Insulin is the most potent physiological anabolic agent for tissue-building and energy storage, promoting the storage and synthesis of lipids, protein and carbohydrates, and inhibiting their breakdown and release into the circulatory system. It also plays a major role in stimulating glucose...
Through a collaborative genome-wide study on individuals, researchers have discovered 14 new genetic variations that are associated with heart rate. Since heart rate is a marker of cardiovascular health, these findings could provide a better understanding of genetic regulation of heart beat and...
New research from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) reveals that B cells regulate obesity-associated inflammation and type 2 diabetes through two specific mechanisms. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates the importance of continuing to...
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara are researching cocaine addiction, part of a widespread problem, which, along with other addictions, costs billions of dollars in damage to individuals, families, and society. Laboratory studies at UCSB have revealed that the diminished brain function and learning...
For people with diabetes, meeting the recommended guidelines for blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important than meeting the guidelines for blood sugar control in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of...
Scientists searching for ways to develop treatments for Huntington's disease (HD) just got a roadmap that could dramatically speed their discovery process. Researchers at the Buck Institute have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to identify hundreds of "druggable" molecular targets linked...
The discovery of the molecular pathway that drives the changes seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is reported, revealing new targets for drug discovery that could be exploited to combat the disease. The study gives the most detailed understanding yet of the complex processes leading to...
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system develops antibodies to two of its own proteins, the desmogleins DSG1 and DSG3 that help maintain the integrity of the skin. The immune attack causes painful blisters on the skin and mucus membranes that can lead...
Kingston Digital, Inc. has announced the SSDNow E100 SSD, the company's new enterprise-class solid state drive (SSD), enabling enterprises to accommodate the performance demands required in support of big data and virtualization initiatives.
A new study details how a suite of web-based tools provides the research community with greatly improved capacity to compare data derived from large collections of genomic information against thousands of drugs. By comparing drugs and genetic targets, researchers can more easily identify...
A new study published in Science is shedding light on the molecular details of PARP-1, a DNA damage-detecting enzyme that when inhibited has been shown to be effective in fighting cancer and other diseases. The investigation led by John M. Pascal, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department...
Today, *President Barack Obama is joining Bono, Alicia Keys, moderator Dr. Sanjay Gupta,*and former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton*at a comprehensive forum hosted by George Washington University, in Washington DC. The event, entitled "The Beginning of the End of AIDS" will feature...
A researcher in teenage obesity at the University of Hertfordshire claims that policy and practice targets need to be realistic if obesity is to be addressed effectively. Dr Wendy Wills at the University's Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care (CRIPACC) will elaborate on this mission...
The human genome shares several peculiarities with the DNA of just about every other plant and animal. Our genetic blueprint contains numerous entities known as transposons, or "jumping genes," which have the ability to move from place to place on the chromosomes within a cell. An astounding 50%...
By tracking what parasites eat and detailing the exact pathways down which they metabolize nutrients for growth, researchers in Australia believe they have revealed new drug targets for fighting the deadly tropical parasite Leishmania which infects 12 million and kills half a million people...
By accounting for the floppy, fickle nature of RNA, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine have developed a new way to search for drugs that target this important molecule. Their work appears in the June 26 issue of Nature Chemical Biology. Once...
Mayo Clinic has developed a screening procedure that could dramatically increase testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary genetic disorder that raises cancer risk, particularly for colorectal cancer. An estimated 3 percent of colon cancers can be attributed to Lynch syndrome. At least 80 percent...
Noonan syndrome is a relatively common genetic disorder characterized by short stature, unique facial features, and heart defects. About 10%-15% of affected individuals have mutations in their SOS1 gene. A team of researchers, led by Raju Kucherlapati, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, has now...