Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

RU-486 or mifepristone is best known as an antiprogestin and an abortifacient, but it has broad medical applicability. The drug is also a potent blocker of corticosteroid receptors, and it has shown promise in the treatment of breast cancer, inoperable meningioma, and cushing's disease. Cushing's is a model for the symptomatology of aging which may involve enhanced response to corticosteroid. RU-486 has reversed the osteoporosis, thinning of skin, muscle atrophy, obesity, adult onset diabetes, depression, hypertension, and immunosuppression associated with this disease. RU-486 may be of value in aiding cervical dilation, lactation, and the treatment of endometriosis. In addition, breast, bowel, kidney tumors, hepatomas, endometrial cancer, and fibrosarcomas can show corticosteroid dependency, suggesting that RU-486 may have clinical value against inoperable tumors. In a preliminary 1987 phase I study, in estrogen-positive, chemotherapy-refractory breast cancer patients in Montpelier, France, Ru-486 produced objective tumor regression (6 of 22) that was prolonged (3 months) in 4 patients. Clinical relief of bone pain was observed in 7 of 23 patients with a decline in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tumor makers in 8 patients. Growing in vitro data also show that RU-486 can directly inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation. RU-486 has application for HIV infection, based on data that there is a serum factor in AIDS patients that enhances corticosteroid lympholysis. IN addition, the immune restorative action of RU-486 suggests that it could counteract the immunosuppression seen in aging, in cancer, or in viral or stress-related disease, which has recently focused clinical attention on its potential in the treatment of senile dementia and depression. Scientific conferences and workshops are needed to alert scientists, physicians, and the public to the potential medical benefits of this drug.
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PMID:RU 486: how abortion politics have impacted on a potentially useful drug of broad medical application. 150 96

Many studies of age-related cognitive decline have failed to distinguish between usual and successful aging. Although some degree of cognitive impairment is associated with aging, when one looks at average performance, there is great variability among individuals, with many showing little or no deleterious effects of aging on intellectual abilities. Many of the risk factors for dementia and for conditions associated with cognitive impairments can be treated or controlled. Among the preventable causes of cognitive decline are the following: AIDS, Alcohol and drug abuse, Cerebrovascular disease, Exposure to organic solvents or lead, Head trauma, Overmedication, Syphilis. Other conditions that may cause cognitive decline can be controlled or treated: Atherosclerosis, Depression, Diabetes, Emphysema, High blood pressure, Obesity, Sleep disorders, Thyroid dysfunction. In addition, it may be possible to enhance the cognitive performance of even healthy elderly people through changes in diet and lifestyle. Recent data raise the possibility that improved prenatal and perinatal care and greater access to educational opportunities may result in a decreased incidence of dementia in future generations of older adults. Although they are rapidly becoming more numerous, the efficacy of cognitive training programs in preventing or slowing cognitive decline has not yet been demonstrated. Nevertheless, such programs may ameliorate cognitive impairment by reducing the psychiatric disabilities associated with anxiety and depression. The general principle underlying these strategies for limiting cognitive impairment with age is to maximize brain reserve and minimize brain damage.
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PMID:Preventing cognitive decline. 157 76

The purpose of this study was to ascertain adolescent perceptions of health concerns and to contrast the health care provider perceptions of adolescent concerns. The student sample consisted of 179 students from the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade in a 2,000-student suburban high school. The health care provider sample consisted of 74 physicians, nurse practitioners, and school nurses. The largest number of students reported concerns about AIDS, schoolwork, making friends, sex, discrimination, and dental problems. Additionally, menstruation, violence, rape, abuse, pregnancy, sadness, and obesity were of concern to a greater number of female than male students. Homosexuality, sex, auto accidents, and low weight were of concern to a greater number of male than female students. The findings of this study support the following conclusions: (a) Adolescents have more diverse health concerns with greater magnitude than expected by health care providers; (b) health care providers underestimate adolescent psychological and social health concerns; (c) female adolescents were more concerned about their health and more concerned about gender-specific and violent issues than males; (d) women's health care providers are unaware of female adolescent concern about violent acts against women.
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PMID:Adolescent health concerns: a comparison of adolescent and health care provider perceptions. 193 Dec 65

