Grant Awarded for Conditions that Threaten VisionJanuary 20, 2008Research to Prevent Blindness awarded $110,000.00 to Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Department of Ophthalmology. Research to Prevent Blindness is the top voluntary group that supports research pertaining to the eyes. The Department of Ophthalmology under the leadership of Jonathan H. Lass, MD, has been awarded grants of over $1.6 million during the past eleven years. Dr. Jonathan Lass said they are delighted that the Research to Prevent Blindness has continued to support and acknowledge their effort to keep on with the research. It is essential to continue on with the research as the science of vision is constantly changing. The award will help them go on with the research to recognize why blindness happens and the ways to prevent and treat it. Among the conditions they are researching are macular degeneration, corneal cataracts, scarring, ocular inflammation, genetic eye diseases and retinopathy in diabetes. The Research to Prevent Blindness was founded in 1960. Since its founding, it has awarded hundred of millions of dollars for research on eye diseases that lead to blindness. The grants have been awarded to medical organizations all over the United States. If you want more information on Research to Prevent Blindness and the researches being funded, along with eye disorders and their grant program, you can go to http://www.rpbusa.org/. I am glad the researches are continuing for this is really a big help in the prevention of eye complications for diabetes. They are already finding ways to help prevent this condition and so the world will only be brighter for those who are at risk for diabetic retinopathy.
FDA Approval to Reduce Blood GlucoseJanuary 19, 2008FDA approved Welchol to reduce blood glucose thus improving the glycemic control in adults who have type 2 diabetes. Mind you this will either have to be combined with sulfonylureas, metformin, insulin or alone or combined with other anti-diabetic agents. This approval made Welchol the only and first medication to lower both LDL cholesterol and glucose levels. This is good news for there are about 20.8 million people who have diabetes, 90% of whom have type 2 and 40% of these people have high LDL cholesterol. This will give the doctors a distinctive way to treat their patients. The result of the study was presented at the 67th Annual Scientific Sessions of ADA in Chicago. They said that patients who were unable to control their condition on metformin were divided into two groups. One group was given Welchol in addition to their metformin treatment while the other group received a placebo. When they compared the two groups, the ones treated with metformin and Welchol significantly lowered their A1C levels than the ones on metformin alone. In addition the Welchol group also lowered their LDL levels considerably when compared to the placebo group. There were two other studies that produced the same results when Welchol was added to the treatment based on sulfonylurea or insulin. This gives the doctors the option to treat both risk factors in cardiovascular events which are high cholesterol and blood sugar. Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami, Ronald B. Goldberg, MD who is also the Diabetes Research Institute's Associate Director at the aforementioned university said that the risk factors are a problem with type 2 diabetics because they have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Dr. Goldberg was one of the investigators of the studies. Oral Insulin Capsule CreatedJanuary 18, 2008There's a new way for taking oral insulin. This is certainly good news for the millions of people who have diabetes. This oral insulin imitates the way this hormone is dealt with naturally by the body so it could become the first treatment option to take. The treatment option for type 1 diabetes which is sometimes called juvenile diabetes is injection of insulin every day. It is different for type 2 diabetes which is the more common of the two types. Sometimes type 2 diabetes can be treated by diet and exercise. At times medication taken orally or insulin is needed. Diabetes comes with serious complications so treating it is an option that should be taken seriously. Some of the complications that are linked to diabetes are blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke but these can be avoided or at least delayed with diligent and persistent treatment of the condition. CEO of Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., Nadav Kidron, said that the treatment option of taking a capsule would be top in the list for the diabetics so this biotechnology company that is based in Israel produced and patented this oral insulin capsule to mostly treat type 2 diabetes. The delivery of oral insulin has been in the minds of those connected with diabetes. Patients who have an aversion to needles will welcome this and of course this is also good for the developers of drugs because the insulin market is huge. This capsule created by Oramed imitates the way the body processes this hormone in the way it is produced, regulated and distributed. What the capsule does is it makes the insulin enter the liver from the gastrointestinal track. The liver then processes the hormone intake before passing it to the circulatory system.
