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

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid L-tryptophan (LT) in the biosynthesis of serotonin. Intestinal absorption of 5-HTP does not require the presence of a transport molecule, and is not affected by the presence of other amino acids; therefore it may be taken with meals without reducing its effectiveness. Unlike LT, 5-HTP cannot be shunted into niacin or protein production. Therapeutic use of 5-HTP bypasses the conversion of LT into 5-HTP by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which is the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of serotonin. 5-HTP is well absorbed from an oral dose, with about 70 percent ending up in the bloodstream. It easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and effectively increases central nervous system (CNS) synthesis of serotonin. In the CNS, serotonin levels have been implicated in the regulation of sleep, depression, anxiety, aggression, appetite, temperature, sexual behaviour, and pain sensation. Therapeutic administration of 5-HTP has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions, including depression, fibromyalgia, binge eating associated with obesity, chronic headaches, and insomnia.
 ...
PMID:5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor. 972 88

Sleep disorders are very prevalent in the general population and are associated with significant medical, psychological, and social disturbances. Insomnia is the most common. When chronic, it usually reflects psychological/behavioral disturbances. Most insomniacs can be evaluated in an office setting, and a multidimensional approach is recommended, including sleep hygiene measures, psychotherapy, and medication. The parasomnias, including sleepwalking, night terrors, and nightmares, have benign implications in childhood but often reflect psychopathology or significant stress in adolescents and adults and organicity in the elderly. Excessive daytime sleepiness is typically the most frequent complaint and often reflects organic dysfunction. Narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are chronic brain disorders with an onset at a young age, whereas sleep apnea is more common in middle age and is associated with obesity and cardiovascular problems. Therapeutic naps, medications, and supportive therapy are recommended for narcolepsy and hypersomnia; continuous positive airway pressure, weight loss, surgery, and oral devices are the common treatments for sleep apnea.
 ...
PMID:Sleep and its disorders. 1007 85

Recently, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-OHTrp) has been promoted as an alternative to banned L-tryptophan as a dietary supplement. It has been claimed to help alleviate obesity, insomnia, depression, and headaches. However, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS)-like symptoms have also been associated with ingestion or exposure to 5-OHTrp. HPLC-UV analysis of EMS-implicated 5-OHTrp revealed the presence of peak X, described as case-implicated. We show that peak X is actually a family of contaminants with the same molecular weight (234 Da) and similar HPLC retention times. We also demonstrate that all eight samples of commercially available 5-OHTrp analyzed by HPLC-MS contained three or more contaminants of the peak X family. The significance of these findings is discussed.
 ...
PMID:Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome case-associated contaminants in commercially available 5-hydroxytryptophan. 1072 Oct 89

Sleep problems (i.e., insomnia) affect midlife women as they approach and pass through menopause at rates higher than at most other stages of life. The purpose of this article is to critically review what is known about insomnia (perceived poor sleep) and physiologically assessed sleep, as well as sleep-related disordered breathing (SDB), in women according to menopausal status and the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) hormones. Self-report evidence that sleep difficulties are related to the hormonal changes of menopause is mixed. Data from studies in which sleep was physiologically measured reveal that sleep problems appear corequisite with hot flashes and sweats. Results are difficult to compare across studies because of varying methodologies in how sleep quality and patterns were assessed and how age cohorts and menopausal status were defined. The risk of SDB increases with age, although women are less susceptible at any age than men. As with men, snoring, obesity, and high blood pressure are clear risk factors. Some women may be underdiagnosed for SDB, as they have somewhat different symptom manifestations than men. Usually, frank apnea is not as evident. Primary care clinicians should be mindful of the potential for SDB in women who are obese, have high blood pressure, are cognizant of snoring, and report morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness. Improved care will result from consistently incorporating sleep insomnia assessments into practice as a basis for referring to sleep centers as necessary or prescribing sleep-enhancing behavioral and pharmacological treatments.
 ...
PMID:Sleep disturbance in menopause. 1074 14

