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Major Hormone Conference: London 4-6 November 2002
October 30, 2002EMBARGO: Please note individual embargoes for each presentation, the embargo on this release is the latest one
Over 500 leading UK and international hormone specialists will meet at the Royal College of Physicians in London to attend the annual meeting of the Society for Endocrinology (4-5 November) and the Society for Endocrinology joint meeting with Diabetes UK (6 November). These major meetings provide a forum to present the latest hormone research. The 2002 meeting includes talks from some of the world's leading hormone researchers and clinicians, as well as groundbreaking research by up and coming endocrinologists.
Amongst the new research being presented over the three days is:
New hormone treatment improves symptoms of Addison's disease
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Sunday 3 November 2002
Addison's disease is a hormonal disorder that occurs in about 1 in every 100,000 people. It is found in both men and women at all ages. In modern times, President John F Kennedy was probably the most famous sufferer of Addison's disease. It's caused by a deficient output of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone, and the main symptoms of the disease are fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, and sometimes unusual darkening of the skin. Now a new study has shown that the hormone DHEA (a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland) may help to improve psychological function, body weight and bone density. A team led by Dr Eleanor Gurnell from the University of Cambridge, UK and Churchchrist Hospital, New Zealand gave DHEA to over 100 patients for 12 months. They found that patients taking DHEA showed significant psychological benefits, such as mood improvements and less tiredness. In addition many patients showed some physical improvements such as the development of greater lean body mass.
Dr Gurnell says, "We are very pleased with these results as we found that DHEA replacement improves the psychological function and enhancement of lean body mass in Addison's patients. These patients are also at increased risk of osteoporosis and we found bone mineral density may also be improved with DHEA treatment". She says, "Of course longer term studies are needed with an adjustment of the dosage of DHEA, if we are to establish if there are cumulative benefits and to evaluate its long term safety".
********************
Study reveals nearly half of coronary care patients could be at risk of diabetes, and recommends all coronary care patients should be screened for diabetes
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Diabetes affects over 1.4 million people in the UK, with another million not even aware they have the disease. 80% of diabetics will die of a cardiovascular related disease. Although coronary care patients are at high risk of developing diabetes few of them will be screened on admission to hospital or after discharge from the coronary unit. Research led by Dr Ranjna Garg at the George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, looked at 100 admissions to the coronary care unit to assess the rate of diabetes and hyperglycaemia (an abnormally high level of glucose in the blood). They found that 6% were known to have diabetes, 53% had abnormal glucose (a condition which could lead to diabetes) and 8% were diagnosed with diabetes for the first time.
Dr Garg says, "Our research has revealed the pressing need for all coronary heart patients to be screened for diabetes on hospital admission. Although we have known for some time that this group has a high risk of developing diabetes it has not been addressed until now. We would therefore recommend that every patient admitted to the coronary care unit should be screened for the presence of diabetes during cardiac rehabilitation".
********************
Changing mothers' diet before birth may mean less fat offspring after birth; study may benefit farmers, and also families at-risk from obesity
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
A new study into reducing fat in newborn lambs may not only help farmers, but may also have significant implications on the management of the obesity epidemic in humans. Dr Michael Symonds and his team from the Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham reduced maternal nutrition in sheep by 50% in the last two months of pregnancy (this is the time of greatest growth where the fetal lamb has a 3 fold increase in weight, from 1.5 to 4.5 kilos). The team were trying to see if reducing maternal nutrition had an affect on the amount of fat produced. They found that this did not affect birth weight, but they did find there was a decrease in the levels of the protein which binds to prolactin (the prolactin receptor), which may have a role in producing brown and white fat. It was found that fat deposition at one month of age was reduced, and the team thinks that this may have been caused by the reduction in the prolactin receptor due to the dietary restriction.
"It's far too early to consider applying these results to humans", says Dr Symonds. "More research is still needed, but these findings offer some interesting avenues, both to farmers and to those concerned with addressing the West's obesity crisis. Firstly, in a society where people are increasingly demanding less fat in their diet, meats that are less "fatty" will become more attractive and this obviously has an economic benefit to the farmer. Secondly, as obesity continues to rise this study may point to other opportunities in controlling fat deposition, so that children may be less predisposed to putting on weight".
********************
Hormone treatment may increase survival of newborn lambs; may be applicable to human infants
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Every spring 10-30% of lambs will die at birth because of the extreme change in temperature at the time of birth (from 40 Celsius in the womb to 10 or less on a cold spring day). This costs the farming industry millions of pounds. Now new research by Dr Michael Symonds and his group from the School of Human Development, University of Nottingham aims to overcome this problem by giving lambs prolactin - a hormone that promotes heat production.
