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.

High fructose corn syrup consumption alone not responsible for obesity epidemic

A new article published today in International Journal of Obesity found there is no evidence to suggest the current obesity epidemic in the United States can be specifically blamed on consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

19 Sep 2012

Adolescent menstrual disorders linked to hyperandrogenemia

Menstrual disorders in adolescence are associated with an increased risk for hyperandrogenemia, research shows.

19 Sep 2012

Children can largely benefit from 40 minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity

Twenty minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity over just three months can reduce a child's risk of diabetes as well as his total body fat - including dangerous, deep abdominal fat - but 40 minutes works even better, researchers report.

19 Sep 2012

Obese individuals with excess visceral fat more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

Obese individuals with excess visceral fat (abdominal fat that surrounds the body-s internal organs) have an increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. By contrast, persons with excess abdominal subcutaneous fat (fat underneath the skin) were not at higher risk for the onset of diabetes.

19 Sep 2012

Diet, lack of AgRP-neurons can lead to obesity and diabetes

The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers in The EMBO Journal. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

19 Sep 2012

Age at diabetes onset linked to macular edema onset

Older age at onset of Type 1 diabetes significantly increases the risk for developing clinically significant macular edema, show study findings.

19 Sep 2012

Two abnormalities associated with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes

A new University of Iowa study suggests there are two root causes of a type of diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). The findings, which already have sparked a clinical trial, may guide development of new treatments or even help prevent diabetes in patients with CF.

18 Sep 2012

Researchers identify gene mutations in Wolfram syndrome that affects insulin-secreting beta cells

The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes motor difficulties, and early death.

17 Sep 2012

Scientists describe how natural selection occurs at the cellular level

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) describe how natural selection also occurs at the cellular level, and how our body's tissues and organs strive to retain the best cells in their ranks in order to fend off disease processes.

15 Sep 2012

MIT engineers use ultrasound waves to enhance permeability of skin to drugs

Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or needle-free vaccinations, according to the researchers.

15 Sep 2012

U.K. scientists develop new test to catch drugs-cheats in sport

Scientists from three UK universities have developed a new test to catch drugs-cheats in sport.

15 Sep 2012

Pancreatic B-cell dedifferentiation leads to decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes

Scientists generally think that reduced insulin production by the pancreas, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is due to the death of the organ's beta cells. However, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers shows that beta cells do not die but instead revert to a more fundamental, undifferentiated cell type.

15 Sep 2012

Experimental diabetes drug shows promise against Alzheimer's

A drug designed for diabetes sufferers could have the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, a study by scientists at the University of Ulster has revealed.

15 Sep 2012

Pancreatic trigs trigger diabetes

Researchers have found that pancreatic triglycerides provide a novel biomarker for pancreatic β-cell dysfunction that can be used to identify individuals at risk for Type 2 diabetes, particularly among people of Hispanic origin.

14 Sep 2012

Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim announce availability of My Well Planner for adults with type 2 diabetes

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announce the availability of a new online program offering customized educational content to help adults with type 2 diabetes make simple lifestyle changes to improve their health.

14 Sep 2012

Biodel initiates BIOD-123 Phase 2 trial in Type 1 diabetes

Biodel Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of its proprietary recombinant insulin (RHI)-based ultra-rapid-acting mealtime insulin candidate, BIOD-123.

13 Sep 2012

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 level linked to incident diabetes

Elevated angiopoietin-like protein 2 levels are associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes, show findings from a Japanese study.

12 Sep 2012

Electronic jewelry for health

Bracelets and amulets are in the works at Dartmouth's Institute for Security, Technology, and Society (ISTS). Rather than items of mere adornment, the scientists and engineers are constructing personal mobile health (mHealth) devices-highly functional jewelry, as it were.

12 Sep 2012

Latinos more likely to store fat in the pancreas and develop type 2 diabetes

Latinos are more likely to store fat in the pancreas and are less able to compensate by excreting additional insulin, a Cedars-Sinai study shows.

12 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

This year's Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat. His team was the first to show that fat cells are formed throughout one's lifetime, not just in childhood.

11 Sep 2012