The Combination of High-Fat Diet and Oral Marijuana Promotes the Development of Fibrosis in the Mouse Corpora Cavernosa.

Introduction: The link between cannabis use and erectile dysfunction remains unclear. Moreover, the effect of cannabis in tandem with current Western dietary habits is an area in male sexual health that has yet to be explored. This study seeks to investigate the impact of diet and cannabis on penile health in an animal model.

Low-Dose and Standard Overnight and Low Dose-Two Day Dexamethasone Suppression Tests in Patients with Mild and/or Episodic Hypercortisolism.

We previously reported on the lack of utility of the 1 mg overnight dexamethasone (DEX) test in mild and/or periodic Cushing's syndrome, as most patients with the condition suppressed to 1 mg DEX. It is possible that a lower dose of DEX as part of an overnight DEX test might be able to distinguish between mild and/or periodic Cushing's syndrome and those without the condition. The objective of the current study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a 0.

Characterization of facial skin of various Asian populations through visual and non-invasive instrumental evaluations: influence of seasons.

Background/purpose: This multicenter study assessed the impact of two types of extreme seasons (i.e. summer and winter) on the facial skin of female subjects living in different regions of Asia.

Alterations in phosphorylated CREB expression in different brain regions following short- and long-term morphine exposure: relationship to food intake.

Background: Activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB) system in different brain regions has been implicated in mediating opioid tolerance and dependence, while alteration of this system in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) has been suggested to have a role in food intake and body weight.

Methods: Given that opioids regulate food intake, we measured P-CREB in different brain regions in mice exposed to morphine treatments designed to induce different degrees of tolerance and dependence.

Results: We found that a single morphine injection or daily morphine injections for 8 days did not influence P-CREB levels, while the escalating dose of morphine regimen raised P-CREB levels only in the ventral tegmental area (VTA).

Characterization of facial skin of various Asian populations through visual and non-invasive instrumental evaluations: influence of age and skincare habits.

Background/purpose: We aimed to evaluate the impact of age and skincare habits on facial skin of different Asian ethnicities by comparing skin properties and skincare habits among various Asian populations of varying age groups.

Methods: We evaluated approximately 100 female subjects each from a total of eight Asian cities in China, India, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines grouped according to age ranging from 14 to 75 years during a summer season. Facial skin was characterized using dermatological examinations of the cheek and instrumental evaluations of the forehead and cheek.

Additive effects of nicotine and high-fat diet on hepatic steatosis in male mice.

Smoking is a major risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease and may contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We hypothesize that in the presence of nicotine, high-fat diet (HFD) causes more severe hepatic steatosis in obese mice. Adult C57BL6 male mice were fed a normal chow diet or HFD and received twice daily injections of nicotine (0.

Nicotine stimulates secretion of corticosterone via both CRH and AVP receptors.

Corticosterone-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are crucial components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that stimulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary and mediate the stress response. CRH binds to two subtypes of CRH receptors (CRH-R1 and CRH-R2) that are present in both central and peripheral tissues. We used the CRH-R1-specific antagonist, antalarmin (ANT), the CRH-R1 and CRH-R2 peptide antagonist, astressin (AST), and the CRH-R2-specific peptide antagonist, astressin2b (AST2b), to determine which CRH receptor is involved in the nicotine-stimulated secretion of corticosterone.

Effect of nicotine on body composition in mice.

Nicotine induces weight loss in both humans and rodents consuming a regular diet; however, the effect of nicotine on body weight and fat composition in rodents consuming a high-fat diet (HFD) has not been well studied. Thus, this study examined the effect of nicotine vs saline on body weight and fat composition in mice fed with either an HFD (62% of kcal from fat) or a standard normal chow diet (NCD) for 7 weeks. Nicotine dose dependently reduced body weight gain in mice that consumed both diets, but this effect was significantly greater in mice on the HFD.