Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Multiple interventions improve medication adherence for patients with chronic conditions

Although patients with chronic conditions who do not take medications as prescribed tend to have poorer health outcomes and higher health care costs than those who adhere to medication regimens, a new report sheds light on the potential for multiple interventions to improve medication adherence.

13 Sep 2012

Treating elderly patients with elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels may be unnecessary

There is no evidence to link mildly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels to an increase in mortality among the elderly, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

13 Sep 2012

Biodel initiates BIOD-123 Phase 2 trial in Type 1 diabetes

Biodel Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of its proprietary recombinant insulin (RHI)-based ultra-rapid-acting mealtime insulin candidate, BIOD-123.

13 Sep 2012

Some gut microbes increase absorption of dietary fats

You may think you have dinner all to yourself, but you're actually sharing it with a vast community of microbes waiting within your digestive tract. A new study from a team including Carnegie's Steve Farber and Juliana Carten reveals that some gut microbes increase the absorption of dietary fats, allowing the host organism to extract more calories from the same amount of food.

13 Sep 2012

ATA, AACE develop new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism

New evidence-based guidelines have been released for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism, a complex disease caused by an underactive thyroid gland that cannot produce enough thyroid hormone.

13 Sep 2012

Silent infarcts prognostic in young stroke patients

Silent ischemic lesions are common and are associated with a high rate of recurrent events in young patients with acute ischemic stroke, report researchers.

12 Sep 2012

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 level linked to incident diabetes

Elevated angiopoietin-like protein 2 levels are associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes, show findings from a Japanese study.

12 Sep 2012

NCDs must be included in new global development goals

In this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog, Johanna Ralston, chief executive of the World Heart Federation, and Ann Keeling, chief executive of the International Diabetes Federation, argue non-communicable diseases (NCDs) must be part of any new global development goals, writing, "NCDs and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty contributes to rising rates of NCDs, posing a threat to sustainable development."

12 Sep 2012

Annual economic cost of chronic pain is as high as $635 billion: Study

Health economists from Johns Hopkins University writing in The Journal of Pain (www.jpain.org) reported the annual cost of chronic pain is as high as $635 billion a year, which is more than the yearly costs for cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

12 Sep 2012

Exercise and health: An interview with Professor Karim Khan

I’ll quote from the ‘7 investments’ document (see below) as I don’t believe we need to reinvent the wheel to argue for the benefits of exercise. I am very keen to move to the issue of ‘how can we help people exercise’. But for the record:

12 Sep 2012

APS conference to explore potential mechanisms behind health benefits of exercise

The effects of physical inactivity are, literally, hazardous to your health. Although the detrimental effects of being inactive are generally thought to be associated with childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, they have a significant impact on other illnesses. Physical inactivity contributed at least 25 percent to the prevalence of hip fractures, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, and colon cancer according to recent data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

12 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's whiplash on health law; Clinton's mistaken argument about Medicare savings

At first glance, it looked like Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had once again altered his position on healthcare reform. "I'm not getting rid of all of healthcare reform," he said on "Meet the Press" over the weekend.

12 Sep 2012

Latinos more likely to store fat in the pancreas and develop type 2 diabetes

Latinos are more likely to store fat in the pancreas and are less able to compensate by excreting additional insulin, a Cedars-Sinai study shows.

12 Sep 2012

Blocking GSK3b enzyme can prevent bacterial-induced periodontal bone loss

A University of Louisville scientist has found a way to prevent inflammation and bone loss surrounding the teeth by blocking a natural signaling pathway of the enzyme GSK3b, which plays an important role in directing the immune response.

12 Sep 2012

'Deep sleep' intimately involved in complex control of pubertal onset

Slow-wave sleep, or 'deep sleep', is intimately involved in the complex control of the onset of puberty, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM).

12 Sep 2012

Book provides holistic view of post-traumatic stress disorder

Close to 5.2 million adults experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) every year. And it can affect anyone — from war veterans and abuse victims to persons directly or indirectly traumatized by violence, natural disaster or other catastrophes.

12 Sep 2012

Many pediatric respiratory hospitalizations unnecessary

Study findings suggest that a large number of pediatric hospitalizations, particularly those of a respiratory nature, could be prevented.

11 Sep 2012

End-stage renal patients 'suffer stroke-related impairments'

Stroke symptoms are relatively common among patients with end-stage renal disease and are associated with cognitive impairments and reduced ability to perform daily activities, the results of a US study indicate.

11 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

This year's Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat. His team was the first to show that fat cells are formed throughout one's lifetime, not just in childhood.

11 Sep 2012

BRI scientists receive two major grant awards for research into autoimmunity prevention

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) recently received two major grant awards to explore how to regulate the immune system, as part of a nationwide collaborative program to prevent autoimmune diseases.

11 Sep 2012