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.

Vitamin D plays major role in preventing diabetes and atherosclerosis

In recent years, a deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two illnesses that commonly occur together and are the most common cause of illness and death in Western countries. Both disorders are rooted in chronic inflammation, which leads to insulin resistance and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

19 Mar 2015

Denator's heat-stabilization system preserves lipids at close-to-in vivo-levels

Denator AB announced today that the company’s heat-stabilization system has been demonstrated to preserve lipids at close-to-in vivo-levels. To preserve lipids in a reliable manner prior to mass spectrometry-based analysis is pivotal to accurately quantify and identify potential biomarkers and perform disease research.

19 Mar 2015

Researchers develop 'warhead' molecule that targets deadly bacteria, spares healthy cells

Targeting deadly, drug-resistant bacteria poses a serious challenge to researchers looking for antibiotics that can kill pathogens without causing collateral damage in human cells.

13 Mar 2015

High levels of triglycerides, cholesterol can keep vitamin E tied up in blood stream

In the continuing debate over how much vitamin E is enough, a new study has found that high levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides can keep this essential micronutrient tied up in the blood stream, and prevent vitamin E from reaching the tissues that need it.

13 Mar 2015

Type 2 diabetes less common in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among 25,000 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic disorder characterized by high low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol levels) was significantly lower than among unaffected relatives, with the prevalence varying by the type of gene mutation, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

11 Mar 2015

Scientists uncover how primary protein responsible for multidrug resistance reacts to therapeutic drugs

Cancer patients fear the possibility that one day their cells might start rendering many different chemotherapy regimens ineffective. This phenomenon, called multidrug resistance, leads to tumors that defy treatment.

5 Mar 2015

Common flame retardants linked to obesity, say UH researchers

Could your electronics be making you fat? According to University of Houston researchers, a common flame retardant used to keep electronics from overheating may be to blame.

5 Mar 2015

TSRI researchers show how ABC transporters cause multidrug resistance

3 Mar 2015

U-M researchers reveal key role of two enzymes that help the body to remove cholesterol, other lipids

With the aid of X-ray crystallography, researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed the structures of two closely related enzymes that play essential roles in the body's ability to metabolize excess lipids, including cholesterol.

2 Mar 2015

Adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk for pituitary hormone deficiencies

Decades after undergoing cranial irradiation for childhood cancer, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators found that adult survivors of pediatric cancer remain at risk for pituitary hormone deficiencies that may diminish their health and quality of life.

16 Feb 2015

RAB3GAP complex plays important role in autophagy

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease are typically characterized by protein deposits in the brain. These are comprised of defective, insoluble proteins which no longer fulfill their function and which cells are unable to break down. The work group headed by Professor Christian Behl of the Institute of Pathobiochemistry of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz has determined the RAB3GAP complex as a novel factor that influences the efficient degradation of proteins.

12 Feb 2015

Study shows link between low vitamin D levels in childhood and occurrence of atherosclerosis in adulthood

Low levels of 25-OH vitamin D in childhood were associated with subclinical atherosclerosis over 25 years later in adulthood, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

11 Feb 2015

Researchers document pathological progress of multiple sclerosis

The Centre for Brain Research at the MedUni Vienna is regarded as a world leader in researching the mechanisms involved with multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, in a paper published in the highly respected journal Lancet Neurology, an international team of researchers from Edinburgh, Cleveland and Vienna, under the leadership of Hans Lassmann, Head of the Department of Neuroimmunology at the MedUni Vienna, has for the first time documented the pathological progress of the disease from its early to late stage and also shown that inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes have a role to play.

9 Feb 2015

Research findings could improve fight against some infections, auto-immune diseases

A team of international scientists has discovered a new mechanism by which immune cells in the skin function as the body's 'border control', revealing how these cells sense whether lipid or fat-like molecules might indicate the presence of foreign invaders.

4 Feb 2015

Study looks at effect of probiotic capsule intervention on metabolic health among women with GDM

In a study to be presented on Feb. 5 in an oral concurrent session at 1:15 p.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in San Diego, researchers will report on the effect of a probiotic capsule intervention on maternal metabolic parameters and pregnancy outcomes among women with gestational diabetes.

3 Feb 2015

Corn oil has greater effects on blood cholesterol than extra virgin olive oil

A study published in the January/February 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology indicates corn oil significantly reduces cholesterol more than extra virgin olive oil with favorable changes in both total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

31 Jan 2015

Study reveals how the brain can use fatty acids to control liver lipid production

Ways of keeping the heart healthy has widened, with the discovery that the brain can help fight off hardening of the arteries.

31 Jan 2015

Genetic finding could lead to new treatments for people living with blindness, vision loss

Finding genes for retinal degenerations has immediate benefits for people living with blindness and vision loss, their families, and their physicians. Establishing a genetic cause confirms the clinical diagnosis at the molecular level, helps predict the future visual prognosis, suggests therapies, and allows some patients to join clinical trials. While more than 200 genes for retinal degenerations have been identified, approximately 40-50% of cases remain a mystery.

13 Jan 2015

Exposure to nanoparticles can play major role in development of cardiovascular diseases

Nanoparticles, extremely tiny particles measured in billionths of a meter, are increasingly everywhere, and especially in biomedical products. Their toxicity has been researched in general terms, but now a team of Israeli scientists has for the first time found that exposure nanoparticles (NPs) of silicon dioxide (SiO2) can play a major role in the development of cardiovascular diseases when the NP cross tissue and cellular barriers and also find their way into the circulatory system.

8 Jan 2015

Enzymes linked to diabetes, obesity play major roles in arthritis and leukemia

Enzymes linked to diabetes and obesity appear to play key roles in arthritis and leukemia, potentially opening up new avenues for treating these diverse diseases, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.