Protein Central To Being Male Plays Key Role In Wound Healing

A molecular receptor pivotal to the action of male hormones such as testosterone also plays a crucial role in the body's ability to heal, report scientists in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In studies in mice, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that this receptor - the androgen receptor - delays wound healing. When scientists used an experimental compound to block the receptor, wounds healed much more quickly. Scientists say that while the results in mice offer new insights into a potential new way to help the body heal faster, they stress that more research must be done before considering whether to explore the treatment in people whose wounds are slow to heal.

Pharmacists Improve Care Of Diabetics While Cutting Costs, UB Research Shows

The role of pharmacists hasn't received much attention in the debate on the cost of health care. But national and regional studies show that when pharmacists directly participate in patient care, they significantly reduce treatment costs and improve outcomes. A study on diabetic patients by the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences identified cost savings with improvements in a key indicator of glucose control in diabetes patients, the hemoglobin A1C measurement.

Examining Diabetes Through A New Lens

Diabetics may soon be able to wear contact lenses that continuously alert them to variations in their glucose levels by changing colours - replacing the need to routinely draw blood throughout the day. The non-invasive technology, developed by Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Jin Zhang at The University of Western Ontario, uses extremely small nanoparticles embedded into the hydrogel lenses. These engineered nanoparticles react with glucose molecules found in tears, causing a chemical reaction that changes their colour.

Diabetes UK Gives Its Support To Stroke Awareness Campaign

Diabetes UK is supporting the Government's Act F.A.S.T. campaign launched to raise awareness of the fact that stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. The campaign also wants to help people recognise the signs that someone is having a stroke and inform on what urgent measures should be taken to help them. A stroke happens when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted. All cells, including those of the brain, need oxygen and glucose and without them the cells die.

Pedometer Could Cut Type 2 Diabetes Risk By Half

Using a pedometer as part of a structured education programme could reduce the chances of Type 2 diabetes by more than 50 per cent in those at risk of developing the condition, reveals a new Diabetes UK-funded study1 out today. 98 people with prediabetes - a precursor to Type 2 diabetes where you have raised blood glucose (sugar) levels - took part in the study to assess the effectiveness of the Prediabetes Risk Education and Physical Activity Recommendation and Encouragement (PREPARE) programme and see whether using a pedometer helps people to sustain increased physical activity levels.

Blood Test That Provides Prior Blood Sugar Average Now Recommended For Diabetes Screening, Diagnosis

New official guidelines for diabetes screening and diagnosis now include a blood test that gives a person's average blood glucose level over the previous 2 - 3 months. The A1C test is not new. It has been used since the late 1970s as a way to get a snapshot of how well glucose control is going in people with diabetes. But only in the last 15 years has its use and scoring become more standardized and reproducible from place to place and time to time than other diabetes blood glucose tests. Now, in an annual supplement to the journal Diabetes Care, published Dec.

Genetic Study Clarifies African And African-American Ancestry

People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released today. An international research team led by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University has collected and analyzed genotype data from 365 African-Americans, 203 people from 12 West African populations and 400 Europeans from 42 countries to provide a genome-wide perspective of African and African-American ancestry.

Breakthrough Demonstration Of PH-Regulating Protein

Researchers have identified the protein mechanism that senses bicarbonate fluctuations and adjusts blood pH levels.. A Canadian/U.S. research team led by University of Alberta biological sciences professor, Greg Goss and his graduate students Martin Tresguerres and Scott Parks achieved the first demonstration of the process in a whole animal. The researchers found that the protein adenylyl cyclase sensed and then regulated the pH blood levels in a dogfish shark following feeding. "Researchers have been trying to see how this process works for 50 years, " said Goss.

Genetic Causes Identified For Disturbances In Lipid Metabolism

Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen led by Professor Karsten Suhre have identified new gene variants associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism. Some of these common human gene variants are already known to be risk factors for diabetes mellitus. The pathomechanisms of diabetes have intrigued physicians and been the subject of much debate for many decades. These new research results may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical picture of diabetes and its pathogenesis and could lead to new approaches in early diagnosis and therapy.

Self-monitoring With Blood Glucose Test Strips Inefficient Use Of Health Care Resources

Routine self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by people with type 2 diabetes who are not taking insulin is an ineffective use of health resources as the modest benefits are outweighed by the significant cost of test strips, suggest 2 studies in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal. In Ontario, blood glucose test strips are the third largest cost for the Ontario Public Drug Programs in 2007/08, accounting for $100 million or 3.3% of drug expenditures. Usage of test strips increased by almost 250% from 76, 320 people in 1997 to 263, 513 people in 2008.