Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for October 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.
Rimonabant Can Reduce Weight in Type 2 Diabetics
MONDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A daily dose of 20 milligrams of rimonabant combined with an exercise and diet regimen can help diabetes patients lose weight and improve their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), according to study findings published online Oct. 27 in The Lancet.
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FDA Issues Updated Alert on Fake Glucose Strips
THURSDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has updated its earlier nationwide alert on fake blood glucose test strips, adding two additional lot numbers of counterfeit products that have been distributed to pharmacies and stores across the country.
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Racial Disparities Seen in Medicare Managed Care Plans
TUESDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Quality of care is worse for black Medicare managed-care enrollees than their white counterparts, largely due to different outcomes in the same plan, not plan selection, according to a new analysis in the Oct. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Anxiety Disorders Associated with Physical Conditions
MONDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Anxiety disorders are linked with many serious physical conditions, a co-morbidity that increases the risk of disability and a poor quality of life, according to the results of a study published in the Oct. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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U.S., Canada, Mexico Target Fake Diabetes Cures on Web
MONDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has joined forces with the Federal Trade Commission and government agencies from Canada and Mexico to halt Web sales of phony diabetes treatments and cures. The FDA also launched a new campaign in English, Spanish and French aimed at educating the public about fraudulent diabetes cures.
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Sleep Deprivation Contributes to Obesity in Children
FRIDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Children who do not sleep enough at night may be at risk for obesity, and banning cell phones, computers and televisions from children's bedrooms could help combat the problem, according to an article published online Oct. 20 in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood.
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Increased Mortality Seen in Older Diabetics
FRIDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to older non-diabetic adults, older diabetics have a significantly increased risk of death, including a twofold higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, even when their diabetes is treated, according to a study published in the October issue of the open-access journal PLoS-Medicine.
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High-Dose Fluticasone Impairs Adrenal Function in Children
FRIDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Children prescribed more than the maximum recommended daily dose of inhaled fluticasone proprionate are more likely to experience adrenal insufficiency, according to a report in the October issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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Obesity Boosts Complications of Sleep Apnea Surgery
THURSDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Patients undergoing surgery to relieve sleep apnea are at higher risk of serious complications if they have other medical conditions, are undergoing concurrent non-nasal procedures, have more severe sleep apnea, or have a high body mass index, according to a study in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery.
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Anti-Aging Hormone Supplements Not Effective
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Neither dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) nor low-dose testosterone replacement therapy are effective as anti-aging supplements for elderly women and men, according to a two-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Hypothyroidism May Improve Survival in Head, Neck Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Hypothyroidism seems to be associated with better survival in patients with advanced-stage head and neck cancers, according to a report in the October issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Adverse Drug Events Lead to Emergency Department Visits
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Adverse drug events, or ADEs, may account for more than 700,000 emergency department visits in the United States each year, and the elderly are at higher risk of visits and hospitalizations than younger patients, researchers report in the Oct. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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New Diabetes Drug Januvia Wins FDA Approval
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first in a new line of drugs that increase the body's glucose-lowering potential. The drug, called Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate), is made in tablet-form by Merck & Co., and is to be used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, along with exercise and diet.
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Bone Development Depends on Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is essential for embryonic bone development, researchers report in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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FDA Issues Alert for Fake Blood Glucose Test Strips
MONDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a nationwide alert for counterfeit blood glucose test strips sold for use with LifeScan, Inc., OneTouch Brand Blood Glucose Monitors. The strips -- OneTouch Basic/Profile (lot #272894A, 2619932 or 2606340) and OneTouch Ultra (lot #2691191) -- could show false blood glucose levels, causing patients to take too little or too much insulin.
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Proteolysis Elevated in HIV+ with Insulin Resistance
FRIDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Fasting proteolysis is significantly higher in patients with HIV infection who have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than in HIV-negative patients and HIV-infected patients without IGT, according to a report published in the October issue of Diabetes. The increase in proteolysis may exacerbate hyperglycemia in HIV-infected patients.
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Gene Variants Associated with Common Obesity
FRIDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Bardet-Biedl syndrome gene variants are associated with the risk of common obesity in children and adults, according to the results of a study published in the October issue of Diabetes.
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Race, Sex, Age Impact Level-I Trauma Center Transfers
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Even after controlling for injury severity, non-clinical factors such as race, gender, age and insurance status significantly impact a patient's risk for hospital transfer to level-I trauma centers, researchers report in the October issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
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Gene Polymorphism Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Complications
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with type 2 diabetes, a polymorphism in the alpha-adducin 1 (ADD1) gene is associated with an increased risk of macrovascular complications and death, according to a brief report published in the October issue of Diabetes.
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Serious Complications for Undiagnosed Diabetes Cases
THURSDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one-third of diabetes cases in the United States remain undiagnosed, and many of these already have diabetes-associated complications, including nephropathy, according to a report in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Soy Exposure Alters Mammary Glands in Neonatal Mice
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Neonatal mice exposed to the phytoestrogen genistein, which is found in soy products, have altered mammary gland morphogenesis and hormone receptor levels, and the effect is dose-dependent and persists past puberty, according to research published in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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Food, Drug Cravings Activate Similar Parts of Brain
FRIDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- In obese patients, the sensation of satiety activates the hippocampus and other regions of the brain that have been previously shown to be involved in drug craving, according to a report published online Oct. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
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Diabetes Risk Associated with Schizophrenia Drugs
THURSDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Among schizophrenics taking medication for their condition, about one-third of new-onset diabetes cases may be attributable to their anti-psychotic medication, according to a study in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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Anti-Obesity Drug Deemed a Clinical Failure
TUESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The investigational anti-obesity drug MK-0557, a selective neuropeptide Y5 receptor antagonist, does not lead to a clinically meaningful weight loss in obese patients, according to a study published in the October issue of Cell Metabolism.
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Weight Loss Is Best Protection for Those at Diabetes Risk
TUESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The best safeguard against diabetes for those at diabetes risk is to lose weight, with a 16 percent drop in risk for each kilogram lost, according to a report published in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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