There is little information about the interaction between melatonin, sexual steroids and neuroendocrine system in postmenopausal females, even if former research showed that melatonin is clearly involved in human physiology and pathophysiology. We evaluated the overnight urinary excretion of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (6-SMT) using a radioimmunoassay in 60 postmenopausal women. The group has been divided into patients with insomnia (10), hyperprolactinemia (7), depression (9), obesity (7) and controls (27). Compared to controls 6-SMT values were significantly higher in depressive females. Patients with hyperprolactinemia showed a trend toward a significantly elevated average nocturnal melatonin concentration. Melatonin levels were significantly lower in patients with insomnia and obese postmenopausal females than in controls. Since previous studies described lower melatonin levels in postmenopausal than in premenopausal women, the indication of melatonin therapy, especially for sleep disorders in this collective, can be handled more generously. Melatonin should be prescribed restrictively in patients with depression and in those with hyperprolactinemia. The role of melatonin in obese females remains unclear.
 ...
PMID:Melatonin in postmenopausal females. 1076 39

Objective: To determine factors affecting sleep disturbances in children.Background: Factors affecting sleep disturbances have been studied extensively in adults, but relatively few studies have been done in children.Methods: As part of the twelfth survey of the Tucson Epidemiologic Study of Obstructive Airways Disease (TESOAD, 1991-1992), children, ages 3-14, of adult cohort members were administered a health questionnaire which contained items related to sleep problems as well as items related to respiratory diseases and symptoms. Participants were classified as having sleep disturbances if they reported disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or snoring. Potential factors affecting sleep included age, gender, obesity, asthma, other bronchial problems, cough and sputum production, wheezing and rhinitis.Results: The overall prevalence rates were 16.8, 4 and 22.9% for DIMS, EDS, and snoring, respectively. We found a significantly higher prevalence of DIMS in 11-14-year-old girls (30.4%) and snoring (32.3%) in 3-6-year-old boys. Certain respiratory factors were more prevalent in children with sleep disturbances. Multivariate analysis revealed that risk factors for DIMS included female gender, age 11-14 and wheezing. The risk for EDS was increased in those children with cough and sputum production. Cough and sputum production also were risk factors for snoring as was rhinitis and age 3-6.Conclusions: We conclude that in children as in adults, respiratory symptoms are associated with sleep disturbances. Further, the increased insomnia seen in adult women may begin in early adolescence.
 ...
PMID:Factors affecting sleep disturbances in children and adolescents. 1076 52

Given the association between psychiatric factors and obesity, the aims of the present study were to identify these variables among native Swedish as well as immigrant women, and to compare the prevalence of psychiatric ill health in women of foreign ethnicity with Swedish women. Information on melancholia, life satisfaction, sleeping problems, and use of psychoactive drugs as well as alcohol and smoking habits was obtained from questionnaires in a randomly selected population (n = 1464, participation rate 78%, aged 40 y). Height, body weight and circumferences of waist and hip were self-measured, so allowing calculations of the body mass index (BMI) and the waist to hip ratio (WHR) to be made. Among those who responded 246 (21.9%) were immigrants, divided into the following demographic clusters Nordic countries; Rest of Europe; and Non-European. Among native Swedes, use of psychoactive drugs and melancholy were associated with both BMI and WHR. BMI-associated with use of antidepressants in women from Nordic countries with a short duration of stay, and in subjects with a long duration of residence, was related to life satisfaction. Among subjects from the Rest of Europe, the use of hypnotics was negatively related to BMI, and life satisfaction was positively associated with WHR. Among Non-Europeans with a long duration of residence, BMI was positively connected to the use of anxiolytics and, negatively, to life satisfaction. Furthermore, melancholy was positively associated with WHR (borderline, P=0.086) in Non-Europeans. Subjects from Nordic countries were characterised by a relatively low use of psychoactive drugs and infrequent insomnia. In contrast, subjects from the Rest of Europe with short duration of stay showed a relatively extensive use of psychoactive drugs, and the Non-European group with short duration of stay experienced frequent insomnia, and a low degree of life satisfaction as well as high degree of melancholy. The association between psychiatric factors and obesity is not uniform across ethnic groups, suggesting a combination of genetic predisposition and psychosocial vulnerability. The high prevalence of psychiatric ill health among some ethnic groups should be a matter of public health concern.
 ...
PMID:Psychiatric ill health and distribution of body fat mass among female immigrants in Sweden. 1078 26

