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Credit: Professor Hirofumi Kai
Researchers from Kumamoto University (Japan) have found that the anti-diabetic drug metformin significantly prolongs the survival of mice in a model that simulates the pathology of non-diabetic chronic kidney disease (ND-CKD) by ameliorating pathological conditions like reduced kidney function, glomerular damage, inflammation and fibrosis. Metformin s mechanism is different from existing therapeutics which only treat symptoms, such as the blood pressure drug losartan, so the researchers believe that a combination of these medications at low dose will be highly beneficial.
CKD (chronic kidney disease) is a general term for kidney damage that results from persistent decline in kidney function due to proteinuria, kidney inflammation, or fibrosis. As CKD progresses, patients are forced to undergo dialysis, and diabetes is one of its biggest risk factors. CKD can also occur in association with lifestyle-related conditions such as hypertension, in
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IMAGE: A) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of pollen grain collected from the body surface of an Amami fishfly.
B) SEM images of pollen grains collected from the flower of an. view more
Credit: Associate Professor Naoto Sugiura
Researchers from Kumamoto University (Japan) have found that adult nocturnal fishflies (
Neochauliodes amamioshimanus), which are typically aquatic insects, feed on pollen at night. They also present circumstantial evidence suggesting that this species not only forages in flowers, but is also a supplementary pollinator. Their work sheds light on the terrestrial life of adult fishflies, which has been a mystery until now.
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IMAGE: Ketogenesis-deficient mice lacking the gene for HMG-CoA Synthase 2 (HMGCS2) (bottom row) develop severely fatty liver starting in the neonatal period. view more
Credit: Dr. Yuichiro Arima
Ketone bodies are generally an alternative energy source during starvation, but in newborns, ketogenesis is active regardless of nutritional status. In a recent study from Kumamoto University (Japan), researchers analyzed the effects of ketogenesis in mice and found that it has a protective effect on cells by maintaining the function of mitochondria. They expect that this effect can be used in future therapies for protecting mitochondria and organs.
Ketones, along with glucose and fatty acids, are metabolites used as energy sources. In particular, ketones are known to be an alternative energy source during periods of fasting or starvation. However, ketogenesis is known to be active in the neonatal period regardless of the number of calories consumed during nursing, and
Ketogenesis has a protective effect on mitochondria, finds study
Ketone bodies are generally an alternative energy source during starvation, but in newborns, ketogenesis is active regardless of nutritional status. In a recent study from Kumamoto University (Japan), researchers analyzed the effects of ketogenesis in mice and found that it has a protective effect on cells by maintaining the function of mitochondria. They expect that this effect can be used in future therapies for protecting mitochondria and organs.
Ketones, along with glucose and fatty acids, are metabolites used as energy sources. In particular, ketones are known to be an alternative energy source during periods of fasting or starvation. However, ketogenesis is known to be active in the neonatal period regardless of the number of calories consumed during nursing, and role it plays in newborns is not well understood.
Researchers from Kumamoto University (Japan) have clarified the mechanism by which blood and lymph vessels remain segregated from one another after development.