Blood Sugar News and Research

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Blood sugar concentration, or glucose level, refers to the amount of glucose present in the blood of a human or animal. Normally, in mammals the blood glucose level is maintained at a reference range between about 3.6 and 5.8 mM (mmol/l). It is tightly regulated as a part of metabolic homeostasis.

Study: Mixing exenatide with insulin provides better blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes patients

A new study finds that combining the newer diabetes drug exenatide with insulin provides better blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes than insulin alone and helps promote weight loss.

7 Dec 2010

Personal environment influences effects of genes and risk of disease

Personalized medicine centers on being able to predict the risk of disease or response to a drug based on a person's genetic makeup. But a study by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that, for most common diseases, genes alone only tell part of the story.

4 Dec 2010

Merck plans to acquire SmartCells

Today pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co., Inc. announced it will acquire SmartCells, Inc., a private biotech developing a glucose-responsive insulin whose proof-of-concept preclinical trials were partially funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

4 Dec 2010

Exposure to polluted air leads to accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Exposure to polluted air early in life led to an accumulation of abdominal fat and insulin resistance in mice even if they ate a normal diet, according to new research.

3 Dec 2010

Merck announces acquisition of SmartCells

Merck & Co., Inc., and SmartCells, Inc., today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire SmartCells, a private company developing a glucose responsive insulin formulation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

2 Dec 2010

New clues on surviving to be 100 years old

University of Georgia research has provided new clues on surviving to be 100 years old, finding that how we feel about ourselves and our ability to adapt to an accumulation of challenging life experiences may be as or more important than health factors.

2 Dec 2010

Improved support may reduce health care cost in children with diabetes

Managing diabetes in a child requires a careful balance of insulin, diet, and exercise. Buying essential medical supplies, such as needles and testing strips, adds a financial burden to families. According to a new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the resulting food insecurity that arises from the financial burden of diabetes management increases a child's risk of being hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.

2 Dec 2010

Vitamin D supplementation may reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease: Research

Researchers from the UC Davis Health System have found that compared with healthy controls, blood levels of vitamin D are significantly reduced in patients in the Sacramento area with metabolic syndrome, a constellation of disease risk factors that affects about one in three U.S. adults and predisposes them to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

1 Dec 2010

Common sleep complaints predict development of metabolic syndrome: Study

A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that loud snoring and two common insomnia symptoms difficulty falling asleep and unrefreshing sleep each significantly predicted the development of the metabolic syndrome. The study emphasizes the importance of screening for common sleep complaints in routine clinical practice.

1 Dec 2010

Washington State Hospital Association makes public surgical infection rates

Today, the Washington State Hospital Association is releasing hospital-specific surgical infection rate data. This is the first time this information has been made public.

1 Dec 2010

Scientists discover M3-protein can help maintain blood sugar levels

Medical scientists at the University of Leicester have identified for the first time a new way in which our body controls the levels of sugar in our blood following a meal.

30 Nov 2010

Best diet: High protein and low good carbs

A group of European researchers have found that eating more protein and fewer refined carbohydrates helps to stay within normal weight. The team showed that men and women who had lost at least eight percent of their body weight on a low-calorie diet were kept on a maintenance diet high in protein and low in refined carbohydrates for six months. They were least likely to regain any weight, and were also the least likely to drop out of the study.

24 Nov 2010

aAetna announces pilot with MCNT to improve diabetes care

Aetna today announced a pilot with the Medical Clinic of North Texas aimed at improving the care of diabetic patients of Hispanic and African American descent.

23 Nov 2010

HIV drugs lead to insulin resistance

The same powerful drugs that have extended the lives of countless people with HIV come with a price - insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

23 Nov 2010

People with heart disease, diabetes or cancer believe economic downturn hurts their health: Poll

A new poll from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Knowledge Networks shows that many people with heart disease, diabetes or cancer believe the economic downturn is hurting their health and will have further negative impacts in the future. Many Americans with these illnesses face financial problems paying for medical bills in this economy.

20 Nov 2010

Psychiatric hospitalization rate decreases among adults with schizophrenia treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA: Study

Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling brain disorder that affects 1 percent of the U.S. population and results in substantial medical and societal costs, in particular from use of health-care resources. It also can have devastating health-related and social effects on people with the disease, their families and caregivers.

20 Nov 2010

Study compares effect on HT status in mid, late life on dementia risk

Compared to women never on hormone therapy, those taking hormone therapy only at midlife had a 26 percent decreased risk of dementia; while women taking HT only in late life had a 48 percent increased risk of dementia, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers.

19 Nov 2010

57 million Americans have prediabetes: Study

Prediabetes is a warning sign that type 2 diabetes is around the corner. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Approximately 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, but an even more staggering 57 million people in the United States have prediabetes, meaning they are at grave risk of developing this disease. And once a prediabetic person becomes diabetic, there is no turning back.

18 Nov 2010

Treatment including surgery better for opening blocked arteries in patients with diabetes and heart disease

Treatment that included early surgical procedures to open blocked arteries resulted in better blood flow to the heart than aggressive medical treatment alone in patients with both diabetes and heart disease, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

17 Nov 2010

JDRF, Amylin collaborate to support metreleptin study for type 1 diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they entered into a research collaboration agreement to provide financial support for a clinical proof-of-concept study to investigate the effects of metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, in patients with type 1 diabetes. Researchers at The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center will conduct the study.

17 Nov 2010