Navigation Links
Researchers Report Progress in Fight Against Fat
Date:1/6/2009

Two drugs and a genetic variation are focus of promising studies

TUESDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers are reporting in two new studies that they seem to be moving closer to the holy grail of new treatments for obesity.

In one study, scientists managed to coax the brains of obese mice to process a hormone called leptin that helps control appetite.

"It's very exciting, because leptin was being talked about as a dead end, that it will never work," said study co-author Dr. Umut Ozcan, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

In the other study, researchers gained new insight into a genetic trait that's linked to leanness in skinnier people but seems to make the obese pack on extra weight.

Both studies were published in the Jan. 7 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

While there have been advances in the treatment of obesity, it remains difficult for doctors to effectively help fat people lose weight through medication.

Scientists have been studying the hormone leptin since it was discovered in the mid-1990s, Ozcan said. The hormone, which is produced by fat cells, plays a role in controlling appetite.

Some scientists thought that high doses of leptin would force people to eat less by controlling urges for food. But, Ozcan said, it turned out that fat people -- and fat mice -- were immune to the hormone's effects.

"Leptin comes to the brain and knocks on the door, but the brain doesn't hear it," he said.

For the new study, Ozcan and his colleagues found that two existing, FDA-approved drugs could serve as "chemical chaperones" and help leptin gain entry into the brains of mice. The drugs are 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA), which treats cystic fibrosis, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), which treats a liver disease.

"They're very safe drugs in humans and used safely for other indications," Ozcan said.

However,
'/>"/>

Copyright©2009 ScoutNews,LLC.
All rights reserved

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related medicine news :

