Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Why low GI diet makes you feel full

Eating a meal with a low GI (glycaemic index) increases gut hormone production which leads to suppression of appetite and the feeling of fullness.

17 Mar 2009

Call for more thyroid function tests for older patients to improve diagnosis rate

A new study of over 3500 patients with overactive thyroids shows that elderly patients experience fewer signs and symptoms of the condition.

17 Mar 2009

Aspirin decreases first heart attacks in men and first strokes in women

Patients and clinicians should consider risk factors -- including age, gender, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding -- before deciding whether to use aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

16 Mar 2009

Diabetes cure in mice - answer is adult stem cells

More than five years ago, Dr. Lawrence C.B. Chan and colleagues in his Baylor College of Medicine laboratory cured mice with type 1 diabetes by using a gene to induce liver cells to make insulin.

16 Mar 2009

Budesonide nasal wash shows promise for chronic rhinosinusitis

A nasal wash containing the corticosteroid budesonide appears to reduce symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis without suppressing the function of the adrenal glands, a known complication of this type of drug that would indicate absorption throughout the whole body, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

16 Mar 2009

Shire withdraws European application for Daytrana (Methylphenidate Transdermal System)

Shire plc has announced that it has decided to withdraw the European Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Daytrana (methylphenidate transdermal system) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

16 Mar 2009

Risks of using aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke differ by gender and age

Patients and clinicians should consider risk factors-- including age, gender, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking and risk of gastrointestinal bleeding-- before deciding whether to use aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

16 Mar 2009

FTO obesity gene associated with susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome

Researchers have shown that a gene implicated in the development of obesity is also associated with susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

16 Mar 2009

Metabolic syndrome can help identify diabetes risk in Aboriginal Canadians

Metabolic syndrome is the clustering of risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high glucose and hypertension.

16 Mar 2009

MannKind Corporation submits NDA for Afresa for treatment of diabetes

MannKind Corporation has announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting approval of Afresa (insulin monomer human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder and the Afresa Inhaler for the treatment of adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus for the control of hyperglycemia.

16 Mar 2009

Male diabetics found to have lower levels of hydrogen sulfide in their blood

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is commonly associated with smell of rotten eggs, stink bombs and blocked drains but lower blood levels of the gas are possibly linked to cardiovascular complications in some male patients with type II diabetes, according to research recently presented by researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England at the Annual Diabetes UK Professional Conference in Glasgow this week and published in Diabetic Medicine.

16 Mar 2009

Hormone kisspeptin shows promise as fertility treatment

New research suggests the hormone kisspeptin shows promise as a potential new treatment for infertility.

16 Mar 2009

Defibrillators may provide little benefit for seniors with two or more illnesses

Older people with comorbidities and those with multiple hospital admissions related to heart failure are unlikely to receive a meaningful survival benefit from implanted defibrillators, found a study in CMAJ by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

16 Mar 2009

Dendritic cells ensure immune tolerance

One of the most important tasks of the immune system is to identify what is foreign and what is self. If this distinction fails, then the body's own structures will be attacked, the result of which could be an autoimmune disease such as diabetes mellitus type 1 or multiple sclerosis. The only way to protect against these afflictions is to destroy all immune factors that turn against the body's own tissue - in other words: immune tolerance.

16 Mar 2009

Research shows strong links between mothers' diets and the health of their children

A new report by University of Southampton academics emphasises the links between poor diet in mothers and ill-health in their children, and calls for women of childbearing age to be made more aware of the importance of good nutrition.

16 Mar 2009

Big link between driving and heart attacks

People who have had a heart attack are likely to report having been in traffic shortly before their symptoms began, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

15 Mar 2009

Proteomics study shows that genes involved in invertebrate longevity have surprising parallels in humans

Prolexys Pharmaceuticals has announced the publication of the discovery of genes that are likely to have a role in the aging process of humans.

15 Mar 2009

Statins reduce odds of an asthma-related hospitalization or ER visit

Results of a new study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) show dramatic reductions in emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations for asthma patients taking cholesterol-lowering statins in addition to common asthma treatments.

15 Mar 2009

Blocking the dual leucine zipper kinase gene may help ease painful nerve condition

Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping to trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy.

15 Mar 2009

Disparities in stroke outcomes between black and white patients still great

In Florida, black young adults are hospitalized for stroke at a rate three times higher than their white and Hispanic peers, a new study by University of South Florida researchers reports.

15 Mar 2009