info provided by medicalnewstoday.com

New Ways Discovered to Stimulate Pancreatic Beta Cell Growth

One of the holy grails in Diabetes research is to discover molecules that stimulate beta cell growth and to find drugs that target these molecules. Now, JDRF-funded researchers in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, have done both, discovering not only a protein that regulates beta cell growth, but also a chemical compound that stimulates it.

The discovery, led by Markus Stoffel, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, represents a significant advance in identifying a new drug target for beta cell regeneration.

The work builds on a discovery made five years ago, when Dr. Stoffel and his team first showed that a once obscure protein, called Tmem27, is localized on the surface membrane of beta cells, the insulin-producing cells that are located within islets in the pancreas. At the time, they found that increased levels of Tmem27 on beta cells were associated with increased islet mass in mice. They also found that if Tmem27 is cleaved, it left the protein completely inactivated.

“We hypothesized that if we could prevent Tmem27 from being cleaved and increase the levels of this protein, we could get more beta cell growth,” says Dr. Stoffel, who is also a 2010 recipient of JDRF’s Gerold & Kayla Grodsky Basic Research Scientist Award. “This observation gave us the rationale to look for what was inactivating Tmem27.”

After screening possible molecules that could snip Tmem27, Dr. Stoffel and his team found the culprit: Bace2, an enzyme protein that, like Tmem27, also resides on the outer surface (known as the plasma membrane) of the beta cell. The researchers confirmed their theory by finding that mice that lacked Bace2 had larger islets and the beta cells in the islets increased in number, a process known as proliferation or regeneration. They also found that these mice were able to clear glucose from the blood more efficiently than control mice with Bace2.

Dr. Stoffel and his team next aimed to inhibit Bace2 in an effort to control and promote the growth of beta cells. To do so, they teamed up with scientists at Hoffmann-LaRoche who developed a chemical compound that could inhibit Bace2. When the scientists gave this compound to mice, they saw that it inhibited Bace2 and stimulated the growth of new beta cells. Importantly, Bace2, and not its close relative Bace1, which is implicated in other diseases, cleaves the Tmem27 protein, suggesting the potential for developing a Bace2 inhibitor as a diabetes-specific therapy.

In addition to identifying a new drug target for promoting beta cell regeneration, Dr. Stoffel’s work may also help in developing tests to measure the amount of Tmem27 fragments in the blood – a biomarker that could be used as an index of beta cell number.

“This is an exciting and potentially impactful finding,” says Patricia Kilian, Ph.D., scientific program director of regeneration research at JDRF. “It’s an example of how researchers make an early observation and follow up on it, and then take it to the next level where it has translational potential – the potential to be developed into a drug that promotes the growth of beta cells for Diabetes.”

Hey all you diabetics

Why don’t you step up and stop being fretic

Fretic you say, what does it mean

I’m not sure but when it comes to battling, conquering, and wanting to live

It may be a good definition

So keep up your good work ethics

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect     Cope, Control, Connect

Summer

This summer has been going quickly and as usual, I’ve had some issues with my infusion sites; keeping them on, sticking, and having/finding “good spots” on body.

One of the main issues is that it’s been a hot, humid, and dry summer season so when I do any activity (or none at all because I have been sweating -just standing or sitting), I sweat, and the sticky part gets wet both front and back and ends up falling off or not sticking especially after showering. Ya know, sometimes I feel like a real life superstar or professional sports player because I know some professional diabetics and they don’t wear a pump or have infusion sites just for that reason because  1. they sweat a lot and 2. they get wet whether it’s because of the activity they are doing or because they shower after which enhances the non-productivity of the site staying on. Well, the last part, showering, is true for most people anyway, hopefully, regardless whether you do activity or not. Most professional sports players take insulin through syringes, insulin shots or injections.

