Pancreas News and Research

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The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine. These enzymes help in the further breakdown of the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the chyme.

Loyola's Neil Gupta recommends patients to ask four questions when planning a colonoscopy

"Most people focus on the dislike of the preparation, the need to arrange transportation and the fear of being anesthetized during the procedure and then potentially getting a cancer diagnosis," says Neil Gupta, MD, MPH, Director of Endoscopy at Loyola University Health System. "Screening colonoscopy is a very critical examination that really can determine life and death when it comes to colon cancer. It is now clear that not every colonoscopy is equal. Once you've decided it's time to get a screening colonoscopy, the next step is to make sure that you get a high-quality one."

17 Mar 2015

Type 2 diabetes less common in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among 25,000 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic disorder characterized by high low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol levels) was significantly lower than among unaffected relatives, with the prevalence varying by the type of gene mutation, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

11 Mar 2015

Cost of care for benign prostate hyperplasia measured for the first time

UCLA researchers have for the first time described cost across an entire care process for a common condition called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) using time-driven activity-based costing. They found a 400 percent discrepancy between the least and most expensive ways to treat the condition.

11 Mar 2015

New drug shows promise in driving insulin-producing beta cells to multiply

In a screen of more than 100,000 potential drugs, only one, harmine, drove human insulin-producing beta cells to multiply, according to a study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, funded by JDRF and the National Institutes of Health, and published online today in Nature Medicine.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers locate, narrow down genes that play role in Type 1 diabetes

The genes that increase the risk of Type 1 diabetes have lost their hiding place.

10 Mar 2015

Study: Combination of metformin and onion extract lowers blood glucose, total cholesterol levels

The extract of onion bulb, Allium cepa, strongly lowered high blood glucose (sugar) and total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats when given with the antidiabetic drug metformin, according to a new study.

9 Mar 2015

Targeting stroma could potentially extend survival of pancreatic cancer patients

Like a stealth jet cloaks itself from radar, cancer cells cloak themselves within tumors by hiding behind a dense layer of cellular material known as stroma.

27 Feb 2015

Accuray, Lancaster announces commercial availability of InCise MLC for CyberKnife M6 System

Accuray Incorporated and Lancaster General Health announced today that the first commercially available InCise Multileaf Collimator (MLC) for the CyberKnife M6 System has been received by Lancaster.

24 Feb 2015

MD Anderson awarded more than $22 million in research grants from CPRIT

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has received more than $22 million in research grants this week from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Approximately half of the funds awarded for Individual Investigator Research Awards went to MD Anderson faculty as well as 40 percent of total IIRA awards that include those for children's and adolescent cancer and early detection and prevention.

21 Feb 2015

Mayo Clinic researchers identify molecule that lays groundwork for development of pancreatic cancer

A research team led by investigators from Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida, and the University of Oslo, Norway, have identified a molecule that pushes normal pancreatic cells to transform their shape, laying the groundwork for development of pancreatic cancer -- one of the most difficult tumors to treat.

21 Feb 2015

Researchers review ten years of scientific studies on mitochondrial toxicity in pregnant women

Researchers from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) have reviewed ten years' worth of scientific studies on mitochondrial toxicity in pregnant women. Exposure to toxic agents such as viruses, certain drugs, pesticides, alcohol and tobacco cause mitochondrial diseases about which very little is known, and which are transmitted from the mother to the foetus.

20 Feb 2015

Study shows amyloid formation may link type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer disease

The pathological process amyloidosis, in which misfolded proteins (amyloids) form insoluble fibril deposits, occurs in many diseases, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D).

17 Feb 2015

JDRF supports Janssen's DIA approach to combat type 1 diabetes

JDRF, the leading research and advocacy organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced today its alignment with an innovative scientific approach of Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen) and the company's Disease Interception Accelerator (DIA) group, which will focus on transforming type 1 diabetes through its disease interception strategy.

13 Feb 2015

New type of engineered insulin could improve treatment for diabetes patients

For patients with diabetes, insulin is critical to maintaining good health and normal blood-sugar levels. However, it's not an ideal solution because it can be difficult for patients to determine exactly how much insulin they need to prevent their blood sugar from swinging too high or too low.

11 Feb 2015

New AGA guideline provides guidance to prevent HBV reactivation

Long-term immunosuppressive therapy can cause the hepatitis B virus (HBV) to become active, even in patients who are not aware that they are infected with the virus. A new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association provides guidance to physicians and patients who use immunosuppressive agents for the treatment of a variety of disorders, including gastrointestinal, dermatologic, neurologic and rheumatologic, among others.

9 Feb 2015

Update: Bariatric surgery can improve obesity-related health problems in children, adolescents

Bariatric surgery--as a last resort when conservative interventions have failed--can improve liver disease and other obesity-related health problems in severely obese children and adolescents, according to a position paper in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

9 Feb 2015

41% of the British population unaware of the role of diet in cancer development

Surprising new statistics reveal that 41% of the British population are oblivious to the role that diet plays in the development of cancer - and even those with a family history of the disease are failing to consume potentially "cancer-preventing" compounds in their daily diet.

6 Feb 2015

Chinese researchers achieve major breakthrough in nano-carrier drugs for pancreatic cancer

At the "Symposium on the Application of Genetic Testing in Individualized Diagnosis and Treatment of Tumor" recently held in Tianjin, the research team led by Professor Hao Jihui of the Pancreas Oncology Department of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital announced that they had achieved a major breakthrough in the field of nano-carrier drugs for pancreatic cancer.

6 Feb 2015

Researchers move one step closer to treating diabetes with human probiotic pill

Science may be one step closer to treating diabetes with a human probiotic pill, according to new Cornell University research.

30 Jan 2015

ProfBiotics develops evidence-based health supplements to enhance health, wellbeing

A new range of vitamins and food supplements developed to enhance the health of specific organs has been launched in the UK.

28 Jan 2015