diseases involving abnormality of adipocyte differentiation/metabolism function using it and/or a kit for the screening, a prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent for the diseases or a diagnostic agent containing the membrane protein.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel secretory/membrane protein associated with adipocyte differentiation and/or metabolism function, specifically, an adipocyte-derived secretory/membrane protein containing amino acid sequence which is the same or substantially the same as an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NOS: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 or 22, a nucleic acid encoding it, an antibody therefor, a method of screening prophylactic and/or therapeutic agents for diseases involving abnormality of adipocyte differentiation/metabolism function using it and/or a kit for the screening, a prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent for the diseases or a diagnostic agent containing the membrane protein.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a prophylactic and/or therapeutic drug for obesity and obesity-associated diseasestor diabetes with a reduced risk for central side effects and high universality in usage. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of the following formula: wherein Ar represents phenyl which may be substituted and/or condensed; n represents an integer of 1 to 10; R represents hydrogen or a hydrocarbon group which may be substituted, which may not be the same in its n occurrences; R may be bound to either Ar or a substituent for Ar; Y represents an amino group which may be subsituted or a nitrogen-containing saturated heterocyclic group which may be substituted, or a salt thereof, which can be used for a thermogenic agent, an antiobesity agent, a lipolytic agent, or a prophylactic and/or treating drug for obesity-associated diseases.