Nicotine 'could control obesity'

10 June 2011 Last updated at 04:56 GMT Nicotine in cigarettes decreases food intake and body weight by acting on particular neurons. Scientists have identified a group of neurons in the brain responsible for smokers' lack of appetite.

In an article in the journal Science, Yale University researchers describe experiments on mice which found nicotine activates neurons to send signals the body has had enough to eat.

However they are not the same neurons which trigger a craving for tobacco.

As a result, the researchers say nicotine-based treatments could help control obesity.

A research team from Yale University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston performed a combination of molecular, pharmacological, behavioural and genetic experiments on mice.

They found that nicotine influences a collection of central nervous system circuits, known as the body's hypothalamic melanocortin system, by activating certain receptors.

These receptors, in turn, increase the activity of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, known for their effects on obesity in humans and animals.

Targeting cells

When subjected to nicotine, mice lacking the POMC pathway did not lose weight, but mice with the pathway did.

The researchers also found that these receptors were of a different type to those known to trigger tobacco craving in smokers.

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It could perhaps motivate smokers who are afraid to quit because of fears of putting on weight.”

End Quote Prof Marina Piccioto Yale University Marina Picciotto, senior study researcher and professor of psychiatry at Yale University, said the research could be beneficial.

"Imagine a nicotine-based medicine which could only target those cells which stop eating and not trigger the need for tobacco," she said.

"This suggests it is possible to get the effect of appetite suppression without also triggering the brain's reward centres."

Side effects

Prof Picciotto cautioned that the impact of a nicotine-based medication would be limited because smokers who are leaner when they give up smoking only gain 2.5 kilos of weight on average.

Clinical trials in humans would also be necessary to explore the side effects on blood pressure.

She said: "It could perhaps motivate smokers who are afraid to quit because of fears of putting on weight."

And it could also have an impact on other groups, she says.

"There are some groups of people who take up smoking to control their weight. It is tragic to think people would take up smoking for this reason."

Amanda Sandford, research manager for ASH, Action on Smoking and Health, said it was already known that pure nicotine could be safely used to wean smokers off their tobacco habit.

"If nicotine could also be used to tackle obesity then it could be a valuable tool in tackling two of the most critical public health problems that we face today," she said.

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Frog-skin drug could treat cancer

7 June 2011 Last updated at 05:52 GMT A protein from the waxy monkey frog can inhibit the growth of blood vessels Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have won an award for work on frog and toad skins which could lead to treatments for over 70 major diseases.

The researchers received the commendation at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards in London on Monday.

The research, led by Professor Chris Shaw at Queen's School of Pharmacy, has identified two proteins which can regulate how blood vessels grow.

The team are the only entry from NI to win at this year's awards.

They discovered that a protein from the waxy monkey frog can inhibit the growth of blood vessels and could be used to kill cancer tumours.

Professor Shaw said that most cancer tumours can only grow to a certain size before they need blood vessels to grow into the tumour to supply it with vital oxygen and nutrients.

"Stopping the blood vessels from growing will make the tumour less likely to spread and may eventually kill it," he said.

"This has the potential to transform cancer from a terminal illness into a chronic condition."

The team have also discovered that the giant firebellied toad produces a protein which can stimulate blood vessel growth and could help patients recover from injuries and operations much more quickly.

Serendipity

"This has the potential to treat an array of diseases and conditions that require blood vessels to repair quickly, such as wound healing, organ transplants, diabetic ulcers, and damage caused by strokes or heart conditions," Professor Shaw said.

According to the professor, scientists and drugs companies around the world, despite an investment of around $4-5bn, have yet to develop a drug that can effectively target, control and regulate the growth of blood vessels.

"The aim of our work at Queen's is to unlock the potential of the natural world - in this case the secretions found on frog and toad skins - to alleviate human suffering. We are absolutely convinced that the natural world holds the solutions to many of our problems, we just need to pose the right questions to find them.

"It would be a great shame to have something in nature that is potentially the wonder drug to treat cancer and not aim to do everything in our power to make it work."

Commenting on the work of Professor Shaw and his colleagues, Professor Brian Walker and Dr Tianbao Chen, the judging panel said they wanted to encourage the researchers to take their work to "the next level".

"Many of the great discoveries have been through serendipity and Professor Shaw's idea is indeed very innovative and exciting in an area of much unmet need," the panel said

"It is important to realise that the innovation is at an early stage and much work needs to be done to turn this in to a clinical therapy."

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Elderly care costs 'could treble'

18 May 2011 Last updated at 10:49 GMT Some countries are struggling to recruit careworkers The cost of caring for the elderly could treble by 2050, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The body, which represents the most industrialised nations, estimates that 10% of people in OECD countries will be more than 80 years old by 2050.

That is up from 4% in 2010 and less than 1% in 1950.

The OECD report said member countries are spending 1.5% of GDP on long term care.

It predicts spending as a share of economic output will double or even triple in the next forty years.

Overhaul

The report said countries must face up to the challenge of caring for ageing populations. It said a vision of long term care was needed and that "muddling through" was not an option.

Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General, said: "With costs rising fast, countries must get better value for money from their spending on long-term care.

"The piecemeal policies in place in many countries must be overhauled in order to boost productivity and support family carers who are the backbone of long-term care systems."

However, the report warns against relying too heavily on family members. It says low pay and hard working conditions result in a high turnover of care workers and that many countries were struggling to meet demand.

It says Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden had all increased retention by boosting pay and improving working conditions.

The OECD also said there was likely to be an increased need for migrant workers.

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