Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Tumors use enzyme to recruit regulatory T-cells and suppress immune response

One way tumors fly under the radar of the immune system is by using IDO, an enzyme used by fetuses to help avoid rejection, to recruit powerful regulatory T cells that turn down the immune response, researchers say.

17 Aug 2007

Sirtuin protein instrumental in fat production and metabolism

A new Joslin Diabetes Center-led study has identified a protein found in fat cells that may play a major role in how fat is produced and stored, offering a new target for treatments to prevent obesity and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

17 Aug 2007

Sex differences in response to vasoactive substances in early uncontrolled diabetes

Diabetes is associated with the development of vascular (blood vessel) disease. As we age, vascular disease becomes more common.

17 Aug 2007

Women with a history of gestational diabetes may have higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer

Pregnancies in Jerusalem in the 1960s and 1970s may hold vital clues about how pancreatic cancer and diabetes are linked.

17 Aug 2007

Cytokines shown to be a cause of type 2 diabetes

In the first large scale, multiethnic study of its kind, researchers at UCLA have confirmed the role played by three particular molecules known as cytokines as a cause of Type 2 diabetes, and further, have identified these molecules as early biological markers that may be used to more accurately predict future incidences of diabetes among apparently healthy individuals.

16 Aug 2007

Metformin kills some cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that a commonly prescribed diabetes drug kills tumor cells that lack a key regulatory gene called p53.

16 Aug 2007

New techniques for measuring blood volume

The July issue of The American Journal of Medical Sciences presents a special symposium on the measurement and clinical implications of blood volume and its measurement.

16 Aug 2007

Caution urged on use of drugs to raise "good" cholesterol

With 40 percent of all heart attacks and related cardiovascular problems occurring in people who have low levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, researchers have long sought medications to increase the amount of this type of cholesterol in the body's circulation.

16 Aug 2007

Strengthened warnings on some type 2 diabetes drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced manufacturers of certain drugs approved to treat Type 2 diabetes have agreed to add a stronger warning on the risk of heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart does not adequately pump blood.

16 Aug 2007

Healthy eating for type 2 diabetes

Myths abound when it comes to diabetes and food - one of the most common being that there is a "diabetes diet" that prohibits sugar and other items.

16 Aug 2007

Eating junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding gives offspring taste for junk food

Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding may be putting their children at risk of overeating and developing obesity, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust and carried out at the Royal Veterinary College, London.

16 Aug 2007

Diabetes increases risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes

Individuals with diabetes and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) such as a heart attack or unstable angina have an increased risk of death at 30 days and one year after ACS, compared with ACS patients without diabetes, according to a study in the August 15 issue of JAMA .

16 Aug 2007

Pregnant women advised to cut out junk food for their child's sake

British researchers are warning pregnant women that a penchant for junk food may be condemning their children to crave the same diet.

14 Aug 2007

MS patients given hope with new vaccine treatment

Canadian researchers have developed a vaccine to stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and they say encouraging results have already been seen.

14 Aug 2007

That pot belly puts you at risk of heart disease

According to researchers in the U.S. people with pot bellies are more at risk of having heart disease than those whose fat is spread evenly over the rest of their body.

14 Aug 2007

Why is heart disease so prevalent among diabetics?

Heart disease hits people with diabetes twice as often as people without diabetes.

13 Aug 2007

Mitochondrial DNA variants are linked to risk factors for type 2 diabetes

Researchers report for the first time that genetic variants in mitochondria,energy-producing structures harboring DNA that are inherited only from the mother,are directly linked to metabolic markers for type 2 diabetes.

13 Aug 2007

Gene use sets humans and chimps apart

The striking differences between humans and chimps aren't so much in the genes we have, which are 99 percent the same, but in the way those genes are used, according to new research from a Duke University team.

13 Aug 2007

Improving the quality of primary care could prevent 4 million hospitalizations each year

More than 4 million hospitalizations potentially could be prevented each year by improving the quality of primary care, enhancing patients' access to effective treatments, and getting more Americans to adopt healthy behaviors, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Aug 2007

Adverse housing conditions are associated with the risk of developing diabetes

Fair or poor housing conditions are associated with the risk of developing diabetes in urban, middle-aged African-Americans according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology by a team of investigators from Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute, Washington University in St. Louis and other institutions.

13 Aug 2007