Endocrinology

Findings from a pair of ongoing studies into the effects of testosterone replacement therapy indicate unexpected significant improvements for obese patients.

Prebiotics and probiotics have been discussed frequently in the media for supposedly improving overall health, especially diseases related to the gut. However, the evidence on the efficacy and use of these dietary supplements is rather complicated.

After studying an Amish population, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center have discovered a mutation in a fat-storage gene that increases a patient's risk for type 2 diabetes.

AstraZeneca's Epanova (omega-3-carboxylic acids) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with severe hypertriglyceridemia; two new studies support the concept that there can be too much of a good thing when it comes to exercise; and the FDA has issued a new statement recommending against the use of aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke in people with no history of cardiovascular disease.

It is primarily the responsibility of parents, teachers, and health care professionals to be role models for the younger generation with respect to healthy eating and physical activity.

Research presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists indicates that testosterone replacement therapy may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, contradicting two widely reported studies.

Patients with psoriatic arthritis may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, so physicians must carefully weigh the pros and cons of treatment with corticosteroids and other proatherogenic drugs.

To screen or not to screen for breast cancer with mammograms: that is the question faced by thousands of physicians confronting a disease that accounts for more than 230,000 cases and 40,000 deaths each year in the United States.

Total number of hospitalizations increased by more than 23%, while associated treatment costs rose but mortality declined.

A 36-year-old pregnant woman at 27 weeks gestation presented to the obstetrical triage for evaluation of possible abscess due to a lesion on her buttock that first appeared 1 week ago. Since that time, it has become increasingly painful and itchy. Although she denies any systemic symptoms, her pregnancy is complicated by gestational diabetes and obesity. However, she is HIV negative and her other prenatal labs were unremarkable.

Study of obese men with low testosterone and type 2 diabetes showed no benefits from treatment with intramuscular testosterone undecanote in glucose metabolism or visceral adiposity.

New research has uncovered increased rates of dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and several other disorders in older adults with schizophrenia.

Michael C. Ruddy, MD, FACP, FASH, describes the clinical applications of the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) hypertension management guideline.

Bariatric surgery represents a potentially useful intervention for managing obese type 2 diabetics who would fail to reach treatment goals with intensive medical therapy alone.

This patient presents to the ED with delirium resulting from diabetic ketoacidosis. She also has a variety of ENT complaints, including recent bloody nasal discharge and confusion. Read the details of this case and see if you can make the diagnosis.

Since inactivity accounts for 10-16% of breast cancers, colon cancers, and diabetes cases, as well as 22% of heart disease, some researchers believe too much sitting can cause just as much harm as smoking.

Despite intensive subcutaneous insulin therapy, a relatively small group of type 1 diabetics fails to reach adequate glycemic control, has frequent hypoglycemic episodes, or develops insulin resistance.

Current dietary guidelines promoting high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats are not clearly supported by the medical literature.

Preliminary results from a University of Pennsylvania study show the stimulant Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) improves memory lapses in postmenopausal women.

The relationship between food insecurity and weight appears to be paradoxical, since food insecurity is often associated with not only undernutrition and recurring hunger, but also overnutrition and obesity.

Since nearly half of all Staphylococcus aureus infections harbor difficult-to-cure methicillin-resistant (MRSA) isolates, identifying MRSA risk factors could improve infection prevention and treatment, as well as reduce resistance patterns.

Research from Chile suggests that low levels of free testosterone - rather than high ones - indicate that an apparently low-risk case of prostate cancer will require treatment.

Since obesity is more likely to occur as patients age, researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London recently set out to determine whether they could predict which obese older adults would be more likely to lose weight successfully.

A 50-year-old African American woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension was admitted with constant bilateral knee and thigh pain and swelling of both knees. Bilateral knee effusions were present. The diagnosis was diabetic myonecrosis. Which statement about this condition is false?

The Endocrine Society's new the Accurate Insulin Decisions smartphone app provides support for patients and physicians with setting realistic blood sugar goals and easily adjusting insulin doses.

While regular exercise is obviously a very positive lifestyle choice, jumping back into a rigorous routine too quickly after a tummy tuck can make recovery more difficult.

Patients find it very attractive to self-select a variety of vitamins and supplements that promise to improve their immune system and combat obesity without any dangers or dependence on healthcare professionals, but these claims are just not true.

Adult patients with binge eating disorder who were treated for 12 weeks with lisdexamfetamine dimesylate reported having 4 fewer binge days per week, and also experienced improvements in weight and triglyceride levels.

Incorporating aspects of the small particle diet into the recommendations for diabetic gastroparesis might be beneficial to patients.