Monthly Archives: February 2017

As a consequence of the global rise in the prevalence of Adolescent Obesity, an unprecedented phenomenon of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has emerged in pediatrics. At the heart of T2D development lies a key metabolic derangement: Insulin Resistance (IR) . Des… Continue reading →

The potential role of intestinal microbiota in the etiology of various human diseases has attracted massive attention in the last decade. As such, the intestinal microbiota has been advanced as an important partaker in the development of obesity and ob… Continue reading →

Obesity is usually associated with morbidity related to diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. However, there are many gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases for which obesity is the direct cause [e.g. non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD)]… Continue reading →

Using the Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults as a framework, this article reviews intensive lifestyle interventions for weight loss. The Guidelines recommend a minimum of 6 months of high-intensity, comprehensive lifestyl… Continue reading →

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the key interface between ingested nutrients and the body, plays a critical role in regulating energy homeostasis. Gut-derived signals convey information regarding incoming nutrients to the brain, initiating changes in … Continue reading →

Intestinal tissues from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer have increased expression of microRNA-301a (MIR301A), compared to tissues from patients without IBD. We studied the mechanisms of MIR301A in progression of IBD… Continue reading →

Persons with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at risk of progressive liver disease, cirrhosis, and decompensation. We analyzed the effects of the direct-acting antiviral agents elbasvir and grazoprevir in patients with HCV infection and compensate… Continue reading →

Immunosuppressive therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in pediatric patients is thought to increase risk of malignancy and lymphoproliferative disorders, including hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We compared unadjusted incidence rates… Continue reading →

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) leads to weight loss in obese individuals and reduces comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes. MBS is superior to medical therapy in reducing hyperglycemia in persons with type 2 diabetes, and has been associated wit… Continue reading →

Weight changes are accompanied by imbalances between calorie intake and expenditure. This fact is often misinterpreted to suggest that obesity is caused by gluttony and sloth and can be treated by simply advising people to eat less and move more. However, various components of energy balance are dynamically interrelated and weight loss is resisted by counterbalancing physiological processes. While low carbohydrate diets have been suggested to partially subvert these processes by increasing energy expenditure and promoting fat loss, our meta-analysis of 32 controlled feeding studies with isocaloric substitution of carbohydrate for fat found that both energy expenditure (26 kcal/d; p<0.0001) and fat loss (16g/d; p<0.0001) were greater with lower fat diets. Continue reading →