Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Health information technology improves quality of care, study shows

Secure patient-physician e-mail messaging improves the effectiveness of care for patients with diabetes and hypertension, according to new research by Kaiser Permanente. The study, published in the July issue of Health Affairs, shows that health information technology improves quality of care scores.

8 Jul 2010

HHS awards $10M to support public health efforts for reducing tobacco use and obesity

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced awards of $10 million to 10 national non-profit organizations to support public health efforts to reduce tobacco use and reduce obesity through increased physical activity and improved nutrition.

8 Jul 2010

Scientists use genetically reprogrammed herpes virus to shrink distant sarcomas

Scientists have used a genetically reprogrammed herpes virus and an anti-vascular drug to shrink spreading distant sarcomas designed to model metastatic disease in mice - still an elusive goal when treating humans with cancer, according to a study in the July 8 Gene Therapy.

8 Jul 2010

Oramed Pharmaceuticals signs MSA with sanofi-aventis

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of oral delivery systems, today announced that Oramed entered into a Manufacturing Supply Agreement with sanofi-aventis. According to the MSA, sanofi-aventis will supply Oramed with specified quantities of recombinant human insulin to be used by Oramed for its clinical trials in the USA.

8 Jul 2010

Physical activity has little role to play in obesity epidemic among children: EarlyBird Diabetes Study

A new report from the EarlyBird Diabetes Study suggests that physical activity has little if any role to play in the obesity epidemic among children. Obesity is the key factor behind diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

8 Jul 2010

Common glucose test accurately predicts Type II adult-onset diabetes, study finds

A common test to diagnose gestational diabetes -- a temporary condition which can harm both mother and child if left untreated -- also has predictive power for Type II adult-onset diabetes, a new Tel Aviv University study finds.

8 Jul 2010

NOXXON to commence multiple ascending dose study of MCP-1 targeting anti-inflammatory Spiegelmer NOX-E36

NOXXON Pharma AG announced today that it has permission to commence a multiple ascending dose study of its Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) targeting anti-inflammatory Spiegelmer®, NOX-E36. NOXXON plans to develop NOX-E36 for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy and other diabetes related complications.

7 Jul 2010

Insights into complex interrelationships between heart and kidneys

Research is yielding new understanding of the interactions between the heart and the kidneys—particularly the cardiorenal syndrome, in which failure of either organ can lead to failure of the other. Recent insights into the complex interrelationships between the heart and kidneys are presented in a special symposium section of the July issue of The American Journal of Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

7 Jul 2010

American Lung Association welcomes U.S. EPA proposal to reduce power plant pollution

The cleanup of power plants is long overdue. Power plant pollution causes tens of thousands of premature deaths each year. These plants are major contributors to particulate pollution and ozone in the East and Midwest. The American Lung Association welcomes today's proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce power plant pollution across 31 states.

7 Jul 2010

Study shows gene-environment interaction in congenital heart disease

A pregnant mother's diet may be able to interact with the genes her unborn child inherits and influence the type or severity of birth defect according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation. The study, published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, suggests that mothers who eat a high fat diet before and through pregnancy could be inadvertently putting the health of their offspring at risk.

7 Jul 2010

Robots help remove diseased thyroid gland without neck incision

Robots that revolutionized gynecologic and urologic surgery in the past decade now offer the option of removing at least a portion of their diseased thyroid gland without the hallmark neck incision, researchers said.

7 Jul 2010

Research could lead to remote stimulation of cells to treat cancer or diabetes

Clusters of heated, magnetic nanoparticles targeted to cell membranes can remotely control ion channels, neurons and even animal behavior, according to a paper published by University at Buffalo physicists in Nature Nanotechnology.

7 Jul 2010

TGen develops G-SQZ technique for genomic data processing

A new computer data compression technique called Genomic SQueeZ, developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, will allow genetic researchers and others to store, analyze and share massive volumes of data in less space and at lower cost.

7 Jul 2010

Nearly 60% of Ontarians with rheumatoid arthritis fail to receive needed care from specialists: Study

Nearly 60 per cent of Ontarians with rheumatoid arthritis - an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints - were not seen by a specialist within a one year period to treat the debilitating disease, according to a new study. Even more concerning is that women of child-bearing age are less likely to see a specialist than women 45 or older, say researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences, and Women's College Hospital

7 Jul 2010

Study: High concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure

A new study by UCSF cardiologists and researchers found that high concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure, improve the health of blood vessels and increase the number of circulating blood-vessel-forming cells in patients with heart disease. The findings indicate that foods rich in flavanols - such as cocoa products, tea, wine, and various fruits and vegetables - have a cardio-protective benefit for heart disease patients.

7 Jul 2010

New research shows cellular changes in fat tissue lead to type 2 diabetes

Cellular changes in fat tissue-not the immune system-lead to the "hyperinflammation" characteristic of obesity-related glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati.

7 Jul 2010

Experts show the continuing global impact of Framingham Heart Study

Few medical investigations have had the impact of the Framingham Heart Study. This study, started in 1948, was designed as a cohort, observational study of cardiovascular disease, then recognized as a growing health threat but now has emerged as much more. The Framingham Heart study came to revolutionize thinking about cardiovascular disease, change the study of epidemiology, and even force the biostatistics community to develop multivariate analysis.

7 Jul 2010

PI3 kinase boosts body heat, helps burn excess calories

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest that an enzyme in the brain known as PI3 kinase might control the increased generation of body heat that helps burn off excess calories after eating a high-fat meal.

7 Jul 2010

FDA grants Angion Biomedica's BB3 therapeutic Fast Track and Orphan Drug product designations

Angion Biomedica Corp., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics that enhance quality of life, eradicate disease and save lives by modulating the body's protective, reparative and regenerative systems, announced today that its lead therapeutic BB3 was accepted into the Fast Track program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has also been designated an Orphan Drug product by FDA.

7 Jul 2010

Abbott’s plans to aid diabetes research if elected

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced last Saturday that he would be rolling out a $35 million funding for a clinical trial network (CTN) to improve the health of Australians with diabetes if he is elected as Prime Minister. The Rudd Governments $5million to the CTN will be supplemented by these funds. “This is one Coalition commitment I would be very happy for the government to match,” he said.

4 Jul 2010