Elody Donnelly

18/06/2025

Our attendees were totally immersed in the amazing sessions at ! 🙌 From innovative treatments to the latest research, it was incredible to see so much participation and enthusiasm. Learning and collaboration were in full swing!

18/06/2025

When the body requires energy, it breaks down fat stores into fatty acids and glycerol, which are circulated through the bloodstream and used by muscles and other tissues for fuel. However, when the body consumes more energy than it expends, the excess is converted into fat and stored in adipose (fat) cells, leading to weight gain and fat accumulation.

As women age, many notice an increase in abdominal fat, even without an overall change in weight. This is often due to reduced circulation and a slower metabolic rate, both of which are common as part of the natural ageing process.

18/06/2025

Hypertension, Obesity, and the Need for Effective Intervention Strategies in the UK and Globally

Hypertension is a major risk factor for both cardiovascular and renal disease in the UK and around the world. A significant portion of primary (essential) hypertension is driven by obesity, through multiple mechanisms including neurohormonal activation, chronic inflammation, and renal dysfunction.

As rates of obesity continue to rise, so too will the burden of hypertension and associated cardio-renal conditions — unless more effective strategies for obesity prevention and treatment are implemented.

Lifestyle modifications such as dietary change, reducing sedentary behaviour, and increasing physical activity are routinely recommended for individuals with obesity. However, these measures often show limited long-term success in reducing adiposity, maintaining weight loss, and achieving sustained blood pressure reduction.

In addition to lifestyle advice, pharmacological treatments and procedural interventions — including metabolic (bariatric) surgery — represent important options for addressing obesity. These strategies can help prevent or reduce obesity-related hypertension, mitigate target organ damage, and slow progression to serious disease.

A range of medications are available in the UK for both short- and long-term obesity management, yet prescription uptake remains relatively low. Metabolic surgery, meanwhile, has been shown to result in sustained weight loss and improved blood pressure control in many patients with severe or complex obesity, particularly when accompanied by metabolic comorbidities.

Despite these options, there remain critical unanswered questions surrounding:

The exact pathophysiology of obesity-related disease

The long-term effectiveness of different interventions

And the optimal timing for treatment or prevention to minimise complications associated with both obesity and hypertension.

More robust data — including from UK-based trials and registries — will be key to refining care pathways and guiding national policy on obesity and cardiovascular risk management.

18/06/2025

Endoluminal Therapies for Obesity: Focus on Small Bowel Interventions

The availability of endoluminal bariatric and metabolic therapies (EBMTs) approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of obesity has grown significantly in recent years.

In this article — part two of a specialist series — Dr Dilhana S. Badurdeen (MBBS, MD) explores small bowel EBMTs, including:

Duodenojejunal bypass sleeve

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing or ablation

Pharmacological duodenal exclusion therapy

Duodenal mucosal electroporation

Gastric mucosal ablation

Dr Badurdeen, alongside Professor Vivek Kumbhari (MBChB, PhD) — both consultants in gastroenterology at St Mark’s Hospital, London — co-authored a review published in the 2023 issue of Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, which summarises current evidence and clinical application of EBMTs in metabolic disease management.

“The objectives of small bowel endoluminal bariatric and metabolic therapies vary,” explains Dr Badurdeen.
“Some aim to block the passage of nutrients to the proximal small intestine, mimicking mechanisms seen in gastric bypass surgery. Others directly target duodenal mucosal cells to influence the incretin hormone pathway, with the goal of improving insulin sensitivity.”

Duodenojejunal Bypass Sleeve
The duodenojejunal bypass sleeve is an endoscopically delivered implant designed to inhibit nutrient digestion and absorption in the proximal small bowel.

Using a self-expanding metal stent, the device is anchored at the duodenal bulb, and a Teflon-based sleeve is positioned through to the proximal jejunum. This creates a temporary barrier to nutrient contact with the duodenal mucosa, aiming to trigger favourable metabolic responses.

18/06/2025

Obesity on the Rise Among People with IBD – UK Study Highlights Its Impact on Crohn’s Disease Progression

Obesity is becoming increasingly common among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), prompting UK researchers to investigate how excess weight may affect the progression of these conditions.

In response to this growing concern, a team of gastroenterologists from University College London Hospitals (UCLH) has carried out a population-based retrospective study focusing on individuals newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD). The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in 2024.

Dr Amanda M. Johnson, consultant gastroenterologist at UCLH and lead author of the study, explains:
“Emerging data suggest that obesity — particularly increased visceral fat — may worsen IBD-related outcomes. This includes a greater risk of developing penetrating or fibrotic disease, reduced responsiveness to biologic therapies, and a higher chance of Crohn’s recurrence after surgery. However, the full extent of these impacts remains under investigation.”

The study aimed to determine how common obesity is at the time of Crohn’s diagnosis, and how it may influence disease characteristics and outcomes such as corticosteroid use, hospital admissions, intestinal surgery, and the development of fistulas or penetrating disease.

Study Overview
The researchers reviewed records from patients in the Cambridge region diagnosed with Crohn’s disease between 1970 and 2010. They included only those who had a body mass index (BMI) measurement within six months of diagnosis.

They assessed the proportion of patients who were overweight or obese at diagnosis and tracked how these trends evolved over time. Using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the team examined Crohn’s-related complications, including hospitalisation, corticosteroid use, and surgical interventions.

Key Findings
Among 334 individuals diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, 156 (46.7%) were classified as overweight (27.8%) or obese (18.9%) at the time of diagnosis.

