The Handoff: Your Week in Endocrinology News – 5/19/17

The Handoff is a weekly roundup of endocrinology and general medicine news covering various developments in subspecialties, as well as pharmaceutical industry, association, and society news.

–Tissues at the ready: NPR and ProPublica teamed up to tell the story of Lauren Bloomstein, a NICU nurse who died 20 hours after giving birth. The story shed light not only on HELLP syndrome — Lauren’s diagnosis — but on the tendency to focus only on infant, not maternal health during pregnancy.

–Yogurt may lead to stronger bones, according to a study of 4310 Irish adults published in Osteoporosis International. However, lead author Eamon J. Laird, a research fellow at the Center for Medical Gerontology at Trinity College in Dublin, noted in a New York Times article that some yogurts are higher in sugar than others — something to keep in mind before prescribing a course of Oikos.

–Researchers at Michigan Medicine assessed just how common thyroidectomy complications are among patients with thyroid cancer. Over 1800 study participants developed post-surgery complications, particularly those of older age, with more comorbidities, and advanced disease.  

–The FDA has ruled that Janssen’s canagliflozin (Invokana®, Invokamet®, and Invokamet XR®) must include a boxed warning noting the increased risk of toe and foot amputation associated with the medication. The FDA’s ruling was based on the results of 2 large clinical trials: CANVAS and CANVAS-R.

–Miss USA contestant Krista Ferguson (Miss Michigan) showed off her glucose monitor on social media ahead of the 2017 Miss USA pageant. In an interview with Health, Krista shared the inspiring reason behind her decision.

–In a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, David A. Baidal, of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues shared the case of a 43-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes who underwent islet transplantation as part of an ongoing clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02213003). Results were favorable, but long-term follow-up data is lacking.  

–A study published in Menopause suggests that fennel — widely known for its digestive health benefits — can effectively manage postmenopause symptoms including hot flashes, sleeplessness, vaginal dryness, and anxiety.