The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism

Increased intake of dietary carbohydrate that is fermented in the colon by the microbiota has been reported to decrease body weight, although the mechanism remains unclear. Here we use in vivo11C-acetate and PET-CT scanning to show that colonic acetate crosses the blood–brain barrier and is taken up by the brain. Intraperitoneal acetate results in appetite suppression and hypothalamic neuronal activation patterning. We also show that acetate administration is associated with activation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and changes in the expression profiles of regulatory neuropeptides that favour appetite suppression. Furthermore, we demonstrate through 13C high-resolution magic-angle-spinning that 13C acetate from fermentation of 13C-labelled carbohydrate in the colon increases hypothalamic 13C acetate above baseline levels. Hypothalamic 13C acetate regionally increases the 13C labelling of the glutamate–glutamine and GABA neuroglial cycles, with hypothalamic 13C lactate reaching higher levels than the ‘remaining brain’. These observations suggest that acetate has a direct role in central appetite regulation

Treatment of extensive warts with etretinate : a clinical trial in 20 children

To evaluate the clinical-effectiveness of etretinate in the treatment of papilloma virus infections, 20 children with extensive warts were given this oral retinoid for a period not exceeding three months at a dosage of 1 mg per kg per day. Sixteen patients showed complete regression of the disease without relapse, while in 4, lesions recurred after partial regression had been obtained. A follow-up of two years confirmed these findings. The results of this preliminary study are encouraging. Additional study is needed to determine the ultimate usefulness of etretinate in the treatment of refractory warts