Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for September 2007. 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.
Adding Single Insulin to Oral Meds Fails Most Diabetics
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Only a minority of diabetic patients with suboptimal glycemic control on oral drugs achieve target glycated hemoglobin levels with the addition of a single type of insulin, according to a study published online Sept. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Basal insulin was slightly less effective than regimens with short-acting insulin, but was associated with a lower risk of weight gain and hypoglycemic events.
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Postnatal Weight Gain May Predispose to Obesity in Rats
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Excess postnatal weight gain leads to permanent changes in the adaptive thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue in rats, which may predispose them to obesity as adults, according to a report in the September issue of Endocrinology.
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Infants of Diabetic Mothers Have Low Iron Stores
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Babies of diabetic mothers have significantly lower iron stores than babies born to women without diabetes, a condition that suggests fetal response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia, researchers report in the September issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood -- Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
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Diabetes Risk Linked to Omega-3 Intake in Childhood
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children, according to a two-part study reported in the Sept. 26 Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Familiar Doctor Linked to More Satisfaction for Urgent Care
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive urgent medical care from family physicians or after-hours clinics affiliated with their physicians are more likely to be satisfied with the encounter than patients who use other sources of urgent care, according to research published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Hospitalist Care Linked to Shorter Hospital Stays
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients who are under the care of a hospital-based general physician -- or hospitalist -- may have shorter stays than those under conventional hospital care, according to the results of a study in the Sept. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Black and Latino Diabetics Lag Whites in Glycemic Control
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- In the United States, blacks and Latinos older than 55 with diabetes mellitus have worse glycemic control than whites -- a racial disparity partly attributable to potentially modifiable factors such as medication adherence and emotional distress, according to study findings published in the Sept. 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Diabetes Drug Sulfonylurea Shows Benefit for Stroke
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetes patients may be more likely to have successful recoveries from strokes if they are taking sulfonylurea drugs, researchers report in the September issue of Stroke.
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Blood Glucose, Child Conduct Linked in Type 1 Diabetes
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Glycemic status is associated with aggression and other conduct problems in children with type 1 diabetes, researchers report in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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Fertility Rates in Swedish Diabetic Women Normalized
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Measures to reduce pregnancy complications among Swedish women with type 1 diabetes over the past 20 years have normalized fertility rates among those without diabetic complications, researchers report in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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Nocturnal Hemodialysis Improves Cardiac Health
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Dialysis patients randomized to receive hemodialysis six nights a week experienced improvements in left ventricular mass, blood pressure and select measures of quality of life compared to those undergoing conventional hemodialysis, researchers report in the Sept. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Diabetics See Better Control with Variety of Exercise Types
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in either aerobic or resistance training improve glycemic control, but those who engage in both have even more improvement, according to the results of a study published in the Sept. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Muscle-Building Exercise Linked to Insulin Sensitivity
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Men and women who participate in muscle-strengthening activities may be increasing their sensitivity to insulin, according to the results of a large population-based study in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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Heart-Patient Discharge Protocol Adherence Faulted
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Improved adherence to the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines discharge protocols could help prevent secondary cardiovascular events in patients who are hospitalized for heart disease, especially those who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery, according to a study published in a supplement to the Sept. 4 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Basal-Bolus Therapy Works Well for Type 2 Diabetics
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Insulin levels of type 2 diabetic patients who are admitted to the hospital for non-critical illnesses can be more effectively managed when they are treated with basal-bolus insulin therapy instead of sliding-scale regular insulin therapy, according to the results of a randomized trial published in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
Cholesterol Screening Should Be Done in Childhood
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol screening is most effective when done in childhood, and experts recommend that children be screened at age 15 months at the time of childhood immunizations, according to a report published online Sept. 13 in BMJ.
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Linked to Reproductive Failure
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Age-associated increases in follicle-stimulating hormone may accelerate female reproductive failure despite no exhaustion of ovarian reserve, according to the results of an animal study published in the September issue of Endocrinology.
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Drug to Prevent Preterm Birth May Raise Diabetes Risk
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Using 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) to prevent recurrent preterm delivery may raise the risk of gestational diabetes, according to a report in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
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Seniors Stop Taking Medication If Insurance Caps Benefits
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients whose health insurance caps drug benefits are more likely to stop taking their medication for diabetes and other chronic ailments than those with plans that do not cap drug benefits, researchers report in the September/October issue of Health Affairs.
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B Vitamins Fail to Reduce Deaths in Kidney Patients
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, treatment with folic acid and B vitamins did not reduce their mortality or lower their incidence of cardiovascular events, according to the results of a study published in the Sept. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Glycemic Control Drugs Linked with Heart Failure in Diabetics
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Two blood glucose-lowering thiazolidinediones -- pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) -- can increase heart failure risk in diabetes patients, but the net cardiovascular effect of pioglitazone may be favorable because it is linked to a lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, according to a pair of meta-analyses in the Sept. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Insulin-Producing Cells Can Regenerate in Mice
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new mouse model of diabetes suggests that insulin-producing pancreatic cells have the capacity to regenerate and reverse diabetes, and immunosuppressants used in human islet transplantation may block this regeneration, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Depression Exacts Higher Toll Than Chronic Conditions
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Depression, especially when accompanied by other chronic physical health conditions, has a greater effect on reducing mean health scores than conditions such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes alone, according to study findings published in the Sept. 8 issue of The Lancet.
FDA Approves Drug for Treatment of Acromegaly
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate) to be used for the treatment of patients with acromegaly who don't respond to or who are not candidates for surgery or radiation. The injectable drug, which was approved under the orphan drug program, is marketed by Tercica, Inc., of Brisbane, Calif.
Diabetics Misunderstand Blood Glucose Monitoring
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with type 2 diabetes are uncertain about the benefit of blood glucose monitoring, partly because they perceive a lack of interest on the part of their providers, researchers report in the September issue of BMJ.
Drug Duo May Cut Diabetes-Related Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with type 2 diabetes who take the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril and the diuretic indapamide are at reduced risk for major vascular events compared with those who do not take the combination therapy, according to study findings published online Sept. 2 in The Lancet.
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Leptin, Diet Can Protect Pancreatic Islet Grafts in Rats
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Insulin-stimulated lipogenesis is associated with the failure of intrahepatic islet cell grafts in diabetic rats, but it can be prevented or reduced by administering leptin or altering the diet, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of Diabetes.
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Glucose-Sensing Neurons Key to Blood Sugar Regulation
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The function of special glucose-sensing neurons in the hypothalamus is impaired by obesity, suggesting these cells have a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in Nature.
