Methods and compositions are provided for the prevention and/or treatment of symptoms associated with lipid accumulation disorders caused by attenuated leptin activity and by lipid storage disorders. The methods involve administering at least one oxygenated cholesterol sulfate (OCS) to a subject with the disorder. The disorder may be acquired or congenital (hereditary).

Therapeutic compositions comprising one or more agents that inhibit CXXC5-DVL interface, and methods of administering those therapeutic compositions to model, treat, reduce resistance to treatment, prevent, and diagnose a condition/disease associated with a metabolic disease or a related clinical condition thereof, are disclosed.

Elucidating the relationship between specific intestinal bacteria, dietary intake, and the health of the host remains a primary goal for gut microbiome research. Prebiotics, substrates that are selectively used by microorganisms to promote the health of the host, present an appealing therapeutic option. We performed correlation analysis to identify relationships between health parameters and populations of gut bacteria in participants from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial testing the effects of a prebiotic digestion resistant potato starch (DRS; MSPrebiotic®). This study focused on the abundance of Parasutterella (phylum Proteobacteria), which tended to increase in the gut microbiome of individuals consuming DRS. Increases in Parasutterella were correlated with reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in participants consuming DRS but not placebo. Segregating DRS-consuming individuals based on whether LDL levels decreased revealed that DRS-consuming individuals who displayed improved LDL levels had significantly higher baseline levels of Parasutterella. Taken together, our analyses suggest that DRS may help improve LDL levels depending on the initial ecological composition of an individual's gut microbiome.

Described herein is a novel, mitochondrial encoded, open reading frame, that leads to the production of a new mitochondrial peptide. Residing within the ND-Two subunit, a specific small nucleotide polymorphism disrupts expression of this mitochondrial peptide, and is correlated with an increase in obesity and diabetes, particularly in certain ethnic populations. In vitro administration of the peptide increases insulin secretion, decreases fat accumulation and improves glucose uptake in muscle cell. Antibodies generated against the peptide can be used for detecting peptide deficiency, in addition to SNP detection, supporting diagnostic approaches. In vivo studies further revealed that administration of the peptide improves glucose tolerance, thereby providing a new therapeutic avenue for a novel diabetes therapy and decreases bodyweight, thus serving as a novel obesity therapy. Generation of synthetic analogs further enhance or abrogated activity relative to the natural peptide.

This document provides methods and materials for identifying and treating mammals responsive to obesity treatments. For example, methods and materials for assessing a mammal's gut microbiota (e.g., a human's gut microbiota) to identify that mammal (e.g., human) as being responsive to an obesity treatment are provided. Methods and materials for treating obesity by assessing a mammal's gut microbiota (e.g., a human's gut microbiota) to identify that mammal (e.g., human) as being responsive to an obesity treatment and proceeding with an obesity treatment also are provided.

A computer implemented method of early prediction of risk of pre-eclampsia in a pregnant obese woman is described. The method comprises the steps of inputting abundance values for a panel of obese pregnancy specific metabolite biomarkers obtained from an assayed biological sample into a computational model, in which the biological sample is obtained from an obese pregnant woman at 8 to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and inputting a patient parameter for the pregnant obese woman into the computational model selected from at least one of ethnicity, risk of gestational diabetes, fetal sex, number of pregnancies and level of obesity. The computational model is configured to select a subset comprising at least two of the obese pregnancy specific metabolite biomarkers based on the patient parameter input, correlate abundance values for the subset of obese pregnancy specific metabolite biomarkers with risk of pre-eclampsia, and output a predicted risk of pre-eclampsia for the pregnant obese woman.

Disclosed is a cell structure comprising: a fragmented extracellular matrix component; and cells, wherein the cell structure comprises an intercellular vascular network, and the cells comprise at least adipocytes and vascular endothelial cells.

A method for determining the fat processing activity and/or predicting the risk of obesity in a subject involves determining the level of pro-neurotensin or fragments thereof of at least 5 amino acids in a bodily fluid obtained from the subject, and correlating the level of pro-neurotensin or fragments thereof with fat processing activity and/or the risk of incidence of obesity in the subject. An elevated level is indicative of enhanced fat processing activity and/or predictive for an enhanced risk of getting obesity.

This document relates to methods and materials for assessing and/or treating obese mammals (e.g., obese humans). For example, methods and materials for using one or more interventions (e.g., one or more pharmacological interventions) to treat obesity and/or obesity-related comorbidities in a mammal (e.g., a human) identified as being likely to respond to a particular intervention (e.g., a pharmacological intervention) are provided.

A method for establishing an obese ferret model by feeding a ferret with a diet having at least 25% of carbohydrate content for a period of time to provide the obese ferret model is disclosed as is a method of using said model to screen a substance for treating a respiratory infection.