Notably, patients who were overweight or obese were diagnosed at a later age — averaging 42.3 and 44.3 years, respectively — compared to those with normal weight (35.8 years) or underweight (31.6 years).

While the research was centred in Cambridge, the findings have wider implications for clinical care across the NHS. The rising prevalence of obesity in IBD patients may affect treatment decisions, response to biologics, and timing of surgical referrals.

Further UK-based, multi-centre research is likely needed to inform care pathways — especially for IBD patients with higher BMI, where long-term outcomes and personalised treatment planning remain areas of clinical focus.

14/07/2020

++++++ Kommt am 15.07. um 14:30 zum Steintor zur Demo von der Selbsthilfe für Wohnungslose e.V. ++++++

Aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie wurde von der Kommune und der Region die Jugendherberge Hannover ab dem 15.04. für von Obdachlosigkeit betroffene Menschen angemietet. Die Einzelunterbringung in der Jugendherberge bot den Menschen eine Möglichkeit sich vor der Pandemie und dem gefährlichen Leben auf der Straße zu schützen, durchzuschnaufen und Kräfte zu sammeln. Zum 15.07. endet die Anmietung, ohne dass angemessene Anschlussperspektiven für die Menschen erarbeitet wurden. Sie werden also am Mittwoch vor die Wahl gestellt, auf der Straße zu schlafen oder sich wieder in menschenunwürdigen Schlafsälen zu drängen. Dieses skandalöse Vorgehen der Kommunalpolitiker*innen, kann nicht widerspruchslos hingenommen werden. Während diese sich nun in die Sommerpause verabschiedet haben, soll der “Urlaub von der Straße“ für die Betroffenen nun offenbar beendet werden.
Wir fordern, dass alle Menschen, die in der Jugendherberge untergebracht waren, und auch alle Betroffenen, die immer noch in unwürdigen Notschlafstellen, Mehrbettzimmern in städtischen Obdächern oder auf der Straße schlafen, eine angemessene Einzelunterbringung erhalten, um ihre Gesundheit und ihre Privatsphäre schützen zu können. Deswegen werden wir uns am Mittwoch, den 15.07. um 14.30 Uhr am Steintor zu einer Demonstration zusammenfinden, um für eine menschenwürdige Einzelunterbringung für jeden zu kämpfen.

Seid dabei und kämpft mit uns für mehr Menschenwürde!

Bitte leitet diesen Aufruf weiter, damit wir am Mittwoch viele sind

05/06/2020

Am Montag auch in Hannover vor dem Landtagsgebäude 📣✊

Bundesweiter Studierendenprotest soll hunderttausenden in Not geratenen Studierenden eine Stimme geben!

"Studierendenvertretungen aus ganz Deutschland gehen am 08. Juni auf die Straße, um gegen die unzureichenden Hilfsmaßnahmen für Studierende zu protestieren. Um 11 Uhr finden vor den Landesparlamenten und Wissenschaftsministerien in Hannover, Potsdam, Dresden, Mainz, Wiesbaden, sowie vor dem Gebäude des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung in Bonn Kundgebungen statt. Die Botschaft ist klar: um eine Bildungskatastrophe zu verhindern, muss den vielen in Not geratenen Studierenden endlich geholfen werden. Die Aktionen laufen unter den Hashtags und . Den dezentralen Kundgebungen folgt am 20.06. eine Demonstration in Berlin zum gleichen Thema."

Via AStA der LUH

20/03/2020

Hier eine Stellungnahme von unserem Asta:

Pressemitteilung des AStA der Hochschule Hannover. Studieren in Zeiten der Corona-Krise ist geprägt von vielen Unsicherheiten. Nicht nur die Frage nach dem nächsten Prüfungszeitraum und der Präsenzlehre, gerade die soziale Frage brennt den Studierenden unter den Nägeln, wie die Miete oder die n...

13/03/2020

Aus aktuellem Anlass hier Infos der Hochschule.

Bleibt gesund und schützt euch und andere.

https://www.facebook.com/219974628089212/posts/2796397277113588/?substory_index=0&sfnsn=scwspmo&extid=jjqBRhTkb6jQV3Y8

Erlass des Nds. Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Kultur: Ab sofort wird der Präsenzlehrbetrieb der Niedersächsischen Hochschulen bis zum 20. April 2020 eingestellt. Für Studierende der HsH gibt es hier alle aktuellen Infos von heute: https://www.hs-hannover.de/ueber-uns/organisation/oem/aktuelles/aktuelles-zum-coronavirus-massnahmen-und-empfehlungen/

09/06/2019

08/05/2019

Termine über Termine! In den nächsten Tagen ist viel los. Einige Studierende haben an der Bibliothek auf dem Campus Kleefeld ein Banner aufgehängt.
Es mobilisiert zur Großdemo gegen das neue niedersächsische Polizeigesetz und informiert über die Proteste gegen einen Aufmarsch der extrem rechten Partei "Die Rechte" in Hildesheim!

Wir freuen uns darüber, dass das politische Engagement unserer Studierenden so sichtbar gemacht wird!

26/04/2019

Guten Morgen!
Gestern ist auf dem Campus dieses Transparent aufgetaucht. Es mobilisiert für die Demonstration "Seebrücke - Sichere Fluchtwege jetzt!", die morgen am 27.04 um 13:00 am Hauptbahnhof startet.
Danke an die kreativen Aktivist*innen für die Erinnerung!
https://m.facebook.com/events/976446739411171