(therapy) Gene therapy discovery at University of Alberta helps fight fat

 

picture: Google 

EDMONTON  - A new way of using gene therapy to help those fighting the battle of the bulge has been discovered by University of Alberta researchers.
“This could be very easily translated to clinical trials,” said researcher Jason Dyck, adding that with so many people struggling to gain control of their weight, it’s time other treatments are investigated.

“Obesity hasn’t really been considered a severe enough disease for gene therapy. With the huge number of people that are obese and have type 2 diabetes, it’s time we start looking at alternate ways to treat this disease.”
The treatment focuses on increasing levels of a hormone released from fat cells.

As a person gains weight and fat cells get larger, the body releases less of this hormone — called apidonectin.

The thinner a person is, the more of the hormone they release, said Dyck.

Mice were injected with the hormone twice over a thirteen week period, which resulted in less weight gain, higher activity levels, and decreased insulin resistance.

A group fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet coupled with the gene therapy gained less weight, burned more calories, and were more active.

Dyck acknowledged that many might see the therapy as the next quick way to lose weight, but said it will not be as simple as your average weight loss pill or drink.

read more: edmontonsun blog

(business) China Slowdown May Be Longer Than '09 Financial Crisis

China’s economic slowdown may last longer than during the global financial crisis because of worsening external demand and limited lending to smaller companies, a state researcher said.

Growth may slow for a ninth straight period to below 7 percent in the first quarter, Yuan Gangming, an economist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview Sept. 19 in Beijing. Yuan, who formerly headed CASS’s Office of Macroeconomic Research in the Institute of Economics, forecast 7.4 percent expansion in the third quarter and 7.2 percent in the last period of the year.

 Photographer: Nelson Ching/Bloomberg

The slowdown may pressure new leaders of the Communist Party, set to take office this year in a once-a-decade power handover, to step up stimulus efforts. A report yesterday showed China’s manufacturing may contract for an 11th month, and Yuan said the central bank has been too focused on controlling inflation at the expense of growth.

“The slowdown will definitely extend into the first quarter of next year,” said Yuan, 58, who advises the government without being directly involved in policy making. “That will provide a good starting point for the new generation of leadership to make a turnaround, because things can’t get worse.” 













read more: Bloomberg Businessweek

Is a Masters Degree Worth the Cost?

When aspiring to complete your education, a Master’s degree can be the cherry on the top. This long-time, well-respected degree will impress even the most critical employer, but is a Master’s degree worth the cost? Once you start tallying the years spent in education, investing in resources and all those late nights, it can seem futile if once qualified, your pay-check doesn’t represent the investment.

 

picture: Google

Many people are deterred from completing their Master’s degree because of financial restrictions, yet there are alternatives to attending an expensive educational institution. Online courses are now making it higher education more affordable for the average student to attain, allowing more undergraduates the ability to further their education and reap the rewards of for many years to follow. A Master’s Degree is worth around $400,000 during your 40 year career span, so tally up your investment now.

Read more: articlescholar

Kajian fizikokimia tepung biji durian dan kualiti penerimaan sensori terhadap keropok lekor

Abstract

Tiga jenis tepung biji durian iaitu biji durian iaitu biji durian D24 (TD24), biji durian kampung (TDK) dan (TDC) dihasilkan. Ciri-ciri fiziko-kimia tepung biji durian dikaji iaitu proksimat, amilosa, gluten dan pH. 

Manakala ujian penyimpanan untuk warna,pengembangan, kelarutan penyerapan air dan minyak. Kandungan karbohidrat yang terkandung dalam tepung biji durian dianggap tinggi dengan julat kandungannya adalah di antara 75.6% hingga 78.4%. 

Serat adalah masing-masing menunjukkan nilai di antara 4.36% hingga 6.32%. Purata kandungan lemak dan TD24.

penyelidik: Mohamad Azli Razali , Hussin Khan Rahmatullah Khan , Mohd Zain Kutut 

sumber: eprint UiTM

(abstract) Behavioral approaches to anxiety disorders: A report on the NIMH-SUNY, Albany, research conference.

In recent years, striking advancements in the discovery of effective psychologically based treatments for some anxiety disorders have been produced. If this progress continues during the next decade, the understanding of these disorders may be increased to the point where truly effective treatments and/or preventive efforts would be available for all anxiety disorders.

 

Nevertheless, at this juncture there is sizable disagreement among leading clinical investigators on how to proceed with research in this area. As a consequence, a National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored conference of leading investigators was convened to recommend research strategies that will advance the field toward a cumulative body of knowledge. 

Recommendations were made in the areas of general research strategies, assessment and classification, process research, outcome research, delivery of treatment, and dissemination of results.

Original link: APA PsycNET

Mechanical Function of the Patella (HERBERT KAUFER)

The patella contributes to the knee extension moment arm through the entire range of knee motion. Its contribution increases with progressive extension. In terms of extension moment, special modifications of transverse repair have no advantage over simple transverse approximation of the patellar ligament and quadriceps tendon, but transverse repair is superior to longitudinal repair.

Depending on the technique of patellectomy defect repair, full postpatellectomy extension may require as much as a 30 per cent increase in quadriceps force. Tibial tubercleplasty can lengthen the extension moment arm and permit full extension with no greater force than that required in the knee before patellectomy. 

A 30 per cent increase in quadriceps force may be beyond the capacity of some patients, particularly those with long-standing intra-articular disease, those in advanced age, or those who have extension lag prior to operation. If patellectomy is indicated for this select group of patients, tibial tubercleplasty ought to be considered.

Original source: Journal Of Bone & Joint Surgery