Appetite and Gut Hormones Response to a Putative α-Glucosidase Inhibitor, Salacia Chinensis, in Overweight/Obese Adults: A Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Animal studies indicate reduces body weight, possibly due to its α-glucosidase inhibitor (α-GI) properties, but this has not been examined previously. In this study, a randomized, placebo-controlled, three-way cross-over design was used to evaluate whether (SC) reduces appetite in healthy overweight/obese individuals (body mass index 28.8 ±3.

Moderate weight loss in obese and overweight men preserves bone quality.

Background: Weight loss (WL) negatively affects bone mineral density (BMD) in older populations and has specifically been shown in women.

Objective: In this prospective controlled trial, we examined variables of bone quality and endocrine changes after intentional WL in men.

Design: Thirty-eight overweight and obese [mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m²): 31.

The effect of obesity on the relationship between serum parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in women.

Context: Obesity is associated with lower serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and higher intact PTH. The threshold of 25OHD needed to maximally suppress intact PTH has been suggested as a marker of optimal vitamin D status.

Objective: In this study, we hypothesized that whereas the obese have a higher serum PTH and lower 25OHD, suppression of serum PTH by 25OHD would be independent of body weight.

Vitamin D supplementation and calcium absorption during caloric restriction: a randomized double-blind trial.

Background: Weight loss (WL) is associated with a decrease in calcium absorption and may be one mechanism that induces bone loss with weight reduction.

Objective: Because vitamin D supplementation has been shown to increase true fractional calcium absorption (TFCA), the goal of this study was to examine the effect of vitamin D during WL or weight maintenance (WM).

Design: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind 6-wk study was conducted in 82 postmenopausal women [BMI (in kg/m(2); ±SD): 30.

Desensitization treatment for hypersensitivity reaction to octreotide in an acromegalic patient.

Octreotide is widely used as medical therapy for acromegaly. It is known to markedly reduce growth hormone levels, improve symptoms and reduce tumor size. Common side effects include gastrointestinal symptoms, hepatobiliary disorders, dizziness, headaches, bradycardia, hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia and thyroid dysfunction.

Vildagliptin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) augments glucose-dependent insulin release and is a new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Vildagliptin is a new DPP-4 inhibitor approved in many countries for the treatment of T2DM. This review provides an overview of vildagliptin with emphasis on its pharmacology and clinical effectiveness.

Expert credibility in climate change.

Although preliminary estimates from published literature and expert surveys suggest striking agreement among climate scientists on the tenets of anthropogenic climate change (ACC), the American public expresses substantial doubt about both the anthropogenic cause and the level of scientific agreement underpinning ACC. A broad analysis of the climate scientist community itself, the distribution of credibility of dissenting researchers relative to agreeing researchers, and the level of agreement among top climate experts has not been conducted and would inform future ACC discussions. Here, we use an extensive dataset of 1,372 climate researchers and their publication and citation data to show that (i) 97-98% of the climate researchers most actively publishing in the field surveyed here support the tenets of ACC outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and (ii) the relative climate expertise and scientific prominence of the researchers unconvinced of ACC are substantially below that of the convinced researchers.

Effects of weight loss intervention on erectile function in older men with type 2 diabetes in the Look AHEAD trial.

Introduction: Overweight men with diabetes often report erectile dysfunction (ED), but few studies have examined effects of weight loss on this problem.

Aim: This study examined 1-year changes in erectile function (EF) in overweight/obese men with type 2 diabetes participating in the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial.

Methods: Participants in Look AHEAD were randomly assigned to a control condition involving diabetes support and education (DSE) or to intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) involving group and individual sessions to reduce weight and increase physical activity.

Multidimensional evaluation of managed relocation.

Managed relocation (MR) has rapidly emerged as a potential intervention strategy in the toolbox of biodiversity management under climate change. Previous authors have suggested that MR (also referred to as assisted colonization, assisted migration, or assisted translocation) could be a last-alternative option after interrogating a linear decision tree. We argue that numerous interacting and value-laden considerations demand a more inclusive strategy for evaluating MR.

Assessing dangerous climate change through an update of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) "reasons for concern".

Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [United Nations (1992) http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf.

Geoengineering: could we or should we make it work?

