Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Urologic conditions contribute to major economic burden in the U.S.

Urologic conditions like urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and prostate cancer are a major economic burden on Americans, resulting in health care costs of close to $40 billion annually, according to a newly released national report that charts the demographic and economic impact of urologic diseases in the U.S.

19 May 2012

Research roundup: Electronic health records don't seem to improve diabetes care; Beefing up adult vaccination rates

Federal officials and health policy experts believe that electronic health records (EHRs) will improve patient care. Researchers measured adherence to diabetes care guidelines as well as patient outcomes over three years at 16 practices using EHRs and 26 practices using paper records. Practices with EHRs did not show signs of better care and providers using them "have not made the necessary changes to both work processes and ways of thinking about care that would lead to improvements in chronic illness management."

19 May 2012

Studies show vitamin D may benefit cardiovascular, skin and metabolic disorders

The Endocrine Society's new scientific statement published online today represents the first comprehensive evaluation of both the basic and clinical evidence related to the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D. The statement addresses current research regarding the associations of vitamin D with immune function, hypertension, stroke, skin conditions and maternal/fetal health.

19 May 2012

Pregnant women should be encouraged to minimise weight gain through diet

Pregnant women, including those who are obese or overweight, should be encouraged to minimise weight gain through diet, according to major new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

19 May 2012

Personal genetic test results does not drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have increasing opportunities to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up or diminish test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a study performed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues at other institutions.

19 May 2012

Ventac and GIBH announce creation of CASiGEN Pharma

Ventac Partners and the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIBH) today announced the creation of CASiGEN Pharma Ltd. (CASiGEN) to bring new treatments for diabetes and other metabolic disorders to the global market.

18 May 2012

Migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder

The latest genetic and biological research shows that migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder and both acute and preventive treatments being developed target peripheral and central nervous systems, according to a prominent migraine expert addressing the American Pain Society (APS)today.

18 May 2012

Personal genetic test results don't drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have more and more chances to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up- or diminish-test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012 early online issue of Genetics in Medicine.

18 May 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Ipsen, Active Biotech to present data from tasquinimod phase II trial on CRPC at ASCO 2012

Active Biotech and Ipsen will present tasquinimod (TASQ), their prostate cancer drug candidate, at the scientific conference "2012 ASCO Annual Meeting" to be held in Chicago (USA) on 1-5 June 2012.

18 May 2012

Janssen’s NUCYNTA ER tablets more effective in providing pain management in adults with DPN

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the results of an investigational Phase 3 study suggesting NUCYNTA ER (tapentadol) extended-release tablets were significantly more effective than placebo in providing pain management among adults with chronic moderate to severe, painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

18 May 2012

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.

18 May 2012

Researchers identify novel base modification in RNA

Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

18 May 2012

Renal denervation can effectively reduce blood pressure in CKD patients with hypertension

Disrupting certain nerves in the kidneys can safely and effectively lower blood pressure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

18 May 2012

Insight into why diabetics suffer from increased pain and temperature sensitivity

Why diabetics suffer from increased pain and temperature sensitivity is a step closer to being understood and effectively treated.

17 May 2012

First Edition: May 17, 2012

Today's headlines includes reports about the deadline set by the federal government regarding the creation of state-based health insurance exchanges.

17 May 2012

Paper-based diabetes device can be adapted for other applications

With epidemics of Type 2 diabetes looming in rural India, China and other areas of the world where poverty limits the availability of health care, scientists are reporting development of an inexpensive and easy-to-use urine test ideally suited for such areas. The report describing the paper-based device, which also could be adapted for the diagnosis and monitoring of other conditions and the environment, appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry.

17 May 2012

Abiraterone acetate can help eliminate prostate tumors

A hormone-depleting drug approved last year for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer can help eliminate or nearly eliminate tumors in many patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, according to a clinical study to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), June 1-5, in Chicago.

17 May 2012

Marathon runners less likely to die during or soon after the race

Even though hundreds of thousands more people finished grueling 26.2 mile marathons in the United States in 2009 compared to a decade earlier, a runner's risk of dying during or soon after the race has remained very low — about .75 per 100,000, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. Men, however, were twice as likely to die as women.

17 May 2012

WHO releases World Health Statistics 2012 with first-time data on blood pressure, diabetes

The WHO on Wednesday released its World Health Statistics 2012 report, which "for the first time includes a look at blood pressure and glucose levels, two of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease," according to the Associated Press/Washington Post.

17 May 2012