Labros Sidossis, Ph.D., has discovered, for the first time in humans, that the widely reviled energy storing white fat can be turned into an energy burning brown fat that uses up excess calories. This study shows that white fat in humans can also turn into a form resembling brown fat. However, for this to happen it requires severe and prolonged adrenaline-releasing stress. The findings were published in Cell Metabolism.

Shelby Lies, M.D., and Andrew Zhang, M.D., conducted a study showing that when plastic surgeons listen to music they prefer, their surgical technique and efficiency when closing incisions is improved. The findings were published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

Jacques Baillargeon, Ph.D., has found that middle-aged and older men who receive testosterone therapy are not at increased risk of blood clots in veins. These findings may help to inform the benefit-risk assessment for men with testosterone deficiency considering treatment. The findings were published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Alai Tan, M.D., conducted a review of Texas Medicare claims data from more than 145,000 patients 66 and older suffering from non-specific low back pain and found that about a third of patients get some sort of imaging. Patients with episodes of acute back pain generally get better without specific treatment. Randomized controlled trials have found no significant benefits from imaging but there is the potential for harm. The findings were published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Jia Zhou, Ph.D., has identified a molecule that binds to cancer cells and triggers cell death. This molecule suppresses growth of lung cancer tissue without toxic side effects. Development of this molecule may be a strategy to improve lung cancer outcomes. Understanding these mechanisms can also illuminate a direction for development of a whole new class of anti-cancer agents. The findings are published in the journal Cancer Cell.

Phani Veeranki, MBBS, Dr.P.H., recently published a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing that waterpipe use is linked with susceptibility to cigarette smoking in teens who have never smoked. This study analyzed data from more than 30,000 teens from 17 Arab nations. With increasing waterpipe use among youth in Arab nations, the study findings will help public health officials and health care providers to develop interventions to prevent these teens from going on to smoke cigarettes.

Research Briefs were compiled from UTMB Health news releases written by Donna Ramirez and Christopher Smith Gonzalez. Find out more at www.utmb.edu/newsroom.