http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The body's brown fat cells play a key role in the development of obesity and diabetes. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now discovered that we humans have two different kinds of brown fat cells and not one kind as previously thought. This discovery, now published in Nature Medicine, opens up new opportunities for future medicines that exploit the brown fat cells' ability to consume calories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-newly-human-fat-cell-opportunities.html Medical research Thu, 02 May 2013 07:30:01 EST news286695486 (Medical Xpress)—The inflammation of fat tissue is part of a spiraling series of events that leads to the development of type 2 diabetes in some obese people. But researchers have not understood what triggers the inflammation, or why. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-obesity-fat-cells-theyre-infected.html Medical research Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:05:13 EST news281729103 The RAS pathway is a cellular signaling pathway that regulates growth and development in humans. RASopathies are a group of diseases characterized by defects in RAS signaling. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-insight-rasopathy-associated-lymphatic-defects.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:00:04 EST news279542494 In many cases, obesity is caused by more than just overeating and a lack of exercise. Something in the body goes haywire, causing it to store more fat and burn less energy. But what is it? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have a new theory—a protein called p62. According to a study the team published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, when p62 is missing in fat tissue, the body's metabolic balance shifts—inhibiting "good" brown fat, while favoring "bad" white fat. These findings indicate that p62 might make a promising target for new therapies aimed at curbing obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-shifting-good-fat-bad.html Medical research Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:47:00 EST news276533212 Invariant natural killer T-cells (iNKT) are a unique subset of immune cells that are known to influence inflammatory responses. Now, a scientific team led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that iNKT cells play a protective role in guarding against obesity and the metabolic syndrome, a major consequence of obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-natural-killer-t-cells-fat-tissue.html Immunology Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:58:07 EST news266759879 UCLA stem cell scientists purified a subset of stem cells found in fat tissue and made from them bone that was formed faster and was of higher quality than bone grown using traditional methods, a finding that may one day eliminate the need for painful bone grafts that use material taken from the patient during invasive procedures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-bone-fresh-purified-fat-stem.html Medical research Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:47:22 EST news258626795 Low levels of testosterone in men could increase their risk of developing diabetes, a study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-testosterone-diabetes-men.html Medical research Fri, 04 May 2012 10:50:06 EST news255345381 It is known that a high proportion of dense breast tissue, as seen with a mammogram, is associated with a high risk of breast cancer. But the role of non-dense fat tissue in the breast is less clear. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research separates the breast cancer risks associated with dense, fibroglandular tissue, and fat, and shows that large areas of either are independently associated with an increased risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-role-fat-breast-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:22:22 EST news238814509 Some people carry more weight than others, even with similar diets, because of genes that encourage fat storage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-slim-genes.html Medical research Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:02:53 EST news235133575 For better or worse, a popular class of anti-diabetic drugs does more than lower blood sugar. One known as rosiglitazone (trade name Avandia) has been in the spotlight for its possible link to increased cardiovascular events, but it also seems to come with unexplained vascular benefits and an unwelcome tendency for weight gain. Now, two separate studies in the July Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, explore those other effects of the drugs known collectively as thiazolidinediones (TZDs), both of which stem from their activity in fat. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-diabetes-drug-side-effects-fat.html Medical research Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:29:26 EST news229087751