The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functions to coordinate behavioural and physiological responses to stress in a manner that depends on the behavioural state of the organism. However, the mechanisms through which arousal and metabolic states influence the HPA axis are poorly understood. Here using optogenetic approaches in mice, we show that neurons that produce hypocretin (Hcrt)/or...

The metabolic response to stress is part of the adaptive response to survive critical illness. Several mechanisms are well preserved during evolution, including the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, the release of pituitary hormones, a peripheral resistance to the effects of these and other anabolic factors, triggered to increase the provision of energy substrates to the vital tiss...

The common clinical assumption that stress has a deleterious effect on metabolic control in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) has not been confirmed in children and adolescents. This cross sectional study of 43 children and adolescents with IDDM and their families examined the relations between family life stress, family social support, and metabolic control. High family life stress wa...

Results: As compared to the CNT fibroblasts (75 affected microRNAs), the D samples showed almost three times more microRNA expression changes (214 microRNAs) caused by both GAL and NL metabolic stress treatments. The microRNA profile alterations were more remarkable under NL circumstances. Although higher overlap was detected between the GAL and NL induced microRNA changes in the D group (47 mi...

abstract diabetes mellitus is one of the major metabolic disorders. diabetes is recognized for severe complications including diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy. long-lasting effect of hyperglycemia results in increased oxidative stress. oxidative stress results from an imbalance between radical-generating and radical scavenging systems. increased oxidative stress has been shown t...

Stress in the form of moderate periods of maternal separation of newborn rats has been postulated to cause permanent changes in the central nervous system and diseases in later life. It is also considered that dietary supplementation with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) can potentially ameliorate the effects of stress. The metabolic consequences of early life maternal separati...

In vitro cell model studies have shown that oxidative stress may affect beta-cell function. It is unknown whether oxidative stress may affect metabolic health in human fetuses/newborns. In a singleton pregnancy cohort (n = 248), we studied maternal (24-28 weeks gestation) and cord plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA), F2-isoprostanes] in relation to fetal metabolic healt...

Maintenance of cellular homeostasis depends upon several pathways that allow a cell to respond and adapt to both environmental stress and changes in metabolic status. New work in this issue of The EMBO Journal reveals a mechanism of cross talk between heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), the primary regulator of the proteotoxic stress response, and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the primary sensor...

The stress response mobilizes the body’s energy stores in order to respond to a threatening situation. A striking observation is the diversity of metabolic changes that can occur in response to stress. On one hand acute intense stress is commonly associated with feeding suppression and reduced body weight gain. The activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the release of cortico...

De novo lipogenesis (DNL), the conversion of glucose and other substrates to lipids, is often associated with ectopic lipid accumulation, metabolic stress, and insulin resistance, especially in the liver. However, organ-specific DNL can also generate distinct lipids with beneficial metabolic bioactivity, prompting a great interest in their use for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Palmitolea...