Metabolic Disorders News and Research

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Researchers identify mutant traits in mouse for many human disease genes

About one-third of all genes in the mammalian genome are essential for life. An international, multi-institutional research collaboration identified, for the first time, mutant traits in the mouse for 52 human disease genes, which significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases, including cardiovascular defects, spina bifida, and metabolic disorders, among many others. The study was published this week in Nature.

19 Sep 2016

Scientists generate functional tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells

A research team led by investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles has generated functional human and mouse tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells.

31 Aug 2016

SAGA funding initiative aims to advance understanding of potential sex differences in Alzheimer's

The first-ever Alzheimer's Association Sex and Gender in Alzheimer's research grant awards will provide $2.2 million to nine projects to advance understanding of the disproportionate effect of Alzheimer's disease on women.

31 Aug 2016

Gene mutation linked to impulsive drunken behaviour shields bearers from obesity, insulin resistance

University of Helsinki researchers have previously demonstrated that a point mutation in a gene of serotonin 2B receptor can render the carrier prone to impulsive behaviour, particularly when drunk.

10 Aug 2016

Sophia Genetics reveals world’s most advanced collective artificial intelligence platform

Sophia Genetics, the global leader in Data-Driven Medicine, today unveiled SOPHiA, the world’s most advanced collective artificial intelligence (AI) for Data-Driven Medicine.

29 Jul 2016

Researchers test new approach to treat metabolic diseases without organ transplant

With a shortage of donor organs, Mayo Clinic is exploring therapeutic strategies for patients with debilitating liver diseases. Researchers are testing a new approach to correct metabolic disorders without a whole organ transplant. Their findings appear in Science Translational Medicine.

27 Jul 2016

Study explores rate of antipsychotic polypharmacy among patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals

In recent years, measures have been introduced to reduce the rate of "antipsychotic polypharmacy"—taking more than one antipsychotic drug—among patients with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses.

20 Jul 2016

New method using electrical conductivity could be effective in measuring blood present in dry blood spots

Researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington have demonstrated that electrical conductivity can be an effective means to precisely measure the amount of blood present in dry blood spot analysis, providing a new alternative to the current preferred approach of measuring sodium levels.

19 Jul 2016

UCI researchers use new imaging method to measure fat metabolism

A team from the University of California, Irvine and supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has used a new imaging technique to measure how people break down dietary fat into products the cells of their bodies can use.

8 Jul 2016

Itaconate can suppress pro-inflammatory activity of macrophages

An international group of scientists from US, Canada, Germany and Russia has revealed a substance produced in humans that can suppress the pro-inflammatory activity of macrophages - specific cells of immune system.

1 Jul 2016

Honeybee study finds link between social behavior and circadian rhythms

Circadian rhythms are internal clocks that determine many of an organism's daily rhythms, for example sleep-wake, feeding, urinary output and hormone production.

29 Jun 2016

Why does appetite loss occur during illness? An interview with Prof. Conti and Prof. Francesconi

Appetite, as a word, come from the Latin appetitus, meaning "desire for.” Therefore, appetite can be defined as a pleasurable sensation or the desire to eat. This sensation is coordinated by several brain areas associated with reward processing such amygdala, hippocampus, ventral pallidum, nucleus accumbens and striatum, and others.

28 Jun 2016

Photodynamic therapy effective in treating porphyrias but can be severely painful, cause inflammation

Severe paleness and photosensitivity are two symptoms of a rare group of hereditary diseases that affect haem, a substance in the blood. While these metabolic disorders - known as the porphyrias - are extremely rare, a similar effect is often deliberately triggered by dermatologists in localised areas during the treatment of pre-cancerous skin lesions and skin cancers.

24 Jun 2016

Positive environment can reverse trauma-related behavioral alterations in mice

Traumatic experiences in childhood increase the risk of developing behavioral and psychiatric disorders later in life. It is also known that the consequences of a trauma can likewise be observed in the children of people affected even if those children have themselves not experienced any trauma.

24 Jun 2016

Adequate maternal folate may protect children from future obesity risk

Proper maternal folate levels during pregnancy may protect children from a future risk of obesity, especially those born to obese mothers, according to a study led by researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jun 2016

Scientists develop new tool to overcome major hurdle for personalized medicine

Scientists from EPFL and ETHZ have developed a powerful tool for exploring and determining the inherent biological differences between individuals, which overcomes a major hurdle for personalized medicine.

13 Jun 2016

NR supplements can reduce diabetes-related complications in mice

A naturally occurring vitamin, nicotinamide riboside (NR), can lower blood sugar levels, reduce fatty liver, and prevent peripheral nerve damage in mouse models of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Health Care System.

27 May 2016

Epigenetic modification of Igfbp2 gene may increase risk of obesity and fatty liver

Scientists of the German Center for Diabetes Research led by the German Institute of Human Nutrition have shown in a mouse model that the epigenetic modification of the Igfbp2 gene observed in the young animal precedes a fatty liver in the adult animal later in life.

24 May 2016

McGill researchers discover role of folliculin protein in regulating activity of fat cells

Researchers have uncovered a new molecular pathway for stimulating the body to burn fat - a discovery that could help fight obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

17 May 2016

Researchers agree to test new stem cell gene therapy for Sanfilippo disease in human trial

Scientists in Manchester, who have developed a stem cell gene therapy to reverse a fatal childhood illness, have agreed to work with a new therapeutics company to test it in a human trial.

11 May 2016