Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Growth genes seem different in Hunger Winter children

Individuals conceived in the severe Dutch Famine, also called the Hunger Winter, may have adjusted to this horrendous period of World War II by making adaptations to how active their DNA is. Genes involved in growth and development were differentially regulated, according to researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Harvard University, and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

5 Dec 2014

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can alter thyroid levels in pregnant women, may affect fetus

A new study led by biologist R. Thomas Zoeller of the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides "the strongest evidence to date" that endocrine disrupting chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) found in flame retardant cloth, paint, adhesives and electrical transformers, can interfere with thyroid hormone action in pregnant women and may travel across the placenta to affect the fetus.

5 Dec 2014

Alizé Pharma obtains exclusive worldwide rights to develop new therapy for bone diseases

Alizé Pharma III SAS, an Alizé Pharma group company specialized in the development of biopharmaceuticals to treat metabolic disorders and rare diseases, today announces that it has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize a new family of peptides with bone anabolic properties.

4 Dec 2014

Blue light can knock circadian rhythms off-kilter, study finds

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health is unraveling the mystery of how blue light from residential and commercial lighting, electronic devices, outdoor lights and billboards can throw off-kilter the natural body clock of humans, plants and animals, leading to disease.

3 Dec 2014

Study finds that cancer cells may be susceptible to metabolic stress

Research at the University of Adelaide has discovered cancer cells may be particularly susceptible to metabolic stress - opening the way for new targeted therapy that won't harm normal cells.

3 Dec 2014

Elevated anxious temperament associated with neuropeptide Y receptors

Persistent anxiety is one of the most common and distressing symptoms compromising mental health. Most of the research on the neurobiology of anxiety has focused on the generation of increased anxiety, i.e., the processes that "turn on" anxiety.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers find way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the Gladstone Institutes have found a way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in a mouse using a simple chemical compound that is a precursor to vitamin B3. This discovery has important implications not only for preventing hearing loss, but also potentially for treating some aging-related conditions that are linked to the same protein.

3 Dec 2014

New FDA data shows disparities still exist in medical research

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released data today on a dedicated website from six studies reflecting a two-month period in response to a requirement under the "FDA Action Plan to Enhance the Collection and Availability of Demographic Subgroup Data" to make transparent the percentage of female and minority participation in clinical trials for medications intended for all populations.

2 Dec 2014

Pain medicine specialist receives award for new advances in oral fluid testing

This year's Eastern Pain Society Scientific meeting was held at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City in late October and is one of the largest meetings of pain physicians and fellows in the tri-state area.

2 Dec 2014

Alport syndrome: an interview with Dr Paul Grint, CMO, Regulus

Alport Syndrome was first described by a physician called Cecil Alport, back in the late 1920s. It's a genetic disease that affects a certain type of collagen involved in the functioning of the kidney, the ear, and the eye.

1 Dec 2014

Exome sequencing refines 46,XY DSD diagnosis

Exome sequencing can identify a likely genetic cause of 46,XY disorders of sex development in about a third of cases, report researchers.

1 Dec 2014

Congenital hypothyroidism of central origin often requires treatment

Congenital hypothyroidism of central origin should not be dismissed as a mild condition and is worth screening for, say researchers.

1 Dec 2014

Inhibin B plus baseline LH levels aids hypogonadotropic hypogonadism diagnosis in boys

Researchers recommend measuring inhibin B concentration in combination with basal luteinising hormone as a first-line test to discover the underlying cause of delayed puberty in boys.

1 Dec 2014

Promising new therapeutic strategy for chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects at least one in four Americans who are older than 60 and can significantly shorten lifespan. Yet the few available drugs for CKD can only modestly delay the disease's progress towards kidney failure. Now, however, a team led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has found an aspect of CKD's development that points to a promising new therapeutic strategy.

1 Dec 2014

PET/CT may improve differentiation of PTSD from MTBI

Hybrid imaging with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in the pituitary region of the brain is a promising tool for differentiating military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from those with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2014

New study explores how genes interact in relation to the behavior of muscles

How do the genes in the cells inside the body's muscles respond when the muscles are put to work? And how are these genes affected when muscles are not used? What importance do activity and, on the other hand, lack of activity have for the organism's metabolism, and thus also for diseases such as diabetes and obesity? These questions form the basis for a new study from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University and the Institute of Sports Medicine at Bispebjerg Hospital.

28 Nov 2014

Functional connectivity loss may underlie Parkinson’s cognitive decline

Patients with Parkinson’s disease have deceases in functional connectivity over time and these correlate closely with cognitive decline, research shows.

27 Nov 2014

External artificial pancreas improves glucose control, reduces hypoglycemia risk

The world's first clinical trial comparing three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes was conducted in Montréal by researchers at the IRCM and the University of Montreal, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret.

27 Nov 2014

Researchers investigate role of mitochondria in expansion, survival of cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells are particularly difficult to eradicate and are at the heart of why it is so hard to more effectively treat cancer patients, as the post-treatment survival of cancer stem cells drives tumour recurrence, the systemic spread of cancer and, ultimately, treatment failure.

From The University of Manchester 27 Nov 2014

Proper copper levels essential to health of the brain at rest, new study finds

In recent years it has been established that copper plays an essential role in the health of the human brain. Improper copper oxidation has been linked to several neurological disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Menkes' and Wilson's.

27 Nov 2014