UT Southwestern receives $1.78 million grant for obesity research as part of NIH Roadmap initiative
DALLAS Sept. 30, 2004 UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has been awarded a prestigious three-year planning grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the causes of obesity and associated metabolic diseases....... The $1.78 million grant, part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, creates an Interdisciplinary Research Center and could develop into a permanent Metabolic and O...16 APS exercise research highlights, from reduced flu mortality to proteomics & obesity
BETHESDA, Md. (Sept. 28, 2004) Bengt Saltin, keynote speaker at the 2004 APS Intersociety exercise meeting in Austin, Texas Oct. 6-9, weaves together a lifetime of learning and research experience that bridges the 1920 Nobel Prize for Physiology, the 1935 High Altitude Expedition to Chile, and the latest in international exercise physiology. ...... Dr. Saltin, director of the Copenhagen Muscle R...Researchers create nanotubes that change colors, form 'nanocarpet' and kill bacteria
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 24 University of Pittsburgh researchers have synthesized a simple molecule that not only produces perfectly uniform, self-assembled nanotubes but creates what they report as the first "nanocarpet," whereby these nanotubes organize themselves into an expanse of upright clusters that when magnified a million times resemble the fibers of a shag rug. Moreover, unlike other nanotube...Microbes eat their way to better concrete
Two South Dakota School of Mines and Technology researchers are creating living organisms that may provide a better way to seal cracks in concrete....... Dr. Sookie Bang, professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, are conducting the research. The two recently w...Marathoning mice could have Olympian effects on obesity
A molecular switch known to regulate fat metabolism appears to prevent obesity and turns laboratory mice into marathon runners, a Salk Institute study has found. ... The discovery of the switch could lead to treatments for obesity and disorders associated with it, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The study, led by professor Ronald Evans and his postdoctoral fellow Yong-Xu Wang, appears...Last of known genes identified in complex obesity syndrome
By comparing three different species' genomes and adding some good old-fashioned genetic analysis, scientists have uncovered the identity of the last of eight genes known to contribute to Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by a combination of some otherwise common problems, including obesity, learning difficulties, diabetes and asthma. ......The identification of the BBS3 gene e...PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For nearly a decade, scientists have known that leptin plays an important fat-burning role in humans. But the map of leptin's path through the body the key to understanding how and why the hormone works is still incomplete. ...Now a small but critical section of that map is charted, based on new research conducted at Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital and at Harv...New view of leukemia cells identifies best treatment options, Stanford researchers say
STANFORD, Calif. - People diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia usually receive the most commonly effective chemotherapy as a first line of attack, but it doesn't work for everyone. Faced with these resistant cancers, doctors move on to the next most effective treatment or perhaps a drug still in development. This process is time-consuming and can cost patients years of damaging therapy with...Microarrays, key genome expression trackers, work better when probes are sequence-verified
BETHESDA, Md. (July 22, 2004) -- Microarray technology, sometimes referred to as biochips, has been extensively used to investigate genome-wide expression patterns and has facilitated a revolution in the characterization of cellular regulation. In addition, comprehensive gene expression profiling shows great potential for human disease diagnostics....... For instance, multiple research groups hav...Study probes ecosystem of tree holes
If you think your place is a dump, try living in a tree hole: a dark flooded crevice with years of accumulated decomposing leaves and bugs, infested with bacteria, other microbes, and crawling with insect larvae.... A biologist at Washington University in St. Louis has studied the...ecosystem of the tree hole and the impact that three factors predation, resources and disturbance - have o...Study shows molecular analysis of early breast cancer lesions may be key to choosing best treatment
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the biotechnology company Arcturus has discovered molecular changes occurring in early stages of breast cancer that characterize the aggressive potential of the tumor. Thus, early molecular analysis of biopsy samples may provide key information for choosing the best therapeutic options. The researchers have identified a gene exp...In the obese, metabolic adaptations post-weight loss lead to regaining of shed pounds
(June 28, 2004) -- Bethesda, MD - After months of torturous dieting, there is nothing more frustrating than to find that the lost weight has returned. Many dieters are shocked to see they have returned to their original weight despite modifications in exercise and eating habits. Now a new animal study reveals that when loss occurs, metabolic adaptations occur that mandate a return of the undesi...Finding the hole in the defenses of cavity-creating microbes
Forcing the bacteria in our mouths to choke on their own acids may offer one way to stop cavities, say microbiologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center who have discovered a chink in the armor that bacteria use to survive the hostile environment of the human mouth....... Streptococcus mutans or S. mutans, the dominant bacterium in our mouths, latches onto teeth, eats sugar, and then...Gestational diabetes not found to alter the metabolic processes in obese pregnant women
(June 22, 2004) - Bethesda, MD - Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes, or high blood sugar, that only pregnant women get. If a woman is found to have high blood sugar when she's pregnant, but she never had high blood sugar before, she has gestational diabetes. Nearly 135,000 pregnant women get the condition every year, making it one of the top health concerns related to pregnancy.... ...Th...Next best thing: wood chip bedding for cattle
Research from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) suggests that wood chip bedding for beef cattle can be an economic alternative to straw bedding, without increasing greenhouse gas emissions during the manure handling process.... ...Composting is gaining rapid acceptance by the beef cattle industry. Before the value of this manure management option can be fully determined, a few que...Four tourist destinations named best worldwide
June 8, 2004 (Washington, D.C.) Conservation International (CI) and National Geographic Traveler magazine announced today the winners of the 2004 World Legacy Award, given to environmental and social leaders in tourism. The award will be presented to four winners at a ceremony hosted by Her Majesty Queen Noor tonight at the National Geographic Society world headquarters in Washington. ... .....Obesity and hypertension: Two epidemics or one?
