Cholesterol News and Research

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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is important for good health and is needed for making cell walls, tissues, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acid.

FDA extends PDUFA target action date for review of Santarus' UCERIS NDA

Santarus, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date for the review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for UCERIS (budesonide) tablets 9 mg for the induction of remission of mild to moderate active ulcerative colitis from October 16, 2012 to January 16, 2013.

14 Aug 2012

Tofacitinib efficacy suggested for rheumatoid arthritis

The novel oral Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib significantly reduces signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, report two phase III trials published in TheNew England Journal of Medicine.

13 Aug 2012

Combination therapy does not change safety and efficacy relationship of TORISEL for advanced RCC

Pfizer Inc. announced that the Phase 3 INTORACT trial (B1771006), evaluating the combination of bevacizumab plus TORISEL (temsirolimus) compared with bevacizumab plus interferon-alfa-2a (IFN-α-2a) in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) across risk groups, did not meet its primary endpoint of superiority in extending progression free survival (PFS) in the study population.

12 Aug 2012

Grapes reduce key risk factors for heart disease in men with metabolic syndrome

Consuming grapes may help protect heart health in people with metabolic syndrome, according to new research published in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers observed a reduction in key risk factors for heart disease in men with metabolic syndrome: reduced blood pressure, improved blood flow and reduced inflammation. Natural components found in grapes, known as polyphenols, are thought to be responsible for these beneficial effects.

10 Aug 2012

Depressed cardiac patients at added risk

Coronary artery disease patients may have an increased risk for peripheral arterial disease if they are depressed, study findings show.

10 Aug 2012

Statins: cardiovascular benefits outweigh diabetes risk

The benefits of taking statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease outweigh the increased risk of developing diabetes experienced by some patients who take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet.

10 Aug 2012

About half of adults with type 2 diabetes experience acute and chronic pain

Almost half of adults with type 2 diabetes report acute and chronic pain, and close to one quarter report neuropathy, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance and physical or emotional disability, according to a study of more than 13,000 adults conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA. The researchers also found significant rates of shortness of breath, nausea and constipation.

8 Aug 2012

Statins and diabetes both increase cataract risk

Patients using cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be at increased risk of developing age-related cataracts, according to a study - "Age-related Cataract Is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes and Statin Use", in the August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

8 Aug 2012

Study examines trends in serum lipid concentrations among U.S. children and adolescents

In a study involving more than 16,000 U.S. children and adolescents, there has been a decrease in average total cholesterol levels over the past 2 decades, although almost 1 in 10 had elevated total cholesterol in 2007-2010, according to a study in the August 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Aug 2012

TXNIP protein provides best available target for therapies against diabetes, Wolfram syndrome

Inflammation and cell stress play important roles in the death of insulin-secreting cells and are major factors in diabetes. Cell stress also plays a role in Wolfram syndrome, a rare, genetic disorder that afflicts children with many symptoms, including juvenile-onset diabetes.

8 Aug 2012

Orexigen Therapeutics reports net loss of $16.7 million for second quarter 2012

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2012.

7 Aug 2012

Investing in improved quality of care can reduce costs for patients with diabetes

University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers have found that medical group practices can reduce costs for patients with diabetes by investing in improved quality of care.

7 Aug 2012

Cardiovascular risk present across chronic rheumatic diseases

Patients across the spectrum of rheumatic diseases, not just those with rheumatoid arthritis, have a significantly increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors compared with the general population, the results of a Dutch study indicate.

6 Aug 2012

Adiposity linked to cognitive decline in elderly

High levels of adiposity increase rates of cognitive decline in the “young elderly” aged between 60 and 70 years, report Korean researchers.

6 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Orszag on CAP cost-control proposals; High-tech and health costs

The Center for American Progress proposals thus wisely recognize that there is no single strategy to continue the recent progress in slowing the growth in health-care costs. In contrast, the Republican budget plan put forward by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin seems based on a belief that all that's needed is to shift risks: from Medicare to beneficiaries through a premium-support program, and from the federal government to state governments by turning Medicaid into block grants.

3 Aug 2012

B-cell substances may play a role in MS progression

Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers, working with colleagues in Canada, have found that one or more substances produced by a type of immune cell in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may play a role in the disease's progression. The finding could lead to new targeted therapies for MS treatment.

2 Aug 2012

People with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia have difficultly managing all 3 conditions

Most people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol have difficultly managing all three conditions; indeed, success is fleeting for those who do manage all three, according to a Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research study that appears online in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

1 Aug 2012

U of I professor develops new algorithm for dietitians

If you've consulted with a nutrition educator about how best to lose weight or manage your diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, you may not have learned as much as you could have, said a University of Illinois professor of nutrition extension.

1 Aug 2012

Lipid treatment absolved of hemorrhagic transformation guilt

The lipid profiles of patients undergoing thrombolysis for acute stroke predict their mortality risk but not their risk for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, shows a large study.

1 Aug 2012

Obesity also affects sexual and urinary health in men

As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health.

31 Jul 2012