Lack of the enzyme, acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 or ACC2, appears to turn the adipose or fat cells of mice into fat burners, explaining in part why the animals can eat more and weigh less than their normal counterparts, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers. The report that appears online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We studied the fat cells in these mice bred to lack ACC2,” said Dr. Salih Wakil, chair of the BCM department of biochemistry an

Research responds to need for protection against potential bioweapons

A new technique devised by UC Irvine researchers can greatly facilitate the development of vaccines against infectious diseases such as smallpox, malaria and tuberculosis. Because the new technique can synthesize a large number of proteins very quickly, it has potential to accelerate vaccine development, particularly crucial in the fight against bioterrorism.

The technique is based on “polymerase chain

A common protein that protects plants from fungal infection mimics the activity of a hormone in mammals that is linked to weight loss and is believed to play a role in mitigating heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Purdue University and several collaborating institutions.

The research has the potential to lead to a simple screening system for developing new drugs to treat these and several other human diseases, including some forms of ca

One of the most basic yet least understood processes in our bodies is how cells crawl along tissues. This behavior is essential to the formation of an embryo and other processes, but it must be tightly controlled. A disturbance can lead to the spread of cancer cells or diseases like Spina bifida and Lissencephaly, in which cells fail to reach their proper destinations. Scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo have now made a significant step forward in un

Microbes living in the brilliantly colored hot springs of Yellowstone National Park use primarily hydrogen for fuel, a discovery University of Colorado at Boulder researchers say bodes well for life in extreme environments on other planets and could add to understanding of bacteria inside the human body.

A team of CU-Boulder biologists led by Professor Norman Pace, one of the world’s leading experts on molecular evolution and microbiology, published their report “Hydrogen an

A new case definition for distal symmetrical polyneuropathy has been developed by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The definition is published in the January 25 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. This represents a new effort to standardize and facilitate clinical research.

The three organizations initially intend

High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking have long been considered and treated as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A new study has concluded that these same cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in middle age may also increase significantly the risk of dementia in old age. The study of nearly 9,000 northern Californians is published in the January 25 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Each of these four CV risk factors

The consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish is associated with a lower risk of stroke in the elderly, while eating fried fish or fish sandwiches is linked to a higher risk, according to an article in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the elderly, who are the fastest-growing segment of the population,” according to background information in

Younger adults don’t cope as well with pain as their elders, study finds, but blacks feel it worse

Adults under the age of 50 who have chronic pain may be less able to cope with their condition and more prone to associated depression than their elders, a new study suggests. And the same “generation gap” pattern exists among both blacks and whites, though blacks of all ages have previously been found to experience more pain and more pain-related negative effects than whites.

The best strategy for minimizing future influenza morbidity and mortality would be to concentrate vaccinations in school children and high-risk groups, according to a new research commentary by scientists at Emory University. The alternative vaccine plan is based on mathematical models developed by Ira Longini, PhD, and Elizabeth Halloran, MD, DSc, professors of biostatistics in Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and on influenza field studies. The report will be published in the Feb

Primary-care physicians who encourage their patients to let them know about bothersome side effects of prescribed medications –– and who address such problems promptly –– can reduce the chances that patients will be harmed by the medications, according to a new study by researchers in Boston.

The study results, published in the Jan. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, will help researchers develop strategies for decreasing the number of adverse drug events (ADEs) ––

Recurring blood clots in the lungs could be prevented with computed tomography (CT) scans of the legs, according to a study in the February issue of the journal Radiology.

Researchers found that indirect CT venography (CTV) could identify blood clots in the legs that have the potential to break free, travel to the lung and block an artery–a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary emboli and blood clots in the legs, also called deep vein thrombosis, are

Whole-body computed tomography (CT) is not a cost-effective screening method, according to a study published in the February issue of the journal Radiology.

The use of whole-body CT as a screening tool for cancer and other diseases is the focus of an ongoing debate. Proponents of whole-body CT emphasize the potential benefit of early detection of disease, but others caution that the costs, false-positive findings and unnecessary radiation might render the procedure more harmfu

Jumping on that treadmill or bike is not only good for one’s health, but also can help significantly reduce depression, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

The first study to look at exercise alone in treating mild to moderate depression in adults aged 20 to 45 showed that depressive symptoms were reduced almost 50 percent in individuals who participated in 30-minute aerobic exercise sessions three to five times a week.

The results, published in th

Parasitic diseases, especially leishmaniases and trypanosomiases, kill hundreds of thousands of people every year in the world, mainly in the countries of the South. The most severe form of leishmaniosis (kala-azar, the visceral form), induced by Leishmania donovani and L. infantum, affects about 500 000 people per year and proves fatal if no treatment is given.

Although drugs do exist for treating these diseases, they are not always effective, owing to the appearance of r

Extraterrestrial molecules found in meteorites may hold the key to the origin of life on Earth, according to chemistry research at the University.

Dr Terence Kee and a team from Leeds and Bradford universities are examining a particular source of phosphorus found naturally only in space to discover whether it could have helped form the building blocks of life.

Phosphorus is found in all living cells, but some scientists doubt that the most common form of phosphorus