http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Persons with higher levels of leptin, a protein hormone produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of appetite, may have an associated reduced incidence of Alzheimer disease and dementia, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news180125848.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:30:02 EST news180125848 Scientists searching for the secrets of how calorie-restricted diets increase longevity are reporting discovery of proteins in the fat cells of human volunteers that change as pounds drop off. The proteins could become markers for monitoring or boosting the effectiveness of calorie-restricted diets - the only scientifically proven way of extending life span in animals. Their study appears online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. http://www.physorg.com/news179589014.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:30:02 EST news179589014 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like certain stem cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone, cartilage, and even nerve cells. These newly-described dermal stem cells may one day prove useful for treating neurological disorders and persistent wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, says Freda Miller, an HHMI international research scholar. http://www.physorg.com/news179399989.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:20:29 EST news179399989 It is thought that the elevated levels of urea (the byproduct of protein breakdown that is excreted in the urine) in patients with end-stage kidney failure are not particularly toxic. http://www.physorg.com/news178952586.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:01 EST news178952586 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Bonn have found a new signalling pathway which stimulates the production and function of so-called brown fat cells. They propose using these cells that serve as a "natural heating system" in order to just 'burn' unwanted excess fat. The results will be published in the journal Science Signaling on Dec. 1. http://www.physorg.com/news178888230.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:20:01 EST news178888230 Researchers from the University of California, San Diego recently offered the sharpest-yet picture of how core biochemical pathways in skeletal muscle cells and fat cells are altered in people who suffer from insulin resistance -- a primary defect in type 2 diabetes and obesity. Taking a systems biology approach, the bioengineers and medical researchers also determined how a common class of drugs for treating insulin resistance -- TZDs -- alter these same core pathways. This led the team to uncover previously unknown effects of TZDs and insights that could lead to improved drug therapies for insulin resistance. http://www.physorg.com/news178200964.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:16:46 EST news178200964 (PhysOrg.com) -- With obesity emerging as a leading health threat to Americans, it`s easy to blame a couch-potato culture addicted to calorie-rich foods. But UC Irvine biologist Bruce Blumberg doesn`t believe lifestyle alone explains this growing obesity epidemic. He thinks industrial pollutants play a part too. http://www.physorg.com/news175194836.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:14:28 EST news175194836 The body mass index (BMI) has long been the yardstick in deciding who is at risk because of their weight. BMI is essentially a measure of density, identifying 'under-' and 'over-weight' risk groups. Recent studies however point towards a more sophisticated approach to the issue. http://www.physorg.com/news175173860.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:24:52 EST news175173860 Sucked to her death in a muddy river bed, a baby woolly mammoth spent 40,000 years frozen in the Siberian permafrost where her body was so perfectly preserved traces of her mother's milk remained in her belly. http://www.physorg.com/news173841145.html Other Sciences Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:13:49 EST news173841145 Obesity is an important factor contributing to chemotherapy resistance and increasing relapse rates among children with leukemia, according to recent findings published online first in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news172845198.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:03 EST news172845198 Middle-aged women with large abdominal fat cells have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life compared to women with smaller fat cells. Waist circumference divided by body height can also be used to determine which women are at risk. This is shown in a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. http://www.physorg.com/news172739597.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:01 EST news172739597 Experts at The University of Nottingham are working on ground-breaking research to determine, for the first time, precisely what damage obesity can inflict on the muscles in our body. http://www.physorg.com/news172317762.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:30:02 EST news172317762 Kudzu, the fast-growing vine that has gobbled up some 10 million acres in the Southeast, may prove to be a valuable dietary supplement for metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects 50 million Americans, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). http://www.physorg.com/news171195492.html Chemistry Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:40:01 EST news171195492 Exercise helps prevent weight regain after dieting by reducing appetite and by burning fat before burning carbohydrates, according to a new study with rats. Burning fat first and storing carbohydrates for use later in the day slows weight regain and may minimize overeating by signaling a feeling of fullness to the brain. http://www.physorg.com/news171093574.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:30:02 EST news171093574 At a time of alarming increases in obesity and associated diseases -- and fiery debates about the cost of health care -- a UCF research team has identified a new genetic mechanism that controls the body's fat-building process. http://www.physorg.com/news170502656.html Chemistry Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:51:48 EST news170502656 The team, in collaboration with University Hospital Aintree, the University of Warwick and researchers in Sweden, found that people classified as obese and those with pre-diabetes have raised levels of a protein called SPARC, that can cause tissue scarring. The research revealed that an increase in insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, and leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite, can trigger an increase in SPARC, which can prevent the proper storage of fat in fat tissue cells. http://www.physorg.com/news169375596.