One out of every three Americans is obese. These individuals are at greater risk for additional diseases, since obesity leads to other health problems, such as diabetes. Obesity-related complications are associated with an abnormal fat metabolism in the muscle. As a result, accumulated fat by-products inside the muscle affect insulin resistance. To avoid the build up of fat by-products, fat must either be oxidized (burned, as in exercise) or stored (as benign fat) in muscle.

The American Cancer Society estimates 183,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year with more than 40,000 dying from the disease. In New Jersey alone 6,300 new cases are expected with 1,400 deaths. It is those statistics on which researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) hope to have impact with a newly opened clinical trial at the facility. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Based on its recent analysis of the cardiovascular image management systems market, Frost & Sullivan presents ProSolv CardioVascular, a FUJIFILM Company, with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Quality Leadership, in recognition of the quality of the products and services the company brings to the market.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (formerly Microbia) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced they will present results of a Phase 2b study investigating linaclotide’s safety and efficacy in 419 patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in a plenary session at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Fla. on October 7, 2008.

Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Metabolism refers to all the reactions by which living things break down nutrients to produce energy, along with those by which they rebuild broken-down nutrients into complex molecules (e.g. DNA).

Data from a 52-week phase 3 study (LEAD™ 3) of liraglutide, a once-daily human GLP-1 analogue, were published today by The Lancet. The study showed that liraglutide, when taken alone, produces statistically significant and sustained improvements in blood sugar control in patients with early type 2 diabetes, as compared with glimepiride, a widely used oral antidiabetic drug.

According to the American Cancer Society, 40,000 breast cancer deaths are expected nationwide this year, with 1,400 here in New Jersey. It is those statistics investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) hope to curb with research they’re conducting on whether partial breast radiation following a lumpectomy will hold a better benefit than radiation of the whole breast. CINJ is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Tryton Medical, Inc., a developer of novel stent systems for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, announced today that the company has initiated launch of its novel Side Branch Stent System™ in Europe. Tryton’s Side Branch Stent System is designed to offer a dedicated strategy for treating atherosclerotic lesions at the site of a bifurcation. The system will be available first in the Netherlands, with additional European countries to follow in the coming months.

Alimera Sciences, Inc.

Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum - herpes virus can cause a skin disease called “scrumpox” and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of General Virology.