Current and Future Drug Targets in Weight Management

Obesity will continue to be one of the leading causes of chronic disease unless the ongoing rise in the prevalence of this condition is reversed. Accumulating morbidity figures and a shortage of effective drugs have generated substantial research activity with several molecular targets being investigated. However, pharmacological modulation of body weight is extremely complex, since it is essentially a battle against one of the strongest human instincts and highly efficient mechanisms of energy uptake and storage. This review provides an overview of the different molecular strategies intended to lower body weight or adipose tissue mass. Weight-loss drugs in development include molecules intended to reduce the absorption of lipids from the GI tract, various ways to limit food intake, and compounds that increase energy expenditure or reduce adipose tissue size. A number of new preparations, including combinations of the existing drugs topiramate plus phentermine, bupropion plus naltrexone, and the selective 5-HT2C agonist lorcaserin have recently been filed for approval. Behind these leading candidates are several other potentially promising compounds and combinations currently undergoing phase II and III testing. Some interesting targets further on the horizon are also discussed

Contextualizing Game Literacy : A transhistorical approach to understanding Game-Based Learning environments

The nature of ‘reading’ different types of texts, across all media, is fundamentally beholden to the concept of ‘literacy’. The concept of literacy is well established in media studies – from books, to film, and visual, performing and interactive arts – and as such it has a wide range of applicability. All forms of media constitute a semiotic milieu in which signifiers and codes mean different things depending on the form’s unique language and the contexts and manner in which individual participants, or “readers”, approach them. In the field of digital games research, literacy is commonly defined as a narrower concept that refers to the ability to identify affordances and interact with game components with a high degree of confidence. This focus on capability is understandable to a degree: the unique aspect of games as a medium is often considered to specifically be its interactability, and thus being able to interact becomes synonymous with being ‘game literate’. In this paper, however, we will both describe how literacy in games would benefit from a more nuanced, transhistorical view of interactability, as well as provide examples from many kinds of media beyond games to demonstrate that interaction literacy is neither novel nor unique to the medium of games. Understanding this rich history would provide a broader foundation of referential literature for game scholars to use when discussing the concept of game literacy and the interactability of media in general.Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the owner/author(s).</p