Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is known to be one of the causes of hypothalamic neuronal damage, as well as a cause of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Recent evidence has suggested that Undaria pinnatifida (UP), an edible brown algae, has antioxidant activity. However, the neuroprotective effect of UP has yet to be examined. In this study, to investigate the neuro...

OBJECTIVES The cause of hypocretin cell loss in human narcolepsy-cataplexy is unknown but has been suggested to be neurodegenerative in nature. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the remaining hypocretin cells in human narcolepsy brains for the presence of aggregated protein inclusions, gliosis, and inflammation. METHODS Brains were examined by routine histologic methods for potential como...

Glucocorticoids are widely used in clinical practice to control the activity of autoimmune, inflammatory, allergic diseases and other nosological entities. Therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids are often administered inappropriately and it is a particular problem because chronic therapy has many side effects, ranging from suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and Cushing's syndr...

BACKGROUND Reduced appetite and body weight loss are typical symptoms of inflammatory diseases. A number of inflammatory stimuli are responsible for the imbalance in energy homeostasis, leading to metabolic disorders. The herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) protein plays an important role in the development of various inflammatory diseases, such as intestinal inflammation and diet-induced obesit...

Bone is emerging as a versatile endocrine organ and its interactions with apparently unrelated organs are being more widely recognized. Osteocalcin (OCN), polypeptide hormone secreted by osteoblasts, has been found to exert multiple functions through metabolically active form, uncarboxylated OCN (uOCN). Mounting evidence shown that following binding G-protein coupled receptor 6a (Gprc6a) in the...

OBJECTIVE The fuel sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the hypothalamus regulates energy homeostasis by sensing nutritional and hormonal signals. However, the role of hypothalamic AMPK in glucose production regulation remains to be elucidated. We hypothesize that bidirectional changes in hypothalamic AMPK activity alter glucose production. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS To introduce bi...

A. Distribution of catecholamines in the hypothalamus and effect of norepinephrine on the paraventricular nucleus 1603 B. Hypothalamic catecholamines and normal blood pressure 1603 C. Hypothalamic catecholamines and hypertension 1604 D. Summary 1604 E. Effect on hypothalamic noradrenergic activity of an increase in sodium intake in the young SHR 1604 F. Evidence for an increase in norepinephrin...

The high fat diet (HFD) rich in lard induces obesity, inflammation and oxidative stress, and the deregulation of hypothalamic nuclei plays an important role in this mechanism. One important factor involved in the food intake and inflammation is adenosine monophosphate-dependent kinase (AMPK), a serine/threonine kinase activated by phosphorylation. Omega (ω)3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) a...