Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Diabetes & Endocrinology for September 2014. 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.
Can Exercise Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? Genes May Be Key
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For millions of overweight Americans, regular exercise remains a prime weapon against excess weight and the threat of type 2 diabetes. However, a new study suggests that the battle may be tougher for some than for others, depending on their genes. The study was published online Sept. 29 in Diabetologia.
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Spinal Cord Stimulation Feasible for Diabetic Neuropathy
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN), spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a successful treatment, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in Diabetes Care.
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'Just-in-Time' Methodology Can Reduce Patient Waiting Times
MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Having trainee physicians review cases prior to clinic hours can reduce patient waiting times, flow times, and clinic session times, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in Pain Medicine. The management process studied was first popularized by Toyota in Japan.
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AMA Launches Three Programs for Physician Wellness
MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians' personal health is a global concern and three initiatives are being developed to encourage positive change, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA).
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Insulin Increases Resting-State Functional Connectivity in T2DM
MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For older adults with type 2 diabetes, a single dose of intranasal insulin increases resting-state brain functional connectivity, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Diabetes.
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Stress Might Be Even More Unhealthy for the Obese
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Recurring emotional stress may trigger a stronger biochemical response in overweight people, possibly increasing their risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to new study published online Aug. 5 in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
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Experiences Trump Things, Even Before Purchase
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People derive value from the anticipation of purchasing something, and this anticipation tends to be greater for an experiential purchase than for a material purchase, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in Psychological Science.
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Higher HDL Cholesterol May Help Protect Against Cancer
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with a decreased risk of cancer among individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in Diabetes Care.
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Can Media Multitasking Alter Your Brain?
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Multitasking with smartphones, laptop computers, and other media devices could change the structure of your brain, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in PLOS ONE.
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All Work, No Play May Up Risk of Diabetes
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Working long hours may increase one's risk for diabetes, but this may depend on the job. These findings have been published online Sept. 25 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
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Soda Giants Pledge to Make Calorie Cuts in Their Drinks
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The top U.S. soda makers have agreed to help reduce Americans' consumption of calories from sugary beverages by one-fifth during the next decade -- by shrinking drink sizes and marketing healthier options.
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Diabetes Rates Leveling Off in the United States
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Overall adult diabetes rates appear to have leveled off during the past four years in the United States, in stark contrast to the two decades prior, which saw a doubling of the chronic disease, according to research published in the Sept. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Report Identifies Game Changers for U.S. Health Care
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Imagine if doctors and hospitals got paid for providing better care, not more care, and patients had better data for making informed health choices. A new report suggests that's the direction the U.S. health system is headed.
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Most Doctors Are Over-Extended or at Full Capacity
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Most physicians report being over-extended or at full capacity, according to a survey conducted by Merritt Hawkins for The Physicians Foundation.
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Gut Microbiome Diversity Linked to Endogenous Estrogens
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Diversity of fecal microbiome is associated with an increased ratio of hydroxylated estrogen metabolites to parent estrogen, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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FDA Warns Doctors of Danger From 'Fake' Drugs
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of "rogue" wholesale distributors selling fake or unapproved prescription drugs is growing, so doctors need to be vigilant when purchasing medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.
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Generic Discount Drug Program Use Has Increased Over Time
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the generic discount drug program (GDDP) for filling prescriptions with generic drugs has increased since its introduction, according to a research letter published online Sept 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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NIH Adds $10M to Encourage Gender Balance in Clinical Trials
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health is investing $10 million in additional funding in scientific trials to encourage researchers to consider gender in their preclinical and clinical studies.
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Metformin May Affect TSH Levels in Some Patients
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Metformin may raise the risk of low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) among patients with hypothyroidism, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Pancreatic Cancer Risk Not Higher With Diabetes Rx DPP-4i
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There is no increased short-term pancreatic cancer risk with dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) compared to sulfonylureas (SU) and thiazolidinediones (TZD) for glycemic control, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
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Sales Influence Consumer Food Shopping Habits
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers are more likely to buy high-calorie foods (HCF), but not low-calorie foods (LCF) on sale, according to a study published in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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Systemwide Changes Needed to Restrain Health Care Spending
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Systemwide changes are necessary to prevent excessive health care spending, and so are tools to help consumers make better, more informed medical choices, according to a white paper published in June by Vitals.
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Tight Glucose Control Doesn't Prevent Strokes Long Term
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A six-year study of people with type 2 diabetes shows that intensively lowering blood pressure has a long-lasting effect in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and deaths, but intensive blood glucose control does not. The findings were published online Sept. 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with presentation of the findings at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna.