The lessons learned from developing countries which are applicable equally to developed countries include the recognition that poverty and social justice are an integral part of a health strategy, that disease prevention involved active participation of the population, that better cost effective measures are desirable, and that individual and community involvement need to be encouraged. Prior to 1940, health care strategy involved the doctor as the locus of care for curing disease. Thereafter, through the agenda of the WHO, there was a shift towards emphasis on community health, environmental sanitation, health education, and prevention; the goal was health for all. The 1978 WHO meeting in Alma-Ata set goals for the year 2000 as 1) health care users being actively involved in caring for themselves, 2) the implementation of cost effective strategies, 3) expanding the health team to other disciplines, and 4) achieving equity in services provided and outcomes. Primary health care approaches have successfully reduced infant and child mortality through immunization, clean water and sanitation efforts, breast feeding, household involvement in treatment of diarrhea, and monitoring growth and nutrition. The lesson to be learned from developed countries is that prevention is more cost effective than illness management, particularly with the availability of new expensive technologies. Education and other primary prevention efforts can be successful in reducing smoking, auto fatalities, environmental contamination, and AIDS. Health in the US: 50-100 years ago was similar to that in developing countries today, and the shift from infectious disease to chronic disease was not smooth. Countries like Mexico are already straining under the difficulties of both disease patterns, while Brazil's public resources spent on illness treatment have jumped from 36% in 1965 to 85% in 1982, or 6% of the GNP. This could easily expand to the US figure of 12% due to similar problems with injuries, heart and cerebrovascular disease, cancer, dietary patterns of high salt and fat intake inadequate exercise and obesity, and environmental risks.
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PMID:Prevention in developing countries. 223 Oct 55

Instructions for self-treatment, whether printed, presented via computer or by audiovisual means, are effective in the management of phobias, panic disorder, other anxieties, depression, bulimia nervosa, obesity, alcohol problems, nicotine abuse, myocardial infarction, AIDS, compliance problems and the counseling of patients' relatives. A lasting improvement has been shown for up to 7 years. The mechanisms of effective self-change are discussed.
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PMID:[Help with self-care]. 754 90

Regulation of hunger and satiety is a complex process thought to be controlled by a complex interplay of neurotransmitters in the hypothalamic region of the brain. Reduced food intake or anorexia has also been observed under various disease or disorder conditions including AIDS and cancer. On the other hand, increased appetite because of some impairment of central mechanisms regulating the food intake could also cause/obesity. A large number of substances including neuropeptides, hormones, drugs, and synthetic peptides have been implicated in the regulation of appetite and food intake behavior in normal as well as disease or disorder conditions. Most of these substances are not directly involved in the regulation of normal hunger and satiety but exert their effect indirectly via other media. Some of them are involved under certain pathologic conditions and during the course they become involved directly or indirectly in the triggering of hunger and satiety regulatory mechanism. Recently, we have been able to isolate and purify an endogenous proteoglycan from membranes of animal and plant sources. This membrane anchored proteoglycan termed as 'Satiomem' reduces food intake without any rebound effects and has no apparent toxicity. It also fulfils all the criteria of a true satiety or anorexigenic substance. The release of satiomem from the cell surface could be mediated by a specific phospholipase-C. Satiomem seems to be involved in transducing activating signals and may also act as a source of second messenger for the regulatory mechanism of appetite. This article summarizes the regulatory aspects of hunger and satiety mechanisms controlled by endogenous substances with the emphasis on our present knowledge about satiomem.
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PMID:A step towards developing the expertise to control hunger and satiety: regulatory role of satiomem--a membrane proteoglycan. 765 74

Author surveys clinically relevant results of recent years' nutritional researches. More and more details of the etiological bases of the diet-disease relation are revealed by molecular biology, e.g. the genetic background of link between fat intake and cardiovascular diseases, the metabolism of fatty acids. The results may be used in the implementation of balanced nutrition serving for prevention and in the elaboration of recommended levels of nutrient intake. Proper nutrition starts already in the fetal life: deficient nutrient supply of the mother means a risk factor to chronic, noncommunicable diseases of adulthood. Different nutrients, components in food might be especially favourable to health status, this phenomenon is indicated in English written scientific literature by the word "nutraceutical" (in Japan "functional foods"). In the year of 1994, the buzz word of nutrition was: antioxidant. The mechanism of the development of oxidative stress, its inhibition by antioxidative agents in food and the use of it in the prevention of malignant tumors (cancers), cardiovascular diseases, cataracts and other degenerative processes of old age, were studied comprehensively. The importance of obesity, fat intake in the risk of chronic diseases constitutes a separate group of problems. Nutrition is also an important factor in the care of HIV/AIDS patients and in the inhibition of the transfer of HIV-1 between mother and fetus.
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PMID:[The use of results of scientific nutrition research in clinical practice]. 774 62

