The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting and Expo
The annual meeting of the Endocrine Society (ENDO 2012) was held from June 23 to 26 in Houston and attracted approximately 9,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in endocrine and metabolic disorders. The conference highlighted recent advances in the diagnosis and management of obesity, endocrine disorders, diabetes, growth hormone and sex steroid dysregulation, and thyroid cancer.
In one study, Sonal Pathak, M.D., of Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del., and colleagues found that treating women with moderate-to-severe depression for vitamin D deficiency improved depression symptoms.
"We should start screening patients with depression for vitamin D deficiency and treat the patients with the deficiency. However, it remains unclear whether vitamin D deficiency causes depression or depression causes vitamin D deficiency. Yet, treating the deficiency may help to improve mood," Pathak said. "If this association of vitamin D and depression is confirmed with future studies, then treating vitamin D deficiency may be a cheap and easy adjunct to mainstream therapies for depression."
Abstract No. SAT-377
In another study, Paresh Dandona, M.D., Ph.D., of the State University of New York at Buffalo, and colleagues found that adding liraglutide to the treatment of type 1 diabetes reduced blood glucose levels and improved longer term control by reducing hemoglobin A1c levels. The drug had the added benefit of reducing body weight.
"This study confirms all the effects described in our previous study published last year involving well-controlled normal-weight patients with type 1 diabetes. In addition, both studies demonstrated remarkable falls in systolic blood pressure in patients treated with liraglutide," Dandona said. "The combination of the reduction in hemoglobin A1c, blood glucose, body weight, and blood pressure imply that the features of the metabolic syndrome are being reversed. This translates into a reversal of cardiovascular risk in these patients."
Abstract No. OR17-1
Adrian S. Dobs, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues evaluated the effects of an experimental drug on muscle mass among men and women with lung cancer and measured the change in muscle mass as well as in function (as measured by stair climb).
"We found that the drug was effective in improving physical function, independent of whether men had high, low, or normal testosterone levels at baseline. We are now in the process of evaluating this agent in a phase III study for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer," Dobs said. "The results of this study highlight the loss of muscle mass that occurs with cancer; this is the first drug geared toward increasing muscle mass, which is a predictor of survival in patients with cancer."
Abstract No. SUN-261
ENDO: Male Contraceptive Gel Suppresses Spermatogenesis
MONDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- A gel containing a combination of testosterone (T) and Nestorone (NES) is effective for suppressing spermatogenesis, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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ENDO: Timing of Vasomotor Symptoms Impacts CVD Risk
TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- For women around the time of menopause, early vasomotor symptoms (VMS) correlate with lower levels of one marker of endothelial dysfunction, while persistent and late VMS correlate with one or more cardiovascular disease risk markers, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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ENDO: Gene-Expression Assay IDs Suspicious Thyroid Nodules
MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- A gene-expression classifier that measures expression of 167 genes correctly identifies suspicious thyroid nodules with high sensitivity, according to a study published online June 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with presentation at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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ENDO: Pre-Diet Hormone Ratio IDs Likely Weight Regainers
MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Pre-diet measurement of leptin and ghrelin and calculation of the leptin/ghrelin ratio at baseline (L/GB) can help predict obese dieters who are more likely to regain lost weight, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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ENDO: Serum Phthalate Levels Higher in Obese Children
MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Serum levels of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) are increased in obese versus nonobese children, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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ENDO: Ovarian Stimulation Linked to Shorter Children
MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Full-term children conceived following ovarian stimulation alone (OSA) are slightly shorter than naturally-conceived children, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, held from June 23 to 26 in Houston.
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