This is the result of an international study. In the current edition of Deutsches ?„rzteblatt International ( Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[45]: 769-75), Uwe Zeimer et al. present the German results of this prospective, one-year survey.

512 doctors in Germany took part in the study. They enrolled 5594 patients in all, of whom 89.2% suffered from one or more cardiovascular diseases and 10.8% only exhibited risk factors. Documented risk factors included high blood pressure, disturbances in lipid metabolism, diabetes, and obesity. The results showed that several vascular beds were affected simultaneously in almost one third of patients. Many patients also suffered from other diseases requiring treatment, which were defined as risk factors. After one year, 2.1% of the patients with cardiovascular disease and 1.5% of the patients with at least three risk factors had died.

The study demonstrated that only three quarters of patients were given drugs to reduce fat levels. The same proportion was given drugs to dilute blood. Moreover, the doctors failed to exhaust the possibilities for drug treatment. This may be the reason that 27% of the patients with high blood pressure failed to reach the target blood pressure and 66% of the patients with disturbances in lipid metabolism failed to reach the target cholesterol level.

aerzteblatt-international.de/int/

One protein family already know to be essential to lipid storage are the PAT proteins, which sit on the outside of the lipid droplet. Dr. Oliver and colleagues have identified another, somewhat surprising, key player “ COPI (Coat Protein Complex I) transport complex, - already known to have a separate role in trafficking cellular components. The new study shows that PAT proteins are regulated by COPI; COPI acts to change the composition of the lipid droplet surface, attracting an enzyme called ATGL, which causes the droplet to be broken down. Therefore, COPI reduces the amount of lipid stored in a cell, releasing energy for movement and other activities. COPI acts to reduce the amount of PAT at the lipid droplet surface. An absence of some of the PAT proteins in mice or flies lead to lean animals, whereas greater than average expression of these proteins led to obese animals.

The authors found that COPI and PAT proteins have the same roles in energy storage in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and in mammals such as mice and humans. This study hopes to open up further study of lipids and exploration of therapeutic possibilities for treating obesity and other metabolic disorders.

plos/