Hormone News and Research

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A hormone is a chemical released by one or more cells that affects cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. It is essentially a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another.

Viewpoints: Insuring medical treatments are well researched; GOP Govs reluctance on exchanges may backfire

By 1990, many doctors were recommending hormone replacement therapy to healthy middle-aged women and P.S.A. screening for prostate cancer to older men. Both interventions had become standard medical practice. But in 2002, a randomized trial showed that preventive hormone replacement caused more problems (more heart disease and breast cancer) than it solved. ... Then, in 2009, trials showed that P.S.A. screening led to many unnecessary surgeries and had a dubious effect on prostate cancer deaths.

21 Aug 2012

Studies raise possibility of new DBS approaches to treat obesity

Scientific advances in understanding the "addiction circuitry" of the brain may lead to effective treatment for obesity using deep brain stimulation (DBS), according to a review article in the August issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

21 Aug 2012

Semen protein acts on the female brain to prompt ovulation

An international team of scientists led by Gregg Adams at the University of Saskatchewan has discovered that a protein in semen acts on the female brain to prompt ovulation, and is the same molecule that regulates the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells.

21 Aug 2012

PD risk factors for potential clinical screening identified

A meta-analysis has identified 19 risk factors that significantly impact a person’s risk for Parkinson’s disease and could be of potential value for clinical screening, say the authors.

20 Aug 2012

Total cholesterol test can identify patients at increased risk of heart disease

Researchers in India have developed a total cholesterol test that uses a digital camera to take a snapshot of the back of the patient's hand rather than a blood sample. The image obtained is cropped and compared with images in a database for known cholesterol levels.

18 Aug 2012

Mylan Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for pioglitazone tablets to treat type 2 diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride) tablets. Along with diet and exercise, pioglitazone is used to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

18 Aug 2012

Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim receive FDA approval for Tradjenta sNDA to treat type 2 diabetes

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Tradjenta (linagliptin) tablets for use as add-on therapy to insulin.

18 Aug 2012

HRT linked to ulcerative colitis in postmenopausal women

Taking postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy increases the risk for ulcerative colitis, but not Crohn’s disease, a study shows.

17 Aug 2012

Enzalutamide drug extends survival in people with advanced prostate cancer

Results of a phase III clinical trial of the drug Enzalutamide, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, show the drug extends life by an average five months in the most advanced stages of prostate cancer.

17 Aug 2012

Acute stress modifies DNA methylation and activity of certain genes

Acute stress alters the methylation of the DNA and thus the activity of certain genes. This is reported by researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum together with colleagues from Basel, Trier and London for the first time in the journal Translational Psychiatry. "The results provide evidence how stress could be related to a higher risk of mental or physical illness", says Prof. Dr. Gunther Meinlschmidt from the Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the LWL University Hospital of the RUB.

16 Aug 2012

Enzalutamide drug can extend life and improve QOL in men with advanced prostate cancer

The head of one of the UK's leading cancer research organisations has hailed a golden age in prostate cancer drug discovery as for the fourth time in two years results are published finding a new drug can significantly extend life.

16 Aug 2012

Low adropin levels may increase risk of metabolic disease

Working with a national team of researchers, a scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has shown for the first time a link between low levels of a specific hormone and increased risk of metabolic disease in humans.

16 Aug 2012

Physical activity effective in reducing sclerostin in premenopausal women

A study to be published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that physical activity for premenopausal women is very effective in reducing sclerostin-a known inhibitor of bone formation. In addition, physical training enhances IGF-1levels, which have a very positive effect on bone formation.

16 Aug 2012

Technion researchers build pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells to treat diabetes

Technion researchers have built pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells, surrounded by a three-dimensional network of blood vessels. The engineered tissue could pave the way for improved tissue transplants to treat diabetes.

16 Aug 2012

Yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or ability to lose weight long term

Yo-yo dieting - the repetitive loss and regain of body weight, also called weight cycling - is prevalent in the Western world, affecting an estimated 10 percent to 40 percent of the population. The degree to which weight cycling may impact metabolism or thwart a person's ability to lose weight in the long run has been unclear - until now.

16 Aug 2012

TG2 plays a key role in serotonin deficiency associated with depression

Connecting the dots between two molecules whose levels are decreased in depression and increased by current antidepressants could yield new therapies, researchers say.

15 Aug 2012

Early stage breast cancer in older women: an interview with Dr. Benjamin Smith

Early stage breast cancer in older women is a common problem. In the United States nearly half of women diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 65 or older. A sizeable proportion of those patients have early stage breast cancer.

15 Aug 2012

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals initiates enrollment in Phase 2b ozarelix study for prostate cancer

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, today announced initiation of patient enrollment in the second part of the Company's randomized Phase 2 clinical program of ozarelix, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonist, in men with prostate cancer for whom hormonal treatment is indicated.

15 Aug 2012

TAIN project aims to optimise treatment for babies with adrenal insufficiency

Groundbreaking research into rare neonatal diseases, conducted by the University of Sheffield, is set to improve the treatment of babies who lack the stress hormone cortisol.

15 Aug 2012

FDA extends PDUFA action date for NPS Gattex NDA

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today announced that it has received a communication from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extending the Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date for its New Drug Application for Gattex (teduglutide) by three months to December 30, 2012.

13 Aug 2012