Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

TAK-875 - an emerging therapy for Type 2 diabetes

In a trial of 426 patients with Type 2 diabetes, TAK-875 reduced blood sugar below a pre-determined level in as much as 48 percent of those receiving it after 12 weeks, compared with 40 percent of those who took glimepiride, the older drug, according to findings published online by The Lancet medical journal. The research was presented in June at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

28 Feb 2012

Insights into how fructose may contribute to development of obesity, diabetes

A group of scientists from across the world have come together in a just-published study that provides new insights into how fructose causes obesity and metabolic syndrome, more commonly known as diabetes.

28 Feb 2012

AF strong predictor of cognitive and functional decline in older people at risk of heart disease

An irregular heartbeat - atrial fibrillation - is a strong predictor of cognitive decline and the loss of independence in daily activities in older people at risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study in CMAJ.

28 Feb 2012

Vascular Magnetics to advance development of new drug delivery system for PAD

Vascular Magnetics, the first start-up company spun off by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has raised $7 million to advance development of an innovative drug delivery system using magnetically targeted nanoparticles to treat peripheral artery disease.

28 Feb 2012

UT Southwestern's chairman of pharmacology wins 2012 Rolf Luft Award

Dr. David Mangelsdorf, chairman of pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the 2012 Rolf Luft Award for research that has advanced understanding of nuclear receptor pathways.

28 Feb 2012

Strong link between BMI and asthma in Hispanic youth

Children and adolescents who are overweight or obese are more likely to have asthma than their healthy weight counterparts, according to a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in the online edition of Obesity. The study, which included more than 681,000 children between ages 6 and 19, found that the association between asthma and body mass index varied by race and ethnicity.

28 Feb 2012

LA BioMed to honor Women & Infants physician as 'Legend'

The Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) recently announced that it will honor John E. Buster, MD, associate director of the Center for Reproduction and Infertility at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and Tufts Medical Center, as one of its three "Legends" this May.

28 Feb 2012

TAK-875 as effective as glimepiride in treating type 2 diabetes

TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.

27 Feb 2012

Materion fourth quarter sales down 6% to $334.4M

Materion Corporation today reported fourth quarter and full-year 2011 results. The Company also confirmed its outlook for a stronger 2012. The results for the quarter and the outlook are consistent with those announced on February 8, 2012.

27 Feb 2012

New drug improves glycaemic control with minimum risk of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetics

27 Feb 2012

Montefiore director to host Twitter chat about neuroendocrine tumors on Feb. 29

On February 29, which is Rare Disease Day, Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care will host a Twitter chat about the signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, a rare form of cancer.

27 Feb 2012

Ingrown toenails the most common problem that results from high heels

High heels can cause a number of foot problems, yet most women aren't willing to give their shoes the boot, according to podiatrists at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). Ingrown toenails are among the most common problems that result from high heels. This condition, also known as onychocryptosis, occurs when the toes compress together making the big toenails grow into the skin.

27 Feb 2012

The Lancet publishes Takeda's TAK-875 Phase 2 data on type 2 diabetes

Phase 2 clinical data of an investigational type 2 diabetes therapy, TAK-875 of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, were published online first in The Lancet.

27 Feb 2012

Study finds genetic variants that elevate risk for skin lesions in people exposed to arsenic

One of the first large-scale genomic studies conducted in a developing country has discovered genetic variants that elevate the risk for skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic. Genetic changes found near the enzyme for metabolizing the chemical into a less toxic form can significantly increase an individual's risk for developing arsenic-related disease.

26 Feb 2012

Lung function, obstructive airway diseases linked with increased risk of heart failure

A large population-based study has found that lung function and obstructive airway diseases are strongly and independently associated with increased risk of heart failure. Importantly, say the investigators, this association was even evident in never-smokers and was still evident after adjustment for smoking status and number of years smoking. This, they add, indicates "that our results are not primarily confounded by smoking".

26 Feb 2012

Exelixis announces cabozantinib preclinical data on pancreatic cancer

Exelixis, Inc. today announced the company's lead compound, cabozantinib, is highlighted in a new peer-reviewed publication demonstrating that simultaneous inhibition of MET and VEGF signaling reduces tumor invasiveness and metastasis in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

26 Feb 2012

FDA panel votes in favor of earlier rejected anti-obesity drug Qnexa

Qnexa took a step closer to approval on Wednesday, when outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 20-to-2 in favor of approval. The panel also recommended the company conduct a study to scrutinize even more closely any risk of heart problems. That study may be required after the drug is approved. Should the FDA ask for further data on heart risks before any approval, it would delay Qnexa's launch further.

26 Feb 2012

Helmholtz Association grant for research on diseases caused by protein misfolding

Professor Erich Wanker of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and of the Excellence Cluster Neurocure is to receive EUR 675 000 in funding from the Helmholtz Association over the next two years. The grant shall be used to accelerate the search for active agents to treat diseases that are caused by protein misfolding. These include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

24 Feb 2012

Combined bioactive peptides successfully stimulate wound healing

Researchers have combined bioactive peptides to successfully stimulate wound healing. The in vitro and in vivo study, published today in PLoS ONE, demonstrates that the combination of two peptides stimulates the growth of blood vessels and promotes re-growth of tissue. Further development of these peptides could lead to a new treatment for chronic and acute wounds.

24 Feb 2012

Rhei granted marketing approval for MuGard in China

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, diabetes, and RNAi, announced that its MuGard partner in China, Rhei Pharmaceuticals HK Ltd., received regulatory and marketing approval for MuGard in China from the State Food and Drug Administration, or SFDA, to treat oral mucositis in cancer patients.

24 Feb 2012