(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES—(June 21, 2011)—In a study that increases the understanding of the link between fetal development and obesity later in life, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found altering the levels of two common hormones, insulin and leptin, in utero changes the cellular development in the region of the brain that regulates appetite.
Their study using fetal neural stem cells from animal models, which was published online by the journal, Endocrinology, found that altered levels of leptin or insulin may have marked effects on their offspring brain development. The researchers said these findings provide further clues to the causes of obesity.
With more than 60% of American adults overweight and more than one in five obese, researchers are closely examining the causes. Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents, as well. About 17% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese. In the past, Type 2 diabetes occurred mostly in middle-aged people. Today, this type of diabetes is seen in 11% of children and adolescents.
Leptin and insulin play a role in the body's ability to regulate energy balance, with leptin serving as a long-term appetite regulator. In comparison, insulin is released quickly into the blood stream upon eating and serves as a short-term appetite regulator. In addition, insulin is the hormone that transports glucose across the cell wall so the glucose may be converted to energy.
The researchers found altering the levels of leptin caused neural stem cells from animal model to develop more neurons, while changing the levels of insulin promoted the creation of more astrocytes. Each process occurred at the expense of the development of other brain cells. Importantly, levels of leptin and insulin are altered in infants of mothers with gestational diabetes, obesity or inadequate nutrition during pregnancy.
"This study shows these two hormones influence the makeup of brain cells and how many cells we develop," Mina Desai, PhD, a LA BioMed principal researcher and the corresponding author of the study. "Our cellular makeup is akin to the foundation for a house. If the foundation isn't constructed properly, you can try and fix it but you will still have a problem. The same is true for people with fewer cells to regulate appetite and maintain stable and proper function of brain."
The new study builds on LA BioMed research, published in Brain Research in March, which found nutritionally deprived newborns are "programmed" to eat more because they develop fewer neurons in the region of the brain that controls food intake. That study suggested overeating is programmed at the level of stem cells before birth when the mother has poor or inadequate nutrition. The present results suggest that additional infant and child brain functions may be altered or impaired under conditions of suboptimal pregnancy nutrition.
Using an animal model, the researchers found less division and differentiation of the neural stem cells of a newborn with low birth weight as compared to normal birth weight. Previous studies have found a small size at birth followed by accelerated "catch-up" growth is associated with an increased risk of adult obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.
"By studying the ways in which leptin and insulin communicate with neural stem cells to divide and direct the cell fate, we may one day be able to come up with a new way to combat obesity," Dr Desai said. "We have few effective methods for preventing or treating obesity, even though it is a leading cause of death in our society."
###
In addition to Dr. Desai, LA BioMed investigators Tie Li, PhD, and Michael G. Ross, MD, MPH, participated in the study. This work was supported by National Institute of Health Grants R01HD054751, R01DK081756 27 and R03HD060241
About LA BioMed
Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has more than 150 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and cures for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including immunization and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.LABioMed.org
LA BioMed study increases understanding of link between low birth weights and obesity later in life
Scientists find altering hormone levels changes cellular development in the brain
2011-06-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Atlanta Airport Hotel Offers Nearby Lodging to 2011 AJC Peachtree Road Race Runners
2011-06-22
The Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport Hotel (North, I-85) provides nearby lodging to runners and fans attending the 2011 Peachtree Road Race. The annual event will take place on July 4 and will include approximately 60,000 participants and 150,000 spectators. It is the world's largest 10K. In addition, the AJC Peachtree Road Race has been selected to host the USA Men's 10 km Championship sponsored by Atlanta Track Club.
The AJC Peachtree Road Race begins in Buckhead by Lenox Square Mall. It continues south 6.2 miles into midtown, finishing at Piedmont Park. After the ...
Pollination services at risk following declines of Swedish bumblebees
2011-06-22
Scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Lund have discovered that the community composition of bumble bee species and their relative abundances have changed drastically over the last 70 years in Sweden. Over the same period, the average seed yield of red clover has declined and variation in yield has doubled, suggesting that the current dependence on few species for pollination of red clover has been detrimental especially to stability in seed yield.
