Tag: Boston
Boston NORC Obesity Research Club
Inaugural Meeting of the NORC Obesity Research Club at Boston University.
Categories: Blogs, Featured News Tags: BostonBoston NORC Small Grants Program
Small grants of up to $3,000 (direct costs only) will be awarded to investigators who are interested in utilizing the BNORC cores for the purpose of gathering critical preliminary data for a future grant application or to complete a funded project. Adipose Biology and Nutrient Metabolism (at Boston Medical Center and Tufts University) Epidemiology and Genetics (at Harvard School of Public Health) Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Core (at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) Transgenic (at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) iDXA Administrative Core (at Boston Medical Center) Preference will be given to junior investigators, senior investigators who are investigating a … Read More »
Categories: Funding Tags: BostonAppetite-Regulating Neural Pathway Identified
A team including NIDDK (and Boston NORC) researchers discovered a neural circuit that controls appetite in the brains of mice. Using a wide array of multidisciplinary techniques, the team found that neurons interacting with a specific receptor in a part of the brain called the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and the signals of those neurons to another part of the brain – the lateral parabrachial nucleus – regulate food consumption. Temporarily switching off these neurons in mice that are full makes the mice eat as though they were hungry, while turning them on reduces food consumption in hungry mice as though … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: BostonAdherence to Healthy Lifestyle and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Cohort Study
Abstract This prospective cohort study suggests that adherence to a low risk lifestyle before pregnancy is associated with a low risk of gestational diabetes and could be an effective strategy for the prevention of gestational diabetes. Key Findings Adherence to a low risk lifestyle before pregnancy is associated with a low risk of gestational diabetes and could be an effective strategy for the prevention of gestational diabetes. Citation Zhang C, Tobias DK, Chavarro JE, Bao W, Wang D, Ley SH, Hu FB. Adherence to healthy lifestyle and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2014 Sep 30;349:g5450. PMID: … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: BostonChanges in Body Weight and Health-Related Quality of Life: 2 Cohorts of US Women
Abstract This study followed 52,682 women aged 46–71 years in the Nurses’ Health Study (in 1992–2000) and 52,587 women aged 29–46 years in the Nurses’ Health Study II (in 1993–2001). Body weight was self-reported, Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study’s 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and both were updated every 4 years. The relationship between changes in weight and HRQoL scores was evaluated at 4-year intervals by using a generalized linear regression model with multivariate adjustment for baseline age, ethnicity, menopausal status, and changes in comorbidities and lifestyle factors. Key Findings Weight gain of … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: BostonIRF4 is a Key Thermogenic Transcriptional Partner of PGC-1a
Abstract Brown fat can reduce obesity through the dissipation of calories as heat. Control of thermogenic gene expression occurs via the induction of various coactivators, most notably PGC-1α. In contrast, the transcription factor partner(s) of these cofactors are poorly described. Here, we identify interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) as a dominant transcriptional effector of thermogenesis. IRF4 is induced by cold and cAMP in adipocytes and is sufficient to promote increased thermogenic gene expression, energy expenditure, and cold tolerance. Conversely, knockout of IRF4 in UCP1(+) cells causes reduced thermogenic gene expression and energy expenditure, obesity, and cold intolerance. IRF4 also induces … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: BostonNicotinamide N-Methyltransferase Knockdown Protects Against Diet-Induced Obesity
Abstract In obesity and type 2 diabetes, Glut4 glucose transporter expression is decreased selectively in adipocytes. Adipose-specific knockout or overexpression of Glut4 alters systemic insulin sensitivity. Here we show, using DNA array analyses, that nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (Nnmt) is the most strongly reciprocally regulated gene when comparing gene expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) from adipose-specific Glut4-knockout or adipose-specific Glut4-overexpressing mice with their respective controls. Thus, NNMT is a novel regulator of histone methylation, polyamine flux and NAD(+)-dependent SIRT1 signalling, and is a unique and attractive target for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. Citation Kraus D, Yang Q, Kong D, … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: BostonPleiotropic Effects of Cavin-1 Deficiency on Lipid Metabolism
Abstract Mice and humans lacking caveolae have numerous pathologies including markedly aberrant fuel metabolism, lipodystrophy, and muscular dystrophy. Characterization of the physiologic/metabolic profile of cavin-1 knock-out mice suggests that dysfunction in fat, muscle, and liver metabolism in cavin-1-null mice causes a pleiotropic phenotype, one apparently identical to that of humans lacking caveolae in all tissues. Citation: Ding SY, Lee MJ, Summer R, Liu L, Fried SK, Pilch PF. Pleiotropic effects of cavin-1 deficiency on lipid metabolism. J Biol Chem. 2014 Mar 21;289(12):8473-83. PMID: 24509860; PMCID: PMC3961672. Read More: Journal of Biological Chemistry Research Details Research Center: Boston Center Contribution: This … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Boston