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Anyone you know may have this, at times, debilitating disease.  We don't necessarily LOOK sick.  We spend every day doing the same things that you do.  We look like normal people.  This is why I consider type one diabetes to be the "Unseen Disease."  We are usually thin, active, energetic, humble (or not) people.  You may see us at the dinner table, nonchalantly slipping our hands beneath the table to inject, bolus, etc.  You may not "see" us do anything at all!   Many diabetics can hide their disease for years.  Some are very open and will monitor their blood sugars in the open.  If that open-minded diabetic is your friend, applaud them for their bravery.  It is not easy to admit that you're sick, or "different."  There are many things that we cannot control- such as what time, exactly, our body decides that it needs something to eat, or to drink. 

Sometimes we will need to stop on our mid-morning jog to sit and drink a sugary drink.  Sometimes we cannot order that cup of coffee because it would mean taking yet another injection.  Sometimes we worry that we will not make it through the day, that our insurance won't allow us to buy that extra "back up" vial of insulin that is required for us to live.  Sometimes we're angry at everything because we can't seem to wrap our minds around why other people can't understand why things are just "different" for us.  Other times, we are completely normal, average human beings.  Life is trying, at times, but it always seems to be worth the quest and the frustration when those darned sugars just won't drop like we need them to.

Type one diabetes is a disease that not many people talk about.  It could be a newly diagnosed teenager, just growing into her body and the crowd at school.  It could be the three year old neighbor who was extremely pale and cranky, but now is happy- but with very much stress on his mind.  Type one diabetes does not descriminate who it chooses to affect.  It can happen to those who have it running in their bloodline- or not.  It can be "environmental" or simply "genetic".  Doctors are unsure of what happens to cause the pancreas to simply shut down suddenly.

However, even though this disease effects nearly 2 million people in America alone, it is still one that isn't spoken of.  The epidemic 20 million Americans who are diagnosed with Type Two overshadow us.

Let's talk about it.  Let's focus and get our stories out.  I'm counting on living forever.

Photo source: diabetestype1cure.net and www.unitedstatesofmotherhood.com 

December 14, 2009

- Katherine Marple (site owner)

I am just now back from a trip to Boston MA to participate in the Dr Faustman's Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) study.  The first way into her study was to donate blood for research.  I donated 6 vials of my blood and brought along my partner in crime, JR, because he is not related to me and because he does not have any type of autoimmune disease.  They also took 4 vials of his blood- as a control study.

Dr Faustman's research is break-through because it is studying ways to cure Type 1 in people who are CURRENTLY LIVING WITH THE DISEASE- not for those who are newly diagnosed.  When I spoke with Dr Faustman on the telephone on Wednesday, December 9th, she was clear (and very happy) that she wanted to help those that are already living with the disease.  She understood that there are many people living with Type 1 and that back at diagnosis, maybe there weren't many options available for cures back then.  Maybe we weren't informed about the cure research organizations back at diagnosis.  The window for treatment is so small- about 6 months after diagnosis.

So, Dr Faustman is using her knowledge and her studies with a drug already in use for over 80 years, called BCG.  BCG is used currently for tuberculosis immunizations in other countries.  It is a generic drug that temporarily elevates TNF levels in the body, and will reduce or eliminate autoimmune T cells in patients with type 1 diabetes.   Without the T cells that are destroying (smothering / inhibiting) the pancreas, the pancreas is believed to begin producing insulin once again.

Dr Faustman believes that the pancreas in Type 1 Diabetics is not dead, but suppressed.  She believes that once the T cells are reduced, the pancreas will begin to produce its own natural insulins once again, and the body will return to normal fuctioning.

An injection of BCG will last only an allotted amount of time in the body.  The length of time the person will remain diabetes free depends on the amount of BCG administered, as well as the response to the drug.  This time frame could be from 6 months to 6 years.  Since the killer T cells are an autoimmune disease, they will return.  When they return, another administration of BCG will need to take affect to return to a diabetes free state.

Blood donation appointments need to be made to participate in this study.  The appointments are in high demand and are currently scheduling out to August 2010.  (I had to wait 5 months to be seen this past December 10th)  If you are not from the Boston area, there are many sites to be seen and many things to do in the area- should you decide to make it a two or three day hotel room stay.  I recommend the Hilton on Boylston St.  It is within walking distance of the mall as well as many many boutique stores and supermarkets.  The museums are beautiful and the convention center is basically downstairs.  Dr Faustman's lab is within 10 mins driving distance from the Hilton and parking is free if tickets are booked online on Orbitz.com.

Phase I trials are closed.  It is the part of the study that is proving that the drug is safe.  Some patients are receiving small doses of BCG and some are receiving placebos and they are comparing to see if there are any changes caused to BCG other than lowered insulin dosages.

Phase II studies are still open and are based upon your compatibility results from your blood donation.

Please take the time to look at her website: http://www.faustmanlab.org and consider donating your blood or monetary funds.  Her entire research project is public supported and needs all the assistance you can offer.

Spread the word.

(click on image below to be redirected to Dr Faustman's donations page)

 December 13, 2009

Dogs4Diabetics is an innovative non-profit organization that provides quality medical alert assistance dogs to youth and adults who are insulin-dependent type 1 diabetics through a program of training, placement, and follow-up services.

Dogs4Diabetics assistance dogs have been specifically trained to identify, and more importantly, act upon the subtle scent changes that hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) creates in body chemistry, changes undetectable to their human companions.

Our non-profit organization was established and operates to do the following:

• Training and certifying dogs for hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) medical alert.
• Studying and developing training protocols for the Dogs4Diabetics program.
• Qualifying diabetic youth and adults for placement and service of our dogs.
• Training diabetic youth and adults for the proper use and care of our dogs.
• Conducting placement follow-up services.
• Educating businesses, organizations, and the public to the uses and rights of certified Dogs4Diabetics medical alert dogs.

The ABC's of D4D

In an effort to share information about D4D, we are starting a one hour program to introduce people to our organization called The ABC's of D4D. It will be an informal gathering to share organizational background and answer questions people have about the program. We'll be covering basic information including our history, vision, and roles we have available for volunteers.There's no need to RSVP if you are attending--just show up on a date that works for you!

The ABC's of D4D will be held at the D4D Nylabone Training Center:

1400 Willow Pass Court
Concord, CA 94520

If you are mapping the location, use Evora Road, Concord, CA 94520. Willow Pass Court will not show up on most mapping software or GPS.

Please visit: http://www.dogs4diabetics.com/ for more information.

December 11, 2009 

Many people with diabetes are very open to talking about the disease, while others are much more private. Some feel frustration at others’ reaction to their disease, their unsolicited advice or their outright ignorance about the disease. In response, Dr. Bill Polonsky, who is the Chairman of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators and a Senior Psychologist at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston developed the popular Diabetes Etiquette Card.

Diabetes Health published a recent article outlining Polonsky’s etiquette points for people without diabetes. For the full version, download a PDF here. Here’s the short version:

* Don’t offer unsolicited dietary advice. There are many widely-held beliefs about diabetic dietary restrictions that are untrue. Plus, offering unsolicited advice about personal habits is not nice.

* Understand that managing diabetes is a 24 hour, 7 day a week balancing act. It’s a job that is hard work and one that people with diabetes did not ask for.  

* Keep the horror stories you have heard about diabetes to yourself. People with diabetes know the score already.

* Offering to join a person with diabetes in healthy lifestyle changes is a positive way to show support and to encourage positive changes. Also, helping to set up an environment where it is easy to make healthy food choices is helpful.  

* Checking blood sugar levels and giving injections are not fun, so calling extra attention to it or looking horrified when you see someone with diabetes doing any of these necessary things is not helpful. Also, peeking at someone’s blood sugar numbers or commenting on them can rub some people the wrong way. So, assume these numbers are private unless the person with diabetes brings them up in conversation.

* Its OK to ask how you might be able to help, but do not assume you know what is best when it comes to helping someone with diabetes manage their sugars.

