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.

Multimodal therapy may improve survival of pancreatic cancer patients

In roughly one-third of pancreatic cancer patients, tumors have grown around the pancreas to encompass critical blood vessels. Conventional wisdom has long held that surgery to remove the tumors is rarely an option, and life expectancies are usually measured in months.

25 May 2016

Researchers identify single RCAN1 gene responsible for onset of type 2 diabetes

RESEARCHERS have identified the gene they believe is responsible for the onset of type 2 diabetes, sparking hope for treatments to prevent and possibly reverse the progressive condition.

20 May 2016

CGT, University of Aberdeen announce creation of new company to develop novel technology for diabetes treatment

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and University of Aberdeen, UK, today announce the creation of Islexa, a new company developing a novel technology to produce laboratory grown islets, the organoids responsible for insulin production.

18 May 2016

Insulin pump therapy can benefit all type 1 diabetes patients

Insulin pump therapy contributes to better blood glucose control in type 1 diabetes and, as pump technology continues to improve and become part of sensor-controlled feedback and artificial pancreas systems, essentially all patients would benefit from their capabilities according to a Commentary published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

18 May 2016

Rural hospitals may work well for straightforward surgeries in relatively healthy patients

They may be in small towns. They may only have a couple of surgeons. But for common operations, they may be safer and less expensive than their larger cousins, a new study finds.

18 May 2016

Restricted artificial pancreas use may suffice

Restricting use of an artificial pancreas to the evening and nighttime, with standard pump therapy the rest of the time, seems to deliver similar benefits to using one all day and night in patients with Type 1 diabetes, a study suggests.

13 May 2016

Chronic alcohol exposure could negatively impact pancreas' ability to absorb vitamin C

Chronic exposure to alcohol interferes with the pancreas' ability to absorb vitamin C, potentially predisposing the body to pancreatitis and other pancreatic diseases, a new study in the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology reports.

12 May 2016

Researchers produce insulin-secreting cells from stem cells of diabetic patients

Signaling a potential new approach to treating diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University have produced insulin-secreting cells from stem cells derived from patients with type 1 diabetes.

11 May 2016

Study emphasizes benefits of newborn screening for CF patients

A new study led by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Cystic Fibrosis Canada reinforces the benefits of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.

5 May 2016

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

In a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA, Pascal Hammel, M.D., of Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France and colleagues assessed whether chemoradiotherapy improves overall survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer controlled after 4 months of gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy, and assessed the effect of erlotinib on survival. Gemcitabine and erlotinib are drugs used to treat cancer.

4 May 2016

Transplanted human islets provide excellent glycemic control for Type 1 diabetes patients with severe hypoglycemia

Northwestern Medicine researchers are co-investigators in a breakthrough clinical trial that found transplanted human islets prevent hypoglycemic events and provide excellent glycemic control for patients with Type 1 diabetes with severe hypoglycemia. The results of the multi-center, single arm, phase III study are published in Diabetes Care on Monday, April 18. The research was funded by National Institute of Health grants through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

3 May 2016

Exposure to fine particulate matter in air can increase risk of cancer-specific mortality

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a series of monographs on the evaluation of various carcinogenic risks. In a monograph on air pollution, the organization pointed out the difficulty of assessing the effects of pollution on multiple types of cancers, given their different etiologies, risk factors and variability in the composition of air pollutants in space and time. However, the IARC identified certain key components of air pollution, including particulates.

30 Apr 2016

CMGH study offers insight into future interventions for Crohn's disease, chronic pancreatitis

Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology is committed to publishing impactful digestive biology research covering a broad spectrum of themes in GI, hepatology and pancreatology. We wanted to share two new CMGH articles, which both offer important insight into future interventions for chronic conditions.

30 Apr 2016

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

Doctors have long known that men with low testosterone are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For the first time, researchers have identified how testosterone helps men regulate blood sugar by triggering key signaling mechanisms in islets, clusters of cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. The findings, co-authored by Tulane University researchers, are published in the journal

29 Apr 2016

Study links age-related changes in human pancreas to diabetes development

A Stanford-led national collaboration to procure and analyze human pancreatic tissue from deceased donors illustrates how the organ's function changes as we age, and could point the way toward new diabetes treatments.

29 Apr 2016

Low levels of vitamin D, methylation in black teens may increase cancer risk

Low levels of vitamin D in black teens correlates with low activity of a major mechanism for controlling gene expression that may increase their risk of cancer and other disease, researchers report.

26 Apr 2016

Nocturnal hypoxemia closely linked to diabetic microvascular complications

Examining the poorly understood link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and type 2 diabetes complications, researchers identified specific measures of low blood oxygenation that are associated with impaired kidney function and diabetic nephropathy.

25 Apr 2016

Scientists uncover molecular identity of previously unknown Glima molecule in Type 1 diabetes

Scientists have solved a decades-old medical mystery by finally identifying a previously unknown molecule which is attacked by the immune system in people with Type 1 diabetes.

25 Apr 2016

Study shows cancer cell death via necroptosis can drive pancreatic tumor growth

The most aggressive form of pancreatic cancer - often described as one of the hardest malignancies to diagnose and treat -- thrives in the presence of neighboring tumor cells undergoing a particular form of "orchestrated cell death." This is according to a major study recently published in the journal Nature.

25 Apr 2016

Specific oral microbiome linked to pancreatic cancer risk

The presence of certain bacteria in the mouth may reveal increased risk for pancreatic cancer and enable earlier, more precise treatment. This is the main finding of a study led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center to be presented April 19 in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

20 Apr 2016

Pancreas News and Research

Further Reading

Multimodal therapy may improve survival of pancreatic cancer patients

Researchers identify single RCAN1 gene responsible for onset of type 2 diabetes

CGT, University of Aberdeen announce creation of new company to develop novel technology for diabetes treatment

Insulin pump therapy can benefit all type 1 diabetes patients

Rural hospitals may work well for straightforward surgeries in relatively healthy patients

Restricted artificial pancreas use may suffice

Chronic alcohol exposure could negatively impact pancreas' ability to absorb vitamin C

Researchers produce insulin-secreting cells from stem cells of diabetic patients

Study emphasizes benefits of newborn screening for CF patients

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

Transplanted human islets provide excellent glycemic control for Type 1 diabetes patients with severe hypoglycemia

Exposure to fine particulate matter in air can increase risk of cancer-specific mortality

CMGH study offers insight into future interventions for Crohn's disease, chronic pancreatitis

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

Study links age-related changes in human pancreas to diabetes development

Low levels of vitamin D, methylation in black teens may increase cancer risk

Nocturnal hypoxemia closely linked to diabetic microvascular complications

Scientists uncover molecular identity of previously unknown Glima molecule in Type 1 diabetes

Study shows cancer cell death via necroptosis can drive pancreatic tumor growth

Specific oral microbiome linked to pancreatic cancer risk

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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