Elementary school-age children's conceptual understanding and factual knowledge about the causes of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), colds, and obesity are poorly understood, particularly among black children living in low-income, urban neighborhoods. We examined minority children's conceptual understanding about the causes of these illnesses. In addition, children's knowledge and misconceptions about the causal agents of AIDS, colds, and obesity were investigated. A developmentally based, semistructured interview was developed to measure children's level of understanding about the causes of each condition. Interviews were conducted with 239, predominately black, first, third, and fifth grade students attending two public elementary schools in a low income city in northern California. Interviews were verbally administered and tape recorded for later verbatim transcription. Children's responses to questions about causality first were scored based on their level of conceptual sophistication. Responses then were assigned to thematic categories reflecting the children's factual knowledge about the causes of AIDS, colds, and obesity. Increases in grade level were associated with higher scores for causality of AIDS (p < .0001), colds (p < .0001), and obesity (p < .01). In all three conditions, causality scores increased between first and fifth grades, but did not significantly vary between third and fifth grades. Gender, socioeconomic status, and number of adults living in the household were not significantly associated with causality scores. Within each grade, the finding of lower causality scores for AIDS, as compared to colds and obesity, points out the need for developmentally appropriate explanations to children about the causes of AIDS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:What do minority elementary students understand about the causes of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, colds, and obesity? 779 69

Adipsin, which is identical to complement factor D, is synthesized by fat cells, circulates in the bloodstream and is profoundly deficient in mice with genetic and hypothalamic obesity. With the recent cloning of human adipsin, a quantitative human immunoassay has been developed. In the present study, we measured adipsin blood concentrations in humans with increased and decreased adipose stores as well as adipsin secretion by adipose tissue obtained from lean and obese individuals. The results demonstrate that adipsin is released by human adipose tissue fragments as has previously been shown in mice, and that, in contrast to obese mice, blood adipsin concentrations were not reduced in the obese humans tested in this study. We also observed that blood adipsin concentrations can vary as a function of feeding or adiposity, in that they tend to be mildly elevated in obese individuals or mildly reduced in individuals with total lipo-atrophy, cachexia related to AIDS and anorexia nervosa. Thus, the circulating concentration of adipsin tends to correlate positively with degree of adiposity. Clearly, no deficiency in blood adipsin concentrations or adipsin secretion by adipose tissue was observed in the obese individuals studied.
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PMID:Concentrations of adipsin in blood and rates of adipsin secretion by adipose tissue in humans with normal, elevated and diminished adipose tissue mass. 804 95

In pre-colonial times, health in some Pacific countries was good compared with that of Europe. Illnesses such as scrofula, rheumatism, and filariasis often received herbal treatment. More recently, however, traditional diet throughout the region have been replaced by canned fish, biscuit, white flour products, and sugar-laden food. New illnesses and diseases have emerged in Pacific countries since European intrusion. Though malaria is still the primary cause of death in Vanuatu, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and coronary heart disease are prime health concerns in most Pacific countries. In Kiribati, health educators use materials in discussion groups and schoolteachers use special materials on AIDS in their teaching, Calendars are produced in cooperation with national nutrition and family planning (FP) groups and agencies that highlight health topics such as AIDS and vitamin-A deficiency. Material produced by the Vanuatu health education unit features nutrition, the environment, FP, and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The government's Women's Affairs Department the International Labor Organization and other agencies are involved in FP and family life education. In Fiji and the Solomon Islands, nutrition has been highlighted in health education campaigns. In both countries surveys indicated alarming levels of diet-related disease. Another important nutrition project in the Solomon Islands is the village education program. At a training center, trainers conduct 15 practical courses for mobile workers, community workers, and village resource persons. Under this program, 60 village-level workshops are held each year focusing on nutrition, cooking, and gardening. Nutrition is now a major focus of health in the Pacific. The health, nutrition, education, fisheries, and agricultural sectors work with other agencies for success through community participation and through an integrated approach.
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PMID:Popular participation in community health programmes. 818 58


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