New cellular player involved in obesity discover

The prevalence of obesity, a disease considered a serious public health problem, is increasing globally. In Portugal, almost half of the population is overweight and close to one million adults suffer from obesity. Known as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in fat tissues. New strategies to fight this […]

Continue reading »

New assay assesses multiple cellular pathways at once

A novel technological approach developed by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine expands from two to six the number of molecular pathways that can be studied simultaneously in a cell sample with the dual luciferase assay, a type of testing method commonly used across biomedical fields. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the report shows that multiplexed hextuple luciferase assaying, […]

Continue reading »

MRI resolution enhanced at cellular level

Neuroscience researchers have long used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to study the basic structure of the brain in health and disease, but MRI scanners can’t typically provide insights at the cellular level. In an MRI image, each voxel—the 3-D equivalent of a pixel—represents tens of thousands of brain cells. A breakthrough study led by the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and […]

Continue reading »

New cellular pathway helps explain how inflammation leads to artery disease

Investigators have identified a new cellular pathway that may help explain how arterial inflammation develops into atherosclerosis—deposits of cholesterol, fats and other substances that create plaque, clog arteries and promote heart attacks and stroke. The findings could lead to improved therapies for atherosclerosis, a leading cause of death worldwide. “We have known for decades that atherosclerosis is a disease of […]

Continue reading »

Characterizing ‘keyhole’ is first step to fighting obesity at cellular level

An international team has uncovered the potential to beat obesity at the cellular level, characterizing for the first time a complex, little-understood receptor type that, when activated, shuts off hunger. Jens Meiler, professor of chemistry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, said pharmaceutical companies long have attempted to develop a small-molecule drug that could do just that. But until now, nobody […]

Continue reading »