Prolactin acts on brown fat, which is 300 times more effective at producing heat than normal tissue. As prolactin levels in lambs peak at birth, Dr Symonds team decided to give prolactin to day-old lambs and study its effects. Within an hour of the treatment the lambs' temperature had increased.
Dr Symonds says, "This study is unique as it is the 1st time prolactin has been shown to have a positive affect on heat production. It is essential that lambs produce heat when born if they are to survive and, this work opens the possibility of developing treatment to increase their survival rates.
He says, "This work may turn out to have a direct benefit on the survival rate of lambs, but obviously there needs to be further studies before applying this to humans. If we found similar treatment enabled the pre-term infant to use its own heat-producing mechanisms it could be used to complement present treatments. This may help the baby, and act to reduce the amount of time needed for specialist intensive care, thus reducing the costs to the NHS of maintaining pre-term infants."
********************
Development in 'gene profiling' may lead to treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Between 200 000 and half a million people in the UK may be affected by autoimmune diseases, such as insulin-dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and some thyroid conditions. Autoimmune diseases are caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks 'normal' cells within the body, causing damage or death of the cells in the affected organ. The molecular pathways responsible for this type of damage/death are not fully understood and their understanding is the first step towards novel treatments for controlling these diseases. Recently introduced molecular technology will facilitate the achievement of this goal. Dr Shamaela Waheed and colleagues from St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital used this technology to compare the genetic expression of normal thyroid glands with thyroids taken from patients with Graves' disease (a condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid).
Actively functioning genes produce a chemical called RNA. Dr Waheed's team examined the thyroid RNA and found that in the diseased thyroids, some genes associated with programmed death were more represented. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a normal developmental process, e.g. to control the size of organs, but in the case of autoimmune glands some genes were mistakenly activated, predisposing the diseased thyroids to be attacked by the immune system.
Dr Waheed says, "This indicates that may be in the future it will be possible to get some control over these abnormally represented genes, thus slowing down the development of the disease". She said, "Understanding the mechanisms underlying the thyroid cell death will contribute to the understanding of other autoimmune disorders which develop through similar pathways".
Society for Endocrinology
New hormone treatment improves symptoms of Addison's disease
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Sunday 3 November 2002
Addison's disease is a hormonal disorder that occurs in about 1 in every 100,000 people. It is found in both men and women at all ages. In modern times, President John F Kennedy was probably the most famous sufferer of Addison's disease. It's caused by a deficient output of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone, and the main symptoms of the disease are fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, and sometimes unusual darkening of the skin. Now a new study has shown that the hormone DHEA (a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal gland) may help to improve psychological function, body weight and bone density. A team led by Dr Eleanor Gurnell from the University of Cambridge, UK and Churchchrist Hospital, New Zealand gave DHEA to over 100 patients for 12 months. They found that patients taking DHEA showed significant psychological benefits, such as mood improvements and less tiredness. In addition many patients showed some physical improvements such as the development of greater lean body mass.
Dr Gurnell says, "We are very pleased with these results as we found that DHEA replacement improves the psychological function and enhancement of lean body mass in Addison's patients. These patients are also at increased risk of osteoporosis and we found bone mineral density may also be improved with DHEA treatment". She says, "Of course longer term studies are needed with an adjustment of the dosage of DHEA, if we are to establish if there are cumulative benefits and to evaluate its long term safety".
********************
Study reveals nearly half of coronary care patients could be at risk of diabetes, and recommends all coronary care patients should be screened for diabetes
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Diabetes affects over 1.4 million people in the UK, with another million not even aware they have the disease. 80% of diabetics will die of a cardiovascular related disease. Although coronary care patients are at high risk of developing diabetes few of them will be screened on admission to hospital or after discharge from the coronary unit. Research led by Dr Ranjna Garg at the George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, looked at 100 admissions to the coronary care unit to assess the rate of diabetes and hyperglycaemia (an abnormally high level of glucose in the blood). They found that 6% were known to have diabetes, 53% had abnormal glucose (a condition which could lead to diabetes) and 8% were diagnosed with diabetes for the first time.
Dr Garg says, "Our research has revealed the pressing need for all coronary heart patients to be screened for diabetes on hospital admission. Although we have known for some time that this group has a high risk of developing diabetes it has not been addressed until now. We would therefore recommend that every patient admitted to the coronary care unit should be screened for the presence of diabetes during cardiac rehabilitation".
