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Type 2 diabetes is often viewed as a disorder of glucose metabolism. But many factors come into play in this condition, with obesity a prime risk factor and cardiovascular disease a major result. In Bedside to Bench, Babak Razani and Clay Semenkovich examine the linkages between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They call for new research approaches in the wake of clinical trials showing that lowering glucose levels does not decrease cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. In Bench to Bedside, Steven Shoelson and Allison Goldfine examine how type 2 diabetes and other disorders can stem from obesity—and its effect on inflammation. These authors take a look at two recent studies showing how obesity perturbs inflammatory gene networks.
A recent US Supreme Court ruling places responsibility for the wording of drug labels on pharmaceutical companies. But the task of improving the communication of drug risks does not rest with the pharmaceutical industry alone.
Growth factors used to accelerate engraftment after hematopoietic cell transplantation can increase the severity of graft-versus-host disease. Experiments with mice examine how irradiation, used to prepare recipients for transplants, contributes to this problem (pages 436–441).
Experiments in rodents identify a factor that causes the release of multipotent cells into the circulation after injury. These cells contribute to tissue repair (pages 425–435).
Agnès Saint Raymond has long advocated for children's health and worked with members of the European Parliament to draft and pass new legislation in 2006 to promote drug development in this area. She spoke with Genevive Bjorn about the future of medicines designed for youngsters.