Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

QualityMetric announces new tool to measure pain accurately

According to the National Centers for Health Statistics, 76.2 million Americans report problems with chronic pain; more than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. The same report notes that the annual cost of chronic pain in the United States, including healthcare expenses, lost income, and productivity, is estimated to be $100 billion.

21 Sep 2009

Phytel releases new version of its web-based Proactive Patient Outreach Solution

Phytel, the leading provider of information technology that empowers physician-led health improvement, today announced that version 5 of its web-based Proactive Patient Outreach Solution has been released and fully deployed to all of its customers.

21 Sep 2009

Results of Phase 1 study of Oral AEZS-112 announced by Aeterna Zentaris

Æterna Zentaris Inc. (TSX: AEZ; Nasdaq: AEZS) ("the Company"), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on endocrine therapy and oncology, today announced the completion of a Phase 1 study of its orally-active tubulin and topoisomerase II inhibitor compound, AEZS-112, in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphoma, which may potentially provide a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer.

21 Sep 2009

Optimized diabetes management with the CONTOUR(R) USB blood glucose meter

Bayer Diabetes Care today announced U.S. Food & Drug Administration clearance to market the CONTOUR(R) USB blood glucose meter. Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter is the first and only blood glucose monitor that plugs directly into a computer providing users with instant access to information that can help optimize diabetes management. The CONTOUR USB meter is integrated with Glucofacts(TM) DELUXE software for easy retrieval of data as well as longer-term tracking and analysis of blood glucose test results.

21 Sep 2009

Ipsen's Azzalure muscle relaxant receives Spanish AEMPS marketing approval

Galderma, the leading pharmaceutical company in dermatology, and Ipsen (Euronext: IPN), an international innovation-driven specialty pharmaceutical group, today announced that Azzalure® (botulinum toxin type A manufactured by Ipsen), a local muscle relaxant specifically developed for aesthetic use, has received a marketing authorization in Spain from the Spanish Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (AEMPS) for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines seen at the frown (vertical lines between the eyebrows), in adult men and women aged 65 years and under, when the severity of these lines has an important psychological impact on the patient.

21 Sep 2009

Type 2 diabetes more prevalent in women with large abdominal fat cells

Middle-aged women with large abdominal fat cells have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life compared to women with smaller fat cells. Waist circumference divided by body height can also be used to determine which women are at risk. This is shown in a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

21 Sep 2009

A new study links 45,000 deaths a year to lack of insurance

Researchers find that 45,000 deaths a year can be linked to the lack of health insurance. But, some question the study's merits. CBS News reports that the study was conducted by a team "that tracked more than 9,000 people for up to 13 years, comparing the health of those with insurance to those without. After factoring in education and income, smoking, drinking and obesity, researchers found that the uninsured had about a 40 percent higher risk of death, linking 45,000 American deaths a year to lack of insurance. In 1993 it was 25 percent" (Axelrod, 9/17).

21 Sep 2009

Study reveals that KCNE2 and KCNQ1 mutations can results in thyroid dysfunction

Genes previously known to be essential to the coordinated, rhythmic electrical activity of cardiac muscle -- a healthy heartbeat -- have now also been found to play a key role in thyroid hormone (TH) biosynthesis, according to Weill Cornell Medical College researchers.

21 Sep 2009

SHP-2 protein molecule encourages placenta growth

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have shown that a common biological protein molecule called SHP-2 is crucial for encouraging placenta growth. The research is published today in Endocrinology.

21 Sep 2009

Research combining magnetism and nanotechnology

Researchers led by Daniel Kohane, MD, PhD of Children's Hospital Boston, funded by the National Institutes of Health, have devised a solution that combines magnetism with nanotechnology.

21 Sep 2009

KCI to conduct discussion on limb surgeries and amputations

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI) will sponsor a CME-accredited panel discussion, “The Role of NPWT in the Team Approach to Limb Salvage: Case Studies,” at the 3rd Annual Georgetown Diabetic Limb Salvage conference September 24-26.

19 Sep 2009

Experts’ comments on America's obesity epidemic

As a recent Newsweek article states, "it's hardly clear that there actually is an obesity epidemic, or that fat people are at greater risk of death than people of normal weight, or that weight loss—relentlessly promoted by public-health officials as the solution to America's weight problem—is an attainable goal at all."

19 Sep 2009

DMU student and Silver Star Appeal to campaign in India to increase diabetes awareness

A Pharmacy student from Leicester, UK, is putting into practice the skills he has learnt as part of his degree to assist a diabetes charity supported by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.

18 Sep 2009

Joslin Diabetes Center to provide educational material for U.S. Mills’ web site

U.S. Mills, LLC, which markets a family of healthy food brands including Uncle Sam® Cereal, announced today that the world-renowned Joslin Diabetes Center will provide educational material for U.S. Mills’ Web site, www.usmillsllc.com. The content will serve as a resource to Uncle Sam Cereal consumers, many of whom live with diabetes.

18 Sep 2009

Research program to study personalized medicine

A new collaborative research program that will use the power of metabolomic profiling to help advance the concept of personalized medicine was announced September 17, 2009 by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center at Duke University Medical Center.

18 Sep 2009

Treatment costs for diabetes care are higher in Texas than other states

The Texas Business Group on Health (TBGH), a non-profit business association, today released its annual report on the prevalence, cost and quality of care for Texans with Type 2 diabetes.

18 Sep 2009

Study reveals microRNAs affect tumor progression

UCSF researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers' understanding of the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology and point to new directions for future study and potential treatments.

18 Sep 2009

Proposal renews calls for tax on sugary beverages

A proposal to tax sugary drinks as a way to improve the nation's health had been considered dead. But it was given new life Wednesday by a group of experts who published their idea to tax soft drinks at a rate of 1 cent per ounce.

18 Sep 2009

NCPA and AADE collaborate to provide DSME/T program for community pharmacies

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) today announced a partnership that will expand counseling options for patients while offering community pharmacies a path to be compensated by Medicare and other insurers for diabetes management.

18 Sep 2009

Researchers to focus on abnormal fetal growth and chronic kidney disease

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University two grants totaling $3.5 million to study epigenetic changes - chemical modifications of genes caused by stress, diet or other environmental influences - and how they contribute to human diseases and biological processes.

18 Sep 2009