http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a previously unrecognized layer of genetic regulation that is necessary for the generation of undesirable white fat cells. When this regulation is disrupted, white fat cells are unable to accumulate lipid droplets or mature from their precursors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-noncoding-rnas-fat-cells.html Overweight and Obesity Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:09:35 EST news279979761 An international team, headed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified a key enzyme in the reprogramming process that promotes malignant stem cell cloning and the growth of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood and marrow that experts say is increasing in prevalence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-enzyme-malignant-stem-cell-cloning.html Cancer Mon, 24 Dec 2012 15:00:09 EST news275575816 Researchers from the University of Utah have gained new insight into the regulation of adult nerve cell generation in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates many aspects of behavior, mood, and metabolism. In the Sept. 10, 2012, issue of Developmental Cell they report that a cell-to-cell communication network known as the Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in both the production and specialization of nerve cell precursors in the hypothalamus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-wnt-pathway-key-role-adult.html Medical research Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:01 EST news266491163 Long-term methadone treatment can cause changes in the brain, according to recent studies from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The results show that treatment may affect the nerve cells in the brain. The studies follow on from previous studies where methadone was seen to affect cognitive functioning, such as learning and memory. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-long-term-methadone-treatment-affect-nerve.html Medications Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:20:01 EST news264247633 This summer's action film, "The Amazing Spider-Man," is another match-up between the superhero and his nemesis the Lizard. Moviegoers and comic book fans alike will recall that the villain, AKA Dr. Curt Connors, was a surgeon who, after losing an arm, experimented with cell generation and reptilian DNA and was eventually able to grow back his missing limb. The latest issue of the journal Physiology contains a review article that looks at possible routes that unlock cellular regeneration in general, and the principles by which hair and feathers regenerate themselves in particular. The authors apply what is currently known about regenerative biology to the emerging field of regenerative medicine, which is being transformed from fantasy to reality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-ways-animals-regenerate-hair-feathers.html Medical research Thu, 10 May 2012 11:07:51 EST news255866768 (Medical Xpress) -- UCLA stem-cell researchers have identified a certain type of cell and a signaling pathway in the placental niche that play a key role in stopping blood stem cells from differentiating into mature blood cells in the placenta. Preventing this premature differentiation is critical to ensuring a proper blood supply for an individual's lifetime. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-scientists-crucial-cell-pathway-placental.html Medical research Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:34:10 EST news249827642 For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the first to demonstrate the direct conversion of a non-heart cell type into a heart cell by RNA transfer. Working on the idea that the signature of a cell is defined by molecules called messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which contain the chemical blueprint for how to make a protein, the investigators changed two different cell types, an astrocyte (a star-shaped brain cell) and a fibroblast (a skin cell), into a heart cell, using mRNAs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-heart-reprogram-brain-cells.html Medical research Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:43:27 EST news229354987