DailyDirt: Weight Loss Drugs That Might Work... Someday

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Obesity is a worldwide problem, affecting about 1.5 billion people. The World Health Organization estimates that about 10% of the world's adult population is obese. The cause of obesity isn't always clear, but the effects on health are significant. Diet and exercise are the first steps for addressing this health issue, but for some people, there's a need to go beyond that. Less than a handful of drugs are currently approved for long-term obesity treatment, but more might be on the way. Check out a few of these links, and maybe get up out of your chair and move a bit more....

• Genes that control how fat cells function have been identified and could lead to ways to fight obesity. The FTO gene seems to be able to control how energy is stored and used, and researchers think it's possible to come up with a gene therapy that might be beneficial to some obese patients. [url]
• An extract from the thunder god vine, called Celastrol, might become an obesity treatment. This medicine still needs rigorous controlled clinical trials, but it has had promising results for mice. [url]
• Why look to rodents for obesity studies? Grizzly bears might have solved part of the obesity problem. After hibernation, bears seem to recover quite well from the effects of kidney damage, induced diabetes, and a surplus of stored fat. The PTEN gene might point to an answer for us, if we can figure out the mechanisms for how this gene controls metabolism and other bodily functions. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: celastrol, drugs, fat cells, fto gene, gene therapy, genetics, health, hibernation, obesity, pten gene, thunder god vine, weight loss

DailyDirt: Who Wants To Be An Astronaut?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Not too long ago, becoming an astronaut was an amazing achievement that only a very few, rigorously selected and intensely trained pilots could ever hope to attain. But nowadays, while it's not exactly commonplace to be a space traveler, if you have enough disposable income, you could pay the Russian Space Agency for a ride or line up to buy a ticket on a commercial flight (to the "edge" of space). Over 500 people have been in space (from 36 different countries), and plenty more people will follow them. Here are just a few things you might want to know about space travel before you plan your next trip.

• South Korea started its astronaut program in 2006, and Yi So-yeon became the first Korean woman to go into space on a Soyuz mission in 2008. South Korea spent about $28 million to get Yi up to the International Space Station, and she recently retired as an astronaut. Her retirement raises some questions about whether the trip was a worthwhile venture, but then again, some folks have been asking what the point of going to space is for decades. [url]
• A manned trip to Mars would take months, and it won't be easy to keep people happy and safe in small living quarters for that long. If astronauts could hibernate on the way, it might make the journey more tolerable. Bears can hibernate for months, but people have only been in a medically-induced hypothermic torpor for about 10 days. [url]
• Astronauts have noticed a "Charlie Brown" effect due to microgravity that makes their faces swell because fluids tend to accumulate in the head in space. The result is like having congestion, and it apparently affects the sense of smell (and taste), leading to curious cravings for spicy foods. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: astronauts, hibernation, iss, mars, medically-induced hypothermic torpor, soyuz, space, yi so-yeon

DailyDirt: Bringing Back The Undead

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Nature has a few examples of animals coming back to life after appearing to be dead -- and not just pretending to be dead, but actually surviving a state of very low metabolism. There are even a few bizarre news reports about people coming back to life. (Ahem, and we're not referring to a certain someone who is well-known for Easter.) Here are just a few examples of seemingly-extreme resuscitation.

• North American wood frogs can freeze solid and appear dead, until they thaw in the spring and get down to business. The trick is to thaw in the right way. If a frog's brain thawed before its heart did, the frog would have some problems. [url]
• Hibernating black bears stay dormant for 5-7 months without eating, drinking or doing much of anything. However, a hibernating bear's body temperature doesn't drop much -- about 10 °F -- even though the bear's metabolism is at about 25% of its normal rate. [url]
• There are a few companies working on cryonics -- freezing people who believe they can be revived when medical technology is much more advanced. Maybe these people are hoping to meet Erin Gray someday.... [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: bears, cryonics, death, erin gray, frogs, hibernation, reanimation, resuscitation