http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified the lynchpin that activates brown fat cells, which burn fat molecules instead of storing them, making them the focus of pharmaceutical research aimed at fighting obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-lynchpin-brown-fat-cells.html Medical research Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:20:06 EST news269853594 Donor lungs are usually flushed and preserved at cold temperatures before transplantation. The cold temperature reduces tissue decomposition, but can also result in degradation of the organ and a longer transplantation process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-portable-lung-perfusion-device-revolutionise.html Surgery Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:30:01 EST news269021334 Vibration-induced white finger disease (VWF) is caused by continued use of vibrating hand held machinery (high frequency vibration >50 Hz), and affects tens of thousands of people. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Clinical Epigenetics finds that people with a genetic polymorphism (A2191G) in sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a protein involved in the regulation of endothelial NOS (eNOS), are more likely to suffer from vibration-induced white finger disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-genetics-white-finger-disease.html Genetics Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:05:21 EST news268279492 Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a mechanism that can give energy-storing white fat some of the beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings, based on studies of mice and of human fat tissue, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mechanism-white-fat-energy-burning-brown.html Medical research Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:00:27 EST news263126631 Even moderate thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy significantly increases the risk of serious complications, underscoring the need for universal screening in the first trimester, a new study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-mild-thyroid-dysfunction-early-pregnancy.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:49:42 EST news259674563 Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have shown that while a type of "good" fat found in the body can be activated by cold temperatures, it is not able to be activated by the drug ephedrine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-good-fat-cold-ephedrine.html Medical research Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:00:18 EST news258036263 People with heart disease may not be able to compensate for their bodies' higher demand for oxygen when inhaling cold air, according to Penn State researchers, making snow shoveling and other activities dangerous for some. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-cold-air-chills-heart-oxygen.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:10:01 EST news249652104 Though it may not have felt like winter until recently, it is that time of year when environmental exposures to the cold weather will be causing many problems for people. Here are some tips for preventing and safely treating two common winter weather-related problems -- frost bite of the extremities and hypothermia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-medical-minute-winter-weather-related-problems.html Health Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:02 EST news245996921 Cantaloupes infected with listeria have sparked the deadliest US foodborne disease outbreak in over a decade and are likely to claim more victims in the weeks ahead, officials said Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-killer-cantaloupes-infect-people.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:35:34 EST news236446523