PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Injecting botox into stomach does not promote weight loss

2013-01-29
(Press-News.org) Bethesda, MD (Jan. 28, 2013) – Despite conflicting data in support of the practice, some overweight Americans looking for an easy fix have turned to gastric botox injections to help them lose weight. This month in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, researchers from the Mayo Clinic publish a definitive study finding that Botox doesn't promote weight loss.

Injecting botulinum toxin A (BTA), or Botox, into the stomach had been believed to delay emptying of the stomach, increase feelings of fullness and reduce body weight. Researchers enrolled 60 obese patients in a 24-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, concealed allocation trial to compare the effects of BTA to placebo. They found that the injection slowed movement of food through the stomach but it did not cause weight loss.

"On the basis of our findings, I would not recommend gastric Botox injections to people who want to lose weight. There are some risks with this treatment and we found that there was no benefit in terms of body weight loss," said Mark Topazian, lead author of the study and professor of medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

A previous study had indicated that Botox was a promising weight loss option. This study invalidates those findings because it is larger, used ultrasound to ensure injections were properly placed, and limited bias by ensuring that neither physicians nor patients knew who received Botox and who received placebo injections.

"Unless future studies show different results I'd advise patients to seek other means of achieving weight loss," said Dr. Topazian.

### About the AGA Institute The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org.

About Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology The mission of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is to provide readers with a broad spectrum of themes in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. This monthly peer-reviewed journal includes original articles as well as scholarly reviews, with the goal that all articles published will be immediately relevant to the practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. For more information, visit www.cghjournal.org.

Like AGA, Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology on Facebook. Join AGA on LinkedIn. Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn. Check out our videos on YouTube.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New study shows stable fisher population in the Southern Sierra Nevada

2013-01-29
ARCATA, Calif.—After experiencing years of population decline on the West Coast, a recent study examining fisher populations found that—at least in the southern Sierra Nevada—the animal's numbers appear to be stable. Scientists from the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) and the Pacific Southwest Region collaborated to monitor the distribution of fishers across a 7,606-square-mile area in the southern Sierra Nevada. They used baited track-plate stations—an enclosure where the fisher leaves a sooted track print as it walks through—at 223 locations ...

Using Twitter to track the flu: A better way to screen the Tweets

Using Twitter to track the flu: A better way to screen the Tweets
2013-01-29
Sifting through social media messages has become a popular way to track when and where flu cases occur, but a key hurdle hampers the process: how to identify flu-infection tweets. Some tweets are posted by people who have been sick with the virus, while others come from folks who are merely talking about the illness. If you are tracking actual flu cases, such conversations about the flu in general can skew the results. To address this problem, Johns Hopkins computer scientists and researchers in the university's School of Medicine have developed a new tweet-screening ...

Climate change projected to alter Indiana bat maternity range

2013-01-29
Research by US Forest Service scientists forecasts profound changes over the next 50 years in the summer range of the endangered Indiana bat. In an article published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, Forest Service Southern Research Station researchers Susan Loeb and Eric Winters discuss the findings of one of the first studies designed to forecast the responses of a temperate zone bat species to climate change. The researchers modeled the current maternity distribution of Indiana bats and then modeled future distributions based on four different climate change scenarios. ...

New look at cell membrane reveals surprising organization

2013-01-29
LIVERMORE, CALIF. — A new way of looking at a cell's surface reveals the distribution of small molecules in the cell membrane, changing the understanding of its organization. A novel imaging study by researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of Illinois and the National Institutes of Health revealed some unexpected relationships among molecules within cell membranes. Their findings provide a new way of studying cell structure and ultimately its function. Led by Mary Kraft of the University of Illinois, Peter Weber of Lawrence Livermore ...

Eating bright-colored fruits and vegetables may prevent or delay ALS

2013-01-29
New research suggests that increased consumption of foods containing colorful carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene and lutein, may prevent or delay the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, published by Wiley in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, found that diets high in lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C did not reduce ALS risk. Carotenoids give fruits and vegetables their bright orange, red, or yellow colors, and are a source of dietary vitamin A. Prior studies report that ...

Scientists trick iron-eating bacteria into breathing electrons instead

2013-01-29
Scientists have developed a way to grow iron-oxidizing bacteria using electricity instead of iron, an advance that will allow them to better study the organisms and could one day be used to turn electricity into fuel. The study will be published on January 29 in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The method, called electrochemical cultivation, supplies these bacteria with a steady supply of electrons that the bacteria use to respire, or "breathe". It opens the possibility that one day electricity generated from renewable sources ...

Early menopause may occur in women with BRCA gene, new study finds

Early menopause may occur in women with BRCA gene, new study finds
2013-01-29
Women with harmful mutations in the BRCA gene, which put them at higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, tend to undergo menopause significantly sooner than other women, allowing them an even briefer reproductive window and possibly a higher risk of infertility, according to a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco. Moreover, the study showed that carriers of the mutation who are heavy smokers enter menopause at an even earlier age than non-smoking women with the mutation. While the authors note that further research is needed, given the size and ...

Study demonstrates health benefits of coming out of the closet

2013-01-29
Lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) who are out to others have lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout, according to researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at Louis H. Lafontaine Hospital, affiliated with the University of Montreal. Cortisol is a stress hormone in our body. When chronically strained, cortisol contributes to the 'wear and tear' exerted on multiple biological systems. Taken together, this strain is called "allostatic load". "Our goals were to determine if the mental and physical health of lesbians, ...

The Pros and Cons of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

2013-01-29
The pros and cons of Chapter 13 bankruptcy Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which is often referred to as reorganization bankruptcy or wage earner's bankruptcy, is a very different process from Chapter 7 "liquidation" bankruptcy. Unlike Chapter 7, which often requires filers to surrender certain assets in order to have their debts discharged, people who file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy typically do not have to give up any of their property to get out of debt. For this reason, some people find Chapter 13 to be a more appealing approach to dealing with unmanageable debt. What ...

Teen Jailed After Facebook Drunk Driving Admission

2013-01-29
Teen jailed after Facebook drunk driving admission A teen driver recently found himself in hot water -- and in jail -- after posting on Facebook about his New Year's Eve drunk driving escapades. According to several major news outlets, an 18-year-old Oregon resident was arrested after posting the following message to his Facebook profile early on New Year's Day: "Drivin drunk... classic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P" At least two of the teen's Facebook friends reported the message to police, who were already in the process of investigating ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Fig trees convert atmospheric CO2 to stone

Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy

Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields

Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials

Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows

Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages

Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins

Demystifying gut bacteria with AI

Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads

Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages

Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses

Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers

Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction

Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor

How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease

UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis

XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion

Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors

Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture

Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer

Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support

[Press-News.org] Injecting botox into stomach does not promote weight loss