Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for September 2009. 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.
Treating Gestational Diabetes Can Reduce Fetal Overgrowth
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment of mild gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women did not significantly affect stillbirth or perinatal death, but did reduce the risk of fetal overgrowth, according to a study in the Oct. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Midlife Overweight in Women Leads to Later Poorer Health
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A woman who is overweight at midlife has significantly reduced odds of healthy survival past the age of 70, according to a study published Sept. 29 in BMJ.
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Combination Treatment Found Effective for Neuropathic Pain
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A combination treatment of gabapentin and nortriptyline relieve chronic neuropathic pain better than either medication given as monotherapy, according to a study published online Sept. 30 in The Lancet.
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Bacterial Infections Are a Factor in Many H1N1 Deaths
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients who have died of H1N1 influenza this year had a bacterial co-infection that likely contributed to their deaths, according to a Sept. 29 early release of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Leptin-Impaired Obese Mice Not Found to Develop Arthritis
TUESDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- In leptin-impaired mice, the resulting extreme obesity does not cause knee osteoarthritis, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Imaging Modalities for Heart Disease in Diabetics Compared
TUESDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) was superior to single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) at detecting coronary artery disease among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a study in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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H1N1 Virus's Genetic Makeup Appears to Be Staying Stable
MONDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The genetic makeup of the H1N1 flu has remained stable, which means the yet-to-be-released vaccine is likely to be a good match for the virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced at a Sept. 25 media briefing.
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Endocrine Guidelines Developed for Transsexuals
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A new clinical practice guideline offers advice for the endocrine treatment of transsexuals, according to a special article published in the September Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Live Birth Has Little Effect on Kidney Transplant Recipients
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In women with a functioning kidney transplant, a live birth has no significant effect on either graft or patient survival, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Obesity Can Lead to Resistance to Insulin-Like Hormone
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary obesity leads to whole body and vascular resistance to insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) through its effects on the vasculature and glucose metabolism, according to a study in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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Maternal Bariatric Surgery Tied to Less Offspring Obesity
THURSDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Bariatric surgery in women before pregnancy helps reduce the risk of childhood obesity and improve cardio-metabolic markers in their offspring by improving the intrauterine environment, according to a study in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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Folate Linked to Fewer Deaths in Coronary Artery Disease
THURSDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The use of folate may reduce the long-term risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease and elevated homocysteine, according to research published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Fat Hormone May Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Diabetics
THURSDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A fragment of the fat hormone adiponectin improves glucose and lipid metabolism and restores insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant diabetic mice, according to a study in the October issue of Endocrinology.
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Meta-Analysis Finds Flu Linked to Heart Attack and Death
THURSDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- For people with heart disease, getting influenza increases the risk of heart attack and death, and cardiac patients should be strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, according to a literature review and meta-analysis reported in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Review Advises Hand Washing, Other Antiviral Measures
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Hand washing, wearing a mask, and isolating potential cases are all effective in interrupting the spread of viral respiratory infections and should be given greater attention when planning for widespread outbreaks, according to research published Sept. 22 in BMJ.
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Study Finds Obesity Impairs Leukemia Treatment Response
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity may directly impair the efficacy of leukemia treatment, according to an animal study published online Sept. 22 in Cancer Research.
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Spotlight on Social Networking Use Among Medical Students
TUESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A majority of medical schools report instances of medical students posting unprofessional content on social networking Web sites, including some instances of violations of patient confidentiality, according to a report in the Sept. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Physician Medical Errors Linked to Fatigue and Burnout
TUESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of medical error is associated with a host of factors related to physician fatigue, burnout, and mental and emotional well-being, according to a study in the Sept. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Hispanics Show Lower Artery Bypass Rate After PCI
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Despite having a higher cardiovascular risk profile than Caucasians, Hispanics are less likely to have coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), according to research published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Mediterranean Diet More Costly to Follow Than Western
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Spanish university graduates who tended to follow a Mediterranean diet spent more money for their food than those following a western diet, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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Heart Risks in Midlife Reduce Men's Life Expectancy
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In middle-aged men with cardiovascular risk factors, long-term life expectancy is significantly shortened even if they subsequently modify those risk factors, according to a study published Sept. 17 in BMJ.
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Taxes on Sugared Sodas Could Cut Consumption
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Imposing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could reduce consumption and generate income for obesity reduction and healthy eating education interventions, according to an article published online Sept. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Culturally Based Nutrition Education Helps Weight Loss
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Receiving culturally adapted diabetes education was associated with a reduction in weight and body mass index among type 2 diabetics from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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Diabetes Treatments May Not Reduce Inflammatory Markers
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- In patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, treatment with insulin or metformin does not significantly improve inflammatory biomarker levels compared to placebo, according to a study published in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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FDA Approves Four Vaccines for H1N1 Influenza
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved four H1N1 influenza vaccines, according to a Sept. 15 news release issued by the agency.
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Portion of Population at Low Cardio Risk Down Since 1999
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A modest increase in the portion of the U.S. population at low cardiovascular risk from 1971 to 1994 has reversed since 1999, pointing out the need for greater efforts at lifestyle modification and prevention, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in Circulation.
