Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Beta cells from genetically modified pigs can effectively restore pancreas function

Transplantation of a whole pancreas or isolated insulin-producing beta cells are the only therapy to cure type 1 diabetes. However, the shortage of organ donors limits this approach to only few patients. LMU researchers have now shown that beta cells from genetically modified pigs can effectively restore pancreas function and can protect porcine beta cells from immune rejection in animal models.

23 Apr 2012

Soy protein may reduce fat accumulation, triglycerides in the livers of obese persons

University of Illinois scientists report that soy protein may significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese persons. And they've discovered why it happens: soy restores partial function of that organ's key signaling pathway.

23 Apr 2012

Liver can directly talk to the brain to control amount of food we eat

Dr Barbara Fam from the University's Molecular Obesity Laboratory group at Austin Health with Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos have discovered that the liver can directly talk to the brain to control the amount of food we eat.

21 Apr 2012

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

21 Apr 2012

National award celebrates landmark discovery in gut flora and cardiovascular disease

Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., was recently honored with an inaugural Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from an organization comprised of the nation's most acclaimed academic medical centers and other groups, in recognition of Dr. Hazen's Nature article, "Gut flora dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine contributes to cardiovascular disease."

20 Apr 2012

New evidence helps explain additional health benefits of aspirin

New evidence is helping explain additional health benefits of aspirin. Researchers in Canada, Scotland and Australia have discovered that salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, directly increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key player in regulating cell growth and metabolism. AMPK which is considered a cellular fuel-gauge is switched on by exercise and the commonly used anti-diabetic medication metformin.

20 Apr 2012

Therapeutic hypothermia reduces in-hospital deaths among sudden cardiac arrest patients

Forced body cooling known as therapeutic hypothermia has reduced in-hospital deaths among sudden cardiac arrest patients nearly 12 percent between 2001 and 2009, according to a Mayo Clinic study being presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology 2012 Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

20 Apr 2012

Gut microbiota has profound systemic effect on bile acid metabolism

A new study presented today at the International Liver Congress- 2012 demonstrates that the gut microbiota has a profound systemic effect on bile acid metabolism.

20 Apr 2012

Gut microbiota plays a causal role in development of diabetes and NAFLD

Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress 2012 shows the gut microbiota's causal role in the development of diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), independent of obesity.

19 Apr 2012

Latest fad ‘feeding tube’ diet concerns experts

The New York Times reports that some women with upcoming weddings are opting for a calorie-restricted crash diet consisting of shakes siphoned through a medically implanted feeding tube. It is the so-called “K-E diet” that's given by Dr. Oliver R. Di Pietro in his clinic in Bay Harbor Islands, Fla.

18 Apr 2012

US DoD awards UC researchers $3.7M grant to study circadian rhythms

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have received a four-year, $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for investigations into circadian rhythms that could lead to enhanced understanding of disease treatments, trauma care and human combat performance.

18 Apr 2012

Caffeine increases eye's ability to produce tears

Researchers at the University of Tokyo's School of Medicine have shown for the first time that caffeine intake can significantly increase the eye's ability to produce tears, a finding that could improve treatment of dry eye syndrome. This common eye condition affects about four million people age 50 and older in the United States.

18 Apr 2012

Promising anti-diabetic substance found in liquorice root

It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root. Chosen as the "Medicinal plant 2012", the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect.

18 Apr 2012

More insight into tangled proteins in Alzheimer's disease

In Alzheimer's disease, brain neurons become clogged with tangled proteins. Scientists suspect these tangles arise partly due to malfunctions in a little-known regulatory system within cells. Now, researchers have dramatically increased what they know about this particular regulatory system in mice. Such information will help scientists better understand Alzheimer's and other diseases in humans and could eventually provide new targets for therapies.

17 Apr 2012

Inadequate sleep can increase risk of obesity

Can lack of sleep make you fat? A new paper which reviews the evidence from sleep restriction studies reveals that inadequate sleep is linked to obesity. The research, published in a special issue of the The American Journal of Human Biology, explores how lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure.

17 Apr 2012

Metformin associated with reduced risk of Parkinson's in patients with diabetes

A major 12-year study based on a Taiwanese population cohort has demonstrated that not only does diabetes increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease more than 2-fold, the use of sulfonylureas, commonly used as treatment for diabetes, increases the risk further by about 57%. This study also found that by including metformin in the therapy, no increased risk in developing Parkinson's disease was recorded.

17 Apr 2012

Gestational diabetes on the rise

Although the disease usually goes away after delivery, it can have permanent consequences. Not only can the mother be prone to develop diabetes later in life, but their babies are also at greater risk for chronic health problems.

16 Apr 2012

Cosmetics may contain chemicals that raise risk of obesity and diabetes

Scientists found that those who were exposed to phthalates, colourless man-made substances included in a variety of common consumer products, were more prone to weight gain. And subjects with even 'modest' levels of the substance in their bloodstream were twice as likely to develop diabetes.

16 Apr 2012

High blood sugar in combination with high insulin levels causes fatty deposits in the heart

The impaired substrate metabolism of diabetes patients is often expressed in an increase in fatty deposits in the cells of the heart muscle. Until now, the exact cause of this was unknown. Now, researchers at the MedUni Vienna in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism of MedUni Vienna in cooperation with the MR Centre of Excellence Vienna have shown that high blood sugar in combination with high levels of insulin - not an influx of fats - results in such deposits within a few hours.

16 Apr 2012

Intelligence may have co-evolved with worry in humans

Worrying may have evolved along with intelligence as a beneficial trait, according to a recent study by scientists at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and other institutions.

16 Apr 2012

Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Beta cells from genetically modified pigs can effectively restore pancreas function

Soy protein may reduce fat accumulation, triglycerides in the livers of obese persons

Liver can directly talk to the brain to control amount of food we eat

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

National award celebrates landmark discovery in gut flora and cardiovascular disease

New evidence helps explain additional health benefits of aspirin

Therapeutic hypothermia reduces in-hospital deaths among sudden cardiac arrest patients

Gut microbiota has profound systemic effect on bile acid metabolism

Gut microbiota plays a causal role in development of diabetes and NAFLD

Latest fad ‘feeding tube’ diet concerns experts

US DoD awards UC researchers $3.7M grant to study circadian rhythms

Caffeine increases eye's ability to produce tears

Promising anti-diabetic substance found in liquorice root

More insight into tangled proteins in Alzheimer's disease

Inadequate sleep can increase risk of obesity

Metformin associated with reduced risk of Parkinson's in patients with diabetes

Gestational diabetes on the rise

Cosmetics may contain chemicals that raise risk of obesity and diabetes

High blood sugar in combination with high insulin levels causes fatty deposits in the heart

Intelligence may have co-evolved with worry in humans

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