Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Gastric bypass superior to lap banding finds study

A new study evaluates the best option in terms of weight loss surgery for those who need it. Researchers found gastric bypass patients lose more weight than gastric banding patients and keep it off longer. Even though banding is a simpler operation, nearly half of those patients were still obese after six years.

17 Jan 2012

Scientists discover novel mechanism to prevent cell death of nerve cells

Oxygen and glucose are the food of our brain. If they are absent, such as during a stroke, nerve cells die. An international research team at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, and McMaster University, Canada, has discovered a novel mechanism to prevent this cell death. The results of the study have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

16 Jan 2012

Hormone that burns energy discovered

Boston scientists have found a hormone that is secreted by muscles during exercise and boosts the amount of energy the body burns. This hormone – irisin – could be the first step in development of new drugs for obesity, diabetes, and other diseases feel researchers. A Boston startup company, Ember Therapeutics, has already licensed the technology and is working to develop a form of the hormone that could be used as a drug that would mimic some of the benefits of exercise.

16 Jan 2012

Agilux implements Thermo Watson LIMS for bioanalytical services

Agilux Laboratories, a provider of pharmaceutical and biotech services, today announced that it has completed the validation and implementation of the Thermo Watson Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for the company's bioanalytical services.

13 Jan 2012

NimbleGen Sequence Capture 385K array identifies gene mutations linked with hereditary hearing loss

Hereditary hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in humans. A German research team led by Ingo Kurth from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital Jena, Germany, used a number of different methods, including Roche's NimbleGen Custom Sequence Capture 385K array to identify the gene mutated in the disease locus of the X-chromosome of a Spanish family with hereditary hearing loss.

13 Jan 2012

Gut bacteria may determine outcome of heart attack

New research published online in the FASEB Journal suggests that the types and levels of bacteria in the intestines may be used to predict a person's likelihood of having a heart attack, and that manipulating these organisms may help reduce heart attack risk.

13 Jan 2012

TAMEST honors UT Southwestern scientist with Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award

Dr. Philipp Scherer, director of the Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was recognized today as a rising star in Texas research by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

13 Jan 2012

Low-glycemic-load diet reduces C-reactive protein associated with chronic disease

Among overweight and obese adults, a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation associated with chronic disease, according to a new study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

12 Jan 2012

FDA clears Roche's Accu-Chek Nano SmartView blood glucose monitoring system

Roche announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Accu-Chek Nano SmartView blood glucose monitoring system.

12 Jan 2012

Researchers analyze microorganisms in human gut as a complex, integrated biological system

For the first time, researchers have analyzed the multitude of microorganisms residing in the human gut as a complex, integrated biological system, rather than a set of separate species. Their approach has revealed patterns that correspond with excess body weight.

11 Jan 2012

Inhibiting glutaminase can curb growth of B cell cancers

Cancer cells have been long known to have a "sweet tooth," using vast amounts of glucose for energy and for building blocks for cell replication.

11 Jan 2012

Natural options against weight gain, sugar cravings, and insulin resistance

The holidays have come and gone, but many of us may still be battling intense sweet cravings leftover from the season's festivities. Excessive sugar cravings can be a sign that your blood glucose levels are out of balance which, if left unchecked, can lead to insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome, also known as "Pre-Diabetes."

11 Jan 2012

Experts recommend vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women

A group of experts has prepared a report on vitamin D supplementation for menopausal women after it was revealed that Europeans have suffered an alarming decrease in their levels of this vitamin. In their opinion, the ideal would be to maintain blood levels above 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D is essential to the immune system and processes such as calcium absorption.

11 Jan 2012

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 18 new Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 18 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its fall Fellowship Award Committee review.

11 Jan 2012

Precise diagnostic algorithm for fibrosis in HCV patients reduces need for liver biopsy

A new classification for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has shown to be as accurate as currently used algorithms, but required no further liver biopsy.

11 Jan 2012

Cancer cells feed on sugar-free diet

Cancer cells have been long known to have a “sweet tooth,” using vast amounts of glucose for energy and for building blocks for cell replication.

10 Jan 2012

Statins may raise type 2 diabetes risk

A new study suggests statin medications used to lower cholesterol may raise the risk of diabetes to a slight extent. Study authors advise patients not to stop taking their medications without talking to a doctor, because statins' proven power to prevent heart attacks and strokes outweighs any potential increase in type 2 diabetes risk.

10 Jan 2012

Positive results from BioCryst's BCX4208 Phase 2b study on gout

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced long-term results from the extension phase of its randomized Phase 2b study of BCX4208 added to allopurinol in patients with gout who had failed to reach the serum uric acid (sUA) therapeutic goal of <6 mg/dL on allopurinol alone.

8 Jan 2012

FDG-PET safe and accurate in detecting dementia, Alzheimer's

In a new review of imaging studies spanning more than ten years, scientists find that a method of positron emission tomography (PET) safely and accurately detects dementia, including the most common and devastating form among the elderly, Alzheimer's disease.

7 Jan 2012

Researchers use qHTS approach to examine clinical drugs on thyroid cancer cells

Drugs already approved for clinical use across a variety of therapeutic categories can be screened to identify effective agents for thyroid cancer according to a recent study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

6 Jan 2012