1. Mayo researchers offer new insight into effectiveness of procedure to stop heavy menstrual bleeding
2. Burnham researchers illuminate mechanisms that regulate DNA damage control and replication
3. Relocation plan of metastatic cancer cells uncovered by Stanford researchers
4. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging
5. Researchers create smaller, brighter probe tailored for molecular imaging and tumor targeting
6. Nutritious fast-food kids meals are scarce, researchers find
7. UIC researchers hunting drugs for devastating parasitic disease
8. Indiana University researchers revisit male bisexuality
9. Breast cancer risk varies in young women with benign breast disease, Mayo Clinic researchers say
10. Mayo researchers find potential links between breast density and breast cancer risk
11. Mayo Clinic researchers find tamoxifens power comes from endoxifen
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/25/2013)... 2013 Dr. Farooq Ashraf, founder of ... Dubai, has announced his practice’s adoption of The iFS ... FDA-cleared femtosecond laser proven with more than 10 years ... of LASIK. , “We are happy to announce that ... at our Dubai LASIK practice,” Ashraf said Thursday. “We ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Acuity Games ’ innovative brain games have ... Word Hunt is available today, expanding it beyond its ... 2, Sudoku and Matchematics will roll out over the next ... lifetime brain fitness measurement have been re-optimized for the iPhone's ... brain fitness measurement in your pocket. What could be ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 25, 2013 ... will grow at an average annual rate of 28.7% ... growth of 17.9% in 2013. From 2002 and 2008, no ... analyst Kevin Culbert, causing relatively modest growth during that period. ... (FDA) has approved six new products. This factor contributed to ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... May 25, 2013 For college ... finals week. Increasingly, they are turning to prescription ... and study. For more on this, go to ... treatment facility, warns that students who pick up ... at risk for developing a physical and psychological ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of ... of life". While a medical science, its scope enters into ... Its fundamental philosophy is that disease is the end result ... that in order to re-establish optimal health, we must discover ... a life style which brings us back into harmony. , ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Atlanta Vision Clinic Acquires the Latest in Blade-Free Lasik Technology Bringing Dubai Patients the Intralase Method 2Health News:Acuity Games Apps Come to the iPhone 2Health News:Slow Healing: Cell Therapy in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld 2Health News:Slow Healing: Cell Therapy in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld 3Health News:Addiction and Drug Abuse: Study Drug Adderall Abuse Spikes During Finals 2Health News:Ayurveda Education Programs Offered by the California College of Ayurveda Include Panchakarma Certification, Practitioner Courses, and Body Therapy Classes 2
... test, based on gene expression and predicting the tumours that ... was presented today at the 3rd International Conference on innovative ... Dr Robert Takes, from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, ... of oral or oropharyngeal cancer. The study was jointly led ...
... of the factors reported by those who say they are unhappy ... its kind, published in the launch issue of the new online ... challenge the perception that these patients can no longer enjoy quality ... the authors. The research team quizzed 168 members of the ...
... 24 (HealthDay News) -- An analysis of proteins in spinal ... with chronic fatigue syndrome, a new study reports. It ... involve the central nervous system and that protein abnormalities in ... conditions, said the research team, which was led by Dr. ...
... microbiological equilibrium in the female genital tract can lead ... Deutsches rzteblatt International ( Dtsch Arztebl Int ... Bitzer investigates a method of screening for such changes., ... preterm deliveries. To avoid these, in a model project ...
... . , When the family doctor is a woman, patients ... their health problem, especially when it is a family health problem ... family doctor "listening to them, keeping them informed and considering their ... conclusion drawn of a study recently conducted by Ana Delgado, ...
... Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Most "locked-in syndrome" patients -- ... be happy, according to a new study. People with ... except through eye movements or blinking. Patients with the condition ... surveyed 91 locked-in syndrome patients in France about their medical ...
Cached Medicine News:Health News:Gene expression to distinguish metastasizing from non-metastasizing head and neck cancers 2Health News:Most 'locked-in syndrome' patients say they are happy 2Health News:Spinal Fluid May Hold Clues to Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2Health News:When the doctor is a woman, patients expect them to be involved in decision making 2Health News:Most 'Locked-In Syndrome' Patients Happy, Survey Finds 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... Inc. (Vanda) (NASDAQ: VNDA ) today announced that ... of the Year by the Tech Council of ... 25 th Annual Tech Awards Celebration held in ... the leaders and innovators in the technology and life science ... regions. "We are deeply honored to receive ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013 Nephros, Inc. ... stage medical device company that develops and sells high ... of its rights offering.  In addition, the concurrent temporary ... warrants expired on May 17, 2013. Nephros ... million from the rights offering.   A portion of the ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013  Hadasit Bio-Holdings Ltd. (TASE: HDST, ... companies, based on intellectual property developed and owned ... ,s foremost medical research center, today announced that ... significant funding from the Israeli Ministry of Industry ... to support product development and advance clinical trials. ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Vanda Pharmaceuticals Named the 2013 Life Science Firm of the Year by the Tech Council of Maryland 2Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 2Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 3Nephros Announces Completion of Rights Offering 4Hadasit Bio-Holdings Ltd. Portfolio Company - Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd. Received Additional Government Support 2
... EDISON, N.J., July 15, 2011 Crestor ... designed to lower "bad cholesterol". Both drugs are classified ... inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase. This group of drugs has had ... to Crestor and Zocor, touted as a "super statin" ...
... N.J., July 15, 2011 Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ... assets of its Ortho Dermatologics division in the ... for approximately $345 million in cash. The divestiture ... MICRO®, ERTACZO® and RENOVA®) sold in the U.S. ...
Cached Medicine Technology:Crestor and Zocor Drugs Linked to Muscle Degeneration, Rhabdomyolysis 2Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Definitive Agreement to Divest Ortho Dermatologics Division 2
This is long known for its purity and mildness, Castile Soap is also an effective cleaning agent that is used in a variety of applications. It rinses clean while leaving the skin soft and healthy....
Upon application to intact skin, Skin-Prep* protective wipes forms a protective film that prepares the skin for the attachment of drainage tubes, external catheters, adhesive dressings and can be...
Triad Plus Sterile Isopropyl Alcohol 70% USP Prep Pads are medium size. Each package is terminally sterilized, ensuring the safest possible product....
Aplicare's Prep Pads offer convenience, low cost, ease of use. The medium size is appropriate for most applications. Each package is terminally sterilized, ensuring the safest possible product for th...
Medicine Products: