Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for July 2010. 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.
Combination Weight Loss Drugs Appear Effective for Obesity
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with two obesity drugs, naltrexone and bupropion, plus lifestyle modification appears effective in helping people lose 5 percent or more of their excess body weight, according to research published online July 30 in The Lancet.
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Black Youths May Benefit From Higher Vitamin D Dose
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Black youths on 2000 IU/day of vitamin D achieve higher vitamin D levels more quickly and have significantly less arterial stiffness than those on 400 IU/day, according to research published online July 21 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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Calcium Supplements May Increase Heart Attack Risk
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Calcium supplementation is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, according to a meta-analysis published online July 29 in BMJ.
Specialties See Modest Compensation Increases in '09
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical specialties saw modest compensation increases in 2009, but many provider organizations are still operating at a substantial loss, according to the findings of the American Medical Group Association's (AMGA) 2010 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey.
Early Puberty More Likely in Obese, Overweight Girls
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Overweight and obese girls are likely to reach puberty earlier than their normal-weight counterparts, and are also at risk for the long-term health consequences related to obesity, according to a review published online July 29 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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Thiazolidinediones May Up Fracture Risk in Older Women
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- In type 2 diabetes patients, thiazolidinedione (TZD) exposure is associated with an increased risk of fracture in women age 50 and older -- especially in higher doses -- and in men who are concurrently exposed to loop diuretics, according to research published online July 14 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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Consistent Web Tool Use Linked to Weight Loss Maintenance
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who actively engage with a Web-based interactive weight maintenance tool may be more likely to maintain weight loss in the long term, according to research published in the July to September issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Validated Obesity Variants Have Limited Clinical Utility
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- The discriminative value of 20 validated common genetic variants associated with obesity is too weak for clinical practice use; however, when added to conventional nongenetic risk factors, they increase the discrimination ability, according to a study published in the July issue of Diabetes.
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β-Cell Replication Up in Young Donors After Long Life Support
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Preterminal clinical conditions in young organ donors may result in increased inflammatory infiltration of the pancreas and increased β-cell replication after prolonged life support, according to a study published in the July issue of Diabetes.
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Leptin Deficiency Associated With Insulin Resistance
THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Leptin deficiency appears to lead to insulin resistance in uncontrolled, insulin-deficient diabetes mellitus (uDM), according to an animal study published in the July issue of Diabetes.
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Nebivolol Less Effective in Elderly With CHF and Diabetes
FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- In patients aged 70 and older with heart failure, diabetes is associated with a worse prognosis, and nebivolol is less effective in patients with diabetes than in those without it, according to research published in the July 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Automated Phone Outreach Doesn't Improve Testing Rates
FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Automated telephone outreach with speech recognition (ATO-SR) does not improve rates of diabetes-related testing compared with usual care, according to research published in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
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FDA Places Partial Clinical Hold on Avandia Trial
THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturer of rosiglitazone (Avandia), that the Thiazolidinedione Intervention With Vitamin D Evaluation (TIDE) trial has been placed on partial clinical hold, one week after an FDA advisory panel recommended that the diabetes drug remain on the market with tightened controls or restricted sales due to cardiovascular safety concerns.
Morning Urine Test Best Predicts Renal Events
MONDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- To detect declining kidney performance in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy, a morning urine test to determine the albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) is superior to other urine collection and test protocols, according to a study published online July 15 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, eGFR Aid in Risk Stratification
FRIDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with and without diabetes, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are valuable for risk stratification, and underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) in diabetes patients is linked to an increased risk of cardiac death, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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Diabetes Glucose, Glycemia Indexes Correlate Well
FRIDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- The various indexes used to assess glucose variability and postprandial glycemia generally are well correlated, according to a study in the July issue of Diabetes.
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Gestational Diabetes Risk Rises With Prior GDM Pregnancies
THURSDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases with the number of previous episodes of the condition, and Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders have a higher recurrence risk, according to research published online July 14 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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FDA Panel Recommends Avandia Remain on Market
THURSDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- After two days of deliberations, sparked by concerns over cardiovascular safety issues, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel, comprising 33 experts, has recommended that rosiglitazone (Avandia) remain on the market with tightened controls or restricted sales.
Review Calls for Evidence-Based Approach to Phenylketonuria
TUESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- While there is agreement that early dietary management of phenylketonuria (PKU) is essential for optimal cognitive development, there is little consensus on the aims of management of the disease after childhood or in use of new therapies, according to a review published online July 12 in Pediatrics.
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Pregnancy Exercise Program Prompts Modest Activity Increase
FRIDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- An individualized exercise program for obese pregnant women with an energy expenditure goal of 900 kcal/week is feasible and can lead to modest increases in physical activity, though it may not be enough to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a study in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
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Youths With Diabetes Have Higher Psychiatric Morbidity
FRIDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- Young people with type 1 diabetes report levels of psychosocial well-being at diagnosis similar to those of their peers without diabetes, but over time they are more likely to experience higher rates of psychiatric morbidity and lower rates of school completion, and there may be an association between mental/emotional distress and poor metabolic control, according to research published in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
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Changes in Insulin Resistance After Roux-en-Y Tied to Diet
THURSDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Improvements in insulin resistance that occur in the first week after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery appear to be due mostly to caloric restriction, according to research published in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
Pre-Diabetes Symptoms Not Linked to Cognitive Decline
THURSDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- In older people with no history of diabetes, insulin resistance and elevated fasting glucose levels have no association with impaired cognitive function, according to research published in the July issue of Diabetes.
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Many Doctors in Specialties Other Than Their Early Choices
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Ten years after graduation, approximately one-fourth of doctors work in a specialty other than the one they chose in their third year post-graduation, according to research published online July 6 in BMJ.
E-mail Use Associated With Improved Care Effectiveness
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- The incorporation of secure patient-provider e-mails has been identified by the American Recovery and Reinvestment act as an objective for electronic health records, and it does appear to improve the effectiveness of care in patients with diabetes, hypertension, or both, according to research published in the July issue of Health Affairs.
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Tight BP Control May Not Benefit Patients With Diabetes, CAD
TUESDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) do not appear to have improved cardiovascular outcomes when they achieve tight control of systolic blood pressure as opposed to usual control, according to research published in the July 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis May Temporarily Up Depression Risk
FRIDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Although awareness of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis may temporarily increase the risk of depressive symptoms, it is unlikely that awareness of the diagnosis will have a lasting effect on depression risk, according to research published in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
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Report Addresses Physician Financial Conflicts in Care
THURSDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a new report, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that ensure financial relationships between physicians and industry do not result in conflicts of interest that influence patient care.