scholarly journals Antimicrobial peptides in patients with anorexia nervosa: comparison with healthy controls and the impact of weight gain

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Christin Bendix ◽  
Michael Stephan ◽  
Mariel Nöhre ◽  
Wally Wünsch-Leiteritz ◽  
Hagen Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Clinical Observations ◽  
The Impact

AbstractClinical observations show that patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are surprisingly free from infectious diseases. There is evidence from studies in Drosophila melanogaster that starvation leads to an increased expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are part of the innate immune system and protect human surfaces from colonization with pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi. We compared the expression of AMPs between patients with AN and healthy controls (HC) and investigated the influence of weight gain. Using a standardized skin rinsing method, quantitative determination of the AMPs psoriasin and RNase 7 was carried out by ELISA. Even though non-significant, effect sizes revealed slightly higher AMP concentrations in HC. After a mean weight gain of 2.0 body mass index points, the concentration of psoriasin on the forehead of patients with AN increased significantly. We could not confirm our hypotheses of higher AMP concentrations in patients with AN that decrease after weight gain. On the contrary, weight gain seems to be associated with increasing AMP concentrations.

scholarly journals Overcoming limitations of self-report: an assessment of fear of weight gain in anorexia nervosa and healthy controls using implicit association tests

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiana Borgers ◽  
Nathalie Krüger ◽  
Silja Vocks ◽  
Jennifer J. Thomas ◽  
Franziska Plessow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Drive For Thinness ◽  
Implicit Association ◽  
Association Tests ◽  
Implicit Assessment ◽  
Fear Of Weight Gain

Abstract Background Fear of weight gain is a characteristic feature of anorexia nervosa (AN), and reducing this fear is often a main target of treatment. However, research shows that 20% of individuals with AN do not report fear of weight gain. Studies are needed that evaluate the centrality of fear of weight gain for AN with a method less susceptible to deception than self-report. Methods We approximated implicit fear of weight gain by measuring implicit drive for thinness using implicit association tests (IATs). We asked 64 participants (35 AN, 29 healthy controls [HCs]) to categorize statements as pro-dieting vs. non-dieting and true vs. false in a questionnaire-based IAT, and pictures of underweight vs. normal-weight models and positive vs. negative words in a picture-based IAT using two response keys. We tested for associations between implicit drive for thinness and explicitly reported psychopathology within AN as well as group differences between AN and HC groups. Results Correlation analyses within the AN group showed that higher implicit drive for thinness was associated with more pronounced eating disorder-specific psychopathology. Furthermore, the AN group showed a stronger implicit drive for thinness than HCs in both IATs. Conclusion The results highlight the relevance of considering fear of weight gain as a continuous construct. Our implicit assessment captures various degrees of fear of weight gain in AN, which might allow for more individually tailored interventions in the future.

F62. Gene Expression Change With Weight Restoration Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: Modeling the Impact of Weight Gain on Expression Change

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
pp. S236-S237
Author(s):  
Jessica Baker ◽  
Lauren Blake ◽  
Laura Thornton ◽  
Rachel Guerra ◽  
Christopher Hubel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Gene Expression Change ◽  
Expression Change ◽  
Weight Restoration ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals A Novel View of Human Helicobacter pylori Infections: Interplay between Microbiota and Beta-Defensins

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pero ◽  
Brancaccio ◽  
Laneri ◽  
Biasi ◽  
Lombardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Host Response ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Precancerous Lesions ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Microbial Infections ◽  
Beta Defensins ◽  
The Impact

The gut microbiota is significantly involved in the preservation of the immune system of the host, protecting it against the pathogenic bacteria of the stomach. The correlation between gut microbiota and the host response supports human gastric homeostasis. Gut microbes may be shifted in Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-infected individuals to advance gastric inflammation and distinguished diseases. Particularly interesting is the establishment of cooperation between gut microbiota and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of the host in the gastrointestinal tract. AMPs have great importance in the innate immune reactions to Hp and participate in conservative co-evolution with an intricate microbiome. β-Defensins, a class of short, cationic, arginine-rich proteins belonging to the AMP group, are produced by epithelial and immunological cells. Their expression is enhanced during Hp infection. In this review, we discuss the impact of the gut microbiome on the host response, with particular regard to β-defensins in Hp-associated infections. In microbial infections, mostly in precancerous lesions induced by Hp infection, these modifications could lead to different outcomes.

