Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Five important questions about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer's announcement on Monday that its COVID-19 shot appears to keep nine in 10 people from getting the disease sent its stock price rocketing. Many news reports described the vaccine as if it were our deliverance from the pandemic, even though few details were released.

11 Nov 2020

Effectiveness of vitamin C against COVID-19 depends on its natural transporter levels

High doses of vitamin C under study for treating COVID-19 may benefit some populations, but investigators exploring its potential in aging say key factors in effectiveness include levels of the natural transporter needed to get the vitamin inside cells.

11 Nov 2020

Study: Effect of diabetes medication can be blocked by a molecule from gut bacteria

The action of metformin, the classic drug used to treat diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar, can be blocked by a molecule from the bacteria in our intestines, a University of Gothenburg study shows.

11 Nov 2020

Underrepresented minorities are at increased risk for AL amyloidosis

Despite being theoretically at an increased risk for AL amyloidosis, underrepresented minorities make up only a small percentage of patients seen at specialized treatment centers for this disease.

11 Nov 2020

Dietary induction of hepatocyte regeneration may be a viable strategy to enhance gene repair

Use of thyroid hormone to boost hepatocyte proliferation enhanced the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene correction in the mouse liver.

11 Nov 2020

Surgery studies show progress, opportunity to decrease opioid prescribing

Having surgery means placing complete trust in a team of professionals, and counting on them to fix what's wrong while keeping surgical risks as low as possible.

11 Nov 2020

Loneliness levels highest in the 20s and lowest in the 60s, finds study

Loneliness is a prevalent and serious public health problem impacting health, well-being and longevity. Seeking to develop effective interventions, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine examined the psychological and environmental factors that lead to patterns of loneliness in different age groups.

10 Nov 2020

Study finds diabetes epidemic among Xavante indigenous community in Central Brazil

The Xavante, one of the indigenous communities most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil, are suffering from an epidemic of diabetes, a "silent" disease considered a risk factor for severe COVID-19.

10 Nov 2020

Strenuous jobs increase the likelihood of having a baby with fetal macrosomia

For the first time, researchers have attributed an understudied adverse fetal outcome to the strenuousness of an expectant mother's job.

10 Nov 2020

Robotic-assisted kidney transplant and weight loss surgery can be performed safely for obese patients

A kidney transplant is often denied to patients who are obese due to an increased risk of surgical complications, particularly infections. Surgeons at UI Heath -- the clinical and academic health enterprise of the University of Illinois Chicago -- have pioneered the use of robotic-assisted surgery for kidney transplants in obese patients to successfully reduce surgical complications.

10 Nov 2020

Maternal exposure to flame retardants causes diabetes in offspring

A new UC Riverside study shows flame retardants found in nearly every American home cause mice to give birth to offspring that become diabetic.

10 Nov 2020

Severe COVID-19 linked to age, body mass index and ABO blood group

With the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting over 50 million people worldwide with hundreds of thousands experiencing severe respiratory illness, researchers have been trying to find the factors associated with severe disease. From the start of the pandemic in March this year, several studies have indicated heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. could be linked to severe disease. Now German researchers have published a study on the association between severe respiratory infection caused by SARS CoV-2 and factors such as age, body mass index (BMI) and ABO blood group.

10 Nov 2020