Clinical Trials
Diabetes Study Haulted Due to Fatalities
02/07/08
Clinical Trials
Diabetes experts learned a shocking lesson this week when successfully lowering blood sugar may have resulted in death.
Small European study finds possible benefit for rheumatoid arthritis drug in diabetes
04/24/07
Clinical Trials, Diabetes Medications, Type II Diabetes, Treatment Options, Research, General
A few years ago some researchers from Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark had an idea. They suspected that by encouraging the body to use less of the interleukin-1 protein, people with diabetes would improve. Interleukin-1 is a protein that works to increase pain, swelling and fever. They recruited 70 patients with type 2 diabetes to test their theory.
Is City Living More Healthy Now? Perhaps the City is the Place for Diabetics
02/22/07
Type II Diabetes, Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Clinical Trials, General
- by Amy Birkner
A new study suggests that a good mix of residential and commercial environment may be the healthiest surroundings for your body-mass index, a key measure of health. Would you be willing to move to be more healthy?
"Inside" Scoop on Insulin Patches
11/22/06
Clinical Trials, Research, General
Some of our comrades over at the The Diabetes Blog have been following the development of an insulin delivery patch. A product called Passport(TM) from Altea Therapeutics is currently in clinical trial. The benefits of the transdermal patch are many. One of the primary benefits is that it can provide a continuous dose of insulin. A user could wear it at night to help manage blood sugar levels while sleeping. However, there are rumors that the insulin in the patch is having trouble penetrating the skin and getting into the blood stream.
Islet Cell Transplantation Great for Some, OK for Others, Disappointing for a Few
10/05/06
Clinical Trials, Research, General
A few days ago, the researchers heading up the islet experiment called the “Edmonton Protocol” reported on their results with the first 36 patients to undergo islet transplantation in this study. When we read the results we could see that they were mixed. The headline depended on the interpretation the writer or editor chose to take at each newspaper, television station, or blog.
For example there is this headline: Power of diabetes ‘cure’ fades over long term downplays the miracle. This headline: New Hope for Type 1 Diabetes implies optimism. A print headline I read declared, “Cell Transplants For Diabetics Miss Researchers’ Goal”.
Again, there were 36 patients in the study. Fourteen of them still did not need insulin a year after their transplant. After two years, only five remained free of the need of insulin injections. Some people had hoped for higher numbers. We think that this is a wonderful result for such an immature science. With time and knowledge, we’ll learn how to improve the odds. We think that this is still one of the medical miracles of our era.
Islet transplantation is simply taking islet cells from a deceased donor’s pancreas, and transplanting them in the liver of a person with Type I diabetes. There in the liver they often succeed at producing insulin. It is not a permanent change. Eventually, most bodies are not able to continue producing insulin in the liver with islets.
Let’s do some thinking here for a minute. Some people were discouraged by the fact that only five of the study subjects needed no insulin after two years. While I understand their concern, I ask questions like:
- Even if they were insulin independent for only a few months, did it provide enough time for a diabetic ulcer to heal up?
- Did it allow that patient the opportunity to get adequate rest for a few months?
- Did it provide relief to overtaxed kidneys, so that they would be more prepared to “do battle” further down the road?
- Did living insulin independent for a few months push back any of the diabetic risks for longer than those few months?
If you would like a brief introduction to the science of islet cell transplants, click here to visit the Mayo Clinic’s website.
Diabetes Expert Lays Out the Facts
09/13/06
Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Clinical Trials, Treatment Options, Prevention, Disease Basics, General
Dr. Steven V. Edelman is one of the foremost diabetes specialists in the United States. He not only studies and treats diabetes—he lives it. In the movie below, he explains the basics of diabetes. He dares talk about preventing and reversing diabetes. He has taken control of his diabetes, and he knows that you can take control of your diabetes.
Some of the most impressive information from this movie comes from his interpretation of a very important study – the National Institutes of Health Diabetes Prevention Program. The information on preventing and controlling diabetes is very powerful if you are willing to adopt it.
To watch the movie you may need to click on the play button two times. If you have dial-up access, this movie may take hours to load and may not be practical to download—unless you download overnight.
A Very Encouraging Update on Islet Cell Transplantation
08/02/06
General, Disease Basics, Research, Prevention, Clinical Trials, Living Well
This is one of those stories that we hope will continue to provide answers, results and hope to people living with Type I diabetes. Shan Wolff has gained a little bit more of his life back since having an islet-cell transplant at Baylor University Medical Center. It is not a cure, and it does not make his life perfect again. There are drawbacks such as the hassles and risks of living with a suppressed immune system now. Nevertheless, we have to say: Go Shan!!!! Click here to read Shan’s story.
ED - Newest Marker for Diabetes and Heart Disease We all know that people who are overweight, have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels face a substantial risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Well, researchers from Boston recently found out that the decrease in blood flow that contributes to eretile dysfunction or impotence can be a marker as well. Read more about this story by clicking here …
Chinese Medicinal Medicine, Berberine - For Now It’s a Theory There are a few stories out there in the news today about a plant-based substance, berberine. Traditional Chinese medicine claims that it lowers glucose levels. It turns out that a group of Asian scientists were able to show that it indeed works in animals. Now they plan to turn to human experiments.
