Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

Researchers determine age of atherosclerotic plaques using carbon dating

In a new study performed in humans, researchers from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet have determined the age of atherosclerotic plaques by taking advantage of Carbon-14 residues in the atmosphere, prevailing after the extensive atomic bomb tests in the 50ties and 60ties.

8 Apr 2011

Caffeine disrupts glucose metabolism and may contribute to type 2 diabetes

A growing body of research suggests that caffeine disrupts glucose metabolism and may contribute to the development and poor control of type 2 diabetes, a major public health problem.

8 Apr 2011

Experts to discuss about links between metabolic function and disease at EB2011

Metabolism encompasses the biochemical reactions that sustain life and is usually thought of as two complementary systems: one that breaks down nutrients to generate energy and another that harnesses this energy to produce the building blocks cells need to thrive.

8 Apr 2011

Gerresheimer first quarter group revenues increase 5.2% to EUR 236.6m

Gerresheimer AG, one of the leading global suppliers to the pharma and healthcare industry, got off to a good start in the new financial year. "We continued on our successful course in the new financial year.

7 Apr 2011

TBL1 levels may help identify obese persons at risk of developing fatty liver

Excess fat around the hips and belly may not really be compatible with current beauty ideals, but, to a certain degree, it is a normal, even vital energy store of our body. However, it is a different matter if the organism stores fat in organs such as the liver, pancreas or muscles. This is a clear sign of a metabolic disorder.

7 Apr 2011

Patients with type 2 diabetes can benefit from metformin than other drugs

New research suggests that several commonly prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes may not be as effective at preventing death and cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and stroke, as the oral anti-diabetic drug, metformin.

7 Apr 2011

Roche launches Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote diabetes education

Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-CHEK products and services, has launched dedicated Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote diabetes education, awareness and advocacy.

7 Apr 2011

New insight into Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease has long been linked to jerky movements. Now, researchers in Lund, Sweden, have shown that the metabolism can also be seriously affected by the hereditary disease. The new laboratory findings provide hope of entirely new treatment methods.

7 Apr 2011

Hartwell honors UCSD scientists with Individual Biomedical Research Award

Three scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine are among this year's 12 winners of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards, honoring researchers whose work advances children's health.

7 Apr 2011

Chemical senses scientists to hold 33rd annual meeting, April 13-17, 2011

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), a US-based scientific organization, is holding its 33rd annual meeting. About 700 scientists are gathering to present new information on the role of smell and taste in disease, nutrition, and social interactions in humans as well as animals. Smell and taste play essential roles in our daily lives.

6 Apr 2011

Having children early in life lowers lifetime risk of breast cancer

Women who have children, particularly early in life, have a lower lifetime risk of breast cancer compared with women who do not. Now, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene expression pattern in breast tissue that differs between post-menopausal women who had children and post-menopausal women who did not.

6 Apr 2011

AMPK suppression and SREBP activation are root cause of fatty liver and hyperlipidemia in type 2 diabetes

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, including Yu Li, PhD, and other colleagues, have demonstrated that a nutrient sensing pathway is involved in the disruption of cellular lipid homeostasis in obese and insulin resistant mice fed a diet high in fat and sucrose.

6 Apr 2011

New medical guidelines for diabetes care

Today the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists released new medical guidelines for developing comprehensive care plan for management of diabetes mellitus.

6 Apr 2011

TZDs might serve as new agents for addiction treatment

Thiazolidinediones are a class of medications that are commonly prescribed to treat type-2 diabetes, while fibrates are a structurally-related class of medications that are prescribed to modulate lipid levels in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

6 Apr 2011

Huntingtin protein is responsible for metabolic imbalances in hypothalamus

In Huntington's disease, the mutant protein known as huntingtin leads to the degeneration of a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, causing the motor disturbances that represent one of the most defining features of the fatal disease.

6 Apr 2011

Metformin therapy may protect PCOS women against endometrial cancer

Research led by Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick has found that Metformin, a drug treatment used to treat diabetes and also in women with Polycystic vary syndrome, may potentially provide protection against endometrial cancer.

5 Apr 2011

American Cancer Society awards 85 institutions with $49,213,000 for new research, training

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 132 national research and training grants totaling $49,213,000 to 85 institutions nationwide in the second of two grants cycles for 2011.

5 Apr 2011

Researchers to develop future body sensor network

Modern man is surrounded by a multitude of sensors. Today's sensors are simple and made for specific purposes, like measuring temperature, balance, build-up of smoke, or tyre pressure. The common trait of the sensors is that they are all embedded in a closed system.

5 Apr 2011

Vitamin D can reduce estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

In mice models of breast cancer, researchers at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center, found that vitamin D significantly reduced development of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer both in lean and obese mice, but had no beneficial effect in estrogen receptor-negative cancer.

5 Apr 2011

Routine periodic fasting can reduce risk of coronary heart disease

Fasting has long been associated with religious rituals, diets, and political protests. Now new evidence from cardiac researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute demonstrates that routine periodic fasting is also good for your health, and your heart.

4 Apr 2011