Endocrinology Animation and Endocrinology Illustrations

A Key Question For The Uterine Muscles In Pregnancy: To Contract Or Not
During pregnancy, the muscles of the uterus are relatively inactive. A switch to an activated state capable of strong contractions is therefore essential prior to the onset of labor. Kathleen Martin and colleagues, at Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, have now provided new insight into the events that prime the uterine muscles for contraction, something that they hope might have implications for the development of therapies for preterm labor (i.e.

Peripheral Fat Breakdown Undermined By Bad Cholesterol
The so called bad cholesterol (LDL) inhibits the breakdown of fat in cells of peripheral deposits, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The discovery reveals a novel function of LDL as a regulator of fat turnover besides its well-established detrimental effects in promoting atherosclerosis. The study, which is a collaboration of two research groups at Karolinska Institutet, is published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

Pancreatic Insufficiency - Altus Pharmaceuticals Plans To Submit New Drug Application For Trizytek Approval
Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTU) announced today that it is reaffirming its plan to submit a new drug application (NDA) for Trizytek TM (liprotamase) in the first-half of 2009. Trizytek is a non-porcine derived enzyme replacement therapy for patients with pancreatic insufficiency.

Major Breakthrough Transforms Field Of Hormone Receptor Research
For decades, scientists have been studying nuclear hormone receptors to gain a better understanding of how they turn genes on and off throughout the body and how they function as key drug targets for a number of diseases, such as diabetes, breast cancer, osteoporosis and high cholesterol. A new UVA Health System study, led by Fraydoon Rastinejad, Ph.D.

Intravail(R) Drug Delivery Technology Provides Unmatched Non-Invasive Delivery Of An Anti-Obesity Peptide
Aegis Therapeutics LLC announced today that preclinical data was presented at the 2008 International Congress of Endocrinology in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil demonstrating that its Intravail(R) formulation technology provides unmatched non-invasive delivery of the OB-3 peptide, a peptide previously shown to control weight gain and glucose levels in an animal model of diabetes. The results of the study, presented by Dr.

Diabetes And Pelvic Girdle Syndrome
Diabetes appears to be linked with an increased risk of pelvic girdle syndrome. This is shown in a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Akershus University Hospital. The study showed that five percent of women had had serious pelvic girdle syndrome (pain in both iliosacral ligaments and symphysis pubis) during their last pregnancy. Three percent of these women reported that they had diabetes, while diabetes was seen in only 0.

Clinical Data Show Long Acting Human Growth Hormone ARX201 Is Safe And Well Tolerated
Ambrx Inc. announced Phase I/II clinical trial data demonstrating that ARX201, the company's long-acting human growth hormone (hGH) analogue developed in collaboration with Merck Serono, normalized insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels while delivering an acceptable safety and tolerability profile in adults with Growth Hormone deficiency.

Women's Facial Preferences In Mates Affected By Hormones And Brain Activity
Scientists have long known that women's preferences for masculine men change throughout their menstrual cycles. A new study from Indiana University's Kinsey Institute is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner.

Increlex(R) Phase IIIb Study Results Demonstrating Dose-Dependent Height Velocity Increase In Primary IGFD Short Stature Population And Other Increlex
Tercica, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ipsen (Euronext: IPN) today announced Phase IIIb clinical trial results demonstrating that Increlex® (mecasermin (rDNA origin) injection) achieved statistically significant dose-dependent first-year height velocity increases in children with Primary IGF-1 Deficiency (Primary IGFD) when administered as a twice-daily injection.

Promising Hormone Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease And Stroke
Saint Louis University researchers have identified a novel way of getting a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease and stroke into the brain where it can do its work. "We found a unique approach for delivering drugs to the brain," says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics and pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University. "We're turning off the guardian that's keeping the drugs out of the brain.

Hyperion Therapeutics Completes Phase 2 Data Analysis And Schedules End Of Phase 2 Meeting With FDA For HPN-100
Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. reported completion of data analysis for its Phase 2 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and ammonia scavenging effects of HPN-100 versus BUPHENYL(R) (sodium phenylbutyrate), the current standard of care in patients with urea cycle disorders. Data from the trial will be presented at an upcoming medical conference.

Leaders In Endocrinology Convene Summit To Discuss Regulatory Burdens Facing Clinical Researchers
For the past two days, clinical research leaders in endocrinology as well as other scientific and clinical disciplines have been meeting in Bethesda, MD to discuss regulatory impediments to clinical research and to identify recommendations for best practices aimed at balancing patient protections with researchers' ability to perform studies.

Endocrine Society Releases Clinical Guideline On Metabolic Syndrome
The Endocrine Society has released a new clinical practice guideline for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in patients at metabolic risk. The guideline appears in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society. There is growing evidence that many patients who develop cardiovascular disease or diabetes have a pre-existing metabolic risk.

Hormone Therapy Helps Short Children Grow Up
Growth hormone treatment may significantly increase final height in children diagnosed with short stature, even in cases where the child is not growth hormone deficient, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Depression Can Hamper Glucose Control In People With Diabetes
Depression can cause diabetes patients to suffer from higher glucose levels over time compared to those who are not depressed, finds a study of older veterans with the disease. "Our study shows that depression is a major and important comorbidity in people with type 2 diabetes," said study co-author Leonard Egede, M.D., from the Center for Health Disparities Research at the Medical University of South Carolina.