Diabetes
Complications seen burdening type 2 diabetic kids
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Children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes, like adults, are at risk for developing complications from the disease. However, these complications are expected to develop earlier in young patients, experts say.
Given the rise in childhood cases of diabetes because of the obesity epidemic, this finding suggests there’ll be “serious public-health challenges in the next few decades.”
Sleep Apnea Increases Risk of Diabetes and Hypertension in Pregnant Women
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Sleep apnea is associated with a greatly increased incidence of pregnancy-induced diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Wednesday, May 22.
The study found that when the women’s weight was taken into account, sleep apnea was associated with a doubling of the incidence of gestational diabetes and a fourfold increase in the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Chromium no help in controlling diabetes
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People with type 2 diabetes often take chromium supplements to help keep their blood sugar levels under control, but new findings from a Dutch study raise doubts about the value of this approach.
“In non-Western diabetic populations, there is some evidence that chromium might be beneficial,” Dr. Nanno Kleefstra, told Reuters Health. “In Western populations ... it does not seem to help in the dosages used.”
Study finds major depression connection to diabetes
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Elderly people who are depressed are more likely to become diabetic than those who are not, according to a study that suggests depression may play a role in causing the most common form of diabetes.
Writing on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers said people with a high number of symptoms of depression were about 60 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, than people who are not depressed.
High selenium levels linked to diabetes risk
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Contrary to researchers’ expectations, high blood levels of selenium are positively associated with diabetes in adults, according to findings published in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
The results of some animal studies have suggested that oxidative stress reduces insulin secretion and increases insulin resistance, Dr. Joachim Bleys and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, point out. They therefore hypothesized that because selenium has antioxidant properties, high levels of selenium in the body may prevent diabetes.
Patients with Psoriasis Prone to Diabetes and Serious Cardiovascular Condition
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Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by thick, red, scaly plaques that itch and sometimes bleed, causing considerable discomfort and emotional stress for patients. In addition to the daily chore of dealing with the physical symptoms of this condition, new research suggests an association between psoriasis and two potentially serious medical conditions – diabetes and atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries.
For the 2 percent to 4 percent of the worldwide population affected by psoriasis, these findings could have a significant impact on their overall health, including the estimated 5.8 to 7.5 million Americans affected by the condition.
First ever study predicts outcome for limb-threatening infections in diabetes
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Researchers from the University of Washington, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Merck Laboratories, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine have released a study suggesting that specific laboratory and clinical tests can predict outcome of antibiotic therapy for infections in persons with diabetes.
“This study is unique in a couple of ways,” said Dr. David G. Armstrong, Professor of Surgery at Scholl’s Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) at Rosalind Franklin University. “It comes from the largest-ever clinical trial of antibiotics for this type of infection, and it used very specific, day-to-day measures that can be done in any hospital, world wide.”
First gene test for diabetes risk now available
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The world’s first genetic test to assess the risk of developing type 2 diabetes has been launched by Iceland’s Decode Genetics Inc.
The biotech company, which uses studies of the Icelandic population to find the genetic basis of common diseases, said on Sunday it would charge $500 to test for a genetic variation linked to a twofold risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Study suggests use of stem cell transplantation is beneficial treatment of type 1 diabetes
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A therapy that includes stem cell transplantation induced extended insulin independence in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, according to a preliminary study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) results from a cell-mediated autoimmune attack against pancreatic beta cells. At the time of clinical diagnosis, approximately 60 percent to 80 percent of the beta-cell mass has been destroyed, according to background information in the article. Beta-cell preservation has been shown to be an important target in the management of type 1 DM and in the prevention of its related complications.
Cinnamon does not aid type 1 diabetes control
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Despite earlier promising findings, it seems unlikely that cinnamon can improve blood sugar levels in people with type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes, researchers report.
Previous research has shown that cinnamon appears to help fat cells recognize and respond to insulin. In test tube experiments and in animal studies, the spice led to a noteworthy increase in the processing of glucose.
Merck gains on US approval for combo diabetes pill
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Shares of Merck & Co. rose on Monday after the company won U.S. marketing approval for Janumet, which combines its recently introduced Januvia diabetes drug in the same tablet with the widely used metformin treatment.
Merck was up 74 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $44.91, in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange, amid slight gains for the drug sector.
Aspirin Resistance Is Higher in Diabetics
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Aspirin has long been the industry standard for the prevention and treatment of heart attacks. However, for the more than 20 million Americans living with diabetes, the standard dose of aspirin might not provide adequate protection against future heart attacks. Researchers at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore recently demonstrated that aspirin resistance is higher in diabetics with coronary artery disease (CAD) than in non-diabetics at the standard 81mg dose of aspirin. The study (#1019-179) will be presented in its entirety at the 56th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in New Orleans on March 26.
Most CAD deaths are caused by platelets sticking together and forming blood clots (thrombosis) that block blood flow within arteries, resulting in a heart attack. Aspirin inhibits clotting by specifically blocking an important enzyme, COX-1, which keeps platelets from sticking together. However, some diabetic patients may require a higher aspirin dose to achieve sufficient COX-1 blockade.
Animal study links prediabetes and gum disease
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People with “prediabetes” may want to pay close attention to their dental health, if new animal research findings apply to humans.
In experiments with rats, Dutch researchers found that animals with a condition that mimics prediabetes were more susceptible to developing periodontitis, which causes the gums to recede and the bone supporting the teeth to erode.
Diabetes: a growing problem in newly-rich Asia
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A cheese burger one day, lasagna the next and chicken nuggets instead of a bowl of noodles.
Across the continent, a newly-affluent Asian middle class is splurging after centuries of deprivation, shaking off a diet traditionally high in vegetables and rice and low in meat and opting instead for food loaded with saturated fat.
Diabetes and severe depression raise risk of death
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Heart disease, diabetes, and depression can be a deadly combination, according results of a study that suggest that, in people with coronary artery disease, the presence of diabetes or depression increases the risk of dying from heart disease.
The risk is even higher when both diabetes and severe depression are present, investigators reported today at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Budapest, Hungary.
