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APRIL 2012
Bariatric Surgery versus Conventional Medical Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes.
Mingrone G, Panunzi S, De Gaetano A, Guidone C, Iaconelli A, Leccesi L, Nanni G, Pomp A, Castagneto M, Ghirlanda G, Rubino F. N Engl J Med. 2012 Mar 26. [Epub ahead of print]
Background Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliopancreatic diversion can markedly ameliorate diabetes in morbidly obese patients, often resulting in disease remission. Prospective, randomized trials comparing these procedures with medical therapy for the treatment of diabetes are needed. Methods In this single-center, nonblinded, randomized, controlled trial, 60 patients between the ages of 30 and 60 years with a body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of 35 or more, a history of at least 5 years of diabetes, and a glycated hemoglobin level of 7.0% or more were randomly assigned to receive conventional medical therapy or undergo either gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion. The primary end point was the rate of diabetes remission at 2 years (defined as a fasting glucose level of <100 mg per deciliter [5.6 mmol per liter] and a glycated hemoglobin level of <6.5% in the absence of pharmacologic therapy). Results At 2 years, diabetes remission had occurred in no patients in the medical-therapy group versus 75% in the gastric-bypass group and 95% in the biliopancreatic-diversion group (P<0.001 for both comparisons). Age, sex, baseline BMI, duration of diabetes, and weight changes were not significant predictors of diabetes remission at 2 years or of improvement in glycemia at 1 and 3 months. At 2 years, the average baseline glycated hemoglobin level (8.65±1.45%) had decreased in all groups, but patients in the two surgical groups had the greatest degree of improvement (average glycated hemoglobin levels, 7.69±0.57% in the medical-therapy group, 6.35±1.42% in the gastric-bypass group, and 4.95±0.49% in the biliopancreatic-diversion group). Conclusions In severely obese patients with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery resulted in better glucose control than did medical therapy. Preoperative BMI and weight loss did not predict the improvement in hyperglycemia after these procedures.
Comment-While the side effects of bariatric surgery are not insidnificant (see chapter 20 in OBESITEXT) the dramatic results of this randomized trial are sure to  send many more patients tro surgery.

MARCH 2011
Update in hormone therapy use in menopause. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Feb;96(2):255-64. Taylor HS, Manson JE.
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut06520,.
The original report from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) changed our understanding of the benefits and risks of hormone therapy. Since that time, reanalysis of the WHI and additional data from other studies have further refined these concepts. Here we provide an update on recent advances in the field. Menopausal hormone therapy continues to have a clinical role in the management of vasomotor symptoms. However, our understanding of the role of hormones in cardiovascular disease and breast cancer continues to evolve. Further analyses of the effect of age and proximity to menopause at the time of initiation of therapy, duration of treatment, dose, route of administration, and the persistence of risks and benefits after stopping hormone therapy are described. In addition, recent data have emerged suggesting that there may be a link between hormone therapy and cancers of the lung and ovary. Finally, we discuss new advances in hormone therapy that will likely lead to a more favorable benefit-to-risk ratio, enabling safer effective menopausal symptom relief.
This is an extensive review of all pros and cons  of menopausal hormonal therapy.