Insulin News and Research

RSS

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.

Researchers trigger insulin production in diabetic mice

If the human body were a stage, then proteins would rank among the lead actors in the play we call "Life."

9 Jan 2008

Treating diabetics with pig islet cells

As the fourth-leading cause of death in developed countries, diabetes can truly be called a modern-day plague.

9 Jan 2008

Drug metformin and lifestyle changes can help treat weight gain induced by antipsychotic drugs

Lifestyle intervention and the drug metformin are both effective against antipsychotic-induced weight gain, and treatment is most effective when the two therapies are combined, according to a study in the January 9/16 issue of JAMA.

9 Jan 2008

Carrot cake study on sugar in type 2 diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes are often advised to cut out sucrose (table sugar) all together.

9 Jan 2008

Rockefeller University funds clinical, translational pilot studies

The Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has announced the recipients of its 2008 Pilot Project grants.

8 Jan 2008

Super fine ceramic needles that you can't feel

New polymerization technology may one day take the pain out of injections and blood draws.

7 Jan 2008

Takeda submits NDA for Alogliptin (SYR-322) in the U.S.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) has announced that Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for alogliptin (development code: SYR-322), a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

7 Jan 2008

Pregnant women who are overweight/obese set the stage for offspring's obesity risk

The number of overweight and obese Americans continues to grow rapidly. Today, 50 percent of adults are overweight and up to 20 percent are obese. While the number of overweight/obese children is at an all time high, the steady increase of overweight infants -- individuals under 11 months old -- is alarming.

4 Jan 2008

Peptide hormone found in the body prevents obesity and diabetes

A new study finds that a chemical found in the body is capable of promoting weight loss, improving insulin resistance and reversing diabetes in an animal model.

4 Jan 2008

The benefits of 30 minutes of exercise

What's the key to looking and feeling better and enhancing your health Exercise.

3 Jan 2008

Testosterone supplementation in older men

Older men with low testosterone levels who received testosterone supplementation increased lean body mass and decreased body fat, but were no stronger and had no improvement in mobility or cognition compared with men who did not use the supplement, according to a study in the January 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Jan 2008

Deep sleep maintains normal glucose control

Suppression of slow-wave sleep in healthy young adults significantly decreases their ability to regulate blood-sugar levels and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, report researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center in the "Early Edition" of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, available online as soon as Dec. 31, 2007.

2 Jan 2008