Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for April 2006. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Goiter Patients with Gastritis May Require More Thyroxine
WEDNESDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with euthyroid multinodular goiter and H. pylori-related gastritis or atrophic gastritis may require increased doses of thyroxine, according to a study published in the April 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Gene Variant Lowers Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals carrying a variant of a gene found in adipocytes have a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online in April 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Blacks Less Likely Than Whites To Trust Health Care Providers
MONDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- The scarcity of quality interactions with physicians could be one reason that black patients in the United States are less likely to trust their health care providers than white patients are, according to the results of a study published in the April 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Nearly half of black patients report low trust in health care providers, versus one-third of white patients, the authors say.
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Diabetes and TB Often Linked Along Tex-Mex Border
MONDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Residents of Texas who are diabetics and live near the Mexican border are about twice as likely to have tuberculosis as non-diabetics, according to a report in the April issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
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Older Diabetics Not Receiving Recommended Medications
MONDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of older diabetics aren't taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) to help protect their hearts and kidneys, according to a study published online in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Green Tea and Coffee Cut Type 2 Diabetes Risk
MONDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking green tea and coffee is associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, a finding that is especially pronounced in women and overweight men, according to a study of Japanese adults reported in the April 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Mortality Risk Higher in Diabetics with Peptic Ulcer
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of short-term mortality from peptic ulcer bleeding and perforation, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
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Elevated Diabetes Rate Found in Younger Schizophrenics
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders who are in their late 30s and 40s seem to develop diabetes at a rate seen in the general population in those aged 60 to 65, and this occurs regardless of the class of antipsychotic medication they're taking, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes Care. The authors suggest that all such patients should have their fasting glucose monitored.
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Researchers Chart Natural Course of Beta-Cell Function
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- New data sheds light on the natural
course of beta-cell function in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes.
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Obesity Contributed to Increase in New Diabetes Cases
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity was in large part to blame for a 41 percent increase in new diabetes cases diagnosed between 1997 and 2003 in U.S. adults, according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Hypoglycemia May Enhance Cognitive Function
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Recurrent hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes may preserve and enhance cognitive function, according to the results of an animal study published in the April issue of Diabetes.
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Statin Fails to Prevent Type 1 Diabetes in Mice
FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Although atorvastatin inhibits pathogenic beta-cell-specific CD8 T-cells, it does not prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes.
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Fiber Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Patients
THURSDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Insoluble dietary fiber improves insulin sensitivity in only three days, according to a small study of obese or overweight patients published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
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CDC Reports U.S. Death Rate Has Fallen to Record Low
THURSDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- The United States death rate has fallen to a record low, life expectancy is increasing and the life expectancy gender gap is narrowing, according to a summary report, issued April 19 by the National Center for Health Statistics.
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Less Educated Have Higher Coronary Artery Calcium
TUESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- People with the least amount of education are two to four times as likely to have coronary artery calcium (CAC) deposits as those with the most education, according to a study in the April 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Fewer Post-Op Infections with Good Glycemic Control
TUESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetic patients who have good blood sugar control are less likely to have infections or other complications after non-cardiac surgical procedures, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery.
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Glucocorticoids May Enhance Memories
MONDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Glucocorticoids released from the adrenal glands during emotional experiences help strengthen new memories in rats and may have important implications for human drug development, according to a report published online April 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Two Methods of Glycemia Monitoring Evaluated
MONDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Two tests for glycemia in diabetes offer different ways of monitoring the disease and helping to prevent complications, according to a clinical review published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Editorial
No Significant Link Between Red Hair, Endometriosis
FRIDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to what has been hypothesized, a report in the April issue of Fertility and Sterility suggests there is no relationship between natural red hair color and the incidence of endometriosis.
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Gastric Electrical Stimulation May Help Treat Obesity
THURSDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- Gastric electrical stimulation (GES), in which mucosal electrodes are endoscopically placed in the fundus, may be a potential treatment for obesity, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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C-Reactive Protein Predicts Heart Failure Mortality
WEDNESDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Systemic inflammation, as measured by C-reactive protein, is an independent predictor of mortality in congestive heart failure patients, according to a study in the April issue of the American Heart Journal.
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Diabetes, Hypertension Risk After Kidney Stone Treatment
WEDNESDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo shock wave treatment for kidney stones have an almost fourfold higher risk of developing diabetes and 1.5-fold higher risk of hypertension compared with patients managed with medication, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Urology.
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Glucose Swings May Be Worse Than Chronic Hyperglycemia
TUESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Acute variations in glucose, either after meals or at other times, appears to trigger more oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes than chronic hyperglycemia, according to a study in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings could have "enormous clinical implications" if confirmed by larger studies, according to an editorial by Michael Brownlee, M.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and a colleague.
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Acidic Urine Linked to Nephrolithiasis in Diabetics
MONDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- Low urine pH may be the reason why type 2 diabetics are at greater risk of forming uric acid kidney stones, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Secondhand Smoke May Increase Diabetes Risk
MONDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- People who have never used tobacco but who have been exposed to secondhand smoke are at higher risk of developing glucose intolerance than even previous smokers, according to a study published online April 7 in BMJ.
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Treatment Guidelines Issued for Diabetes Pain Management
THURSDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- The first-ever Consensus Guidelines for the Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain (DPNP) are being published as a continuing medical education supplement to the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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U.S. Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity Rises Again
TUESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The number of obese and overweight children and teens continues to rise, as does the number of obese men, according to data collected between 1999 and 2004 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and published in the April 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. One in every three adults in the United States is now obese, although there was no increase in obesity in women in the six-year period.
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Cutting Calories Shows Positive Effects on Longevity Markers
TUESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- A low-calorie diet reduces fasting insulin levels and core body temperature, both markers of longevity, and may increase human life span as it does in rodents, according to a report in the April 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Editorial
Most High-Risk Cardiovascular Patients Get Appropriate Care
TUESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Most patients with poor control of cardiovascular risk factors are given a therapy modification within six months, a new quality-of-care measure, according to a study published April 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Diabetes Care Improving, But Still Short of Optimal
TUESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Although the quality of diabetes care has become better over the past decade, many diabetics still have poor glycemic control, LDL cholesterol control and blood pressure control, according to a study published April 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Obesity Linked to Impaired Coronary Vasodilation
MONDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with abnormal circulatory function in the heart, including an impairment in total vasodilation capacity, according to a study published in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. However, the elevated leptin levels seen in obese patients may counteract the effect and possibly improve myocardial blood flow, the authors say.
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Folic Acid Fails to Improve Chronic Renal Failure Outcomes
MONDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with chronic renal failure, high-dose folic acid does not slow the progression of atherosclerosis or reduce cardiovascular events, according to a study published March 21 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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C-Reactive Protein Inhibits Weight Regulation by Leptin
MONDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- C-reactive protein (CRP), a circulating plasma factor, has been found to bind to and inhibit the function of the weight regulating hormone leptin, according to a report published April 2 online in Nature Medicine. The results may explain why leptin therapy has failed in initial trials for weight loss.
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Cardiac Medications Help in Peripheral Arterial Disease
MONDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the use of statins, beta-blockers, aspirin and ACE inhibitors reduces the long-term risk of death, according to a study published March 21 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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