Insulin News and Research

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Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert glucose, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Insulin allows cells to use glucose for fuel and is secreted by beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. The release of insulin from the pancreas is stimulated by increased blood glucose, vagal nerve stimulation, and other factors. Insulin is obtained from various animals and available in a variety of preparations. Commercial insulin preparations differ in a number of ways, including differences in the animal species from which they are obtained; their purity, concentration, and solubility; and the time of onset and duration of their biologic action. An oral hypoglycemic agent is not a form of insulin therapy.

First-ever guidelines for pediatric psoriasis treatment released

One-third of psoriasis cases begin in the pediatric years, and onset is most common during adolescence for the chronic, multisystem, inflammatory skin disease that causes the skin to develop new skin cells too rapidly.

5 Nov 2019

Study defies decades-old patient eligibility guidelines for bariatric surgery

Weight-loss surgery has long been shown to improve or resolve diabetes, reduce heart attacks and stroke and produce significant weight loss, but the operation has generally been restricted by health insurers to people with severe obesity, which means about 75 to 100 pounds overweight or a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher.

5 Nov 2019

Cancer risk reduces to half with over 20% weight loss in post- bariatric surgery patients

Patients with severe obesity who had bariatric or weight-loss surgery and lost more than 20% of their total weight were 50% less likely to develop cancer compared to patients who did not have as much weight loss after surgery, according to a new study presented today by Oregon Health & Science University researchers at the 36th American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2019.

5 Nov 2019

Light sensitive insulin secreting switches to help diabetics in blood sugar control

Researchers from Tufts University devised a novel experiment wherein they engineered beta cells of the pancreas and transplanted these cells onto the pancreas of diabetic mice. This resulted in two to three times insulin production by the diabetic mice that helped them control their blood sugar. These transplanted cells could be controlled using light exposure explained scientists, making this a path breaking study for diabetics.

4 Nov 2019

Researchers decipher gene function that protects against type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes affects almost 400 million people across the world. It is caused by a combination of lifestyle as well as genetic factors which together result in high blood sugar levels.

4 Nov 2019

Two-hormone combo test predicts prostate cancer risk

New research presented at the NCRI Cancer Conference, 2019, shows that free testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I), when present at high levels in combination, show a higher risk of prostate cancer in men. This finding is important since both these factors can be counteracted, to possibly reduce the risk.

3 Nov 2019

If power outages are California’s new normal, what about home medical needs?

Fern Brown, 81, sat in the rear of a tent on the windswept fairgrounds of this historic Gold Rush town, drawing deep breaths through the mouthpiece of a nebulizer plugged into a power strip atop a plastic folding table.

1 Nov 2019

Common things you need to know about pancreatitis

The pancreas is an important part of the digestive system that converts the food we eat into fuel for the body's cells. Responsible for two main functions, the pancreas helps digestion and regulates blood sugar. However, the pancreas can become inflamed, which causes pancreatitis to occur.

31 Oct 2019

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Spooky stuff

Open enrollment starts Nov. 1 in most states for people who buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. For the second year in a row, premiums for these individual market plans are down slightly, even without the federal tax penalty for those who remain uncovered.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers discover key mechanism in insulin release by cholesterol metabolite

Insulin which is released by pancreatic beta-cells is the main regulator of blood sugar. Previous and current studies by a research group at Lund University in Sweden have identified around hundred different receptors on the surface of the beta-cells, with a diverse functional impact on the beta-cells.

31 Oct 2019

Avocados may hold the key to managing obesity and preventing diabetes

Your guacamole may hold the key to managing obesity and helping delay or prevent diabetes, according to a new study by a University of Guelph research team.

30 Oct 2019

Diabetes drug abolishes characteristic signs of nicotine withdrawal in mice

A drug commonly used to treat Type II diabetes abolishes the characteristic signs of nicotine withdrawal in rats and mice, according to new research published in JNeurosci. The finding may offer an important new strategy in the battle to quit smoking.

From Society for Neuroscience 30 Oct 2019

Artificial pancreas may improve glucose control in type 1 diabetics

A new study describes how patients could benefit from the use of newly available automatic closed-loop systems to administer insulin, popularly called “the artificial pancreas”.

30 Oct 2019

Moved overseas for school, stayed for insulin

Every now and then, Katie West considers returning to the United States. She moved to Germany for graduate school three years ago and now works as a health systems researcher in Hamburg. Her family is an ocean away. Then she remembers why she stays.

29 Oct 2019

Borderline personality disorder may contribute to heart attack among middle-aged adults

Middle-aged adults who show symptoms of borderline personality disorder may be at greater risk for a heart attack, as they show physical signs of worsening cardiovascular health more than other adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

28 Oct 2019

White and brown fat cells send very different signals to rest of the body

Many people might not realize that they have different types of body fat. Most of it is white fat that sits on your stomach, hips and thighs, for example. White fat is an energy storage that our body can use when food is scarce.

25 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover how brain cells respond to and recover from lack of nutrition

We all know that food is essential to healthy development of the brain and body, especially in the earliest stages of life. But exactly how early brain growth is affected by nutrition is not as well understood, especially on a cellular level.

25 Oct 2019

Penn State physician offers insight into the methods of intermittent fasting

Fad diets and exercise routines seem to come and go as often as the refrigerator calls out to people looking to lose a few pounds.

23 Oct 2019

Celiac disease may now be curable with biodegradable nanoparticles

A phase 2 trial just concluded shows that people with celiac disease may now be able to hope for a cure, through a treatment that makes the immune system tolerant towards gluten. This could eventually make it possible for such individuals to eat gluten-containing foods without fear.

22 Oct 2019

New treatment shows promise to reverse celiac disease

Results of a new phase 2 clinical trial using technology developed at Northwestern Medicine show it is possible to induce immune tolerance to gluten in individuals with celiac disease. The findings may pave the way for treated celiac patients to eventually tolerate gluten in their diet.

22 Oct 2019