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:00:08 EST news169375596 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If such a strategy can be developed for use in people, the scientists say, it could open a novel approach to treating obesity and diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news168094278.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:40:01 EST news168094278 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, in a collaboration with colleagues from the University of Leipzig, Germany, have identified a signaling pathway that is operational in intra-abdominal fat, the fat depot that is most strongly tied to obesity-related morbidity. http://www.physorg.com/news166795642.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:08:29 EST news166795642 A Monash University study has proven a critical link between obesity and the onset of Type 2 diabetes, a discovery which could lead to the design of a drug to prevent the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news166270497.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:15:45 EST news166270497 Persons with higher levels of adiponectin, a protein that is produced by fat cells and that has anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties, have an associated lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of previous studies, reported in the July 8 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news166205769.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:17:01 EST news166205769 Obesity very often leads to insulin resistance, and now researchers reporting in the July 8 issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, have uncovered another factor behind that ill consequence. The newly discovered culprit -a protein known as pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF for short) -is secreted by fat cells. They also report evidence to suggest that specifically blocking that protein's action may reverse some of the health complications that come with obesity. http://www.physorg.com/news166191801.html Biology Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:24:09 EST news166191801 Seeking ways to improve blood recovery after chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have discovered that fat cells, which accumulate in bone marrow as people age, inhibit the marrow's ability to produce new blood cells. Their study, published by the journal Nature, suggests that blocking this fatty infiltration could help enhance patients' recovery after transplant. http://www.physorg.com/news163860226.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:44:04 EST news163860226 Research by Victoria University PhD graduate Anasuya Vishvanath into infantile haemangioma, or strawberry birthmarks, suggests that stem cells play an important role in the growth of these common infant tumours. http://www.physorg.com/news163773663.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:41:44 EST news163773663 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell scientists have discovered how two related proteins and their roles in a key molecular pathway are critical to creating obesity-causing fat cells. http://www.physorg.com/news163266213.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:44:35 EST news163266213 Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and collaborators at Harvard Medical School have linked a specialized protein in human muscles to the process that clears glucose out of the bloodstream, shedding light on what goes wrong in type 2 diabetes on a cellular level. http://www.physorg.com/news162739002.html Chemistry Thu, 28 May 2009 14:17:20 EST news162739002 A team of researchers has found an association between breast cancer survival and two proteins that, when present in the blood in high levels, are indicators of inflammation. Using data from the Health, Eating, Activity and Lifestyle (HEAL) study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, the researchers found that breast cancer patients with elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) were approximately two to three times more likely to die sooner or have their cancer return than those patients who had lower levels of these proteins, regardless of the patient's age, tumor stage, race, body mass index, or history of previous cardiovascular issues. The results of this study were published online, May 26, 2009, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://www.physorg.com/news162573606.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 May 2009 16:21:40 EST news162573606 Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role. In fact, data suggest obese patients with heart disease do better and tend to live longer than leaner patients with the same severity of disease, according to a review article published in the May 26, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. http://www.physorg.com/news161887269.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 May 2009 17:41:32 EST news161887269 Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism have shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells. http://www.physorg.com/news160376382.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 06:00:47 EST news160376382 A report in the March issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, has found that a signal known to play a role during fasting also switches on early in the fat tissue of obese mice as they progress toward type 2 diabetes. Moreover, treatments that block that "fasting signal" in fat prevent the animals' resistance to insulin, according to the researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news155309238.html Biology Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:28:17 EST news155309238 Scientists have determined that a specific gene plays a role in the weight-gain response to a high-fat diet. The finding in an animal study suggests that blocking this gene could one day be a therapeutic strategy to reduce diet-related obesity and associated disorders, such as diabetes and liver damage, in humans. http://www.physorg.com/news154712272.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:38:17 EST news154712272