* Offering thoughtless reassurances, such as “It could be worse, you could have cancer” is really not helpful. And, in fact, diabetes kills more people each year than cancer and AIDS combined, so having diabetes is a big deal.

* Do not insist a person with diabetes try a particular food if they decline. They know how their body reacts to certain foods.   

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Source: http://diabetesnewshound.com/type1/diabetes-etiquette/

LCT is pleased to refer you to the report from Dr John Baker, diabetes specialist conducting the DIABECELL®  clinical trial in New Zealand. The report was released today in response to numerous queries from the public on the progress of the trial. Dr Baker reported that there were no ill effects and the patient has dropped his dose of insulin by 30% while maintaining his usual blood glucose level. Prof Bob Elliott, LCT Medical Director says that the trial is still at a very early stage and he is pleased to see the patient respond to the implant as expected.

The next person is another man who is now scheduled for the implant in December.  Four more candidates have been identified. Although only 8 candidates are required for the trial, the selection procedure is intensive.

All candidates must meet the selection criteria approved by the Regional Ethics Committee and Medsafe, the regulatory authority of the Ministry of Health. All are adults who have had diabetes for at least 5 years that is difficult to control or 'brittle' despite careful monitoring of blood glucose, insulin doses and lifestyle. They all have swings in blood glucose levels and frequent episodes of unacceptably low blood glucose.

We look forward to providing you with an update as the trial has progresses further.

On 10 December, the NHMRC announced that clinical trials involving animal to human transplantation (xenotransplatation) will be allowed to proceed, once regulatory and surveillance frameworks are in place.

In making its decision, the NHMRC noted the developments in science and technology since 2004, in particular evidence relating to the risks of transmission of animal viruses, and international developments and guidance on the management and regulations of xenotransplantation.

Dr Paul Tan, Chief Executive Officer LCT said, "We very much welcome the decision by the NHMRC and are pleased that their original concerns have been satisfied. This is in keeping with recent scientific data and the increasing acceptance of current international guidelines for the safe use of animal tissue to treat human disease. This decision opens up significant opportunities not only for LCT, but for the wider medical science community and people with life threatening diseases."

In November 2008, the World Health Organisation released the Changsha Communiqué which addressed the potential and importance of xenotransplantation. It also outlined the parameters for xenotransplantation research and trials. LCT is compliant with all of the guidelines and has a designated pathogen-free pig herd.

LCT is currently the only company in the world conducting xenotransplantation Phase II trials in diabetes and has previously reported early encouraging results from DIABECELL® trials in New Zealand and Russia.

"LCT is already involved in an exciting pilot project in animals in Australia, with the Bionic Ear Institute in Melbourne involving our NTCELL, and we look forward to having discussions with regulatory authorities around protocols for bringing our platform technologies and trials to Australia," Dr Tan said.

DIABECELL® is designed to normalize blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes sufferers.  DIABECELL® comprises encapsulated porcine insulin-producing cells which can be administered without the need to use immunosuppressive drugs.

NTCELL comprises encapsulated porcine choroid plexus cells and has restorative properties for neurodegenerative processes, such as deafness, Parkinson's disease and dementia.

For further information: http://www.smartmailpro.co.nz/redirect.aspx?xr99=05954E024ACB4EE988DA9C08244C6119&xr66=196869AB396F4FB1A140B4E8C362D14A

November 4, 2009 

Parents concerned about passing diabetes – both Type 1 and Type 2 – to their children should breathe a small sigh of relief, according to an article recently published by the Hartford Courant. That’s because while genes play a role in the in one’s predisposition to the two very different Type of diabetes, environmental factors actually trigger the diseases in individuals, according to the American Diabetes Association. While the exact cause of either Type 1 or Type 2 is not known, there are some things researchers know.

When developing Type 1 most people will inherit risk factors from both parents. However, the triggers are unclear, but some researchers hypothesize that cold weather, diet, stress or even a virus may serve as triggers. For men with Type 1, the chances of a child having Type 1 as well is 1 in 17, or about 5.9%. For women with type 1 giving birth prior to their 25^th birthday, the chances are about 1 in 25, or about 4%. However, those giving birth after 25 have odds of about 1 in 100, or 1%.

With Type 2, according to the Courant article, genes play a much bigger role. However, lifestyle, weight and eating habits also play a major factor. For parents with Type 2 the odds are much higher that your child will develop Type 2. In fact, if both parents have the disease, the chances of the child developing the disease are about 1 in 2, or 50%.

The chance of a child developing Type 2 is about 14.3% for parents diagnosed with the disease prior to the age of 50 years old. After that the chances drop to about 7.7%. And, some research suggests that the chances of the child developing the disease are higher when the mother has diabetes.

To receive free news updates from Diabetes News Hound delivered straight to your Inbox, sign up here. If you already receive the free Alerts, spread the word by telling a friend to sign up here.

Source: http://diabetesnewshound.com/uncategorized/how-likely-are-you-to-pass-on-diabetes-to-your-kids/

October 6, 2009 

From Living Cell Technologies http://www.lctglobal.com/:

Living Cell Technologies Limited today announced that DIABECELL® was successfully implanted yesterday in the first patient with type 1 diabetes in Auckland, New Zealand.

DIABECELL®, LCT's encapsulated porcine cells that produce insulin, was implanted by a laparoscopic procedure into the abdomen of a 47 year old man who has had type 1 diabetes for 20 years.

This is the first of eight DIABECELL® implants to be carried out under LCT's clinical protocol for New Zealand. The protocol was approved by the Minister of Health in June 2009 following international peer review of LCT's DIABECELL® clinical programme.

The patient was selected based on the protocol criteria for poor control of blood glucose. Despite meticulous specialist supervision of frequent daily insulin injections, he has continuing frequent episodes of high blood glucose, high glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) and unacceptable swings including low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia).

The trial is being conducted by Dr John Baker, principal investigator and diabetes specialist based at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. The protocol requires patients to be monitored for 8 weeks before receiving the implant. The first four patients are to receive 10,000 islet equivalents per kilogram body weight (IEQ) of encapsulated pig islets and the next four patients the higher dose of 15,000 IEQ. All recipients of DIABECELL® implants will be followed up intensively for a year and less frequently thereafter. An independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board will assess progress and provide a report six months after the first implant. Details of the trial are available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.

Dr Paul Tan, Chief Executive Officer LCT said, "The trial in New Zealand has attracted wide global attention with more than 200 reports in the international media. With positive results from our trial in Russia to date, LCT believes it may be able to deliver even better results for people with diabetes as this trial will be using higher doses."

DIABECELL® is designed to normalize blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes sufferers.
DIABECELL® comprises encapsulated porcine insulin-producing cells which can be administered without the need to use immunosuppressive drugs.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells). Five to 10 percent of the more than 200 million diabetics worldwide have insulin dependent type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is associated with kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, life-threatening cardiovascular disease and limb amputations. Current treatment options include multiple daily injections of insulin.

For further information: http://www.lctglobal.com/

LCT implants first Diabecell treatment

Thursday, 8 October 2009

LIVING Cell Technologies has successfully implanted its Diabecell diabetes treatment in the first patient with type- 1 diabetes, in the company's long- awaited New Zealand trail.

source: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/09/19/6367/diabetes-in-a-dish-steps-toward-a-cure/

09/25/2009 -

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have uncovered what looks to be an important clue regarding the causes of type 1 diabetes.

A research team led by Dr. Fraser Scott recently screened 42 patients with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half showed an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins.

Dr. Scott is a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. The research team includes Dr. Majid Mojibian, Dr. Habiba Chakir, Dr. David E. Lefebvre, Jennifer A. Crookshank, Brigitte Sonier and Dr. Erin Keely.  
 
In most people, the immune system functions normally, identifying and attacking dangerous foreign visitors, like viruses and bacteria, without harming healthy body tissue or other benign molecules, including food molecules in the digestive tract.

