Clinical Research

New research suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat.  The findings, the study's author says, turn the current model about ghrelin on its head and point to a novel stomach enzyme (GOAT) responsible for the ghrelin activation process that could be targeted in future treatments for metabolic diseases.  The laboratory study, led by Matthias Tschöp, MD, UC associate professor of psychiatry and internal medicine, is published online ahead of print Friday, June 5, 2009…

When looking for an effect, be it cancer drugs, cognitive therapy, etc, how much is enough? Cancer drugs usually enter the market on basis of incremental benefit - extending someone's life by a few months, for example. Is the extra two or three months' worth of life, when compared with extra hospital bills, potential additional side effects, and other burdens worth it? These were some of the questions running through my mind after I read a study published in JAMA today on prevention of depression in at-risk adolescents. Studying prevention can be fraught with inherent difficulties, as in many…

As many as 700,000 people in the UK suffer from a heart abnormality called arrhythmia, a potentially fatal condition, which the majority of Londoners have never heard of - according to a recent survey conducted by YouGov[1]. Many of the deaths associated with arrhythmias could be prevented due to advances in the identification and treatment of high risk patients. The survey highlights that 75% of the public are also unaware that arrhythmia can greatly increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.[2] The YouGov survey showed that many people are more concerned about cancer and mental health…

HIV/AIDS has left its mark on mankind.   Millions of people have been lost to a disease that seems so uniquely designed to tear down our defenses and ruin us, the Barbarians to our Roman Empire. An almost unrivaled effort in the scientific community has been bent on cracking the code of HIV since the 1980’s, and although we have discovered much about the virus, and its action inside the body, we have yet to develop a vaccine or adequate long term treatment. The difficulty with HIV is multifaceted, but there are a few that hinder our progress most significantly. HIV is a rapidly mutating…

The recent Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco just held its annual meeting in Ireland; some fascinating research is happening all over the world. Researchers are looking at SNPs for therapeutic targets, to predict whether patients would succeed in abstinence programs, and more. Other studies are examining the difference in response to nicotine, pleasure response, cessation and more between genders and among ethnic groups. What about using YouTube for cessation programs? There's a study for that. The impacts of banning smoking in public places, smoking and mental…

A common blood test for triglycerides – a well-known cardiovascular disease risk factor – may also for the first time allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop the serious, common complication of neuropathy.  Triglycerides are a type of lipid, or fat, that the body makes from calories it doesn't need immediately. Triglycerides are stored in fat cells until they are needed to provide energy. When higher-than-normal amounts circulate in the blood, a person is at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.  In a study now online in Diabetes, University…

A new study using advanced cardiac imaging technology indicates that cardiac abnormalities experienced by some marathon runners following competition are temporary, and do not result in damage to the heart muscle. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Manitoba, marked the first use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, or CMR, in a post-marathon setting. “Although previous studies of marathon runners have demonstrated biochemical evidence of cardiac injury and have correlated these findings with echocardiographic evidence of cardiac dysfunction, this was the first time CMR…

A clinical study, led by researchers from University College Dublin, Ireland, and Stanford University, California, USA, with international collaborators, demonstrates that mortality rates of HIV patients can be almost halved when early antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is added to the treatment of AIDS-related opportunistic infections (OIs) such as pneumonia, meningitis or other serious bacterial infections. The researchers are part of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the world’s largest clinical trial organization, and their scientific findings, published in PLosONE, recommend changes in the…

Could sleep be a critical component to maintaining a healthy body weight?    Studies on subjects like this tend to have correlation arrows that point in all kinds of directions but new research presented on Sunday, May 17, at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference in San Diego, says body mass index (BMI) is linked to length and quality of sleep in a surprisingly consistent fashion.  As part of the Integrative Cardiac Health Project at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, researchers analyzed the sleep, activity and energy expenditures of 14 nurses who had…

Although the theoretical applications for stem cell research are seemingly endless, the far-off possibilities are not as awe-inspiring as some scientists would like. Setbacks, ethical concerns and funding are all part of the hurdles that face all new scientific research, stem cell research especially. However, drastic results and benefits may be closer than previously thought. An article documenting initial positive outcomes for MS patients who underwent spinal stem cell transplant was published in the summer 2009 edition of Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report. This article shows the first…