Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Researchers discover genes that influence human height

An international team of researchers, including a number from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of medicine and public health, have discovered hundreds of genes that influence human height.

30 Sep 2010

Michigan University researchers receive funds to study breast cancer risk factors

A team of researchers led by a Michigan State University scientist has been awarded $14 million to identify risk factors for breast cancer in young women, focusing on growth, diet, physical activity and body size during a woman's lifetime.

30 Sep 2010

Breakthrough neuroblastoma treatment

According to a new study the addition of an experimental immunotherapy drug to the standard regimen of care extended the lives and decreased the risk of a disease recurrence in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. This tumor most frequently originates in one of the adrenal glands, but can also develop in nerve tissues in the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis. It forms 12 percent of cancer-related deaths in children under the age of 15 and half of patients with this type of malignancy have the high-risk form.

29 Sep 2010

Swine flu no longer a threat to Americans: Report

According to the latest research most Americans are immune to the swine flu virus. Results of the study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, published in the journal mBio show that around 59 percent of the 310 million U.S. population has developed immunity to H1N1 either from exposure to similar viruses, vaccination, or natural H1N1 infection.

29 Sep 2010

XOMA completes patient enrollment in XOMA 052 Phase 2a trial

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced that patient enrollment was recently completed for the company's Phase 2a trial of XOMA 052 in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

29 Sep 2010

Study analyses CT for screening of coronary artery calcification in radiation-induced cancer cases

A study based on computer modeling of radiation risk suggests that widespread screening for the buildup of calcium in the arteries using computed tomography scans would lead to an estimated 42 additional radiation-induced cancer cases per 100,000 men and 62 cases per 100,000 women, according to a report in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

29 Sep 2010

Study finds broader statin use as a cost-effective way to prevent heart attack and stroke

A new analysis suggests that broader statin use among adult patients may be a cost-effective way to prevent heart attack and stroke. The Stanford University School of Medicine study also found that using a popular test - a screening for high sensitivity C-reactive protein, or CRP - to identify patients who may benefit from statin therapy would be cost-effective, but only under certain scenarios.

29 Sep 2010

Research: SorCS1 gene is linked to Alzheimer's disease, Type 2 diabetes

A research team led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine has identified the mechanism behind a single gene linked to the causes of both Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes.

29 Sep 2010

Saudi FDA approves Apligraf for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, chronic wounds

Organogenesis, Inc. announced that its Apligraf® bilayered living cellular construct has been approved for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and other chronic wounds by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Apligraf is a living cell based product used by physicians to heal chronic wounds in patients in the U.S. and around the world.

29 Sep 2010

SGC releases 1000th high resolution protein structure

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), an international public private partnership that aims to determine three dimensional structures of medically important proteins, announced today the release into the public domain of its 1000th high resolution protein structure.

29 Sep 2010

Endo Pharmaceuticals to acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals

Apax Partners today announced that Endo Pharmaceuticals has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals for approximately $1.2 billion in cash. Qualitest, a portfolio company of Apax Partners since 2007, is the sixth largest generic pharmaceutical company in the U.S.

28 Sep 2010

Endo Pharmaceuticals to acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, a leading, privately held generics company in the U.S., for approximately $1.2 billion in cash.

28 Sep 2010

Study reveals hunger costs Minnesotans $1.62 billion per annum

A University of Minnesota Food Industry Center study funded by Target and released today reveals that hunger is costing Minnesotans upwards of $1.62 billion annually in direct and indirect health and education costs. The Cost/Benefit Study also suggests that interventions aimed at preventing hunger are sound moral, social and financial investments.

28 Sep 2010

Women & Infants Hospital receives $2.1M NIH grant to continue work under COBRE for Perinatal Biology

Women & Infants Hospital has recently received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue work under the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Perinatal Biology. Of the 108 COBREs across the country, Women & Infants is the only one specifically focused on developmental research.

28 Sep 2010

Community health centers help those without insurance

In 2001, a Charleston, W.Va., a hospital and three community health centers set up a Community Access Program to help give low-income residents a primary health care system in the hopes of lowering emergency room care. The program has enrolled 5,000 people and "cut their hospital use in half," the Charleston Gazette reports.

28 Sep 2010

KeyVive provides Simplatype mHealth SMS technology to improve healthcare

KeyVive, Inc., a healthcare technology company that uses social media and self management tools to help individuals with chronic illnesses, is dialing up a ground-breaking, HIPAA compliant mHealth technology for people not only affected by diabetes, but also with other diseases.

28 Sep 2010

Rockland receives Phase I SBIR grant to develop assay for monitoring Akt pathway activity

Rockland Immunochemicals Inc., a biotechnology company focusing on antibodies and antibody based tools for basic research, assay development and preclinical studies, today announced that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a pharmacodynamic assay to monitor the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

28 Sep 2010

BCBC awards $5 million for cell therapy research in type 1 diabetes

Maike Sander, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and cellular & molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has been awarded nearly $5 million by the Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC) to lead an interdisciplinary team in cell therapy research for type 1 diabetes.

28 Sep 2010

Experts predict rise in food prices

With food prices expected to rise by 50 per cent within 10 years experts are planning to discuss the issues in Brisbane. There is to be a three-day summit on food security this week. With the global population touching nine billion by 2050, Australia’s role in feeding the world will be explored.

27 Sep 2010

UGA researcher receives NIH award for high-risk, high-reward carbohydrate research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a prestigious EUREKA award to Robert Woods, a professor at the University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, to develop a new method for understanding how antibodies interact with large molecules known as glycans that are a major component of all cell surfaces.

27 Sep 2010