Happier After Type 1 Diabetes DiagnosisJanuary 17, 2008The February 2008 issue of Diabetes Forecast, the leading magazine for diabetes for sixty years, features Elizabeth Perkins. She is an actress diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 44 years old. She tells ADA in an interview that she's been happier since her diagnosis. In the magazine, she discusses her treatment routine, and how her condition has influenced her career in Hollywood. She is an actress who has received many nominations for the Series Weeds. It was while the first season was being filmed in 2005 when she was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At first she was totally beleaguered. She was testing her blood sugar and injecting herself in her trailer while shooting that first episode of Weeds. She was so afraid and alone then and didn't tell anybody she had diabetes. It took her 18 months to get over being overwhelmed. Now she can proudly admit she's diabetic and in control of her condition. Elizabeth Perkins already knew about eating health and exercising regularly because she had to look fit at the filming. But she made herself learn more. She learned to follow what her body needs, to rest when her body tells her to where before she didn't do that. To cope and adjust to her condition, she learned to monitor her blood sugar level, how to draw syringes and injecting herself without anyone around her knowing what she was doing. She just admitted to herself that no one else will be able to save her except herself. The experience of learning to cope with diabetes has actually helped her develop the Weeds character. She said she is now a happier person than before the diagnosis. She has a better understanding of the world around her.
Link Between Children's Nutrition and Adult DiseasesJanuary 16, 2008University of Granada's Department of Pediatrics' researchers will investigate the link between what the children eat and the development of diabetes, cardiovascular problems, allergies, obesity, weak bones and behavioral and neuromotor functioning. The study will include the group effort of 16 countries with their 38 universities and companies. The mission of this study is to aid in the formation of policies, guidelines and recommendations on the improvement of the children's nutrition.. The project called EARNEST (The Early Nutrition Programming Project) also aims to help in plans to prevent the negative influence of nutrition on metabolism. The professor who heads this project in Granada, Cristina Campoy, said that "early nutrition programming" is a recent addition to the science and health field. Nutrition has been shown in researches to have a long term effect in children's health and the development of diseases. The effect of nutrition during three stages (prenatal, postnatal, infancy) on the health and growth along with how the approaches on the prevention of the effects on the metabolism will be covered. It will also investigate the nutritional interventions and clinical tests, the economic and social studies linked to nutrition and their influence in the onset of diseases later. Another consideration this project hopes to find is whether breastfeeding can prevent risk of obesity since it is known that the growth kinetics of children who are breastfed differ from those who are commercially fed. This has been connected to eating habits.
Plan to Stem the Tide of Increasing Diabetes Rates Well ReceivedJanuary 15, 2008Senator Charles E. Schumer said that the rising problem from disastrous diseases linked to high blood pressure and obesity must be dealt with in all fronts: schools, at work and even on the streets. This he said after learning of the 52% diabetes increase in the Southern Tier in the last ten years. Visiting the health care providers and administrators at the Lourdes Hospital, Schumer announced his plan to combat the disease which comprises such steps as motivating the employers to help manage diabetes among the employees, regulating contents in schools' vending machines and sponsoring programs to promote the increase of physical activity. At the Broome County, over 8% have diabetes and 60% and more are either overweight or obese which makes them a high risk to develop diabetes. The problem is of huge proportion physically, emotionally and economically. Dr. Robert Taylor said that the health care costs for those with diabetes are five more than those who do not have the disease. Schumer said the approach to fight this disease must be more aggressive or the health care costs will be astronomical. The senator is a member of the Finance Committee at the senate so perhaps the plan will become a reality. The plan will include the following: . Establishing a pilot program to motivate employers to give incentives or some sort of a bribe for employees to improve their health through diet, exercise and medication. . Legislation to endorse refund of costs incurred by early