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Artificial sweetener sucralose has biological effects

The artificial sweetener sucralose is a biologically active compound according to an extensive review published by Taylor & Francis in the recent issue of Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B: Critical Reviews. "Sucralose, A Synthetic Organochlorine Sweetener: Overview Of Biological Issues" authored by Susan S. Schiffman, PhD, an internationally known sweetener researcher and Kristina I. Rother, MD, MHSc, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), summarizes the biological properties of sucralose based on hundreds of archival, peer-reviewed scientific journal publications.

13 Dec 2013

Valuable new approach to cancer treatment

Since the discovery of penicillin, fungi have been a nearly inexhaustible source for the discovery of new drugs. “Crowdsourcing”, the cooperation of a large number of interested nonscientists, has helped to find a new fungus from which American researchers have now isolated and characterized an unusual metabolite with interesting antitumor activity.

11 Dec 2013

Beta-carotene: An important and safe precursor for vitamin A

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine study in the November 22 issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry, explains how vitamin A is generated from beta carotene, its dietary precursors. The discovery sheds new light into how beta carotene’s enzymes are utilized differently contributing to the vitamin’s production. This insight will help guide solutions for vitamin A deficiency, a global public health problem affecting more than half of all countries, according to the World Health Organization.

11 Dec 2013

Researchers uncover biological factor that may contribute to disparities in prostate cancer incidence

Researchers have uncovered a potential biological factor that may contribute to disparities in prostate cancer incidence and mortality between African-American and non-Hispanic white men in the United States, according to results presented here at the Sixth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Dec. 6-9.

9 Dec 2013

Scientists target protein-detection approach to systematically measure human repertoire of proteins

An international team of scientists led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center cancer proteomics expert Amanda Paulovich, M.D., has demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale, standardized protein measurements, which are necessary for validation of disease biomarkers and drug targets.

9 Dec 2013

Study provides possible therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease via progesterone

Steroid hormones and their metabolites within the central nervous system are commonly defined as neuroactive steroids or neurosteroids. Although neuroactive steroids have been shown to improve learning and memory ability and protect against amyloid beta peptide-induced neurotoxicity, changes in their level during Alzheimer's disease and their role in Aβ-mediated cognitive impairment remain elusive given the limitation in sample sizes and analysis methods.

8 Dec 2013

Diagnosing colonic polyps: an interview with Dr. Haili Wang, Metabolomic Technologies Inc. (MTI)

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of death in North America, but it is preventable if found at the colonic polyp stage. Currently, only 39% of colorectal cancer cases in the US are diagnosed at an early and treatable stage.

28 Nov 2013

Researchers discover how type 2 diabetes drug metformin actually works

Researchers from St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, in collaboration with researchers at McMaster University in Canada, are reportedly the first to discover how the type 2 diabetes drug metformin actually works, providing a molecular understanding that could lead to the development of more effective therapies. Mass spectrometry technologies from AB SCIEX, a global leader in analytical technologies, played a critical role in the analysis that led to this breakthrough finding.

25 Nov 2013

Exposure to high levels of phthalates during pregnancy linked to preterm births

The odds of preterm birth for women exposed to a commonly used class of chemicals known as phthalates are increased significantly, according to a new study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

20 Nov 2013

Global Genomics Group, Metabolon partner to discover novel targets for cardiovascular diseases

Global Genomics Group and Metabolon today announced that they have entered into a collaboration agreement to investigate biological networks and pathways in order to discover novel biomarkers and pharmaceutical targets for cardiovascular diseases.

15 Nov 2013

Study shows that geranylgeraniol suppresses viability of human DU145 prostate carcinoma cells

Researchers at Texas Woman's University have shown that a diterpene geranylgeraniol found in linseed oil, Cedrela toona wood oil, sucupira branca fruit oil and more recently, annatto seed oil, suppressed the viability of human DU145 prostate carcinoma cells via cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and the initiation of apoptosis.

14 Nov 2013

Novel approach confirms dysfunctional energy production in schizophrenia

A method of directly assessing creatine kinase in the brain provides “direct and compelling” evidence for abnormal bioenergetics in the brains of patients with schizophrenia, say the study authors.

12 Nov 2013

Meclizine drug has the potential to treat certain infectious diseases and cancer

Meclizine, an over-the-counter drug used for decades to treat nausea and motion sickness, has the potential for new uses to treat certain infectious diseases and some forms of cancer, according to Dr. Vishal M. Gohil, Texas A&M AgriLife Research biochemist.

31 Oct 2013

Simple blood test can help diagnose early-stage lung and prostate cancers

Early-stage lung and prostate cancers as well as their recurrence can be detected with a simple blood test, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

16 Oct 2013

Blood test can help predict which bipolar patients will benefit from Ketamine

Researchers have discovered how to determine which bipolar patients will benefit from Ketamine, a treatment commonly used for depression and pain relief, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

14 Oct 2013

Research findings may lead to potential treatments for inherited diseases

New research from the University of California, Davis, shows that the tiny proportion of a cell's DNA that is located outside the cell nucleus has a disproportionately large effect on a cell's metabolism.

12 Oct 2013

Suppression of mitochondria: A dominant feature of diabetic kidney disease

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified 13 metabolites - small molecules produced by cellular metabolism - that are significantly different in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease compared to healthy controls.

11 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new approach to combat tubercle bacillus

A new approach to combating the tubercle bacillus, the microorganism that kills some 1.5 million people in the world each year, has been developed by a French-British team including scientists from CNRS, Inserm, the Institut Curie and Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier.

2 Oct 2013

Prefrontal glutamate abnormalities confined to established psychosis

Abnormalities in glutamate and glutamine levels in the prefrontal cortex are only present in patients with chronic schizophrenia, say researchers.

24 Sep 2013

Study shows how lifestyle factors can influence metabolism via resulting alterations in DNA

In the course of life, aging processes, environmental influences and lifestyle factors such as smoking or diet induce biochemical alterations to the DNA. Frequently, these lead to DNA methylation, a process in which methyl groups are added to particular DNA segments, without changing the DNA sequence.

21 Sep 2013