********************
Changing mothers' diet before birth may mean less fat offspring after birth; study may benefit farmers, and also families at-risk from obesity
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
A new study into reducing fat in newborn lambs may not only help farmers, but may also have significant implications on the management of the obesity epidemic in humans. Dr Michael Symonds and his team from the Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham reduced maternal nutrition in sheep by 50% in the last two months of pregnancy (this is the time of greatest growth where the fetal lamb has a 3 fold increase in weight, from 1.5 to 4.5 kilos). The team were trying to see if reducing maternal nutrition had an affect on the amount of fat produced. They found that this did not affect birth weight, but they did find there was a decrease in the levels of the protein which binds to prolactin (the prolactin receptor), which may have a role in producing brown and white fat. It was found that fat deposition at one month of age was reduced, and the team thinks that this may have been caused by the reduction in the prolactin receptor due to the dietary restriction.
"It's far too early to consider applying these results to humans", says Dr Symonds. "More research is still needed, but these findings offer some interesting avenues, both to farmers and to those concerned with addressing the West's obesity crisis. Firstly, in a society where people are increasingly demanding less fat in their diet, meats that are less "fatty" will become more attractive and this obviously has an economic benefit to the farmer. Secondly, as obesity continues to rise this study may point to other opportunities in controlling fat deposition, so that children may be less predisposed to putting on weight".
********************
Hormone treatment may increase survival of newborn lambs; may be applicable to human infants
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Every spring 10-30% of lambs will die at birth because of the extreme change in temperature at the time of birth (from 40 Celsius in the womb to 10 or less on a cold spring day). This costs the farming industry millions of pounds. Now new research by Dr Michael Symonds and his group from the School of Human Development, University of Nottingham aims to overcome this problem by giving lambs prolactin - a hormone that promotes heat production.
Prolactin acts on brown fat, which is 300 times more effective at producing heat than normal tissue. As prolactin levels in lambs peak at birth, Dr Symonds team decided to give prolactin to day-old lambs and study its effects. Within an hour of the treatment the lambs' temperature had increased.
Dr Symonds says, "This study is unique as it is the 1st time prolactin has been shown to have a positive affect on heat production. It is essential that lambs produce heat when born if they are to survive and, this work opens the possibility of developing treatment to increase their survival rates.
He says, "This work may turn out to have a direct benefit on the survival rate of lambs, but obviously there needs to be further studies before applying this to humans. If we found similar treatment enabled the pre-term infant to use its own heat-producing mechanisms it could be used to complement present treatments. This may help the baby, and act to reduce the amount of time needed for specialist intensive care, thus reducing the costs to the NHS of maintaining pre-term infants."
********************
Development in 'gene profiling' may lead to treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases
Embargo: 00:15 a.m. Monday 4 November 2002
Between 200 000 and half a million people in the UK may be affected by autoimmune diseases, such as insulin-dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and some thyroid conditions. Autoimmune diseases are caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks 'normal' cells within the body, causing damage or death of the cells in the affected organ. The molecular pathways responsible for this type of damage/death are not fully understood and their understanding is the first step towards novel treatments for controlling these diseases. Recently introduced molecular technology will facilitate the achievement of this goal. Dr Shamaela Waheed and colleagues from St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital used this technology to compare the genetic expression of normal thyroid glands with thyroids taken from patients with Graves' disease (a condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid).
Actively functioning genes produce a chemical called RNA. Dr Waheed's team examined the thyroid RNA and found that in the diseased thyroids, some genes associated with programmed death were more represented. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a normal developmental process, e.g. to control the size of organs, but in the case of autoimmune glands some genes were mistakenly activated, predisposing the diseased thyroids to be attacked by the immune system.
Dr Waheed says, "This indicates that may be in the future it will be possible to get some control over these abnormally represented genes, thus slowing down the development of the disease". She said, "Understanding the mechanisms underlying the thyroid cell death will contribute to the understanding of other autoimmune disorders which develop through similar pathways".
Society for Endocrinology
Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News RSSFlaxseed oil and osteoporosis
Animal studies suggest that adding flaxseed oil to the diet could reduce the risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and women with diabetes, according to a report to be published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health.
Diabetes surgery summit consensus lays foundation for new field of medicine
A first-of-its-kind consensus statement on diabetes surgery is published online today in the Annals of Surgery.
ESC to give talks on Diabetes in three cities in China
As a result of successful events organised last year, a second Joint Scientific Forum, organised by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), two of the most respected professional medical organisations in Europe, will be held from 27-29 November at three venues across China - Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
New research shows versatility of amniotic fluid stem cells
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought.
First reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM* Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.
An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice
Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.
Scripps research scientists find new link between insulin and core body temperature
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin-a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes-and core body temperature.
Scientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease?
Pivotal study for PSD502 -- the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation
At the annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA), Inc. in San Diego, Sciele Pharma, Inc., a Shionogi Company and Plethora Solutions Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plethora Solutions Holdings PLC ("Plethora" - AIM:PLE)., today presented data from its second positive pivotal study of PSD502 for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE).
Night Beat, Overtime and a Disrupted Sleep Pattern Can Harm Officers' Health
A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep.
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