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.

Urgent effort underway to learn how diabetes increases heart disease risk

A researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center has won the 2006 Thomas R. Lee Career Development Award from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which includes an $842,400 grant to study how diabetes dramatically increases risk for cardiovascular disease.

8 May 2006

Differential effects of HOXB4 on nonhuman primate short and long-term repopulating cells

Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs, the cells that can give rise to all blood and most immune cell types) can save patients whose own hematopoietic system is defective or has been destroyed (often through radiation or chemotherapy of cancer).

3 May 2006

Endocannabinoid system shows promise in combating obesity

As the obesity epidemic grows in the United States, the medical community is faced with the significant challenge of properly treating patients before complications such as heart disease arise.

3 May 2006

Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase activity and calculated risk of coronary heart disease in the U.S.

A new study on the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and heart disease found that patients with an elevated level of the enzyme associated with NAFLD had an increased risk of coronary heart disease, which appears to be related to insulin resistance, obesity and central fat distribution.

3 May 2006

Study highlights the benefits of a clinic that specializes in the needs of obese patients with metabolic syndrome

Obesity researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that a multidisciplinary clinical approach to caring for obese patients with metabolic syndrome could swiftly and significantly lower their risk for heart disease.

3 May 2006

The 30-year natural history of type 1 diabetes complications

...while cases of premature death and a few other complications have declined, rates of other serious diabetes-related disorders such as heart and eye disease have not improved over the past 25 to 30 years.

3 May 2006

Combinatorial approach found to reverse the onset of type 1 diabetes

A major finding, which represents an important step toward a potential cure for type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, has been made by a research team at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI). The team, led by Matthias von Herrath, M.D., an internationally recognized expert on the molecular basis of type 1 diabetes, used a combinatorial treatment approach in laboratory mice and found it reversed recent onset type 1 diabetes in the majority of animals tested.

28 Apr 2006

Protein mutated in cancer found to be linked to diabetes

A study published by Nature has defined the function of p110 alpha, the flag-ship molecule of the eight member PI3K family, which is one of the most frequently activated pathways in cancer. The function of p110 alpha in the body has eluded researchers for over a decade but a new approach to generating mouse models, has allowed investigators to solve the mystery and yield important information for planned clinical trials with PI3K inhibitors.

25 Apr 2006

Study reveals findings on how insulin-producing beta cells grow and function

A new Joslin Diabetes Center-led study has shown conclusively that two receptors in the insulin-producing beta cell do not affect developmental growth, refuting a long-held hypothesis in diabetes research.

23 Apr 2006

Drug combo might beat type 1 diabetes

Scientists in California have developed a cocktail of drugs which can reverse diabetes and say the discovery is an important step towards a potential cure.

23 Apr 2006

Genetic data from an island population proves to be a useful tool in understanding disease

With fewer than 4,000 residents, the genetically isolated Micronesian island of Kosrae, in the West Pacific, provides an ideal population in which to research heritability of disease.

20 Apr 2006

New inhaled diabetic drug too costly for the NHS

The National Health Service in the UK seems to be staggering from one crisis to another and now another row has broken out over a new treatment for diabetes.

19 Apr 2006

New research links metabolism and appetite suppression, opening door to obesity treatments

A team led by a Canadian researcher has discovered a process by which a small protein acts directly within muscles to increase the body's metabolism to burn fat while simultaneously suppressing appetite.

19 Apr 2006

Short acting insulin analogues versus regular human insulin in patients with diabetes mellitus

Fast-acting artificial insulin drugs work just as well as regular human insulin, but it's unclear how they could affect the health of people with diabetes over the long run, according to a new review of recent studies.

18 Apr 2006

Common gene variation associated with an increased risk for obesity

A pioneering statistical technique developed at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has helped identify a common gene variation associated with an increased risk for obesity.

18 Apr 2006

Obese may have gene which makes them fat

According to scientists in the U.S. there is a genetic explanation why some people are obese while others are not.

17 Apr 2006

Hap1 protein could lead to future drug targets for eating disorders

Researchers have discovered how the protein Hap1, which is abundant in the brain's hypothalamus, serves as the link between circulating insulin in the blood and the neural circuitry that controls feeding behavior in mice.

16 Apr 2006

Excessive adiposity, calorie restriction, and aging

Can eating a low-calorie yet nutritionally balanced diet extend human life? Preliminary research suggests it might, so researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are launching a long-term study to find out.

16 Apr 2006

Approval of integrated insulin pump and continuous glucose system a significant step towards artificial pancreas technology

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has said that the federal government's approval of an insulin pump that also provides real-time, continuous glucose monitoring is a significant step on the path to the development of an artificial pancreas, with the potential to significantly improve diabetes care and lower the risk of complications.

13 Apr 2006

Fat cells surrounding coronary arteries may play a role in development of heart disease

The fat cells that surround coronary arteries may play a central and previously unrecognized role in development of cardiovascular disease, according to a study by University of Iowa researchers.

11 Apr 2006

Insulin News and Research

Further Reading

Urgent effort underway to learn how diabetes increases heart disease risk

Differential effects of HOXB4 on nonhuman primate short and long-term repopulating cells

Endocannabinoid system shows promise in combating obesity

Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase activity and calculated risk of coronary heart disease in the U.S.

Study highlights the benefits of a clinic that specializes in the needs of obese patients with metabolic syndrome

The 30-year natural history of type 1 diabetes complications

Combinatorial approach found to reverse the onset of type 1 diabetes

Protein mutated in cancer found to be linked to diabetes

Study reveals findings on how insulin-producing beta cells grow and function

Drug combo might beat type 1 diabetes

Genetic data from an island population proves to be a useful tool in understanding disease

New inhaled diabetic drug too costly for the NHS

New research links metabolism and appetite suppression, opening door to obesity treatments

Short acting insulin analogues versus regular human insulin in patients with diabetes mellitus

Common gene variation associated with an increased risk for obesity

Obese may have gene which makes them fat

Hap1 protein could lead to future drug targets for eating disorders

Excessive adiposity, calorie restriction, and aging

Approval of integrated insulin pump and continuous glucose system a significant step towards artificial pancreas technology

Fat cells surrounding coronary arteries may play a role in development of heart disease

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