Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Real Americans share experiences, common need for patient-centric reform

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, the world's leading generic pharmaceutical company, today announced the start of its "Patient First" project as part of the Year of Affordable Healthcare campaign. The initiative, available at: www.yearofaffordablehealth.com/patients, features a first-hand perspective of everyday Americans as they struggle with the enormous and sometimes insurmountable expense of paying for their prescription medicines.

21 Aug 2009

Results of PCF funded study could impact the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Twice-yearly intravenous infusion with denosumab, a new targeted therapy to stop bone loss, increased bone density and prevented spinal fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. The report from an international research study, the first to document reduced fracture risk in men receiving the hormone-blocking treatment, was published today in the print edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Both fundamental research on rank ligand (RANKL) in prostate cancer bone metastasis and other molecular factors involved in the denosumab study were supported at Massachusetts General Hospital with funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

21 Aug 2009

MN Community Measurement's quality measure promises improved depression care

Efforts to improve depression care in Minnesota and surrounding areas will benefit from a first-of-its-kind quality measure introduced this week by MN Community Measurement, a nonprofit organization that provides objective information on the quality of health care through its Web site.

21 Aug 2009

Wheat-free diet reduces the incidence of diabetes

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Fraser Scott and his team tested 42 people with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half had an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins. The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the journal Diabetes.

21 Aug 2009

New book explores neurobiology of pleasure

A sense of pleasure generated by the brain's hedonic neural systems is fundamental to daily life, and indeed has been essential to the evolution and survival of humans and most animals, say Morten Kringelbach and Kent Berridge, editors of Pleasures of the Brain. The rewards we experience through sensations such as food, sex and social interaction are driving forces necessary to maintain life, they argue.

20 Aug 2009

Adverse cardiovascular events during treatment with pioglitazone and rosiglitazone: Population-based cohort study

Rosiglitazone, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and death among older patients compared to a similar drug (pioglitazone), concludes a study published on bmj.com today.

20 Aug 2009

Saskatchewan government makes insulin detemir more accessible to residents

The Canadian Diabetes Association applauds the Government of Saskatchewan for increasing access to insulin detemir for residents of Saskatchewan living with diabetes. Insulin detemir, also known as Levemir, has been added to the Saskatchewan Drug Formulary, under Exception Drug Status (EDS) effective July 1, 2009. As well, the updated formulary now includes NovoRapid-NOO, Apidra-AVT and Humalog-LIL within its Revised Exception Drug Status Criteria.

20 Aug 2009

Consumer-friendly "finger stick" blood test to detect cardiovascular disease is broadly available now

A new blood test, measuring the level of omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells, is now broadly available for the first time to the public everywhere as a consumer-friendly, at-home "finger stick" test. While scientists have long known of the benefits of fish and fish oil for overall heart health, over the past decade research has proven that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish dramatically reduce one's risk for cardiovascular disease. Further, recent research indicates that omega-3 levels may be among the best predictors of future coronary heart disease - providing much stronger correlations to the risk of sudden cardiac death than traditional indicators, including HDL and LDL cholesterol.

20 Aug 2009

New strategy found to increase the efficacy of protein-based drugs

A new method for attaching a large protective polymer molecule to a protein appears to improve protein drugs significantly.

20 Aug 2009

Thyroid cancer patients treated successfully using a new robot-assisted endoscopic technique

Using a novel robot-assisted endoscopic technique, a team of surgeons at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea, has successfully treated 200 consecutive patients with thyroid cancer. The minimally invasive operation, which has several technical and cosmetic benefits that the traditional open operation does not offer, is described in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

20 Aug 2009

Surgeons of BMI of Texas selected to host a preceptorship for using REALIZE Adjustable Gastric Band

The Bariatric Medical Institute of Texas (“BMI of Texas”) today announced surgeons Mickey Seger and Terive Duperier have been selected by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. as one of the five training sites in the U.S. to host a preceptorship for the Ethicon Endo-Surgery REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band.

20 Aug 2009

Arizona finalizes health care contract

CIGNA HealthCare announced today that it is one of four companies to have been awarded a contract to provide medical benefits to Arizona's state employees, university employees and retirees. The contract becomes effective October 1, 2009.

20 Aug 2009

Covering Kids & Families Michigan campaign aims to enroll 50,000 children in healthcare coverage plans

As Michigan's children head back to school, the Michigan Cover the Uninsured Network (MCTUN) and some of the state's leading organizations are making a special outreach effort to ensure that eligible children and families have access to free and/or low cost health coverage through the state's Medicaid and MIChild programs.

20 Aug 2009

Steroid hormones found to affect gene activity

Intermittent signaling by steroid hormones can affect the way genes are expressed in rodents, according to research by scientists at the University of Bristol and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA. This work has major implications for understanding how steroids work and opens novel avenues for new therapies.

19 Aug 2009

Researchers find connection between eye disease and arginase

Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.

19 Aug 2009

Survey aims to better understand daily needs of unpaid caregivers of people with diabetes

Chevy Chase, MD-The Hormone Foundation, the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, in collaboration with the National Alliance for Caregiving, today released key findings from a first-of-its-kind survey (http://www.hormone.org/Public/diabetes_caregiver.cfm) aimed at better understanding the daily needs and struggles of unpaid caregivers of people with diabetes.

19 Aug 2009

Arzoxifene phase 3 study results reported by Lilly

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that initial results from its pivotal, five-year, Phase III GJAD "GENERATIONS" trial for arzoxifene met its primary endpoints of significantly reducing the risk of vertebral fracture and invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

19 Aug 2009

Efforts to create treatment guidelines are often complicated

The development of treatment guidelines for illnesses such as diabetes is a complicated process.

19 Aug 2009

Cost of physician reimbursement for diabetic leg amputations misconstrued

The cost of doctors performing lower-limb amputations for people with diabetes has been misconstrued during recent health care reform discussions, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

19 Aug 2009

Abbott collaborates with Velcera to market pain management product for pets

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today they have partnered with Velcera, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on pet health, to market the first canine pain management product delivered in a transmucosal mist form. Currently in clinical trials, the product combines the proven pain medication meloxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with Velcera's patented Promist(TM) technology, and has been globally licensed for pain management in dogs

19 Aug 2009