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.

Disruptions to lipid metabolism after childbirth predict future diabetes risk

Scientists have found that disruptions to the metabolism of lipids occur after childbirth in women with gestational diabetes who go on to develop type 2 diabetes.

4 Aug 2020

Targeting LDL cholesterol to reduce heart disease risk now questioned

For many years, health experts have warned that high levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are critical drivers for the development of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study claims that decades of research have failed to show benefit of targeting the bad cholesterol to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

4 Aug 2020

Scientists discover new set of channels that link deadliest malaria parasite and blood cells

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have discovered another set of pore-like holes, or channels, traversing the membrane-bound sac that encloses the deadliest malaria parasite as it infects red blood cells.

30 Jul 2020

Pilot study shows cholesterol-lowering medication improves function of coronary arteries

In a pilot study of people living with HIV or high levels of cholesterol, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that a six-week course of a cholesterol-lowering medication improved the function of the coronary arteries that provide oxygen to the heart.

29 Jul 2020

Pizza study finds the body's metabolism to be good at coping with over-indulgence

A new study, which involved participants eating pizza well after feeling 'full' in order to test what immediate effects this had on the body, finds that our metabolism is surprisingly good at coping with over-indulgence.

24 Jul 2020

siRNA-based treatment can reduce psoriasis symptoms

Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes itchy, red, scaly patches, afflicts more than 8 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide.

23 Jul 2020

Scientists identify cellular mechanism that shows promise in treating cancer

Fighting cancer often means employing a suite of techniques to target the tumor and prevent it from growing and spreading to other parts of the body.

22 Jul 2020

An abundance of biomolecules linked to COVID-19 status and severity

Tapping into the potential of the multi-omic method to uncover functional connections between various classes of biomolecules, researchers from notable institutions in the United States have discovered sets of co-varying molecules that shed light on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pathophysiology and provide treatment opportunities.

20 Jul 2020

Scientists discover promising drug target for dry age-related macular degeneration

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that the blood protein vitronectin is a promising drug target for dry age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

20 Jul 2020

Novel nanospectroscopy measures biomolecular changes induced by drugs in human cells

Synchrotron InfraRed Nanospectroscopy has been used for the first time to measure biomolecular changes induced by a drug (amiodarone) within human cells (macrophages) and localized at 100 nanometre scale, i.e. two orders of magnitude smaller than the IR wavelength used as probe.

17 Jul 2020

Common antioxidant enzyme catalase as COVID-19 treatment

A new paper by researchers from the USA and China and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 discusses a new drug based on the catalase enzyme, which could play a vital part in reducing the inflammation associated with progressive and severe COVID-19 disease.

17 Jul 2020

Obesity and metabolic syndrome increase risk for severe influenza, COVID-19

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of severe disease from viral infection, according to a review of the literature performed by a team of researchers from St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, both in Memphis.

15 Jul 2020

Fat cell hormone enhances therapeutic potential of MSC therapy

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to differentiate into a range of different cell types, including bone, fat, and muscle cells.

12 Jul 2020

Fatty acid can kill human cancer cells, study shows

Researchers have demonstrated that a fatty acid called dihomogamma-linolenic acid, or DGLA, can kill human cancer cells.

11 Jul 2020

Scientists discover promising therapy to combat the growing epidemic of liver disease

In an effort to combat a growing worldwide epidemic of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), scientists have discovered a new target and a new therapy that has shown promising results in preclinical mouse models, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

8 Jul 2020