(February 1, 2012 - Insidermedicine)

From Sweden - A developmental medicine for type 1 diabetes has failed to show significant effects in a phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers randomized over 300 patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to either 4 doses of the novel medicine, 2 doses of the medicine plus placebo or 4 doses of placebo. Results showed some positive changes to C-peptide levels, but no significant effects.

From Philadelphia - According to a report published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, surgical breast biopsies are not being overused. Researchers found that 30% of breast biopsies were classified as surgical, when in fact the amount of true surgical biopsies was somewhere between 2 and 18%.

And finally, from Spain - Eating fish while pregnant may improve cognitive development in the child, according to a report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers collected blood samples from 2,000 women at 20 weeks gestation and from the infant's umbilical cord. They found that women who consumed the most fish during pregnancy had children that scored higher in verbal intelligence and fine motor skills tests and demonstrated increased prosocial behaviour.