Metabolic Disease
Nanogel Secretes Insulin on Demand
May 16, 2013 11:49 am | News | CommentsInjectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. The nanoparticles were designed to sense glucose levels in the body and respond by secreting the appropriate amount of insulin, thereby replacing the function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes Cured in Mice
May 9, 2013 11:03 am | News | CommentsResearchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans. Engineers and clinicians have successfully engrafted insulin-producing cells into a diabetic mouse model, reversing diabetic symptoms in the animal in as little as 10 days.
Elevated Blood Sugar, Alzheimer's Possibly Linked
May 6, 2013 3:27 pm | News | CommentsA new study suggests a possible link between elevated blood sugar levels and risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. About 5 percent of men and women, ages 65 to 74, have Alzheimer's disease, and it is estimated that nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease.
Genetics Linked to Weight-loss Surgery Success
May 2, 2013 10:42 am | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a gene variant that helps predict how much weight an individual will lose after gastric bypass surgery, a finding with the potential both to guide treatment planning and to facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches to treating obesity and related conditions like diabetes.
Blood Vessel Stem Cells Have Dual, Opposing Roles
May 1, 2013 10:07 am | News | CommentsMany diseases– obesity, Type 2 diabetes, muscular dystrophy– are associated with fat accumulation in muscle. In essence, fat replacement causes the muscles to weaken and degenerate. Scientists have discovered the biological mechanism involved in this process, which could point the way to potential therapies.
Hormone is Potential Diabetes Breakthrough
April 25, 2013 12:47 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered a hormone that holds promise for a dramatically more effective treatment of type 2 diabetes, a metabolic illness afflicting an estimated 26 million Americans. The researchers believe that the hormone might also have a role in treating type 1, or juvenile, diabetes.
Kidney Disease Linked to Facial Structure
April 24, 2013 10:34 am | News | CommentsResearchers have shown that people with a certain kind of kidney disease have characteristic facial features that may reflect the genetic mutation they carry. Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetic kidney disorder. In the UK, it accounts for around 1 in 10 people on dialysis and 1 in 8 of those with a kidney transplant.
Grape Intake Linked to Reduced Inflammation, Fat Storage
April 22, 2013 12:36 pm | News | CommentsConsuming grapes may help protect against organ damage associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, according to new research. Natural components found in grapes, known as polyphenols, are thought to be responsible for these beneficial effects.
Scientists Find ‘Second Fiddle’ Diabetes Protein
April 12, 2013 10:34 am | News | CommentsA team of researchers has found that a protein long believed to have a minor role in type 2 diabetes is, in fact, a central player in the development of the condition that affects nearly 26 million people in the United States alone and counts as one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and kidney, eye and nerve damage.
Green Coffee Beans Linked to Diabetic Control
April 9, 2013 12:52 pm | News | CommentsScientists described evidence that natural substances extracted from unroasted coffee beans can help control the elevated blood sugar levels and body weight that underpin type 2 diabetes. Their presentation on chlorogenic acids― widely available as a dietary supplement was part of the 245th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Key Immune Link Found Between Obesity, Diabetes
April 4, 2013 10:43 am | News | CommentsNew research has identified a key mechanism in the immune system involved in the development of obesity-linked type 2 diabetes. The findings open up new possibilities for treatment and prevention of this condition, which is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide.
Technique Detects ‘Sugar-coated’ Proteins in Blood
March 29, 2013 11:23 am | News | CommentsScientists have developed a new technique that could be used in blood tests to detect a range of age-related conditions such as diabetes, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Diabetes Drugs Linked to Abnormal Pancreatic Growth
March 27, 2013 9:50 am | News | CommentsIndividuals who had taken a type of drug commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes showed abnormalities in the pancreas, including cell proliferation, that may be associated with an increased risk of neuroendocrine tumors, according to a new study.
B Cells Regulate Obesity-associated Inflammation, Type 2 Diabetes
March 13, 2013 9:48 am | News | CommentsNew research reveals that B cells regulate obesity-associated inflammation and type 2 diabetes through two specific mechanisms.
Autoimmunity Linked to Salt Consumption
March 6, 2013 11:25 am | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsNew work from the Broad Institute’s Klarman Cell Observatory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University, MIT, and Yale University expands the understanding of how one type of immune cell—known as a T helper 17 or Th17 cell—develops, and how its growth influences the development of immune responses.
Bone Cells Regulate Appetite
February 27, 2013 10:33 am | News | CommentsBone marrow cells that produce brain-derived eurotrophic factor (BDNF), known to affect regulation of food intake, travel to part of the hypothalamus in the brain where they "fine-tune" appetite, according to researchers.
US expands approval of Bayer cancer drug
February 25, 2013 4:21 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded approval of a Bayer cancer pill to treat tumors of the intestinal tract that do not respond to other treatments. The drug is called Stivarga and regulators approved it to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Plants Cut the Mustard for Basic Discoveries in Metabolism
February 6, 2013 11:49 am | News | CommentsYou might think you have nothing in common with mustard except hotdogs. Yet based on research in a plant from the mustard family, Salk scientists have discovered a possible explanation for how organisms, including humans, directly regulate chemical reactions that quickly adjust the growth of organs.
How Our Cells Cope with Toxic Small Molecules
January 31, 2013 12:09 pm | News | CommentsScientists recently reviewed an important, but so far neglected, part of metabolism, namely metabolite damage-control and present a comprehensive overview of the known reactions generating unwanted small molecules in the cell as well as of the corresponding control mechanisms.
Fetal Exposure to PVC Plastic Chemical Linked to Obesity in Offspring
January 15, 2013 1:28 pm | News | CommentsExposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a study has found. After exposing pregnant mice to TBT in concentrations similar to those found in the environment, researchers saw increased body fat, liver fat and fat-specific gene expression in their offspring over multiple generations.
Parasitic Worms May Help Treat Diseases Associated with Obesity
January 8, 2013 11:14 am | News | CommentsOn the list of undesirable medical conditions, a parasitic worm infection surely ranks fairly high. Although modern pharmaceuticals have made them less of a threat in some areas, these organisms are still a major cause of disease and disability throughout much of the developing world. But parasites are not all bad, according to new research by a team of scientists.
Study Uncovers Protein Key to Fighting and Preventing Obesity
January 7, 2013 10:54 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Florida researchers and colleagues have identified a protein that, when absent, helps the body burn fat and prevents insulin resistance and obesity. The discovery could aid development of drugs that not only prevent obesity, but also spur weight loss in people who are already overweight.
Scientists Develop New Compound that Reverses Fatty Liver Disease
December 19, 2012 3:01 pm | News | CommentsScientists from The Scripps Research Institute have developed the first synthetic compound that can reverse the effects of a serious metabolic condition known as fatty liver disease. True to its name, the disease involves an abnormal buildup of fat in the liver.
Study Finds Ways to Prevent Muscle Loss, Obesity, and Diabetes
December 19, 2012 9:57 am | News | CommentsA research study has yielded breakthroughs on how the body loses muscle, paving the way for new treatments for aging, obesity, and diabetes. The study found that by inhibiting a particular molecule produced naturally in the body, muscle loss due to aging or illnesses can be prevented.
Host Cholesterol Secretion Likely to Influence Gut Microbiota
December 18, 2012 3:09 pm | News | CommentsFor more than half a century, researchers have known that the bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract of mammals influence their host’s cholesterol metabolism. Now, scientists show that changes in cholesterol metabolism induced by diet can alter the gut flora.
