Atherosclerosis solution is likely many years away
It’s the leading cause of heart disease and stroke: atherosclerosis--a disease characterized by the thickening of arterial walls, restricting blood flow like a narrow pipe. Preventing and reversing this disease is still largely a puzzle to scientists working to put all the right pieces into place and form a complete picture of health for millions of patients who suffer its devastating effects worldwide.
So notes a University of Kentucky researcher whose perspective is published in the current issue of Nature. Alan Daugherty, director of the University of Kentucky Cardiovascular Research Center, and Dr. Daniel Rader, an endocrinologist and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, co-authored the article, which offers insight into the complex process of translating scientific discoveries in the laboratory into new therapies for atherosclerosis.
Intranasal Insulin May Lower Food Intake in Men, Improve Memory Function in Women
Insulin administered intranasally, acutely decreases food intake in men but not women and in contrast, the compound improves memory function in women but not men according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
“Our findings indicate that gender is a critical factor in brain insulin signaling that affects both food intake and cognitive functions,” said Dr. Christian Benedict of the University of Lubeck in Germany. “They further suggest that intranasal insulin may be helpful in the treatment of cognitive and metabolic disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and obesity that are assumed to derive at least in part from malfunctions of central nervous insulin signaling.”
Previous studies have shown that insulin plays a pivotal role in the regulation of central nervous functions such as energy metabolism and memory processing. This study set out to assess the effects of a single dose of intranasal insulin on these functions and to determine any gender differences.
Female-to-Male Transsexuals Have Higher Androgen Levels, Not PCOS
Contrary to previous studies, female-to-male transsexuals do not have a higher prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), though they do have significantly higher androgen levels, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
PCOS is an endocrine disorder with a host of symptoms related to small painful cysts on the ovaries. It is marked by the overproduction of male hormones in females. Until now, it has been postulated that the prevalence of PCOS in female-to-male transsexuals is higher than normal.
“Several studies have reported a higher prevalence of PCOS in female-to-male transsexuals but the numbers of patients were small and ultrasound was not used for diagnosis,” said Dr. Andreas Mueller of Erlangen University Hospital in Erlangen, Germany. “This is the first prospective endocrine evaluation of female-to-male transsexuals using up-to-date state-of-the-art criteria incorporating transvaginal ultrasonography for diagnosing PCOS or hyperandrogenemia.”
Doctors Should Watch for Depression in Arthritis Patients
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are twice as likely to experience depression but are unlikely to talk to a doctor about it, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis – is a debilitating disease characterized by inflammation of joint tissues, persistent pain, functional disability, stiffness and fatigue.
Betsy Sleath, PhD, a professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, said that although depression in primary care settings has been well examined, no previous studies have looked at whether rheumatologists and RA patients discuss depression during medical visits.
