Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Aeterna Zentaris reaches SPA agreement with FDA for AEZS-108 Phase 3 trial in endometrial cancer

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") on a Special Protocol Assessment ("SPA") for an upcoming Phase 3 registration trial in endometrial cancer with its doxorubicin peptide conjugate, AEZS-108. The SPA agreement states that the proposed trial protocol design, clinical endpoints and planned analyses are acceptable to the FDA to support a regulatory submission.

29 Dec 2012

Behavioral changes and discipline needed to lose weight

Losing weight and saving money are perenially the top New Year's resolutions made by many Americans. But both require behavioral changes and a certain amount of discipline.

29 Dec 2012

Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.

29 Dec 2012

Subclinical hypothyroidism not a risk factor for heart disease

Persistent subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults is not associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events, US research shows.

28 Dec 2012

Diabetes interventions show promise in primary care

Two lifestyle-based diabetes interventions developed in a clinical trial could successfully promote weight loss in primary care, research shows.

28 Dec 2012

Group health approved for PCORI research awards to study care for back pain

Group Health has been approved for two research awards from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study ways to improve care for back pain and to connect patients with community resources. The projects are part of a portfolio of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research that addresses PCORI's National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda.

28 Dec 2012

Researchers sequence entire gene to identify mutations that cause hyperinsulinism

Congenital hyperinsulinism is a genetic condition where a baby's pancreas secretes too much insulin. It affects approximately one in 50,000 live births and in severe cases requires the surgical removal of all or part of the pancreas.

28 Dec 2012

Key regulator of energy metabolism in cancer cells may play a crucial role in restricting cancer cell growth

Researchers at McGill University have discovered that a key regulator of energy metabolism in cancer cells known as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may play a crucial role in restricting cancer cell growth. AMPK acts as a "fuel gauge" in cells; AMPK is turned on when it senses changes in energy levels, and helps to change metabolism when energy levels are low, such as during exercise or when fasting.

28 Dec 2012

Bariatric surgery succeeds when new year resolutions to lose weight fail

For years Blanca Ramirez, like many Americans, started each new year with a resolution to lose weight. But no more. "I lost 55 pounds this year and the weight is rolling off and will stay off," said the 42 year-old, married, mother of three. Ramirez underwent bariatric surgery at Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care in August and has lost 55 pounds in four months.

28 Dec 2012

Juxtapid receives FDA approval for treatment of rare cholesterol disorder

On Dec. 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Juxtapid (lomitapide) to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). Juxtapid is intended for use in combination with a low fat diet and other lipid-lowering treatments.

27 Dec 2012

SVR associated with prolonged overall survival in patients with chronic HCV infection

Among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and advanced hepatic fibrosis (development of excess fibrous connective tissue), sustained virological response (SVR) to interferon-based treatment was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with patients without SVR, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Dec 2012

Study on prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis among U.S. soldiers

Among deployed U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries between 2001-2011 and underwent autopsies, the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent, with factors associated with a higher prevalence of the disease including older age, lower educational level and prior diagnoses of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Dec 2012

Survey reveals significant improvement in delivery of underused care

An analysis of nationally representative survey data found significant improvement in the delivery of underused care, but more limited changes in the reduction of inappropriate care in ambulatory health care settings between 1998 and 2009, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

25 Dec 2012

Study reveals body's food clock on a molecular level

If the sinful excess of holiday eating sends your system into butter-slathered, brandy-soaked overload, you are not alone: People who are jet-lagged, people who work graveyard shifts and plain-old late-night snackers know just how you feel.

25 Dec 2012

Diuretic-based antihypertensive therapy touted for obese

Diuretic-based antihypertensive regimens may be preferable to calcium channel blocker-based therapy in patients who are obese, suggest researchers writing in The Lancet.

24 Dec 2012

Insulin resistance risk in sleepyhead teens

Inadequate amounts of sleep could put teenagers at increased risk for elevated insulin resistance, say US researchers.

22 Dec 2012

Comorbidity could alter joint arthroplasty prognosis

The long-term outcome of hip and knee arthroplasty may be significantly influenced by comorbidity, suggest results from a large register-based study of over 96,000 osteoarthritis patients.

22 Dec 2012

BCPR, Orexigen partner to accelerate patient enrollment for Contrave obesity Light Study

Blue Chip Patient Recruitment, a division of Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, a full-service integrated marketing agency, has successfully partnered with Orexigen Therapeutics to accelerate patient enrollment of The Light Study, Orexigen's cardiovascular outcomes trial evaluating Contrave (naltrexone sustained release (SR)/bupropion SR).

21 Dec 2012

Viewpoints: Playing chicken on entitlements; 'Getting serious' about mental illness; Hospital labs devastated by Sandy

This is no time for a Grand Bargain, because the Republican Party, as now constituted, is just not an entity with which the president can make a serious deal. If we're going to get a grip on our nation's problems - of which the budget deficit is a minor part - the power of the G.O.P.'s extremists, and their willingness to hold the economy hostage if they don't get their way, needs to be broken. And somehow I don't think that's going to happen in the next few days (Paul Krugman, 12/20).

21 Dec 2012

Study finds increased risk of cancers among rescue/recovery workers after WTC terrorist attack

Among rescue and recovery workers exposed to the dust, debris, and fumes following the World Trade Center terrorist attack, there was an increased incidence of prostate and thyroid cancers and multiple myeloma, although it is not clear how big a factor medical screening and non-WTC risk factors contributed to these increases, according to a study in the December 19 issue of JAMA.

21 Dec 2012