Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Biosensors can detect oxidant production in living organism

Arterial calcification and coronary heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, cancer and even the aging process itself are suspected to be partially caused or accelerated by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises in tissues when there is an excess of what are called reactive oxygen species.

6 Dec 2011

Low vitamin D levels may predispose one to type 2 diabetes

A new study shows that people with lower vitamin D levels were more likely to be obese and have higher degrees of insulin resistance, when the hormone becomes less effective at lowering blood sugar.

6 Dec 2011

Roche signs agreement to acquire Verum Diagnostica

Roche announced today that it has signed an agreement under which it will acquire 100 percent of Verum Diagnostica GmbH, based in Munich, Germany.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 6 Dec 2011

Subconscious nervous impulses may be prognostic markers for weight-loss outcome

A recent study of obese volunteers participating in a 12-week dietary weight-loss program found that successful weight losers had significantly higher resting nerve activity compared to weight-loss resistant individuals.

5 Dec 2011

Low vitamin D levels associated with higher degrees of insulin resistance

A recent study of obese and non-obese children found that low vitamin D levels are significantly more prevalent in obese children and are associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes. This study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

5 Dec 2011

Insight into plant mechanism may protect other organisms against dehydration

Plant seeds represent a special biological system: They remain in a dormant state with a significantly reduced metabolism and are thus able to withstand harsh environmental conditions for extended periods. The water content of maturing seeds is lower than ten percent. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have now discovered that the genetic material in seeds becomes more compact and the nuclei of the seed cells contract when the seeds begin to mature.

3 Dec 2011

First study of cortisol awakening response in infants

Cortisol may be the Swiss Army knife of hormones in the human body -- just when scientists think they understand what it does, another function pops up. While many of these functions are understood for adults, much less is known about how cortisol operates in babies and toddlers, especially when it comes to an important phenomenon called the cortisol awakening response, or CAR.

2 Dec 2011

LifeBridge Health & Fitness launches Metabolic Weight Loss Program

The Metabolic Weight Loss Program, a new initiative at LifeBridge Health & Fitness in Pikesville, Md., can help a person lose weight with some breaths of air, a few facts and figures, and a grocery list. The program focuses on a person's metabolism, the process through which food is converted into energy.

2 Dec 2011

ASH recognizes abstract presenters at 53rd annual meeting in San Diego

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognizes the following abstract presenters at the 53rd ASH annual meeting in San Diego, CA, with the highest scoring abstracts in the categories of undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, and postdoctoral fellow.

2 Dec 2011

Scottsdale resident donates $1 million to TGen pancreatic cancer initiative

A son's passion to find a cure for the cancer that claimed the life of his mother has led to a new series of clinical trials under a Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) initiative to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

2 Dec 2011

New method reveals complete set of aberrant signaling pathways that give rise to cancers

One major obstacle in the fight against cancer is that anticancer drugs often affect normal cells in addition to tumor cells, resulting in significant side effects. Yet research into development of less harmful treatments geared toward the targeting of specific cancer-causing mechanisms is hampered by lack of knowledge of the molecular pathways that drive cancers in individual patients.

2 Dec 2011

Researchers identify cancer cell mitochondria as 'Achilles' heel' of tumor growth

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have identified cancer cell mitochondria as the unsuspecting powerhouse and "Achilles' heel" of tumor growth, opening up the door for new therapeutic targets in breast cancer and other tumor types.

2 Dec 2011

New marker may provide more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's, FTLD

New research finds a marker used to detect plaque in the brain may help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis between two common types of dementia - Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

1 Dec 2011

Young women attempting to lose weight should consume a high dairy-source protein diet

New research suggests that a calorie-restricted diet higher in protein—mostly from dairy foods—and lower in carbohydrates coupled with daily exercise has a major positive impact on bone health in overweight and obese young women.

1 Dec 2011

Collegium Ramazzini honors UC Riverside toxicologist with fellowship

Toxicologist David Eastmond at the University of California, Riverside has been elected a fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini, an organization of international scholars who work towards solutions of occupational and environmental health problems around the world.

30 Nov 2011

PTC, Roche announce licensing agreement for SMA programme

Roche, PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and the SMA Foundation, announced today a licensing agreement for PTC's Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) programme.

30 Nov 2011

KI, Mayo Clinic to collaborate on education, research and innovation

Mayo Clinic and the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet will sign a long-term agreement to collaborate on education, research and innovation. The two institutions, recognized for leadership in medical research, training and patient care, will pursue joint investigations in regenerative medicine, individualized medicine, metabolism, neurosciences and aging research.

30 Nov 2011

Selcia completes 14C radiolabelled API projects for clients

Selcia has successfully completed 14C radiolabelled API projects on behalf of a diverse range of clients for phase 1 human trials, following MHRA GMP Certification in September 2010. In response to a sharp increase in demand for this specialist service, Selcia has invested to double its capacity for handling GMP radiolabelling projects.

29 Nov 2011

FDA grants IND for AEZS-130 Phase 2A trial in cancer cachexia

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Jose M. Garcia, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine and Molecular and Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine and Michael I. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center, in Houston Texas, an Investigational New Drug approval for the initiation of a Phase 2A trial to assess the safety and efficacy of repeated doses of the Company's ghrelin agonist, AEZS-130, in patients with cancer cachexia.

28 Nov 2011

Roche NimbleGen, BGI develop Major Histocompatibility Complex region capture technology

Roche NimbleGen, Inc. and BGI, the world's largest genomic organization, announced that they have developed a Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region capture technology based on NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Choice Library, a revolutionary process for the enrichment of the MHC region.

28 Nov 2011