By Health Center: Endocrine
Gene Associated with Carney complex, a Rare Adrenal Disorder Appears To Trigger Cell Death
A gene implicated in Carney complex, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands, appears to function as a molecular switch to limit cell growth and division, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Mice lacking functional copies of the gene in the adrenal glands developed an overgrowth of adrenal tissue and were more susceptible to tumors in the gland.
Study Finds Link Between Preeclampsia and Reduced Thyroid Function
Women who experience preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy, may have an increased risk for reduced thyroid functioning later in life, report a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The analysis combined two separate studies which each suggested a link between preeclampsia and reduced thyroid function. In the first study, women who developed preeclampsia were more likely to have slightly reduced thyroid functioning during the last weeks ...
Drug That Crosses Blood-Brain Barrier Reduces Formation of Brain Metastases in Mice
The drug vorinostat is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce the development of large metastatic tumors in mice brains by 62 percent when compared to mice that did not receive the drug, according to a new study. In humans, the drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a cancer called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma but can be used experimentally to study its effectiveness against other cancers. This research, by investigators at the National Can...
Hormone Cycling Found to Affect Gene Activity
Intermittent signaling by steroid hormones can affect the way genes are expressed in rodents, according to research by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol, England.
FDA Approves Pancreatic Enzyme Creon (pancrelipase)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved Creon (pancrelipase), a pancreatic enzyme replacement product designed to help patients with cystic fibrosis and others with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) digest and absorb nutrients from foods. Creon is the first FDA-approved delayed-release pancreatic enzyme replacement product to be marketed in the United States as a result of the agency's unapproved drugs initiative.
Alcohol Flush Signals Increased Cancer Risk among East Asians
Many people of East Asian descent possess an enzyme deficiency that causes their skin to redden, or flush, when they drink alcohol. Scientists from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and Japan's Kurihama Alcohol Center now caution that heavy alcohol consumption greatly increases the risk for esophageal cancer among such individuals, who comprise about 8 percent of the world's population. Their review of recent research on this topic appears in the March 24, 2009 is...
Hepatitis C Treatment Reduces the Virus but Liver Damage Continues
Treating patients who have chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease with long-term pegylated interferon significantly decreased their liver enzymes, viral levels and liver inflammation, but the treatment did not slow or prevent the progression of serious liver disease, a study finds.
FDA Reports Nationwide Recall of Mislabeled ReliOn Insulin Syringes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals and patients that Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Covidien) is recalling one lot of ReliOn sterile, single-use, disposable, hypodermic syringes with permanently affixed hypodermic needles due to possible mislabeling. The use of these syringes may lead to patients receiving an overdose of as much as 2.5 times the intended dose, which may lead to hypoglycemia, serious health consequences, and even death.
New Biomarker for Predicting Liver Cancer Spread and Survival
New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer will spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or longer survival, even patients with early stage disease. The study, which appeared online January 7, 2008 in Hepatology, was conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at Ohio State University, Colu...
FDA Approves Nexavar for Patients with Inoperable Liver Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it has approved Nexavar (sorafenib) for use in patients with a form of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma, when the cancer is inoperable. Nexavar was originally approved in 2005 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer.
The Importance of Monitoring Vitamin D Status in the U.S.
Dr. Howard Nash
The NIH Common Fund's Human Microbiome Project
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