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Diabetes Improvements May Be Worth the Extra Cost
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with type 2 diabetes, the net economic value of improvements in health status may equal or exceed increased health expenditures, according to a study in the Sept. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Drug Interaction E-Alerts Show Benefit to Patient Safety
MONDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Drug interaction alerts from electronic prescribing likely improve patient safety and reduce costs in outpatient care, despite the fact that over 90 percent of the alerts are overridden by physicians, according to a study in the Sept. 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Drug Shown to Aid Patients With Resistant Hypertension
MONDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The vasodilator darusentan significantly lowers blood pressure in patients whose hypertension is resistant to current drugs, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in The Lancet.
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Mutated H1N1 Virus Resistant to Antiviral Drug Oseltamivir
FRIDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The discovery of H1N1 mutations resistant to the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in two adolescent girls sharing a cabin at a North Carolina camp prompted a new recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the proper prophylactic use of antiviral drugs, according to a case report in the Sept. 11 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Poverty-Mortality Association Unchanged in England
FRIDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Despite myriad medical, public health, social, economic and political changes, the association between poverty and mortality in England and Wales is as strong today as it was at the start of the 20th century, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in BMJ.
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Adiponectin Associated With Childhood Lymphoma
THURSDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of adiponectin, but not leptin, are associated with childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as a poorer prognosis, according to research published online Sept. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Gene Variant Linked to Insulin Resistance in Diabetes
THURSDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A gene variant associated with type 2 diabetes is unusual among previously linked loci in being associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, rather than impaired pancreatic beta cell function, according to a study published online Sept. 6 in Nature Genetics.
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More Illness for Term Babies Exposed to Preeclampsia
THURSDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who are exposed to preeclampsia are at increased risk of hospitalization for a range of illnesses, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Most H1N1 Flu Patients Don't Need Antiviral Medication
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Antiviral medications should be used to treat H1N1 swine flu only in people who are hospitalized from the flu or are at high risk of complications from it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Metabolic Syndrome Can Hike Peripheral Artery Disease Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Women with the array of cardiovascular risk factors known as metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at elevated risk for the eventual development of peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to a study published online Sept. 8 in Circulation.
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Weight Loss Prescriptions to Children Increased 15-Fold
TUESDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- The number of off-label prescriptions for weight loss drugs to children and adolescents has increased 15-fold over an eight year period in Kingdom, although most young people only take the drug for a short time and are unlikely to have seen any benefit, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Exercise Helps Keep Weight Regain at Bay
MONDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Regular exercise helps stop weight regain after weight loss, according to the findings of a study in rats published in the September issue of the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
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Waist-Height Ratio Linked to Cardiovascular Risk
MONDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The waist-to-height ratio may be useful in detecting central obesity and its related cardiovascular risk factors in normal-weight adults, according to research published in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Thigh Size Can Have Impact on Risk of Heart Disease
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A thigh circumference below 60 centimeters is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease and premature mortality in both men and women, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in BMJ.
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Appetite Hormone Acts on Brain to Regulate Bone
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The fat hormone leptin regulates bone mass and suppresses appetite by acting through serotonin pathways in the brain, according to a study in the Sept. 4 issue of Cell.
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Parathyroid Hormone May Be Beneficial in Osteoporosis
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In a rat model of osteopenia, parathyroid hormone has beneficial short-term effects on bone stability and microstructure when compared with estradiol, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of Spine.
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Diabetes Control Can Increase Men's Testosterone Levels
THURSDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- In men with type 2 diabetes who have erectile dysfunction, better glycemic control may significantly increase serum testosterone levels, according to a study published in the September issue of Urology.
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Gene Involved in Osteoporosis Development Identified
THURSDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A gene important in blocking the formation of osteoclasts, which break down bone, promotes osteoporosis in mice if missing, according to a study published online Aug. 30 in Nature Medicine.
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Body Mass, Weight Gain Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Men's body mass, as well as weight gain in adulthood, may affect their risk of prostate cancer, according to research published online Sept. 1 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Academic Medical Centers Active and Diverse in Research
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Research at academic medical centers is active and diverse, with nearly a quarter of life-science researchers receiving no funding, and relationships with industry more commonly seen among translational and clinical researchers than basic science researchers, according to a study in the Sept. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Surgical, Gradual Menopause Effects on Cognition Compared
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Natural menopause and surgical menopause might have different effects on cognitive function, according to the results of animal research published in the September issue of Endocrinology.
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Findings Point to Link Between Cholesterol and Bone Loss
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The RANKL protein may play a role in a relationship between oxidized lipids and immune-mediated bone loss, according to research published online Aug. 22 in Clinical Immunology.
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Epinephrine Dosage for Anesthetic Overdose Studied
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In an experiment on rats whose hearts were stopped by anesthetic overdose, the administration of the hormone epinephrine above a dose threshold was found to counteract lipid-based resuscitation, according to a study in the September issue of Anesthesiology.
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Imaging Strategy Can Help Assess Pancreatic Perfusion
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Dynamic contrast material-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and pharmacokinetic modeling can be used to assess microcirculation of the pancreas in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study reported in the September issue of Radiology.
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Mediterranean-Style Diet May Beat Low-Fat for Diabetics
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetics who follow a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet have better glycemic control than those on a low-fat diet, according to a study in the Sept. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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