Research pharmacy news out of the UK describes an
artificial pancreas for diabetics being developed by
Prof Joan Taylor of
De Montfort University, Leicester.
This 'smart' polymer device works to mimick the pancreas' role in delivering insulin as and when it is needed by the body.
"The implant is still under development and several years from being available to people with diabetes. However it promises to be an alternative to daily insulin injections and insulin pumps. Its design is aimed at reducing the life-threatening complications associated with diabetes."
In consideration of the growing burden Diabetes is threatening to impose on our healthcare systems, I had to share this exciting bit of news with the readers of this blog!
Labels: burden of disease, diabetes, disease management, research pharmacy
"In the United States, nearly 13 percent of adults age 20 and older have diabetes, but 40 percent of them have not been diagnosed, according to epidemiologists from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose study includes newly available data from an
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)." “These findings have grave implications for our health care system, which is already struggling to provide care for millions of diabetes patients, many of whom belong to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or minorities,” said Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the NIDDK. “Of paramount importance is the need to curb the obesity epidemic, which is the main factor driving the rise in type 2 diabetes.”
“These findings of yet another increase in diabetes prevalence are a reminder that a full-scale public health response is in order. Re-directing the trends in diabetes will require changing the nutritional and physical activity habits of people at risk, and also creative and substantial efforts by health systems and communities," said Ed Gregg, Ph.D., epidemiology and statistics branch chief in CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.
Click on the title to link to the NIH news release and further informational links on Diabetes.Labels: applied statistics, burden of disease, CDC, diabetes, health care costs, NIH, obesity, OGTT, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, public health, research study
"A freeware educational simulator program of glucose-insulin interaction and insulin dosage & dietary adjustment in diabetes mellitus. AIDA contains a simple model of glucose-insulin interaction in the human body. It is intended for simulating the effects on the blood glucose profile of changes in insulin and diet for a typical insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetic patient (IDDM).
AIDA is only intended to be used for educational / teaching / demonstration purposes."AIDA comes with
40 case scenarios which can be simulated and further case scenarios can be added by users.
Additonal resources include an
Insulin Tutorial.
Labels: AIDA, case studies, diabetes, simulation
HealthDay News ~ Sept 17, 2008"Early trials of a new implantable, and removeable, intestinal liner have shown promise as a noninvasive means to promote blood sugar control and weight loss."
Click on the title to read the full report on the HealthDay News site...Labels: blood sugar, clinical research, diabetes, endobarrier, intestinal liner, metabolic therapy, noninvasive procedure, weight loss
Research pharmacy news out of the UK describes an artificial pancreas for diabetics being developed by Prof Joan Taylor of De Montfort University, Leicester.