The breakdown of this process contributes to the development of various autoimmune diseases and allergies. In the case of Type 1 diabetes, the immune system wrongly targets the cells of the pancreas, the organ responsible for regulation of blood sugar.

Globally, diabetes afflicts nearly 250 million people. Type 1 diabetes, the most severe form of the disease, makes up about 10 percent, or about 25 million, of that worldwide total. There is currently no cure for Type 1 diabetes, and sufferers require daily insulin injections can help control blood sugar levels.

Dr. Scott’s results offer the first suggestions that T cells in the immune systems of type 1 diabetics are also more likely to have adverse immune reactions to wheat. His results also suggest that such over-reaction is tied to genes associated with type 1 diabetes.

According to Dr. Scott, the research suggests that "people with certain genes may be more likely to develop an over-reaction to wheat and possibly other foods in the gut and this may tip the balance with the immune system and make the body more likely to develop other immune problems, such as type 1 diabetes.”

Dr. Scott adds that the immune system has to find "the perfect balance to defend the body against foreign invaders without hurting itself or over-reacting to the environment and this can be particularly challenging in the gut, where there is an abundance of food and bacteria.”

In side comments that accompany the paper, diabetes expert Dr. Mikael Knip of Finland suggest that the team's results "add to the accumulating concept that the gut is an active player in the diabetes disease process.”
 
Earlier animal models studies by Dr. Scott have shown that a wheat-free diet can reduce the risk of developing diabetes, but he notes that more research is needed to confirm the association and to assess possible effects of diet changes in humans.

More research is also needed to examine possible connections to celiac disease, an autoimmune disease associated with adverse immune reactions to wheat proteins that has significant associations with diabetes.

This research project was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Source:
Diabetes - August 2009

Source: http://www.celiac.com/articles/21902/1/50-of-Type-1-Diabetics-Show-Adverse-Immune-Response-to-Wheat/Page1.html

Source: http://finance.paidcontent.org/v/?ChannelID=3191&GUID=9954938&Page=MediaViewer

ScienceDaily

(Aug. 20, 2009) —

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered what may be an important clue to the cause of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Fraser Scott and his team tested 42 people with type 1 diabetes and found that nearly half had an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins. The study is published in the August 2009 issue of the journal Diabetes.

Early in life, the immune system is supposed to learn to attack foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, while leaving the body’s own tissues and harmless molecules in the environment alone (including food in the gut). When this process goes awry, autoimmune diseases and allergies can develop. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the pancreas, the organ that regulates blood sugar. Dr. Scott’s research is the first to clearly show that immune cells called T cells from people with type 1 diabetes are also more likely to over-react to wheat. His research also shows that the over-reaction is linked to genes associated with type 1 diabetes.

“The immune system has to find the perfect balance to defend the body against foreign invaders without hurting itself or over-reacting to the environment and this can be particularly challenging in the gut, where there is an abundance of food and bacteria,” said Dr. Scott, a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. “Our research suggests that people with certain genes may be more likely to develop an over-reaction to wheat and possibly other foods in the gut and this may tip the balance with the immune system and make the body more likely to develop other immune problems, such as type 1 diabetes.”

In a commentary accompanying the paper, diabetes expert Dr. Mikael Knip of Finland said “These observations add to the accumulating concept that the gut is an active player in the diabetes disease process.”

Dr. Scott’s previous research has shown that a wheat-free diet can reduce the risk of developing diabetes in animal models, but he notes that more research will be required to confirm the link and determine possible effects of diet changes in humans. Research is also needed to investigate links with celiac disease, another autoimmune disease that has been linked to wheat.

This research was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The authors include Dr. Majid Mojibian, Dr. Habiba Chakir, Dr. David E. Lefebvre, Jennifer A. Crookshank, Brigitte Sonier and Dr. Erin Keely, as well as Dr. Scott. Patients were enrolled at The Ottawa Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

An estimated 246 million people have diabetes worldwide. Type 1 diabetes is the most severe form, representing about 10 per cent of all cases. Insulin injections can help control blood sugar levels in those affected but there is no cure.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820124038.htm

By BARBARA LaBOE, The Longview Daily News

KELSO, Wash. (AP) - Allen Heck has been hailed a hero since running into the Cowlitz River last week to save a 9-year-old girl, losing his own life in the process. Unknown by most is that Heck was an extremely ill young homeless man with the simple goal of living to his 21st birthday.

The 20-year-old Longview man had drifted for about three years after diabetes barred him from the only job he ever wanted - serving in the Army. Directionless, he made some bad decisions, family and friends admit, and was living at the Community House shelter at the time of the drowning.

But despite frequent hospitalizations for diabetes and complications and the news he only had a few years to live, at best Heck kept trying to put his life back together, family and friends said. And his actions one week ago surprised no one who knew him.

"That's just the way he was," said former girlfriend Abbie Svoboda, who now lives in Florida. "It was always all about whoever needed help."

"He did have a troubled past, but what my son did the other day was amazing," said Tara Kubacki. "He didn't even think of himself or his health."

Heck was at the Cowlitz River in Kelso on July 17 with his sister's 15-year-old stepson, his 3-year-old niece and one of her friends. They visited the river often to cool down on hot days, sister Shantel Huff recalled.

At about 3 p.m. a 9-year-old girl from a nearby group was playing in the water off of a sandbar and stepped in over head where a shelf drops off to 8 feet deep. The 15-year-old with Heck heard the cries for help first and ran to help, calling for Heck when the panicked girl fought and scratched him, Huff said.

All three Heck children knew how to swim and had taken junior lifeguard classes, so Huff is sure her brother didn't give the rescue a second thought. Heck reached the 9-year-old and was able to hold her up above water even though he also was in over his head. Someone grabbed the girl and set her safely on the sandbar. When they looked back, Heck was gone. His body was found by Cowlitz Dive Team members the next day.

Heck had just been released from the hospital four days before he drowned, one of many hospitalizations in recent months.

Because he was so sick, he could not hold a steady job. He'd find work only to lose it after some complication or overexertion landed him back in the hospital.

Heck fought for two years to get some sort of disability designation because he couldn't come close to working enough to afford his treatment and medicine. Diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin to covert sugar into energy. Diabetics often need daily injections of insulin to avoid comas and other complications.

With no money and massive debts, Heck ran into trouble with the law just days before he died.

He told police he was desperate for money to buy his lifesaving insulin, according to court records.

"He was $200,000 in debt," his mother said, shaking her head. "$200,000 at 20 years old."

Worse than the monetary cost, diabetes also took away Heck's hope and dreams, family and friends said.

Heck spent his childhood focused on joining the Army. He spent two years in the junior ROTC program at Salem and delighted in challenging his brother to strength competitions or workouts.

"He liked to show he was better than me, and he was," Kenneth Heck said.

As strong as he was, the Army would not overlook his diabetes, which was diagnosed at age 17.

"He wanted to help people, he wanted to serve his country," his mother said. "When they told him they couldn't take him it just shattered his dreams."

"He was just so bummed out because that was the one thing he really wanted to do," said Svoboda, who dated Heck when they both attended North Salem High School. The two kept in touch via MySpace and Svoboda said while he didn't talk about it much, it was clear Heck was adrift after his military plans fell through.

"It did seem like he was having a hard time dealing with it," she said. "He didn't have a backup plan and he kept trying to find out what he could do. His heart was crushed."

Heck moved out of his mother and stepfather's home while still attending R.A. Long High School. He never graduated and struggled to find a steady job or home, often bouncing between friends and relatives.

"We talked to him on numerous occasions about what he needed to do in life," stepfather Jeff Kubacki said. "But sometimes parents are stupid and kids know it all."

Throughout it all, though, Heck loved spending time with family and delighted in playing with his young niece and nephew.

"I don't know a person out there who didn't make at least one mistake," Huff said. "Maybe he didn't learn from the first one and had to do it a couple of times, but he wasn't a bad person."

