Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Could Your Mouth, Not The Food You Put Into It Be The Secret To The Size Of Your Waistline?
Oral healthcare could hold the key to beating obesity according to new dental research*.

Deep Endometriosis Accurately Depitcted By MRI
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiologists may be able to diagnose deep endometriosis and accurately locate lesions prior to surgery, according to a new study published in the online edition of Radiology.
News of the day
Some Small Businesses Must Cut Employee Health Benefits Or Lay Off Workers Amid Economic Recession
Small businesses increasingly are eliminating their employee health coverage plans because of rising health care premiums and declining revenue attributed to the current economic recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. About 10% of small companies are considering ending their employee health coverage plans over the next year, compared with 3% of small businesses in 2005, according to a recent survey by the National Small Business Association. In 2008, 38% of small companies offered health coverage, compared with 41% in 2007 and 61% in 1993, according to NSBA. According to a Hewitt Associates survey, 19% of all U.S. businesses plan to halt providing health care benefits to their employees in the next three to five years.A rise in health care coverage premiums has contributed to employers eliminating plans, according to the Journal. Premiums for single policies increased by 74% for small businesses from 2001 to 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. According to Scott Krienke, senior vice president of product lines for Assurant Health, health insurance premiums for small businesses increase by 8% to 16% annually on average, with smaller firms often having the highest increases. According to the Journal, many employers are choosing to eliminate health coverage instead of eliminating jobs or closing down their business. Some businesses have chosen instead to shift more health care costs to workers, change health insurers, switch prescription drug plans to encourage employees to purchase more generic drugs or offer employees wellness plans that encourage healthy habits as a strategy to reduce health care costs, the Journal reports (Mattioli, Wall Street Journal, 5/26).
Health Insurance

Pluronic L-81: A Potential Anti-Diabetic Drug?

Pluronic surfactants are synthetic copolymers based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. It has been reported that a nonionic L-81, effectively inhibits absorption of dietary lipids from the intestine and secretion of VLDL and LDL from the liver. Although L-81 is a potent anti-obesity drug, its potential in alleviating obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes has not been fully explored. A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research group led by Prof. Lin from the Department of Chemistry of the University of Hong Kong constructed db/db mice to investigate the potential anti-diabetic activity of L-81. In addition to exploration of the underlying molecular mechanism, they examined the effects of L-81 on apolipoprotein B (apoB) secretion and the mRNA level of the MTP gene. In their study, Genetically diabetic (db /db ) mice were fed on chow supplemented with or without L-81 for 4 wk. The body weight, plasma glucose level, plasma lipid profile, and adipocyte volume of the db /db mice were assessed after treatment. Toxicity of L-81 was also evaluated. To understand the molecular mechanism, HepG2 cells were treated with L-81 and the effects on apoB secretion and mRNA level of the MTP gene were assessed. The results revealed that L-81 significantly corrected the body weight, hyperphagia and polydipsia of db/db mice, and remarkably decreased the fasting plasma glucose level, improved glucose tolerance, and attenuated the elevated levels of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride. With the effective dosage, little toxicity was observed. Treatment on HepG2 cells with L-81 not only inhibited apoB secretion, but also significantly decreased the mRNA level of MTP gene. Similar to the action of insulin, L-81 exerted its effect on the MTP promoter. Their study L-81 is a promising candidate in the development of a selective insulin-mimetic molecule and an anti-diabetic agent. Reference: Au WS, Lu LW, Tam S, Ko OKH, Chow BKC, He ML, Ng SS, Yeung CM, Liu CC, Kung HF, Lin MC. Pluronic L-81 ameliorates diabetic symptoms in db/db mice through transcriptional regulation of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(24): 2987-2994 Lai-Fu Li World Journal of Gastroenterology


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009