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.

Current guidelines for blood glucose self-monitoring should be reviewed

A new study published on bmj.com questions the value of blood glucose monitoring among patients with well-controlled, non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes.

27 Jun 2007

Absence of a gene called CD38 is a protective barrier to obesity

A search for the molecular clues of longevity has taken Mayo Clinic researchers down another path that could explain why some people who consume excessive calories don't gain weight.

27 Jun 2007

Umbilical cord blood may safely preserve insulin production in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes

University of Florida researchers sought to determine whether it is feasible to use a patient's own cord blood stem cells to neutralize the body's autoimmune attack on the pancreas and help restore the organ's ability to make insulin, which regulates how the body uses sugar and other nutrients for energy.

27 Jun 2007

Self-monitoring blood glucose levels may be a waste of time?

In a new study British scientists are questioning just how valid the self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by patients with type 2 diabetes is.

26 Jun 2007

More fat may have some advantages for type 1 diabetes and heart disease

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences studying links between an early sign of heart disease called coronary artery calcification and body fat have found that, paradoxically, more fat may have some advantages, at least for people particularly women who have type 1 diabetes.

26 Jun 2007

Alogliptin for type 2 diabetes shows promise in early trial

Alogliptin, a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, demonstrated efficacy in reducing glucose levels throughout the day, in an early phase clinical study.

26 Jun 2007

Americans better at coping with their diabetes

According to the latest figures Americans are now much better at controlling their diabetes.

25 Jun 2007

Mushrooms show promise for creation of new drugs

Mushrooms might serve as biofactories for the production of various beneficial human drugs, according to plant pathologists who have inserted new genes into mushrooms.

23 Jun 2007

Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcome study (HAPO)

Gestational diabetes may place a much higher percentage of pregnant women -- and their unborn babies -- at risk for adverse outcomes than previously believed, according to a major international study presented at the American Diabetes Association's 67th Annual Scientific Sessions.

23 Jun 2007

Gel capsule for diabetes type 1

There is renewed hope for treatment of diabetes type 1 with gel capsules: Biotechnologists at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have developed a new type of alginate capsule that could solve the problem of the body's immune system recognizing and attacking alien, implanted insulin cells.

23 Jun 2007

Autistic boys have high levels of growth hormones

Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.

22 Jun 2007

Scientists develop unique “switch” that can control the activity of any protein

Our bodies could not maintain their existence without thousands of proteins performing myriad vital tasks within cells. Since malfunctioning proteins can cause disease, the study of protein structure and function can lead to the development of drugs and treatments for numerous disorders.

20 Jun 2007

Even pre-diabetes 'ups' the risk for heart disease

Australian researchers have found that even before the disease becomes full blown diabetes increases a persons risk for heart disease.

20 Jun 2007

New target for therapies for retinopathy

A protein long thought to be one of the body's supporting players has quietly been taking a lead role in healthy eyesight, a discovery that could rapidly lead to treatments for babies born before their eyes are finished growing, University of Florida and Harvard Medical School researchers have found.

19 Jun 2007

Diabetics' death rate for females stalled

New research has revealed that though the death rate for U.S. men with diabetes has fallen sharply since the early 1970s, for women that is not the case.

19 Jun 2007

Gaps in diabetes care identified

A symposium, sponsored by the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, Joslin Diabetes Center and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing identified barriers to, and strategies for, more effective diabetes self management and reaffirmed the nurse's critical role to facilitate better patient self care.

17 Jun 2007

Impaired anti-inflammatory response plays role in pathology of type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is classified as a metabolic disorder, but a growing number of researchers are beginning to think of it also as a disease of the innate immune system. Inflammation, a key component of the early immune response, is chronically elevated in people with type 2 diabetes.

17 Jun 2007

New target for Type 2 diabetes

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered a potential new target for treating type 2 diabetes, according to a new study that appeared online this week in Nature.

14 Jun 2007

Scientists observe cell migration

Johns Hopkins researchers have found a way to directly observe cell migration -- in real time and in living tissue. In a report in Developmental Cell, the scientists say their advance could lead to strategies for controlling both normal growth and the spread of cancer, processes that depend on the programmed, organized movement of cells across space.

14 Jun 2007

New regulator of fat metabolism identified

Over the past several years, animal studies have shown that high-fat, low-carbohydrate “ketogenic” diets cause demonstrable changes in metabolism and subsequent weight loss.

8 Jun 2007