This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints, Permissions and Rights

Endocrinology & Metabolism News

A new type of osteoporosis drug for postmenopausal women at high risk for fractures has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Commission. Prolia (denosumab; Amgen) is a human monoclonal antibody designed to target RANKL, an osteoclast maturation factor. The drug mimics osteoprotegerin, a naturally occurring protein produced by osteoblasts that acts as a decoy receptor for RANKL and helps keep the balance of osteoblasts to osteoclasts in check. The drug is delivered subcutaneously every 6 months. (www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm214150.htm)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently advised consumers and health care professionals about the possible risk of severe liver injury for those who take the weight-loss medication orlistat (marketed as the prescription drug Xenical and the over-the-counter medicine Alli). The agency has also been working with drug manufacturers to revise their drug labels to reflect this rare occurrence. (www.fda.gov/NewEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm213470.htm)

Patients on proton pump inhibitors or stomach acid-reducing medicines for prolonged periods of time (>1 year) or at high doses face the possibility of increased fracture of the hip, wrist, and spine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered manufacturers of these drugs [e.g., Nexium (esomeprazole), Dexilant (dexlansoprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole), Prevacid (lansoprazole), Protonix (pantoprazole), Aciphex (rabeprazole)] to reflect this risk in their products’ labeling. (www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm213377.htm)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now approved Natazia (estradiol valerate and estradiol valerate/dienogest) tablets for use as an oral contraceptive. Manufactured by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Natazia differs from previous marketed combination oral contraceptives in that it contains estradiol valerate as opposed to ethinyl estradiol and that it is the first to supply four different doses of progestin and estrogen throughout the 28-day treatment. (www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm211176.htm)

Overweight girls who lose weight before adulthood were no more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their peers who had been normal-weight children, according to a 16-year longitudinal study of nearly 110,000 women. (Diabetes Care [June 2010] 33 (6):1364)

A novel environment-wide association study suggested that exposure to high levels of the pesticide-derivative heptachlor epoxide, polychlorinated biphenyls, and the vitamin E compound -tocopherol significantly increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. (PLoS ONE [May 2010] 5 (5):e10746)

A group of cell surface markers—CD44^pos, CD49f^hi, and CD133/2^hi—has been linked to estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, possibly paving the way for personalized therapy. (Cancer Research [June 1, 2010] 70 (11):4624)

A mouse study found that inhibition of melanocortin signaling in the central nervous system directly regulates cholesterol metabolism by the liver. (Nat Neurosci [published online June 6, 2010])

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have a 4-fold increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, independent of body mass index, according to a meta-analysis of 35 studies. (Hum Reprod Update [July-August 2010] 16 (4):347)

Two hip geometry parameters, intertrochanter outer diameter and buckling ratio, have been found to predict incident hip fracture in postmenopausal women, after accounting for clinical risk factors and conventional femoral neck bone mineral density. (Osteopor Int [June 2010] 21 (6):1433)

Use of transdermal hormone replacement therapy containing low doses of estrogen, compared with oral and no therapy, did not increase the risk of stroke, according to a case-control study of 75,668 British women aged 50–79 years. (BMJ [published online June 3, 2010])

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new diagnostic test to monitor ovarian cancer. Manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, ARCHITECT HE4 (human epididymis protein 4) is a blood test that looks for a biomarker usually secreted by ovarian cancer patients. It is anticipated that use of this test, in conjunction with the currently used blood test to monitor ovarian cancer, CA125, will detect more of these cancers; 80% of ovarian cancers are detected with CA125, yet 20% are missed since these tumors do not express CA125. (www.abbott.com/global/url/pressRelease/en_US/60.5:5/Press_Release_0870.htm)

Low-dose combination therapy with rosiglitazone (2 mg) and metformin (500 mg) twice daily reduced the progression of type 2 diabetes by two-thirds in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. (The Lancet [published online June 3, 2010])

