Diabetes News and Research

Latest Diabetes News and Research

AMPK may regulate epigenetic mechanism: Research

AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK, is a master regulator protein of metabolism that is conserved from yeast to humans. When a cell is low on fuel, AMPK shuts down processes that use energy and turns on processes that produce energy.Biologists have been studying how AMPK works for several decades and know that once it is activated, AMPK turns on a large number of genes by passing the "make more energy" message through numerous signaling cascades in the cell. What was not known, until now, was that AMPK also works via an epigenetic mechanism to slow down or stop cell growth.

17 Jul 2010

Ingen files patent to produce new drug insulin thermos product

Ingen Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:IGNT), an emerging medical device manufacturer developing innovative solutions for the respiratory market, with a new patented and proprietary medical product line targeting the $8B respiratory market, announced today that the company has also filed a U.S patent and will begin the required manufacturing processes to produce the new drug insulin thermos product.

17 Jul 2010

Aetna awards $75,000 grant to support Judge Glenda Hatchett's ParentPowerNow! anti-obesity program

Aetna announced today it will support Judge Glenda Hatchett's ParentPowerNow! anti-obesity program. "Parent Power Now!" is an online community of people interested in working together and learning more about parenting. Aetna has awarded a $75,000 grant and will provide health content for the ParentPowerNow! website, guest speakers to address healthy living on Judge Hatchett's live website radio program, and support for health events scheduled around the country.

17 Jul 2010

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks first: U.S. News & World Report survey

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks as one of the top five American hospitals -- and the best hospital in the western United States for the 21st consecutive year -- according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-

17 Jul 2010

CDC director gives health system failing grade on prevention

Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The American health care system gets an 'F' when it comes to acting on a handful of prevention methods that have the potential to save the most lives. That failing grade came from Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a Wednesday speech to members of the National Association of County and City Health Officials gathered here for their annual conference at Cook Convention Center."

17 Jul 2010

Healthcare professionals need to develop greater understanding of specific needs of lesbian patients

Healthcare professionals need to develop greater understanding of the specific needs of lesbian patients and adopt a more sensitive approach to the advice they give them, according to research in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing

16 Jul 2010

Joint statement to help patients, physicians make informed decisions about use of rosiglitazone

The Endocrine Society, American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issue joint statement in response to an FDA panel's recommendation to keep rosiglitazone (Avandia) on the market

16 Jul 2010

Two-thirds of world's population are vitamin D-insufficient or deficient

Vitamin D surfaces as a news topic every few months. How much daily vitamin D should a person get? Is it possible to have too much of it? Is exposure to the sun, which is the body's natural way of producing vitamin D, the best option? Or do supplements suffice?

16 Jul 2010

Johns Hopkins Hospital takes top spot in annual rankings of American hospitals for 20th year in a row

Once more — and for the 20th year in a row — The Johns Hopkins Hospital has taken the top spot in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of American hospitals, placing first in five medical specialties and in the top five in 10 others.

16 Jul 2010

VIVUS disappointed with FDA Advisory Committee's vote on QNEXA for obesity treatment

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted against the following question: "Based on the current available data, do you believe the overall benefit-risk assessment of PHEN/TPM (QNEXA) is favorable to support its approval for the treatment of obesity in individuals with a BMI > 30 kg/m2 or > 27 kg/m2 with weight-related co-morbidities?" The three co-morbidities included hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia.

16 Jul 2010

MD Anderson Cancer Center continues to rank first in cancer care

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center remains the leading hospital in the nation for cancer care for the fourth year straight, according to the annual "Best Hospitals" survey published by U.S. News & World Report.This is the seventh time in the last nine years that MD Anderson has ranked number one in the annual listing. Since the survey began in 1990, the institution has been ranked one of the top two cancer hospitals in the United States.

16 Jul 2010

Diamyd Medical receives US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust clearance

Diamyd Medical AB has received antitrust clearance that closes the transaction announced on June 22, 2010 with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMJPI), a Johnson & Johnson company.

16 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

Federal advisory panel with reservations, recommends keeping Avandia on the Market

Federal advisers delivered a mixed verdict Wednesday on the diabetes drug Avandia,with a significant number of experts voting to recommend that it be pulled from the market because of safety concerns but a majority urging to keep it available, perhaps with tough new restrictions and new warnings.Avandia was once the world's most popular diabetes drugs but has become the focus of intense debate because of concerns that it increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

16 Jul 2010

Proteinuria screening identifies risk for kidney disease progression

A morning urine test is superior to all other tests for detecting declining kidney performance in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that clinicians should monitor kidney function by measuring the albumin:creatinine ratio from a first morning urine sample.

16 Jul 2010

MPI reduces depressive symptoms: Study

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led minimal psychological intervention (MPI) in chronically ill elderly persons with minor depression or mild-to-moderate major depression, and type II diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nine months after the intervention, patients receiving the MPI showed a 50% reduction in depressive symptoms relative to baseline values and diabetic MPI patients had a better quality of life than diabetic controls.

16 Jul 2010

Insulet gone live with Pilgrim's on-demand Corrective and Preventive Action management solution

Pilgrim Software, Inc., a world-leading provider of Enterprise Risk, Compliance and Quality Management (ERCQM) software solutions, today announced that Insulet Corporation, a Massachusetts-based medical device company, has gone live with Pilgrim's On-Demand "SaaS" delivery of its automated management solution for Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) management.

16 Jul 2010

Insurers will pick up preventive care costs under new rules

The recommendations of a federal task force on preventive care - once just suggestions for doctors - will soon become coverage requirements for private insurers under regulations unveiled Wednesday by the Obama administration, according to Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post. "Under the new health care overhaul law, insurers will be required to pay fully for services that get an "A" or "B" recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer group made up of primary care and public health experts."

16 Jul 2010

High blood pressure, diabetes leads to CKD

People with diabetes and high blood pressure need to take care of their kidneys. According to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem in the United States. The most common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure

16 Jul 2010

Waist circumference predicts diabetes risk

Waist circumference gives a better prediction of diabetes risk than does BMI. This is the conclusion drawn by Silke Feller and her colleagues from the German Institute for Nutritional Research in Potsdam-Rehbr-cke, in the current edition of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[26]: 470-6).

16 Jul 2010