screening, controlling and preventing diabetes instead on the emphasis now of treating the condition. . Establishing a campaign to encourage awareness in children on the value of healthy lifestyles. . Setting up a prerequisite for the nutritional standards of food and drinks in schools. Needless to say, the plan was well received. The director of the Community Health Services said we'd be in trouble if the trend is not reversed. Diabetic children are more prone to have cognitive problems and inferior reading and math scores. And employers should be involved as employees contribute to their bottom line. Diabetics Have New Hope in New Medical CenterJanuary 14, 2008Dr. Mariam Harmas said the new BDI million diabetes education center announced yesterday will have a gym, swimming pool and the Bahrain Diabetes Society offices. The announcement came as a 26-year old woman advised people to follow their doctor's order so that they won't lose their kidney and feet like what happened to her for ignoring her diabetes. The center for rehabilitation and diabetes education will be located in A'ali. They are requesting sponsors for the project and giving statistics on the number of type 1 diabetics that has grown to more than twice from 1993 figures in Bahrain. The consultant pediatrician at the Salmaniya Medical complex, Dr. Mansoor Rajab, said the number is still growing. Dr. Rajab is also a diabetologist and endocrinologist. He said that the figure in 1993 showed that seven to eight people per 100,000 had type 1 diabetes. Now that number has grown to 20 people suffering from type 1 diabetes out of every 100,000. In Bahrain, there are now 1000 children suffering from type 1 diabetes, Dr. Rajab added. And the statistics for type 2 diabetes is not any better. Due to inactive lifestyle and unhealthy meals, the number of type 2 sufferers is also growing. Diabetes now affects 35% of women and 25% of men. The discussion on the alarming statistics was held when the 2007 ambassador of ACHC (Arab Children Health Congress) Habiba Al Tawqi visited Bahrain and spoke to diabetic children. She said it is very important to control diabetes by taking the medication and changing lifestyle. Ms. Tawqi said she lost both her feet and kidney because she didn't take her medication regularly and didn't eat a healthy diet. She is a graduate of Omani tourism and has been diabetic starting at two years old. But she only started her problem in 1998 when she rebelled against her parents and doctors and didn't follow their advice. But now she learned how to fight because she does not want to lose anything more. Her goal is to talk to as many teenagers as possible so they will understand the condition better. The wife of the ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Princess Haya bint Al Hussain, sponsored Ms. Tawqi's visit. The head of the Health and Medical Services in Dubai, Wafaa Ayesh, said people with diabetes could live a long life with a healthy lifestyle and medication. By this lifestyle, he meant, eating a healthy diet and having enough physical activity.
Type 2 Diabetes Health Loss May Double by 2023January 13, 2008University of Queensland researchers said health loss due to type 2 diabetes will be more than twice by 2023 in Australia. This is the prediction of the UQ scientists who also said that health loss through the other major reasons will be down. To arrive at the above conclusion, the researchers used a measurement called DALY which is acronym for "disability adjusted life year". They say that one DALY is equals to one year of healthy life that is lost. The DALY stands for the difference between the present health status and the model for reaching old age. How did they arrive at their prediction? They evaluated and calculated the data from 1993 to 2003 in Australia regarding the injury and disease. This study by Stephen Begg et al then measured the loss of health from these and other factors. Stephen Begg said that the health loss among those in the lower economic status is higher by 31.7%. When comparing the population between those living in remote areas and big cities, the health loss in the former is 26.5% higher. These researchers examined 14 risk factors like smoking, alcohol intake, increased body mass, lack of physical activity and high blood pressure. Dr. Vos said that all these can be eliminated through intervention. So it follows that health loss through diabetes can be stopped as well. Dr. Vos added that there is a need for new ways so that the Australians will be motivated to lose weight just like the campaign they had about smoking that lowered the risk for cardiovascular disease. This way health loss through diabetes could be reduced too. "Where Do You Want to Go Next?" You didn't find what you were looking for? Search for it at Google right here: Return from Alert 12 to Symptoms-of-Diabetes Home Page for the Disclaimer.
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