Endocrinology Animation and Endocrinology Illustrations

Bionovo Publishes Discoveries In Predictable Tissue Selectivity For Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators Platform
Bionovo, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNVI) announced results describing predictable estrogen regulatory elements that can be used to identify estrogenic drugs that are safer. The data, published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, showed that the new regulatory elements can distinguish the estrogenic pharmacological activity exerted by different compounds and allow for more accurate prediction of specific tissue effect.

Researchers Link Blood Sugar To Normal Cognitive Aging
Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of Annals of Neurology. Senior moments, also dubbed by New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks as being "hippocampically challenged," are a normal part of aging.

Why Prostate Cancer Patients Fail Hormone Deprivation
The hormone deprivation therapy that prostate cancer patients often take gives them only a temporary fix, with tumors usually regaining their hold within a couple of years. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered critical differences in the hormone receptors on prostate cancer cells in patients who no longer respond to this therapy. The findings, reported in the Jan.

Why Prostate Cancer Patients Fail Hormone Deprivation Therapy
The hormone deprivation therapy that prostate cancer patients often take gives them only a temporary fix, with tumors usually regaining their hold within a couple of years. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered critical differences in the hormone receptors on prostate cancer cells in patients who no longer respond to this therapy. The findings, reported in the Jan.

Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet - It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Hebrew University Researchers
Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms - everyone's 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown.

Study Boosts Researchers' Hopes Of Using Osteocalcin To Treat Diabetes
Rube Goldberg-the cartoonist who devised complex machines for simple tasks-would have smiled at one of leptin's mechanisms for curbing insulin release. As Hinoi et al. show, the fat-derived hormone enlists the sympathetic nervous system to prevent bone-making cells from releasing a molecule that prods the pancreas to discharge insulin. The study appeared online December 22, 2008 (http://www.jcb.

Hormones Increase Frequency Of Inherited Form Of Migraine In Women
Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is an inherited form of severe migraine that is accompanied by visual disturbances known as aura. As with other types of migraine, it affects women more frequently than men. Most cases of FHM are caused by mutations in the CACNA1A gene, but whether these lead to spreading depression, the event in the brain that suppresses nerve cell activity and that has been linked to nongenetic forms of migraine with aura, has not been determined.

Arete Therapeutics Reports Positive Phase I Data For AR9281
Arete Therapeutics Inc. announced positive top line Phase I results for AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (s-EH) inhibitor for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. The results of the multi-dose study demonstrate that AR9281 was safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers.

Drug That Counteracts The Effects Of Leptin May Benefit Cardiac Stent Patients With Diabetes
The naturally high levels of leptin in diabetic patients may reduce the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents used to treat heart blockages, but using a chemical that differs from the one commonly used to coat stents could counteract this effect. The work by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center could potentially improve outcomes in diabetics who get stents, they say.

In Patients With Diabetes, Low-Glycemic Diet Shows Greater Improvement In Glycemic Control Than High-Fiber Diet
Persons with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than persons on a diet with an emphasis on high-cereal fiber, according to a study in the December 17 issue of JAMA.

Cylene Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial Of Quarfloxin (CX-3543) In Patients With Carcinoid/Neuroendocrine Tumors
Cylene Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a Phase II clinical trial of quarfloxin (CX-3543) in patients with carcinoid/neuroendocrine tumors (C/NET), which are malignant cancers arising from neural crest cells. "Quarfloxin (CX-3543) is a small molecule that disrupts a protein:rDNA complex that forms in the abnormal nucleoli of cancer cells, thereby selectively inducing apoptotic cell death in cancers," said Dr.

Education Day Held For Pituitary Disease Patients At National Hospital For Neurology And Neurosurgery, London
Leading specialists on pituitary disease hosted an education day at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery to offer support and advice to patients from across London. More than 70 patients and their carers attended the event which was organised by endocrinology consultant Dr Stephanie Baldeweg, clinical nurse specialist Marian Lanyon and The London Group of the Pituitary Foundation, a national charity.

Potential Links Discovered Between Breast Density And Breast Cancer Risk
Having dense breasts - areas that show up light on a mammogram - is strongly associated with increased breast cancer risk, but "why" remains to be answered. Now, by examining dense and non-dense tissue taken from the breasts of healthy volunteers, researchers from Mayo Clinic have found several potential links.

Higher Levels Of Obesity-Related Hormone Found In Patients With Psoriasis
Patients with the skin disease psoriasis appear more likely to have higher levels of leptin (a hormone produced by fat cells that may contribute to obesity and other metabolic abnormalities) than persons without psoriasis, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that results in a red, scaly rash.

Breast Cancer: Patient Management, Quality Of Life And Beyond
Breast cancer is a multifaceted disease requiring creative solutions for diagnosis, quality of life management and adjuvant therapies. Data presented at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium explored these areas. Hormone Supplements Reduce Death from Breast Cancer Abstract #65, Sarah Marshall, M.A.