The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 90, No. 10 17a
Copyright © 2005 by The Endocrine Society
Endocrinology & Metabolism News, October 2005
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Endocrine Discovery
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Use of paclitaxel-eluting stents in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease was associated with a lesser degree of luminal loss on follow up angiography than sirolimus-eluting stents in a prospective randomized trial—suggesting that this device would have a lower risk of restenosis.
(N Engl J Med (Aug. 18, 2005) 353(7):663)
Erythropoietin and VEGF levels were both higher in the vitreous of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy than in patients without diabetes. Furthermore, erythropoietin blockade inhibited retinal neovascularization in a murine model and inhibited endothelial-cell proliferation in vitreous from diabetic retinopathy patients in vitro. Based on these findings, erythropoietin appears to play an independent role as an angiogenic factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic proliferative retinopathy.
(N Engl J Med (Aug. 25, 2005) 353(8):782)
A single infusion of zoledronic acid to treat Paget’s disease produced more rapid, complete, and sustained responses than daily treatment with risedronate.
(N Engl J Med (Sept. 1, 2005) 353(9):898)
Beta-blockade after myocardial infarction in type 2 diabetes patients was not associated with reduced mortality or fewer recurrent eventscompared to untreated patients in an observational study of 625 patients.
(Diabetes Care (Sept. 2005) 28(9):2113)
A trial comparing rosiglitazone and metformin for treatment of patients with HIV lipodystrophyfound that rosiglitazone increased subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat and adiponectin levels, whereas metformin did not. However, metformin produced greater improvement in patients’ fasting lipid profile and enhanced flow-mediated vasodilation, whereas rosiglitazone did not. Improvements in insulin sensitivity, as measure by insulin AUC during OGTT, were similar. Neither agent altered C-reactive protein levels.
(Ann Intern Med (Sept. 6, 2005) 143(5):337)
Gabapentin, 900 mg, controlled hot flashes in women receiving systemic therapy for breast cancer in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-institutional trial, but a lower 300-mg dose was ineffective.
(Lancet (Sept. 3. 2005) 366:818)[CrossRef][Medline]
Among 50 young carriers of the RET mutation characteristic of MEN2A who underwent prophylactic thyroidectomy, 44 had normal serum calcitonin levels after 5 to 10 years of follow up.
(New Engl J Med (Sept. 15, 2005) 353(11):1105)
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Endocrine Practice
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The prevalences of obesity rose in every state last year, with sharpest rises in the Southeastern United States, according to a report by Trust for America’s Health. Adults in Mississippi were heaviest, and those in Colorado the least heavy. (http://healthyamericans.org/newsroom/releases/release082305.pdf)
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Endocrine Education & Training
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The NIH is accepting application for its Loan Repayment Programs, which repay health professionals committed to two years’ clinical, pediatric, contraception and infertility, or health disparities research up to $35,000 per year. Applications for 2006 must be submitted by December 1. (For more information and to apply online, visit: (http://www.lrp.nih.gov/ or call the LRP helpline at (866) 849-4047)
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Endocrine Care
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The FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of an inhaled insulin preparation(Exubera®), which has been shown in clinical trials to be no less effective for glycemic control than injected insulin. The drug has been jointly developed by Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, and Nektar Therapeutics.
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Endocrine Policy
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NIH has funded three new Exploratory Centers for Stem Cell Research at Mount Sinai and Albert Einstein in New York and the Burnham Institute in La Jolla.Each will receive $9M over three years for work limited to federally approved stem cell lines. (For more information, visit: www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2005/nigms-09.htm)
NIH releases its final ethics regulations for employees, which now allow pre-approved outside activities, including service to scientific organizations, writing textbooks, reviewing or editing for journals, serving on data and safety monitoring boards, lecturing to physicians and scientists, and reviewing scientific grants. (For more information, visit:http://www.nih.gov/about/ethics_COI.htm)
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Endocrinologists
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Richard Reindollar has become Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dartmouth Medical School.
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Milestones in Endocrinology
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Fifty years ago, Ernst Knobil and Roy Greep showed that growth hormone extract from monkeys was active in man, but that only GH preparations of primate origin were effective in primates.
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In the Journal 25 Years Ago
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Treatment of male hypogonadism with testosterone enanthate. Snyder PJ, Lawrence DA, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1980;51:1335–1339. "Based on the results of this study, 200 mg testosterone every 2 weeks or 300 mg every 3 weeks seem to be the most effective of the dosage regimens tested to keep serum concentrations of LH, FSH, and testosterone within their normal ranges with the least frequent injections."
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Footnotes
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Readers are encouraged to suggest items for Endocrinology and Metabolism News by email (sherman{at}endo-society.org). Submissions will be considered based on their significance and timeliness.
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