The Handoff: Your Week in Endocrinology News – 5/26/17

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.

–AstraZeneca’s phase 3b/4 EXSCEL trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01144338) — a double-blind, placebo-controlled examination of the effect of once-weekly exenatide extended release (Bydureon®) on type 2 diabetes — has met primary safety objections for various cardiovascular risks. A full evaluation of the trial data is ongoing.

–Scientists at the Institute for Basic Science have identified the molecular mechanism responsible for the changes in the thyroid and surrounding vascular system in patients with hyperthyroidism, providing “a potential therapeutic target for thyroid diseases.”

–Research published in the American Journal of Pathology found that tamoxifen has a protective affect against obesity, fatty liver, and insulin resistance. The research was conducted in female mice, but study investigators indicate that the positive response “opens new perspectives tor the treatment of obesity-related complications.”

–Findings from the 2017 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting suggest that second-generation antipsychotics — including clozapine, lurasidone, and iloperidone, among others — are linked to a lower metabolic risk in patients with metabolic disorders.

–The American Academy of Pediatrics has revised their recommendation against serving children fruit juice. Previous guidelines suggested that infants under 6 months should avoid fruit juice, but current advice extends that age to 1 year. Children should instead be served whole fruit.

–Scientists at the American Society for Microbiology have discovered a link between gut microbiota and capsaicin — most well-known for its presence in red chili. The data suggests that capsaicin prevents microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier dysfunction that leads to chronic, low-grade inflammation and obesity.

—The Atlantic takes a deep dive into the “messy” relationship between food stamps and beneficiary health, spurred by concerning budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

–Researchers at the University of Adelaide are examining potential new antidiabetic drugs, aimed at reducing the side effects of type 2 diabetes and the need for insulin injections by targeting the PPARgamma protein receptor, found throughout the body in fat tissues.