الجمعية العربية لتداخلات الغدد الصماء و تكنولوجيا السكر

08/09/2026

NEW EVIDENCE | Semaglutide and Bipolar Disorder

Could GLP-1 receptor agonists have benefits beyond metabolic health?

A large observational study using Swedish national health registers has reported an intriguing association between semaglutide use and reduced psychiatric hospitalization among people with bipolar disorder (BD).

Although semaglutide is established primarily for the management of type 2 diabetes and obesity, these findings raise an important question: could GLP-1 receptor agonists also influence psychiatric outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder?

Key Findings

• 21% lower risk of psychiatric hospitalization was observed during periods of semaglutide use compared with periods of non-use.

• 17% lower risk of hospitalization for bipolar disorder relapse was also reported.

• Across GLP-1 receptor agonists as a group, the observed reduction was approximately 13%, with semaglutide showing a stronger association in this cohort than liraglutide or dulaglutide.

Why Might This Matter?

The potential connection between metabolic and psychiatric health is receiving increasing scientific attention.

Researchers have proposed several possible mechanisms, including:

• Effects on brain signaling and neuroinflammatory pathways
• Modulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis
• Indirect effects related to weight and metabolic health

However, the study did not establish a causal relationship, and important factors such as BMI were not available for the analysis.

Study Design

The study included 14,694 patients and followed participants for an average of approximately 6 years.

A within-individual design was used, allowing each participant to serve as their own control and helping account for stable individual characteristics.

The Clinical Perspective

These findings are promising—but hypothesis-generating.

An observational association does not establish that semaglutide prevents psychiatric relapse or should be prescribed as a treatment for bipolar disorder.

Randomized controlled trials are still needed to determine whether GLP-1 receptor agonists have a genuine therapeutic role in psychiatric outcomes and whether they could safely complement established bipolar disorder treatment.

For endocrinologists and diabetologists, the message is equally important: the metabolic and psychiatric dimensions of patient care should not be considered in isolation.

As research continues to explore the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists beyond glycemic control and weight management, the intersection between metabolic health and mental health deserves close attention.

What do you think? Could GLP-1 receptor agonists become an important area of research in the metabolic–psychiatric interface?

03/09/2026

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🚨 Call for Abstracts | IDEA 2026 in Collaboration with PASID

Researchers, clinicians, endocrinologists, diabetologists, and healthcare innovators are invited to submit their latest scientific work to IDEA 2026 in Collaboration with PASID, taking place on 4–5 December 2026 in Jeddah, KSA.

📅 Abstract Submission Opens: June 20 , 2026
⏳ Submission Deadline: October 20 , 2026

We welcome original research, clinical studies, innovations, and real-world experiences in:

🔹 Diabetes & Metabolism
🔹 Endocrinology
🔹 Interventional Endocrinology
🔹 Diabetes Technology & Digital Health
🔹 Artificial Intelligence & Future Innovations

Join a distinguished international scientific platform and showcase your research alongside leading experts shaping the future of endocrinology, diabetes care, and medical innovation.

Share your science. Present your ideas. Shape the future.

Fill the form below :
https://forms.gle/brVR7eQieRaxriM89

03/09/2026

Physical Activity as a Core Therapy for Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome is increasingly recognized as an interconnected clinical challenge involving the heart, kidneys, metabolic system, and liver.

This comprehensive framework positions physical activity as a fundamental component of treatment, moving beyond general exercise recommendations toward a more structured and individualized approach.

The proposed model emphasizes a staged exercise strategy, with physical activity dosage and intensity tailored to the patient’s disease progression and overall clinical condition.

Key principles include:

• Individualized exercise prescription
• Progressive adjustment of exercise intensity and volume
• Integration of structured physical activity with modern pharmacotherapy and nutritional guidance
• Combination of aerobic and resistance training to improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle function, and metabolic health
• Standardized monitoring to support safety and optimize clinical outcomes
• Greater emphasis on equitable access to exercise-based interventions

By integrating physical activity into comprehensive multidisciplinary care, clinicians may be better positioned to address multiple interconnected pathways, including cardiometabolic dysfunction and systemic inflammation.

The message is clear: exercise should not be viewed as an optional lifestyle recommendation, but as an essential component of evidence-based care.

What role do you believe structured exercise programs should play in the management of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome?

31/08/2026

THYROID STORM | A Clinical Emergency That Demands Immediate Action

Thyroid storm is a rare but life-threatening endocrine emergency resulting from severe thyrotoxicosis and marked by acute multi-organ dysfunction.

Clinical diagnosis remains essential. The severity of thyroid hormone elevation does not necessarily reflect the severity of the clinical presentation, making structured clinical assessment and validated tools such as the Burch-Wartofsky Point Scale valuable in supporting early recognition.

Management requires urgent, coordinated, and multidisciplinary care often in an intensive care setting.

