A protein that regulates cholesterol levels in the body also is responsible for maintaining a healthy balance between fat storage and fat burning, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center study that may lead to new drug targets in the fight against obesity.
In animals and humans, a protein called the liver X receptor, or LXR, senses cholesterol levels. When these receptors detect rising amounts of cholesterol, they activate genes and a series of biochemical reactions that
New study findings show that traditional heart disease risk factors are more strongly associated with risk of death from cardiovascular disease than newer, emerging risk factors in older people with chronic kidney disease. These results from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Cardiovascular Health Study will be published in the April 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Study participants with chronic kidney disease who also had diabetes,
The deaths or clinical complications in heart attack patients given potent drugs to re-open clogged arteries is more likely to be due to individual patient characteristics than to modest misdosing of the drugs, researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) have determined. Thus, they said, physicians should not be overly worried about the possibility of minor errors in dosing — a concern that the Duke physicians said likely contributes to insufficient prescribing of the drugs t
When Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D., gives his rats a headache, he has good reason.
The animals are helping Dr. Oshinsky, assistant professor of neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, study how migraine treatments work. In recent experiments, the animals provided evidence showing that DHE, a standard drug currently used to treat acute migraine pain can also work against the onset of a phenomenon called “central sensitization,” or “allodynia,
Having vaccines developed by computer may sound unnerving but the increasing role of computer modelling in the development of new vaccines could bring new products onto the market quicker, benefiting patients and saving pharmaceutical companies millions of pounds.
Researchers using informatics and computer modelling can help scientists to uncover and harness the hidden patterns in the wealth of DNA and protein sequences that modern bioscience generates and cut the number of compoun
The use of statins before or after a stroke helps improve patient recovery after an ischemic stroke, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., April 9 – 16, 2005.
Patients on statins before a stroke were 1.6 times more likely to have a favorable outcome compared to patients never exposed to statins, according to the study. Those on statins after a stroke were 2.6 times more likely to have a favorable outc
An ancient enzyme in the brains of mammals acts as an innate nutritionist of sorts, guiding them to make healthy choices about what to eat, according to new work published in the April issue of Cell Metabolism. The molecular mechanism is likely to be important in all mammals, including humans, that eat a varied diet comprised of meat and vegetables, the researchers said.
David Ron, of the New York University School of Medicine, and his colleagues found in mice that an enzyme known
NationaUnconventional wiring of the brain circuits that govern sleep and waking might explain the prevalence of insomnia and the condition’s association with obesity, according to new work published in the April issue of Cell Metabolism. Characterized by a chronic inability to fall asleep or remain sleeping, insomnia is estimated to affect one in every eight Americans.
By finding ways to interfere with that unconventional wiring, scientists may advance on new treatments fo
Investing in at-risk middle-school students can be profitable, showing a return in students’ interest in school, their grades and even their attendance. The investment that paid off for eight Maryland schools is a supplementary curriculum, Stocks in the Future, developed in partnership with the Stocks in the Future Foundation at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at The Johns Hopkins University.
The impact of this three-year course in the stock market and investing
The potential applications for flexible plastic electronics are enormous — from electronic books to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to electronics for cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and laptop computers — but certain technological hurdles must be overcome before we see such widespread use.
Now a Northwestern University team of materials chemists report a breakthrough in the race to find the right materials for producing cost-effective, high-performan
OPTOMETRY researchers at Aston University’s new £10 million Academy of Life Sciences are currently undertaking ground-breaking research into the vision problems caused by diabetics – one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss in the UK. So far, the study has been very successful with a large number of diabetic volunteers stepping forward to take part in the study, but the researchers still require some more Type 1 diabetics (insulin dependent patients usually diagnosed under the age
Imagine a firefighter scrambling through a burning building, searching for survivors of a devastating explosion. Injured people on the far side of a brick wall, but out of reach. However, the partner on the other side promptly smashes through the wall, clears a path so both can help the survivors. Science fiction perhaps? No, this is exactly the scenario that partners in the PELOTE project have been working on.
Libor Preucil, from the Czech Technical University in Prague and coor
Fraunhofer IIS, Telos, Omnia, Axia, Broadcast Electronics and Bose participate in world-premiere live demon-stration of non-matrixed 5.1 Surround Sound for FM HD Radio.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and its partners join to present at the 2005 NAB show a first live demonstration. The end-to-end demonstration will involve the complete HD Radio broadcasting chain comprising the studio, on-air broadcasting and automotive digital radio receivers. The original multi-c
Scientists carrying out a major epidemiological study at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University have discovered that there is no clear correlation between routine ultrasonic scans and intellectual impairment.
“Fears have been expressed that sonography can lead to diminished intellectual capacity,” explains Helle Kieler, research scientist at Karolinska Institutet.
Previous epidemiological studies have shown that young men who had been exposed to in utero ultr
Fatronik Technological Centre has put the finishing touches to the development of a portable climbing robot capable of carrying out precision operations and originally designed for the aeronautics sector.
Despite being a highly technological industry, most aeronautical assemblies are still little automated, given the ever greater size of aeroplanes and the need to have large and expensive means of production.
Given this problem, Fatronik has designed a solution that is
The mental, emotional and sexual health of people with learning difficulties who are gay, lesbian and bisexual is being jeopardised by the failure of many services to give the support needed in this area.
New research by academics at Bristol University’s Norah Fry Research Centre, working in partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust and REGARD, found significant barriers were put in the way of people with learning difficulties exercising their human rights to consenting same sex rel
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