(June 7, 2004) Bethesda, MD -- Obesity is weighing heavily on America. ... ...Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America's adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the...Microbes found in Mayan ruins may deteriorate stone from inside out
NEW ORLEANS May 27, 2004 Researchers from Havard University have discovered the presence of a previously unidentified microbial community inside the porous stone of the Maya ruins in Mexico that may be capable of causing rapid deterioration of these sites. They present their findings at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. ......"The presence of a previously unde...Figs may inhibit growth and survival of harmful microbes in food
NEW ORLEANS May 27, 2004 New studies show that figs and figs extracts may be effective at inhibiting the survival and growth of harmful microbes in food. Researchers from North Carolina A&T State University present their findings today at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. ...For years, trees throughout Europe and the Mediterranean have been cultivated and fig...Discovery of tiny microbes in ancient Greenland glacier may define limits for life on Earth
NEW ORLEANS May 26, 2004 -- The discovery of millions of micro-microbes surviving in a 120,000-year-old ice sample taken from 3,000 meters below the surface of the Greenland glacier will be announced by Penn State University scientists on 26 May 2004 at the General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, Louisiana. The discovery is significant because it may help to def...Small, cold, & hungry: Ultra-small microbes from 120,000-year-old glacier ice sample
The discovery of millions of micro-microbes surviving in a 120,000-year-old ice sample taken from 3,000 meters below the surface of the Greenland glacier will be announced by Penn State University scientists on 26 May 2004 at the General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, Louisiana. The discovery is significant because it may help to define the limits for life on Ea...Antibiotics alter GI tract microbes and increase lung sensitivity to allergens
NEW ORLEANS Allergies making your life miserable? Tired of popping antihistamines like candy? Can't go anywhere without your inhaler? The real problem may not be your stuffed-up head. It could be the microbes in your gut. ... ...At the American Society for Microbiology meeting held here this week, scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School will present results of experiments with...From algae, weeds and people: new genetic clues to complex obesity syndrome
By comparing the genomes of an alga, a weed and humans, a team of researchers has identified a new gene behind Bardet-Beidl syndrome (BBS), a complex condition marked by learning disabilities, vision loss and obesity. ......"Finding this gene underscores the power of comparing organisms' complete genetic information," says Nicholas Katsanis, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the McKusick-Nathans...Research points to potential obesity treatment
DENVER -- In 1999, Drs. Miles Brennan and Ute Hochgeschewender announced their finding that melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) regulates the balance of fat storage and metabolism. In April, they received a patent on the use of MSH analogs -- chemicals that mimic MSH -- as potential treatments for obesity (U.S. Patent #6,716,810). ......Brennan is an associate research professor at the Eleanor R...Study detects protein in human milk linked to reduced risk of obesity
SAN FRANCISCO -- Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have conducted the first study to detect the presence of a protein in human milk that may explain the association between breastfeeding and reduced risk of obesity later in life.... ...The protein is adiponectin, which is secreted by fat cells and affects how the body processes sugars and lipids -- fatty substances in t...Betty Ann Forbes wins 2004 ASM Founders Award
WASHINGTON, DC--APRIL 23, 2004--Betty Ann Forbes, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, will receive the 2004 ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award. Recognizing outstanding professional contributions in a volunteer capacity at the national level, the award honors Forbes for her extraordinary commitment to the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) extending ove...UCLA chemists develop new coating for nanoscale probes
A UCLA-led team of chemists has developed a unique new coating for inorganic particles at the nanoscale that may be able to disguise the particles as proteins -- a process that allows particles to function as probes that can penetrate the cell and light up individual proteins inside, and create the potential for application in a wide range of drug development, diagnostic tools and medications.......Spiders make best ever Post-it notes
Scientists have found that the way spiders stick to ceilings could be the key to making Post-it notes that don't fall off even when they are wet. A team from Germany and Switzerland have made the first detailed examinations of a jumping spider's 'foot' and have discovered that a molecular force sticks the spider to almost anything. The force is so strong that these spiders could carry over 170 t...Cellular problems found behind complex obesity syndrome
Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), characterized by obesity, learning disabilities and eye and kidney problems, is caused by genetic mutations in the BBS family of genes. Now, researchers who've long studied the condition have discovered that genetic mutations in one of those genes, called BBS4, lead to cell death by disrupting the cells' internal "highway" system.... ...In experiments with huma...Obesity alone not a good predictor of cardiovascular risk and death, fat distribution proved best
The most frequent cause of death for obese people is cardiovascular. But in a study of 17,234 men and women, obesity alone - especially severe obesity in women - was not a good predictor for cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular deaths in women rose as obesity increased, then leveled off before the average weight was even 200 pounds. However, death rates for men continued to climb as weight went up...Hormone linked to obesity plays positive role in fertility & possibly male arousal
Researchers in the University of Warwick's Department of Biological Sciences have found that a hormone associated with obesity is actually also very active in the male genitals where it plays a key role in male fertility and may even influence the erection response in male sexual arousal....... The research, published today (Tuesday 6th April 2004) in the "Journal of Clinical and Endocrinology an...OHSU researchers discover possible connection between infant hormone exposure, obesity
PORTLAND, Ore. Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a link between exposure to the hormone leptin early in life, and brain formation that likely impacts weight regulation later in life. ......The research was conducted in mice at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center. Results of the study are printed in the April 2 edition of the journal Science. ......"We...Best way to clean up toxic plumes? Give 'em a pill
COLUMBUS, Ohio A staple of chemistry classroom demonstrations may offer a solution for cleaning up decades' worth of toxic solvents polluting the environment, new research suggests.... ...Potassium permanganate is a disinfectant used by water treatment plants, and is sometimes also used to treat pollution stemming from industrial-grade solvents that were buried 30 to 40 years ago.... ..."But mos...Enlisting carbon nanotubes to unmask nerve agents
ANAHEIM, Calif.--Besides posing a serious environmental hazard, organophosphate-based pesticides, or OP compounds, are raw material for chemical-warfare nerve agents. Crews responding to a terrorist's nerve-agent attack have had no way to identify the compound they're dealing with until it's too late.... ...Yuehe Lin, a chief scientist at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Labo...Obesity drug inhibits prostate tumor growth
(La Jolla, California) The Burnham Institute's Jeffrey Smith, Ph.D. has discovered that orlistat, commonly prescribed as an anti-obesity drug, has a positive side-effect: it inhibits cancer growth. Dr. Smith made this discovery using an activity-based proteomics screening technique developed in his laboratory that makes it possible to identify active targets and simultaneously screen for their...As obesity skyrockets, Joslin Diabetes Center urges action to stem the tide of type 2 diabetes
BOSTON As reported yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 129.6 million Americans, or 64 percent of the population, are overweight or obese. As obesity in America has become an epidemic over the past decade, the rate of type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity, has skyrocketed. It is estimated that 18.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and...Researchers discover 1.2 million new genes in Sargasso Sea microbes
Department of Energy-funded researchers at the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives (IBEA) have sequenced microbes in the Sargasso Sea and have discovered at least 1,800 new species and more than 1.2 million new genes. The results will be published in the journal Science. IBEA researchers' discoveries include 782 new rhodopsin-like photoreceptor genes (only a few dozen have been charac...Fuel-cell microbes' double duty: treat water, make energy
ARLINGTON, Va.- Something big may be brewing on the sewage...treatment circuit thanks to a new design that puts bacteria on...double-duty-treating wastewater and generating electricity at the...same time.... ...The key is an innovative, single-chambered microbial fuel cell....The prototype is described in the online version of the journal...Environmental Science & Technology...( ); the article...Shark guide probes uncharted waters
While a lone fin gliding at the surface of the water is enough to clear swimming areas and rates T.V. news coverage, sharks have more to fear from humans than vice versa. Along with other highly migratory speciestunas and billfishesshark populations have been depleted partly by overfishing and partly by natural factors. Saving these economically valuable fishes is important but not simple, since...Mouth microbes may help shape immune system, says Stanford research team
STANFORD, Calif. - The immune system may be shaped by some of the very agents it exists to fight, according to research by David Relman, MD, associate professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.... ... "Microbes not only provide functions that promote health, but may actually guide the stages of our own immune system development," said Relma...