Clinical Research

Dr Zane Andrews, a neuroendocrinologist with Monash University's Department of Physiology, says he has discovered key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older. Dr Andrews found that appetite-suppressing cells are attacked by free radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars. "The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged, and potentially you consume more," Dr Andrews said. Dr Andrews said the…

Boys may be more apt than girls to have childhood asthma, but, when compared to girls, they are also more likely to grow out of it in adolescence and have a decreased incidence of asthma in the post-pubertal years. This indicates that there may be a buried mechanism in asthma development, according to a prospective study that analyzed airway responsiveness (AR) in more than 1,000 children with mild to moderate asthma over a period of about nine years. "We wanted to investigate what was behind the observed sex differences in asthma rates and AR," says lead researcher, Kelan G. Tantisira, M.D…

Some obese individuals do not appear to have an increased risk for heart disease, while some normal-weight individuals experience a cluster of heart risks, according to two reports in the August 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and this epidemic is accompanied by a high incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease," the authors write as background information in one of the articles. Research indicates that in addition to overall obesity, the way body fat is distributed may…

Controlling body weight is a complicated process but scientists investigating the brain's intricate neurocircuitry and its role in maintaining energy balance are forming a clearer picture of the myriad events that lead to weight gain ... and weight loss. Writing in Nature Neuroscience, a study led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) identifies another piece of this complex puzzle, demonstrating that the neurotransmitter GABA --one of the master communicators among neurons – plays a role in controlling energy balance. "Body weight maintenance is made up of three…

Adults tend to think about the future to the point of insanity. Children on the other hand can exist in the moment, according to studies published in the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science. Studies conducted by psychologists Cristina Atance from the University of Ottawa and colleague Andrew Meltzoff from the University of Washington demonstrated that children may be too preoccupied with the present to have much capability to comprehend the future. In one study, the scientists divided preschoolers into four groups. Two groups were fed pretzels to the point of thirst.…

INTRODUCTION The vegetative neural system adjusts the life functions of all organs. Among other, developmentally old, has narrow terms with the mental sphere of the affective and instinctive. 1913 years LERICHE recommend periarterijsku simpatektomiju at peripheral statics of profusions. JONNESCO 1916 carries out with success sympatektomy of the cervical trunk of n. sympathicus at the angina pectoris. HUNTER and ROYLE 1924, years cut the rame communicantes, revealing one of the most important indications of the sympathicus surgery – the removal of spasm of arteries. WHITE 1936 introduced…

Thid past week the “Klinikum rechts der Isar” of the Technical University of Munich saw the first transplant of complete arms after several years of preparatory work. The patient's name was not released, and all that is known about the the identity of the arm donor is that it was a young person who died shortly before the surgery. The patient, doing well given the circumstances, was operated on by the Clinic for Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery (Director Prof. Hans-Günther Machens). The procedure, with a team of 40 people participating, was headed by PD Dr. Christoph Höhnke (Head of the…

New knowledge points to the fact that a genetically induced lack of filaggrin, a key protein of the skin barrier, plays a decisive role in the origin of allergies. In a large study on more than 3000 school-children scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München found that about 8% of the German population carry variations of the filaggrin gene, which raise the risk to develop atopic dermatitis more than threefold. In addition, these genetic variations predispose to hay fever and asthma in those with atopic dermatitis. Allergic diseases have increased…

Individuals affected by celiac disease (gluten intolerance) often present an altered calcium (Ca2+) metabolism that can cause osteopenia, a bone mass decrease due to the impaired adsorption of this mineral, which can lead to osteoporosis (in 35-85% of the cases). This phenomenon is particularly frequent among late-diagnosed celiac patients, as in the case of adult people, but can be present in children too. With the aim of recognizing calcium metabolism alterations and impaired bone mineralization, laboratory and radiology exams, such as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), are often…

In California it may be the summer of fires as smoke fills the air, but at Yale researchers pump smoke into the lungs of mice in order to help find an explanation behind reactions in smokers due viral infections. Recent studies by researchers at Yale found that people who smoke have a worse reaction to viral infections not due to a weakened immune system, but because of an overreaction. The study published in the August 2008 edition of the “Journal of Clinical Investigation,” answers the question about why viruses that don’t have a serious reaction in non-smokers affect smokers so seriously.…