Gut permeability is related to body weight, fatty liver disease, and insulin resistance in obese individuals undergoing weight reduction.

Background: Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are related to impairments of the intestinal barrier.

Objective: We examined lactulose:mannitol (Lac:Man) permeability in obese individuals with and without liver steatosis undergoing a weight-reduction program to test whether an effective weight-loss program improves gut barrier function and whether obese patients with or without liver steatosis differ in this function.

Design: Twenty-seven adult, nondiabetic individuals [mean ± SD body mass index (BMI; in kg/m): 43.

Outreach to Addiction-A Month of Investing in Ability: A Case Study.

Coordinated and organized by a disabilities librarian, the University of Michigan's Council for Disability Concerns provides annual outreach programs with biomedical themes through a series of educational events known as Investing in Ability. Every effort is made to reach the campus and the surrounding community to promote the council's goals of increased accessibility for all individuals with physical or developmental challenges, to de-stigmatize such conditions, and to educate the audience about disability-related topics. In 2014, Investing in Ability focused on the pressing and pervasive topic of addiction.

Collaboration between the University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences library and the University of Michigan Medical School Office of Research.

Librarians have traditionally facilitated research development resulting in grants through performing biomedical literature searches for researchers. The librarians at the Taubman Health Sciences Library of the University of Michigan have taken additional steps forward by instituting a proactive approach to assisting investigators. To accomplish this, the librarians have taken part in a collaborative effort with the University of Michigan Medical School Office of Research.