Schemes to modify large-scale environment systems or control climate have been proposed for over 50 years to (i) increase temperatures in high latitudes, (ii) increase precipitation, (iii) decrease sea ice, (iv) create irrigation opportunities, or (v) offset potential global warming by injecting iron in the oceans or sea-salt aerosol in the marine boundary layer or spreading dust in the stratosphere to reflect away an amount of solar energy equivalent to the amount of heat trapped by increased greenhouse gases from human activities. These and other proposed geoengineering schemes are briefly reviewed. Recent schemes to intentionally modify climate have been proposed as either cheaper methods to counteract inadvertent climatic modifications than conventional mitigation techniques such as carbon taxes or pollutant emissions regulations or as a counter to rising emissions as governments delay policy action.

Predictors of sustained walking among diabetes patients in managed care: the Translating Research into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study.

Background: Although patients with diabetes may benefit from physical activity, few studies have examined sustained walking in this population.

Objective: To examine the factors associated with sustained walking among managed care patients with diabetes.

Design: Longitudinal, observational cohort study with questionnaires administered 2.

Clinical resolution of glycogenic hepatopathy following improved glycemic control.

Glycogenic hepatopathy is an underrecognized complication of long-standing poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by abnormal glycogen accumulation in hepatocytes, elevated liver enzymes and hepatomegaly. This is a distinct entity from other causes of hepatomegaly and elevated liver enzymes in diabetics such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Climate change, elevational range shifts, and bird extinctions.

Limitations imposed on species ranges by the climatic, ecological, and physiological effects of elevation are important determinants of extinction risk. We modeled the effects of elevational limits on the extinction risk of landbirds, 87% of all bird species. Elevational limitation of range size explained 97% of the variation in the probability of being in a World Conservation Union category of extinction risk.

Coupled human and natural systems.

Humans have continuously interacted with natural systems, resulting in the formation and development of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). Recent studies reveal the complexity of organizational, spatial, and temporal couplings of CHANS. These couplings have evolved from direct to more indirect interactions, from adjacent to more distant linkages, from local to global scales, and from simple to complex patterns and processes.

Does patient blood glucose monitoring improve diabetes control? A systematic review of the literature.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was 2-fold: first, to perform a comprehensive review of relevant studies on the impact of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) on HbA1c levels for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and, second, to explore mediators and moderators within a self-regulation framework.

Data Sources: Five databases-Medline, PsychInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)-were searched.

Study Selection: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and randomized control trials from 1990 to 2006, which included patients with type 2 diabetes not on insulin, were reviewed.

Complexity of coupled human and natural systems.

Integrated studies of coupled human and natural systems reveal new and complex patterns and processes not evident when studied by social or natural scientists separately. Synthesis of six case studies from around the world shows that couplings between human and natural systems vary across space, time, and organizational units. They also exhibit nonlinear dynamics with thresholds, reciprocal feedback loops, time lags, resilience, heterogeneity, and surprises.

Climate change: do we know enough for policy action?

The climate change problem must be thought of in terms of risk, not certainty. There are many well-established elements of the problem that carry considerable confidence whereas some aspects are speculative. Therefore, the climate problem emerges not simply as a normal science research issue, but as a risk management policy debate as well.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha and glucocorticoid synergistically increase leptin production in human adipose tissue: role for p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Context: TNF increases plasma leptin in humans in vivo, but previous studies showed it decreases leptin in vitro.

Objective And Participants: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of TNF on leptin release from human adipose tissue (AT) from healthy subjects undergoing elective surgery or needle aspirations of AT at a university hospital.

Design: Human omental and abdominal sc AT fragments from non- obese and obese subjects were placed in organ culture without or with TNF added in the presence or absence of insulin and/or dexamethasone (dex; a synthetic glucocorticoid) for up to 2 d.

Probabilistic assessment of "dangerous" climate change and emissions pathways.

Climate policy decisions driving future greenhouse gas mitigation efforts will strongly influence the success of compliance with Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the prevention of "dangerous anthropogenic interference (DAI) with the climate system." However, success will be measured in very different ways by different stakeholders, suggesting a spectrum of possible definitions for DAI. The likelihood of avoiding a given threshold for DAI depends in part on uncertainty in the climate system, notably, the range of uncertainty in climate sensitivity.