U.S. adults aged 35–74 that have low levels of vitamin D and no history of diabetes were found to have high levels of glycated hemoglobin, suggesting that screening people with elevated HbA1C levels for vitamin D insufficiency should be considered. (Diabetes Care [June 2010] 33 (6):1236)

Aspirin is recommended for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in men ages 45–79 and women ages 55–79 regardless of diabetes status, according to a position statement from the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and American College of Cardiology. (Circulation [published online May 27, 2010])

Fit people have more fat-burning molecules in their blood than less-fit people after exercise, according to a mass spectrometry study of >200 metabolites before and after exercise in 302 subjects. (Sci Transl Med [May 26, 2010] 2 (33):33ra37)

Hot-flash frequency and severity declined by 50% in postmenopausal women treated for 6 weeks with the antidepressant citalopram at 20 mg/d. (J Clin Oncol [published online May 24, 2010])

Compared with physical inactivity, low-intensity physical exercise at least once a week reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in adults aged 70 years and older; vigorous/moderate-intensity exercise at the same duration was needed to reduce this risk in adults aged 50–69 years. (Diabetologia [published online May 22, 2010])

A meta-analysis study of 18 prospective cohort studies revealed that the presence of obesity increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes more than 7-fold. (Diab Res Clin Pract [published online May 20, 2010])

Diabetes and prediabetes were associated with an increased risk of cancer death, particularly liver cancer, according to a meta-analysis study of 17 European population-based or occupational cohorts comprising of 44,655 adults aged 25–90 years. (Diabetologia [published online May 20, 2010])

Long-term treatment with metformin was found to increase the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency, indicating that patients with diabetes should be screened for levels of this essential vitamin. (BMJ [published online May 20, 2010])

In postmenopausal Chinese women, higher intake of sea fish was independently linked with greater bone mass and lower osteoporosis risk. (Osteopor Int [June 2010] 21 (6):1433)

Compared with NPH insulin, use of long-acting insulin analogs, insulin glargine or detemir, was not associated with a lower incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis, according to a prospective study of 48,110 patients with type 1 diabetes. (Diabetes Care [May 2010] 33 (5):1031)

A mouse study demonstrated that glucocorticoids inhibit cytokines independent of glucocorticoid receptor dimerization and thereby attenuate osteoblast differentiation, which accounts for the bone loss seen during therapy with these hormones. (Cell Metabolism [June 9, 2010] 11 (6):517)

Routine use of alendronate without a bone mineral density test was found to be justifiable in patients at high risk for hip fractures and starting adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy for locally advanced or high-risk localized prostate cancer. (Ann Int Med [May 18, 2010] 152 (10):621)

A circadian-regulated gene, nocturnin, was found in mice to promote adipogenesis by stimulating nuclear translocation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-. (PNAS [June 8, 2010] 107 (23):10508)

Activin a, a product of fetal Leydig cells, was revealed in mice to be a paracrine regulator of Sertoli cell proliferation and fetal testis cord expansion. (PNAS [June 8, 2010] 107 (23):10526)

Gene expression profiling has identified B-Raf^V600E in human papillary thyroid carcinomas; specifically B-Raf^V600E may affect tumor aggressiveness by cooperating with thrombospondin-1. (PNAS [June 8, 2010] 107 (23):10649)

In ob/ob mice, induction of regulatory T cells via anti-CD3 antibody and β-glucosylceramide decreased adipose inflammation and alleviated insulin resistance. (PNAS [May 25, 2010] 107 (21):9765)

Anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are divergently regulated by repeated stress, and independently contribute to distinct forms of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis adaption; following repeated stress, steady-state reductions in AEA contribute to basal hypersecretion of corticosterone, whereas 2-AG increases in the amygdale induces habituation of the HPA axis activation. (PNAS [May 18, 2010] 107 (20):9406)

	Footnotes

 
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.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints, Permissions and Rights