Lipids News and Research

RSS

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 project investigating role of B cells in cardiovascular disease receives $6.5 million grant

Christoph Binder, Professor of Atherosclerosis Research at MedUni Vienna, is to coordinate an international research network investigating the role of B cells in cardiovascular disease.

2 Jun 2020

Does interferon therapy work in COVID-19?

A new study published on the preprint site medRxiv in May 2020 reports on the efficacy of interferons in treating COVID-19. The research could help evaluate the place of such therapy in the management of this disease.

2 Jun 2020

Toshiba and Shinshu University jointly develop a 'tumor-tropic liposome technology' for gene therapy

Toshiba Corporation and a team led by Professor Yozo Nakazawa at the Department of Pediatrics, Shinshu University, have together developed a “tumor-tropic liposome technology” for gene therapy. The technology uses unique, nano-sized biodegradable liposomes developed by Toshiba to accurately and efficiently deliver therapeutic genes to targeted cancer cells, and achieves safer gene delivery than viruses used as carriers.

30 May 2020

Study solves the longstanding mystery of anesthesia

Surgery would be inconceivable without general anesthesia, so it may come as a surprise that despite its 175-year history of medical use, doctors and scientists have been unable to explain how anesthetics temporarily render patients unconscious.

30 May 2020

Using gene therapy to help the body to make its own cancer drugs

Imagine that we could instruct our bodies to make the drugs they need themselves. The gene technology that makes this possible is called mRNA therapy, which may become a major tool in the treatment of multiple diseases.

29 May 2020

Lifestyle habits reduce concentration of LDL cholesterol in children

An individualized and family-based physical activity and dietary intervention reduced the plasma LDL cholesterol concentration of primary school children, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.

29 May 2020

Inhibiting tumor signals can suppress the spread of cancer

For most people who die of cancer, the spread of the initial tumor is to blame. "Metastasis is what kills most cancer patients," says Serge Fuchs, a professor in Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine.

28 May 2020

Children with COVID-19 presenting with sudden severe lung disease

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to seek out new victims, puzzling new presentations are further confusing the situation. A new study published online in The Lancet Rheumatology in May 2020 reports a case of severe COVID-19 in a child who rapidly developed acute respiratory distress symptoms without prior respiratory symptoms. This case should alert clinicians to consider this diagnosis in children as well.

24 May 2020

Blood test could help doctors identify patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Scientists have identified metabolites in the blood that accurately predict whether a woman will develop type 2 diabetes after experiencing a transient form of illness during pregnancy.

22 May 2020

Larval nutrition plays key role in determining sexual characteristics of Japanese rice fish

Larval nutrition plays a role in determining the sexual characteristics of Japanese rice fish, also called medaka (Oryzias latipes), report a team of researchers led by Nagoya University.

22 May 2020

Study finds mechanism by which fish consumption reduces cardiovascular disease risk

A study by researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili and Harvard Medical School has found that consuming omega 3 primarily through fish, but also in supplements containing these fatty acids, can modulate lipoproteins, that is, the particles that transport lipids through the blood, and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

21 May 2020

Researchers report a new way to stabilize liposomes

For decades, scientists have explored the use of liposomes –– hollow spheres made of lipid bilayers –– to deliver chemotherapy drugs to tumor cells.

20 May 2020

New technique determines lipid composition in a brain region

Researchers at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a new technique that can determine the specific molecular form, location, and the number of lipids in samples of rat brain tissue.

20 May 2020

Chemicals found in consumer products could contribute to onset of lipid-related diseases

Chemical compounds found in many consumer products could be major contributors to the onset of lipid-related diseases, such as obesity, in humans, according to a Baylor University study.

19 May 2020

Nanotechnology may help assess risk of mortality from COVID-19

What if doctors could not only diagnose a COVID-19 infection but identify which patients are at the greatest risk of death before any major complications arise?

19 May 2020

Biologic drug can help treat contact dermatitis

APOSEC it is a biologic wound-healing agent developed by thoracic surgeon Hendrik Jan Ankersmit from MedUni Vienna.

15 May 2020

Study uncovers how the body synthesizes triglycerides

Doctors regularly warn their patients that having high levels of triglycerides, a major dietary fat, can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease.

13 May 2020

Research identifies a disease trigger for pancreatitis

One factor contributing to the development of pancreatitis lies in mutations within a cell membrane ion channel that is characterized by its specific permeability for calcium ions.

13 May 2020

Estonians eat less fiber than recommended, study confirms

For normal gut and body function, the diet should contain sufficient amounts of (at least 25 - 35 grams of) various (a variety of )dietary fibers. Fibers are a type of carbohydrates forming a big group of molecules of very different structures and sizes that have different functions in our body.

12 May 2020

Does cholesterol play a role in COVID-19?

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 suggests that the strikingly increased mortality in COVID-19 patients who are either old or also have high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease is due to high tissue cholesterol levels. It also indicates the role of a healthy diet, by showing that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in blood oppose the effects of cholesterol and thus the risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms.

12 May 2020