The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 92, No. 12 17a
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society
Endocrinology & Metabolism News, December 2007
 |
Endocrine Discovery
|
|---|
Previously reported associations of autoimmune thyroid disease with genes for the TSH receptor (TSHR) and FCRL3 were confirmed in a study of 1,000 individuals with Graves’ disease, employing 14,500 nonsynonymous SNPs for comparison with large control cohorts.
(Nat Genet [Nov. 2007] 39 (11):1329)
When various insulin formulations were added to maximal metformin and sulfonylurea doses in 708 type 2 diabetes patients with suboptimal control, a single daily dose of the long-acting analog-insulin formulation detemir resulted in a glycohemoglobin level 
6.5% in only 8% of patients at 1 year. In those given biphasic aspart insulin twice daily and prandial aspart insulin three times daily, 17% and 24% achieved this glycohemoglobin target, but they experienced more frequent hypoglycemia and weight gain.
(N Engl J Med [Oct. 25, 2007] 357:1716)[CrossRef]
Among obese individuals 60 years of age and older studied in NHANES III [1988–1994] and NHANES 1999–2004, prevalences of functional impairment (e.g., walking one-fourth mile, up 10 steps, or between rooms; stooping; lifting 10 lb; and standing from an armless chair) increased from 37% to 42% (P = 0.03) between the 2 surveys, with the odds of functional impairment for obese individuals increasing from 1.8- to 2.8-fold greater than normal-weight individuals.
(JAMA [Nov. 7, 2007] 298 (17):2020)
Analyses of mortality in adults 25 years and older in NHANES I (1971–1975), II (1976–1980), and III (1988–1994) with follow-up through 2000 (including 571,042 person-years) found that both underweight (BMI <18.5 and overweight (BMI 25-<30) were associated with higher mortality from noncancer, non-cardiovascular disease, although not for cancer or cardiovascular disease; whereas obesity (BMI 
30) was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (112,159 excess deaths), which has lessened over time. Overweight and obese individuals combined had increased diabetes- and renal disease-related mortalities.
(JAMA [Nov. 7, 2007] 298 (17):2028)
Overexpression of the endocrine tumor suppressor and transcriptional regulator menin prevented normal pregnancy-related islet cell expansion in mice, causing hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance analogous to gestational diabetes. Prolactin lowered islet menin levels and stimulated β-cell proliferation.
(Science [Nov. 2, 2007] 318:806)
The intestine-derived satiety signal peptide YY3–36 (PYY) was found, in human functional MRI studies, to modulate neural activity in corticolimbic and higher-cortical areas. High plasma PYY concentrations mimicked frontal cortex neural activity seen in the fed state, even without the sensory experiences of eating.
(Nature [Nov. 1, 2007] 450:106)[CrossRef]
After leptin normalized body weight and eating behavior in three adults with a missense ob gene mutation causing leptin deficiency, functional magnetic resonance imaging during presentation of food-related stimuli showed lesser brain activation in hunger-linked regions (i.e., insula, parietal and temporal cortex) and augmented activation in satiety-linked regions (prefrontal cortex), implying that leptin modulates feeding behavior through circuits in these brain regions.
(Proc Natl Acad Sci USA [published ahead of print Nov. 6, 2007])
Among 785 children, 18% of whom were overweight in 6th grade, shorter sleep duration was independently associated with overweight. Earlier shorter sleep duration when they had been in 3rd grade was associated with 6th grade overweight, independent of their weight in 3rd grade. However, clinical sleep problems were not associated with overweight.
(Pediatrics [Nov. 2007] 120:1020)
|
Endocrine Practice
|
|---|
FDA approved a generic risedronate preparation produced by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and treatment of Paget’s disease. (For more information, go to: http://www.tevapharm.com/pr/2007/pr_694.asp)
|
Endocrine Education & Training
|
|---|
The 2007 U.S. medical school entering class was the largest ever, with almost 17,800 first-year enrollees in the country’s 126 medical schools, an increase of 2.3% over 2006. The number of African American and Hispanic men applying and accepted increased 9.2% and 5.3%, respectively. (For more information, see: http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2007/071016.htm).
|
Endocrine Policy
|
|---|
One quarter of medical school faculty positions for clinical investigators to pursue patient-oriented research were unfilled between 2002 and 2004, according to a survey of clinical department chairs. (For more information, go to: https://services.aamc.org/Publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=Product.displayForm)
The White House may not implement a plan to distribute potassium iodide for thyroidal radiation protection to 21.9 million people in 33 states living within 20 miles of a nuclear reactor, a program that had been mandated by Congress five years ago. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has opposed wider distribution of the drug because it advocates other measures to prevent radiation exposure and cancers, and because the distribution program would, in its view, undermine confidence in U.S. nuclear plants. (USA Today [Oct. 22, 2007])
|
Endocrinologists
|
|---|
Adolph Friedman, prominent Washington clinical endocrinologist and the Endocrine Society’s historian, died at age 90 at his home in Bethesda.
Robert Utiger of Harvard Medical School was honored with the American Thyroid Association’s 2007 Distinguished Service Award.
|
Milestones in Endocrinology
|
|---|
250 years ago, in the first recorded controlled trial, the British physician James Lind reported that scurvy could be prevented by intake of lemons and oranges, based on research performed on HMS Salisbury.
|
In the Journal 25 Years Ago
|
|---|
The relationship between serum triiodothyronine and thyrotropin during systemic illness. Bacci V, Schussler GC, Kaplan TB.
(J Clin Endocrinol Metab [June 1982] 54:1229)
"The most important finding of this study is that during recovery from severe nonthyroidal illness, the average TSH is above normal and is higher than during the acute stage of the illness".
|
Footnotes
|
|---|
Readers are encouraged to suggest items for Endocrinology and Metabolism News by E-mail (sherman{at}endo-society.org). Submissions will be considered based on their significance and timeliness.
Top
Endocrine Discovery
Endocrine Practice
