metabolic syndrome

Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with a decrease in the diversity of bacteria in the gut, but a new study led by researchers at the School of Medicine has linked these same illnesses to an increase in the diversity of viruses.

A new study suggests uric acid may play a role in causing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The work also demonstrates the importance of the intestine in removing uric acid from the body, opening the door to potential therapies for preventing or treating type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Studying mice, researchers have found a way to prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Blocking a path that delivers dietary fructose to the liver prevented mice from developing the condition, according to investigators at the School of Medicine.

New HIV therapies have contributed to a decrease in AIDS deaths, but physicians suspected the more potent medications led to symptoms characteristic of metabolic syndrome. However, now researchers at the School of Medicine have found that the rate of metabolic syndrome in HIV-infected patients is virtually identical to that in uninfected people.

New HIV therapies have contributed to a decrease in AIDS deaths, but physicians suspected the more potent medications led to symptoms characteristic of metabolic syndrome. However, now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the rate of metabolic syndrome in HIV-infected patients is virtually identical to that in uninfected people. Furthermore, the type or duration of HIV therapy did not affect the rate of metabolic syndrome.

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from the School of Medicine suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation.

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation. More…