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.

Pten gene can also fight against obesity, ageing process

This result, obtained after five years' research, is published in leading journal Cell Metabolism. The authors, led by Manuel Serrano (CNIO), believe it will open the door to new therapeutic options not only against cancer, but against obesity and even the ageing process.

7 Mar 2012

Metabolic syndrome predicts prevalence and incidence of CKD in elderly people

Elderly people with the metabolic syndrome-defined as having multiple risk factors associated with developing diabetes and heart disease-had an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

6 Mar 2012

Sedentary women more prone to developing type 2 diabetes

A new study has found that women who stay seated for long periods of time every day are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes, but that a similar link wasn't found in men.

2 Mar 2012

BioInvent completes enrollment in BI-204 phase IIa study for atherosclerosis

BioInvent International AB and its collaborator Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that all patients have completed enrollment in the GLACIER study, a phase IIa study with BI-204 in patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease.

2 Mar 2012

Planarian flatworms reveal new insights into stem cell biology

Devising a novel method to identify potential genetic regulators in planarian stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have determined which of those genes affect the two main functions of stem cells. Three of the genes are particularly intriguing because they code for proteins similar to those known to regulate mammalian embryonic stem cells. Such genetic similarity makes planarians an even more attractive model for studying stem cell biology in vivo.

2 Mar 2012

Report highlights benefits of Nuvilex's cell encapsulation technology for diabetes

Nuvilex, Inc., an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, today provided additional details based on the Goldman Small Cap Research report issued February 29, 2012, that highlighted the company's cell encapsulation technology and its benefits for treating chronic diseases such as diabetes.

2 Mar 2012

Study uncovers how FoxO1 protein contributes to heart disease in patients with diabetes

UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists have uncovered how a specific protein's previously unsuspected role contributes to the deterioration of heart muscle in patients with diabetes. Investigators in the mouse study also have found a way to reverse the damage caused by this protein.

2 Mar 2012

DRI scientists create novel oxygen-generating material

Scientists at the Diabetes Research Institute have developed a revolutionary technique to provide critical oxygen for maintaining the survival of insulin-producing cells. This is the first time that scientists have been able to successfully deliver oxygen locally to beta cells using a biomaterial.

1 Mar 2012

Pregnant women and oral health

Oral health doesn't always top the list of concerns that expectant mothers may have, but it certainly should. Proper dental health and control of oral disease can safeguard a mother's health before and during pregnancy and reduces the transmission of bacteria from women to their children.

1 Mar 2012

TAK-875 - an emerging therapy for Type 2 diabetes

In a trial of 426 patients with Type 2 diabetes, TAK-875 reduced blood sugar below a pre-determined level in as much as 48 percent of those receiving it after 12 weeks, compared with 40 percent of those who took glimepiride, the older drug, according to findings published online by The Lancet medical journal. The research was presented in June at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

28 Feb 2012

Insights into how fructose may contribute to development of obesity, diabetes

A group of scientists from across the world have come together in a just-published study that provides new insights into how fructose causes obesity and metabolic syndrome, more commonly known as diabetes.

28 Feb 2012

TAK-875 as effective as glimepiride in treating type 2 diabetes

TAK-875, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes, improves blood sugar control and is equally effective as glimepiride, but has a significantly lower risk of creating a dangerous drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, according to a new study.

27 Feb 2012

New drug improves glycaemic control with minimum risk of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetics

27 Feb 2012

The Lancet publishes Takeda's TAK-875 Phase 2 data on type 2 diabetes

Phase 2 clinical data of an investigational type 2 diabetes therapy, TAK-875 of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, were published online first in The Lancet.

27 Feb 2012

MannKind net loss for 2011 decreases to $160.8 million

MannKind Corporation today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2011.

23 Feb 2012

Parental exposure to PFOA may increase risk of obesity in their daughters

The levels of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that mothers had in their blood during pregnancy increased the risk of obesity in their daughters at 20 years of age.

22 Feb 2012

Insulin production may persist for decades after onset of type 1 diabetes

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research has found that insulin production may persist for decades after the onset of type 1 diabetes. Beta cell functioning also appears to be preserved in some patients years after apparent loss of pancreatic function. The study results appear in the March issue of Diabetes Care.

22 Feb 2012

IDOM researchers overturn textbook view of liver metabolism

A team led by researchers from the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (IDOM) at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has overturned a "textbook" view of what the body does after a meal.

22 Feb 2012

Fast once or twice a week to improve brain health and prolong life

According to a team from the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore, America, fasting for one or two days a week may protect against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other degenerative brain conditions.

20 Feb 2012

Defects in GPR120 protein may lead to obesity and liver disease

Defects in a protein that functions as a dietary fat sensor may be a cause of obesity and liver disease, according to a study published in the journal Nature, led by researchers at Imperial College London. The findings highlight a promising target for new drugs to treat obesity and metabolic disorders.

19 Feb 2012