Feature Channels: Diabetes

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Web site features trilingual support, interactive nutrition guides for Asian meals and other culturally relevant information.

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Researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research have discovered a novel way in which insulin affects cell metabolism and cell survival. Surprisingly the insulin signaling pathway, which is involved in aging, diabetes and stress response, is active at a deeper level of cell activity than scientists expected.

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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

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Older adults with diabetes who have high blood pressure, walk slowly or lose their balance, or believe they’re in bad health, are significantly more likely to have weaker memory and slower, more rigid cognitive processing than those without these problems, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

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Many middle-aged and older adults with diabetes are sexually active, according to a new survey. Seventy percent of partnered men with diabetes and 62 percent of partnered women with diabetes engaged in sexual activity two or three times a month, comparable to those without diabetes. The disease takes a toll, however, on the desire for and rewards of sexual activity.

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People with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to be at an increased risk of developing plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research published in the August 25, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Examination of a gene involved in cell signaling finds that four common variants of this gene are associated with the development of end-stage renal disease in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.

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People with diabetic foot problems can lower their risk of leg amputation by relying on coordinated care that includes a podiatrist, according to a recent study.

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U.S. hospitals spent $83 billion in 2008 caring for people with diabetes, nearly one of every five hospitalizations that year.

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Joslin scientists nail down proof that some people with type 1 diabetes of extreme duration retain active insulin-producing cells.

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Nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults with diabetes over the age of 40 are estimated to have diabetic retinopathy, with about 4 percent of this population having vision-threatening retinopathy, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

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Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter what the blood sugar level was, the dietary intakes were pretty much the same.

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A study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes have diminished cognitive performance and subtle abnormalities in the brain as detected by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Identification of cognitive impairments as a complication of type 2 diabetes emphasizes the importance of addressing issues of inactivity and obesity, two important risk factors for the development of the disease among the young. The study appeared online in the journal Diabetologia, July 30, 2010.

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Resveratrol, a popular anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant extract, appears also to suppress inflammation in humans, based on results from the first prospective human trial of the extract conducted by University at Buffalo endocrinologists.

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Jennifer Dyer, MD, MPH, an endocrinologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, has developed and completed a pilot study that uses weekly, customized text messages to remind adolescent diabetes patients about their personal treatment activities. At the conclusion of the study, Dr. Dyer found an increase in overall treatment adherence and improved blood glucose levels.

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Aggressive blood sugar control does not improve survival in diabetic patients with kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that physicians should individualize blood sugar targets for these patients and not rely on recommendations based on studies in the general population.

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Postmenopausal women with diabetes taking thiazolidinediones (TZDS), including rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, may be at increased risk for fractures according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Men with diabetes taking both loop diuretics and TZDs may also be at increased risk of fractures.

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In high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that two therapies may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age Americans.

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Researchers led by Columbia University Medical Center have discovered that the skeleton plays an important role in regulating blood sugar and have further illuminated how bone controls this process. The finding, published in Cell, is important because it may lead to more targeted drugs for type 2 diabetes.

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A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers has found that insulin, the sugar-regulating hormone, is required for normal bone development and that it may provide a link between bone health and metabolic disease, such as diabetes.

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Discovery raises possibility of safer, more selective diabetes drugs.

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Studying a protein already known to play an important role in type 2 diabetes and cancer, genomics researchers have discovered that it may have an even broader role in human disease.

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The VA Maryland Health Care System participated in a landmark national study of more than 10,251 high-risk diabetic adults across the nation, testing if three complementary treatment strategies can reduce the high rate of heart disease and stroke associated with type 2 diabetes and if these treatment strategies can also slow the progression of eye disease associated with diabetes, the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans.

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UNC researchers reveal how a protein called Tet1 helps stem cells keep their “stemness” in a paper published in Nature.

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Biologists have been studying how the protein AMPK works for several decades and know that once it is activated, AMPK turns on a large number of genes by passing the "make more energy" message through numerous signaling cascades in the cell. What was not known, until now, was that AMPK also works via an epigenetic mechanism to slow down or stop cell growth. Researchers found that AMPK binds directly to sites on chromosomes called promoters that regulate gene expression related to cell metabolism.

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A morning urine test is superior to all other tests for detecting declining kidney performance in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that clinicians should monitor kidney function by measuring the albumin:creatinine ratio from a first morning urine sample.

