Bariatric Product Guide

First Study To Show That Highly Variable Sleep Schedules Predict Elevated Suicide Risk

Melissa Chang — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:51:06 +0000

Highly variable sleep schedules predict an elevated risk for suicide independent of depression in actively suicidal young adults, according to a research abstract presented Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Results indicate that a sample of actively suicidal undergraduate students had a delayed mean bedtime of 2:08 a.m. and restricted total sleep time of 6.3 hours.

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BioVittoria Fruit-Sweetness Fruit Concentrate Receives Approval

Melissa Chang — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:00:41 +0000

New Zealand natural sweetener maker BioVittoria has got the approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Fruit-Sweetness monk fruit concentrate. The company says its product is the first and the only natural zero-calorie fruit concentrate sweetener to win GRAS notification from the FDA so far. BioVittoria CEO David Thorrold says the notification now clears the way for its commercial application.

Anti-Obesity Drug Banned In Europe

Melissa Chang — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:42:41 +0000

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recommended that the appetite suppressant sibutramine, should no longer be prescribed by doctors. People taking sibutramine should see their doctor to discuss an alternative, although it is safe to stop taking the drug in the meantime if they wish. The regulator has been conducting a review of safety and has concluded the increased risks of heart attacks and strokes do not outweigh the benefits.

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Why Some Brains Are More Vulnerable To Stress And Resistant To Antidepressants

Melissa Chang — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:35:43 +0000

A new study provides insight into the molecular characteristics that make a brain susceptible to anxiety and depression and less likely to respond to treatment with antidepressant medication. The research, published by Cell Press in the journal Neuron, may lead to more effective strategies for treating depression. Although brain mechanisms associated with depression are not completely clear, recent research has implicated a combination of stressful life events and predisposing biological factors.

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Magnetic Stimulation Effective For Treatment Resistant Depression

Melissa Chang — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:57:04 +0000

Magnetic stimulation therapy can beat depression when medication and therapy haven’t worked, according to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. The therapy, called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), involves using brief powerful electromagnetic pulses to alter brain activity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the therapy for patients whose depression hasn’t improved with medications — estimated to be from 10 to 20 percent of those with the illness.

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Depression Saps Endurance Of The Brain’s Reward Circuitry

Melissa Chang — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:51:19 +0000

A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion. The study challenges previous notions that individuals with depression show less brain activity in areas associated with positive emotion. Instead, the new data suggest similar initial levels of activity, but an inability to sustain them over time. The work was reported online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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More number of obese adults are turning to bariatric surgery as a last resort, says WHO

Melissa Chang — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:05:03 +0000

The obesity epidemic is a staggering public health problem and despite increased attention and education, the WHO still predicts the number of obese adults worldwide to increase from 400 million to 700 million between 2005 and 2015. More and more people are turning to bariatric surgery as a last resort. Despite a slow economy, demand remains strong, even despite its being classified as an elective procedure for most individuals.

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Surgical weight-loss patients model new looks at Bariatric Fashion Show

Melissa Chang — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:24:19 +0000

The Blount Memorial Weight Management Center, Foothills Weight Loss Specialists and Johnson and Johnson Ethicon Endo-Surgery hosted a Bariatric Surgery Fashion Show. The event celebrated seven years and more than 75,000 pounds lost at Blount Memorial. Weight-loss surgery patients took a walk down the catwalk, showed off their clothes pre-surgery and post-surgery, and then told others about how bariatric surgery changed their lives for the better.

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Depression drives youth violence: Study

Melissa Chang — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:36:29 +0000

According to researchers at Texas A&M International University, the strongest risk factors for violent behaviour were depression and having delinquent peers. Other factors included a parent’s psychological abuse of a partner, anti-social personality, negative relationships with adults and family conflict, they said. Overall, the researchers found, the factors that did increase the risk of violent behaviour had pretty small effects.

Study conducted by the UCL Challenges long-held memory hypothesis

Melissa Chang — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:19:16 +0000

Amnesia is a condition that severely disrupts the aptitude to create lifelong memories. Pertaining to the topic, the long-held hypothesis that our brains utilize diverse mechanisms for producing long-term and short-term memories has been confronted by a new study from UCL Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience. After observing patients with amnesia, this theory was created by neuroscientists. The team examined patients with a detailed type of epilepsy known as ‘temporal lobe epilepsy with bilateral hippocampal sclerosis’.