The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 92, No. 1 17a
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society
Endocrinology & Metabolism News, January 2007
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Endocrine Discovery
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Pioglitazone slowed progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness compared with glimepiride in a randomized, double-blind, comparator-controlled, multicenter trial of 462 type 2 diabetes patients.
(JAMA [Dec. 6, 2006] 296 (21):2572)
Among 4360 patients treated in a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial for a median 4 years, rosiglitazone was more effective in preventing failure of monotherapy (defined as FBG > 180 mg/dl) than metformin (–32% risk reduction) or glyburide (–63%); but rosiglitazone caused more weight gain and edema than either other agent and more cardiovascular events than glyburide, while metformin had more GI side effects and glyburide more hypoglycemia than their respective alternate therapies.
(N Engl J Med [Dec. 7, 2006] 355:2427)
In subjects with glucose intolerance and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, combined hypocaloric diet and pioglitazone enhanced insulin sensitivity, glycemic control and glucose tolerance; decreased transaminase levels; and improved hepatic histological findings in a 6-month randomized, prospective, placebo controlled trial.
(N Engl J Med [Nov. 30, 2006] 355:2297)
Alpha-lipoic acid treatment for 5 weeks improved nerve pain in 181 diabetic patients in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
(Diabetes Care [Nov. 2006] 29:2365)
Testosterone enanthate 150 mg every 2 weeks normalized serum androgen concentrations, but had little effect on intra-prostate androgen levels or markers of prostatic cellular function in a 6-month prospective randomized trial of testosterone therapy in aging men with late-onset hypogonadism.
(JAMA [Nov. 15, 2006] 296:2351)
The progesterone antagonist mifepristone (RU 486) prevented mammary tumorigenesis in p53-deficient mice with the cancer susceptibility gene Brca1, suggesting that antiprogesterone therapy might be used to prevent breast cancer in individuals with BRCA1 mutations.
(Science [Dec. 1, 2006] 314 (5804):1467)
Inactivation in mice of the d2 isoform of vacuolar (H+) ATPase V0 domain (Atp6v0d2), which is normally expressed in osteoclasts, caused a marked increase in bone mass due to defective pre-osteoclast fusion and osteoclast function as well as enhanced bone formation.
(Nat Med [Dec. 2006] 12:1403)
Survival of pancreatic islet cells in the livers of diabetic NOD mice was assessed using ([18F]FHBG)-PET; signal intensity reflected islets’ insulin secretory capacity, suggesting its potential for monitoring islet transplants in man.
(Nat Med [Dec. 2006] 12:1423)
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Endocrine Education & Training
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The average debt of graduating medical students increased by 8.5% in 2006 over the preceding year, with 72% of graduates having a debt of $100,000 or more. (For more information, go to: http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/debthelp/factcard06.pdf)
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Endocrine Policy
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AAMC released a report confirming that women are underrepresented among high-level faculty positions, e.g., representing only 16 percent of full professors, even as the number applying to medical school has increased steadily in the recent years. (For more information, contact Charles Clayton (cclayton{at}im.org), Nicole Baptista (nbaptista{at}im.org), or Allison Haupt (ahaupt{at}im.org) at (202) 861-9351).
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Endocrinologists
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Larry Jameson has been named Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, effective July 1, 2007.
John Rock has become the founding Dean of the Florida International University College of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs.
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Milestones in Endocrinology
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Fifty years ago, Armstrong and MacMillan described vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) as a catecholamine metabolite that was elevated in the urine of patients with pheochromocytoma.
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In the Journal 25 Years Ago
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Aggravation of thyrotoxicosis in early pregnancy and after delivery in Graves’ disease. Amino N, Tanizawa O, Mori H, Iwatani Y, Yamada T, Kurachi K, Kumahara Y, Miyai K. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1982 Jul;55(1):108–112.
"These data indicate that Graves’ disease is aggravated in early pregnancy and after delivery and ameliorates in the latter half of pregnancy."
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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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