It would be exciting news if it works in humans, too. However, right now it is still a theory or hypothesis. Let’s save the PR energy for the results. :)
Diabetes Rates on the Rise - Is It an Age Thing?
06/21/06
Clinical Trials, Prevention, Disease Basics, General
Today there are news stories all over talking about how the rate of diabetes has doubled in the last 30 years. The important part of the article is the word ‘rate.’ If you look at the odds of someone developing diabetes, the odds are twice as high now as they were in the mid 70s. The study also found that the increased risk of developing diabetes could not completely be blamed on diet, weight gain, or other lifestyle issues.
I would like to see if they adjusted for age. As you get older, the odds of developing type 2 diabetes increases.
Click on these stories to read more:
The Type 1 Diabetes Vaccine Study
Since 2003, two Boston institutions, the Children’s Hospital, and the Joslin Diabetes Center have been testing a possible vaccine for type 1 diabetes. This is encouraging news for future generations of children. However, it does not offer much to people currently living with type 1 diabetes.
A team of researchers led by Prof. Irun Cohen of the Weizmann Institute of Science Immunology Department identified the molecular mechanism of a vaccine for type 1 diabetes. The peptide (parts of a protein) designated p277 – is able to shut down the autoimmune response that causes type 1 diabetes.
“When translating these findings into a practical vaccine, we knew enough about the mechanism to understand that this protein is able to cause a decrease in the immune response, but how it actually works eluded us,” says Cohen.
Now they have uncovered that mystery. In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the scientists have managed to identify the exact immune cells that p277 acts upon and its mechanism of action.
Autoimmune diseases occur when certain T cells in the immune system attack the body’s own cells and tissues. The scientists discovered that p277 directs the activity of the immune system in two ways. First, the p277 peptide steps up the activities of a different type of T cell that regulates the amount of potentially harmful T cells available. In addition, T cells treated with p277 cause the delinquent T cells to secrete anti-inflammatory substances instead of the inflammation-causing ones that they usually make which lead to autoimmune disease. This double action of the peptide weakens the damaging activities of the immune response further. The scientists also showed that in order to activate this response, p277 must be bound to the receptor TLR-2, which is found on the cell walls of the regulatory T cells.
“These findings are important, as it means that by identifying the molecular activity of p277 with such precision, we can copy nature’s own system in regulating the immune system and therefore, help to boost the immune system in preventing the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic cells,” says Cohen.
An important question here is can this research be bridged over into the adult diabetic world and help people who are pre-diabetic?
New Drugs Await FDA approval.
06/13/06
Living Well, Clinical Trials, Treatment Options, Research, General
Its interesting that diseases create markets. Its ironic that a system that many argue has a relationship with greed actually produces many answers to the diabetes conundrum. Capitalism is not the perfect financing mechanism for diabetes and other diseases in health care. It does motivate people to find new answers and solutions.
In the diabetes world there is going to be a plain old competitive showdown. There are two drugs about to emerge for people with diabetes. Both are DPP-4 inhibitors – they help beta cells that make insulin. The drugs that are trying to gain the FDA’s favor are Norartis’s Galvus, and Januvia manufactured by Merck. Both show impressive results in helping people to control blood sugar.
To read more about Galvus and Januvia click on this article.
Boston Scientist Join the Potential Tea Party
06/06/06
Clinical Trials, Treatment Options, Research, General
Cloning scares a lot of people. There are bans on the use of federal funds to research cloning and further the science. However, the potential for cloned stem cells to treat human frailties has excited enough investors that there are now private funds catalyzing research at major universities. This story out on the AP wires discusses Harvard's activities in the world of cloning.
Not only is this story interesting scientifically but also it has implications in the political world. Harvard and other schools may be up against legislation that could stop research in its tracks.
Pumps for Preschoolers If your young child suffers from diabetes, you will be happy to know that an insulin pump may help her or him. This story outlines some findings of scientists who monitored children with insulin pumps.
Basketball Player Overshadows #5 Draft Pick in Baseball The sports world is excited for the upcoming NBA draft. Adam Morrison will likely be one of the first players drafted this year. He lives with diabetes, and has to monitor it during his games.
This story points out that Brandon Morrow, a type 1 diabetic, was the fifth player to be drafted in Tuesday's Major League Baseball draft.
Mice Further Chinese Medicine Treatment Before you get too excited, please realize that this next story reports a scientific success in mice. We're still far proving it in humans. A Gardenia fruit extract traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat the symptoms of type 2 diabetes does indeed contain a chemical that reverses some of the pancreatic dysfunctions that underlie the disease, researchers report in the June 7, 2006, Cell Metabolism. The chemical therefore represents a useful starting point for new diabetes therapies, they said.
“When I first saw the results, I was in disbelief,” said Bradford Lowell of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. “I didn’t think we could ever be that lucky.” However, blinded repetition of the initial experiments confirmed the results every time, he said.
Because Gardenia fruit extract is not a pharmaceutical, it may become widely available as a dietary supplement very soon.