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Research in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity has found greater disruption to genes involved in heart function when coupled with vitamin A deficiency using a combined dietary and genetic approach. The research team induced obesity in a mouse model of vitamin A deficiency. After 20 weeks, the researchers compared the hearts and metabolism of the mice to obese mice with sufficient levels of vitamin A. In comparison, the vitamin-deficient obese mice had repression of genes in the heart that are associated with extracting energy from fat, extracting energy from glucose, and the production of the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate....

A treatment combination involving the addition of a form of vitamin A to the current standard treatment regimen for pancreatic cancer is safe for patients, according to an early phase clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London. Following the encouraging results of this phase I trial (STARPAC), published today in Nature Communications, a second clinical trial called STARPAC2 will now investigate whether the addition of this form of vitamin A, called ATRA, to standard chemotherapy can enhance the efficacy of treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer. STARPAC was launched following research conducted by Professor Kocher's laboratory, which found...

The state's largest computer failure ever continues to hamstring key Virginia government agencies trying to handle their core duties this morning. Agencies across the state are wrestling with different types of problems as a result of computer server failures, which hinder their access to IT applications, shared information and stored data.