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.

Multi-detector row computed tomography predicts malignancy of IPMNs

A clinical research article to be published on August 28, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses the role of multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in predicting malignancy of IPMNs preoperatively. The research team led by Prof. Wang DB from Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine recruited a total of 20 patients with pathologically-confirmed IPMNs in their study. Axial MDCT images combined with CT angiography (CTA) and multiplanar volume or curved reformations (MPVR or CR) were preoperatively acquired.

17 Sep 2009

AST meeting to review most recent developments in the field of organ transplantation

The American Society of Transplantation (AST) presents Transplantation: The Year in Review, Oct. 24-25, 2009 in Houston, Texas. The meeting features a review of the most recent developments in the field of organ transplantation from May 2008 up to and including the 2009 American Transplant Congress (ATC) that was held in May in Boston.

15 Sep 2009

Phase 3 trial of ataluren commences

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 trial of ataluren (formerly PTC124(R)), an investigational protein restoration therapy in patients with nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis (nmCF).

11 Sep 2009

Enlarged fat cells and waist-to-height ratios can cause diabetes in women

When it comes to assessing risk for type 2 diabetes, not only do waistlines matter to women, but so does the size of their fat cells. This new discovery by a team of Swedish researchers was just published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) and helps explain why some women of normal weight develop type 2 diabetes, despite not having any known risk factors.

11 Sep 2009

Phase II human clinical trial of Exsulin commences

Exsulin Corporation today announced the start of a phase II human clinical trial of Exsulin, a peptide drug product aimed at restoring insulin production in people with diabetes mellitus. The randomized, controlled 12-week trial in patients with established Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) will be co-led by Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada.

10 Sep 2009

Genetic risk factor involved in cystic fibrosis discovered

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a genetic risk factor for severe liver disease in people with cystic fibrosis. Those who carry a particular variant of the SERPINA1 gene (also known as alpha-1-antitrypsin or alpha-1-antiprotease) are five times more likely to develop cirrhosis and other liver complications than patients who carry the normal version of the gene.

9 Sep 2009

Research study highlights unique aspects of tumor immunology

Immune responses are capable of killing tumors before they can be directed toward normal body tissue, according to new scientific findings published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

9 Sep 2009

Identifying a specific molecular signature can help customize cancer treatment

A molecular signature that helps account for the aggressive behavior of a variety of cancers such as pancreatic, breast and melanoma may also predict the likelihood of successful treatment with a particular anti-cancer drug. The finding, which could lead to a personalized approach to treatment for a variety of solid tumors that are currently resistant to therapies, will be published September 6 in the advance online edition of Nature Medicine.

7 Sep 2009

IRS1 gene could lead to better treatment of type 2 diabetes

A breakthrough by an international team of researchers in Canada, France, the UK and Denmark has uncovered a new gene that could lead to better treatment of type 2 diabetes, as well as a better understanding of how this widespread disease develops.

7 Sep 2009

Scientists identify new genetic variations that are associated with type 2 diabetes

Scientists have identified a genetic variation in people with type 2 diabetes that affects how the body's muscle cells respond to the hormone insulin, in a new study published today in Nature Genetics.

7 Sep 2009

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital uses CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system for treating tumours

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital is the first hospital in Houston to feature the CyberKnife((R)), a noninvasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors.

2 Sep 2009

New study reveals that moderate aerobic exercise improves insulin sensitivity in obese adolescents

A moderate aerobic exercise program, without weight loss, can improve insulin sensitivity in both lean and obese sedentary adolescents, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that permits glucose to enter cells to be used for energy or stored for future use by the body.

1 Sep 2009

New molecular sensor could identify zinc-related diseases

Scientists have developed a new molecular sensor that can reveal the amount of zinc in cells, which could tell us more about a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The research, published today in Nature Methods, opens the door to the hidden world of zinc biology by giving scientists an accurate way of measuring the concentration of zinc and its location in cells for the first time.

30 Aug 2009

Study reveals the mechanisms of sodium tungstate in treating diabetes

The molecular mechanisms of tungstate activity in diabetes have been uncovered. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Genomics have identified the pathways through which sodium tungstate improves pancreatic function and beta cell proliferation.

28 Aug 2009

$11.5 million grant to Mayo Clinic Cancer Center to translate research into treatments for women with ovarian cancer

Investigators at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have received a five-year, $11.5 million grant to translate research into treatments for women with ovarian cancer.

28 Aug 2009

Wheat-free diet reduces the incidence of diabetes

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Fraser Scott and his team tested 42 people with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half had an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins. The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the journal Diabetes.

21 Aug 2009

Saskatchewan government makes insulin detemir more accessible to residents

The Canadian Diabetes Association applauds the Government of Saskatchewan for increasing access to insulin detemir for residents of Saskatchewan living with diabetes. Insulin detemir, also known as Levemir, has been added to the Saskatchewan Drug Formulary, under Exception Drug Status (EDS) effective July 1, 2009. As well, the updated formulary now includes NovoRapid-NOO, Apidra-AVT and Humalog-LIL within its Revised Exception Drug Status Criteria.

20 Aug 2009

Tissue scarring key to link between obesity and diabetes

The team, in collaboration with University Hospital Aintree, the University of Warwick and researchers in Sweden, found that people classified as obese and those with pre-diabetes have raised levels of a protein called SPARC, that can cause tissue scarring.

13 Aug 2009

Discovery of gene that may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes

Scientists at Stanford University have identified a gene that may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's insulin-producing cells. Insulin, a hormone produced by cells of the pancreas, helps the body to absorb sugars found in food and to maintain blood sugar at appropriate levels.

10 Aug 2009

Discovery of gene linked to maturity-onset diabetes of the young

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have linked another gene to a rare form of diabetes, a finding that could prove beneficial to those with the more common type 2 diabetes.

10 Aug 2009