Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Canadian experts on irritable bowel syndrome

While more than six per cent of Canadians suffer from this troublesome disease - characterized by on-going abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and severe bouts of either diarrhoea or constipation - most Canadians, including many physicians, know little about it.

16 Apr 2009

Genetic differences influence risk of developing proteinuria

Genetic differences can influence one's risk of developing proteinuria, a condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

15 Apr 2009

Type 1 diabetes controlled by stem cell transplants therapy

Scientists in the United States have found that stem cell transplants enabled people with type 1 diabetes to manage for as long as four years without needing insulin injections and to maintain good glycemic control - such patients typically need daily insulin therapy to control their diabetes.

15 Apr 2009

Healthy baby born 22 years after father's sperm was frozen

Twenty two years after his sperm was frozen because he had leukaemia, a man has fathered a healthy baby girl.

15 Apr 2009

Surgery for obesity

Surgeons once recommended weight-loss surgery only for severely obese patients who failed to drop pounds with conventional weight-loss methods, but a review now finds that bariatric surgery helps the moderately obese lose more weight, too.

14 Apr 2009

Pancreatic islets show promise in diabetes research, treatments

The use of pancreatic islets (hormone-producing cells) is increasing in diabetes research and may play an important role in future treatments, according to an article in the April 15 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Apr 2009

Stem cell transplantation helps patients with diabetes become insulin free

The majority of patients with type 1 diabetes who underwent a certain type of stem cell transplantation became insulin free, several for more than three years, with good glycemic control, and also increased C-peptide levels, an indirect measure of beta-cell function, according to a study in the April 15 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Apr 2009

Severe hypoglycemia linked with higher risk of dementia for seniors with diabetes

Having hypoglycemic (low blood sugar level) episodes that are severe enough to require hospitalization are associated with a greater risk of dementia for older adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the April 15 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Apr 2009

Rockefeller University Hospital opens clinical trial into statin-associated muscle complaints

The most widely prescribed class of drugs in the country, statins have helped millions of people lower their cholesterol and reduce their risk of heart attacks - but their side effects, including muscle pain and cramping, have proven to be something of a sore point for many patients.

14 Apr 2009

New method to estimate bleeding risk in heart attack patients

With eight basic medical facts in hand, doctors can now estimate the risk of bleeding for a patient having a heart attack.

14 Apr 2009

Hypoglycemic episodes increase dementia risk in seniors with type 2 diabetes

Hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes that require a visit to the hospital are associated with increased risk of dementia in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Apr 2009

Heart screening unnecessary in type 2 diabetes patients with no symptoms

Routine screening for coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes patients with no symptoms of angina or a history of coronary disease is unnecessary and may lead initially to more invasive and costly heart procedures, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine.

14 Apr 2009

New understanding of roles of insulin in obesity or type II diabetes

Researchers have uncovered new evidence suggesting factors other than genes could cause obesity, finding that genetically identical cells store widely differing amounts of fat depending on subtle variations in how cells process insulin.

14 Apr 2009

Low aerobic capacity linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Poor aerobic fitness is strongly associated with obesity and its consequent risks of heart disease, strokes and diabetes - now considered worldwide epidemics.

14 Apr 2009

Geographic patterns of frequent mental distress

Frequent Mental Distress (FMD), defined as having 14 or more days in the previous month when stress, depression and emotional problems were not good, is not evenly distributed across the United States.

13 Apr 2009

Visual impairment will increase as population ages, but treatment can mitigate effects

Health care providers can expect a significant increase in age-related macular degeneration as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13 Apr 2009

You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy

The new science of epigenetics explains how genes can be modified by the environment, and a prime result of epigenetic inquiry has just been published online in The FASEB Journal: You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy.

13 Apr 2009

New easy to understand guide on treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee

A new pair of plain-language guides from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examines the effectiveness, safety, and adverse effects of various treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee, including glucosamine and chondroitin, fluid injections, arthroscopic surgery, pain medications and other approaches.

13 Apr 2009

Young adults who have been incarcerated have increased risk of hypertension

Young adults who have been incarcerated appear more likely to have high blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy, an enlarging of the heart muscle that is a common consequence of hypertension, according to a report in the April 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

13 Apr 2009

Depression after heart disease increases risk of heart failure

Patients with heart disease who are subsequently diagnosed with depression are at greater risk for heart failure (HF), a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body, according to a new study published in the April 21, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

13 Apr 2009