Part 2

Following on from part one of our three blog posts, we look at some endocrinology-related news stories you may have missed in the months between May and August 2016.

May: 3-D printing life

3-D printing human organs isn’t just exclusive to the TV show Westworld, it’s also new science. In May this year, scientists from Northwestern University in the U.S successfully implanted mice with fully functional 3-D printed ovaries. The results were presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting ENDO 2016 in Boston. 

The mice went on to deliver healthy babies, had normal hormonal cycles allowing them to nurse their offspring, and their offspring were able to produce healthy babies of their own.

The researchers used a digital “plan” to make a 3-D printer print the structure layer by layer using gelatin (derived from collagen) as a scaffold. They then implanted human-derived oocytes into the structure. Researchers next hope to test the technique in pigs, before moving onto humans.

“We hope to one day restore fertility and hormone function in women who suffer from the side effects of cancer treatments or who were born with reduced ovarian function,” said lead author Monica M. Laronda.

Media headlines causing a buzz:

Fat labradors give clues to obesity epidemic (BBC)

Common diabetes drug may raise risk of developing cancer (The Telegraph)

Psoriasis linked to higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes (Nature World News)

Scientists successfully made sperm-like cells from human skin cells (The Science Explorer)

Is obesity contagious? (Daily Mail)

On the potential of androgens (Wall Street Journal)

 

June: Give breast cancer patients letrozole for 10 years

Women with early stage hormone receptor positive breast cancer may benefit from treatment using hormone suppressor letrozole for 10 years, rather than the standard 5.  A study presented at the Oncology Society’s annual meeting, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that women who took the aromatase inhibitor for ten years were 34% less likely to have a return of breast cancer, or occurrence of new breast cancer.

HR positive breast cancer, the most common type, can be fuelled by hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone. Aromatase inhibitors inhibit the enzyme aromatase, preventing the conversion of androgens to oestrogens, and the subsequent fuelling of breast cancer.

“Aromatase inhibitors are now readily available around the world and therefore our results will further improve the outcome of women with breast cancer globally. It will help tens of thousands of women. It will have an enormous impact,” said the lead author Dr Paul Goss.

The drug did not affect overall survival rate, but Goss comments that this is because the drug did not prevent the cases of recurrence outside the breast, which most often causes death.

The drug is known to increase osteoporosis, with 14% of women in the treatment group and 9% in the placebo group suffering fracture.

“It’s really bone versus breast cancer, is what it really comes down to,” said Dr Carey of the University of North Carolina. The treatment may not be for everyone, but could be beneficial for patients who are at high risk of breast cancer recurrence and who are likely to tolerate the side effects of the therapy.

Media headlines causing a buzz:

New rules to regulate Europe’s hormone-disrupting chemicals (The Guardian)

Growing human organs inside pigs (BBC)

Bone hormone boosts exercise (Nature)

 

July: Vitamin D supplements advised for everyone

The lack of sun in the UK is a downer, but it also has real effects on our health. In May, Public Health England advised that everyone aged one and over needs 10 micrograms of vitamin D every day in order to maintain healthy muscles and bones.

One in five people in the UK have low levels of vitamin D, which in children can lead to rickets, and in adults can lead to bone weakness and pain, and is also linked to other health problems.

In winter we don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun, and it is difficult to get enough from natural food sources such as oily fish and red meat. The recommendations came from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) following an intensive review.

“SACN was right to say that we can’t rely on sunshine in the UK to meet the vitamin D requirements. That’s a major and important change. It’s a big step forward that this is now officially recognised,” said Adrian Martineau from Barts and the London School of Medicine.

 Media headlines causing a buzz:

Male hormone reverses cell aging in clinical trial (Science Daily)

Cravings for high-calorie foods may be switched off by new food supplement (Imperial College London)

Diabetes revolution: artificial pancreas could spell the end of finger pricks and injections within two years (Daily Mail)

 

August: Caster Semenya in the Rio Olympics

The world’s media attention turned once again to Olympian Caster Semenya, who this August won Gold at the women’s 800m race in Rio. In 2009, the 18 year old athlete was greatly scrutinised after she improved her personal best by 7 seconds in 9 months. She was subject to gender testing and barred, ensuing scientific and ethical debate.

In 2011 the IAAD created a policy requiring women with especially high testosterone levels take hormone supressing drugs in an effort to control their testosterone levels under the threshold of 10nmol/L. The ruling was suspended for two years due to lack of evidence of the real benefits of high natural testosterone on performance.

Semenya’s performance has once again revived the debate on hyperandrogenism, gender and what constitutes fair play at the Olympics.

The BBC recently summarised the case the following way:

“But there is a catch-22 which may haunt her all the same: if Semenya runs as well as she can, destroying the field, mangling that old record, it could end her career as it stands at the same time.

For what greater indication of unfair advantage could there be, when the IAAF is trying to buttress its case, than a victory unlike anything history has ever seen before?”

Media headlines causing a buzz:

British study finds risk of breast cancer nearly tripled by combined HRT (The Guardian)

Mystery of the female orgasm may be solved (The Guardian)

Sleep ‘resets’ brain connections crucial for memory and learning, study reveals (Nature Communications)

Metformin could treat cardiovascular disease in people without type 2 diabetes (Diabetes.co.uk)