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.

Degludec reduces risk of nighttime low blood sugar in elderly diabetic adults

A new variety of long-lasting insulin, called insulin degludec, lowers the risk of nighttime low blood sugar in elderly diabetic adults compared with insulin glargine, a systematic review of diabetes studies has found.

26 Jun 2012

LOGIC-Insulin software more effectively controls blood-sugar levels among critically ill patients

A computer-software program more effectively controlled blood-sugar levels among critically ill patients than nurse-directed care did, according to the first large clinical trial of its kind. The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

New tissue-culture study: Fungicide can induce insulin resistance

A fungicide used on farm crops can induce insulin resistance, a new tissue-culture study finds, providing another piece of evidence linking environmental pollutants to diabetes. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

New scoring system may better identify adolescents with metabolic syndrome

Researchers have developed a new scoring system that may better identify adolescents with the metabolic syndrome, a group at increased risk of later developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

26 Jun 2012

Combination of liraglutide and insulin controls blood sugar in obese adults with T1D

Obese adults with poorly controlled Type 1 diabetes can better control their blood sugar by adding liraglutide, a Type 2 diabetes drug, to their insulin therapy, a new study finds. The results, which will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, also found that these diabetic patients lost weight and lowered their blood pressure.

26 Jun 2012

Sitagliptin appears to reduce severity of reactive hypoglycemia

The diabetes drug sitagliptin appears to reduce the severity of reactive hypoglycemia, a form of low blood sugar that occurs after a meal, a preliminary study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery, especially when the duration of diabetes is less than 10 years, a new study finds. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Intensive insulin may backfire in acute stroke

Intensive control of glucose levels in patients with hyperacute stroke may do more harm than good, results of the randomized INSULINFARCT trial suggest.

25 Jun 2012

Exercise and diet together reduce chances of developing metabolic syndrome in obese older adults

Obese older adults can reduce their chance of developing the metabolic syndrome by losing weight through dieting alone, but adding exercise to a weight loss program has even more benefit, a new study finds. The results, to be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, show that a combination of diet-induced weight loss and frequent exercise almost doubled the improvement in insulin sensitivity compared with dieting alone.

25 Jun 2012

Common experience of menopausal symptoms not associated with heart disease risk

The hot flashes and night sweats that most women experience early in menopause are not linked to increased levels of cardiovascular disease risk markers unless the symptoms persist or start many years after menopause begins. These new study results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Three widely used diabetes medications associated with greater risk of death

Compared to another popular drug, three widely used diabetes medications are associated with a greater risk of death, a large new analysis finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Standard aspirin dose may not protect diabetics against blood clots

Many patients with type 2 diabetes may be aspirin resistant. That means the standard aspirin dose may not protect them against blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes among diabetics, a new clinical study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Degludec effectively lowers blood glucose with lower risk for hypoglycemia

An experimental insulin drug prevented low blood sugar among diabetic patients more often than a popular drug on the market, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Exposure to secondhand smoke may lead to obesity and Type 2 diabetes

Adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke have higher rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes than do nonsmokers without environmental exposure to tobacco smoke, a new study shows. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Diabetic Neuropathy: An interview with Dr Brian Callaghan

Diabetes is the number 1 cause of neuropathy, which is a very common condition in itself. In fact, up to half of all neuropathy is caused by diabetes, although other people can get the condition as well.

25 Jun 2012

GI Dynamics announces clinical data about EndoBarrier Therapy at ASMBS meeting

GI Dynamics, Inc. announced today that clinical data about EndoBarrier Therapy, a breakthrough treatment for type 2 diabetes and/or obesity, was presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) in San Diego.

23 Jun 2012

First study to link risk of cognitive decline to severity of diabetes

Preventing diabetes or delaying its onset has been thought to stave off cognitive decline -- a connection strongly supported by the results of a 9-year study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

23 Jun 2012

Biodel enters definitive securities purchase agreement with institutional investors

Biodel Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive securities purchase agreement with a group of institutional investors, including both existing and new investors, for the private placement of approximately 7.9 million shares of its capital stock and warrants to purchase approximately 2.7 million shares of its common stock.

23 Jun 2012