Insulin Regulates Beta Cell Function In Healthy Humans

In type 2 diabetes, which is occurring at alarming rates, the hormone insulin does not work effectively to lower blood sugars and patients also do not make enough insulin. These two processes have been widely considered as separate. However, a surprising discovery was made by Joslin Diabetes Center researchers in animal models of diabetes: insulin is important in regulating its own production. Confirming this discovery, Joslin clinical scientists have now gone on to show that when blood sugar levels rise in healthy people, insulin signals the cells that make insulin to increase their production.

NHS Diabetes Care Continues To Improve, UK

Care for people with diabetes has continued to improve according to a report published today by the Department of Health. The sixth annual update on progress with diabetes care recognises key achievements made in the last year including completion of the first survey to establish how many children and young people have diabetes in England. Six Years On: Delivering the Diabetes National Service Framework updates progress made since the NSF for Diabetes was developed in 2001, setting out national standards of care for people with diabetes.

NICE Appraisal Of Liraglutide For Type 2 Diabetes

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising the use of liraglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Liraglutide works by stimulating the release of insulin; it also reduces the appetite and therefore food intake by slowing gastric emptying. In preliminary recommendations published today (15 February 2010), NICE has recommended liraglutide 1.2 mg daily as part of triple therapy regimens (in combination with metformin and sulfonylurea, or metformin and a thiazolidinedione) as an option for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, when control of blood glucose remains or becomes inadequate (HbA1c в 7.

New Research Uncovers Molecular Firing Squad Through Which Overeating Destroys Normal Metabolism And Sets Stage For Diabetes

Overeating in mice triggers a molecule once considered to be only involved in detecting and fighting viruses to also destroy normal metabolism, leading to insulin resistance and setting the stage for diabetes. The new study, led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), specifically links together the immune system and metabolism, a pairing increasingly suspected in diseases that include - in addition to diabetes - heart disease, fatty liver, cancer, and stroke. Understanding how to regulate the molecule through targeted drugs or nutrients could eventually change the way these diseases are prevented and treated in humans.

Role Of Protein Pair In Obesity Regulation Highlighted By Research

New research by University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists implicates a new protein in obesity development and highlights a protein pair's "team effort" in regulating obesity and insulin resistance. Jorge Moscat, PhD, chair of UC's cancer and cell biology department, says that proteins p62 and ERK are involved in adipogeneis, (the development of adipocytes, or fat cells). His new study shows precisely how this duo works together. The study is published online in advance of print Friday, Feb.

Major Cause Of Infertility And Obesity Often Missed By Doctors

Gail Donnelly's classmates nicknamed her "Knobby" because she was so skinny all her bones seemed to poke out from under her skin. But when Donnelly turned 27, that once knobby frame disappeared under mysteriously ballooning weight. Her diet hadn't changed, she was still walking several miles a day, but she gained 50 pounds in just six months. Her doctor thought the cause was ovarian cysts. It took ten years and two surgeries before a new doctor accurately diagnosed her with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Eye Damage From Diabetes Remains The Leading Cause Of Blindness In Adults; 5.3 Million In U.S. Suffer From Diabetic Retinopathy

Despite major progress in diagnosis and treatment, diabetic retinopathy remains the major cause of blindness in adults under 60 in the U.S., said Thomas C. Lee, director, Retina Institute in The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and attending physician at Doheny Eye Institute. Diabetic retinopathy affects 5.3 million adults in the U.S. and some 24, 000 of them go blind each year.

Biodel To Present Results From VIAject R Phase 3 Studies At Advanced Technologies And Treatments For Diabetes Conference In Basel

Biodel, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOD) announced today that its chief executive officer, Dr. Sol Steiner, will present results from the company's two Phase 3 studies with VIAject® ultra-rapid-acting recombinant human insulin in a platform presentation at the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes in Basel, Switzerland, on Friday, February 12, 2010, at 1pm central European time. The presentation, entitled "Clinical Findings for Patients Treated with VIAject®

Is 2 Years Old A Childhood Obesity Tipping Point?

While many adults consider a chubby baby healthy, too many plump infants grow up to be obese teens, saddling them with Type-2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to an article published this month in the journal Clinical Pediatrics (published by SAGE). The research suggests that the "tipping point" in obesity often occurs before two years of age, and sometimes as early as three months, when the child is learning how much and what to eat. "I really think this should be a wake up call for doctors, " said principal investigator Dr.

Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Could Benefit From New Research

New research on Type 2 diabetes by Trinity College Dublin researchers could benefit young adults (aged 18-25 years) with the condition. The research led by Professor John Nolan of Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital, Dublin, has just been published online in the leading international journal, Diabetes CareВ. The study findings demonstrate new mechanisms in muscle cells that may explain severe insulin resistance which is the body's decreased ability to respond to the effects of insulin, and a reduced response to aerobic exercise in young obese patients with Type 2 diabetes.