Methamphetamine, called meth, crystal, or speed, is a central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally; prolonged use at high levels results in dependence. Methamphetamine (MA) is a derivative of amphetamine, which was widely prescribed in the 1950s and 1960s as a medication for depression and obesity, reaching a peak of 31 million prescriptions in the United States in 1967. Until the late 1980s, illicit use and manufacture of MA was endemic to California, but the MA user population has recently broadened in nature and in regional distribution, with increased use occurring in midwestern states. An estimated 4.7 million Americans (2.1% of the U.S. population) have tried MA at some time in their lives. Short- and long-term health effects of MA use include stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, stomach cramps, shaking, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, and structural changes to the brain. Children of MA abusers are at risk of neglect and abuse, and the use of MA by pregnant women can cause growth retardation, premature birth, and developmental disorders in neonates and enduring cognitive deficits in children. MA-related deaths and admissions to hospital emergency rooms are increasing. Although inpatient hospitalization may be indicated to treat severe cases of long-term MA dependence, optimum treatment for MA abusers relies on an intensive outpatient setting with three to five visits per week of comprehensive counseling for at least the first three months. The burgeoning problems of increased MA use must be addressed by adequate treatment programs suitable for a variety of user types.
 ...
PMID:History of the methamphetamine problem. 1090

In males, aging, health and disease are processes that occur over physiologic time and involve a cascade of hormonal, biochemical and physiological changes that accompany the down-regulation of the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary-testicular axis. As aging progresses there are relative increases of body fat and decreases in muscle mass. The increased adipose tissue mass is associated with the production of a number of newly generated factors. These include aromatase, leptin, PAI-1, insulin resistance, and the dyslipidemias, all of which can lead to tissue damage. Fatty tissue becomes the focal point for study as it represents the intersection between energy storage and mobilization. The increase in adipose tissue is associated with an increase in the enzyme aromatase that converts testosterone to estradiol and leads to diminished testosterone levels that favor the preferential deposition of visceral fat. As the total body fat mass increases, hormone resistance develops for leptin and insulin. Increasing leptin fails to prevent weight gain and the hypogonadal-obesity cycle ensues causing further visceral obesity and insulin resistance. The progressive insulin resistance leads to a high triglyceride-low HDL pattern of dyslipidemia and increased cardiovascular risk. All of these factors eventually contribute to the CHAOS Complex: coronary disease, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes mellitus, obesity and/or stroke as permanent changes unfold. Other consequences of the chronic hypogonadal state include osteopenia, extreme fatigue, depression, insomnia, loss of aggressiveness and erectile dysfunction all of which develop over variable periods of time.
 ...
PMID:Aromatase, adiposity, aging and disease. The hypogonadal-metabolic-atherogenic-disease and aging connection. 1139 22

Past and current drug therapies for weight loss are discussed. More than 50% of Americans can be categorized as overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with increased mortality and with comorbidities such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, and certain cancers. According to guidelines for identification, evaluation, and treatment of obesity, patients with a body mass index (BMI) of > or = 30 kg/m2 should attempt to lose weight. Patients with a BMI of > or = 25 kg/m2 plus two or more risk factors or patients with an excessive waist circumference plus two or more risk factors should also attempt to lose weight. The initial goal is a 10% weight reduction in six months achieved through lifestyle changes. If lifestyle changes alone are not effective, then drug therapy may be indicated. Pharmacotherapeutic options for obesity have decreased over the past few years. Fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine, and phenylpropanolamine have been withdrawn because of severe adverse effects, leaving only sympathomimetics, sibutramine, and orlistat as anorectics with FDA-approved labeling. Phentermine has been shown to cause a 5-15% weight loss if given daily or intermittently. Compared with sibutramine and orlistat, phentermine is cheaper, and specific formulations allow once-daily administration. However, phentermine is indicated only for short-term treatment, and tolerance often develops. Common adverse effects associated with phentermine are dry mouth, insomnia, increased blood pressure, and constipation. Sibutramine increases norepinephrine and serotonin levels in the CNS and should not be taken with many antidepressants because of the risk of increased norepinephrine and serotonin levels. Its use is also contraindicated in patients with cardiovascular disease. Orlistat is not systemically absorbed; therefore, it does not cause the systemic adverse effects or drug interactions of phentermine and sibutramine. Orlistat has a cholesterol-lowering effect not seen with other diet medications. However, the three-times-daily administration and frequent gastrointestinal effects limit its use. Sibutramine, phentermine, and orlistat have both positive and negative properties. Choosing among the medications will depend on concurrent disease states and medications, ease of administration, and cost.
 ...
PMID:Pharmacologic options for the treatment of obesity. 1147 77


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>