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.

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

24 Sep 2012

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

21 Sep 2012

MU endocrinologist to receive American Heart Association lifetime achievement award

One of the first researchers to study the deadly link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes will receive an American Heart Association lifetime achievement award today at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award presented to University of Missouri endocrinologist James Sowers, MD, recognizes his more than 30 years of accomplishments as a physician, scientist and educator.

21 Sep 2012

Iron transport may contribute to diabetes

Scientists have been trying to explain the causes of diabetes for many years. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S have now shown that the increased activity of one particular iron-transport protein destroys insulin-producing beta cells. In addition, the new research shows that mice without this iron transporter are protected against developing diabetes.

21 Sep 2012

Tight glycemic control does not reduce infection rate after pediatric cardiac surgery

Implementing tight glycemic control after surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass does not reduce the rate of healthcare-associated infections among pediatric patients, compared with standard care in the intensive care unit, show US study results.

20 Sep 2012

Lund University professor to coordinate oral insulin study for type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the autoimmune form of diabetes, in which the patients' insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed by their own immune system. "We know that if a person has two autoantibodies and one of them is against insulin, there is a 50 per cent risk that they will develop type 1 diabetes within five years. It doesn't matter how old you are", says Ake Lernmark, Professor of Experimental Diabetes Research at Lund University in Sweden.

20 Sep 2012

Obese adults with excess visceral fat, biomarkers of insulin resistance more likely to develop diabetes

Obese adults with excess visceral fat (fat located inside the abdominal cavity, around the body's internal organs) and biomarkers of insulin resistance had an associated increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, while obese individuals with higher amounts of total body fat and subcutaneous fat (underneath the skin) did not have this increased risk, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

20 Sep 2012

High fructose corn syrup consumption alone not responsible for obesity epidemic

A new article published today in International Journal of Obesity found there is no evidence to suggest the current obesity epidemic in the United States can be specifically blamed on consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

19 Sep 2012

Adolescent menstrual disorders linked to hyperandrogenemia

Menstrual disorders in adolescence are associated with an increased risk for hyperandrogenemia, research shows.

19 Sep 2012

Children can largely benefit from 40 minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity

Twenty minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity over just three months can reduce a child's risk of diabetes as well as his total body fat - including dangerous, deep abdominal fat - but 40 minutes works even better, researchers report.

19 Sep 2012

Obese individuals with excess visceral fat more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

Obese individuals with excess visceral fat (abdominal fat that surrounds the body-s internal organs) have an increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. By contrast, persons with excess abdominal subcutaneous fat (fat underneath the skin) were not at higher risk for the onset of diabetes.

19 Sep 2012

Diet, lack of AgRP-neurons can lead to obesity and diabetes

The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers in The EMBO Journal. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

19 Sep 2012

Age at diabetes onset linked to macular edema onset

Older age at onset of Type 1 diabetes significantly increases the risk for developing clinically significant macular edema, show study findings.

19 Sep 2012

Two abnormalities associated with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes

A new University of Iowa study suggests there are two root causes of a type of diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). The findings, which already have sparked a clinical trial, may guide development of new treatments or even help prevent diabetes in patients with CF.

18 Sep 2012

Researchers identify gene mutations in Wolfram syndrome that affects insulin-secreting beta cells

The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes motor difficulties, and early death.

17 Sep 2012

Scientists describe how natural selection occurs at the cellular level

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) describe how natural selection also occurs at the cellular level, and how our body's tissues and organs strive to retain the best cells in their ranks in order to fend off disease processes.

15 Sep 2012

MIT engineers use ultrasound waves to enhance permeability of skin to drugs

Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or needle-free vaccinations, according to the researchers.

15 Sep 2012

U.K. scientists develop new test to catch drugs-cheats in sport

Scientists from three UK universities have developed a new test to catch drugs-cheats in sport.

15 Sep 2012

Pancreatic B-cell dedifferentiation leads to decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes

Scientists generally think that reduced insulin production by the pancreas, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is due to the death of the organ's beta cells. However, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers shows that beta cells do not die but instead revert to a more fundamental, undifferentiated cell type.

15 Sep 2012

Experimental diabetes drug shows promise against Alzheimer's

A drug designed for diabetes sufferers could have the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, a study by scientists at the University of Ulster has revealed.

15 Sep 2012