_ Bionic Pancreas Outperforms Insulin Pump By Sondra Forsyth article People with type 1 diabetes ΓÇô a lifelong condition -- who used a bionic pancreas instead of manually monitoring glucose using fingerstick tests and delivering insulin using a pump were more likely to have blood glucose levels consistently within the normal range, with fewer dangerous lows or highs. The full report of the findings, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published June 15th 2014 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
_ How Obesity-Induced Diabetes Begins By Jane Farrell article Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered the sequence of early cellular responses that can ultimately lead to obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes. The cells respond, the investigators said, to a high-fat diet. ΓÇ£WeΓÇÖve described the etiology [cause] of obesity-related diabetes. WeΓÇÖve pinpointed the steps, the way the whole thing happens,ΓÇ¥ said Jerrold M. Olefsky, MD, associate dean for Scientific Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego.
_ The Subtle Signs of Diabetes By Jane Farrell article FROM THE MAYO CLINIC Early symptoms of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, can be subtle or seemingly harmless ΓÇö if you have symptoms at all. Over time, however, you may develop diabetes complications, even if you haven't had diabetes symptoms. In the United States alone, nearly 7 million people have undiagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. But you don't need to become a statistic. Understanding possible diabetes symptoms can lead to early diagnosis and treatment ΓÇö and a lifetime of better health.
_ On The Horizon: A Better Way To Measure Blood Glucose By Jane Farrell article Researchers have developed a method for measuring glucose concentrations in saliva, and they say it would be a significant improvement in managing diabetes. The scientists, from Brown University, devised a new biochip sensor that measures blood sugar levels in saliva rather than blood.
Mental & Emotional Health Depression & Diabetes Linked to Early Death in Seniors By Adprime Admin article A study led by the University of Californina, Los Angeles and published in June 2014 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that among adults 65 and older with diabetes, depression is linked with a far greater chance for early death than it is for diabetics of the same age who do not have depression.
_ 6 Tips for Overcoming Diabetes Burnout By article By Ginger Vieira Diabetes isn’t easy, and having to prick your finger day in and day out to check your blood sugar can be grating. Even though this task takes up about a combined 120 seconds of our day, it’s a tedious responsibility that comes with “good” or “bad” news depending on whatever our blood sugar is. After a while, who could blame you for being sick of it, for forgetting to do it, or for wanting to forget you have diabetes altogether?
_ Glucose Dips Overnight a Risk for Diabetics By article Dipping blood sugars cause surprisingly irregular heart rhythms in diabetics and the dangerous overnight low glucose levels often go undetected. That is the finding of research led by Professor Simon Heller at the University of Sheffield in the UK. A release from the university explains that this discovery sheds important new light on the 'Dead in Bed' syndrome in which people without any history of long-term complications die suddenly from the disease.
_ Support Group Weight Loss Helps Diabetics By article Weight loss and control of blood sugar can reduce the risk of complications in patients with diabetes but paring off the pounds is difficult for many people. Now a randomized controlled trial of obese adults with type 2 diabetes done at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis suggests that participants enrolled in a community-based structured weight loss program are able to shed more of their excess avoir dupois, improve blood sugar control, and reduce or even eliminate insulin use.
Detecting Diabetes Eye Damage Early By article Indiana University researchers have detected new early-warning signs of the potential loss of sight associated with diabetes. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, potentially impacting the care of over 25 million Americans. The study was published in April 2014 in the journal Biomedical Optics Express.
_ Diabetes and Mount Everest By Jane Farrell article Using the high altitude of Mount Everest, scientists have expanded our understanding of how low oxygen levels in the body are linked with Type II diabetes. The research, led by investigators from the University of Southampton in the UK, was published in the journal PLOS One.
Startling Findings About Diabetes Tx By article Scientists thought they basically knew how the most common drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes worked, but a new study from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals unexpected new aspects of the process. These findings could eventually lead to more potent anti-diabetic drugs with fewer serious side effects. The study was published in the April 7th 2014 issue of the journal Nature Communications.
Good Vibrations for Diabetic Wounds By article Wounds may heal more quickly if exposed to low-intensity vibration, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago who published their study online in April 2014 in the journal PLOS One. The finding, based on laboratory work with mice, may hold promise for the 18 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes, and especially the quarter of them who will eventually suffer from foot ulcers. Their wounds tend to heal slowly and can become chronic or worsen rapidly.
_ A Discovery That Could Help Control Blood Sugar By Jane Farrell article Researchers have found that a molecule may help control high blood sugar, and the discovery could lead to new targeted therapies for 25 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes. Scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center showed that lipid molecules called phosphatidic acids enhance glucose production in the liver. So inhibiting the production of phosphatidic acids could do the opposite, helping to control blood sugar.
_ Deer HuntersΓÇÖ Trick Can Help Diabetics By Raf C article The scent of a human alerts deer to a hunter’s presence so scientists developed sprays for suppressing the telltale odor. Now, in an unexpected twist, researchers at Mississippi State University have discovered that the work of those scientists could help develop an electronic device to do the work of “diabetes alert dogs”. The team presented the findings at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in March 2014 in Dallas.
_ Watch: How Good Are Over the Counter Diabetes Tests? By Jane Farrell article Here's another addition to our Third Age Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ A New Treatment for Diabetic Ulcers By Jane Farrell article A tissue repair drug could help heal dangerous foot ulcers in diabetics, according to a new study. The study, accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), involved two groups of people with who had the ulcers.
_ Diabetes: ΓÇ£Lend a HandΓÇ¥ Prioritizes Goals By Sondra Forsyth article The "lend a hand " illustration that accompanies this article shows an open palm with the five major forms of diabetes interventions are arranged in descending order of importance from thumb to little finger as follows: smoking cessation, blood pressure control, metformin therapy, lipid reduction, and glucose control.
_ Racial Disparities in Type 2 Diabetes By article Two surprising risk factors – diminished lung function and low serum potassium levels - appear to have nearly the same impact as obesity in explaining why African-Americans are disproportionately prone to developing type 2 diabetes, according to research done at Duke University Medicine and published in the February 2014 print edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The finding points to potential new avenues for developing treatments.