Comparative benefits and harms of second-generation antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder: an updated meta-analysis.

Background: Second-generation antidepressants dominate the management of major depressive disorder (MDD), but evidence on the comparative benefits and harms of these agents is contradictory.

Purpose: To compare the benefits and harms of second-generation antidepressants for treating MDD in adults.

Data Sources: English-language studies from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts from 1980 to August 2011 and reference lists of pertinent review articles and gray literature.

Variations in the ghrelin receptor gene associate with obesity and glucose metabolism in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance.

Background: Ghrelin may influence the development of obesity through its role in the control of energy balance, food intake, and regulation of body weight. The effects of ghrelin are mediated via the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR).

Methodology/principal Findings: We genotyped 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GHSR gene and assessed the association between those SNPs and obesity and type 2 diabetes-related phenotypes from 507 middle-aged overweight persons with impaired glucose tolerance participating in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS).

Expression of ghrelin gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma ghrelin concentrations in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Objective: We examined the expression of ghrelin and ghrelin receptors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and evaluated the effect of weight loss or exercise on plasma ghrelin concentrations in subjects with the metabolic syndrome.

Design And Methods: Data from 75 overweight/obese subjects randomized to a weight loss, aerobic exercise, resistance exercise or control group for a 33-week intervention period were analysed. The plasma ghrelin concentrations and indices of insulin and glucose metabolism were assessed, and mRNA expression of ghrelin, its receptors and various cytokines in PBMCs was studied using real-time PCR.

Interaction of single nucleotide polymorphisms in ADRB2, ADRB3, TNF, IL6, IGF1R, LIPC, LEPR, and GHRL with physical activity on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and changes in characteristics of the metabolic syndrome: The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ADRB2, ADRB3, TNF, IL6, IGF1R, LIPC, LEPR, and GHRL genes were associated with the conversion from impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS). In this study, we determined whether polymorphisms in these genes modified the effect of changes in physical activity (PA) on the risk of T2D in the DPS. Moreover, we assessed whether the polymorphisms modified the effect of changes in PA on changes in measures of body fat, serum lipids, and blood pressure during the first year of the follow-up of the DPS.

Effect of weight loss on cytokine messenger RNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of obese subjects with the metabolic syndrome.

Inflammation is associated with obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. No data are available on the effect of weight reduction on the gene expression of cytokines in immune cells in obesity and the metabolic syndrome. We assessed how long-term weight loss affects expression of cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism and the metabolic syndrome.

Association between ghrelin gene variations and blood pressure in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance.

Background: Ghrelin is a gut-brain hormone, which stimulates food intake and controls energy balance. Recently, it has been shown that ghrelin may also play a role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) by acting at the sympathetic nervous system. In the present study we genotyped six variants of the ghrelin gene and its promoter, and tested whether these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with BP levels in participants of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study.