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.

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is currently no cure. NPC primarily strikes children before and during adolescence and affects one in every 150,000 children. The disease causes cholesterol and other lipids to build up in the body's cells, which results in symptoms such as delayed motor development, deterioration of memory and balance, and seizures.

26 Feb 2016

Inadequate dietary intake of essential amino acids and nutrient choline linked to stunting

Worldwide, an estimated 25 percent of children under age 5 suffer from stunted growth and development. The most visible characteristic is short stature, but the effects of stunting are far more profound: The condition prevents children from reaching their cognitive potential; makes them more susceptible to illness and infection; and shortens their life spans.

24 Feb 2016

Virginia Tech scientist finds way to potentially track and stop viruses

Viruses are molecular thieves that take from their hosts under the cloak of darkness. But now a Virginia Tech scientist has found a way to not only track viral hijackers, but also potentially stop them from replicating.

19 Feb 2016

Beiging of white fat could be harnessed to combat diabetes

Researchers are getting closer to learning how to turn white fat cells into brown fat cells, in a process called "beiging," to bring down blood sugar levels and fight diabetes. The team, led by Joseph Baur, PhD, an assistant professor of Physiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published their findings this month in the journal Diabetes.

18 Feb 2016

Beige-fat formation could be harnessed to fight diabetes

Researchers are getting closer to learning how to turn white fat cells into brown fat cells, in a process called "beiging," to bring down blood sugar levels and fight diabetes.

17 Feb 2016

Pioneering technique shows promise for new medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery

Living systems rely on a dizzying variety of chemical reactions essential to development and survival. Most of these involve a specialized class of protein molecules--the enzymes.

12 Feb 2016

Study identifies FGF21 protein as potential therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes

New research on the blood lipid-lowering protein FGF21 shows how it redistributes fatty acids by two distinct mechanisms. The discovery could lead to improved pharmaceutical treatment for type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related diseases.

11 Feb 2016

Yale Cancer Center researchers identify cause of myeloma

Yale Cancer Center researchers have identified what causes a third of all myelomas, a type of cancer affecting plasma cells. The findings, published in the Feb. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, could fundamentally change the way this cancer and others are treated.

11 Feb 2016

Researchers devise lipid-based diets to relieve symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is the most common disease underlying memory problems and dementia in the elderly. One of the invariable pathologies in AD is degeneration of cholinergic synapses in brain cortex and hippocampus.

11 Feb 2016

Experimental nanoparticle therapy shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer

An experimental nanoparticle therapy that combines low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and fish oil preferentially kills primary liver cancer cells without harming healthy cells, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

9 Feb 2016

Study provides new insight into complex interchange that can raise blood levels of fat in type 1 diabetes

Researchers have new insight into the complex interchange that can raise blood levels of unhealthy lipids, or fat, in type 1 diabetes, and early evidence that a drug under study to block cancer cell growth can restore healthier levels.

8 Feb 2016

New technology could help identify, characterize biologically active molecules produced by living cells

Gene sequencing company Illumina recently made big waves by announcing a new spinoff, Grail, dedicated to building a test for cancer by sequencing tumor DNA fragments found in blood. The company also reported plans for a separate project to identify single cells and tag them for later analysis.

1 Feb 2016

Mild reduction in food intake slows development of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease

A small reduction in food intake—less than required to cause weight loss—dramatically slowed the development of a common genetic disorder called autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in mice, a new study in American Journal of Physiology—Renal Physiology reports.

30 Jan 2016

Sphingosine kinase inhibitor slows castration-resistant prostate cancer cell growth

A first-in-class sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitor slowed the growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells, in part by inhibiting the enzyme dihydroceramide desaturase (DEGS), but did not kill them, according to the results of preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies published in the December 2015 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and others.

30 Jan 2016

Weight loss programs that provide healthy fats have similar impacts on pound-shedding

A University of California, San Diego School of Medicine study finds that weight loss programs that provide healthy fats, such as olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, or a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet have similar impacts on pound-shedding.

29 Jan 2016

Berlin researchers identify defects in myotubular myopathy

Tiny deviations in the body's cells can sometimes have severe consequences. Researchers from Berlin have discovered why cells from patients suffering from the rare muscular disease myotubular myopathy cannot function properly.

21 Jan 2016

TSRI scientists discover molecular ‘switch’ that could reduce nicotine addiction

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a lipid in brain cells may act as a “switch” to increase or decrease the motivation to consume nicotine.

19 Jan 2016

Study reveals how imbalance of omega-3 fatty acids affects brain development in offspring

Researchers at Tohoku University's School of Medicine have found an explanation for the correlation between eating fish during pregnancy, and the health of the baby's brain.

17 Jan 2016

Higher-fat DASH diet significantly reduces blood pressure and triglycerides

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, which is high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods, significantly lowers blood pressure as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

12 Jan 2016

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Asthma affects more than 278 million people worldwide and can lead to serious consequences later in life. While current approved therapies address symptoms, they do not halt disease progression.

11 Jan 2016

Lipids News and Research

Further Reading

New Notre Dame research may lead to a therapy for Niemann-Pick Type C disease

Inadequate dietary intake of essential amino acids and nutrient choline linked to stunting

Virginia Tech scientist finds way to potentially track and stop viruses

Beiging of white fat could be harnessed to combat diabetes

Beige-fat formation could be harnessed to fight diabetes

Pioneering technique shows promise for new medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery

Study identifies FGF21 protein as potential therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes

Yale Cancer Center researchers identify cause of myeloma

Researchers devise lipid-based diets to relieve symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Experimental nanoparticle therapy shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer

Study provides new insight into complex interchange that can raise blood levels of fat in type 1 diabetes

New technology could help identify, characterize biologically active molecules produced by living cells

Mild reduction in food intake slows development of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease

Sphingosine kinase inhibitor slows castration-resistant prostate cancer cell growth

Weight loss programs that provide healthy fats have similar impacts on pound-shedding

Berlin researchers identify defects in myotubular myopathy

TSRI scientists discover molecular ‘switch’ that could reduce nicotine addiction

Study reveals how imbalance of omega-3 fatty acids affects brain development in offspring

Higher-fat DASH diet significantly reduces blood pressure and triglycerides

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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