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.

Grhelin hormone that controls hunger and appetite also linked to reduced fertility

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that in-utero exposure to the hormone grhelin, a molecule that controls appetite and hunger and nutrition, can result in decreased fertility and fewer offspring.

1 Apr 2008

Keeping in good shape in old age is harder for women

Women aged 65-plus find it harder than men of the same age to preserve muscle - which probably impacts on their ability to stay as strong and fit, according to new research.

28 Mar 2008

Insulin-like growth factor found to have new role in development of brain's smell center

A human hormone known to stimulate the growth of cells throughout the body has a new role - helping to set up the proper nerve connections in the odor center of the brain, according to University of California, Berkeley, scientists.

28 Mar 2008

Environmental factors linked to development of autoimmune diseases

Scientists working at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research have shown that environmental factors can influence the development of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.

28 Mar 2008

Beetle genome opens the door to developmental research

The whole DNA sequence of the red flour beetle, familiar to many as an unwelcome visitor to the kitchen flour jar, has been published in Nature .

28 Mar 2008

Softening of the skull bones in normal-looking babies might reflect vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy

Softening of the skull bones in normal-looking babies might reflect vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

26 Mar 2008

Hormonal contraception for men

Hormonal contraception may become a safe, effective, and reversible form of birth control for men, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

26 Mar 2008

HRT increases breast cancer recurrence

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for peri- and postmenopausal symptoms increases disease recurrence in breast cancer survivors, according to an article published online March 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

26 Mar 2008

Cardiovascular and metabolic issues in patients with thyroid dysfunction

Thyroid experts will present the latest information on cardiovascular and metabolic issues in patients with thyroid disorders, including those who have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), at a day-long scientific meeting on Friday, March 28, 2008 at the Marriott Metro Center in Washington, DC.

26 Mar 2008

Baby boys have higher mortality rate than girls in their first year of life

Researchers in the United States have revealed that baby boys are much more likely to die in the first year of life than baby girls.

25 Mar 2008

Researchers find evidence of periodontal disease leading to gestational diabetes

A study by a New York University dental research team has discovered evidence that pregnant women with periodontal (gum) disease are more likely to develop gestational diabetes mellitus than pregnant women with healthy gums.

25 Mar 2008

New genetic clue to Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University have discovered a gene that could hold the key to developing new treatments for Parkinson's disease – a progressive and often debilitating movement disorder that affects as many as one million Americans.

24 Mar 2008

Discovery of new effect for insulin

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have shown that insulin has a previously unknown effect that plays a role in aging and lifespan, a finding that could ultimately provide a mechanism for gene manipulations that could help people live longer and healthier lives.

24 Mar 2008

Brains are hardwired to act according to the Golden Rule

Wesley Autrey, a black construction worker, a Navy veteran and 55-year-old father of two, didn't know the young man standing beside him.

24 Mar 2008

Depressed women have more sex

Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, say depressed women have more sex than women who are mentally well.

23 Mar 2008

New study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3 can improve accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis

New clinical data from a study of 570 men published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology support the use of PROGENSA PCA3 as a tool for diagnosing prostate cancer. The study confirms that PROGENSA PCA3, the world's first gene-based urine test to help detect prostate cancer, can provide clinicians with valuable information that helps guide diagnosis.

20 Mar 2008

Healthy male reproductive organs depend on early hormone activity

A discovery by Medical Research Council scientists looking at the development of male foetuses could help explain the origin of common genital disorders that can cause reproductive problems or increase risk of low sperm counts and possibly testicular cancer later in life.

20 Mar 2008

Women's sexual disorders get medical attention in new Stanford program

Medicine is finally opening the bedroom door to women. When the male erectile dysfunction drug Viagra was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998, many middle-aged men experienced a new lease on life, or at least on life in the bedroom.

19 Mar 2008