"Lately he's been trying to get back on his feet," said childhood friend Joey Malave, who saw Heck at the Salvation Army a week before his death. "He was trying to get his life together and get his own place."

"He was going to LCC and doing odd jobs through a temp agency," his mother said. "I think he was trying to find his niche."

Dogging Heck's every move was the diabetes that threw his entire body out of whack and kept landing him in the hospital.

Doctors told him he'd be lucky to see 25. Recently they had downgraded that to 21, Huff said.

"After the Army, that was his next goal," Huff said. "To live past 21."

Despite the dire prognosis, Heck kept his problems to himself, rarely talking about it or his struggles.

He once helped Community House staff stuff envelopes even though he wasn't feeling well, recalled Mae McCoy. Only at the end did he ask for a ride to the hospital, where he spent the next three days in intensive care, McCoy said.

"He saw something that needed done and he did it, even if he wasn't feeling well," she said.

Heck was known as the family Superman growing up, Jeff Kubacki said, because he always was the first of the three children to try something scary. Huff said he wanted to be strong for everyone else.

Though devastated at their loss, Heck's family repeatedly stressed that the girl Heck saved and her family shouldn't feel guilty about his death. They do hope it increases the use of life jackets around the region's lakes and rivers.

As for Heck, they said he'd be glad he was able to help. And also glad that for once his health did not get in the way.

http://www.katu.com/news/51748747.html

Denise L. Faustman, MD, PhD, has worked in the field of autoimmunity for over 15 years and has made some of the key discoveries regarding the role of MHC Class I antigen presentation in immunity. Her earlier research achievements include introducing the concept of modifying antigens on donor tissues to prevent their rejection, a scientific accomplishment that is now in human clinical trials for diverse human diseases treatable with cellular transplants. In 2001, her lab reversed type 1 diabetes in mice with end stage disease, a project that is now being translated into human clinical trials. Her current research continues to focus on uncovering new treatments for type 1 diabetes, as well as searching for therapies for other autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease, lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.
 

Dr. Faustman is currently Director of the Immunobiology Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. After completing her internship, residency, and fellowships in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the MGH, Dr. Faustman became an independent investigator at the MGH and Harvard Medical School in 1987. She is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and serves as a frequent member of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr Faustman's honors in recent years include:

Dr. Denise Faustman

• 2006: Women in Science Award, American Medical Women's Association and Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company. Given to a woman physician who has made exceptional contributions to medical science through basic science publications and through leadership in the field, Tucson, AZ
• 2005: Oprah Achievement Award, Top Health Breakthrough by a Female Scientist
• 2003: National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, "Changing the Face of Medicine" award. One of 300 American physicians honored for achievement in medicine, past and present, Washington, DC.

For more information, please visit www.faustmanlab.org

Source: www.faustmanlab.org

7/1/2009

FDA is aware of four recently-published observational studies that looked at the use of Lantus (insulin glargine) and possible risk for cancer in patients with diabetes. Three of the four studies suggest an increased risk for cancer associated with use of Lantus.  See http://www.diabetologia-journal.org/cancer.html.

Based on the currently available data, the FDA recommends that patients should not stop taking their insulin therapy without consulting a physician, since uncontrolled blood sugar levels can have both immediate and long-term serious adverse effects.  Patients should also contact their healthcare professional if they have concerns about the medicines they are taking.

Similar to human insulin, insulin glargine is used to control blood sugar in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.  Insulin glargine, however, is a modified version of human insulin (an insulin analogue) that allows for the control of blood sugar for extended periods of time (a long-acting insulin).  Insulin glargine is approved for once-a-day dosage by subcutaneous injection (injection under the skin). 

The four observational studies evaluated large patient databases and all reported some level of association between the use of insulin glargine, and other insulin products, and various types of cancer.  The duration of patient follow-up in all four studies was shorter than what is generally considered necessary to evaluate for cancer risk from drug exposure.  Further, inconsistencies in findings within and across individual studies raise concerns as to whether an association between the use of insulin glargine and cancer truly exists.  Additionally, differences in patient characteristics across the treatment groups may have contributed to a finding of increased cancer risk. 

FDA is currently reviewing many sources of safety data for Lantus, including these newly published observational studies, data from all completed controlled clinical trials, and information about ongoing controlled clinical trials, to better understand the risk, if any, for cancer associated with use of Lantus.

Discussions are also ongoing between FDA and the manufacturer of Lantus as to whether any additional studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of this drug will need to be performed.

FDA will communicate the results on its ongoing review to the public, as appropriate, as our review continues.

The FDA encourages both healthcare professionals and patients to report side effects from the use of insulin glargine to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program using the information at the bottom of the page.

This early communication is in keeping with FDA’s commitment to informing the public about its ongoing safety reviews of drugs.  FDA will communicate its findings with the public as soon as its review of insulin glargine is complete.

This information reflects FDA’s current analysis of available data concerning this drug. Posting this information does not mean that FDA has concluded there is a causal relationship between the drug product and the emerging safety issue.  Nor does it mean that FDA is advising health care professionals to discontinue prescribing this product. FDA is considering, but has not reached a conclusion about whether this information warrants any regulatory action. FDA intends to update this document when additional information or analyses become available.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm169722.htm

To Report Any Adverse Effects While on Lantus, Please Copy/ Paste the Link Below into Your Internet Explorer Address Bar:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safety/MedWatch/DownloadForms/UCM082725.pdf

Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:33am EDT

By Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - The history of past drug scares suggests concerns over the safety of Sanofi-Aventis's (SASY.PA) diabetes treatment Lantus will hit sales, whether or not a suggested link to cancer proves real.

Shares in the French drugmaker sank 7 percent on Friday, extending losses from the previous session, on growing concern that researchers are about to publish a damaging analysis of the company's modern, or analog, insulin drug.

"Our information is that indeed a study is likely to be published soon raising the possibility of a link between Lantus use and a certain cancer type," Sanford Bernstein analyst Tim Anderson said in a research note.

"We understand this will not come out in a small medical journal, but rather one of the major medical journals and it will be the first time that such a high-profile analysis has been published linking the drug to cancer in humans."

Although nothing is in the public domain yet, the widespread talk is likely to negatively influence both doctors' and patients' perceptions and uptake of Lantus.

"Even if Lantus were cleared of a potentially increased cancer risk, media focus will likely dramatically alter the growth profile," said Andrew Baum of Morgan Stanley.

Sanofi is relying on Lantus, which many analysts expect to be its second-biggest seller this year, to offset a fall in sales of other products, such as Plavix and Lovenox, that could soon face generic competition.

It cannot afford for Lantus sales to stall.

Sanofi has not commented on future studies about the safety of the drug, but a spokesman reiterated that past data from trials involving more than 70,000 patients, as well as data from post-marketing surveillance, showed a good safety profile.

AVANDIA AGAIN?

The fear is that Sanofi might suffer the same fate as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) in 2007, when safety concerns over its diabetes drug Avandia saw prescriptions tumble almost 50 percent in the United States within six months.

JP Morgan analyst Alexandra Hauber estimates that a 50 percent reduction in global Lantus sales forecasts from 2010 onwards would cut 2010-13 earnings by between 7 and 13 percent.

Most industry analysts expect Lantus to generate sales of around $4 billion this year and consensus forecasts compiled by Evaluate Pharma suggest this will rise to $6.4 billion in 2014, making it the world's fifth biggest-selling medicine by then.

At the moment, analysts are holding fire on revising their forecasts, but that could change when any long-term safety data is published.

A link between Lantus and cancer does make some sense at a scientific level, according to analysts, and the issue could also affect other insulin analogues, such as Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) Levemir.

In fact, the theoretical possibility of Lantus being a mitogenic, cancer-causing compound has been around for nearly a decade, said Bernstein's Anderson, noting that U.S. Food and Drug Administration review documents dating back to 2000 mentioned findings of malignancies in rodents.

