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.

Extending sleep duration may help reduce risk of diabetes in youth

A new study suggests that increasing the amount of sleep that teenagers get could improve their insulin resistance and prevent the future onset of diabetes.

29 Sep 2012

Thymus tissue, iPSCS and liver cells can thrive in lymph nodes

Lymph nodes can provide a suitable home for a variety of cells and tissues from other organs, suggesting that a cell-based alternative to whole organ transplantation might one day be feasible, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and its McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

28 Sep 2012

Researchers discover leptin hormone in fruit flies

Researchers have discovered in fruit flies a key metabolic hormone thought to be the exclusive property of vertebrates. The hormone, leptin, is a nutrient sensor, regulating energy intake and output and ultimately controlling appetite.

28 Sep 2012

Inhibiting TRPV4 protects against diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance

Ember Therapeutics, Inc., a company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease, today announced the publication of key preclinical data demonstrating that inhibition of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV) family of ion channels - specifically TRPV4 - resulted in activation of brown/beige fat and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Ember holds an exclusive option to license these TRPV4 findings and technology.

28 Sep 2012

Molecular link between thermogenesis and development of inflammation in fat cells

Flipping a newly discovered molecular switch in white fat cells enabled mice to eat a high-calorie diet without becoming obese or developing the inflammation that causes insulin resistance, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

28 Sep 2012

Dietary habits associated with NAFLD in obese children

Research has identified a number of variables associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese children.

27 Sep 2012

ApoA-V as a contributor to dyslipidemia in obese children

Insulin may be an important regulator of serum apolipoprotein A-V levels in obese people and may contribute to the development of obesity-associated dyslipidemia, say Japanese researchers.

27 Sep 2012

GW to evaluate effectiveness of glucose-lowering drugs against type 2 diabetes

John Lachin, professor of biostatistics, epidemiology and statistics at the George Washington University, has been awarded a five-year, $134 million grant from the National Institute of Health's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to conduct a clinical trial examining the long-term effectiveness of several glucose-lowering medications for treatment of people with type 2 diabetes. The grant sets a record as the largest sum award GW has ever received.

27 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet scientists discover new approach to treat type II diabetes

An international team of scientists, led from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have discovered an entirely new approach to the treatment of type II diabetes. The therapy involves the blockade of signalling by a protein known as VEGF-B and this prevents fat from accumulating in the 'wrong' places, such as in muscles and in the heart. As a result the cells within these tissues are once again able to respond to insulin.

27 Sep 2012

CeQur completes PaQ Insulin Delivery Device clinical study on type 2 diabetes

CeQur SA, a company focused on the development and commercialization of simple insulin delivery devices, announced the completion of a clinical study with the company's PaQ Insulin Delivery Device.

27 Sep 2012

CSL develops new drug candidate against type 2 diabetes

CSL Limited has developed a new drug candidate that is able to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and reverse its progression in animal models of the disease.

27 Sep 2012

Low blood sugar danger for critically ill

Further analysis of the NICE-SUGAR trial shows a dose‑response relationship between the degree of hypoglycemia and the risk for death in critically ill patients.

25 Sep 2012

UCSD bioengineers to play a central role in new NIH program to accelerate metabolomics

With a $6 million grant over five years, bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego will play a central role in a new program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to accelerate "metabolomics", an emerging field of biomedical research that offers a path to a wealth of information about a person's nutrition, infection, health, disease status and more.

25 Sep 2012

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

24 Sep 2012

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

21 Sep 2012

MU endocrinologist to receive American Heart Association lifetime achievement award

One of the first researchers to study the deadly link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes will receive an American Heart Association lifetime achievement award today at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award presented to University of Missouri endocrinologist James Sowers, MD, recognizes his more than 30 years of accomplishments as a physician, scientist and educator.

21 Sep 2012

Iron transport may contribute to diabetes

Scientists have been trying to explain the causes of diabetes for many years. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S have now shown that the increased activity of one particular iron-transport protein destroys insulin-producing beta cells. In addition, the new research shows that mice without this iron transporter are protected against developing diabetes.

21 Sep 2012

Tight glycemic control does not reduce infection rate after pediatric cardiac surgery

Implementing tight glycemic control after surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass does not reduce the rate of healthcare-associated infections among pediatric patients, compared with standard care in the intensive care unit, show US study results.

20 Sep 2012

Lund University professor to coordinate oral insulin study for type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the autoimmune form of diabetes, in which the patients' insulin-producing beta cells are destroyed by their own immune system. "We know that if a person has two autoantibodies and one of them is against insulin, there is a 50 per cent risk that they will develop type 1 diabetes within five years. It doesn't matter how old you are", says Ake Lernmark, Professor of Experimental Diabetes Research at Lund University in Sweden.

20 Sep 2012

Obese adults with excess visceral fat, biomarkers of insulin resistance more likely to develop diabetes

Obese adults with excess visceral fat (fat located inside the abdominal cavity, around the body's internal organs) and biomarkers of insulin resistance had an associated increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, while obese individuals with higher amounts of total body fat and subcutaneous fat (underneath the skin) did not have this increased risk, according to a study in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity.

20 Sep 2012