Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Breathalyzer distinguishes normal and disease-state glucose metabolism

The future of disease diagnosis may lie in a "breathalyzer"-like technology currently under development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

7 Feb 2012

Researchers describe genetic basis of endometriosis

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have, for the first time, described the genetic basis of endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women that is marked by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The researchers' discovery of a new gene mutation provides hope for new screening methods.

6 Feb 2012

Diabetic mothers and risk of birth defects in baby: Study

Anew study published in Diabetologica reveals that pregnant women with diabetes are almost four times more likely to have a baby with a birth defect.

6 Feb 2012

Body's zinc control mechanisms may be key to aggressive breast cancer treatments

The body's control mechanisms for delivering zinc to cells could be key to improving treatment for some types of aggressive breast cancer.

6 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Safety-net hospitals stack up well against others

This study compares ER performance at safety-net hospitals (those with a disproportionate share of Medicaid and uninsured patients) to non-safety net hospitals to see if proposed pay-for-performance measures could have a negative impact.

6 Feb 2012

Is sugar as bad as alcohol and tobacco?

According to US health experts, sugar is as damaging and addictive as alcohol or tobacco and should be regulated. The University of California team suggests new policies such as taxes are needed to control soaring consumption of sugar and sweeteners. Prof Robert Lustig argues in the opinion piece called “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” in journal Nature for major shifts in public policy.

3 Feb 2012

Binge drinking and moderate drinking do not differ in risk for ischemic heart disease or mortality

Most studies have found that binge drinking is associated with a loss of alcohol's protective effect against ischemic heart disease (IHD) and most studies have found an increase of coronary risk among binge drinkers.

3 Feb 2012

Height, BMI in early childhood can contribute to adult bone mass and density

Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with a research group in Delhi, India, have shown that growth in early childhood can affect bone density in adult life, which could lead to an increased risk of developing bone diseases like osteoporosis.

3 Feb 2012

Marin Magazine names Sutter Health physicians among [415] Top Doctors 2012

Almost 250 physicians at California Pacific Medical Center, Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, and Novato Community Hospital - all part of the Sutter Health network - have been named on the prestigious list of [415] Top Doctors 2012 by Marin Magazine.

3 Feb 2012

Merck Serono enters development agreement with Threshold for hypoxia-targeted drug

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that a global agreement was signed with Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., South San Francisco, to co-develop and commercialize TH-302, Threshold's small molecule hypoxia-targeted drug.

3 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Censoring flu research; Assailing Komen's move to cut Planned Parenthood funding

In December, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity made an unprecedented request: it asked the editors of the journals Nature and Science not to publish certain details in two papers describing experiments in which scientists created a highly transmissible form of the deadly H5N1 influenza virus. ... Such caution, though well intentioned, is misplaced.

3 Feb 2012

Exercise under hypoxic conditions provides improvements in glycemic control

Intermittent exercise with and without low oxygen concentrations (or hypoxia) can improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics, however exercise while under hypoxic conditions provides greater improvements in glycemic control than intermittent exercise alone, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Feb 2012

Caffeine consumption reduces risk of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients

Caffeine consumption has long been associated with decreased risk of liver disease and reduced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Now, newly published research confirms that coffee caffeine consumption reduces the risk of advanced fibrosis in those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

3 Feb 2012

Chronic hyperglycemia may lead to cardiac damage

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes.

3 Feb 2012

DNA-based prenatal blood test can also identify trisomy 13 and 18

A newly available DNA-based prenatal blood test that can identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome can also identify two additional chromosome abnormalities: trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome). The test for all three defects can be offered as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy to women who have been identified as being at high risk for these abnormalities.

3 Feb 2012

Rituximab shows promise against primary biliary cirrhosis

An open-label study of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody for human CD20, was shown to be safe in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) who had an incomplete response to the standard ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy, also known as Ursodiol.

3 Feb 2012

Merck receives FDA approval for JANUMET XR to treat type 2 diabetes

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved JANUMET XR (sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride extended-release) tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of JANUVIA (sitagliptin), with extended-release metformin.

3 Feb 2012

New England Journal of Medicine publishes Diamyd Medical's antigen-based diabetes therapy study

An article with the results of Diamyd Medical's European Phase III study of the antigen-based diabetes therapy Diamyd® has been published in the scientific journal the New England Journal of Medicine. The now published results were previously presented at the American Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California, USA, on June 28, 2011.

3 Feb 2012

$Heart failure associated with 30% increase in major fractures$

Heart failure associated with 30% increase in major fractures

Heart failure is associated with a 30 percent increase in major fractures and also identifies a high-risk population that may benefit from increased screening and treatment for osteoporosis, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Feb 2012

Patients' financial health put at risk by costs of some medical treatments

A New Jersey newspaper explores how medical costs put patients at financial risk. Also, the NewsHour explores the future of health care, offering alternative scenarios about how policy decisions, political outcomes and technology might play into an individual's health.

2 Feb 2012