For Denmark's Novo Nordisk, whose shares fell nearly 4 percent on Friday, the issue is something of a two-edged sword, according to Sam Fazeli of Piper Jaffray.

Novo could potentially gain from problems at its rival, and it might also benefit from any shift in demand toward its short-acting insulins. But there is a risk that users will be wary of all modern insulins and there may be a more general switch to older, cheaper insulin products.


Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/euPrivateEquityNews/idUSTRE55P2PM200...

June 5, 2009

Cindi Dehoog of KHQ reporting:

SPOKANE, WA-

Caitlin Perry is a smart, spunky nine year old who loves to play soccer.  While she may look like any other fourth grader, she’s not.

“She does a really good job,” Chris Perry, Catilin’s father, said.  “She’s pretty self sufficient...  You can’t just leave a nine year old to fend for herself with Type 1 Diabetes.”

At just nine years old, Caitlin knows far more about diabetes and its treatments than a lot of adults.  She has to, because her life depends on reading the signs.

“Five minutes before lunch, I have to go into the health room,” Caitlin said.  “And they have a sheet where I can see how many carbs all the food is and then I can figure that out and I eat and I type it in my pump.”

But reading the signs of diabetes became an issue on March 20^th at Midway Elementary school, when Caitlin felt her blood sugar crashing and she immediately realized she needed more carbohydrates.

“I asked my friend if she could go get me an extra fruit snack,” Caitlin said. “And so she got me one and brought it back to the table.”

This is where the story turns frightening.  Not because of a health reason,  but because of the way the school responded.

“I was about to open it,” Caitlin said.  “The cook came around and she said: ‘You had two, you can’t have this.’  And before she took it, I said: ‘But my blood sugar’s low.’ And she took it and told me I was going to the principal’s office.”

Caitlin was written up for theft and was even forced to write a letter of apology:

 "Dear Cook, I am very sorry for what happened and I swear it will never happen again!  I did not know it would be stealing.”

 The principal at Midway Elementary School did not want to go on camera, but [said] this issue has been resolved, and the school takes the healthcare of Caitlin and every student seriously.  Caitlin’s dad says he doesn’t want anyone at the school to get into trouble for what happened.  He just wants teachers to be educated about his daughter’s disease. 

“There was a decision that was made,” Chris Perry said. “That wasn’t in the best interests of our child.  If she could somehow make everyone and all the staff more aware of how to handle diabetes and some things to watch out for, that this situation could have been avoided.”

A scary situation Chris hopes Catilin won’t have to go through again so she can continue to look and feel like any other nine year old girl.

Source: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31124144#31124144

May 28, 2009

FORT SMITH 

Police investigated two store robberies Monday night and early Tuesday morning, including one in which a clerk gave the suspect his own money to buy insulin.

Police were first dispatched to E-Z Mart at 3411 Country Club Ave., which has been robbed frequently in the past, concerning a near-robbery that resulted in the clerk giving the suspect his own money to help the man purchase insulin, according to a police report.

The clerk told police that at around 10:45 p.m. he was outside the store when a black male he did not know approached him and told him he needed something from inside the store. He said the man appeared to be 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, about 125 pounds and wearing a dark colored “bucket hat,” a blue and white horizontally striped shirt and long, baggy blue denim shorts, according to the report.

Once inside the store, the clerk said, the man lifted his shirt slightly, revealing what appeared to be the tan colored grip of a handgun secured by his waistband. The clerk said the suspect told him, “I hate to do this, but I need $40 from the cash register,” according to the report.

The clerk said he asked the man to show him the gun and told him that he could not give him the money from the register because the money was not his to give. The suspect, he said, then told him that he needed the money to buy insulin. He said he reasoned with the suspect, explaining to him that the money was the store’s and that he, the suspect, would go to jail if he took the money. The clerk told the suspect that instead he would give him the $40 from his own pocket. The suspect thanked the clerk, shook his hand.

Photo Source: http://www.refertop.com/wp-content/uploads/diabetes.jpg

Source: www.msnbc.com/ 

Boy Steers Until Police Can Halt Truck

POSTED: Friday, May 22, 2009
UPDATED: 11:26 am EDT May 22, 2009

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- A 6-year-old boy grabbed the wheel of his family's pickup truck when his father passed out from low blood sugar, keeping the vehicle from crashing until an officer could bring it to a halt, police said.

Tustin Mains was in the back seat with his 3-year-old brother Sunday when his father, Phillip Mains, slumped over at the wheel, the boy told police. The family had been driving home from a restaurant.

"I remember getting up to about the mall -- that was about 6:45," Mains told The North Platte Telegraph. "The next thing I remember was waking up to the officer and paramedics, and it was 8:15."

Tustin leapt into his father's lap so he could steer and see out the windshield. Mains' foot had slipped off the accelerator, but even at idle the Chevrolet Avalanche was going an estimated 10-15 mph, police said.

The kindergartner steered the truck several blocks, even turning around when he entered a neighborhood he didn't recognize, until he was spotted by police.

North Platte officer Roger Freeze ran up to the moving pickup, reached through an open window and rammed the gearshift into park.

Police Chief Martin Gutschenritter praised his officer and young Tustin.

"I will be issuing him a departmental citation for his quick, professional action on this case. That is also a very special young man. He was able to take quick action when his dad was incapacitated, and we are very proud of him, too," Gutschenritter said.

When he saw his dad "fall asleep," Tustin said, he got scared, then got another fright when Freeze appeared at the truck's window.

When Freeze abruptly stopped the pickup, Tustin said, "I was just happy."

Source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19537197/detail.html

Photo Source: http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/10147753.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=8EABB65AB8D3A4B145FAEE879B73F06F

CHICAGO, April 14, 2009 (Reuters) -

People with type 1 diabetes who got stem cell transplants were able to go as long as four years without needing insulin treatments, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said the process, which involves injecting people with stem cells made from their bone marrow cells, appears to have a lasting effect.

The study involved patients with Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, which occurs when the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking itself, destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas needed to control blood sugar.

These patients typically need daily insulin therapy to control their diabetes.

Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and colleagues first reported on the short-term success of the procedure, known as autologous non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, in 2007 but have since looked at how long it persisted.

Writing in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association they said 20 of 23 patients "became insulin free -- 12 continuously and eight transiently -- for periods as long as four years." The transient group of eight had to restart insulin at reduced levels.

The patients ranged in age from 13 to 31.

To find out if the change was lasting the research team said they measured levels of C-peptides, which show how well the body is producing insulin. They found those levels increased "up to 24 months after transplantation and were maintained until at least 36 months," their report said.

Even in the group which had to restart insulin there was still a significant increase in C-peptide levels that lasted at least two years, the researchers said.

They said the procedure was able to induce "prolonged and significant increases of C-peptide levels" in the small group of patients who were taking little or no insulin.

"At the present time (it) remains the only treatment capable of reversing type 1 diabetes mellitus in humans," the team wrote.

"Randomized controlled trials and further biological studies are necessary to confirm the role of this treatment in changing the natural history of (the disease)," they added.

(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Alan Elsner)

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUKN1338055520090414?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Photo Source: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04_01/DiabeticsREX_228x354.jpg

by: Ruth Roberts M.A.

Source: www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_types/whatype.php

When you were diagnosed, you were probably told you had either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.  Clear-cut and tidy.  Since diabetes occurs in two types, you have to fit into one of them.  Many people do fit into one of these categories, but some do not.  Those who clearly fit a type at diagnosis may find the clear lines begin to smudge over time.  Are there really only two types?  Are you really the type you were told you were?  Could you even have more than one type of diabetes, and is your original diagnosis still correct after all these years?

Misdiagnosis or an unclear diagnosis of diabetes can create problems in treatment.  Misunderstanding the causes in the disease as you age also can lead to mistreatment.  For these reasons, a clear understanding of the types of diabetes is essential.

Described and treated since ancient times, diabetes has certain characteristics that have long been recognized.  Before the discovery of insulin, people found to have sugar in their urine under the age of 20 usually died in their youth, while those diagnosed when over the age of 40 could live for many years with this condition.