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FDA: Trulicity Approved for Type 2 Diabetes
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Trulicity (dulaglutide), a once-weekly subcutaneous injection, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes along with diet and exercise.
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CDC: Add PCV13 As Routine Vaccination in Older Adults
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a Category A recommendation for revised routine pneumococcal vaccination in older adults. The recommendation has been published in the Sept. 19 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Presence of Peers Ups Health Workers' Hand Hygiene
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of other health care workers improves hand hygiene adherence, according to a study published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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Strategies Can Help Docs Lower Their Tax Burden
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Strategies are presented to help physicians lower their tax burden in an article published Sept. 2 in Medical Economics.
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CDC: Almost Everyone Needs a Flu Shot
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Less than half of all Americans got a flu shot last year, so U.S. health officials on Thursday urged that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated for the coming flu season. "It's really unfortunate that half of Americans are not getting the protection from flu they could get," said Thomas Frieden, M.D., director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a morning news conference.
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Wild Berry May Boost Effect of Chemo for Pancreatic Cancer
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The use of micronutrients such as chokeberry extract may augment the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy drugs on cancer cells, according to research published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.
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FDA Panel: Limit Testosterone Drug Use
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There is little evidence that testosterone replacement therapy effectively treats normally declining levels of the hormone in aging American males, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said Wednesday.
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Insulin Rx Tied to Increased Major Adverse CV Events in DM
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The rate of major adverse cardiovascular events is higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and multivessel coronary artery disease treated with insulin (ITDM) versus those not treated with insulin (non-ITDM), according to a study published in the Sept. 23 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Artificial Sweeteners May Raise Blood Glucose Levels
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Artificial sweeteners can potentially make blood glucose levels rise despite containing no calories, researchers report online Sept. 17 in Nature.
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Internists Report Considerable EMR-Linked Time Loss
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Use of electronic medical record (EMR) systems is associated with considerable loss of free time per clinic day, according to a research letter published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Doctors Promoting Transparency With Patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Efforts to increase transparency among doctors are underway, according to an article published in The Boston Globe.
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AACR: Targeted Drugs Among Successes Against Cancer
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 14.5 million U.S. cancer survivors are alive today, compared to just three million in 1971, the American Association for Cancer Research reported Tuesday.
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U.S. Waistlines Keep Growing, With Women Leading the Way
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans' average waist size continues to inch up, and women's waistlines are widening faster than men's, according to new government research published in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Over a Quarter of Hospital Orders Classified As Defensive
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-quarter of hospital medicine services were rated by ordering physicians as at least a partially defensive order, according to a research letter published online Sept. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Folate Intake Ups Outcomes for Assisted Reproductive Technology
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For women undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment, higher supplemental folate intake is associated with improved outcomes, according to a study published online Sept. 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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HbA1c ≥5.9 Percent Can ID Diabetes in Early Pregnancy
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An HbA1c threshold of ≥5.9 percent can identify all women with gestational diabetes in early pregnancy, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Diabetes Care.
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New Role of Patient As Consumer Requires Market Changes
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The new consumer retail market in U.S. health care is necessary and will benefit consumers, and as consumers take on more costs of care, access to information to help them make informed decisions is crucial, according to a recent white paper published by Vitals.
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Errata Frequently Seen in Medical Literature
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Errata, including those that may materially change the interpretation of data, are frequent in medical publications, according to a study published in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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Highly Sensitive Troponin Test IDs Asymptomatic Heart Damage
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) test may be helpful in identifying early heart damage, eventually standing alongside cholesterol tests as a standard screening tool for heart disease risk, according to researchers who presented their study findings online Aug. 22 in Circulation.
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Review: ASA to Prevent Primary CVD Should Be Individualized
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Prescribing aspirin for primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention should be judged on an individual basis by health care providers, according to an article published online Sept. 1 in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine.
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Glycemic Control Linked to Lumbar Surgery Complications
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing degenerative lumbar spine surgery, suboptimal glycemic control contributes to increased risk of complications and poor outcomes, according to a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Spine.
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FDA Approves Novel Weight-Loss Medication
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new weight-loss medication has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment option for chronic weight management in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity.
