The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has reduced morbidity and mortality in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, prolonged treatment with combination regimens can be difficult to sustain because of problems with adherence and toxic effects. Treatment with antiretroviral agents--protease inhibitors in particular--has uncovered a syndrome of abnormal fat redistribution, impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, collectively termed lipodystrophy syndrome (SLHIV). Nowadays, no clinical guidelines are available for the prevention or treatment of SLHIV, and its cause have yet to be totally elucidated. This review emphasizes the clinical features and the data from previous studies about the SLHIV taking into account that a better understanding of this syndrome for HIV specialists, cardiologists and endocrinologists is fundamental for the disease control.

No abstract

An increase in energy intake and/or a decrease in energy expenditure lead to fat storage, causing overweight and obesity phenotypes. The objective of this review was to analyse, for the first time using a systematic approach, all published evidence from the past 8 years regarding the molecular pathways linking non-shivering thermogenesis and obesity in mammals, focusing on mechanisms involved in brown adipose tissue development. Two major databases were scanned from 2006 to 2013 using 'brown adipose tissue' AND 'uncoupling protein-1' AND 'mammalian thermoregulation' AND 'obesity' as key words. A total of 61 articles were retrieved using the search criteria. The available research used knockout methodologies, various substances, molecules and agonist treatments, or different temperature and diet conditions, to assess the molecular pathways linking non-shivering thermogenesis and obesity. By integrating the results of the evaluated animal and human studies, our analysis identified specific molecules that enhance non-shivering thermogenesis and metabolism by: (i) stimulating 'brite' (brown-like) cell development in white adipose tissue; (ii) increasing uncoupling protein-1 expression in brite adipocytes; and (iii) augmenting brown and/or brite adipose tissue mass. The latter can be also increased through low temperature, hibernation and/or molecules involved in brown adipocyte differentiation. Cold stimuli and/or certain molecules activate uncoupling protein-1 in the existing brown adipocytes, thus increasing total energy expenditure by a magnitude proportional to the number of available brown adipocytes. Future research should address the interplay between body mass, brown adipose tissue mass, as well as the main molecules involved in brite cell development.

GLUC NAS enhances endurance performance, which indicates a novel administration route. The higher activity in sensory brain cortices probably elicited the ergogenic effect. However, no further physiological and cognitive changes occurred, indicating that higher doses of substrates might be required.

Little is known about the long-term effect of breastfeeding on dietary habits. We examined the association between breastfeeding duration and adherence to current dietary patterns of young women. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 587 healthy women aged ≤45 years, undergraduates or nutrition graduates. Maternal characteristics and breastfeeding duration [<6; 6–<12; ≥12 months (reference)] were recalled. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and patterns were identified using factor analysis by principal component. Adherence to patterns was categorized in tertiles; the first (T1 = reference) was compared to T2 + T3 (moderate-to-high adherence). Logistic regression was performed considering the minimal sufficient adjustment recommended by the directed acyclic graph. Median age was 22 (interquartile range (IQR) 20; 27) years and body mass index (BMI) 22.2 (IQR 20.4; 25.0) kg/m2. The four dietary patterns identified (Processed, Prudent, Brazilian and Lacto-vegetarian) explained 27% of diet variance. Women breastfed for <6 months showed lower chance of moderate-to-high adherence to the Prudent pattern (odds ratio (OR) = 0.53, p = 0.04). Breastfeeding was not associated with the other patterns. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was directly associated with moderate-to-high adherence to the Processed pattern (OR = 2.01, p = 0.03) and inversely to the Prudent pattern (OR = 0.52, p = 0.02). Higher adherence to the Brazilian pattern was associated with proxies of low socioeconomic status and the Lacto-vegetarian pattern with the opposite. Confirmation in prospective studies of the association found in this study between breastfeeding with the Prudent pattern in adult offspring could suggest that early feeding practices influence long-term dietary habits, which could then affect the risk of nutrition-related diseases.