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The Endocrine Society, American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issue joint statement in response to an FDA panel’s recommendation to keep rosiglitazone (Avandia) on the market

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Obese diabetics with crippling Charcot foot are being successfully treated with a surgical technique that secures foot bones with an external frame.

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Disruption of two genes that control circadian rhythms can lead to diabetes, a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found in an animal study.

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Having discovered a dramatic increase of an easy-to-detect enzyme in the red blood cells of people with diabetes and prediabetes, Johns Hopkins scientists say the discovery could lead to a simple, routine test for detecting the subtle onset of the disease, before symptoms or complications occur and in time to reverse its course.

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Joslin research finds natural mechanisms in insulin-producing cells that may be enhanced to aid type 1 diabetes treatments.

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Twenty-five families who have overcome diabetes caused by a single-gene defect will gather at "Celebrating the Miracles," a University of Chicago symposium for patients, parents and physicians, designed to review scientific studies, celebrate treatment successes, stress the importance of a genetic diagnosis, and exchange tips on life without insulin injections.

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Joslin scientists discover mechanism that lowers insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes.

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An international team co-led by scientists from the University of Michigan have discovered 12 more regions on the genome with DNA variants that are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, bringing the number to 38.

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A new study adds to the mounting evidence that older adults commonly have low vitamin D levels and that vitamin D inadequacy may be a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects one in four adults. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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In a step toward curing diabetes in humans, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have alleviated the disease in rats using transplants from both embryonic and adult pigs.

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A mathematical model suggests that aggressively pursuing low blood pressure and cholesterol levels may not benefit, and could even harm, some patients with diabetes, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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A new study published online today by JAMA shows that among patients age 65 years and older, rosiglitazone (a medication for treating Type 2 diabetes) is associated with an increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality (death) when compared with pioglitazone (another medication for diabetes). The study was published online today in advance of an upcoming Food and Drug Administration meeting that will review the safety of rosiglitazone. The paper will appear in the July 28 print issue of JAMA.

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Eleven years after the introduction of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone, data from available clinical trials demonstrate an increased risk for heart attack associated with its use and suggest an unfavorable benefit-to-risk ratio, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the July 26 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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For individuals 65 years of age and older, obesity, excess body fat around the waist and gaining weight after the age of 50 are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, according to a study in the June 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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A new nationwide study finds that some local health clinics do not offer diabetes screening or obesity prevention programs to their clients, who tend to be poor.

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A new survey shows that diabetic individuals who live in a hot climate have important gaps in their “heat awareness,” or knowledge about proper diabetes self-care in hot weather, even though diabetes raises their risk of heat illness. The results of “Diabetes in the Desert: What Do Patients Know About the Heat?” will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Medicare patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease can significantly reduce both the cost of their medical care and rates of hospitalization by participating in a telephone-based diabetes disease management program, a new study finds. The authors will present their results Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Researchers have developed an experimental cure for Type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects about one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents. They will present their results in a mouse model of Type 1 diabetes on Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Gastric bypass surgery improves Type 2 diabetes by other mechanisms in addition to weight loss and does so better than a low-calorie diet despite achieving equal weight loss, a new study finds. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in patients with Type 2 diabetes and may be associated with poor blood sugar control, according to a new study. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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A diet rich in natural antioxidants improves insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant obese adults and enhances the effect of the insulin-sensitizing drug metformin, a preliminary study from Italy finds. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego. “The beneficial effects of antioxidants are known, but we have revealed for the first time one of their biological bases of action—improving hormonal action in obese subjects with the metabolic syndrome,” said principal author Antonio Mancini, MD, an endocrinology researcher at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. People with this syndrome cannot efficiently use insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose (sugar) in the blood. Some evidence exists that oxidative stress may play a role in the metabolic syndrome, according to Mancini. Oxidative stress, a bioc

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Fructose, the sugar widely used as high-fructose corn syrup in soft drinks and processed foods, often gets some of the blame for the widespread rise in obesity. Now a laboratory study has found that when fructose is present as children’s fat cells mature, it makes more of these cells mature into fat cells in belly fat and less able to respond to insulin in both belly fat and fat located below the skin.

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Obese women with insulin resistance lose more weight after three months on a lower-carbohydrate diet than on a traditional low-fat diet with the same number of calories, according to a new study. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.