Bieginning in the mid 1920s, those who got diabetes when young (juvenile onset) were put on insulin, and those who got it when older (adult onset) ofter were not.  However, the mechanisms that led to this difference in treatments were unknown.  The only marker that differentiated the two types at that time was the presence in the urine of moderate or large levels of ketones when blood sugars were high.  If significant ketones were present, the person could not make enough insulin, needed injected insulin to control the blood sugar, and was called insulin-dependent.

In the early 1980s a breakthrough was made in understanding childhood onset diabetes.  It became clear that this early onset form was actually an autoimmune disease in which the body destroyed its own beta cells.  The antibodies that the immune system put out during this attack distinguished it from adult onset diabetes.  For the first time, one type of diabetes had a clear cause that made it different.

Definitions became clearer.  Type 1, called IDDM (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus), now was recognized as an autoimmune disease that appeared primarily in childhood or adolescence.  Near the final phases of the attack, the person stops producing insulin and requires injected insulin.  At the time of diagnosis, such a person often has excessive thirst an durination, has lost a lot weight, and has an extremely high blood sugar.  This person is normal weight or thin when Type 1 diabetes starts and may stay relatively trim through life.  Type 1 occurs in about 10% of all people who have diabetes.  Treatment for this type revolves around adjusting the dosages and number of insulin injections to match diet and exercise.

 Type 2 or NIDDM or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, on the other hand, was described as high blood sugars occurring in a person over 40, who is overweight and sedentary and also has a family history of this type of diabetes.  At the time of diagnosis, there may be no thirst and urination.  The person continues to make insulin, but the insulin production is not sufficient to keep blood sugars normal.  Treatment for Type 2 diabetes revolves around varied combinations of diet, exercise, medications, and /or insulin injections.

... In the early 1990s the definition of Type 2 was further refined to distinguish those with an without Syndrome X.  Syndrome X is strongly associated with insulin resistance and with high total cholesterol (over 200), high triglycerides (also over 200), low HDL (under 40 mg/dl), high blood pressure, and gout.

Those with an apple figure, who carry excess weight predominantly in their abdomen, are at the highest risk of developing Syndrome X.  The cholesterol and blood pressure problems associated with Syndrome X trigger accelerated cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

Syndrome X includes all those people who have resistance to insulin.  Some 25% of Americans fall into this high risk category, although only about 30% of them will develop Type 2 diabetes at some time in their lives.  Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body can no longer produce enough insulin to keep up with the increased need for insulin.  People with Syndrome X also tend to develop h igh pressure because of this insulin resistance.

... Type 1s are insulin deficient and Type 2s are basically insulin resistant.  I prefer to keep the third category, Type 1.5, which clearly defines a group that represents a sizable portion (about 16%) of those who have diabetes but are neither ketosis-prone nor insulin-resistant.

Other forms of insulin resistant diabetes also can be seen in gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary disease, acanthosis nigricans, and maturity-onset diabetes of the young or MODY.  insulin resistant diabetes can also be unmasked by medications like prednisone.  In rare cases, nonresistant forms of diabetes may also be seen following trauma to the pancreas or pancreatic surgery.  This last form is insulin dependent because no insulin can be produced once the pancreas is removed or severely damaged.

Most people with diabetes have Type 1, Type 1.5 or Type 2.  As more is known about the causes of diabetes and more treatments are developed, more types or sub types are certain to be defined.

Does Your Type Ever Change?

Blurring the lines between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common.  Due to aging or the general progress of the disease, people with one type of diabetes tend to take on the characteristics of the other.  As a result, some people with diabetes may have charactreistics of both types.

If Type 1s begin to exercise less and gain weight around the middle, as many people do when they age, they may become not only insulin deficient but also insulin resistant.  They then can develop the cardiac risks associated with Syndrome X and require medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.  They will require more insulin to control their blood sugars, and certain medications typically used in Type 2 diabetes, such as Glucophage, may help in their control.

On the other hand, as Type 2 diabetes progresses, especially if it is not well-controlled and the pancreas is placed under additional stress, insulin production may diminish to a point where it can no longer keep up with need.  A sulfonylurea may no longer be able to stimulate the beta cells to produce enough insulin.  Medicatiosn in addition to sulfonylurea, such as Precose or Prandin, may be needed.  As insulin production fails further, injected insulin will be required to keep blood sugars from rising.  Some people with Type 2 eventually become totally dependent on insulin and can go into ketoacidosis if insulin injections are stopped.

When a person does not match a typical profile, mistakes can be made in creating a treatment plan.  People who have Type 1 diabetes must have injected insulin to live because they produce little or no insulin themselves.  People who have Type 2 will need oral medications or insulin, depending on their lifestyle and the severity of their disease.  Although they may take insulin for good control, they are not insulin dependent as is the person with Type 1.

In fact most people who use insulin are not actually insulin dependent.  The number of people with Type 2 diabetes who use insulin is two or three times as large as those with true insulin dependence or Type 1.  Some 30 to 40% of people with Type 2 diabetes require insulin to maintian control, but even when insulin is used, this type of diabetes continues to be non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or NIDDM, because death will not occur over a few days if insulin is discontinued.

as seen on http://www.jdrf.org/

By Mayo Clinic staff

Treatment for type 1 diabetes is a lifelong commitment of monitoring blood sugar, taking insulin, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. The goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible to delay or prevent complications. In fact, tight control of blood sugar levels can reduce the risk of diabetes-related heart attacks and strokes by more than 50 percent.

If managing your diabetes seems overwhelming, take it one day at a time. And remember that you're not in it alone. You'll work closely with your diabetes treatment team — doctor, diabetes educator and registered dietitian — to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.

Blood sugar monitoring
Depending on what type of insulin therapy you select or require — single dose injections, multiple dose injections or insulin pump — you may need to check and record your blood sugar level up to four or more times a day. Careful monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar level remains within your target range.

Even if you take insulin and eat on a rigid schedule, the amount of sugar in your blood can change unpredictably. With help from your diabetes treatment team, you'll learn how your blood sugar level changes in response to:

• Food. What and how much you eat will affect your blood sugar level. Blood sugar is typically highest one to two hours after a meal.
• Physical activity. Physical activity moves sugar from your blood into your cells. The more active you are, the lower your blood sugar level. To compensate, you might need to lower your insulin dose before unusual physical activity.
• Medication. You need insulin to lower your blood sugar level. But any other medications you take may affect your blood sugar level as well, sometimes requiring changes in your diabetes treatment plan.
• Illness. During a cold or other illness, your body will produce hormones that raise your blood sugar level. This might require changes in your diabetes treatment plan.
• Alcohol. Alcohol can cause either high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and if you eat at the same time.
• Stress. The hormones your body may produce in response to prolonged stress may prevent insulin from working properly.
• For women, fluctuations in hormone levels. As your hormone levels fluctuate during your menstrual cycle, so can your blood sugar level — particularly in the week before your period. Menopause may trigger fluctuations in your blood sugar level as well.

In addition to daily blood sugar monitoring, your doctor may recommend regular A1C testing to measure your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Compared with repeated daily blood sugar tests, A1C testing better indicates how well your diabetes treatment plan is working overall. An elevated A1C level may signal the need for a change in your insulin regimen or meal plan.

Insulin and other medications
Anyone who has type 1 diabetes needs insulin therapy to survive. Because stomach enzymes interfere with insulin taken by mouth, oral insulin isn't an option for lowering blood sugar. Often, insulin is injected using a fine needle and syringe or an insulin pen — a device that looks like an ink pen, except the cartridge is filled with insulin.

An insulin pump also may be an option. The pump is a device about the size of a cell phone worn on the outside of your body. A tube connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter that's inserted under the skin of your abdomen. The pump is programmed to dispense specific amounts of insulin automatically. It can be adjusted to deliver more or less insulin depending on meals, activity level and blood sugar level.

