Thermogenic Fat as a New Obesity Management Tool: From Pharmaceutical Reagents to Cell Therapies.

Obesity is a complex medical condition caused by a positive imbalance between calorie intake and calorie consumption. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), along with the newly discovered "brown-like" adipocytes (called beige cells), functions as a promising therapeutic tool to ameliorate obesity and metabolic disorders by burning out extra nutrients in the form of heat. Many studies in animal models and humans have proved the feasibility of this concept. In this review, we aim to summarize the endeavors over the last decade to achieve a higher number/activity of these heat-generating adipocytes. In particular, pharmacological compounds, especially agonists to the ß3 adrenergic receptor (ß3-AR), are reviewed in terms of their feasibility and efficacy in elevating BAT function and improving metabolic parameters in human subjects. Alternatively, allograft transplantation of BAT and the transplantation of functional brown or beige adipocytes from mesenchymal stromal cells or human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) make it possible to increase the number of these beneficial adipocytes in patients. However, practical and ethical issues still need to be considered before the therapy can eventually be applied in the clinical setting. This review provides insights and guidance on brown- and beige-cell-based strategies for the management of obesity and its associated metabolic comorbidities.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward tuberculosis prevention and management among household contacts in Suzhou Hospital, Jiangsu province, China.

Background: China is among the 10 high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries in the world; thus, investigation and management of household contacts is an essential part of TB prevention strategy. Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward TB prevention and management among household contacts of TB patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled household contacts in Suzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine between September 2022 and January 2023; KAP and demographic characteristics were assessed with the self-designed questionnaire and analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 503 participants were included; of them, 280 (55.78%) were female, and 303, (60.36%) aged ≥45 years. The KAP scores were 6.24 ± 2.20 (possible range: 0-12), 18.69 ± 2.80 (possible range: 0-36), and 20.37 ± 5.15 (possible range: 0-36), respectively. Suburban (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04-0.79, p = 0.023) and rural (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03-0.57, p = 0.008) were independently associated with knowledge. Positive attitude (OR = 7.03, 95% CI: 2.92-16.96, p < 0.001), education (high school or technical secondary school, OR = 4.91, 95% CI: 1.63-14.73, p = 0.005; college and above, OR = 14.94, 95% CI: 3.51-63.58, p < 0.001), and shorter disease duration (3-6 months, OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.18-0.90, p = 0.026) were independently associated with better practice scores. Conclusion: Household contacts of TB patients demonstrated insufficient knowledge, unfavorable attitude, and suboptimal practice toward TB prevention and management. Tailored interventions are needed to ensure information accessibility, especially for individuals living in suburban and rural areas.

Adipose stem cells control obesity-induced T cell infiltration into adipose tissue.

T cell infiltration into white adipose tissue (WAT) drives obesity-induced adipose inflammation, but the mechanisms of obesity-induced T cell infiltration into WAT remain unclear. Our single-cell RNA sequencing reveals a significant impact of adipose stem cells (ASCs) on T cells. Transplanting ASCs from obese mice into WAT enhances T cell accumulation. C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) is upregulated in ASCs as early as 4 weeks of high-fat diet feeding, coinciding with the onset of T cell infiltration into WAT during obesity. ASCs and bone marrow transplantation experiments demonstrate that CCL5 from ASCs plays a crucial role in T cell accumulation during obesity. The production of CCL5 in ASCs is induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha via the nuclear factor κB pathway. Overall, our findings underscore the pivotal role of ASCs in regulating T cell accumulation in WAT during the early phases of obesity, emphasizing their importance in modulating adaptive immunity in obesity-induced adipose inflammation.