BMP-7

(Best Syndication News) Researchers studying a protein called BMP-7 (Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7) that promotes bone growth discovered that it can also promote the development of brown fat. There are two types of fat: brown and white. The brown fat is good and can help burn the white fat.

The scientists found brown fat bundled inside the muscle fibers of obese-resistant mice. “We hope this study can be translated into applications to help treat or prevent obesity,” said Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D. an Assistant Investigator in the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action.

Fisher

(Best Syndication News) There is new hope for those suffering from Pancreatic Cancer, according to researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center. A combination chemoprevention gene therapy (CGT) involving a dietary agent and a protein have been able to effectively kill established pancreatic tumors.

So far the research has only been done on mice. Chief investigator Paul B. Fisher, Ph.D. says “Our hypothesis was that certain non-toxic dietary agents that had the ability to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) would break down pancreatic cancer cell resistance to therapy following administration of mda-7/IL-24 and be safe for human use.”

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(Best Syndication News) A new pill may give you the benefits of exercise without actually having to perform at the gym. Researchers are calling the drug, AICAR, the couch potato pill, and it is in the third phase of experimental trials. Another drug, GW1516, can enhance endurance when combined with exercise.

The “exercise in a pill” has been tested on mice with great results, according to Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute. "When we gave the mice a small amount of daily exercise in the presence or not of the drug, all showed an increased ability to run. But those on the drug gained an additional hour,” Evans said.

Maria A. Curotto de Lafaille

(Best Syndication News) Researchers say that custom T cells are responsible for immune response (see the videos below). These specialized T-cells are programmed to remember foods, chemicals and other substances. Some of these substances are “remembered” as harmless and allowed to pass.

Scientists in New York have identified a class of these immune cells that block allergic reactions. Things can go awry when these T-cells are not created to specific substances and the lack of them may trigger an allergic response. These regulatory cells received their instructions and are created by a gene called Foxp3. Whenever we eat or inhale anything for the first time, a memory is created of that substance.

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(Best Syndication News) Researchers have found new genes that may cause autism making it easier to develop gene therapies to possibly treat or cure the disease. The good news is that most of the genes were not deleted or removed but were just not turned on. This makes it easier to develop treatments.

Since Middle Eastern parents may be closely related and have many children, the researchers focused on this region of the world. According to a paper from the Children's Hospital of Boston, in traditional Arab societies it is common for cousins to marry, increasing the likelihood that offspring will inherit rare mutations.