The Beneficial Effects α-Cyclodextrin on Blood Lipids and Weight Loss in Healthy Humans

Obesity is a worldwide pandemic, which can be fatal for the most extremely affected individuals. Lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise are largely ineffective and current anti-obesity medications offer little in the way of significant or sustained weight loss. Bariatric surgery is effective, but largely restricted to only a small subset of extremely obese patients. While the hormonal factors mediating sustained weight loss and remission of diabetes by bariatric surgery remain elusive, a new class of polypharmacological drugs shows potential to shrink the gap in efficacy between a surgery and pharmacology. In essence, this new class of drugs combines the beneficial effects of several independent hormones into a single entity, thereby combining their metabolic efficacy to improve systems metabolism. Such unimolecular drugs include single molecules with agonism at the receptors for glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1 and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide. In preclinical studies, these specially tailored multiagonists outperform both their mono-agonist components and current best in class anti-obesity medications. While clinical trials and vigorous safety analyses are ongoing, these drugs are poised to have a transformative effect in anti-obesity therapy and might hopefully lead the way to a new era in weight-loss pharmacology.

Download Full-text

Breast-Feeding Frequency During the First 24 Hours After Birth in Full-Term Neonates

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.86.2.171 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 171-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yoshitada Yamauchi ◽

Itsuro Yamanouchi

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Full Term ◽

Feeding Frequency ◽

Term Neonates ◽

Transcutaneous Bilirubin ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Breast Fed ◽

Maximum Weight Loss

The relation between the frequency of breast-feeding and intake, weight loss, meconium passage, and bilirubin levels was studied in 140 healthy, full-term, breast-fed, Japanese neonates born vaginally without complications. Factors affecting the frequency of breast-feeding were also evaluated. Mothers nursed their neonates, on average, 4.3 ± 2.5 (SD) times (range 0 to 11) during the first 24 hours after birth, and this frequency increased significantly to 7.4 ± 3.9 times during the next 24 hours (P < .001). There was a significant correlation between the frequency of breast-feeding during the first and second 24 hours after birth (r = .69, P < .001). The frequency of breast-feeding during the first 24 hours correlated significantly with frequency of meconium passage (r = .37, P < .01), maximum weight loss (r = -.22, P < .05), breast milk intake on day 3 (r = .50, P < .01) and day 5 (r = .34, P < .05), transcutaneous bilirubin readings on day 6 (r = -.18, P < .05), and weight loss from birth to time of discharge (day 7) (r = -.32, P < .01). There was a strong dose-response relationship between feeding frequency and a decreased incidence of significant hyperbilirubinemia (transcutaneous bilirubin readings ≥23.5) on day 6. The time of birth also affected the frequency of breast-feeding during the first 24 hours. Neonates born between midnight and 6:00 AM were nursed more frequently than those born between 1:00 PM and midnight (5.1 ± 2.4 vs 3.9 ± 2.3 times, P < .05). The results demonstrate that frequent suckling in the first days of life has numerous beneficial effects on the breast-fed, full-term newborn.

Download Full-text

Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Serve as Predictors of Successful Weight Loss Maintenance Postbariatric Surgery

Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1155/2019/7295978 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Afshan Masood ◽

Lujain Alsheddi ◽

Loura Alfayadh ◽

Bushra Bukhari ◽

Ruba Elawad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bariatric Surgery ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Weight Regain ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Weight Maintenance ◽

Dietary Counseling ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Predicting Factors ◽

Lifestyle Practices ◽

Fiber Consumption

Bariatric surgery is considered to be an effective treatment for the resolution of severe obesity; however, in more than half of the bariatric surgery patients, weight reacquisition occurs as early as 18 months postsurgery, compromising the surgery’s beneficial effects. Maintaining weight loss after surgery poses a great challenge, necessitating the identification of predicting factors. In the present study, we explored the association between weight regain and dietary habits and behavioral lifestyle practices in patients following bariatric surgery. Fifty patients who underwent bariatric surgery with ≥18-month postoperative period of follow-up were included. They were classified into two groups: weight maintainers (n = 29) were patients who regained <15% of their weight, and weight regainers (n = 21) were patients who regained ≥15% of their weight compared to their lowest postoperative weight. The mean age of the study participants was 41.4 ± 8.9 years, and twenty-eight patients (56%) of the total, were females. A detailed analysis of dietary and lifestyle habits was performed by questionnaire-based interviews. Significant weight regain was noted in the regainers compared to the maintainers (19.6 ± 8.4 kg vs. 4.5 ± 3.5 kg, respectively, P≤0.001), which was attributed to their following of unhealthy dietary habits and behavioral lifestyle practices. The dietary and behavioral lifestyle practices adopted by the maintainers were higher fiber consumption and water intake, monitored pace of eating, evasion of emotional binge, and distracted eating and following of self-assessment behaviors. Additionally, regular nutritional follow-ups and compliance with postoperative dietary counseling significantly helped to improve weight maintenance. In conclusion, the effectiveness of weight loss postbariatric surgery was compromised by weight regain due to unhealthy dietary and behavioral lifestyle practices stemming from a lack of nutritional guidance and knowledge. The implementation of comprehensive nutritional counseling and advice on behavioral changes before and after surgery will help achieve optimal weight results.

