100,000 People With Diabetes Call '999' A YearPeople with diabetes made more than 100,000 emergency calls in the UK last year, according to Diabetes UK. The charity warns that although the ambulance service has recently experienced an unprecedented volume of calls with many for non-emergency situations, most calls from people with diabetes are for severe hypoglycaemia (hypo).
Expanding Festive Waistlines Put Thousands At Risk Of Type 2 DiabetesOver-indulgence in too many calorific treats such as mince pies (around 200 calories each), Christmas cake (approximately 250 calories per slice) and mulled wine (about 250 calories in a glass) can leave us all struggling to buckle our belts in the New Year. Having a large waist means you are up to eleven times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and being overweight or obese is one of the strongest risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes.
Diamyd Medical: New Study Application To Vaccinate Against Juvenile Diabetes With Diamyd®Diamyd Medical AB (publ.) (Pink Sheets:DMYDY) (STO:DIAMB): A renowned research group at Lund University has filed an application with the Swedish Medical Products Agency to carry out a study of the diabetes vaccine Diamyd® for the prevention of type 1 diabetes in Swedish children. This is the second prevention study with the diabetes vaccine Diamyd® for which approval has been sought in a short period.
Updated Labelling For Diabetes Drug Actos And Risk Of Heart Failure, CanadaHealth Canada is informing diabetic patients taking Actos (the brand name for the prescription drug pioglitazone hydrochloride) of recent changes to the prescribing information for this product. Health Canada has worked with the manufacturer to strengthen the labelling around heart failure and emphasize proper use.
Blood Sugar Linked To Decline Of Memory And Cognitive Health In Older PeopleUS researchers examining how diseases in late life, such as stroke and diabetes, contribute to cognitive decline through their effect on the hippocampal region of the brain found that high blood sugar may contribute to the decline of memory and cognitive health in older people. They suggested exercising to improve blood sugar levels was a way some people might be able to delay the normal decline in memory and cognitive health that occurs in old age.
New Gene Found To Be Associated With Widely-used Marker Of Blood Glucose ConcentrationScientists have found that genetic variation at the hexokinase-1 gene is linked to variation in the blood concentration of glycated hemoglobin, an index of long-term blood glucose concentration widely used in the follow-up of diabetes patients. The study, conducted by researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, USA, is published December 19 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Study Boosts Researchers' Hopes Of Using Osteocalcin To Treat Diabetes Rube Goldberg-the cartoonist who devised complex machines for simple tasks-would have smiled at one of leptin's mechanisms for curbing insulin release. As Hinoi et al. show, the fat-derived hormone enlists the sympathetic nervous system to prevent bone-making cells from releasing a molecule that prods the pancreas to discharge insulin. The study appeared online December 22, 2008 (http://www.jcb.
Too Much Festive Food And Drink May Raise Your Risk Of Developing Diabetes Type 2Excessive food and drink consumption over the festive period could increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, leading health charity Diabetes UK warns today. Over-indulgence in too many calorific treats such as mince pies (around 200 calories each), Christmas cake (approximately 250 calories per slice) and mulled wine (about 250 calories in a glass) can leave us all struggling to buckle our belts in the New Year.
Reduction In Antibody Gene Rearrangement In B Cells Related To Type 1 Diabetes, LupusMore drafts usually mean a better product and so it also seems to go with the human immune system. As B cells develop, genes rearrange to allow antibodies to recognize different foreign invaders or pathogens. But sometimes antibodies are created that recognize and attack the body's own cells. These self-reactive antibodies, like early drafts of a manuscript, must be edited into versions that won't attack self.
Treating Gum Disease Linked To Lower Medical Costs For Patients With DiabetesA new report suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month. The findings are encouraging but the study was not designed to firmly establish cause and effect, said George Taylor, University of Michigan associate professor of dentistry, who also has an appointment in epidemiology in the U-M School of Public Health.
ESC Statement On The Control Of Type 2 DiabetesA study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on 16 December 2008 has found that those with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than those on a diet with an emphasis on high-cereal fibre.
Cellular Reprogramming: Science's Breakthrough Of The YearIn its annual list of the year's top ten scientific breakthroughs, the journal Science has given top honors to research that produced "made-to-order" cell lines by reprogramming cells from ill patients. These cell lines, and the techniques for producing them, offer long-sought tools for understanding -- and hopefully someday curing -- difficult-to-study diseases such as Parkinson's disease and type 1 diabetes.