Many types of insulin are available, including rapid-acting insulin, long-acting insulin and intermediate options. Examples include regular insulin (Humulin R, Novolin R, others), insulin isophane (Humulin N, Novolin N), insulin lispro (Humalog), insulin aspart (NovoLog) and insulin glargine (Lantus). Depending on your needs, your doctor may prescribe a mixture of insulin types to use throughout the day and night.

Sometimes other medications are prescribed as well. For example, an injection of pramlintide (Symlin) before you eat can slow the movement of food through your stomach to curb the sharp increase in blood sugar that occurs after meals. Your doctor might prescribe low-dose aspirin therapy to help prevent heart and blood vessel disease.

In October 2007, the manufacturer of inhaled insulin (Exubera) announced a decision to stop selling the drug because too few people are using it. If you use inhaled insulin, work with your doctor to adjust your diabetes treatment plan as soon as possible. In the meantime, it's safe to continue using inhaled insulin as directed.

Healthy eating
Contrary to popular perception, there's no diabetes diet. You won't be restricted to a lifetime of boring, bland foods. Instead, you'll need plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains — foods that are high in nutrition and low in fat and calories — and fewer animal products and sweets. In fact, it's the best eating plan for the entire family. Even sugary foods are OK once in a while, as long as they're included in your meal plan.

Yet understanding what and how much to eat can be a challenge. A registered dietitian can help you create a meal plan that fits your health goals, food preferences and lifestyle. Once you've covered the basics, remember the importance of consistency. To keep your blood sugar on an even keel, try to eat the same amount of food with the same proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at the same time every day.

Physical activity
Everyone needs regular aerobic exercise, and people who have type 1 diabetes are no exception. Get your doctor's OK to exercise. Then choose activities you enjoy, such as walking, swimming or biking. What's most important is making physical activity part of your daily routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. Stretching and strength training exercises are important, too. If you haven't been active for a while, start slowly and build up gradually.

Remember that physical activity lowers blood sugar. If you begin a new activity, check your blood sugar level more often than usual for a few weeks. You might need to adjust your meal plan or insulin doses to compensate for the increased activity.

Transplantation
The only potential cure for type 1 diabetes is a pancreas transplant. Other types of transplants are being studied as well.

• Pancreas transplant. With a successful pancreas transplant, you would no longer need insulin therapy. But pancreas transplants aren't always successful — and the procedure poses serious risks. You'd need a lifetime of potent immune-suppressing drugs to prevent organ rejection. These drugs can have serious side effects, including a high risk of infection and organ injury. Because the side effects can be more dangerous than the diabetes, pancreas transplants are usually reserved for people whose diabetes can't be controlled or those who have serious complications.
• Islet cell transplant. The islet cells are special cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Researchers are experimenting with islet cell transplants, which provide new insulin-producing cells from a donor pancreas. Although this experimental procedure has met with problems in the past, new techniques and better drugs to prevent islet cell rejection may hold promise for the future.
• Stem cell transplant. In a 2007 Brazilian study, a small number of people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were able to stop using insulin after being treated with stem cells made from their own blood. Although stem cell transplants — which involve shutting down the immune system and then building it up again — can be risky, the technique may one day provide an additional treatment option for type 1 diabetes.

Source: www.mayoclinic.com

Image Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com , http://media.rd.com , www.biodynamics.com , www.ism.stir.ac.uk , www.afrmc.org , www.rsna.org

 Posted : Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:23:37 GMT

NEW YORK - (Business Wire) The New York Stem Cell Foundation has received a $300,000 grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Foundation to provide seed funding for the initial six-month phase of NYSCF’s multi-year diabetes modeling program.

“We are honored and delighted to have been selected as one of the Helmsely Foundation’s grant recipients,” said Susan L. Solomon, CEO and co-founder of NYSCF. “This grant will help us understand diabetes. We believe that stem cells hold the key to developing better treatments and a cure for this devastating disease, and we thank the Helmsley Foundation Trustees for their generosity.”

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects nearly one million Americans, many of them children, who must maintain a grueling treatment regimen in order to preserve their health. In Type 1 diabetes, cells of the immune system attack and kill insulin producing (beta) cells in the pancreas. To stop this destructive cycle, researchers must understand what triggers the attack and which genes are involved.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/new-york-stem-cell-foundation,795707.shtml              Photo Source: www.propeller.com

Insulin No Longer Needed by Some Diabetic Patients Who Underwent Experimental Treatment 

April 14, 2009 --

More than half of the newly diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes who got an experimental treatment for the disease did not need insulin injections for at least a year.  Patients also showed improvements in the functioning of the insulin-producing cells that are attacked and destroyed in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Four of the 23 patients who took part in the study remained insulin free for at least three years and one patient went without insulin injections for more than four years.  The patients were the first to receive the novel stem cell transplant therapy to treat their type 1 diabetes.

After receiving transplants of their own blood stem cells, about half of the patients in the study became insulin free for an average of two and a half years.  But the treatment, which included the use of highly toxic immune-system suppressing drugs, was not without troubling side effects.

Two patients developed pneumonia while hospitalized for immunosuppression therapy, and nine developed low sperm counts as a result of exposure to one toxic drug. The latest results from the study appear in the April 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Diabetes specialist David M. Nathan, MD, who was not involved with the study, tells WebMD that the stem cell treatment is promising, but he adds that the side effects remain troubling.  “This is a pretty bold intervention that can involve serious complications,” he says. “The hope is that this will lead to more benign treatments that can keep people off insulin.”

Stem Cells for Diabetes

All the patients included in the stem cell study had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within six weeks of treatment, and all were producing some insulin on their own, although this production was greatly diminished.  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells within the pancreas.

The goal of the treatment was to kill the immune cells that were killing the insulin-producing cells and replace them with immature cells not programmed to disrupt insulin production.  The treatment, called autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), involved several steps.

Soon after diagnosis, the patients were given drugs to stimulate production of blood stem cells. The blood stem cells were then removed from the body and frozen.  Patients were hospitalized and given the toxic drugs that killed their circulating immune cells, and then the harvested blood stem cells were put back into the patient.

The first patient to receive the treatment did not improve, probably because he had too few functioning insulin-producing cells left.  But 20 of the next 22 patients treated with the experimental therapy were able to do without insulin injections or greatly reduce their insulin use for a few months to several years.  Patients who remained insulin-independent showed significant improvement in their ability to produce insulin two years after treatment, compared to pre-treatment production levels.  The ability to show direct improvement in insulin-producing cell function is important because critics have questioned whether the treatment really works.

Soon after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, many patients enter what is known as a “honeymoon” period, thought to result from improved diet and lifestyle.  It has been suggested that the early improvements seen in the patients who got the stem cell treatment was because of this lifestyle-related remission and not the treatment.  “This treatment actually stopped the autoimmune process and the remaining [insulin-producing] cells that were not destroyed worked well enough to keep many of these patients off insulin,” Nathan says.

FDA Considering Larger Trial

Study co-author Richard Burt, MD, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, concedes that the side effects seen with the treatment were not negligible, but he adds that the approach is far less toxic than immune system-suppressing therapies given to cancer patients.  “I think people will have to judge for themselves if the potential risks of this treatment outweigh the long-term risks associated with type 1 diabetes progression,” he tells WebMD.

The treatment has not been tried in young children. The youngest study participant was 13 and the oldest was 31.  And patients who have had diabetes for some time and no longer produce any beta cells probably would not benefit.

Burt says the next step is to conduct a larger, randomized trial to confirm the usefulness of the treatment in newly diagnosed patients who are still producing some insulin on their own.  The FDA is currently considering whether to allow such a study. The 23 patients who took part in the pilot study were all treated in Brazil.  “This is the first time in the treatment of diabetes that after one intervention patients no longer required any therapy,” Burt says. “And now we have many years of follow-up.”