Troubleshoot

With the infusion sets that fell off and were only on for a few minutes or at most a couple hours, I tried to get replacements. Well, when I contacted the company they said I should have called right when it was happening and they could’ve  assisted with the situation or helped troubleshoot. Ok…well…how are you supposed to help when the site completely fell off?! The support representatives are not too swift, unsupportive, unwelcoming, and ungenerous, and sometimes don’t have a clue of what diabetic pump users are dealing with. Plus, a couple times when I shot the infusion site on, the cannula apparently bent but I didn’t know/wasn’t for sure at the time.

The first time I didn’t know because when I looked at the needle it was fine and the site was fine but the second time I noticed and figured there might be a problem because after I shot the infusion site, the needle was bent afterwards, and the site wasn’t totally sticking. Therefore, I waited a little while and sure enough I went extremely high, felt the moistened site, and replaced it. Again, when I tried to get replacements, they said I should’ve called sooner, and told me there was nothing they could do. Yet, one I told them this wasn’t the first time and an earlier representative gave me replacements, the person argued and said at most, they could give me two. I settled for two because it was better than nothing, not the four or five I should have received, but it was something.

A lesson was learned here of course, first and foremost, be careful with your infusion sites and use them wisely and if you do have a problem with them, call your company who supplies them immediately. If you don’t, then you’ll just have to suck it and forgo the ones that were defective and pay more later.

Pay more for less and then some

Moreover, that was another issue, I wasn’t due for another delivery yet as I had received a shipment  just a few weeks earlier and I surely didn’t want to pay for another whole box, I just wanted replacements (like the replacements they had given me months before). Guess the company doesn’t know what their employees are saying to customers on the phone or some are trained better than others, or some are just more nice than others. Yet, all the employees need to be consistent, not one month giving things away and the next month sticking it up your a**. Just like the service should be when you go out to eat or in retail but that’s another story. At least now I know that when I call, it will be different each time. And believe me, I’m a person that likes change, variety, and differences, but not when it comes to healthcare.  But, just like everyone else in this down economy, people are cutting back more and making you pay more for less.

Pumpless

So I’ve gone a few days without wearing the pump and giving insulin shots instead. It has worked out fine (somewhat). The only way to do this, of course, is to test your blood sugar often (as you should be). Therefore, when I know I’m going to eat I test my blood sugar, put the number into the pump, and sometimes I see how much it would give me so I have an idea on how much to give. Usually, I just know but sometimes I check to see. Then, I give the shot of insulin.

This has worked okay for me the time I’m awake during the day but, when it’s when it comes to nighttime is the issue. Since my/the body is used to getting continuous insulin through the day/night it doesn’t know how to react so of course I go high. As such, I’ve had to set my alarm to go off in the middle of the night to give insulin to offset going too high since I didn’t have the pump on to give any. This would totally disrupt my sleep and of course for those few days I had restless sleep.

Result

However, one thing I’m definitely suggesting is to NOT do this. Again, I’m letting you know these things because if you do decide to do this and take this route, at least you have knowledge of how to go about doing it. The important thing to know and do is test BG often, give right amount of insulin, and give insulin when you sleep. Once the heat wave was over, I went back on the pump and things were more steady.

Please, say it and do it everyday! Whatever it takes!

Control your Diabetes, Care about your Diabetes, and Carbohydrate count the food you eat. Plus, all the other things involved in your life. Exercise, physical activity, moving your body, giving right amounts of insulin consistently at correct times, too. Sounds easy right?! Well, it not, but do it. There is no other way but to be in control, stay in control, and want to do it for yourself. Battle. Conquer. Succeed.

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

Control, Care, Carbohydrate Control, Care, Carbohydrate

by news.yahoo.com

Health Tip: Controlling Your Diabetes

by diabetes.org/news-research

Serotonin and Dietary Protein Control Risk for Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy, the mother’s metabolism fluctuates to accommodate the nutritional needs of her growing baby. The mother naturally becomes insulin-resistant, ensuring a steady flow of energy and nourishment for her baby as the

unused sugar in her bloodstream diverts to the womb. Her body is able to counterbalance the elevated blood-sugar levels because pregnancy hormones trigger a surplus of insulin-producing beta cells.

