CZ:(U00984) Appetite and Obesity, University of Edinburgh 2010

(CC) Photo: Matt McGee
Time for a dessert, no?

The course coordinates

Instructor: Prof Gareth Leng, Dr Nancy Sabatier, Dr John Menzies

About the Appetite and Obesity course

‘Appetite and Obesity’ is an elective course that is part of the Honours Medical Biology programme in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Project Description

The project is to write an article on a chosen topic related to obesity research, working in groups of max 4. At the end of the course, articles will be released on Citizendium; until then, articles will be locked from editing by other users.

Project schedule and deadlines

28.09.10: Tutorial 1.

12.10.10: Reference list updated. Your article should present a bibliography with an extract of the abstract for each reference illustrating why the paper has been chosen. For an example of how your reference list should look like: Recovered memory/Bibliography

26.10.10: Rough draft due. Your article should have an introduction and at least a detailed plan with section subheadings. You should also have decided what picture(s) or diagram(s) you want to include.

02.11.10: Peer reviews due. Leave your comments on each course article Talk page.

17.11.10: Final draft due. Your main article should be finalised, picture and diagram included. For an example how your article could look like: Edinburgh. Bibliography, Related articles and External links pages should be updated. For an example of how your article subpages should look like: Biology/Related Articles and Biology/External Links

23.11.10: Tutorial 2: Feedback session, peer reviews due.

Week 11: Articles released on Citizendium.

Article topics

Please select the topic you want to work on by signing your name (using 4 tildes) on the article talkpage.

•  Genetics of obesity [r]: The evidence for a genetic component to obesity in humans. ^[e]
  :Task: Cover the evidence for a genetic component to obesity in humans. Cover the work of Steve O'Rahilly's team in particular.

•  Stress and appetite [r]: The interactions between the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and the regulation of food intake. ^[e]
  :Task: Discuss the interactions between the HPA axis and the control of appetite; include a section on "Comfort eating". See the work of Mary Dallman in particular.

•  Energy balance in pregnancy and lactation [r]: Adaptations in the control of food intake and energy expenditure in different reproductive states. ^[e]
  :Task: Discuss the changing energy requirements in different physiological states and how they are regulated

•  Evolution of appetite regulating systems [r]: Comparisons of the mechanisms regulating food intake and energy expenditure between species. ^[e]
  :Task: See how appetite is regulated in non-mammalian animals and compare with its regulation in mammals

•  Melanocortins and appetite [r]: The regulation of food intake through neuropeptides related to adrenocorticotropic hormone. ^[e]
  :Task: explain the melanocortin systems of the brain and their physiological roles. See thew ork of Roger Cone in particular.

•  Circadian rhythms and appetite [r]: Daily variations in the regulation of food intake. ^[e]
  :Task: many animals tend to eat at particular times of day - how is this regulated?

•  Glucostatic theory of appetite control [r]: The theory that changes in blood glucose concentrations or arteriovenous glucose differences are detected by glucoreceptors that affect energy intake. ^[e]
  :Task: How important is the blood glucose concentration in regulating appetite?

• Seasonal rhythms in energy balance [r]: Variations of the body's energy intake and consumption over the course of a year. ^[e]
  Your article has been created. To create the metadata for this article in course-specific format, please

:Task: Some animals (like Siberian hamsters) show remarkable seasonal variations in adiposity. How are these changes regulated, and can we learn anything that might lead to new treatments in humans?

Help and 'How to'

For tips on how to write and edit an article: See CZ:How to edit an article and CZ:Article_Mechanics.

For more info on how to create and organize subpages: See CZ:Subpages.

How to insert a picture or diagram: See CZ: About Media Hosted at Citizendium. You must have copyright permission to upload any picture or diagram! To insert a picture: See CZ: Upload

How to make a table: See Help for Tables

Notes on Eduzendium

For further info on the collaborative concept of Eduzendium.