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Two fat-derived stem cells display a continuous cytoskeleton, indicating that they have fused together. Credit: Yu Suk Choi / UC San Diego

Researchers have discovered that stem cells generated from fat do a better job of forming functional muscle cells than stem cells from other sources. Unlike muscle cells from other sources, fat-derived muscle cells fuse together and form a continuous cytoskeleton under certain conditions. In addition, the fused cells remain integrated even when transferred to a stiff surface. This is good news in that these cells have the potential to repair and replace damaged muscle tissue which tends to be stiff.

The researchers contend that these cells may be key to the development of new treatments for those suffering from muscle related diseases such as muscular dystrophy. According to researcher Adam Engler, "From the perspective of translating this into a clinically viable therapy, we want to know what components of the environment provide the most important cues for these cells." The researchers plan to test the cells in mice that have a form of muscular dystrophy to determine how effective the cells are at repairing damaged tissue in a living organism.

Learn more about this study:

• Need Muscle for a Tough Spot? Turn to Fat Stem Cells Science Daily

Growing Muscle From Fat originally appeared on About.com Biology on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 05:00:36.

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Credit: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many people see diet soft drinks as a good alternative to high calorie, sugary sodas. Could consuming too many diet sodas however pose a health risk? A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine suggests that drinking diet sodas daily increases your chances of having a vascular event. Vascular events are blood vessel related incidents and include heart attack, stroke and vascular death. The results of the study showed that those who drank diet sodas daily had a 43 percent increased chance of suffering a vascular event than those who drank no diet sodas. Interestingly enough, it was also found that those who drank regular sodas had no increased chance of suffering a vascular event.

According to researcher Hannah Gardener, "Our results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes. However, the mechanisms by which soft drinks may affect vascular events are unclear." It was also discovered that there was no link between light diet soda consumption and vascular event occurrence. Light diet drinkers were considered to be those who drank between one and six diet sodas a week.

Learn more about this discovery:

• Are Diet Soft Drinks Bad For You? Springer

Diet Sodas Linked to Vascular Trouble originally appeared on About.com Biology on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 14:26:04.

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Digestive System Image: Don Bliss/National Cancer Institute

The human body is made up of several organ systems that work together as one unit. Some of these systems include the:

• circulatory system
  
• digestive system
  
• nervous system
  
• reproductive system

It is important to keep in mind that these systems don't just exist as individual units. The final product of these cooperating systems is one unit called the body. To learn about ten major organ systems of the body, see Organ Systems.

More Body Systems:

Organ Systems Quiz
Do you know which organ system contains the largest organ in the body? Test your knowledge of human organ systems.

Nervous System
This system is responsible for sending, receiving, and interpreting information from all parts of the body.

Limbic System
Limbic system structures are involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival.

The Body's Organ Systems originally appeared on About.com Biology on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 19:56:28.

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Snow leopard Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Monash University researchers have discovered a way to help the endangered snow leopard by producing induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from ear tissue cells of adult snow leopards. Induced pluripotent stem cells are genetically altered adult stem cells that can develop into a variety of different types of cells. The researchers hope to be able to coax the iPS cells into forming gametes for the future reproduction of these animals through cloning or other methods.

According to study researcher Rajneesh Verma, "By generating these stem cells, we've taken the first step in creating reproductive cells from adult tissues of an endangered animal. In the future, we aim to harness the potential of the iPS cells and create off-spring. This would help save species from extinction." This study marks the first time iPS cells have been generated from a member of the feline family. If the researchers are successful in creating reproductive cells, the cells could be used to conserve snow leopard tissue through cryopreservation.

Learn more about this study:

• Saving the Snow Leopard With Stem Cells Science Daily

Learn more about stem cells and cloning:

• Stem Cells
  
• All About Cloning
  
• Cloning Clinic
  

Adult Stem Cells May Save the Snow Leopard originally appeared on About.com Biology on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 17:25:37.

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Image: Graur Razvan Ionut FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Can lack of sleep cause you to gain weight? Research from Uppsala University indicates that those who don't get about eight hours of sleep a night have higher activation levels in the area of the brain that controls appetite. Through the use of magnetic imaging, researchers were able to view brain images of study participants as they viewed images of food. Those participants who suffered from a lack of sleep experienced increased levels of hunger and brain activity.

According to researcher Christian Benedict, "After a night of total sleep loss, these males showed a high level of activation in an area of the brain that is involved in a desire to eat. Bearing in mind that insufficient sleep is a growing problem in modern society, our results may explain why poor sleep habits can affect people's risk to gain weight in the long run." This study indicates that lack of sleep can alter our perception of food and play a role in long term weight gain.

Learn more about this study:

• Lack of Sleep Makes Your Brain Hungry (Science Daily)

Appetite and Lack of Sleep originally appeared on About.com Biology on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 19:44:05.

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