A third generation of the latest cholesterol-lowering medication — PCSK9-inhibitors — will soon be available for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), according to a January 24 article in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Affecting approximately 30,000 individuals worldwide, HoFH is a rare but serious genetic disorder in which patients have markedly elevated levels (>10...
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have revolutionized weight loss management, and researchers are now exploring how these medications can further transform obesity care and offer new possibilities for long-term weight management, according to a recent review article published in Endocrinology. Authors Lauren A. Jones and Daniel I. Brierley, PhD, both of the Centre for Cardiovascular...
HDL Quality, Not Quantity, Contributes to the First Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease in Women
Higher levels of HDL-C—known as the “good cholesterol”—have been shown to correlate with heightened risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Once women reach the menopause transition, it’s a matter of the quality, rather than quantity, of the total cholesterol carried by HDL particles circulating in a...
First Clinical Trial of Vosoritide for Children with Hypochondroplasia Shows Increased Growth
The first global phase 2 study of vosoritide showed an average increased growth rate of 1.8 cm per year in children with hypochondroplasia, a genetic cause of short stature in children, according to a paper recently published in eClinicalMedicine. The clinical trial is funded by BioMarin. Researchers led by Andrew Dauber, MD, chief of Endocrinology at Children’s...
Investigators Describe Changes to Pancreatic Beta-Cell at Onset of Type 1 Diabetes
New research by investigators at Joslin Diabetes Center sheds new light on the specific changes β-cells go through at the onset of type 1 diabetes. Their findings—published in Nature Cell Biology—offer new avenues for targeted interventions for the chronic autoimmune condition. “In the field of type 1 diabetes, research has largely focused on understanding the immune...
Maternal exposure to a high fat diet (HFD) alters milk lipids in lactating women, enhancing adiposity and myeloid inflammation in offspring, even in early life, according to an animal study recently published in Endocrinology. Researchers led by Kanakadurga Singer, MD, and Brigid Gregg, MD, both of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, point out...
Researchers Discover Hormonal Pathway that Increases Calorie Burning During Weight Loss
Researchers at McMaster University have uncovered a key mechanism for promoting weight loss and maintaining the burning of calories during dieting, according to a paper published recently in Nature. Researchers led by Gregory R. Steinberg, PhD, a professor of the Department of Medicine at McMaster University and co-director of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity, and...
Self-Esteem of Children with Short Stature Tied to Social Supports, Not Height
In otherwise healthy short children, quality of life and self-esteem are associated with coping skills and how supported they feel, not the degree of their short stature, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers led by Adda Grimberg, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and Scientific Director of the Growth Center at Children’s...
