Few safe and effective drug treatments are available. A combination treatment with sustained-release naltrexone and bupropion has been developed to produce complementary actions in CNS pathways regulating bodyweight. Two key systems are identified, the hypothalamic melanocortin sytem which integrates input related to energy balance and produces anorexigenic signalling and mesolimbic reward system which modulates reward…
Read moreMost scientists believe the function of the bone is limited to support and mineral exchange. A stimulating article in Nature discusses the possibility that bone remodelling be linked to metabolism. This makes real sense as metabolism is interconnected and a stand alone system cannot be efficient.The article discusses the work generated by Karsenty and Ducy…
Read moreThe tumour suppressor gene p53 is important in halting the cycle and death when there is DNA damage. P53 also has a role in cellular metabolism. The inactivation of p53 is common in tumours . P53 contributes to a shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. This shift originally described by Warburg is a feature of…
Read moreSome people are naturally more anxious than others. How anxiously we react to threat or adversity is part of our personality. This characteristic is called trait anxiety, and those with high trait anxiety are more prone to mental disorders such as depression, substance abuse and psychosis. Trait anxiety is heritable, with genes explaining much of…
Read moreSome genes exclusively express only their maternal or paternal copy. Mammals inherit one copy (allele) of each gene from their mother and another copy from their father. Yet for many genes, only one of these alleles is always expressed in a cell. The choice of which allele is expressed is random in some cell types…
Read moreIn July 2002, scientists with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild¬life found unusual numbers of bottom¬feeding sculpin lying lifeless on the ocean floor, which would normally be teeming with life. Crabs were also dying, and they washed up onto some beaches in large numbers.Ocean surface waters normally contain 5-8 millilitres of oxygen per litre…
Read moreThe physical form of food may well be a factor in its metabolism in the gastro intestinal tract. In this study, the authors looked at the cholesterol-lowering effects of different oat bran (oat bran) preparations, differing and their peak molecular weight (MWp) of β-glucans (2348,1311,241,56, 2l or There was no correlation between the molecular weight…
Read moreMuch evidence shows that the marine omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid have beneficial effects in various cardiac disorders, and their use is recommended in guidelines for management of patients after myocardial infarction. Questions have been raised about their usefulness alongside optimum medical therapies with agents proven to reduce risk of cardiac events…
Read moreLongest lifespan Japan is struggling to cope with the rising welfare costs of its rapidly ageing society, as Japanese women continue to hold the 25-year record for the longest lifespan: an average of 86•44 years. This record is attributed to improvements in the treatment of cardiac disorders, strokes, and cancer, three of the main causes…
Read moreThe factors in behaviour that can influence survival after quitting smoking have been studied. Strong relationships has the strongest effect in improving survival. Having strong social relationships seems to have an effect on survival comparable to that of quitting smoking and larger than con¬trolling traditional risk factors, such as obes¬ity or hypertension. A meta-analysis of…
Read more