The study was published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society ...
Research reveals unexpected differences in privacy regulations
2011-06-22
The regulation of personal data varies hugely across countries and sectors, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals.
The study, which was conducted by Professor Andreas Busch of Oxford University, examined privacy regulations in four countries across three different areas - the use of Closed Circuit TV cameras in public places; Radio Frequency Identification Technology chips in consumer goods, such as electronic toll collection tags; and the introduction of biometric features in passports and identity cards. The policies in the United ...
Broadcasters failed to prepare audiences for the Arab spring, says research
2011-06-22
Broadcasters failed to prepare audiences for events in North Africa and the Middle East, according to new research from the International Broadcasting Trust (IBT) and the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Published today (Weds June 22), the Outside the Box report looks in detail at the nature of non-news factual coverage on all the main television channels in 2010 and finds that some countries like Libya and Yemen received little or no coverage at all.
In 2010, five out of the 12 countries which have experienced revolutions, civil uprisings or major protests to date were ...
Lawrenceville Clinic Near Gwinnett Medical Center Announces New Saturday Hours
2011-06-22
Rodriguez MD, a new Lawrenceville clinic and bilingual Lawrenceville family practice near Gwinnett Medical Center now offers Saturday hours. Located in Terrace Park Medical Center at 771 Old Norcross Rd., Suite 250, the practice has a physician on-site and available to see patients the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 8:00am - 12 noon. Upcoming Saturday dates include:
- Saturday, July 2
- Saturday, July 16
- Saturday, August 6
- Saturday, August 20
Saturday hours are perfect for people who have weekday conflicts that make scheduling a medical check-up difficult ...
Cutting edge training developed the human brain 80,000 years ago
2011-06-22
Advanced crafting of stone spearheads contributed to the development of new ways of human thinking and behaving.
This is what new findings by archaeologists at Lund University have shown. The technology took a long time to acquire, required step by step planning and increased social interaction across the generations. This led to the human brain developing new abilities.
200 000 years ago, small groups of people wandered across Africa, looking like us anatomically but not thinking the way we do today. Studies of fossils and the rate of mutations in DNA show that the ...
New evidence of the benefits of home dialysis for kidney patients
2011-06-22
TORONTO, Ont., June 21, 2011—Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found more evidence of the benefits of home dialysis for patients with kidney failure.
Cells that help protect blood vessels work better in patients who undergo dialysis at home during the night than those who undergo standard daytime dialysis in a hospital, according to Dr. Darren Yuen, a nephrologist.
This is important for patients with kidney failure, which causes damage to the endothelial cells that line blood vessels and help control the flow of blood. While standard dialysis in hospital is ...
Carnegie Mellon methods keep bugs out of software for self-driving cars
2011-06-22
PITTSBURGH—Driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, promise to someday ease traffic on crowded routes and prevent accidents. Proving that these automated systems will work as intended is a daunting task, but computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have now demonstrated it is possible to verify the safety of these highly complex systems.
To do so, the researchers first developed a model of a distributed car control system in which computers and sensors in each car combine to control acceleration, braking and lane ...
Breakthrough in the search for new treatments for MS
2011-06-22
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a molecular mechanism which could bring about the development of new treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) — a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
Dr Bruno Gran, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Neurology in the School of Clinical Sciences, working in collaboration with Professor Paul Moynagh from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, has discovered a synthetic chemical compound which inhibits the pro-inflammatory signals produced by the immune system ...
Astronomers discover that galaxies are either asleep or awake
2011-06-22
New Haven, Conn.—Astronomers have probed into the distant universe and discovered that galaxies display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either awake or asleep, actively forming stars or are not forming any new stars at all.
Scientists have known for several years that galaxies in the nearby universe seem to fall into one of these two states. But a new survey of the distant universe shows that even very young galaxies as far away as 12 billion light years are either awake or asleep as well, meaning galaxies have behaved this way for more than 85 percent of the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project
[Press-News.org] LA BioMed study increases understanding of link between low birth weights and obesity later in lifeScientists find altering hormone levels changes cellular development in the brain