Published in the November 4, 2008 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, the study showed that levels of growth hormone (GH) and of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF- I) in seniors who took MK-677 increased to those found in healthy young adults. Thorner, a nationally recognized researcher of growth hormone regulation and a professor of internal medicine and neurosurgery at UVA. The study drug, MK-677, mimics the action of ghrelin, a peptide that stimulates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). Thorner, the UVA research was a "proof-of-concept" study that sets the stage for a larger and longer clinical trial to determine whether MK-677 is effective in people who are frail and to assess its long term safety. A new study finds that a daily single oral dose of an investigational drug, MK-677, increased muscle mass in the arms and legs of healthy older adults without serious side effects, suggesting that it may prove safe and effective in reducing age-related frailty. read more

Technorati Tags: growth, study, drug, hormone, mk677, , weight loss news

Over one year, patients receiving the new drug increased their growth hormone levels to those of healthy young adults, resulting in an increase in lean, fat-free mass. They found that rates of cardiogenic shock in patients with acute coronary syndromes (a term that encompasses myocardial infarction and other conditions) declined from 1997 to 2006. Researchers found that rates of cardiogenic shock on admission remained constant, whereas the incidence of cardiogenic shock that began in the hospital as a complication of acute coronary syndrome steadily decreased over time. The decrease in cardiogenic shock coincident with an increase in angioplasty for acute coronary syndromes may mean that angioplasty is reducing the incidence of cardiogenic shock by improving blood flow to the damaged heart muscle. read more

Technorati Tags: shock, cardiogenic, adults, drug, growth, heart, weight loss news