Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Exercise benefits influenced by sRAGE levels in diabetes

Increased levels of the soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products may underly the beneficial effects of exercise in patients with Type 2 diabetes, research shows.

3 Aug 2012

Alcohol decreases turnover of bone in post-menopausal women

Women after menopause tend to develop weaker bones from what is known as osteoporosis, which may lead to fractures (especially hip fractures) from falling. The weakness of the bones results from an imbalance between the normal resorption (a type of dissolving of old bone) and the laying down of new bone, an ongoing process for both men and women referred to as "bone turnover."

3 Aug 2012

New insights into process of eye-size control in zebrafish

A Purdue University student's research project related to zebrafish eye development could lead to a better understanding of vision problems that affect billions of people worldwide.

3 Aug 2012

Composition of microbes in the gut changes dramatically during pregnancy

The composition of microbes in the gut changes dramatically during pregnancy, according to a study published by Cell Press in the August 3rd issue of the journal Cell. Although these changes are associated with metabolic disease under most circumstances, they could be beneficial in pregnant women.

3 Aug 2012

Anacardic acid can rescue some ALS phenotypes in vitro

A research group at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Japan's Kyoto University has successfully recapitulated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-associated abnormalities in motor neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from patients with familial ALS, a late-onset, fatal disorder which is also known for Lou Gehrig's disease. In a drug screening assay using the disease model, the team further found that the chemical compound anacardic acid can rescue some ALS phenotypes in vitro.

3 Aug 2012

Fatty acid synthase provides new target for treatment of obesity and diabetes

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potential target for treating diabetes and obesity.

3 Aug 2012

Atlantic fish improves glucose and fat metabolism

Eating saury, a type of fish common to the Atlantic, has immediate beneficial effects on glucose and fat metabolism, show findings from a Japanese study.

2 Aug 2012

Starvation drives methamphetamine-related death in fruit flies

A new study finds that fruit flies exposed to methamphetamine drastically reduce their food intake and increase their physical activity, just as humans do. The study, which tracked metabolic and behavioral changes in fruit flies on meth, indicates that starvation is a primary driver of methamphetamine-related death in the insects.

2 Aug 2012

High maternal choline intake may reduce risk of hypertension and diabetes in babies

New research from Cornell University indicates that pregnant women who increase choline intake in the third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of the baby developing metabolic and chronic stress-related diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes later in life.

2 Aug 2012

Stemgent acquires Asterand’s Human Tissue Business for $9 million

Stemgent, Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Asterand Plc's Human Tissue Business for $9 million. Asterand provides a set of high quality, human-tissue based tools for drug and drug target discovery that is highly complementary to Stemgent's growing portfolio of innovative research products and services to advance cellular reprograming and stem cell research.

1 Aug 2012

Childhood obesity could be related to growing problems with infertility

A dramatic increase in childhood obesity in recent decades may have impacts that go beyond the usual health concerns - it could be disrupting the timing of puberty and ultimately lead to a diminished ability to reproduce, especially in females.

1 Aug 2012

Biomimetic bioartificial livers and cell toxicity assays: an interview with Dr. Joris Braspenning, CEO Medicyte

Biomimetic bioartificial livers are liver organoids based on synthetic equivalents of the human extracellular matrix (ECM) which will be seeded with human cells.

1 Aug 2012

Obesity also affects sexual and urinary health in men

As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health.

31 Jul 2012

Researchers use computational analysis to identify new Achilles heel for drug-resistant breast cancer

Researchers have used computational analysis to identify a new Achilles heel for the treatment of drug-resistant breast cancer. The results, which are published in Molecular Systems Biology, reveal that the disruption of glucose metabolism is an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumours that have acquired resistance to front-line cancer drugs such as Lapatinib.

31 Jul 2012

KSU researcher completes study that examines dietary fiber in children

Experts have long since determined the recommended daily amounts of certain nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, but the numbers for nutrients like fiber have proven more difficult to nail down.

31 Jul 2012

Antioxidants and pancreatic cancer risk: an interview with Dr Andrew Hart

The antioxidants that we mainly looked at were selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E. They are chemicals which inactivate pro-oxidants or free radicals. Smoking and normal metabolism can lead to the production of free radicals.

30 Jul 2012

Promising implications for improving cellular immunotherapy for treatment of cancer

New research from the Trudeau Institute laboratory of Dr. Edward L. Pearce (Washington University) has promising implications for improving a treatment for cancer known as cellular immunotherapy. The findings were just published in the The Journal of Immunology.

30 Jul 2012

New drug can aid in losing weight and keeping it off

A new drug could aid in losing weight and keeping it off. The drug, described in the journal Cell Metabolism on July 26, increases sensitivity to the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant found in the body. Although so far the new drug has only been tested on mice, the findings have implications for the development of new treatments for obesity in humans.

28 Jul 2012

Potential biomarker to predict lung cancer patients' response to chemotherapy

Patients with the most common type of lung cancer are notoriously insensitive to chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin. New findings related to the cellular pathways that regulate responses to cisplatin have now been published by Cell Press on July 26th in the journal Cell Reports.

27 Jul 2012

Novel method of identifying molecules that can help prevent diabetes

Pancreatic beta cells produce insulin, responsible for controlling blood sugar levels and thus essential for our survival. Among the numerous factors that affect the workings of these cells, a protein called Cx36 was identified a few months ago by a research team at the UNIGE.

27 Jul 2012