Download Full-text

Delayed Administration of Recombinant Plasma Gelsolin Improves Survival in a Murine Model of Penicillin-Susceptible and Penicillin-Resistant Pneumococcal Pneumonia

The Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/infdis/jiz353 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 220 (9) ◽

pp. 1498-1502 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhiping Yang ◽

Alice Bedugnis ◽

Susan Levinson ◽

Mark Dinubile ◽

Thomas Stossel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Murine Model ◽

Pneumococcal Pneumonia ◽

Preclinical Models ◽

Antibiotic Resistant ◽

Plasma Gelsolin ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Serious Infections

Abstract Therapy to enhance host immune defenses may improve outcomes in serious infections, especially for antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Recombinant human plasma gelsolin (rhu-pGSN), a normally circulating protein, has beneficial effects in diverse preclinical models of inflammation and injury. We evaluated delayed therapy (24–48 hours after challenge) with rhu-pGSN in a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia. rhu-pGSN without antibiotics increased survival and reduced morbidity and weight loss after infection with either penicillin-susceptible or penicillin-resistant pneumococci (serotypes 3 and 14, respectively). rhu-pGSN improves outcomes in a highly lethal pneumococcal pneumonia model when given after a clinically relevant delay, even in the setting of antimicrobial resistance.

Download Full-text

Cannabinoids for clinicians: the rise and fall of the cannabinoid antagonists

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-09-0511 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 161 (5) ◽

pp. 655-662 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Helen Butler ◽

Márta Korbonits

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Side Effects ◽

Endocannabinoid System ◽

Metabolic Effects ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Concise Review ◽

Psychiatric Side Effects ◽

Lipid Parameters ◽

Cannabinoid Antagonists

The endocannabinoid system has emerged as a significant player in the control of energy balance and metabolism, through its direct central and peripheral effects, as well as via its interaction with other appetite-regulating pathways. There is mounting evidence that the endocannabinoid system is overactive in obesity and were it possible to safely dampen-down the elevated endocannabinoid tone, lipid and carbohydrate profiles could be improved and weight loss induced. The series of randomised clinical trials showed reproducible beneficial effects on weight, HbA1c and lipid parameters, in addition to other cardiovascular risk factors. However, to date, clinical developments have been halted because of psychiatric side effects. Although recent evidence has highlighted the importance of an appetite-independent, peripheral mode of action, it is still unclear whether selectively blocking the peripheral system could potentially solve the problem of the central side effects, which thus far has led to the demise of the cannabinoid antagonists as useful pharmaceuticals. In this concise review, we summarise the data on the metabolic effects of the cannabinoid pathway and its antagonists.

Download Full-text

Protective Effects of Polyphenols Present in Mediterranean Diet on Endothelial Dysfunction

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2020/2097096 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Stromsnes ◽

C. Mas-Bargues ◽

J. Gambini ◽

L. Gimeno-Mallench

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Endothelial Dysfunction ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Microvascular Complications ◽

Additional Benefit ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Effects Of Aging

Endothelial dysfunction tends to be the initial indicator in proinflammatory state and macro- and microvascular complications, such as atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that certain compounds in diet can generate beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease due to its interactions with endothelial cells. Thus, this review is aimed at investigating whether certain polyphenols present in the Mediterranean diet, specifically catechin, quercetin, resveratrol, and urolithin, could exert positive effects on endothelial dysfunction. After analysis of numerous papers, we found that polyphenols aiding endothelial function is beneficial not only for patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or endothelial dysfunction but for all people as it can improve the effects of aging on the endothelia. The additional benefit of these polyphenols on weight loss further improves health and lowers the risk of several diseases, including those caused by endothelial dysfunction. However, it is important to note that the dosages in the majorities of the studies mentioned in this review were of supplemental rather than nutritionally relevant quantities, and therefore, the recommended dosages are difficult to determine.

Download Full-text