Generating these cells in early pregnancy protects against gestational diabetes during later stages, when the baby’s energy requirements are highest and the need for insulin is critical. Until a recent study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, scientists were unaware of the source of this protective stabilization.

American Diabetes Association-funded researcher Michael German, MD and his postdoctoral fellow, Hail Kim, MD, PhD, have discovered that serotonin is the key regulator of diabetes onset during pregnancy, and that its preventative role is influenced by the consumption of dietary protein early in the pregnancy. Serotonin is a mood-regulating hormone and neurotransmitter, often targeted in medications that treat conditions such as depression and appetite disorders. It is synthesized by the enzymes in tryptophan, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like eggs, milk, lean meats, and fish. Expectant mothers consuming such a diet throughout the first trimester of their pregnancy tend to satisfy the serotonin and subsequent insulin levels required later when the baby’s needs surge.

This research suggests that dietary solutions can provide the greatest preventative impact. Dr. German’s laboratory confirmed that restricting dietary protein in pregnant mice indeed inhibits serotonin production, leading to gestational diabetes. The investigators indicate that any factor disrupting the vital hormone, such as diet, genetics, or medications, significantly increases the likelihood for developing the condition. In addition to improving the methods of treatment and prevention during pregnancy, Dr. German believes that their research could potentially lead to the reversal of other types of diabetes. The link to serotonin may also help explain depression associated with diabetes.

The results of the study are published online in the June 2010 issue of Nature Medicine  and will be released in print in the near future.

Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of pregnancies a year in the United States, posing short and long-term health concerns for both the mother and baby if left untreated. It can cause delivery complications due to excessive growth of the baby, and the condition may ultimately lead to the development of type 2 diabetes for the mother and child later in life.

by diabetes.org/news-research

Brain Hormones Regulate Diabetes and Female Fertility

The hypothalamus is a central region of the brain that has shown to play an important role in key metabolic functions, such as regulation of food intake, appetite, and body weight. Research funded by the American Diabetes Association provides a novel understanding of how this area of the brain and special cell types control blood sugar levels — completely independent of food consumption and body fat.

Joel Elmquist DVM PhD and fellow Jong-Woo Sohn, PhD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, studied the way two unique hormones, leptin (which comes from fat cells) and insulin (which comes from the pancreatic beta cells), work together inside the hypothalamus to affect energy balance and blood glucose levels. Dr. Elmquist’s research provides clues to female fertility and how type 2 diabetes can develop in the absence of obesity.

Leptin signals the brain to suppress appetite and increase the body’s use of energy, while insulin triggers fat cells to store fat. A former study at Dr. Elmquist’s institution demonstrated that a single injection of leptin can treat fatally ill rodents with type 1 diabetes. While aiming to expand upon this result, Elmquist discovered that when the activity of both insulin and leptin is hindered in the brain of mice, insulin resistance and severe diabetes occur despite a healthy weight.

The research suggests that if confirmed in humans, even non-obese individuals may develop type 2 diabetes as a result of these hormone abnormalities. “Many people, and even many physicians, think you develop diabetes that is solely secondary to obesity. Our findings indicate that is not necessarily the case, at least in mice,” said Dr. Elmquist, senior author of the study, published online in the April 7, 2010 issue Cell Metabolism. “We can make the animals very diabetic without obesity.”

The experiment also demonstrated reduced fertility in female mice when the same hormone abnormalities were present. Caused by a surge in male sex hormones, like testosterone, the mice experienced lower rates of pregnancy and bred smaller litters. This observation is similar to the characteristics of women affected by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a metabolic disorder that is often associated with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Although this finding was unexpected, Dr. Elmquist feels that his discovery may possibly be a new and unique genetic model of PCOS.

