ISLAMABAD: We’ve long been told that a part of our brain controls our appetite – but a new study suggests that our bones also play a key role. A hormone they produce, called osteocalcin, has been shown to affect how we metabolise sugar and fat. It has also been associated with insulin sensitivity, which is linked to developing type 2 diabetes.Previous research already uncovered this, and now Canadian researchers have unveiled a new piece of the puzzle – they believe they have identified the protein which causes osteocalcin to activate. They hope their findings will open the door to new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes and obesity. The skeleton only recently emerged as an organ of the endocrine system – the collection of glands that produce hormones – around ten years ago. Professor Gerard Karsenty at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York produced research that showed the bone protein osteocalcin regulates insulin and glucose balance. His tests also revealed its role in affecting fertility, brain development and cognition, and muscle function during exercise. The findings suggest that osteocalcin might hold promise in fighting the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Earlier evidence by Karsenty’s team had shown links between bone and the fat hormone leptin. Obese adults are significantly less likely to develop osteoporosis. Professor Mathieu Ferron, of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), spent the last decade studying osteocalcin. He says it has long been known that hormones can affect bones, adding: “Just think about how women are more prone to suffer from osteoporosis when they reach menopause because their oestrogen levels drop.” But he said the idea that bone itself can affect other tissues took root only a few years ago. “One of osteocalcin’s functions is to increase insulin production, which in turn reduces blood glucose levels,” he said. “It can also protect us from obesity by increasing energy expenditure.” Studies have shown that, for some people, changes in blood concentrations of osteocalcin may even stave off the development of diabetes. The protective properties sparked the team’s interest in how the hormone actually works. Professor Ferron says osteocalcin is produced by osteoblasts, the same cells responsible for making our bones. The hormone builds up in bone, and then, through a series of chemical reactions, is released into the blood. The researchers have focused on this key step. “When it is first produced in osteoblasts, osteocalcin is in an inactive form,” he explained. “What interested us was understanding how osteocalcin becomes active so as to be able to play its role when released into the blood.” His lab demonstrated that an enzyme, which acts like molecular scissors, is required. Inactive osteocalcin has one more piece than active osteocalcin. The researchers examined in mice the different enzymes present in cells where osteocalcin was produced that could be responsible for snipping off the piece in question. Vitamin D: Giving severe burns patients vitamin D supplements could be a simple and cost-effective way of helping their wounds to heal and avoiding infection. This was the conclusion of the first study to examine the effects of vitamin D in burn injury recovery. The research – which was led by the Institute of Inflammation and Aging in Birmingham, United Kingdom – is to feature at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, held in Harrogate, UK. Burns are wounds to the skin and other tissues that are caused by heat – including exposure to a flame or fire, or from scalding. They can also result from friction, radiation, radioactivity, electricity, and contact with chemicals. Burn injuries are considered a global public health problem and are responsible for around 180,000 deaths every year. The majority of burns occur in the home or in the workplace. Worldwide, nonfatal burns are a leading cause of hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability. Of the 486,000 people treated for burns every year in the United States, around 40,000 are hospitalized. A high proportion of burn injuries occur in children. In the US, the direct cost of treating children with burns came to more than $211 million in 2000. However, despite advances in the treatment of burn injuries over the past decade, there are still many patients that do not make a good recovery. Published in Daily Times, November 10th 2017.