INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A combination of two insulins made by Novo Nordisk reduced abnormally low blood sugar in diabetes patients, according to study results presented at a medical conference.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Obese diabetes patients could experience weight loss when taking Vivus' anti-obesity drug, according to an oral presentation at the International Diabetes Federation's World Diabetes Congress in Dubai.

BOSTON — Women who work a rotating schedule that includes three or more night shifts per month, in addition to day and evening working hours in that month, may have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compared with women who only work days or evenings, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard's School of Public Health that was released Tuesday.

In addition, the researchers found that extended years of rotating night shift work was associated with weight gain, which may contribute to the increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

LOS ANGELES — Among those that have shopping-related applications on their smartphone, most of them will use this method to help save money when purchasing gifts this holiday season, according to a PriceGrabber survey.

PHILADELPHIA — Aspirin taken within five days before cardiac surgery is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of major postoperative complications, including renal failure, an intensive care unit stay, and even early death (30-day mortality), according to findings from an observational cohort study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of California Davis Medical Center that are set to appear in the journal Annals of Surgery.

MINNETONKA, Minn. — United Health Foundation’s "2011 America’s Heath Rankings," released Tuesday, found that increases in obesity, diabetes and children in poverty are offsetting improvements in smoking cessation, preventable hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths. According to the report, the country’s overall health did not improve between 2010 and 2011 — a drop from the 0.5% average annual rate of improvement between 2000 and 2010, and the 1.6% average annual rate of improvement seen in the 1990s.

NEW YORK — Online brands that offer less complex return policies, along with ways to easily identify the highest-quality items, earned high marks among consumers, according to new research from global strategic branding firm Siegel+Gale.

NEW YORK — A drug made by Pfizer appears to work in treating symptoms of overactive bladder in elderly patients, according to results of a clinical trial released Monday.

Pfizer said that results of study A0221049 of the drug Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) worked better than placebo in reducing the number of urgency urinary incontinence episodes. The 12-week study enrolled 562 elderly people in the United States. The drug already has Food and Drug Administration approval for treating overactive bladder.