Agouti-related protein in patients with acute and weight-restored anorexia nervosa

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2183-2192 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. V. Merle ◽  
V. Haas ◽  
R. Burghardt ◽  
N. Döhler ◽  
N. Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Negative Energy ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Plasma Leptin ◽  
Agouti Related Protein ◽  
Partial Weight

BackgroundAn imbalance in appetite-regulating neuropeptides of the central nervous system has been associated with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the mechanisms of action are poorly understood. Agouti-related protein (AGRP), an orexigenic mediator of the hypothalamus, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure in times of negative energy balance. The aim of the present study was to investigate AGRP in acute and fully weight-restored patients with AN, as well as during weight gain.MethodPlasma AGRP and leptin levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in a total of 175 female participants, including 75 patients with acute AN, 37 weight-restored AN patients and 63 healthy controls. Of the patients with acute AN, 33 were reassessed after partial weight gain.ResultsIn weight-restored AN patients plasma AGRP levels were similar to those in healthy controls, whereas in patients with acute AN, AGRP was elevated. AGRP was inversely correlated with indicators of undernutrition such as body mass index and plasma leptin. In addition, AGRP levels normalized during weight gain of longitudinally assessed AN patients.ConclusionsOur results underline the significance of undernutrition and hypoleptinemia for the interpretation of peripheral AGRP concentrations. This provides support for the hypothesis that abnormal AGRP plasma levels in AN patients reflect undernutrition, rather than disease-specific traits.

scholarly journals Plant Antimicrobial Peptides as Potential Anticancer Agents

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaquelina Julia Guzmán-Rodríguez ◽  
Alejandra Ochoa-Zarzosa ◽  
Rodolfo López-Gómez ◽  
Joel E. López-Meza
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Immune Defense ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Innate Immune Defense ◽  
Wide Range

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are part of the innate immune defense mechanism of many organisms and are promising candidates to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria to animals and humans. AMPs also display anticancer activities because of their ability to inactivate a wide range of cancer cells. Cancer remains a cause of high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, the development of methods for its control is desirable. Attractive alternatives include plant AMP thionins, defensins, and cyclotides, which have anticancer activities. Here, we provide an overview of plant AMPs anticancer activities, with an emphasis on their mode of action, their selectivity, and their efficacy.

scholarly journals Eighty-five per cent of what? Discrepancies in the weight cut-off for anorexia nervosa substantially affect the prevalence of underweight

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 833-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Thomas ◽  
C. A. Roberto ◽  
K. D. Brownell
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Specific Method ◽  
Insurance Reimbursement ◽  
False Consensus ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Subclinical Eating Disorders ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundDSM-IV cites <85% of expected body weight (EBW) as a guideline for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN) but does not require a specific method for calculating EBW. The purpose of the present study was to determine the degree to which weight cut-off calculations vary across studies, and to evaluate whether differential cut-offs lead to discrepancies in the prevalence of individuals who are eligible for the AN diagnosis.MethodTwo coders independently recorded the EBW calculation methods from 99 studies that either (a) compared individuals with AN to those with subclinical eating disorders or (b) conducted AN treatment trials. Each weight cut-off was applied to a nationally representative (n=12001) and treatment-seeking (n=189) sample to determine the impact of EBW calculation on the proportion who met the AN weight criterion.ResultsCoders identified 10 different EBW methods, each of which produced different weight cut-offs for the diagnosis of AN. Although only 0.23% of the national sample met the lowest cut-off, this number increased 43-fold to 10.10% under the highest cut-off. Similarly, only 48.1% of treatment seekers met the lowest cut-off, whereas 89.4% met the highest.ConclusionsThere is considerable variance across studies in the determination of the AN weight cut-off. Discrepancies substantially affect the proportion of individuals who are eligible for diagnosis, treatment and insurance reimbursement. However, differences may not be fully appreciated because the ubiquitous citation of the 85% criterion creates a sense of false consensus.

scholarly journals Holistically addressing motivation and maladaptive traits in anorexia nervosa: Impact on prognosis and treatment outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Athena Milios
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Motivation To Change ◽  
The Impact

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disorder, characterized by restriction of energy intake, low body weight, intense fear of weight gain, and a disturbance in body weight self-perception. Severe and Enduring AN (SE-AN) is a long-lasting (typically 5-7 or more years and marked by several unsuccessful treatment attempts) form of AN. Traditional treatments, centering on weight restoration and core eating pathology, may be part of the reason rates of treatment dropout are high and long-term outcomes are poor, particularly in SE-AN. For SE-AN patients, who have a past marked by failed traditional treatment attempts, multidimensional treatments, addressing motivation to change and maladaptive traits, may improve a range of patient outcomes outside of eating-related symptoms, such as quality of life and interpersonal functioning.The objective of this narrative review is to briefly examine motivation-related factors (e.g., hope and readiness to change), experiential avoidance, perfectionism, and obsessive-compulsiveness, and the impact of treatment approaches incorporating these individual characteristics on various patient outcomes. In conclusion, a holistic, multidimensional, person-centred recovery approach that accounts for (a) illness severity/ chronicity, (b) individual traits, and (c) motivational factors (with a secondary focus on weight gain/eating pathology), could improve quality of life outcomes, particularly in SE-AN. Additionally, integrating patient perspectives, insights, and values into developing/testing novel person-centred interventions is paramount in order to holistically address the underlying biopsychosocial causes and perpetuating factors of AN, and to better understand the trajectory of chronicity.

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