Mixed Bag

Hyper Thyroid Boosts Brown Fat Metabolism (CME/CE)
Hyperthyroidism may increase the activity of brown fat -- the type that is more metabolically active to begin with, researchers reported. In a small study, patients with hyperthyroidism had glucose uptake into their brown adipose tissue (BAT) that was three times higher than normal controls (2.7 versus 0.9 mcmol/100g/min, P=0.0013), Pirjo Nuutila, MD, PhD, of the University of Turku in Finland, and colleagues reported online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. MedPage Today

Beta-blockers may increase adverse cardiac events, patients at risk during noncardiac surgical procedure
A recent study shows that patients given beta-blockers may actually be at increased risk of having an adverse cardiac event during a noncardiac surgical procedure. Risk of irregular heartbeat and worsening of symptoms in patients with existing heart disease also seemed to increase, but to a lesser degree. Beta-blockers are drugs commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. The study was presented during CHEST 2013, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), held October 26-31 in Chicago. American College of Chest Physicians Meeting 2013

Enzyme restores function with diabetic kidney disease
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say that, while a prevailing theory suggests elevated cellular levels of glucose ultimately result in diabetic kidney disease, the truth may, in fact, be quite the opposite. The findings could fundamentally change understanding of how diabetes-related diseases develop – and how they might be better treated. Eurekalert!

A large, observational study of common gout treatment allopurinol shows less than half of patients reach recommended treatment goal
AstraZeneca and Ardea Biosciences today presented results from a large study of allopurinol, a treatment commonly used to lower uric acid in patients with gout. The LASSO (Long-term Allopurinol Safety Study evaluating Outcomes in gout patients) study was a multinational, 6-month, open, prospective observational study involving 1,735 patients with gout and was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medically appropriate doses of allopurinol. Eurekalert!

Brief exposure to performance-enhancing drugs may be permanently 'remembered' by muscles
Brief exposure to anabolic steroids may have long lasting, possibly permanent, performance-enhancing effects, shows a study published today [28 October] in The Journal of Physiology.

Previously, re-acquisition of muscle mass – with or without steroid use – after periods of inactivity has been attributed to motor learning. However, this new data from the University of Oslo suggests that there is a cellular 'memory mechanism' within muscle of brief steroid users . Eurekalert!