Source: http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20090414/stem-cells-promising-for-type-one-diabetes?                Photo Source: chattahbox.com and pennhealth.com

03-31-2009 12:08 AM EDT by Michelle Kowalski  

My cousin, H, is a regular Blogabetes reader. When I’ve written a particularly good or provocative post I can count on getting an e-mail with the subject line: “Blog” and body that simply says: “LOL” or “You nailed it” or “Are you OK?”. But last week when I wrote about the Merits of Medical Jewelry, my cousin, who works in the health-care field, sent me a much longer e-mail that sparked a debate between us about the very thing I had written about: should the medical jewelry you wear be the standard-looking, sterling silver/gold or can you had a little flair? 

I quizzed the author of WhiteCoat’s Call Room, a blog from inside the emergency department, for his thoughts on the matter.  

Michelle: What are your thoughts on wearing "pretty" ID bracelets or necklaces or wearing charm-type tags on a watch or bracelet? By "pretty" I mean a medical ID plate with fashionable beads as the bracelet/necklace part. 

WhiteCoat: I think that you'd have to reach a critical mass of knowledge that they exist before they would be useful. For example, the "ICE" movement for cell phones is still in its infancy despite many advertising campaigns. Right now everyone knows what Medic ID bracelets look like and knows where to look for them. They're obvious if you're doing CPR or if you're trying to start an IV. If emergency providers saw a nice piece of jewelry, my guess is that in an emergency, they'd probably ignore it or remove it. 

I think the thing that separates medic alert bracelets from other jewelry is brand recognition. Imagine going to a foreign town and having each McDonald’s with a different logo instead of the "golden arches" or each cereal brand in a supermarket having a different box in a different store. 

Michelle: So, what you're saying is if I'm wearing a bracelet that has a standard-looking, sterling silver medical ID plate with the red medical cross/snake and the chain part was, say, black beads the whole thing may get overlooked or ignored? 

WhiteCoat: Tough call. My guess is the further the jewelry strays away from the silver plate/red emblem/silver chain, the more chance there is that it will be overlooked. I don't think that anyone would purposely ignore a medic alert once it's been identified, but the more it looks like a piece of jewelry instead of a device to communicate essential medical information, the more likely it will be mistaken for simply a piece of jewelry. If the ID plate is laying under the portion of a person's arm when the person is unconscious, EMTs will still know what the silver chain means: look for the plate. If the ID plate is hidden and attached to a gold chain or pink ribbon, people seeing the chain or ribbon will probably mistake it for just another piece of jewelry. 

Remember the function of the ID bracelet is a communication tool. It is there to talk for you when you can't talk for yourself. If you have the need to be stylin', just buy yourself a regular piece of jewelry and wear them both. 

Michelle: It's funny that I thought my insulin pump would be enough of a giveaway that I was diabetic, but I get more "is that your pager/iPod/garage door opener" comments than I ever thought I would! 

WhiteCoat: You'd be surprised how many people still don't know what an insulin pump looks like.

 Source: http://www.dlife.com/

 Oct 27, 2008

[Posted: Wed 14/11/2007 by Olivia Fens]

Research has found that more than 60% of people with diabetes risk serious foot problems that could lead to amputation by wearing the wrong-sized shoes.

A Scottish study found that ulceration can have serious implications for patients including impaired quality of life, increased amputation risk and even elevated death rates.

Its findings are published in the November issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice, to coincide with World Diabetes Day (November 14).

A hundred patients aged 24 to 89 volunteered to take part in the shoe-size study carried out at a general diabetic clinic at Ninewells Hospital Medical School in Dundee, Scotland.

The University of Dundee team found that 63% of the patients were wearing the wrong-sized shoes, and 45% were wearing the wrong width fitting, with the majority being too narrow.

Almost 50% of the volunteers had experienced previous problems with their feet, including ulcers, callouses, bunions, corns or swelling. Despite this, 22% never checked their own feet and only 29% checked them daily.

Foot problems could be reduced by adults being offered foot-measuring services in shoe shops, said the researchers. They would also like to see manufacturers developing standardised shoe sizes and expanding the range of length and width fittings that they offer, especially for patients who have no feeling in their feet.

Source: www.irishhealth.com/

The causes of type 1 diabetes are complex and still not completely understood. People with type 1 diabetes are thought to have an inherited, or genetic, predisposition to the disease. Researchers believe that this genetic predisposition may remain dormant until it is activated by an environmental trigger or triggers such as a virus or a chemical. This starts an attack of the immune system that results in the eventual destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas.

Source: http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/type1_information/

 Halle Berry Says She Cured Herself of Type 1 Diabetes, but Doctors Say That's Impossible

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
Nov. 6, 2007

Despite her claims to the contrary, Halle Berry did not cure herself of Type 1 diabetes, doctors told ABC NEWS.com, for one simple reason -- Type 1 diabetes is incurable.

"I've managed to wean myself off insulin, so now I'd like to put myself in the Type 2 category," the Web site contactmusic.com quotes the Academy Award winning actress as saying last week.

Diabetics quickly took to the blogosphere to condemn Berry for claiming that a change in diet could cure Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas permanently fails to produce insulin, the vital hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood.

Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile-onset diabetes, usually strikes children who must remain on insulin therapy for their entire lives, routinely monitoring their blood-sugar levels and taking injections.

Those doctors interviewed agreed that if Berry was truly a Type 1 diabetic, it would be suicide to simply stop taking insulin. They surmised that the 41-year-old actress was either mistaken, misinformed or misdiagnosed, and probably always had Type 2, which tends to affect people later in life and can in some cases be overcome with a change in diet.

"When someone really has Type 1, it means their immune system has destroyed the insulin producing part of pancreas. In that case, there is no way to wean yourself off insulin [treatments]," said Dr. Francine Kaufman, a diabetes expert at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Some 20.8 million people -- 7 percent of the population -- have diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. African-Americans, however, are particularly at risk. According to institute statistics, 3.2 million black Americans, or 13.3 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks, have the disease.

Berry's mother is white and her father is black.

Type 2 tends to affect the unfit and obese; 90 percent of all Type 2 patients are overweight. Berry, however, was a healthy 22-year-old working on the TV show "Living Dolls" in 1989 when she was first diagnosed, she told the Daily Mail in 2005.

Before she was diagnosed and after becoming ill on the set, she told the paper, she slipped into a diabetic coma for a week.

"She was diagnosed in her early 20s, and at that age it's sometimes difficult to know at the beginning if it's Type 1 or 2," said Dr. Ronald Kahn, director of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard.

"Because she is thin and healthy, her physician initially probably thought that she had Type 1, though in African-Americans there is an increased risk for Type 2. The diagnosis wasn't necessarily a bait and switch, but it might have just been a matter of her physician's getting a better handle on the kind of diabetes she had," he said.

"Physicians are always asked to make the call one way or other. He probably said Type 1 at the time, but was not 100 percent certain. Some people with borderline diagnoses will joke that they have Type 1½," he said.

Berry's physician might not have been the only one confused about the status of the actor's condition. In a December 2005 Daily Mail article about Berry and her diabetes, the paper said she had Type 2. In a 2006 New York Times article, the Times said she had Type 1.

Berry is four months pregnant. Though not referring to Berry's condition specifically, Kaufman said women with Type 1 need to be particularly careful about their insulin levels when pregnant.

"There is a heightened risk for many women while pregnant. The goal of pregnancy is to carefully manage insulin," . Kaufman said.

The American Diabetes Association was also reluctant to comment directly on Berry's condition but warned that people taking insulin should not stop treatment without first consulting their doctors.

"We don't want people with Type 1 to hear about this and stop taking their insulin," said Diane Tuncer, the association's director of communications.

"After hearing one story about a celebrity, people shouldn't begin questioning their treatment. No one should stop treatment without consulting their physician," she said.

Berry's publicist, Meredith O'Sullivan, refused to comment on Berry's reported remarks, saying only that "any medical choice that is made regarding her treatment is between Berry and her doctors."

Source: www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=3822870&page=1