Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

UofL wins NIH grant for cardiac clinical research center

During his 18-year tenure at UofL, Dr. Roberto Bolli has generated more than $100 million in grants for basic research from the NIH. Today, Bolli joined with University of Louisville President James R. Ramsey to announce a new NIH grant he has won for clinical research, a seven-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to establish one of seven regional centers across the United States in the Cardiac Cell Therapy Research Network.

10 Apr 2012

Study shows causal effect of obesity on medical care costs

Obesity now accounts for almost 21 percent of U.S. health care costs - more than twice the previous estimates, reports a new Cornell University study.

9 Apr 2012

NINDS awards NeuroSigma Phase I grant to develop TFN-covered stents

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, today announced it has been awarded a Phase I NIH-STTR grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for the further development of its Thin-Film Nitinol (TFN)-covered stent for the potential treatment of brain aneurysms.

9 Apr 2012

First study to examine links between neurodevelopmental disorders and maternal metabolic conditions

A major study of the relationships between maternal metabolic conditions and the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder has found strong links between maternal diabetes and obesity and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability.

9 Apr 2012

Researchers identify new gene variants linked with common childhood obesity

Genetics researchers have identified at least two new gene variants that increase the risk of common childhood obesity.

9 Apr 2012

New book on how to produce creative and useful scientific ideas

"Roberta Ness teaches how to be a more innovative thinker. Now in a book as creative as its subject, Dr. Ness shows how, with a little know-how and a lot of practice, we can all bring out our more creative selves." - Harvey V. Fineberg, President, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science

7 Apr 2012

Nearly one-third of under 5 children in Vietnam are malnourished, survey shows

"Nearly a third of pre-school children in Vietnam suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth, while in urban areas rates of childhood obesity are rising," according to a report released Thursday by the country's National Institute of Nutrition, Agence France-Presse reports.

7 Apr 2012

Two Rev-erb proteins work together to control fat metabolism

The 24-hour internal clock controls many aspects of human behavior and physiology, including sleep, blood pressure, and metabolism. Disruption in circadian rhythms leads to increased incidence of many diseases, including metabolic disease and cancer. Each cell of the body has its own internal timing mechanism, which is controlled by proteins that keep one another in check.

7 Apr 2012

Powerful link between circadian rhythms and metabolism

The discovery of a major gear in the biological clock that tells the body when to sleep and metabolize food may lead to new drugs to treat sleep problems and metabolic disorders, including diabetes.

7 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Effects of health exchanges; Improving provider performance; Governors' 2013 budgets and Medicaid

Authors analyzed the cost and coverage implications of various scenarios of the health insurance exchanges that are called for in the health law. They predicted that about 1 million uninsured people in the state would get insurance through the exchanges and said that premiums in the small group and individual market would be lower than if the health law was not in effect.

7 Apr 2012

Obese men more likely to underestimate their weight than women

When University of Illinois researchers surveyed over 3,500 college applicants, more than a third couldn't report their weight accurately, and overweight and obese men were more likely to underestimate their weight than women.

6 Apr 2012

Collaborative Cross project to develop lab mice with increased genetic diversity

With a 95 percent genomic similarity to humans, mice have long been used to learn about the genetic causes of human disease. Once researchers can shine a light on the genetic factors that cause disease in mice, they can start to develop prevention and treatment options to protect the human population.

6 Apr 2012

People consuming energy drinks while not exercising put themselves at risk

Researchers have found that more people are making themselves vulnerable to health problems by downing sports energy drinks that are meant to be used with intense exercise – while sitting around.

5 Apr 2012

Weight loss pill Qnexa wins panel vote and awaits approval

The drug was rejected in a 10-6 vote the first time it came before a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel, in 2010, due to safety concerns. However when the medication returned for another review in February, the advisory committee gave it near-unanimous approval (20-2). Because the FDA often follows the advisory panel's advice, Qnexa is likely to get FDA approval, probably by mid-April.

5 Apr 2012

Uterine cancer up by 43% in UK over last two decades

Figures show that the number of diagnoses remained static for many years, but has increased by 43% since the 1990s. As the number of womb cancer cases have increased over the last decade, so have the number of womb cancer deaths. However, survival has also improved during that period, with 77% of women who are diagnosed with womb cancer now surviving for five years or more.

5 Apr 2012

Hypertensive dialysis patient survives 17 years on the waiting list for a new kidney

Jimmie Jones of Calumet Park, Ill., has beaten all odds to survive 17 years on the waiting list for a new kidney.

5 Apr 2012

Non-invasive and longitudinal assessment of fat in animal disease models

Researchers are increasingly aware that fat in some parts of the body is more harmful than fat in other places. To help determine how obesity works, scientists turn to animal models and now, they are able to visualize how much fat their lab rats are carrying and where they are storing it.

5 Apr 2012

Some smokers quit smoking on first try while others have to quit repeatedly

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

5 Apr 2012

UH to host 'Science Impacting Health and Society' lecture series

A new lecture series at the University of Houston (UH) will give Houstonians an opportunity to learn how science is making a difference in health and medicine. The first of five lectures will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at the Hilton University of Houston.

5 Apr 2012

Negative link between obesity and colon cancer screening in white women

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers shows that obese white women may be less likely than normal-weight counterparts and African-Americans of any weight or gender to seek potentially lifesaving colon cancer screening tests.

5 Apr 2012