Diabetes News January 16th 2009

Help NHS Direct support people with diabetes
NHS Direct, the 24/7 telephone and online health information service, needs your help to improve the support it offers people with diabetes (Diabetes UK)

Avosentan Reduces Albumin Excretion in Diabetics with Macroalbuminuria
Endothelin-A antagonist avosentan given in addition to standard ACEI/ARB treatment decreases UAER in patients with diabetic nephropathy and macroalbuminuria (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology)

New blood glucose target ranges
Diabetes UK has updated its blood glucose target ranges for people with diabetes, following recommendations from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Diabetes UK)

The impact of topical phenytoin on recalcitrant neuropathic diabetic foot ulceration
Topical phenytoin can enhance wound healing in recalcitrant neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers, although only one-quarter of patients achieved more than 50% reduction in ulcer size after eight weeks of therapy (Journal of Wound Care)

Type 1 diabetes campaigners win changes to Change4Life
Parents of children with type 1 diabetes have campaigned for clarification that obesity can be a contributing factor to type 2 diabetes, not type 1 diabetes (JDRF)

Childhood BMI trajectories and the risk of developing young adult-onset diabetes
The BMI gain in infancy among individuals who subsequently developed young adult-onset type 1 diabetes was faster than that of those who remained healthy (Diabetologia)

First trial of plant-produced insulin takes place in UK
It is hoped that this could be a new source of insulin which will help meet growing demand as diabetes prevalence increases (Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation)

Diabetes in Wales is on the increase
Twenty people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in Wales, according to new figures from Diabetes UK (Wales Online)

DexCom, JNJ Pump Up Diabetes Partnership
The insulin pump joint venture between Johnson & Johnson and DexCom goes global, setting the stage for a possible takeover (Forbes)

ADA, AHA, ACC: Target glycemic goal should remain the same
The societies reexamined recommendations for glycemic targets after recent findings with intensive glycemic control (Endocrine Today)

Qnexa Treatment Results in Improved Glucose Control in Obese Non-Diabetic Subjects
Study Subjects Treated with Qnexa had Significant Reduction in HbA1c Compared to Placebo Treated Subjects (PharmaLive)

Study examines burden of diabetes on US hospitals
Study finds opportunity to improve hospital glycemic control (EurekAlert)

Hospital diabetes care standards not met by US academic medical centers
Study finds opportunity to improve hospital glycemic control (EurekAlert)

Type 1 diabetes: how schools are failing some children
Children with type 1 diabetes are not being given help with vital injections and blood testing in some schools (Telegraph, UK)

Concern on VHI diabetes screen plan
The support body for people with diabetes is concerned about a new scheme to detect the disease which will be available to VHI members in the catchment areas of two Dublin hospitals (Irish Health)

Antidiabetic Action of Bezafibrate in a Large Observational Database
Bezafibrate appears to have clinically important antidiabetic properties (Diabetes Care)

Amylin Sees Byetta Label, Monotherapy Decision In 1Q
Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc.expects to update the label of diabetes treatment Byetta, co-marketed with Eli Lilly & Co., and get a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision during the first quarter on its use as a monotherapy (CNN)

Diabetes Management System
ALRT Health-E-Connect Diabetes Management System Used in Clinical Trial to Determine Adherence of Prescribed Self-Testing of Blood Sugar and Its Effects on Type 2 Diabetes (CNN)

Diabetes UK is 75 years old!
It was co-founded by the novelist HG Wells – who most famously wrote ‘The Time Machine’ and ‘The War of the Worlds’ – and Dr RD Lawrence, both of whom had diabetes (Diabetes UK)

Diabetics sought for oats trial
Sixty volunteers are being sought to eat an oat-rich diet in trials funded by £200,000 from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government (BBC)

Insulin Resistance Markers in Children
Here we discuss the usefulness of various currently known biochemical markers to evaluate insulin sensitivity (Hormone Research)

Gender and Depot Differences in Adipocyte Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Metabolism
There are major gender differences in insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, particularly in the intraabdominal depot that are regulated by physiological levels of sex steroids (Diabetes)

Intranasal Insulin Ameliorates Experimental Diabetic Neuropathy
I-I slows the progression of experimental DPN in STZ mice, avoids adverse effects associated with S-I treatment, and prolongs lifespan when compared to S-I. I-I may be a promising approach for the treatment of DPN (Diabetes)