Drs. Elmquist and Sohn hope that their research efforts will lead to healthier management of blood glucose levels, as well as improved reproductive function in affected women. “These studies will not only advance the understanding about how the brain integrates various signals to maintain the energy and glucose balance, they may also facilitate the development of new drugs to decrease the prevalence of obesity and diabetes,” Dr. Elmquist concluded.

by diabetes.org/news-research

Insulin Signaling in the Brain Controls Fat Metabolism

One of the hallmark defects of type 2 diabetes is resistance to insulin produced in the pancreas. Yet, scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have made a novel discovery that another organ – the brain – plays a more pivotal role in the disease than formerly realized. They found that insulin inside the hypothalamus region of the brain is involved in controlling the function of fat tissue – a key component in energy and metabolic pathways relevant to type 2 diabetes.
During conditions of demanding energy needs, like starvation or exercise, fat tissue breaks down and releases fatty acids for the body to use.  In type 2 diabetes, this process (called lipolysis) is unrestrained and occurs at times when additional energy is not needed, such as after eating. The excessive level of fatty acids circulates in the body and creates a harmful saturation of fat in vital organs and tissues. This contributes to insulin resistance and can accelerate diabetes.
The research team, led by American Diabetes Association-funded researcher Christoph Buettner, M.D. Ph. D., is the first to show that brain insulin signaling is a major regulator of fat metabolism, and that impairment of brain insulin can lead to the uncontrolled breakdown of fat tissue. After infusing insulin into the brains of rats, the scientists observed lipolysis-control and normal fat and sugar metabolism. Conversely, rodents with deficient brain insulin activity exhibited unrestrained lipolysis.
“When brain insulin function is impaired, the release of fatty acids is increased. This induces inflammation, which can further worsen insulin resistance, the core defect in type 2 diabetes. Therefore, impaired brain insulin signaling can start a vicious cycle since inflammation can impair brain insulin signaling,” said Dr. Buettner.  Results of the study are published in the February 2011 issue of Cell Metabolism.
Furthermore, Dr. Buettner’s Research Award from the ADA has enabled him to explore factors that may hinder brain insulin function. In a separate study published in the April 2011 issue of Diabetes, his team observed that overfeeding rats causes insulin resistance in the brain and thus impairs the ability of brain insulin to suppress lipolysis.
“Overeating, a major sin of our time, leads to the loss of adequate control of metabolism by the brain. The overabundance of nutrients leaves the brain in a state of paralysis where hormones like insulin lose their regulatory function. I believe that in coming years, we will elucidate the defects that make the brain unresponsive to the regulatory action of hormones and nutrients,” he concluded.

news.yahoo.com

by Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben

Vitamin D Helps to Prevent Diabetes and Thyroid Disease

A new study from Tufts Medical Center in Boston is linking increased levels of vitamin D with a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Vitamin D is also important in managing thyroid disease. There are two types of vitamin D: D2 comes from food and vitamin D3 from sunlight.

Dr. Annastassios Pittas studied 2,039 patients who were at risk for Diabetes, with at risk blood sugar levels. Normal blood sugar levels are: 80-120 on rising before breakfast and before meals, less than 160 after meals and 100-140 before bed. Blood sugar amounts are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A patient is declared diabetic if his blood sugar level is 126 mg/dL after fasting for eight hours.

The patients in vitamin D deficiency tests had pre-diabetic blood sugar levels. They were tested over three years. Blood sugar levels were tested at six months, one year, two years and three years. Participants were divided into three test groups according vitamin D levels. The study found that for every 5 nanograms/milliliter of vitamin D participants dropped their risk of developing diabetes by eight percent. Patients with vitamin D levels of 30 ng/ml (the ideal amount) reduced their risk of diabetes 38 percent.

Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to thyroid disease. Vitamin D regulates calcium and other important bodily functions. Patients with low thyroid functioning also often have low levels of vitamin D. Patients who lack sufficient vitamin D are also at increased risk for auto-immune issues, Hashimoto’s Disease and Graves Disease. I have had some success managing my hypothyroid issues with vitamin D.

There are two important kinds of vitamin D: Vitamin D3, also called ergocalciferol, is available from sunshine, animal products and supplements. When the skin is exposed to the UVA and UVB rays of the sun, vitamin D is formed. Vitamin D2, called cholecalcoferol, is found in plant sources and fungus.

This vitamin D research is important for parents, especially. Juvenile and Type 2 Diabetes are increasing in incidence. Type 2 diabetes is generally related to lifestyle choices. Lack of fitness, sedentary behavior, obesity, nutrition and addictive behaviors can lead to diabetes. With a simple addition of vitamin D supplements or increased intake in the diet, parents can positively impact predisposition to diabetes.

Here are foods rich in vitamin D to include in the diet: vitamin D enriched milk, orange juice, ready-to-eat hot and cold cereals and margarine. Foods naturally rich in vitamin D include: tuna, eggs, sockeye salmon, sardines, yogurt, milk, Swiss cheese, liver, mackerel and cod liver oil.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes from 22 years parenting four children, 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and homeschool and several decades in health research.

by www.bbc.co.uk

Diabetes Patient Hails “life changing” Cell Transplants

The first woman in Scotland to receive donated pancreatic cells to treat her Diabetes has described the procedure as “life changing”.

Kathleen Duncan, who has Type 1 Diabetes, no longer requires insulin after having a pancreatic islet cell transplant.

She is among patients being treated as part of a UK-leading transplant programme based in Edinburgh.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has also praised the programme.

She met Mrs Duncan when she visited the cell therapy suite at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service’s (SNBTS) Islet Isolation Laboratory in Liberton.

The pioneering transplant programme was launched in 2009 and has now carried out three islet cell infusions in two patients.

People with Type 1 Diabetes often have problems managing their blood sugar and as a result can collapse without warning when their blood sugar is low, known as hypoglycemic unawareness.

The transplant process involves the complex preparation of islets extracted from a deceased donor’s pancreas.

These are then injected into diabetes patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh’s transplant unit, allowing them to then make their her own blood sugar.

Mrs Duncan, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes more than 30 years ago and had been injecting insulin up to four times a day, said: “Before this treatment I felt absolutely helpless, as I had no awareness of my blood sugar levels or if I was about to collapse.

“It didn’t just affect me, it has been years of worry for both my husband, Chris, and my son, David.

“I was so terrified that David would come home from school to find me unconscious that I would go out all day, knowing that if I collapsed in a public place, I would be taken to hospital.”

Mrs Duncan said her life had totally changed since the transplants.

She added: “I have more control over my Diabetes, the confidence to do everyday things and can lead a practically normal life.

“Chris and David are now more relaxed and don’t have to worry about me just so much.

“I feel extremely lucky that matching donors were found and privileged to be the first person to have this treatment.”

Donor plea

In Scotland about 28,000 people currently have Type 1 Diabetes, with about 2,000 experiencing hypoglycemic unawareness.

Ms Sturgeon praised the work of staff at the SNBTS lab and the Transplant Unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The pancreatic cells are prepared at the Islet Isolation lab in Liberton

She added: “This service has shown how it has the potential to transform the lives of people with this condition.

“The ideal is to make them no longer dependent on insulin injections.

“Sadly, like all transplant programmes – the main challenge is the shortage of donor organs. That’s why, during UK Transplant Week, I would repeat my calls for people to sign up to the NHS organ donor register so that more lives can be saved and turned around.”

Mr John Casey, from the Scottish Islet Transplant Programme, said: “This is an important step in the treatment of Diabetes in Scotland.

“The improved quality of life for both patients is excellent and we hope we can now offer this form of cell therapy to many, many more Scottish patients.”