Key principles include:

• Prompt inhibition of thyroid hormone synthesis and release
• Control of the peripheral effects of thyroid hormone excess
• Beta-blockade when clinically appropriate
• Corticosteroid therapy and supportive intensive care
• Identification and treatment of the precipitating factor
• Close monitoring for cardiovascular, neurological, hepatic, and other systemic complications

Standard treatment may include antithyroid drugs, beta-blockers, corticosteroids, and inorganic iodine as part of an individualized management strategy.

In severe or refractory cases, escalation to advanced rescue therapies including therapeutic plasma exchange, extracorporeal support, or urgent thyroidectomy may be required.

Early recognition. Rapid intervention. Coordinated care.

In thyroid storm, timely, evidence-based management can be lifesaving.

Save this post and share it with colleagues involved in the acute care of patients with endocrine emergencies.

22/08/2026

GLP-1 Therapies and Alopecia: What Should Clinicians Know?

As GLP-1–based therapies become increasingly common in obesity and type 2 diabetes care, alopecia has emerged as a potential adverse effect worth recognizing.

📌 What does the evidence suggest?
• Alopecia appears to be uncommon, with reported rates of approximately 3–9 cases per 1,000 people per year in some analyses.
• Some observational studies suggest a higher risk compared with certain other glucose-lowering therapies, but causality has not been established.
• Hair shedding may also be related to rapid weight loss, nutritional changes, metabolic stress, or telogen effluvium.
• Individual factors, including thyroid and other endocrine disorders, should also be considered.

Clinical perspective:
When significant hair loss develops during GLP-1–based therapy, assess the timing of weight loss, nutritional status, endocrine conditions, medications, and other potential causes.

The key is balanced counseling recognizing the possible association without overstating the risk.

Stay informed. Follow PASID for evidence-based updates in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolic medicine.

18/08/2026

Advancing Type 2 Diabetes Care | COMBINE 4

What if intensifying insulin therapy could improve glycemic control while also supporting weight management and reducing hypoglycemia?

The COMBINE 4 phase 3b trial evaluated once-weekly IcoSema a fixed-ratio combination of basal insulin icodec and the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide in insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on oral glucose-lowering therapies.

After 40 weeks, IcoSema demonstrated clinically important advantages compared with once-daily insulin glargine U100:

Greater HbA1c reduction
HbA1c decreased by 3.32 percentage points with IcoSema versus 2.44 percentage points with glargine U100.

Favorable weight outcomes
Mean body weight decreased by 0.79 kg with IcoSema, compared with a 3.81 kg increase with glargine U100.

Lower hypoglycemia rate
Clinically significant or severe hypoglycemia occurred at a lower rate with IcoSema: 0.29 vs 0.59 episodes per person-year.

Tolerability
Gastrointestinal adverse events were among the most frequently reported events with IcoSema, consistent with the GLP-1 receptor agonist component.

Why does this matter?

For patients with type 2 diabetes who remain above glycemic targets despite oral therapy, treatment intensification requires consideration of glycemic efficacy, weight, hypoglycemia risk, tolerability, and treatment burden.

The COMBINE 4 findings add to the evidence supporting once-weekly IcoSema as a potential treatment option in insulin-naive patients requiring further intensification.

As diabetes therapy continues to evolve, combining effective glucose lowering with simpler treatment approaches remains an important goal in patient-centered care.

Stay informed. Follow PASID for evidence-based updates in diabetes, endocrinology, and emerging therapeutic strategies.

16/08/2026

Emerging Data | Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Therapy Shows Promise in Obesity

The next chapter of incretin-based therapy may not be injectable.

New Phase 2 data on aleniglipron, an investigational once-daily oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, are adding to the growing interest in oral approaches to obesity management.

What do the data show?

🔹 Weight reduction: In a Phase 2 trial involving 230 adults across 38 U.S. centers, the 120 mg dose was associated with a mean body-weight reduction of 12.1% at 36 weeks, compared with 0.5% with placebo.

🔹 An oral small-molecule approach: Unlike peptide-based GLP-1 therapies, aleniglipron is a small-molecule tablet designed to be taken with or without food. This could offer greater flexibility in administration compared with some existing oral GLP-1 formulations.

🔹 Potential scalability: Small-molecule medicines may offer manufacturing and distribution advantages compared with peptide-based biologic therapies, potentially supporting broader access if clinical development is successful.

🔹 Safety: Gastrointestinal adverse events were the most commonly reported side effects and were generally mild to moderate. Approximately 10% of participants discontinued treatment because of adverse events. No cases of drug-induced liver injury were reported in the trial.

Why does this matter?

The development of oral small-molecule GLP-1 therapies could expand treatment options for people living with obesity and potentially address practical barriers associated with injectable therapies.

