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.

Researchers untangle the mysteries around type-2 diabetes

For more than 30 years, scientists have been trying to unravel the mystery of how a key biological molecule self assembles into a rogue protein-like substance known as amyloid, which is thought to play a role in the development of type-2 diabetes - a disease that affects 300 million people worldwide.

25 Feb 2022

Study explores the impact of COVID-19 on pancreatic cells

New study findings showed that SARS-CoV-2 caused a productive yet restricted infection of pancreatic islet cells and an insignificant inflammatory response.

23 Feb 2022

Researchers highlight the extent to which NAFLD and diabetes jointly occur worldwide

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become an epidemic, similar to the non-communicable diseases cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

18 Feb 2022

Research shows alterations in transfer RNAs at the epigenetic level in cancer

A recently published paper in the journal Molecular Cancer by the group of Dr. Manel Esteller, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, ICREA Research Professor and Genetics Chairman at the University of Barcelona, shows that transfer RNAs for certain amino acids are altered at the epigenetic level in some types of cancer, expressing it in an exaggerated manner in some cases and being deficient in others.

17 Feb 2022

New class of compounds can improve multiple aspects of metabolic syndrome, mice study shows

A study in mice -; led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis -; shows that a new class of compounds the scientists developed can improve multiple aspects of metabolic syndrome.

12 Feb 2022

Ketogenic diet could enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, study shows

A Ludwig Cancer Research preclinical study has demonstrated that a common weight-loss diet could enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

12 Feb 2022

Drugs used to increase insulin signaling may be effective therapeutic strategy for autism

Drugs to increase insulin signaling may be effective for treating autism say Lancaster University researchers, who have discovered how a genetic change impacts on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in the brain.

10 Feb 2022

Researchers identify a cellular pathway that causes pancreatic beta cells to die in type 1 diabetes

A central feature of type 1 diabetes is loss of the pancreatic beta cells that make insulin. Researchers led by Paolo Fiorina, MD, PhD, of Boston Children's Hospital and Francesca D'Addio, MD, of the University of Milan now identify a harmful cellular pathway that causes these cells to die.

3 Feb 2022

Study reveals a direct correlation between fat browning and consumption of flavan 3-ols

In cold conditions, brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat generates heat to keep the body warm. Compared with white adipose tissue, BAT has more mitochondria-;subcellular organelles associated with energy production-;which allows it to burn calories and produce heat by activating the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1).

2 Feb 2022

Researchers discover why patients suffering with hypertension also have diabetes

The long-standing enigma of why so many patients suffering with high blood pressure (known as hypertension) also have diabetes (high blood sugar) has finally been cracked by an international team led by the universities of Bristol, UK, and Auckland, New Zealand.

1 Feb 2022

New approach to make RNA vaccines easier to swallow

Like most vaccines, RNA vaccines have to be injected, which can be an obstacle for people who fear needles. Now, a team of MIT researchers has developed a way to deliver RNA in a capsule that can be swallowed, which they hope could help make people more receptive to them.

31 Jan 2022

Study identifies drugs that could help combat mortality in patients with COVID-19

Inflammation is a defense mechanism of the body to fight pathogens. However, when it is widespread and excessive, it can aggravate the pathology and even cause death.

31 Jan 2022

Study highlights the risk of kidney disease and obesity in people with type 1 diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes should be screened regularly for obesity and chronic kidney disease, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

27 Jan 2022

Regular physical activity lowers type 2 diabetes risk by changing the body's metabolite profile

Regular physical activity significantly changes the body's metabolite profile, and many of these changes are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows.

26 Jan 2022

I write about America’s absurd health care system. Then I got caught up in it.

I got a hurried voicemail from my pharmacist in Wisconsin the day before Thanksgiving letting me know my insurance was refusing to cover my insulin.

25 Jan 2022

New therapeutic approach offers hope to treat obesity and related metabolic disorders

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new therapeutic approach to obesity and related metabolic disorders that in laboratory experiments demonstrated a significant reduction in body fat, body weight, and improvement in the blood markers that accompany these disorders.

25 Jan 2022

How artificial intelligence is poised to reshape medicine

In a recent review published in the journal of Nature Medicine, researchers discussed the results of a two-year weekly effort to track and communicate significant developments in medical (artificial intelligence) AI. They included prospective studies as well as developments in medical image analysis that have narrowed the gap between research and implementation.

24 Jan 2022

Study explores whether gut bacteria profiles differ by race and insulin sensitivity status

In the present study published in PLOS ONE, researchers designed and undertook a unique study to investigate these interactions further.

21 Jan 2022

New approach to help diabetes patients maintain healthy glucose levels

Before consuming a meal, many people with diabetes need to inject themselves with insulin. This is a time-consuming process that often requires estimating the carbohydrate content of the meal, drawing blood to measure blood glucose levels, and then calculating and delivering the correct insulin dose.