Lipids News and Research

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Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The main biological functions of lipids include energy storage, as structural components of cell membranes, and as important signaling molecules.

Scientists identify two enzymes that appear to play role in metabolism, inflammation

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has discovered two enzymes that appear to play a role in metabolism and inflammation—and might someday be targeted with drugs to treat type 2 diabetes and inflammatory disorders.

29 Mar 2016

Stanford researchers develop machine for designing better contact lenses

When contact lenses work really well, you forget they are on your eyes. You might not feel the same at the end of a long day staring at a computer screen. After too many hours of wear, the lenses and your eyes dry out, causing irritation that might outweigh the convenience of contacts.

26 Mar 2016

MALDI tissue imaging spots early renal lipid changes in acute kidney injury

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have made a microscopic snapshot of the early renal lipid changes in acute kidney injury, using the laser-scanning method called MALDI tissue imaging to localize the changes.

24 Mar 2016

Innovative ultrasound method can help determine risk of strokes, heart attacks

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a new and more accurate way to distinguish between harmful and harmless plaque in the blood vessels by using ultrasound. This can help healthcare providers determine the risk of strokes and heart attacks - which means avoiding unnecessary surgery for many patients.

24 Mar 2016

Exposure to substitute chemical can stimulate formation of fat cells

Exposure to a substitute chemical often used to replace bisphenol A in plastics can encourage the formation of fat cells, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.

23 Mar 2016

Inhibiting cholesterol esterification can potentiate antitumor activity of killer T cells

As key players in the immune system, T cells provide tumor surveillance and have direct antitumor effects. However, tumors can escape T-cell attack through various mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment. Reactivating the antitumor effects of T cells has shown great clinical benefits in treating various cancers.

18 Mar 2016

Molecular basis for tongue cancer progression: an interview with Dr Simona Principe

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are the sixth most common cancers worldwide, with approximately 600,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Centrifugation 17 Mar 2016

WSU researcher explores new drugs to treat neurological disorders linked to autophagic dysfunction

Repairing the brain's "house-cleaning function," which could help people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 100 other diseases, is the focus of recently funded research at Washington State University.

17 Mar 2016

Researchers provide new mechanism for age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in people over 50 in developed countries. Although this condition affects up to 20% of people between the ages of 65 and 75, what drives abnormal blood vessels to invade the retina is unknown.

15 Mar 2016

Drugs to help energy-starved photoreceptors offers new avenue for treating AMD , MacTel

New research from Boston Children's Hospital could potentially change how doctors approach two blinding diseases: 'Wet' age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, and macular telangiectasia (MacTel).

15 Mar 2016

Synthetic nanoparticle can light up and treat atherosclerotic plaques

Atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up inside arteries, is a prolific and invisible killer, but it may soon lose its ability to hide in the body and wreak havoc. Scientists have now developed a nanoparticle that functionally mimics nature's own high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The nanoparticle can simultaneously light up and treat atherosclerotic plaques that clog arteries. Therapy with this approach could someday help prevent deadly heart attacks and strokes.

14 Mar 2016

Delivering microRNAs in cancer treatment: an interview with Dr Conde and Prof Artzi

microRNAs (miRs) are small endogenous noncoding RNA molecules (20–23 nucleotides) derived from imperfectly paired hairpin RNA structures naturally encoded in the genome that act specifically as triggering molecules to control translational repression or mRNA degradation.

11 Mar 2016

Novel nanoparticle technology can decipher protein structures and help access drug targets

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, have developed a nanoparticle technology that can be used to stabilise membrane proteins so that their structure can be studied in a lipid environment. The method, described in Nature Methods, makes it possible to access drug targets that previously could not be investigated and therefore potentially allows for the development of novel drugs, therapeutic antibodies and vaccines.

9 Mar 2016

Sleeping too much or too little increases risk of dying from heart disease

Too much or too little sleep is linked with an increased risk of certain types of cardiovascular disease. Women and the elderly are particularly at risk.Sleeping less than four hours or more than eight hours a night increases the risk of dying from some types of coronary heart disease, such as heart attacks and unstable angina pectoris, according to a study by Norwegian and Taiwanese researchers.

8 Mar 2016

Inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uptake specifically toxic to cancer cells

Inhibiting the transfer of calcium ions into the cell's powerhouse is specifically toxic to cancer cells, according to an article published this week in Cell Reports by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

4 Mar 2016

Dietary broccoli may protect against liver cancer

Consumption of broccoli has increased in the United States over the last few decades as scientists have reported that eating the vegetable three to five times per week can lower the risk of many types of cancer including breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

4 Mar 2016

Polyunsaturated lipids can alter binding rate of two receptors involved in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

A study published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from the Nature group demonstrates, for the first time and using computational tools, that polyunsaturated lipids can alter the binding rate of two types of receivers involved in certain nervous system diseases.

2 Mar 2016

Lipids News and Research

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