Endocrinology News and Research

Latest Endocrinology News and Research

Flu jab not available in the UK for those most vulnerable

There are fears in the UK that people who are vulnerable to flu infections may well have to wait for their annual injection this season.

2 Oct 2006

Diabetics get transplanted cells and eliminate the need for insulin shots

The first international test of a method using transplanted pancreas cells in diabetes patients has shown some success.

28 Sep 2006

Making sense of food labels not that easy for some

According to a recent survey many people in the United States are struggling to understand current food labels.

27 Sep 2006

Insulin receptor stops progression of Alzheimer's disease

Stimulation of a receptor in the brain that controls insulin responses has been shown to halt or diminish the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease, providing evidence that the disease can be treated in its early stages, according to a study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School.

21 Sep 2006

Drugs that enhance the activity of calcineurin or NFAT could become a new treatment for type-2

Certain immune-suppressing drugs, such as those taken by patients who have had organ transplants, greatly increase the risk of developing diabetes. These drugs are known to put a stranglehold on a protein called calcineurin.

21 Sep 2006

Leptin could combat type 2 diabetes

University of Florida researchers have discovered the appetite-controlling hormone leptin could also combat type 2 diabetes, a disease that has become a growing problem in the United States as more Americans pack on extra pounds.

21 Sep 2006

Outpatient thyroid surgery appears to be safe for the majority of patients

"This is a logical benefit of doing less-invasive surgical techniques," says Dr. David Terris, chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Otolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery. "Now patients are able to go home the same day they have surgery."

19 Sep 2006

1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary medicine to treat insomnia

A recent analysis of national survey data reveals that over 1.6 million American adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping according to scientists at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2006

New campaign to educate about peripheral arterial disease

More than 8 million men and women - one in 20 adults - have peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D), a largely unrecognized condition which puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke.

13 Sep 2006

Studies on effects of drugs on children often not published

According to a new study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center, many of the drugs that are prescribed for children may not in fact be either safe or effective for pediatric use and could require different doses than is recommended.

13 Sep 2006

Are we getting enough vitamin D?

Scientists from the University of Ulster are to explore if we are getting enough vitamin D - vital for the formation of healthy bones and which may also help prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

13 Sep 2006

MRI tracks survival of pancreatic islets after transplantation

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an approved contrast agent may provide a practical way of monitoring the survival of transplanted pancreatic islets.

12 Sep 2006

Eating mandarins reduces the risk of liver disease, hardened arteries and insulin resistance

Researchers in Japan say they believe that eating mandarins may cut the risk of developing liver cancer and other diseases.

12 Sep 2006

Brown seaweed with anti-obesity potential!

Scientists believe they may have found something to combat obesity and it may also help prevent the onset of diabetes.

12 Sep 2006

Link between weight loss and dementia

A long-term study of the elderly has revealed that their average rate of weight loss doubles in the year before symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia first become detectable.

12 Sep 2006

Fewer young men in Canada are being diagnosed with cancer

...while the number for young women is stable, according to the Cancer in Young Adults in Canada report released today by Cancer Care Ontario in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

12 Sep 2006

New wireless internet technologies could reduce physician visits for patients with chronic diseases

The New York Times on Saturday examined new technologies that will allow tens of millions of U.S. residents with chronic diseases such as heart failure, diabetes and mental illnesses to have their conditions "constantly monitored, remotely and virtually, as they go about their daily lives."

11 Sep 2006

Pregnant women with fatty, high-caloric diets increase fetal risk for liver disease, obesity, diabetes

Infants born to women who have diets high in calories and fat during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing liver disease, which can lead to obesity and diabetes later in life, Kevin Grove, a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University and the Developmental Obesity Research Consortium, said on Friday at the 10th International Congress on Obesity in Sydney.

11 Sep 2006

Death rates increasing in South Africa primarily because of HIV/AIDS

The death rate among adults in South Africa increased significantly from 1997 through 2004, according to a government report released on Thursday by Statistics South Africa, the New York Times reports.

11 Sep 2006

Thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased

The number of new cases of thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased over the past decade despite a decline among women in mortality rates for most cancers, according to a report released Wednesday by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, CDC and the American Cancer Society, Long Island Newsday reports.

7 Sep 2006