However, these are Phase 2 findings. Larger Phase 3 studies will be essential to establish long-term safety, durability of weight loss, and broader cardiometabolic outcomes.

The field is moving rapidly—from injectable peptides toward increasingly convenient oral therapies.

Could oral small-molecule GLP-1 therapies change the way we approach obesity and type 2 diabetes management?

Share your perspective with us.

09/08/2026

بفضل الله، اختُتمت بنجاح ورشة PASID للتدريب العملي على الموجات فوق الصوتية للغدة الدرقية وجارات الدرقية، في تجربة تعليمية متميزة جمعت بين المعرفة العلمية والتطبيق العملي التفاعلي.

على مدار يومين من التدريب المكثف، اجتمع نخبة من الأطباء من مختلف المدن في مصر ودولة ليبيا، بهدف تعزيز مهاراتهم العملية في استخدام الموجات فوق الصوتية لتقييم أمراض الغدة الدرقية وجارات الدرقية، وفق أحدث الممارسات المبنية على الدليل العلمي.

🎓 وقدّم الورشة أ.د. حسام عرفة غازي، رئيس الجمعية العربية لتداخلات الغدد الصماء وتكنولوجيا السكر (PASID)، من خلال برنامج تدريبي ركّز على الجانب العملي والتطبيق السريري.

نتقدم بخالص الشكر والتقدير إلى جميع المشاركين والمنظمين على جهودهم وتفاعلهم، والذي كان له دور أساسي في إنجاح هذه التجربة التعليمية المتميزة.

وتواصل PASID رسالتها في دعم التعليم الطبي المستمر، وتطوير المهارات العملية للأطباء، وتعزيز التميز والممارسة المبنية على الدليل العلمي في مجال تداخلات الغدد الصماء.

📍 نلتقي بإذن الله في ورشتنا القادمة خلال شهر سبتمبر في القاهرة.

ترقبوا قريبًا الإعلان الرسمي عن التفاصيل الكاملة وفتح باب التسجيل.

مع PASID… نتعلم، نتدرب، ونرتقي بالممارسة الطبية.

01/08/2026

🚨 Call for Abstracts | IDEA 2026 in Collaboration with PASID

Researchers, clinicians, endocrinologists, diabetologists, and healthcare innovators are invited to submit their latest scientific work to IDEA 2026 in Collaboration with PASID, taking place on 4–5 December 2026 in Jeddah, KSA.

📅 Abstract Submission Opens: June 20 , 2026
⏳ Submission Deadline: October 20 , 2026

We welcome original research, clinical studies, innovations, and real-world experiences in:

🔹 Diabetes & Metabolism
🔹 Endocrinology
🔹 Interventional Endocrinology
🔹 Diabetes Technology & Digital Health
🔹 Artificial Intelligence & Future Innovations

Join a distinguished international scientific platform and showcase your research alongside leading experts shaping the future of endocrinology, diabetes care, and medical innovation.

Share your science. Present your ideas. Shape the future.

Fill the form below :
https://forms.gle/brVR7eQieRaxriM89

27/07/2026

🧠 Can Lipid Management Influence Alzheimer’s Disease? Emerging Evidence from AAIC 2026

Growing evidence continues to strengthen the connection between cardiovascular health and neurodegenerative disease.

A post hoc analysis from the Phase 3 BROADWAY trial, presented at AAIC 2026, suggests that obicetrapib, a novel oral CETP inhibitor, may have potential beyond lipid lowering by influencing biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Key Clinical Highlights

🔹 Significant LDL-C Reduction
Obicetrapib achieved a 29.9% reduction in LDL cholesterol, while also demonstrating a favorable effect on plasma p-tau217, one of the most sensitive biomarkers of Alzheimer’s pathology.

🔹 Greater Benefit in APOE4 Carriers
The most pronounced reductions in p-tau217 were observed among APOE4 carriers, particularly E4/E4 homozygotes, where biomarker levels were 20.5% lower than placebo. These findings support the growing understanding of the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease.

🔹 A Distinct Mechanistic Approach
Unlike statins, CETP inhibition increases HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL cholesterol. Investigators propose that enhanced HDL-mediated cholesterol transport within the central nervous system may contribute to reduced tau pathology, although this mechanism requires further confirmation.

🔹 Metabolic Health Matters
Older age, diabetes, and reduced renal function (lower eGFR) were independently associated with higher p-tau217 concentrations, further highlighting the close relationship between cardiometabolic health and neurodegeneration.

Looking Ahead

These encouraging findings have led to the development of a multicenter Alzheimer’s prevention trial focusing on high-risk APOE4 carriers.

While these results are preliminary and clinical outcome data are still awaited, CETP inhibition represents an intriguing strategy that may bridge cardiovascular risk reduction with Alzheimer’s disease prevention.

Continued research will determine whether modifying lipid metabolism can translate into meaningful protection against cognitive decline.