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Physician Describes Impact of Malpractice Suit
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A family doctor who was involved in a malpractice suit describes the impact on her practice of medicine in an article published online in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Fear About Disease Progression Prompts ER Returns
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Perceived inability to access timely follow-up care and uncertainty and fear about disease progression are the main reasons for return visits to the emergency department, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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Technological Interventions Aid Weight Loss in Primary Care
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to usual care, technology-assisted weight loss interventions in the primary care setting help patients achieve more weight loss, according to research published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Statins May Provide Microvascular Benefit in Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Statins may help prevent microvascular complications associated with diabetes, according to research published online Sept. 10 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
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Meta-Analysis: Prediabetes Linked to Increased Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Prediabetes is associated with an elevated risk of cancer overall and with increased risks of site-specific cancers, including liver, endometrial, and stomach/colorectal cancer, according to a meta-analysis published online Sept. 8 in Diabetologia.
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Reanalyses of RCTs Can Lead to Different Conclusions
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-third of the small number of reanalyses of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have implied conclusions different from those of the original articles, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Meds of Questionable Benefit Often Prescribed to Elderly
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Medications of questionable benefit are often prescribed for patients with advanced dementia, adding substantially to the costs of care, according to research published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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For Some, Health Insurance More Costly Than Uninsured Penalty
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For some young people in the United States, the cost of paying a penalty for not buying health insurance will be lower than the lowest-cost insurance, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Comparative Studies Lacking for Osteoporosis Drugs
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Good-quality evidence supports the efficacy of several medications for osteoporosis, but the comparative effectiveness of these drugs is unclear, according to research published online Sept. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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MI, CHD Incidence for Adults With Diabetes Decreases
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- From 1998 to 2010 there was a decrease in the incidence rates of hospitalized myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD) among adults with diabetes mellitus in Western Australia, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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Before 2011 Guidelines, Lipid Screening Rates in Children Low
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In the years leading up to the 2011 guidelines on cardiovascular health, lipid screening was uncommon in 9- to 11-year-olds and was performed in a minority of 17- to 19-year-olds, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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Report Explores Patients' Portal Preferences
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patients want portals that include features such as appointment scheduling, viewing test results, and checking prescription refills, and are frustrated with unresponsive staff and poor interfaces, according to a report published by Software Advice.
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Renal and Thyroid Cancers on the Rise in U.S. Children
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of renal cancer and thyroid cancer is increasing among children and adolescents in the United States, according to research published online Sept. 8 in Pediatrics.
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Health Care Spending Expected to Rise in 2014 Through 2023
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- While health spending growth was slow in 2013, health spending is expected to increase in 2014 and remain higher through 2023, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in Health Affairs.
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Obesity Remains Rampant Across America
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than 20 states have obesity rates topping one-third of their population, and six states saw a rise in obesity rates last year, according to two new reports released Thursday -- one from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the other from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
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Diabetes May Increase Risk of Visual Loss Post-Spinal Fusion
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Though rare, some patients are at higher risk for perioperative visual loss (POVL) after spinal fusion surgery, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
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Blog: Seven Most Common Physician Social Media Misses
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The most common physician social media misses and missteps can be avoided, allowing doctors to take advantage of marketing opportunities on all major social media channels, according to the author of a recent Vitals blog.
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CVS Halts Tobacco Sales
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- As of midnight Tuesday, all CVS locations across the United States stopped selling tobacco products.
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Review: Considerable Weight Loss With Any Low-Carb, Low-Fat Diet
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For overweight and obese adults, significant weight loss is achieved with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet, with minimal between-diet differences, according to a review published in the Sept. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Obesity Fueling Rise in Diabetes Rates
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. obesity epidemic is a driving force behind the rising rates of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in the Sept. 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Vagal Nerve Block Therapy in Morbid Obesity Explored
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Vagal nerve block therapy may be effective for weight loss in morbid obesity, and trends in bariatric surgery procedures have changed from 2006 to 2013, according to two studies published in the Sept. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Low-Carb Beats Low-Fat for Weight Loss, Heart Health
TUESDAY, Sept. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective than a low-fat diet for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor reduction, according to a study published in the Sept. 2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Quality of U.S. Diet Improves, Slightly
TUESDAY, Sept. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The quality of Americans' diets has improved somewhat but remains poor overall, and dietary disparity between the rich and poor is growing, a new study shows. Education also played a role in dietary quality, which was lowest and improved more slowly among people who had 12 years or less of school, according to the study published online Sept. 1 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Partially Hydrogenated Oils in 9 Percent of Packaged Foods
TUESDAY, Sept. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nine percent of top-selling packaged food products in the United States contain partially hydrogenated oils, with most of these products reporting 0 grams of trans fat per serving, according to a study published Aug. 28 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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Maternal Gestational Diabetes Ups Daughters' Adiposity
TUESDAY, Sept. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Girls exposed to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or hyperglycemia in utero have elevated risk of childhood adiposity, particularly if the mother is overweight or obese, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in Diabetes Care.
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